Page 6 of The Scandal You Started
Monty, the head historian sitting on George’s right, was usually a cheerful middle-aged man with a bushy moustache and glowing, dark brown skin. But he had yet to display his typical toothy grin and unfold himself from the slumped position in his chair.
Opposite him, Victor was squeezing the bridge of his nose under his glasses with his eyes closed, having not said a single word since greeting Rayna and George when they’d arrived.
River, the historian who’d brought the lord to the present, stood at the head of the table and appeared to have aged ten years in the month or so it had been since Rayna had last seen him, his grey eyes looking dull and his dirty-blond hair a mess on his head.
Even handsome doctor, Ash, opposite Rayna, with the ruby-red eyes and silver hair of those from the Crimson Cast from the State of Dale, looked pale and tired.
The cause?
The eighth Marquess of Norland, Dominic Evander Jonathan Thorne.
From what River had said so far, Lord Norland was from the Region of Vindall in the south of Khaas from the year 635 PR. He was stupidly wealthy, having invested his money in emerging industries unlike most of his peers, which was what had piqued River’s initial interest.
Ash shrugged one shoulder, then continued detailing the man’s medical record. “He’s perfectly healthy, honestly. CT scan, MRI scan, everything was clear. No signs of cancerous cells or internal damage to his organs. Nothing came up in the allergy test nor his swab test. The hair-drug test came back clear, and despite a minor iron deficiency, his blood test came back fine too.”
“If all his tests are done, shouldn’t he be out of quarantine by now?” Rayna asked. “Hasn’t he been in there for the full eight days yet?”
Ash was hesitant to answer, slipping a quick glance to Victor next to him. “He’s…actually been in there for two weeks. As of today.”
She stilled and felt George freeze too.
What the—
In the three years Rayna had officially been working for the POTeM project, never had she heard of someone being held in quarantine for that long.Ever.
“Why has he been in quarantine for so long?” she muttered.
The four men looked at each other as if neither of them wanted to answer the question. Then quietly, River said, “He won’t stopbeing aggressive long enough for us to talk to him and explain what’s going on.”
“But he’s had his first-day introduction, right?” said George. “So why…”
Victor lifted his head for the first time since the beginning of the meeting. “He hasn’t had his introduction.”
Rayna pitched against the table. “Wait, what? What do you mean he hasn’t had his introduction? Nobody told him on the first day why he was here?”
First-day introductions were the most important part of bringing a Study to the present. Without it, they had no way of understanding they were no longer in their own time, but that they were safe and had every right to demand being returnedbeforetheir quarantine period started.
It didn’t quite forgive the false pretences they were usually invited under, but it was meant to reassure them that the choice was still theirs once the truth was told.
But Lord Norland hadn’t had that talk.
“Like River said,” Monty answered. “He hasn’t stopped being aggressive long enough for us to say more than a few words.”
“But we can’t take him out of quarantine until we talk to him,” Victor added.
“By aggressive…what do you mean exactly?” George asked with cautious quiet.
Monty sighed heavily and scratched his rounded jaw. “As soon as he woke up, he was thrashing around in anger, yelling and lashing out at anyone who came near him. Not only has he been violent since, but he’s refused to eat too. As a result, we had to have guards hold him down in order to sedate him and give him an IV drip. And Zack…”
The older man shuffled in his chair, sitting a little straighter. “He was supposed to be Lord Norland’s Guardian, but when wetried to introduce them, Norland attacked Zack, and now he’s been written off work for two weeks and is recovering at home.”
“Fucking Neves,” George muttered.
Rayna swallowed down her discomfort as thick, acidic tar churned through her belly.
Settling in a Study was never easy. Usually, even after first-day introductions were made, many were fearful or teary, and sometimes angry too. But after a few days of assurances and talking, the person warmed up to the idea of exploring the future.
In the case of the marquess, though, his refusal to listen and constant lashing out was extending his suffering rather than ending it, creating what could become a never-ending cycle of distress if it wasn’t disrupted.
