Her Majesty's Necromancer (The Ministry of Curiosities #2)(75)

"Where are you going?" I called after him.

"For a walk." The front door opened and closed.

Gus tapped the cards in front of me. "He'll be all right. He won't get himself kidnapped."

Seth rolled his eyes. "You say the stupidest things sometimes."

"That right? I happen to know stupidest ain't a word."

"Neither is ain't." Seth threw down a card. "Stop dandying about and have your turn."

***

General Eastbrooke arrived late the following morning. I was ensconced in the library once more and heard his arrival. Lincoln answered the door. It was the first time I'd seen him all day, and I hadn't heard him come home the night before.

They came into the library and the general greeted me with a thin smile. "You're in one piece," he said. "That's the main thing."

I suspected that was all the sympathy I would get. I expected nothing else from a man who allowed his employees to beat children.

"I was going to send this last night when I received your message." He handed Lincoln a piece of paper. "It's a list of disgraced doctors dismissed from the military in the last ten years. Jasper is there." He pointed to the paper. "Unfortunately, I didn't get this in time for it to be of use."

Lincoln folded it and handed it back.

The general pocketed it. "According to his file, he was dismissed for keeping the dead bodies of some of the soldiers and performing tests on them."

I pulled a face. "He'd given them his serum before their deaths and needed to test its effects afterward to see how it performed."

"That what he told you, eh? Sounds like a madman to me."

"He was."

"Lincoln mentioned Jasper wanted to use you to help him."

I nodded. "Hence the kidnapping."

"Well. Glad you got away. How did you manage it?"

"With an elbow to his temple and a little trickery to scare his man."

His grunt held more than a hint of admiration. "Well done. I expect you'll be recovered in no time. Who'll keep house for you until she does?" he asked Lincoln as he walked out of the library again.

"No one," Lincoln said, following. "I don't need anyone else."

He didn't return after the general left. The others came and went, but not Lincoln. Not until Lady Harcourt arrived to see me at around lunch time. At least, I heard her tell him she'd come to see me, but she spoke a long time with him in the entrance hall. I caught most of their exchange since she did all the talking in a shrill voice.

"I don't know where he's gone, and nor does his brother," she said. They were talking about Andrew Buchanan, her stepson. "He left without a word, and he's taken nothing with him. He's gone, Lincoln, and I'm terribly worried."

"He's a grown man. He can fend for himself."

"That's the thing! He can't. He's hopeless. He lurches from one crisis to the next and needs either me or his brother to get him out of them. I'm concerned that he's in over his head."

"Are you?" he drawled. "That's unlike you, Julia, particularly where Andrew is concerned."

I wished I could see her face; it was a long time before she spoke. "I found books on the occult in his rooms. Charms and amulets too."

"You think he's dabbling with forces he doesn't understand?"

"I do." Her voice sounded more like her usual confident one. "I'm going to raise this as a ministry matter since it involves the supernatural."

"We don't know that for sure."

"This is just a courtesy call to you to give you warning," she said.

"I don't need advanced warning."

"Oh, Lincoln, I also came because I had to see you."

I pulled myself out of the chair and used my crutches to get to the door and peer round it. She was leaning against Lincoln, her head on his shoulder. He gingerly patted her back as if worried he'd make it worse if he patted too hard.

"I wanted to tell you how sorry I am," she said. "If I'd known how upset you would be over summoning Gurry, I wouldn't have let her do it."

Let me do it! I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on the crutches to storm out and challenge her, but Lincoln's hand suddenly came up at his side in a "wait" gesture. He knew I was there, listening.

"Don't trouble yourself, Julia," he said. "The matter is closed. We'll speak no more of it." He grasped her shoulders and pushed her gently away.

She dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her gloved finger. "But…I need to know why you killed him. Why not just tell me?"

"Because the people who need to know already know. You do not."

"Lincoln! How can you say that? As your friend, I'm worried about you." When he said nothing, she splayed her hands on his chest. Her eyelids lowered and she tilted her face up to his. "As your lover, I have a—"

"Don't!" He grabbed her wrists before stepping away and letting go.

She blinked back at him, but I was too far to see if her eyes were teary. Her hand fluttered at the black ribbon choker at her throat. "Lincoln?" Her pitiful whisper barely reached me.

"Thank you for stopping by," he said, striding past her to the door.