“You must pay us a visit, my lord.” Lady Pinswary nudged her daughter closer, but the puppy started to bark. Sebastian backed away and Miss Pinswary darted to the door. Her mama gave up and turned to me. “I trust you won’t do any more cooking while you are here in Fairstone Meade?”
I blinked. Only yesterday, I’d been boiling up a new emulsion. How could I answer truthfully?
Miss Stranje smiled. “Not to worry, my lady. I keep a well-appointed stillroom should Miss Fitzwilliam decide to try out another new recipe.”
Lady Daneska gave Sera a farewell kiss and said quietly, “Adieu. You will tell Tess and Jane that I forgive them, yes?”
Sera tilted her head puzzled. “If you mean you want me to ask them to forgive you, that is something you must do for yourself.”
“No matter.” Lady Daneska waved away Sera’s dispute and laughed carelessly, sounding like small icicles shattering against stones. She turned to our headmistress. “My dear Miss Stranje, what interesting company you keep.”
“High praise coming from you, my lady.”
“Yes. Most interesting. You like playing with the hornet’s nest, I think.” She strolled toward the door but stopped beside me. “And to what end I wonder.” Lady Daneska studied me with all the warmth of a feral cat. “Miss Fitzwilliam, you are a curiosity. We shall visit again when you are less indisposed or—is the word discomposed?” She shrugged and with a cheery grin said, “My English, it is so bad. Ah, well, c’est la vie.”
On the contrary, I’d begun to think her English was perfect, except when she chose to play at French.
Lady Pinswary sniffed and looked down her bulbous nose at me. “Heed my advice, young lady, and take up knitting. Less peril for the rest of us.”
I meekly nodded.
“I don’t know.” Sebastian rubbed his chin skeptically and in a deadly serious tone said, “Those needles look awfully sharp.”
Lady Daneska gave him a playful tap on the arm and her pert little lips turned up in a beguiling smile. “With you, always the clever remark. Le danse du saber. We must meet again, my lord, soon.”
He smiled back.
I wanted more than anything to throw a chair cushion at her. And at him, too. I caught Miss Alicia Pinswary watching me too intently. She quickly looked away and made a fuss over stuffing her pup into the reticule. But there was no mistaking that vicious little grin she tried to hide. She’d observed my jealousy. No doubt, she and Daneska would have a jolly good laugh about that on the way home.
I wanted to crawl under the sofa and never come out.
Miss Stranje curtseyed in farewell to Lady Pinswary and Lady Daneska. “Do come again. Your visits are always so very”—she paused—“diverting.”
Daneska laughed, but for the first time it sounded genuine. No delicate heavenly peal, this was a scratchy crow of triumph.
Eleven
SHE KNOWS
Lady Daneska left me drowning in uncertainty. As soon as Miss Pinswary and her yapping dog made their exit, I dropped onto the sofa. “I failed. She knows.”
Miss Stranje pressed a finger to her lips, waiting until the sound of the front door shutting echoed through the drawing room. She seemed distracted. Where was her scold? I expected her to berate me for not being discreet enough, for tipping my hand. Instead, she rubbed her palms against her skirt as if wiping away grime.
Captain Grey caught her elbow. “You’re worried.”
“No, I’m pleased.” She smiled up into his concerned face. “All in all, I think it went quite well, don’t you?”
He stared at her thoughtfully for a moment. “That isn’t precisely how I would’ve summed it up. Miss Fitzwilliam is right. Lady Daneska knows something.”
“She does.” Lord Wyatt gripped the frame of the settee. “What’s more, Miss Fitzwilliam stumbled upon a pertinent question. What else might have been in that letter to Lady Pinswary?”
Stumbled. I did not stumble upon it. It was a perfectly logical question. I crossed my arms and frowned, not that the scoundrel would notice.
Miss Stranje shook her head. “In all likelihood it was only her busybody cousin, spreading a piece of spiteful gossip. Surely.”
I hoped she was right. “Mother detests my experiments. My scientific pursuits are an embarrassment to her. Weighing that into the equation, I doubt she would have mentioned that one of my experiments caused the blaze.”
