Vow of Deception (The Ministry of Curiosities #9)(34)

"I'm waiting for Fitzroy," Gillingham said.

"No, you are not," I said over my shoulder. "He's far too busy to bother with your hysteria."

"Hysteria? How dare you?"

I suppose it was rather awful of me to assign him an affliction usually attributed to nervous women, but it felt quite satisfying listening to his protests as I walked up the staircase.

"I will not be so insulted!" he continued to declare behind me. "Get your hands off me!"

I looked down when I reached the landing, just in time to see Whistler close the front door on Gillingham. I smiled at him and the footman grinned back.

I informed Lincoln of Gillingham's visit when he returned, but didn't mention how I'd needed to slap him to stop his tirade. "He's anxious," I said. "He's worried about Harriet and the baby. It's good to see him being the dutiful loving husband, I suppose, but he's still obnoxious."

"He's more worried about his own reputation than his wife's safety," Seth said. We sat in Lincoln's study again after lunch, with the intention of going over the day's developments.

"I'm not so sure," I said from where I sat on the sofa in the area used as a sitting room. "But I could be wrong. Lincoln, where did you go today?"

"To speak to my contact at Scotland Yard," he said, leaning back in the chair at his desk. "He'll see what he can find out, but he doesn't have enough authority to be involved at a high level."

"Another letter arrived for you from the palace," I said. "Have you read it yet?"

He opened his top drawer and pulled out the thick paper with the broken seal. He handed it to Seth, sitting on the other side of the desk. "It's from the Prince of Wales. He says the queen and duke are campaigning against the ministry now. They're using their influence to drum up support to close us down."

"The queen too?" I whined. "But she's on our side! She likes me! I summoned her husband for her."

"She has the realm's interests at heart and if she believes we are harboring a murderer, she'll put her personal feelings aside."

"Then she ought to listen to her eldest son. The prince has the realm's interest at heart too."

Seth handed back the letter. "She's listening to the duke on this. God knows why."

"This is what Eva warned us about," Gus said. "The queen will cause us danger."

I rubbed my forehead, trying to wade through the fog in my brain. What began as an article to be scoffed at had developed into a dire problem. I only hoped common sense would prevail and the royal family would stop pushing for our abolition. For that to happen, they had to stop listening to Swinburn.

And therein lay our problem. He was too powerful. They would continue to listen to him if he continued to prove his worth and loyalty to them. It was a bloody mess.

"Leave us," Lincoln said to Gus and Seth.

They obliged and shut the door, leaving Lincoln and I alone.

He crouched before me and took my face in his hands. "It'll be all right, Charlie. Trust me."

"I do trust you," I said hollowly. "But some things are beyond even your control."

His thumbs stroked along my jaw. "This is our home and it can't be taken away from us. Our friends will always be our friends, and I will always be the one who loves you most." He kissed me with heart stopping gentleness and a longing that melted me. He broke the kiss all too soon and folded me into his arms. "Think about the wedding in five days’ time, not this. I'll see that the persecution ends."

A knock interrupted us before I could ask him how. "You're needed downstairs, Fitzroy," came Seth's voice through the door. "We have visitors."

"Not Gillingham again," I said on a groan as Lincoln opened the door.

"No," Seth said. "The police."





Chapter 7





It was not just Detective Inspector Fullbright who demanded to speak to Lincoln. A member of parliament by the name of Yallop also stood in the drawing room. Behind the two men ranged four uniformed constables, all at attention with their hands by their sides, waiting for a command.

Mr. Yallop made the introductions, although he was not the older of the two. His position outranked the frothy whiskered Fullbright's, and the inspector seemed content enough for Yallop to do all the talking. Perhaps because he was too busy observing. His gaze took in his surroundings and each of us more than once. I felt like a freak in the circus, every inch of my person scanned and judged, his assessment to be imparted to others at a later point.

Mr. Yallop only had eyes for Lincoln. "I am the appointed head of the parliamentary Select Committee that was quickly formed in response to the articles in The Star," he said with a lift of his double chins. He was a much larger man than the inspector, with a girth that tested the seams of his waistcoat and jacket, and an unhealthy florid complexion.

"You're investigating the ministry," Lincoln said flatly.

"And, by extension, yourself. I am in charge of the investigation and Inspector Fullbright has been assigned to me. As one of the most experienced detectives at Scotland Yard, his insight will be invaluable."

"The most experienced," Fullbright said in a soft voice.