Haunting Violet
Page 43
“Is that wise, Sir Wentworth?” Lord Underhall said mildly. “You’ve already lost your favorite horse.”
Tabitha’s uncle drained his glass and set it down forcefully enough that the glass stem snapped. He wiped his hand on his pants. “Bah, I’ll win yet. Mark my words.”
If it wasn’t for the edge of tension hanging between each of the players I would have thought it a dreadfully dull thing to watch. Sir Wentworth lost that hand and pieces of parchment, which I assumed were notes signifying a debt owed, were exchanged.
“Your niece is rather lovely,” Lord Fitzwilliam drawled to Sir Wentworth. “And about to be launched onto the Marriage Mart, isn’t she?”
I couldn’t help but think that Rowena had, after all, been as beautiful as Tabitha, whom he was now complimenting. It was worth further investigation. Sir Wentworth stopped scowling at his cards and scowled at Lord Fitzwilliam instead.
“Not for the likes of you,” he said darkly. “You haven’t the blunt to afford her. Not with my bloody brother at the reins of the family fortune. So keep your distance, Fitzwilliam.”
Fitzwilliam only laughed. The night stretched on. Peter looked as if he barely knew his own name, but he still managed to win the next hand. Mr. Travis didn’t appear to be drinking, only swirled his port in his glass in a manner that made Sir Wentworth grit his teeth. Lord Jasper offered his guests coffee. Peter switched to brandy. Sir Wentworth won a gold watch and lost a pouch of coins. He rubbed his face. Mr. Travis ate a piece of cheese. I yawned, bored. The floor was hard under my knees, and I shifted slightly to ease the pressure.
“Deuced cold in here,” Peter muttered, slurring slightly.
Cold didn’t quite explain it.
Rowena appeared at the table, drifting in between the players, trailing her hand over the table. The cards ruffled. Peter shivered.
“Shut the window,” he told Frederic.
Lord Jasper frowned, eyes bouncing around the room, as if he knew the chilled air had nothing to do with an open window. Rowena circled, her expression softening, then sharpening, seemingly at random.
I knew the exact moment she realized I was on the other side of the door.
She turned and abandoned her pacing around the table, moving so quickly I thought she’d vanished. She reappeared, very suddenly, her eyes staring right into mine. The iron plate of the handle frosted as I yelped and fell backward. I cracked my elbow on the edge of a table. A candlestick wobbled and fell over, silver thudding into the parquet floor.
“What was that?” Mr. Travis inquired. There was the sound of chairs being pushed back and men getting to their feet.
I ran all the way to my room, cradling my injured arm and praying no one would follow. The fear of being caught didn’t fully dissipate until a full half hour had passed without a knock sounding on my door.
“It’s not a good idea.”
“I know that,” I told Colin again. We were huddled in a dark corner behind a terrarium of ferns outside the parlor. Elizabeth peered around the edge of the glass to be certain we weren’t about to be discovered. “But we have to do something.”
“Not this,” Colin insisted.
Elizabeth hissed at us. “Keep your voices down.” Laughter spilled down the hall from the parlor. “Besides, it will all be perfectly safe.”
“You should listen to Jasper if you won’t listen to me,” he muttered. “He said to leave it alone. It’s too dangerous.”
“Well, we can’t sit around much longer waiting for a mute ghost to tell us everything we need to know. She’s being irritatingly cryptic, if you’ll notice.” Colin was very close to me; he smelled like rain. “We’ve made a list of suspects but it’s hardly of any use if we don’t do anything with it.”
“You made a list of suspects?” He groaned.
“Yes,” Elizabeth told him pertly. “We’re very clever, actually.”
He closed his eyes briefly. “Who’s on this famous list then?”
I explained what we’d discovered, listing only the most prominent names: Caroline; Peter; Mr. Travis; and Lords Fitzwilliam, Winterbourne, and Underhall.
“Frederic, is, of course, not a suspect,” Elizabeth felt the need to warn us sternly.
“ ’Course not,” Colin said dryly.
“Oh, and Rowena had a secret beau. We need to find out who he was.”
“Ha.” Elizabeth nodded triumphantly. “Told you we were clever.”
“And reckless.”
“It’s only a few questions here and there,” she scoffed. “And I know everyone here, have since I was a baby.”
He shook his head. “Everyone has secrets.”
“Not the peerage.”
“Especially the peerage.”
Elizabeth looked shocked. “Surely not.” She shook her head. “I’ll go in first.”
We watched her go. Colin rubbed his face. “Doesn’t it seem strange to you that every single person accounted for at the party last year is here now? In Lord Jasper’s country house? With a purported medium?”
I stilled. He had a point. And Lord Jasper had been vehement in his warnings when we’d tried to question him.
Our list of suspects had just gotten longer.
“Violet, I don’t like it.”
