Her Majesty's Necromancer (The Ministry of Curiosities #2)(33)

"Did he learn his name?"

"William Bunter. All except Bunter were in the army."

"Or was he, but it wasn't inscribed on his tombstone?"

He shook his head. "I checked with his family. Bunter was a shopkeeper in the family's Piccadilly ready-to-wear shop."

I eyed the box. "You did some shopping while you were there? What did you purchase?"

"Blimey," Gus muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Just like a woman to think about shopping in the middle of an important discussion."

"A cloak," Lincoln said.

"What's wrong with your old cloak?" I asked.

He regarded me with those deep, black eyes of his and I clamped my mouth shut. I'd overstepped the boundary he'd laid between us again. I needed to learn to behave as a maid should.

"My apologies," I muttered. "So not all the dead men were linked through the army."

He shook his head.

"There must be another connection," Seth said, joining us at the table. "There has to be a reason why the captain chose to dig up those four specifically."

"The Bunters mentioned their son had been acting strangely before he died," Lincoln went on. "He would disappear for days on end without word, and when he returned home, he was inexplicably tired. He also seemed to be losing money but claimed not to be gambling. He'd grown thin too."

"Opium," Cook said quietly.

Lincoln nodded. "I suspect so. The Bunters didn't know where William went during his missing days. He wouldn't tell them, despite their pleas."

"What did you discover at Mr. Lee's house?" I asked.

"He admitted that a man matching the captain's description frequented the house from time to time, but never partook of the opium. Lee claimed not to know what the captain was up to. He paid well for privacy."

"And Lee allowed him to be alone with the men while they were so vulnerable under the opium's effects?"

"The likes of Lee don't care about anyone's safety," Gus said. "Only money."

"I'm unclear on how much Lee did know exactly," Lincoln told us. "He could be withholding information."

"Is his English good? Perhaps you need a translator."

"We understood one another."

Seth leaned in to me. "Mr. Fitzroy speaks perfect Chinese."

"Cantonese, and a little Mandarin."

How impressive. I wondered how many other languages he'd mastered. "What else did Mr. Lee tell you?"

"That the captain hasn't returned since the morning of Thackery's death, and that perhaps all four of our dead men frequented his establishment in the weeks and months before their deaths, but he can't be sure. It stands to reason that most were soldiers."

"Gordon said opium relieves the pain of war injuries."

He nodded. "Soldier's curse, some call it."

"Mr. Lee doesn't note down his customers' names?"

He shook his head. "The addicts like the anonymity he offers." He rose and picked up the box. To Seth and Gus he said, "Tucker and his staff are going to keep a close eye on Thackery, Marshall and Jolly's graves and report any visitors to me. We'll focus on watching Lee's instead."

"I'll go," Seth said, also rising. "Gets me out of scullery duty."

"What if the captain goes to a different opium den next time?" I asked. "If he thinks he's been found out, he'll be wise to change his pattern if he wishes to continue doing whatever it is he's doing."

Lincoln nodded, thoughtful. "We'll ask at other places I know."

"After a rest," I told him. "You must be exhausted."

He didn't answer, but strode out of the kitchen, the box under his arm. "Charlie, come with me."

"You've been summoned," Gus intoned in an imperial voice.

"Let us know what's in the box," Seth said, pushing me in the shoulder to hurry me up.

I wasn't sure if I was going to find out, or simply be given specific duties for the afternoon. I expected to be admonished for not blacking the fireplace in the parlor, but he went to the library instead. It was the one room that was perfectly clean. The more I cleaned in there, the longer I could spend browsing through the books.

He stood at the table and held out the box to me. I paused by the door, half expecting Seth or Gus to creep up behind me to watch, but there were no sounds. The house had fallen silent. Only my heartbeat made a noise as it pounded against my ribs.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The Bunters' shop didn't sell gentlemen's clothing."

"Oh."

"Take it." His curt reply dismissed all excitement. It was probably just a new apron.

I came further into the room and accepted the box. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me until you've seen it. If you don't like it, Mrs. Bunter said I may return it and you can choose another."

I placed the box on the table and carefully undid the bow, not wanting to damage the beautiful length of silk. My heart's hammering picked up speed as I lifted the lid with trembling fingers. I suspected that whatever was inside would be lovely—one didn't wrap up aprons with silk ribbons.