“That would also explain why your neighbors suspect a more malicious motive.” Miss Stranje brightened. “There you are—a perfectly logical conclusion.”
Logical. See there, Sebastian, not everyone dismisses my mental capability as mere stumbling.
“Come now, we’ve nothing to worry about.” Miss Stranje absentmindedly caught Captain Grey’s hands in hers. “Lady Daneska is only conjecturing at this point.” She glanced down at her fingers wrapped around his, flushed pink, and let go of him immediately. Captain Grey’s hands remained extended to her a moment longer, as if he thought she might grasp them again.
Instead, she whirled to face me. “Miss Fitzwilliam, you did quite well today, especially for someone with no training.”
“I did?”
“Yes. I must say, your quick thinking impressed me. The cook wouldn’t let you in.” She smiled, looking almost girlish. “A brilliant tactic.”
“It was the simple truth,” I confessed. “Not a stratagem.”
“Ah, I see.” She nodded. “The truth can be highly effective.”
Effective? For what? Deception? I struggled to grasp her meaning.
“We were fortunate today. Lady Daneska, for all her cleverness, inadvertently revealed more than she realized. Although, it is rather evident that she is…” Miss Stranje’s confident words trailed off, her brow creased again.
“Up to something,” Sebastian finished for her. Deep in thought, he paced and muttered as if no one was really listening, “Obviously she’d like to put an end to your school, but there was more.”
Sera held a throw pillow on her lap and toyed with the fringe. “Something to do with Lord Ravencross.”
“Undoubtedly.” Sebastian tapped the back of our sofa as if marking several facts and then resumed his pacing.
The captain shot him a quelling look and led Miss Stranje to her chair. “Let us put the matter aside for a moment.” He leaned over the tray of food and rubbed his palms together. “What do you say, ladies? Shall we enjoy some tea and biscuits?”
Sebastian ignored Captain Grey’s attempt to distract Miss Stranje. “Did you notice? At one point she looked as if she’d like to run Ravencross through with a pike.”
Sera nodded. “Yes, when she wasn’t shamelessly flirting with him.”
Head down, still treading a path on the Turkish carpet, Lord Wyatt grunted in agreement. “Of course, she would hate him, wouldn’t she, if she was privy to the circumstances of Lucien’s death.”
Lucien? “Lord Ravencross’s older brother?” I wondered. “How did he die?”
Sebastian glanced at Captain Grey, who nodded permission.
“It’s not a secret,” Sebastian began. “We tracked Lucien, who was, of course, Lord Ravencross at the time, to a farmhouse in Mockern north of Leipzig. Gabriel, his younger brother, was encamped nearby with a unit of the Royal horse Artillery’s. We snuck him behind the lines, hoping he could meet with Lucien and make him see reason. Regrettably, Lucien did not appreciate his younger brother’s intrusion. After a heated exchange, he got angry and drew his sword. Slashed Gabriel’s leg to the bone.” Sebastian grabbed his own sword hilt. “Gabe had no choice. He had to fight back. By the time we broke in the house Lucien was dead and Gabriel lay barely alive. We pulled him out before Lucien’s men had a chance to finish him off.”
“His own brother,” I murmured.
“It was awful.” Sera nodded. “Tess saw the fight in one of her nightmares.”
Why had the former Lord Ravencross turned against England, I wondered. “What made him so furious he was even willing
to murder his brother?”
Captain Grey cleared his throat. “Enough of this.”
There were a dozen more questions I wanted to ask. Had Lady Daneska been in love with the former Lord Ravencross? In what capacity had he served Napoleon? However, this was not the time to ask, and I doubted any of them would indulge my curiosity.
I suddenly realized this line of conversation meant Sebastian and Captain Grey had observed Lady Daneska talking with the present Lord Ravencross, even though that conversation occurred before they entered the room. Which meant they, too, had been watching, but from where?
Twisting and craning my neck, I searched the walls for another tapestry or silk hanging they might’ve been hiding behind. I caught Sebastian observing me. He pointed. “Screen beside the mantel.”
I squinted at the ornate ductwork. I’d thought it merely a heat vent, but the metal grid would provide a perfect vantage point. “Of course.” I tried to appear sophisticated and not at all surprised.