“I know, but I don’t see that we have a choice.” And we couldn’t mention it to Elizabeth. She’d never believe it of her godfather.
Tabitha’s uncle drained his glass and set it down forcefully enough that the glass stem snapped. He wiped his hand on his pants. “Bah, I’ll win yet. Mark my words.”
If it wasn’t for the edge of tension hanging between each of the players I would have thought it a dreadfully dull thing to watch. Sir Wentworth lost that hand and pieces of parchment, which I assumed were notes signifying a debt owed, were exchanged.
“Your niece is rather lovely,” Lord Fitzwilliam drawled to Sir Wentworth. “And about to be launched onto the Marriage Mart, isn’t she?”
I couldn’t help but think that Rowena had, after all, been as beautiful as Tabitha, whom he was now complimenting. It was worth further investigation. Sir Wentworth stopped scowling at his cards and scowled at Lord Fitzwilliam instead.
“Not for the likes of you,” he said darkly. “You haven’t the blunt to afford her. Not with my bloody brother at the reins of the family fortune. So keep your distance, Fitzwilliam.”
Fitzwilliam only laughed. The night stretched on. Peter looked as if he barely knew his own name, but he still managed to win the next hand. Mr. Travis didn’t appear to be drinking, only swirled his port in his glass in a manner that made Sir Wentworth grit his teeth. Lord Jasper offered his guests coffee. Peter switched to brandy. Sir Wentworth won a gold watch and lost a pouch of coins. He rubbed his face. Mr. Travis ate a piece of cheese. I yawned, bored. The floor was hard under my knees, and I shifted slightly to ease the pressure.
“Deuced cold in here,” Peter muttered, slurring slightly.
Cold didn’t quite explain it.
Rowena appeared at the table, drifting in between the players, trailing her hand over the table. The cards ruffled. Peter shivered.
“Shut the window,” he told Frederic.
Lord Jasper frowned, eyes bouncing around the room, as if he knew the chilled air had nothing to do with an open window. Rowena circled, her expression softening, then sharpening, seemingly at random.
I knew the exact moment she realized I was on the other side of the door.
She turned and abandoned her pacing around the table, moving so quickly I thought she’d vanished. She reappeared, very suddenly, her eyes staring right into mine. The iron plate of the handle frosted as I yelped and fell backward. I cracked my elbow on the edge of a table. A candlestick wobbled and fell over, silver thudding into the parquet floor.
“What was that?” Mr. Travis inquired. There was the sound of chairs being pushed back and men getting to their feet.
I ran all the way to my room, cradling my injured arm and praying no one would follow. The fear of being caught didn’t fully dissipate until a full half hour had passed without a knock sounding on my door.
“It’s not a good idea.”
“I know that,” I told Colin again. We were huddled in a dark corner behind a terrarium of ferns outside the parlor. Elizabeth peered around the edge of the glass to be certain we weren’t about to be discovered. “But we have to do something.”
“Not this,” Colin insisted.
Elizabeth hissed at us. “Keep your voices down.” Laughter spilled down the hall from the parlor. “Besides, it will all be perfectly safe.”
“You should listen to Jasper if you won’t listen to me,” he muttered. “He said to leave it alone. It’s too dangerous.”
“Well, we can’t sit around much longer waiting for a mute ghost to tell us everything we need to know. She’s being irritatingly cryptic, if you’ll notice.” Colin was very close to me; he smelled like rain. “We’ve made a list of suspects but it’s hardly of any use if we don’t do anything with it.”
“You made a list of suspects?” He groaned.
“Yes,” Elizabeth told him pertly. “We’re very clever, actually.”
He closed his eyes briefly. “Who’s on this famous list then?”
I explained what we’d discovered, listing only the most prominent names: Caroline; Peter; Mr. Travis; and Lords Fitzwilliam, Winterbourne, and Underhall.
“Frederic, is, of course, not a suspect,” Elizabeth felt the need to warn us sternly.
“ ’Course not,” Colin said dryly.
“Oh, and Rowena had a secret beau. We need to find out who he was.”
“Ha.” Elizabeth nodded triumphantly. “Told you we were clever.”
“And reckless.”
“It’s only a few questions here and there,” she scoffed. “And I know everyone here, have since I was a baby.”
He shook his head. “Everyone has secrets.”
“Not the peerage.”
“Especially the peerage.”
Elizabeth looked shocked. “Surely not.” She shook her head. “I’ll go in first.”
We watched her go. Colin rubbed his face. “Doesn’t it seem strange to you that every single person accounted for at the party last year is here now? In Lord Jasper’s country house? With a purported medium?”
I stilled. He had a point. And Lord Jasper had been vehement in his warnings when we’d tried to question him.
Our list of suspects had just gotten longer.
“Violet, I don’t like it.”
“I know, but I don’t see that we have a choice.” And we couldn’t mention it to Elizabeth. She’d never believe it of her godfather.
