Chapter 21
When Nic woke, the recollection that Millie was dead trickled back like a slowly settling fear. It chilled him more completely than the room had chilled overnight, such that pulling the blanket tighter didn’t help.
Partway through the night, Leaf had woken enough to scurry back to her own rooms, but Nic hadn’t bothered to move from his sofa. At some point, he’d gotten cold and dragged a blanket over himself, but the idea that a bed could provide comfort and safety seemed ridiculous now.
Ambrose arrived with the sun and gave a start upon finding Nic on the sofa, yet with nothing but a murmured good morning, he’d set about the task of stoking the fire and tidying the wineglasses, bringing up a breakfast tray, and setting out Nic’s clothes.
He seemed to be at a loose end too, and wondering whether the mood downstairs was half as tense as upstairs, Nic finally pulled himself upright.
“Good morning, Ambrose,” he said, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “How is everything downstairs after last night?”
“Awful is the most appropriate word, if I’m honest, my lord,” Ambrose said, shifting dishes around on the breakfast tray.
“The kitchen staff were thoroughly questioned by His Grace, and almost all the extra hands hired for the lock-in haven’t come in this morning.
Neither have some of the staff who come daily from Charlton. ”
It took Nic a moment to recollect that of course the staff were still coming and going, the lock-in magic only affecting Brilliants.
“Do you think someone downstairs might have done it?” Nic asked, accepting the tray.
When Ambrose didn’t immediately answer, Nic looked up and found consternation twisting the young man’s features.
“You can speak freely with me, Ambrose. I would rather you always did.”
“Well, my lord, to be perfectly honest, it seems a foolish notion.”
“I thought you might say that.”
“But His Grace seemed to think so,” the valet added quickly.
“So perhaps it is the case after all. I don’t know the new staff well, but they seem like decent, hardworking people the same as everyone else.
And the young lady who… who… the young lady, she wasn’t known to any of us, and her maid kept herself apart with the other Serral staff. ”
Serral staff who would have far more reason to harm Millie than any at the Court.
“It could have been an accident perhaps,” Ambrose said when Nic didn’t answer, his tone buoyed with determined hope.
Nic picked up a slice of bread, hardly heeding it. “Perhaps.”
“I must admit, up until last night, most of us had written the deaths off as an upstairs problem.”
A sharp laugh burst from Nic’s chest at that. “I cannot blame you,” he said. “I think it’s extremely an upstairs problem, and for your sake, I hope it remains so.”
“Oh, well, thank you, my lord. I hope it isn’t too forward of me to wish for your safety too.”
“Not at all, Ambrose, I appreciate it.”
With that said, Ambrose returned to pottering about, while Nic’s thoughts slid away to the tangle in which the previous night had left them.
It had been one thing to believe Lord Ricard capable of killing Gillingham to invoke the clause, another entirely to think he would harm his own daughter.
He’d had no reason or opportunity to kill Master Everel either, and poison seemed an odd choice for a ghost or an automaton.
The possibility that someone had just taken advantage of the mood in the house to kill Millie couldn’t but occur to him, but if it was about the contract after all, then their killer had only five days left to see it broken—less if Dashiell worked fast enough.
Dashiell, the most obvious next target, along with Leaf and Nic himself.
The thought spurred Nic to his feet—an urge to move made impotent by not knowing what to do next. After all, how could he protect the people he loved most without knowing what he was protecting them from?
Conversations carried well up the stairs and Nic paused a moment on the landing to listen. Behind him, the echoes of the central aviary chirped and fluttered, wholly uncaring of the mood floating up from the great hall.
“And my clothes were strewn everywhere!” came Lady Theresa’s voice. “My maid was very distressed and is still trying to salvage what she can. Silk should not be crumpled so.”
“I will speak to the staff at once, my lady,” Mrs. Podmarsh returned.
“Lizzy’s room too. All her books thrown about.”
“Some of the pages were torn.” Lady Lisbeth’s voice had a quiet, hollow quality.
Drawing a deep breath, Nic continued down the stairs.
“Ah, Lord Monterris, perhaps you can shed some light on our misfortune,” Lady Theresa said in greeting, turning stiff hauteur his way.
“I will certainly do whatever I can, Lady Theresa. Something is amiss?”
The lady parted her lips to speak, but it was Lord Charborough who said, “It is nothing so great, Monterris, just an unfortunate mess no doubt made by some of the servants.”
