A Dreadful Splendor (23)

I heard a sniff. Two pairs of shoes made their way closer. I could practically count the buttons on Mr. Lockhart’s boots. A dangerous tickle in my nose threatened to turn into a sneeze.

When Mr. Lockhart spoke again his tone was gentler, apolo getic even. “This is our only option. I’ve searched her room several times and found nothing.”

“What if one of the servants stole it?” William asked tentatively.

“No one goes in that room.”

There was a pause. “It could have changed everything.”

Mr. Lockhart sighed heavily. “No point in lamenting your poor choice, William. You’ll have to trust me—really trust me this time. After the séance, everything will fall into place and you won’t have to worry about his lordship any longer.”





Chapter Thirteen




Lady Audra Linwood

Diary Entry

Somerset Park, October 28, 1851

Dearest,

My world is caving in. I had such a fright last night! Father was found roaming the cliffside in nothing but his bedclothes. He was inconsolable for hours, insisting that he had heard a voice crying for help. Thinking it was me, he had gone out to find her.

Dr. Mayhew was summoned at once, and he spent the whole afternoon observing Father. I hovered in the hallway, fearing the worst. When he finally emerged, he proclaimed that infection was the most likely cause. He left us with instructions to bring down the fever—time spent in front of an open window and a diet consisting of nothing but fruit. If we see no improvement after one week, he will return to bleed him and release the poisons in his system.

I truly want to believe in Dr. Mayhew’s diagnosis, but I am unable to find comfort in it. Could he be lying to me? I am always being treated like a delicate child, incapable of coping with the truth.

But the truth will come for me no matter what Dr. Mayhew says. Every day my worry grows, for Father’s health and for my own future. The two are intertwined.

William, at least, understands my broken heart. In a moment of tearful sorrow, I confessed that I fear losing both him and my home. He pulled me into his arms and vowed he will let nothing happen to me. I’m well aware that he does not possess the means to keep such a promise, but still, I was grateful to be held in his embrace.

I hear what the staff whisper. They call this a curse passed down from Grandfather, destined to kill us off one by one until there is no longer a Linwood living at Somerset Park.

I want to scream at them for being so cruel. But how can I? What shall I do? Somerset Park has always been my home. It is here I was born, and it is here I should die.





Chapter Fourteen




I waited for what seemed like an eternity as the numbness settled into my cramped body. I was too afraid to move, certain William and Mr. Lockhart were waiting for me outside the greenhouse. My muscles had turned to stone, as if I had become one of the fountain statues.

Once I was certain it was safe to leave, I slunk back to the house, my mind racing.

Any trust I’d begun to build with Mr. Lockhart had been severed. I was nothing but a cog in whatever sinister plan he and William had concocted. And what did they suspect Audra had hidden in her room? Something that would force Mr. Pemberton from Somerset, apparently. Regardless, whatever happened the eve of the wedding, they both had information they were purposely keeping from Mr. Pemberton, and probably the police.

On shaking legs, I stood outside his study. It was quiet, but I could see a sliver of light under the door. I paused, hand about to knock. If Mr. Lockhart and William had secrets, conceivably Mr. Pemberton had some as well?

I needed the safety of my room to put my thoughts in order. I rounded the top of the stairs and made my way down the hallway. Flora was there, dusting an otherwise perfectly clean hall table. She looked up as I approached, and the expression of surprise was so exaggerated it was clearly fake. She’d been waiting for me.

I smiled at her, welcoming the opportunity. I had performed enough séances in large manors to understand the staff know most of the secrets of the house.

“Which room is Audra’s?” I asked outright.

She blanched and fumbled with the duster. “It’s the one at the far end, beside the alcove with the statue of the tiny cherub.” She looked at me cautiously. “Why, miss?”

“I wonder if you might let me inside,” I asked. She flinched, apparently appalled at my brazen request. I quickly added, “It’s helpful in a séance to have a personal item of the dearly departed.”

Flora shook her head vehemently. “No one is allowed in Lady Audra’s room. Mrs. Donovan forbids it.”

“Why?”

“Out of respect for the dead.”

“No one has more respect for the dead than me,” I said. “And wouldn’t Audra want me to do whatever I could to help her communicate with those she loves on this earth?” I smiled, hoping it looked genuine. “I’m sure you’d be able to let me in for a quick moment. No one would be the wiser.”

She shook her head again. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I don’t have the key.”

Her reluctance called for a different tactic. I was determined to get into Audra’s room, and Flora was my best chance. Luckily, she had sought me out, and I had a notion why.

Maman said no matter how alone someone seemed, they could always think of a person they hoped was on the other side, missing them just as much.