Ravenwood(47)

“There,” said Elinore once it was cleaned up. “If you would be so good as to dispose of that, I’ll head downstairs for breakfast and see if I can find my uncle.” Her wish for a breakfast without Hayter had probably been foolish at any rate. She stood and was heartily surprised when Amelia threw herself into Elinore’s body, hugging her tightly.

“Oh, thank you, miss.”

To be honest, Elinore felt a little out of sorts - probably as much as George still looked, holding an apron full of broken china, a dustbin and a brush. Elinore patted Amelia on the back. “You’re most welcome.”

Amelia pulled back, wiping at her face with the cuff of her dress. “I should get back to work.”

“That sounds like a good plan and think no more about this accident. It’s all taken care of.”

Both Amelia and George looked unsure, but managed to nod and smile at Elinore as she left. Elinore resumed her way downstairs, moving quickly and quietly over the floorboards.

At the bottom of the grand staircase, she thought she heard Caleb’s voice - angry, tight. She paused, one hand still on the banister and tilted her head. She could almost make out his words. If she just listened harder….

“…Signs the feral wolf has been prowling around the grounds, but no, I didn’t catch it.”

“Do you mean to tell me some omega wolf still has you confounded?”

That was Hayter’s voice, his tone mean and insulting. This must be another one of the strange sound spots of the house, places where she could hear things she shouldn’t be able to, for surely Caleb and Hayter were too far away for her to be listening in on their words. She felt quite exposed standing in the middle of the foyer, but she didn’t want to move in case it disturbed her hearing. Glancing around, she didn’t see anyone else about and so continued to stay where she was, poised at the foot of the stairs.

“I will find the omega.”

“And then? I doubt, dear nephew, that you have the stomach for what must be done. You should leave it to me.”

“Perhaps I would if I thought you were giving it your full attention.”

There was a pause and then a loud sound, as though a book hit a table or the floor. “Don’t test me, boy. You would do well to respect your place.”

“I do respect it, but that does not mean I must remain silent. My father welcomed counsel on all matters.”

“Perhaps that is why he is no longer here.”

Elinore’s eyes widened at Hayter’s words to Caleb. Speaking ill of the dead was… crass. Caleb did not call his uncle out on his words, but continued on, his soft tenor tone even and smooth.

“I am… concerned at your judgment. Elinore should never have been traveling on the night of the full moon.”

“Ah, yes, I noticed you were on a first name basis. It’s ‘Elinore,' is it? Not Miss Reed?”

“She gave me leave to use her familiar name, yes.”

“And is that all for which she’s given you leave?”

Outrage surged through Elinore. How dare he? First of all, to imply that Elinore would in any way be improper and secondly, even if she had been improper, she wasn’t his daughter, or truly even a close member of the family! She’d been his ward for less than a month, with half of the time spent packing her things and traveling to the manor. Elinore’s fingers clenched into tight fists at her side and she winced when she realized that one of her short, ragged nails pierced the flesh of her palm, leaving a bright red mark that oozed a tiny bit of blood. Looking down, she saw her nail was longer than she’d thought - the sharp edge of it stained crimson with her own blood.

“The bite is turning black,” Caleb continued, not answering Hayter’s vulgar insinuation. “Mrs. Davenport has applied the remedy, but it may have been too long after the bite and the teeth marks were deep.”

“Mrs. Davenport’s remedy can work wonders. Give it time.” Hayter’s tone was dismissive, almost careless.

“If we find the wolf that bit her-“

“Then we can pursue other options. Until then, Mrs. Davenport will keep applying her poultice and you can keep hunting for the omega since you’re so concerned.”

“You’re not?”

“I will keep Ravenwood safe. I can continue running the estate during the day and assist in the search for the omega at night. Clearly you’re not up to the task, little pup.”

It was hardly a term of endearment. Hayter’s voice was snide and disdainful, tossing the words out as though they were bits of rubbish. Elinore heard footsteps and before she could decide if they were coming toward her or not, she raced back up four stairs and then slowly came back down again, as though she’d just arisen and been on her way to breakfast.

Hayter came around the corner from the hallway that led to his den, where presumably he and Caleb had been arguing. “Ah, dear Elinore. Have you come for our morning sojourn already?” His voice was like thick syrup - over sweet and sticky.

Elinore stammered slightly. The last thing she wanted to do was be trapped alone with Hayter, but she doubted she could avoid it entirely. “I’d hoped to have some breakfast first.”

“Of course, how thoughtless of me. Allow me to escort you to the dining room.”

She managed a small smile, threading her arm through his offered elbow. As he did yesterday, he pulled her in close to his body, inhaling loudly as he did, as though he were scenting her.