by Beth Byers
“I know. I am the best brother.”
She nudged him. “So, are we escaping?”
“Jack challenged you. You’ve called upon me. The twins are terrifying as they teethe. Also, I have an idea. It’s a bit regurgitated, but I found a shocking place a few days ago, and I think we can do it.”
“A place?”
He grinned at her with that same smirking expression she used so often. Perfect, she thought. She had no idea what he was talking about, but she knew that his excited expression would match just how she would feel when he finally revealed all.
The house that Victor brought her to could only be described as fantastic. It seemed to be a cross between a Victorian mansion and a castle. The shape was all peaks and curlicues, but it was made out of stone and iron. The top of the house was covered with fierce gargoyles that half-scared Violet even though she was only partially wicked.
“I love it.”
Victor grinned. “Wait until you see the inside.”
Violet followed him up the steps, hand on his elbow, and as they approached a servant opened the door before they even reached for the handle.
“Mr. Carlyle.”
Violet glanced at Victor. “Why do they know you?”
“Have you noticed that this place is a few short blocks from our houses?”
Violet shook her head. “How did I not know it was here?”
“I found it walking Gin and escaping the girls as they were screaming about their teeth.”
“You’re so old!” Violet told him. “It’s like you’re a completely different human than the man I knew. Father would say this is what happens from fornicating.”
Victor pulled Violet’s hair and then admitted, “I suppose we did that.”
“You did.”
“Babies happen after marriage as well.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Violet said with an evil smirk as they walked inside, and then she gasped.
The chandelier overhead was black iron. There were crossed, giant black axes mounted on the wall. Violet spun, glancing into the parlor and took in the display cases. She didn’t even wait for Victor to speak to the man who had let them in. She rudely walked into the parlor and gazed into the case. It was full of miniature skulls. A part of her recoiled and then she faced to her twin.
“Is this whole place like this?”
“The occult?” He nodded. “Items for séances, Ouija boards, fertility statues, altars for death deities. Generally filled in with weapons for murder, replicas of the guillotine, maps of the black plague. A rather large and fabulous ballroom and a willingness to let for the right price.”
“Which is?”
“The purchase of an antique sword believed to be used by Vlad the III.”
Violet grinned. “Can we put on it that it was donated by Jack Wakefield?”
He grinned back. “Why would we do anything else?”
Violet followed Victor through the museum to a chocolate shop, to the costume shop, and then pulled him with her into a jewelry store.
“Violet,” Victor said carefully.
She turned on him. He lifted both hands slowly.
“What do you have that is ridiculous and expensive?” she asked the clerk.
The man behind the counter eyed Violet’s wedding ring, her earbobs, and the gold bangles. He grinned avariciously.
“Something for the season?” she added.
His eyes brightened even further and he went to the locked cabinet, pulling out a case at the back. Slowly, he opened a black velvet case.
Inside were six black diamond spider hairpins, each with ruby red eyes. Violet gasped as Victor groaned.
“You know,” the man said, “I have a quite nice choker that will go well with these.”
“I like chokers,” Violet told him.
It was a black diamond choker with a few red rubies mixed in.
“There are matching bracelets.”
“Yes,” Violet said.
“No, Vi. You should…”
She lifted a brow at him.
“I suppose you can afford it.”
“I suppose I can.”
She left with the necklace, the hairpins, the bangles, a matching spider ring for her forefinger, and black diamond earbobs.
“Between the museum, the costumes, the other dress, and the jewelry, you have definitely surpassed even what Jack would expect.”
“He knew I would.”
“I suppose you didn’t surpass those expectations then.”
“I suppose not,” Violet admitted. “I could get another dog?”
“You have four puppies you haven’t decided if you’re keeping or finding homes for.”
“Beatrice is taking one, Lila is taking one, Rita is taking one, Father wants one. They all have homes where I can come and visit and love on them, but they aren’t staying with us.”
“This time.”
Violet grinned evilly and shrugged. Her brother wasn’t, however, wrong.
“What do you think she bought?” Ginny asked Jack. She lifted a brow and smirked.
He glanced at her and laughed as he brought his bright blue Rolls-Royce into the traffic. It was brand new, and Jack just might love it.
“A dress.”
Ginny snorted.
Jack noted how she’d perfectly imitated Violet. “Violet was sure she’d shock me, so it will be something you couldn’t guess.”
Ginny’s laughing scoff was an echo of Rita when she was tormenting Ham. Jack rubbed the back of his neck. Breakfast with Em had been bad enough. Breakfast with Em while Ginny reflected all of their bad habits, it was possible that their entire group needed some sort of heart-to-heart intervention.
“Do you think your friend will say bad things about me?”
Jack hesitated. Emily had certainly twisted things about Violet in the past, but if he had to guess, he very much doubted that she’d do the same to Ginny.
The truth was Ginny’s story was compelling. She spoke clearly about the abuse she’d received from the other girls and the way the teachers had reacted. Jack knew Emily. He’d seen the spark of anger in her gaze.
“She said she was going to talk to the other girls,” Ginny said, as she stared out the window, sounding for once like a schoolgirl. “They’ll lie.”