“Unfortunate mess?” Lady Theresa turned on him. “Charles, my room was ransacked. Things thrown everywhere. In the middle of the night too! Especially after what happened to dear Millie, the thought of someone being in my room while I slept makes me shudder.”
Lady Lisbeth did shudder, and glanced toward the entry hall where the Court’s giant old doors stood locked.
“Your room too, Lady Lisbeth?” Nic asked, fresh dread settling in his stomach.
“Yes.” A quiet whisper. “Although nothing seems to be missing. Not even the pearl necklet Mama left me.”
“And you, Lord Charborough?”
The man gave a defeated little gesture. “Well, yes, my room was certainly tidier when I went to sleep than when I woke.”
Nic turned his gaze toward Dr. Fanshaw, who had so far remained silent at the edge of the group. “Doctor?”
“Unfortunately so, my lord. As with Lady Lisbeth, many of my books have been torn and everything strewn around, but nothing appears to actually be missing.”
When Nic turned next to Mrs. Podmarsh, he had the questionable joy of seeing the usually haughty housekeeper shy away from him.
“I’m afraid I have no answers, my lord,” she said, not meeting his gaze.
“I will, of course, question all the servants. To be out of bed and—although many have not come in today, for—” She stopped.
Drew herself up. “I will find out at once, my lord.”
She departed upon the words, leaving Nic to deal with the distressed guests. A job that would fall to him now, he realised, with his father having taken Master Everel’s place in the hasty rush to finish up negotiations.
“You have my apologies,” he said. “I have the greatest faith in Mrs. Podmarsh to find out what happened and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
In the meantime, do not hesitate to ask if there is anything I can do to assist in making the remainder of your stay as pleasant as possible under the circumstances.
I would not wish you to feel neglected while my father is busy ensuring the negotiations are completed in time. ”
Lady Theresa gave one of her little sniffs. “We thank you, Lord Monterris, but other than getting out of here as soon as possible, we have all we need. I do wish you had just called the whole thing off, Charles.”
For the second time, Lady Lisbeth glanced toward the locked doors. “At least Master sa Vare invoked the clause last night,” she said. “I saw him post it on the door this morning.”
“Did he have his rooms ransacked?” Nic asked, disliking the way fear was starting to colour his every thought. “Did he mention?”
“Oh, he did not say so, though he was very kind and said he was so sorry I had been made distressed.”
“Such an excellent young man he is,” Lady Theresa said. “It is a shame he isn’t better born, of course, but he is respectable and has such fine manners that I am sure your father will be very much in agreement.”
Lady Lisbeth reddened. “Master sa Vare has made no such indication, ma’am. I do not expect—”
“Just you wait, dear.” Lady Theresa patted her hand.
“In truth, all I can think about is Millie,” Lisbeth whispered, the glance she threw Nic fearful.
“I keep thinking I will turn and find her beside me, keep expecting her to appear with an amusing story. And when I close my eyes, I can see her sitting there, frowning at her cards, her last words a complaint that I had dealt her such a poor hand.”
Tears stood in her eyes and she turned her head. “I’m sorry. It is all just such a shock.”
Nic pressed his lips together hard to keep emotion from spilling onto his face.
He hadn’t known Millie Radlay that well, but he still sometimes walked into his rooms expecting to find Rowerre tending the fire, still turned to speak to him only to find him absent.
How much he would have liked someone to confide in about Dashiell, someone to advise him whose love he had never doubted.
“It is indeed all very affecting,” Lady Theresa said.
“Poor dear Ricard is naturally so overset that I fear we will not see him for the rest of the lock-in, and I myself could not sleep a wink last night. Especially after that dreadful… thing came to the parlour door the other night and seeing that ghost at the table. What if some malicious spirit is picking us off one by one? We could any of us be next.”
“Theresa, please,” Lord Charborough said with a weak laugh. “It is difficult enough to have lost Millie without making it into a spectacle.”
“The cup Millie had…,” Lisbeth said, swallowing hard. “That was the one you first handed me, Lady Theresa. I passed it on and came back for another. What if… what if I was the target? After all, you said you saw the Faceless Man in my chair and—”
Lady Theresa slid an arm around the young woman’s shaking shoulders. “See, Charles, you should have just called the whole thing off at once and let us go home.”
“If I genuinely believed there to be foul play afoot, then I should have done so,” Lord Charborough said. “But a series of unfortunate accidents is—”