Evermore (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy #3)(20)

Celia was the first to speak. "Well." She sat down and picked up her embroidery basket. "At least that's done. Now we can all get on with our lives." She hummed a tune as she worked her needle, but her shaking hand gave away her true state of mind. She was as disturbed by Louis' visit as I was.

***

I wanted to tell Jacob about my father, but didn't want to summon him. Visiting our realm took energy and he needed to conserve it. His weakness worried me terribly.

Cara and I shared our thoughts out of Celia's hearing. She seemed just as excited to have a brother as I was to have a father. I also spoke to George about Louis when I went to his house.

"I'm very pleased for you," he said as we waited in the hall for his carriage to be brought around from the stables. "Very pleased. So you're not an orphan after all."

"I suppose I'm not."

The carriage arrived and George gave his driver instructions to drive to the house of Lord and Lady Preston. We wanted Mr. Seymour's address from Lady Preston. We knew he had moved, but perhaps the new residents could give us a clue as to where he'd gone, or of how to find the elusive Mrs. Seymour. Lady Preston had already spoken to them, but it was worth trying again.

"I would not hold out much hope if I were you," Lady Preston said to us as we stood in her private parlor. Weak morning light struggled through the large windows, casting an insipid glow over the spindly Georgian furniture. She rifled through her desk drawer and produced a folded piece of paper. "Here it is."

I took it because George was too preoccupied to notice. He was looking over his shoulder at the door, probably hoping Adelaide would enter. I hoped Lord Preston would not.

"What will you do if you cannot find the Seymours?" Lady Preston asked.

"I have another line of enquiry to follow," I said.

She gave a firm nod. "Good. I hope you are able to find something, Miss Chambers." She rested a delicate hand on my arm but there was strength in her grip. "If there is anything I can do, anything at all, please ask. If you require assistance or money, I will give it to you." Her intense blue stare, so like Jacob's compelled me to nod. "Do not be afraid of my husband. You are welcome here, despite his blustering. He is..." She swallowed. "He is still very affected by Jacob's death. It's not an excuse for his abominable behavior toward you, but..." Tears welled in her eyes and she looked away.

I laid my hand over hers. "I understand. I hope one day he will realize we're trying to help his son, but you need to prepare for the fact he never will. The existence of spirits is not something everyone can accept. I suspect Lord Preston is one of those."

"It doesn't matter what he believes, it only matters that Jacob is allowed to finish the journey he's already begun. I want him to crossover and find peace."

I did not tell her about the curse on the Waiting Area and how it was affecting all the spirits, including Jacob. There was nothing she could do and she didn't need the extra worry.

"Oh, Emily," said Adelaide, breezing into the parlor. "What a pleasant surprise. And Mr. Culvert too." She smiled at me, but she positively beamed at George. He blushed a fierce red.

"The pleasure is all ours, Miss Beaufort," George said. "I mean mine. The pleasure is mine. Unless it's Emily's too, but I can't speak for her."

Adelaide held out her hand and George took it and bestowed a kiss on the back. His face remained the color of radishes, but he didn't attempt to hide it.

"Did you receive my last letter, Miss Beaufort?" he asked. "I copied out those pages you asked for."

Adelaide bit her lower lip and glanced at her mother. "Yes, thank you. It was an interesting treatise."

"You've been writing to each other?" Lady Preston's smile stretched thin. "Adelaide, why didn't you tell me?"

"I...uh...I've recently discovered I have an interest in the supernatural. I didn't think you'd approve of my visiting Mr. Culvert to look at his library, so I wrote to him instead with my questions. He has been very good in responding with perfectly copied tracts from his books as well as his own thoughts. We've had some lively debates."

"You're right, I would not have approved. Nor would your father. Not in light of...recent plans."

Adelaide's nose wrinkled. "You mean my pending engagement to the Duke of Sandridge's son?"

"Bertie?" George cried. He must have realized how loud he'd said it because he muttered an apology. "Congratulations, Miss Beaufort." Poor George, I'd never seen him look so miserable. His face sagged as much as his shoulders.

"It's not settled yet."

"It soon will be." Lady Preston's frosty glare met her daughter's. It was the sort of look that silently demanded the recipient keep quiet. I'd been the object of many such glares from Celia, but they rarely had the desired effect. I seem unable to do as I'm told.

"Does that mean you'll be a duchess?" I asked eagerly. Imagine that—me friends with the future Duchess of Sandridge!

George narrowed his eyes at me and I wished I could take it back. Of course being a duchess would not compensate for marrying someone you did not love. I was glad I wasn't in Adelaide's position. Children of nobility couldn't wed whomever they chose. They had to marry other nobility, and failing that, wealth. I, on the other hand, could wed the man I loved.