“Tea,” Captain Grey reminded all of us. Sebastian bristled as he settled on the sofa beside me. Miss Stranje silently poured. After we were all served, Captain Grey said very softly, “Something else is troubling you.”
Miss Stranje nodded. “A note arrived…” Captain Grey pulled his chair closer to hers and they conducted a hushed conversation.
That left the three of us, Sebastian, me, and Sera, sitting there drinking tea in awkward silence. The shortbread cookies looked ridiculously small in Sebastian’s large hands, and the dainty teacup looked like a toy.
I sought for a topic we might discuss. “I’m pleased you’re not still suffering ill-effects from the fumes.”
He gave me a cavalier shrug.
“I worried you might be confined to your bed for several days.”
“What? Sit in bed and miss seeing you in your finery? Never.” A twitch in his cheek betrayed him.
He was making sport of me. What a widgeon I was, to think he actually found me charming. There was no sense pretending I was and always would be the proverbial sow’s ear.
“This isn’t my finery,” I explained matter-of-factly. “This dress, the taming of my hair, everything, must be credited to others.” I gestured to Sera. “Here is the artist primarily responsible for my transformation.” I sat back and allowed her to accept proper recognition.
“A marvel, Miss Wyndham.” He raised his cup to Sera. “I’m astonished. All that wildness so admirably tamed. A remarkable exhibition of your skills.” He delivered this remark with a roguish grin as if it was all just polite conversation.
Sera laughed.
His words were half compliment and half insult. Or more accurately: one-third compliment and two-thirds insult. I refused to let it rile me. Mostly because I knew it would please him too much if I did.
I inhaled deeply and changed the subject. “I’ve been thinking—”
“About ruffles?”
“No. About oak galls.”
“I see. And do you plan to paint them pink and dangle one from each ear?”
“How amusing you are.” I pretended to yawn. “For your information, my lord, oak galls are a common component—”
“Of ink. Yes, I know.” He lowered his voice, lost his mocking edge, and glanced over to see if Sera was listening to our conversation.
“I believe I’ll take a turn about the room,” she said with a wink at me. “The paintings in here are quite fascinating. They merit closer study.”
In a near whisper I continued, “Normally, powdered gall is suspended in a solution of iron salts. The iron reacts and causes the dark purple color to appear. But what if…”
There was that phrase again, what if, the one that doomed me to a life alone. I shifted uneasily, wishing he would gaze at me with such skin-tingling intensity for a reason other than my theories on invisible ink.
“What if we”—I licked my lips and tried again—“what if I made a base out of colorless iron salts? A gall emulsion could be sponged over it later to develop the message.”
“How the devil would you make a colorless iron emulsion?” he asked.
“By applying heat to copperas. The minerals should separate and leave a clear iron. If not, I can try adding sulfur or perhaps potash.”
He mulled over the idea, pinching his dark brows together. My fingers itched to reach out and smooth away his frown. At last he nodded and his face relaxed. “It might work. The trick will be getting the liquid iron salts to dry invisible and remain nonresponsive to heat. It’s certainly worth a try.”
I set my teacup on the saucer. “I’ll collect some galls in the morning. With all the oak trees on Stranje House grounds, I’m bound to find enough for the experiment.”
“Very well.” Sebastian finished his shortbread. “I’ll walk over from the dower cottage first thing in the morning to help.”
“No!” I blurted, thinking of how helping me had nearly cost him his life. “I can do the experiment alone. You mustn’t expose yourself to more fumes. It’s an unnecessary risk.” Immediately, I wished I hadn’t said it.
“You consider that a risk? You think I need you to protect me?” He looked incensed. “Me?”
“Yes. No. What I mean is…”
He shook his head, his eyes darkened and his jaw bunched up at the corners. I wished I could swallow the last thirty words back down my throat.
I was as annoyed at myself as he was, but for different reasons. While it was true I didn’t need his assistance, I did want his company. Oh, why had I told him not to help me? Because I am absurdly practical, that’s why.
If only I’d kept my dratted mouth shut for once. Infuriating though Lord Wyatt was, I rather enjoyed the sensation of my heart fluttering through my belly every time he turned his wicked blue eyes in my direction. I certainly didn’t like him frowning at me. I’d much rather he harassed me.
