Chapter Five
Dorothea found herself in a cogblastedly awful spot.
It was not her intention to use a stranger’s guest room; she’d planned for something in a small local inn. But Gen put a whole different face on the matter. Keeping the little girl safe was her number one priority.
As she looked around the lovely space, she knew she’d not find better at any inn at all. So she lifted her bag onto the large bed and unpacked what she needed.
“Are we really going to stay, Miss Thea?”
“Yes, we are, Gen.” She glanced at the little face staring up at her. “I think it’s the best idea for now, don’t you?”
“I suppose so. But I do wish Mama were here now.”
“I can understand that, little one. I really can.” She sat on the side of the bed and patted it. “Come and sit here, next to me for a minute or two. We need to catch our breath, don’t we?”
Gen nodded and clambered up. “Is this the adventure you said you were going to have?”
“Well, not exactly,” laughed Dorothea. “Although it is indeed something very close to one. I never imagined seeing inside such a lovely house, especially down here.” She leaned in and touched Gen’s shoulder with her own. “And I never expected to find such a sweet travelling companion, either.”
Gen giggled. “Me neither, Miss Thea.”
Dorothea laughed back. “Let me unpack a couple of my things, and then we’ll go and see what Mr Gray has lined up for our meal, shall we?”
“Yes, please.” Gen put her hand on her stomach. “My tummy’s rumbling.”
“So’s mine, but don’t tell anyone.”
So after a little organising, more than a little hair brushing and tidying on the part of both Dorothea and her charge, they declared themselves presentable and left the room.
Thim, who didn’t have any hair to brush or hands to wash, just followed along, its comforting little tick-tock sounding behind its new family.
The scent of food made Dorothea’s stomach rumble as well, but fortunately before they were confronted by Nelson, who bid them follow him.
“This is quite a large house, Nelson,” she observed. “How many rooms are there?”
“Enough for our needs, Ma’am.”
“Ah. Well, that’s a good thing, then, isn’t it?” Dorothea sighed. Sometimes a tickerkin needed a good boot up its...
“Here you are.”
Silas stood in the doorway and beckoned them inside. “I hope you have room for a few little delicacies. Biscuits are wonderful, but they’re not really sustaining.”
“Oh, well, I...” She blinked at the table and the delicious selection of nibbles on the Tinker’s Tray. “Goodness, you have gone to so much trouble for us. ‘Thank you’ seems inadequate.”
“Sit. Eat. Thank me later.” He smiled and seated her as Gen climbed onto the next chair.
“This looks very good,” she whispered.
“It is,” Silas whispered back. “But you’d better pick your favourites quickly, because I think Miss Thea may be hungry too, and you don’t want her eating all the good stuff before you...”
Dorothea couldn’t help but chuckle. “It sounds as if you have brothers and sisters, Mr Gray.” She helped herself to an assortment of cheeses and a couple of crusty bread slices, which she buttered lavishly.
“Just one brother,” smiled Silas. “But he is a handful, even now.”
“Is here in the Undercroft as well?”
“No. His choices took him down a different path.”
There was something in his words that told her this was a subject he’d prefer left alone. Understanding, she nodded and chewed thoughtfully.
“Do you have brothers or sisters?” Silas filled his plate.
“One brother,” she replied between mouthfuls. “Older brother.”
“I see. Is he here in the Undercroft, or joining you here, perhaps?”
She looked at him thoughtfully, wondering if he was being polite or doing a little subtle digging.
“He is quite busy these days, so I doubt he will follow me. He has enough work to keep him occupied elsewhere in Arcvale.” She smiled a little.
“Also, he’s not one for spontaneous adventures.
Which this has certainly turned out to be. ”
Silas smiled as they both glanced at Gen, who was managing to finish her plate, but clearly flagging.
“Perhaps, after your young protégée is settled, you might care to join me for an after-dinner brandy?”
Dorothea used her mouthful of food as an excuse not to answer immediately. His offer had, for some obscure reason, made her heart jump a little, which was absurd, of course.
