Her Majesty's Necromancer (The Ministry of Curiosities #2)(38)

I left with the tray and walked quickly to the kitchen. The sponge—my sponge—was half eaten, but at least I would get some. I smiled as I recalled the look on Gillingham's face when Lincoln refused him another slice.

"What're you smiling about?" Gus asked when I reached the kitchen.

"Nothing." I set the tray down. "This is for us, but first we have to get coats for the guests. They're all leaving."

"'Bout bloody time."

"I'll make tea," Cook said as Gus and I left. "It be ready in five minutes."

We were about to enter the entrance hall when Lady Harcourt's lyrical voice carried to us. I put my arm out to stop Gus and shook my head. I didn't want to disturb them.

"He didn't mean that, Lincoln," she cooed.

"Who didn't mean what, Julia?"

"The general. You are his child, as much as any natural one could have been."

There was a slight pause after which he said, "You couldn't be more wrong."

I heard a carriage roll away outside, its wheels crunching on the gravel. Lord Marchbank, I assumed, hurrying home to his wife and dinner guests. He must have fetched his own coat. Lady Harcourt and Lincoln seemed to be alone. Gus moved past me to join them and I followed.

He retrieved the cloaks from the hooks and handed Lady Harcourt's to me. Lincoln held out his hand for it and I passed it along.

"Why did you call the meeting, Julia?" he asked her in an idle voice as he helped her into the coat.

Her gaze flicked to me and Gus and she gave a slight shake of her head.

"Answer me," Lincoln said. The idleness had vanished, replaced with iciness.

"They needed to know what you've been up to. We all do. The sketchy details you gave me this morning weren't enough, and I doubted you would elaborate if I asked."

He strode past her and held open the door. "Don't go behind my back again. Is that understood?"

The black choker at her throat moved with her heavy swallow. "I didn't go behind your back, Lincoln. I called a meeting. As a member, I am allowed to do so." Her hands shook as she pulled on her gloves, but her chin remained at a defiant angle.

The general and Gillingham entered from the parlor. "Is all well?" the general asked, eyeing each of them.

Gillingham didn't seem to notice the tension in the hall and strode up to Gus. He snatched his cloak and marched to the door.

"Perfectly," Lady Harcourt said with a smile for Eastbrooke. "Walk me out, please, Gilly."

Gillingham stopped in the doorway, sighed, and put out his elbow for her to take. They left together. Lincoln followed them out with General Eastbrooke, and Gus and I returned to the kitchen.

I sank onto a chair and accepted a cup of tea from Cook. The steaming liquid helped settle my nerves, but I suspected a slice of cake would do more.

"Glad that's over with." Gus sat opposite me and stretched his legs out under the table. "So what happened after I left the parlor?" His thick brow bunched into a frown as I recounted the meeting to him and Cook.

When I finished, I proceeded to cut the rest of the cake into four slices. I was about to take my first bite when Lincoln entered.

"That was supposed to be all for you," he said with a nod at the cake.

"There's enough left for the four of us." I pushed a plate toward a spare chair while he poured himself a cup of tea at the stove. "Seth will have to miss out."

He joined us but didn't eat the cake. Cook, Gus and I gobbled ours up then Lincoln pushed the plate in front of me. I ate his slice too.

"You be dining here, sir?" Cook asked.

"Just something quick before I go out. I'm returning to Lee's, and I'll investigate some other establishments during the night."

I dabbed my mouth to catch all the crumbs. "It was clever of you to suggest the captain is a medical officer in the army."

"It's a possibility."

"A likely one, I think. I wonder if the general will learn more. It can't be difficult to find details of doctors dismissed from the medical corps for misconduct."

"That's if he was dismissed," he said. "He could still be practicing. His army record could be an exemplary one."

"True, but wouldn't he be stationed overseas? He wouldn't have been able to visit the men here regularly over the last few months if that were the case."

"He might have been stationed here, or on long leave for an illness." He shrugged. "But hopefully you're right. A dismissed officer will be more conspicuous in the records than an active one." He continued to watch me, but I couldn't begin to fathom why.

After a moment, unable to stand it any longer, I got up and collected the dishes.

"Charlie," he called after me before I disappeared into the scullery. "Will you go to another orphanage tomorrow?"

"I…are you giving me time off to do so?"

He nodded.

"Then yes, I will. Thank you." I disappeared into the scullery and stacked the dishes in the tub. I couldn't stop my smile as I went to fetch water. He'd not only given me time off, but he'd actually trusted me to leave the house when he knew someone was searching for my mother, and potentially me. It meant he trusted me enough to protect myself.