“Of course not,” I said. “Obviously you are accustomed to taking much greater risks.”
Under the force of his stern inspection, I clamped my lips shut and waited, fidgeting with the fabric of my skirt, hoping he would counter my refusal of help and insist on hunting galls with me in the morning.
He didn’t. He kept studying me with that inscrutable expression of his.
So, naturally, I blurted out more inanities. “You said it yourself, yesterday. I can be rather vexing at times. And dangerous. Even though Miss Pinswary doesn’t think so, the fact of the matter is; you’re right. Yesterday’s fiasco proved it.” I pressed my lips together, finally locking them down after completely ruining any chance of seeing him tomorrow.
“I see.” He seemed to relax. “I did say that, didn’t I?” He grabbed a handful of almonds. “It’s true. You are quite vexing.” He worked his jaw muscles, shifting between a dimpled grin, a frown, and an annoying smirk. “Yes, and dangerous. Nevertheless, I must face the danger.”
He lifted his gaze to the imaginary distance, and posed in an attitude of martyrdom. It was truly ridiculous. I rolled my eyes. “For pity’s sake.”
He clapped one hand over his heart in the manner of a pledge. “It is my sworn duty to suffer all manner of vexation for King and country. Even the red-haired, hot-tempered variety.”
“Oh, aren’t you noble.” I crossed my arms and slumped back against the sofa.
The wretch inclined his head, acknowledging the compliment, even though he knew perfectly well I hadn’t meant any such thing. Then he tossed an almond into his mouth, chomping it with boyish gusto.
I found it odd that he didn’t attempt to look past me and watch Sera as she drifted around the room studying the flowers and paintings. He had, of course, bowed graciously to her when we entered, but as far as I could tell he had never insulted her as he did me. In short, he treated her respectfully. I envied her.
Captain Grey’s voice rose above the noise of my brooding thoughts. “Why must you refuse help, when it is offered?”
We all turned at the sound.
“You know I’m grateful.” Mis
s Stranje placed her hand over his. He stared at her gloved fingers resting on his tanned roughened hand. She leaned toward him in an earnest almost pleading manner, a manner that seemed completely foreign to her nature. “Exceedingly grateful. But, it’s a day’s journey, too much of an imposition for you. Especially with the diplomatic ball so near. No, she’s my sister. It falls to me to set things right. I’ll travel to Shoreham as soon as the arrangements can be made and deal with the matter myself.”
“I don’t like it, Emma. Creditors don’t behave like gentlemen. Thieves and brigands, the lot of them.”
“Thieves and brigands I can manage. It’s my sister who troubles me.” She sighed and sat back. “You mustn’t worry. If I leave at first light, I can complete the business and return by evening. You already do so much for me. To do more would be unseemly. You know what people will think.”
He set down his cup and saucer with a plunk. “I have no interest in their opinion. More to the point, there is and always has been an offer on the table.”
Sebastian cleared his throat reminding them that Sera and I were listening to their private conversation. Both turned sharply in our direction. Miss Stranje lowered her gaze, and Captain Grey stood abruptly. “It is past time Lord Wyatt and I took our leave.”
Sebastian rose and bowed to us. “Thank you for the pleasure of your company, ladies.” With that short dismissal, they strode out of the room, leaving the place as bleak and hollow as an empty theater.
Miss Stranje stood. Her neck was red and blotchy, and agitation rumpled her normally inscrutable features. Our intrepid headmistress appeared to be suffering. I wouldn’t have believed such a thing possible. Except there it was, her lips pressed thin, her brow doing all manner of contortions.
“You will excuse me.” She hurried past us with a stilted gait. “I have the megrims.”
I did not doubt her head ached. Sera watched with an anxious expression as Miss Stranje hurried away. Taking the seat beside me, she whispered, “The captain has distressed her even more than Lady Daneska did.”
“Yes,” I agreed, and peered up at the Chinese screen wondering if Jane still watched us. I’d been so preoccupied I’d nearly forgotten we were being spied upon.
A School for Unusual Girls Page 14