Vow of Deception (The Ministry of Curiosities #9)(72)

"Who would do such a thing?" Alice asked as we walked up the front steps to where Lady Vickers stood waiting.

"Swinburn," both Seth and I said together.

Harriet's words echoed in my head—Swinburn was done with Lady Harcourt and wanted to be rid of her. I suspected she grew angry with him for ending their engagement. Perhaps she railed at him and threatened him. He wouldn't like that. He wouldn't like it at all.

"Come inside, you poor pet," Lady Vickers cooed at me. "Come and sit down. Cook will bring you something to eat."

Cook was one step ahead of her. He held a plate loaded with cream puffs. He knew I adored them, and I accepted one for his sake. He looked as worried as the rest but seeing me eat seemed to bolster his spirits a little.

No one spoke until Gus joined us and Seth informed him of what had happened. He swore under his breath. "This ain't right," he said. "What'll we do?"

"The lawyer is looking into it," Seth said.

"Does he think there's a chance Lincoln can be freed?" I asked.

"Not in time for the wedding."

"Forget the wedding. I mean at all?"

"It's too early to say." He tore a strip off his cream puff but didn't eat it.

"Go on," I said. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing."

"Seth," his mother snapped. "She's not a child. Stop trying to shield her and tell her what you told us."

He gave me a sheepish look. "The lawyer said he doesn't like the involvement of Mr. Yallop. He has a reputation for bulldoggish behavior and getting the results he wants, not necessarily the right results."

"You mean he's a bloody liar," Gus spat.

"A manipulator of the truth."

"Same thing."

"Apparently Yallop is the man that parliament puts in charge of the committees where they want a certain result."

"So someone is manipulating the select committee," I said with a sigh.

"It may not be someone. It may be a number of parliamentarians. The government want to move swiftly against the ministry—and Lincoln, since they believe he is connected to Gawler. It's in their best interests to quash the public's fear and look as though they're working decisively against undesirable elements."

"Supernaturals."

Seth nodded.

I told them how Gillingham was Mr. Salter's original source about werewolves in general, and Mr. Gawler in particular, but not the source for information about the ministry or Lincoln. "That, at least, wasn't Gillingham's doing."

"Are you sure he didn't lie?" Lady Vickers asked.

I nodded. "Gillingham's been a committee member for a long time. He could have caused problems before this, but he hasn't. He supports the ministry's main purpose—to act as custodians of information about supernaturals in order to control them."

"And that's precisely the reason Swinburn wants to get rid of us," Seth said. "He doesn't want us to have that control over him. My money's still on him for dropping the ministry in the dung heap."

I looked out the window at the drive, quiet and empty. "The police have the files now, and those files contain his name as well as those in his pack." The files did not contain mine. Lincoln never included my information, for fear someone would get hold of it and use me for their nefarious purposes. That was a relief, at least.

"Speaking of Swinburn, you won't believe what the inspector just told us about Lady Harcourt's death." Seth informed his mother, Cook and Gus of Lady Harcourt's suspected murder. After their shocked exclamations, the conversation naturally turned to suspects. Chief among them was Swinburn.

I did not pay much attention to the theories. My mind kept returning to Lincoln and my growing sense of hopelessness. Why hadn't we removed the files from the estate? Or spread manure elsewhere in the garden? It seemed like such an obvious thing to do now, yet at the time we thought we were clever by burying the records. Even the best lawyer in the city couldn't free him now that the files had come to light. They were evidence of Lincoln's involvement with the ministry, and Mr. Yallop was intent on aligning the ministry with the werewolf murders. It was grossly unfair.

I had to free him before he went to trial, and the only way to do that was to somehow use my necromancy. Tomorrow I would visit him and tell him my plan. He wouldn't like it, but that wouldn't stop me.

"You look exhausted, Charlie." Alice stood beside me. I hadn't seen her approach, so lost in my thoughts was I.

"As do you," I said. "Perhaps we both need an early night."

I retired to my room after dinner but did not lie down. I picked up my wedding gown and placed it against me. It was beautiful, the silk soft to touch. It was a shame to leave it behind, but I could only take the essentials with me.

I packed a small bag and put on the plainest dress I owned, then checked the corridor before heading to Lincoln's room. I quietly closed his door and placed the lamp on the desk. Would he need any personal papers? I eyed the painting, behind which lay the safe. I couldn't carry much on my own, so I left everything that wasn't absolutely essential. With Lincoln's formidable memory, we wouldn't need papers so I decided to leave everything but a few personal items. The only item I removed from the safe was money.