Chapter 23 #2
“I… can’t remember. I don’t know where I was. I opened a door and walked down a long hall, and…” She shook her head. “I know it sounds ditzy, Molly, but I really don’t know where I was.”
Too many doors and long halls in this house.
I could look all day and never find where she’d been.
And I could see it was upsetting her, not being able to remember.
“It’s okay,” I told her. “But maybe if you keep thinking about it, you might remember something you’ve forgotten—anything might help.
I really need to find where you were when you saw him. ”
“Okay, I’ll keep trying to remember.”
“Have you seen or talked to any other people in the manor? Anyone other than me or the servants?”
“No?” She paused, thinking. “I haven’t explored all the buildings outside, though.”
Come to think of it, neither had I. And there was one person here that I still hadn’t met.
The coachman.
Maybe I could get some information from him, if nothing else. But I’d need to avoid the master if I planned to head outside. If he hadn’t gotten ready to hunt yet, I might be able to sneak out before him.
“Stay here,” I told Bethany. “I’ll be right back.”
I cautiously opened the door to my room and peered down the hall. Finding it empty, I walked as quickly as I could. When I made the turn into the Menagerie Hall, I hurried until I spotted both Mr. Hoffmann and Mrs. Culpepper outside the master’s rooms.
The housekeeper was closing the gold doors. Mr. Hoffmann lifted his head as I hurried toward them. “Schwester Molly, is everything okay?”
I slowed to a normal pace as I approached. “Yes, nothing wrong,” I said breathlessly. “I was just… thinking about taking a morning walk, so if the master is going hunting, I wondered if it wasn’t too late for me to tag along.”
“I’m afraid his eagerness to hunt could not outweigh his desire to rest,” the valet told me. “He fell asleep while I was dressing him. That cough syrup really makes him sleepy.”
The housekeeper added, “I thought it better to let him rest. Sometimes he tries to do too much for someone in his condition.”
I tried to hide the excitement I was feeling. “That’s fine, Mrs. Culpepper.”
“You don’t think I should try to rouse him, do you?” Mr. Hoffmann asked.
“No, don’t do that,” I said quickly. “As I said before, he needs extra rest after that bad coughing episode. He can always hunt this afternoon if he still feels up to it.”
The servants nodded, both pleased that I was on their side in this matter.
“Think I’ll still take that walk alone,” I told them. “I’ll just make it short.”
This satisfied them, and after they cautioned me not to go past the carriage house, I grabbed my wool shawl and headed outside through the side door in the kitchen.
As the door shut behind me, I hoisted the shawl over my shoulders, tugging when the wool got tangled.
But before I could straighten the shawl, someone else’s fingers did it for me.
I whipped around and found myself looking up at Nin. It was always a surprise to see him but even more so in the bright morning sunlight that made his pale skin opalescent.
“Good morning,” he said in his low, serious voice. But it was the sparkle in his eyes that made my chest swell with unexpected joy.
All my muscles relaxed in unison as I smiled at him. “Morning to you. You look better today.” So very glad to see you.
His eyes brightened. “I feel better, thanks to you. I’m able to move my shoulder today.” He rolled it in demonstration.
“Remarkable! You heal fast.”
“I’d never been injured this badly, so it is a surprise to me as well.”
“Not in the habit of being pelted with arrows back in the Nightlands?”
The corners of his mouth curled. “Not my idea of a good time.”
“No idea why,” I said, smiling. “I’m just glad what I did seems to be helping. I’ll wait until tonight to check your stitches and change the bandage. Sew your shirt sleeve back on too.”
He nodded. “Hopefully we’ll get the chance. Right now your master is sleeping quite soundly.”
Guilty feelings rose. “I’m afraid it’s my fault. I gave him extra cough syrup,” I admitted. “That’s not something I do regularly. I wasn’t trying—”
“You don’t need to explain your actions to me. He is our enemy.”
Good, because I wasn’t sure I could even explain them to myself. Nurses didn’t use their own discretion when it came to administering drugs. A bad dosage could kill someone, as I knew all too well with Bethany. But still, I was relieved that Nin wasn’t disappointed with me.
“Where are you going this morning?” he asked. “Would you like company?”
My heart thumped wildly.
“Carriage house, and yes.” I glanced back to the manor windows. “But…”
“If we walk through the grass instead of on the path, I’m far less likely to be spotted,” he said, pointing out the line of trees that blocked the view over a small hill. “And if I perceive the servants getting curious, I’ll return to my chain.”
I nodded, very pleased to have him along, and we set out across the grass, keeping the trees between us and the manor.