And it would be considered quite outré by her family, and probably most everyone in Renslow House, not to mention the rest of the elegant neighbourhood. Those realisations tipped the scales in his favour.
“I would be delighted, Mr Gray,” she nodded at last, keeping her voice level. “I believe that would be an ideal end to a very long and adventurous day.”
The conversation turned ordinary, food was served and consumed, and Gen managed half of her pudding between yawns.
“Which you both have certainly had,” smiled Silas, shooting a quick glance at the tired child.
“Gen, if you’re done, I think we might tuck you into bed now?” Dorothea suddenly realised how natural that felt, and yet she’d had little experience with children as young as Gen.
Was it the girl? She was a delight and had brought a new breath of air into Dorothea’s existence. Or was it perhaps something that had been there all the time and yet had never had the opportunity to develop? Hard to tell.
“I’m done, Miss Thea.” Gen scrambled down off her chair and walked to Silas. “Thank you for my food, Mr Gray. It was wonderful.” And then she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.
Dorothea didn’t know who was more surprised. Herself or Silas.
He certainly looked stunned, but then smiled widely and opened his arms to hug Gen. “Good night, little one. Sleep tight. And I’ll see you in the morning.”
“When Mama comes,” she nodded.
“When your Mama comes,” he echoed firmly.
Dorothea stood and took Gen’s hand. “I won’t be long,” she said quietly.
“I’ll be here,” he answered.
Yes, I know. And I find that knowledge a lot more stimulating than I should...
*~~*~~*
With Gen tucked snugly on one side of the large bed, and Thim settling on the floor next to her, Dorothea felt more comfortable about leaving them for a little while.
They’d certainly taken to each other, without a doubt.
While many argued that a tickerkin had no emotions, she’d never been one of them. And Thim was proving her point.
Battered, clearly misused, and having experienced a hard life, it was still working and showing a good deal of intelligence.
Not to mention surprising affection for a little human girl.
Yes, its eyes weren’t aligned as well as they should be, and there was a bit of a lopsided rattle when it moved, but sometimes one had to judge what lay in the heart, not on the surface.
Glancing in the mirror, she winced and did her best to restore some order to her hair.
The day’s adventures had taken their toll on her appearance, leaving her with some loose curls and smudges on the hem of her skirt and petticoat.
She sighed. Such was the price one paid for escaping Arcvale.
And it was unlikely that Mr Gray would notice.
With that not-very-comforting thought, she straightened, turned the knob near the door to reduce the lighting to a soft glow, and quietly left the room.
It seemed as if the whole house had settled itself for the evening. The lights in the hallway were also a little less bright, but Nelson appeared in front of her. “If you’d follow me, Ma’am.”
“Of course. Thank you. I would have been quite lost on my own, I’m sure.”
“Neither Mr Gray nor I would ever allow that to happen,” replied Nelson, his tone rather dry in nature. “However, there are more than a few rooms on this level, so I can comprehend your confusion.”
His words were uttered in a somewhat supercilious tone, so she merely followed him down a passageway that led past where they’d eaten and further into the house.
Stopping in front of a door, he glanced at her. “Mr Gray awaits, Ma’am.”
The words almost sounded like an incantation, and Dorothea scolded herself for the absurdity. “Ah. Well then. Thank you, Nelson.” She walked past him with a nod and went inside.
A fire burned brightly in a large fireplace, and the thick rugs silenced her footsteps as she walked across them to the man rising from his chair.
“No, please don’t get up.” She held up her hand. “This looks so comfortable. And warm, too.”
Two chairs were set near the flames, with a small table between them, obviously to hold the brandy and the two accompanying glasses.
She took the other chair with a minimum of fuss. “I think Gen’s probably already asleep,” she smiled. “That is one tired little girl.”
“She’ll be well rested to welcome her Mama.” He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow while picking up one of the lovely glass snifters.
Understanding his silent question, she nodded. “Yes, please.”
Silas carefully poured what she recognised as Smuggler’s Polished Sin—amber-dark and velvety—its warm spice and burnt sugar finish curling into the air between them as it splashed into the two glasses.