“People lie to reporters all of the time,” Jack told Ginny. “Em is good at ferreting out the truth.”
“How do you know her?” Ginny asked.
Jack turned his gaze to the road and shifted in order to distract her from the question. He’d been engaged once to Emily. He’d thought he loved her, and he wasn’t sure that Ginny was capable of understanding that you could misidentify love, make life plans, have them all fall apart, and give up thoughts of family and love.
The idea that men didn’t want families and homes just wasn’t true. Jack had wanted a home of his own since he’d enjoyed the love and care of his childhood home. He just thought he’d never have one when Emily cheated on him.
“We thought we loved each other once,” he told Ginny carefully. “We were wrong.” Ginny was gaping, jaw dropped, eyes wide, and Jack had to laugh. It was laugh or wince. “Emily might not even be able to talk to the other girls.”
“Mrs. Partridge sent a good number of them down,” Ginny muttered. “She does that for half-excuses whenever they want to go home. I doubt their letters home were anything like mine.”
Jack rubbed his forehead and then pulled the auto in front of the house. He got out, walked around to open the door for Ginny, and told her, “If they’re in London, Emily can talk to them. Your school isn’t too far away to visit either.”
“Is what Miss Allen said true? Does Violet really own a part of the school?”
Jack nodded. “She does. She bought into it so you could go there.”
Ginny bit her bottom lip and then ran inside. Jack followed, hoping he hadn’t said the wrong things. Violet was right. Being expected to guide young people was enoug
h to make you feel like a ripe idiot who shouldn’t have been allowed to leave school.
“Geoffrey is home,” Ginny said over her shoulder. “We’re going to meet at the museum.”
“Geoffrey?” Jack asked. Violet’s younger half-brother was less of a wart than he had been, but it hadn’t been entirely rid of him.
“He got sent down as well.”
Jack rolled his eyes and then tried to smooth his face into evenness. These children were challenging his capacity to be enigmatic.
Chapter 3
It took Violet three days to arrange the rental of the small museum with the purchase of the weapon. It was going to be the most absolutely fabulous All Hallows party. When she’d walked the halls, as she had four more times, she’d found appropriately spooky armor lining one large hall. In one display room, she found old swords and axes mounted on the walls with masks that had been intended to terrify mixed in. There had been an entire room that contained paintings, sculptures, and odd metal creations of demons, gargoyles, and other terrible creatures.
“Yes,” Denny said when she announced her plans of a party, scavenger hunt, costume contest. “Yes, I’m going to be something horrible. I need a mask. I need a costumer. I need—” He bounced a little before he demanded, “Can it be a masquerade?”
Violet nodded. “Beatrice is writing the invitations. They’ll be sent by tomorrow. Costumes and masks required.”
"I want to be a spider,” Ginny announced. “May I go?”
Before Violet could answer, Denny cut in, “Of course you can. With all eight legs?”
“Certainly,” Ginny answered. She sniffed once and lifted an imperious brow. “Anything else would be inaccurate and pathetic.”
“We’ll need to go shopping,” Lila said lazily. She looked down at her baby mound and sighed, “I believe I shall go as a beef roast.”
“Oh luvie.” Denny gave his wife an evil grin and then an advanced wince that said he knew he shouldn’t be saying what came next. “You could be an oversized turnip or a sweet, round Brussels sprout.”
Lila sat up. “You hate Brussels sprouts.”
“But I wouldn’t,” Denny said as if he were being clever, “if you were one.”
Lila’s gaze narrowed and Denny rose and fled the room. They could hear the tap of his shoes clicking down the wood halls. The door to the library opened and closed, and Violet glanced at Lila. Her expression hadn’t adjusted and she still stared after Denny as if plotting.
“Listen,” Violet said carefully. “You’re beautiful.”
Lila grinned. “I know.”
“I think the growing baby is cute,” Ginny said. “You…glow? It’s like your skin is shinier and your hair. There is something different besides the baby.”
“Go read a Shakespeare play or something.” Violet frowned at Ginny. “Or, I don’t know. I feel irresponsible having you just watch us lounge about. Imagine us being productive. Oh! Go find Beatrice in her office and help her.”
Ginny’s gaze lighted and she hurried out of the parlor.
“We really are terrible examples,” Lila said. “We should be ashamed of ourselves.”
“Are you upset about what Denny said?”
She shook her head and grinned evilly. “It’s good that he fears—”
A high-pitched scream cut off Lila and she jumped to her feet as though she weren’t quite pregnant.
“Denny!”
“Denny?” Violet asked, but Lila had darted across the parlor and was to the door when the high-pitched scream repeated.
“Denny!” Lila rushed to the library.
“Don’t come in!” he squeaked.
“Denny!”
“Don’t!”
Lila’s eyes widened. “He’s serious. That’s his serious voice.”
“That’s also a terrified child scream.” Violet glanced back when she heard Jack running down the hall. Before he could ask a question, Denny screamed again.
“Go away, Lila!” Denny said once his screaming ended. Hargreaves arrived a moment later. “Save yourself!”
“Denny?” Jack called.