“Careful,” he murmured, offering her one. “This one has a reputation.”
“So I’ve heard,” she replied, waiting until he picked up his to take a sip. “Mmm. Very nice indeed.”
“You’ve tried this one before, I take it?”
“Actually, no, but I have heard it praised by those who have. Up until now, my choice has been the Imperial Amber Reserve, but this...” she sipped again, “may just change my mind.”
“Your preference is admirable,” he said quietly. “Not many get the chance to enjoy such a supremely made liquor as the Amber Reserve.”
“Um.” Cursing herself for her mistake, Dorothea changed the subject. “Tell me about your home, Mr Gray. It is much larger than I could have imagined, and must have taken a long time to excavate?”
“I would be happy to,” he smiled. “But not unless you call me Silas...”
She fought with herself for all of ten seconds. “I’d be honoured, Silas...”
“Thank you, Thea.” He nodded, immediately glancing around the room. “This room was an addition. When I first looked at this place, I knew there was a lot of potential. And you’re right, it’s not easy to create a fair-sized dwelling unless you go into the caves and build more traditionally.”
“But there, you’d have the routine issues of what I understand are the usual sixth-level dwellings. Ventilation, heating, cooling, water...”
“Whereas here, tucked into the rocks, I have much better control over all those things, although I will admit the pumping system gave my crew some headaches.”
“Running water is definitely an advantage,” she observed, sipping her brandy.
“It is, of course,” he agreed. “Now that the civilities are mostly observed, perhaps you would tell me what on earth a woman like you is doing down here amongst the caves and forges?”
She blinked. “What on earth do you mean? A woman like me?”
He met her gaze calmly. “I’m not blind, dear girl. Elegance and class, not to mention good breeding, ooze from your pores as freely as sweat does from our Forge workers.”
She raised her chin. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“Wrong answer, Thea.” He sipped his brandy. “Besides the fact that your conversation is clearly way above what is to be expected of Arcvale’s lower levels, I doubt that anyone further down than level two has ever heard of, let alone tasted, Imperial Amber Reserve.”
Dorothea wanted to give herself a good hard kick, but keeping her countenance calm and unruffled was about the hardest thing she’d ever done. Hoping he didn’t see her internal chaos, she met his gaze as calmly as she could.
“So I am well-spoken and like excellent brandy. That makes me unusual? I think not.” Her mind selected and discarded comments in a whirlwind of decisions.
“I’m sure there are more than a few ladies with sophisticated tastes here in the Undercroft.
” A random, if unwelcome, thought shot into her head.
“Although perhaps they may not be as reputable.”
He chuckled. “No, you’re no torchlight belle, Miss Thea. That I can say with complete certainty. But there’s something about you that doesn’t quite....fit. That’s the word. You don’t fit into any of the Undercroft categories.”
“Ridiculous. Of course I fit.” She took a good swallow of her brandy and barely managed to refrain from coughing.
“In the right environment, yes.” He nodded. “I see you at a piano, candles reflecting light off the brilliantly polished instrument, you’re playing alone, a sonata perhaps. Your hands fly softly over the keys...”
She swallowed. “Nonsense.”
“Or perhaps at a ball,” he continued, his eyes on her face. “Your hair shining beneath the chandeliers, your gown a whispered breath of blue and gold as you whirl around the floor...”
His words seduced her, kept her gaze on his. “I...I...”
The table between them was small, and she didn’t realise he’d reached across it until she felt his hand in her hair. “Tell me, Thea. Tell me the truth. Let me help you if I can...”
Breathless, she leaned toward him, her eyes drifting to his lips. But just in time, she caught herself up, and jerked backwards in her chair, pulling away from his touch, his gentle voice, and his seductive words.
“Silas,” she whispered hoarsely. “You are a dangerous man, and I don’t know if you fit here either.” In one smooth move, she finished her brandy, put the glass back on the table, and rose to her feet. “I must leave before this goes any further. Good night.”