“Save me! Don’t let Lila come in! Bloody hell, Jack, bring your guns!”
Jack carefully opened the library door. The first thing they saw was Denny standing on one of the overstuffed chairs. He had one leg up tucked towards his chest and his eyes were rolling wildly as he clutched his throat and chest.
“S-s-s-snake! Adder!”
Jack pushed Violet into Lila and shut the door after him.
“I’ll find something to contain it,” Hargreaves said and rushed to the kitchen.
“Snake?” Vi asked, glancing at Lila. She lifted her brow and immediately dropped it when she remembered Ginny doing just that over her marmalade and toast.
“Denny is afraid of them.” Lila frowned. “Terrified really.” After another long moment she added, “Aren’t adders poisonous?”
Hargreaves returned with a box and a broom and quickly entered the library, closing the door tightly behind him. After far too many moments, Jack cursed loud enough to have Violet worried, but he called, “It’s all right now.”
Violet walked into the library and was shocked to see Jack holding the box that moved with an agitated occupant. “Is it poisonous?”
Jack nodded. “But adders aren’t aggressive. This fellow just needs to be released somewhere safe.”
Violet shook her head, walking around him in a wide circle. “It needs to go!”
“It does!” Denny was still on the chair.
Violet frowned deeply. “Our dogs could have easily come in here.”
“I came in here!” Denny squeaked. He was eyeing every inch of the floor as if there could be another one. Hargreaves was circling the room with his broom, knocking it against the furniture to scare out any other snakes.
“That adder would have killed Rouge or Holmes,” Vi said in a tight voice.
“I agree,” Jack said. “There’s no way an adder got into our library on accident, Vi. This was a nasty, intentional act.”
Denny had pulled Lila onto the chair with him. “What if there’s another one?”
“What if we’d laid one of the babies on the floor?” Violet demanded. “What if—”
“Take a deep breath, Vi,” Jack told her. He nodded at the bell and she crossed the floor to ring it.
Violet rang the bell and left the library. Her dogs and the babies at the forefront of her mind, Violet hurried down the hallway towards the kitchens where Rouge’s basket with her puppies was kept by the ovens for warmth.
Victor had taken the twins back to his house after Violet had disappeared that morning. Victor’s house would be the best choice.
“Ma’am?” one of the maids asked as Violet entered.
Vi whistled for Holmes and then said, “They’re going to Victor’s for the next little bit.”
She paused. Rouge growled at Vi, but it was the protective mama growl and with one “shush,” the dog stopped. Violet trailed her finger over the pups. They were all shades of red and white. Like Rouge, most of them were almost entirely a coppery red, but there was one that was predominately white with accenting splashes of red. Each of the puppies welcomed the loves. They were getting big, and sooner or later, Violet needed to decide when to send them to their new homes and how she was going to successfully stop future batches of puppies.
“Send Ginny to my brother’s house,” Violet called, walking out the back door and through the garden path they’d made between their houses. There was one house between them, but the owner had allowed them a private path when Victor had given the man some untold amount of money. He’d turned the back end of the man’s garden into a pretty little alley walkway, only accessible between their two houses. The money had probably been a ridiculous amount, Vi thought, uncaring of the waste.
Vi hurried down the pathway and found Victor in the garden. He took in the sight of Violet holding the basket of puppies and the two dogs barking at Vi’s feet. He k
new her well and took in her expression of worry and stress without a word needing to be said.
The two of them were, of course, fraternal twins, but they looked like matching coins. They had the same sharp features, clever dark eyes, the same dark hair, the same full lips, and the same expressions that only intensified their alikeness.
“What happened?”
“There was a snake in the library.”
Her tone was enough to have him lowering his brows, instantly worried.
“I’m sending you Ginny and the dogs. Keep the twins at your house.”
“For a snake?” He accepted the basket of puppies that she held out for him.
“Jack thinks it was a malicious prank. I’m sure he’s currently figuring out how it happened.”
“Vi—”
The doubt was enough to make her slap his arm. “It was an adder, you fool. There’s no way it ended up there by accident.”
Victor’s face smoothed into cool fury.
“I know,” Violet told him, feeling the same cold, painful anger.
Victor helped her bring the dogs inside. They took them up to the nursery where the nanny would be able to keep a careful eye on them along with the babies.
“What about you?” Victor asked. “Are you going to come here too?”
Violet winked at him, snorted, and then sighed deeply.
“I know!” He groaned. “Bloody hell, Vi. Ginny has all of our bad habits. We’re terrible examples of humanity. We’re raising someone who is—well, she’s naturally smarter than we are, certainly, so she’ll turn out better than we did. No one likes a snorting, sniffing, sarcastic school girl.”
“We like her,” Violet said with a sigh that she cut off halfway through. “I’ve been trying to stop, but I can’t. It’s an affliction.”
Victor snorted, and Violet elbowed him gently, so he wouldn’t drop the puppies. “Right, we’re stopping that.”
“Perhaps easing back,” Vi admitted.
“I’m not sure we can do better than easing,” Victor agreed. “We do spend a lot of time with Denny, and he is an idiot.”