by C. J. Archer
"He has a point," I said. Quin arched a brow at me and waited. "Ah. I see," I said, following. "Perhaps we don't have to give it to her," I told Myer. "We can simply use it as bait. Let her see it, but not hand it over."
"I…I'm not sure," he muttered. "What if she gets her hands on it anyway?"
"Tommy! St. Clair!" Jack trotted down the front steps, exchanging glares with de Mordaunt as they passed one another. He gripped Tommy's shoulder. At Tommy's questioning gaze, he said, "She is unharmed, as far as we know. But they've been down there more than twenty-four hours."
"Down where?" Tommy croaked.
"The basement."
Edith would be getting desperate by now, and Sylvia would be fretting. Poor thing. She wouldn't make a terribly brave hostage. Perhaps that was a little unfair; she did seem to have developed a stronger backbone recently.
"Come inside and I'll apprise you of the situation," Jack said. He paused, once more eyeing de Mordaunt. "Can we trust him?"
"No," I said. "But we have to. He's been tasked with sending the demon back—"
"Demon?" His wide stare swung from me to Quin, to de Mordaunt then finally Myer.
"There's much we need to tell you too," Quin said. "Come. Let's discuss it over tea and cake. I'm starved."
"Are you sure it's quite safe inside?" Myer asked, shortening his usually long strides so that he fell behind the other men.
"As safe as can be with your mad wife holed up in our basement, threatening to kill my cousin." Jack strode ahead of us into the house, Tommy at his side.
"She is not really my wife," Myer muttered so quietly that I hardly heard him despite being a mere two paces ahead of him.
"I have to hear her voice," Tommy said once we were inside. "I need to know she's all right, in her own words."
Jack nodded. "We'll go to the basement now. All of us."
"Not the ladies," Quin said.
I wanted to hear Sylvia's voice too, but I wasn't sure I would win an argument regarding my safety. There'd been too many dangers of late, and his anxiety was, perhaps, justified.
"You're here!" Hannah peered over the balustrade from the landing above. She rushed down the stairs and embraced Tommy first, then me. "Thank goodness you've arrived! What a relief to have you back again." Like her husband, she eyed de Mordaunt warily, and Myer too.
"We have to work with him," I told her quietly, nodding at the loutish de Mordaunt. "If he spouts rude sentiments about our gender, just ignore him. He stops eventually, or, if not, someone shuts him up." I looped my arm through hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"With any luck this will all be over by the end of today," Jack said. "And we can resume our normal lives."
Hannah sighed. "I'm not even sure what normal is anymore."
I lifted the veil that I'd kept over my face the entire day, forgetting about the bruise there. She gasped and leaned in closer to inspect it. My skin might be darker than everybody else's, but the bruise on my cheek was still evident and rather hideous. I needed to remember to cover it in public.
"Good lord, Cara!" She touched my jaw, beneath the bruise. "What happened?"
"Lord Alwyn." I waved her and Jack's concern away. "It's all over now. He's been arrested." I took her hand. "Let's go and speak to Sylvia in the basement. I'm anxious to hear her voice, and Tommy needs to hear it."
We both blinked sympathetically at poor Tommy. Then I shifted my gaze to Quin. His lips flattened, and I could almost hear him accusing me of being devious. I strode ahead of him to be certain he didn't block my way.
We headed down the back stairs to the service area. The kitchen, scullery and servants' dining room were all empty. Quiet. It was eerie. On the few occasions I'd ventured down there before, footmen and maids were always rushing about, pausing only to bow or curtsy to me. Even in the evenings, their chatter cheered up the simple, functional rooms, and their footsteps echoed on the flagstones.
"We gave what few servants were left some time off," Jack said, anticipating my question. "Only Mrs. Moore remains, and she's been instructed to keep well away from the basement and cellar. Edith Myer caught us unawares. We did not see an attack coming from that quarter."
"No," I said, glaring at Myer. "None of us were warned."
He didn't acknowledge my accusation. Not that an apology would have been enough, particularly now that Sylvia was captured.
Hannah picked up the story. "When Edith arrived, we let her in and offered her tea. That's when she grabbed Sylvia and dragged her to the cellar, a knife at her throat."
"Now we know why she was so strong," Jack told his wife. "She's a demon."
Hannah's lips formed an "O."
Tommy tried to forge ahead of Jack, but Jack caught his arm and held him back. "I have to speak to her," Tommy growled, jerking away.
Jack let him go. He knew Tommy wouldn't do anything foolish to jeopardize Sylvia's life. It was de Mordaunt who worried me more; he wouldn't care about sparing any of us.
"Does Edith have her ghosts with her?" I asked. At Jack and Hannah's blank looks, I added, "She's the third medium. She convinced some disgruntled spirits to possess the living and take up arms against us." Well, arms in the form of boiling hot water and heavy objects. Only Edith had possessed a revolver.
"She was alone," Jack said.
"Good. That will make her easier to kill. Or send back through the portal."
"Send back?" Hannah repeated. "To the demon realm?"
I waved away her questions as we neared the basement steps. "Later."
"Your story will be interesting, I wager," Jack said.
"You have no idea."
Tommy descended the half dozen steps and raised his hand to knock on the door at their base. He paused and glanced at us over his shoulder. Jack nodded for him to go on then joined him on the stairs, Quin at his heels.
Tommy knocked and called through the door, "I wish to speak to Miss Langley."
"Tommy? Tommy is that you?" Her voice sounded distant, like she was much further away than simply on the other side of the door, but that was to be expected; the door was made from very thick oak.
"Sylvia?" Tommy pressed his ear to the wood. "Are you all right?"
"She's unharmed," came the voice of Mrs. Myer. "But I'm growing tired of waiting. Do you have the book?"
"We're seeking a way to get it back," Jack called out. He pressed a finger to his lips, not wanting her to hear either Quin or de Mordaunt's voices, and certainly not Myer's.
"Then you need to hurry, Mr. Langley. I'm not sure how much longer I can bear your cousin's company."
I thought I heard a noise that sounded like a scoff coming from the other side, but it was fleeting and not repeated.
"We need reassurance that Sylvia is unharmed," Jack called out.
There was a pause, then, "I'm unharmed," Sylvia said. "Tommy, are you still there?"
"Yes!" he shouted, pressing his entire body to the door.
"I love you."
His fingers curled against the wood. "I love you too." His voice was softer than hers and might not have traveled through the door. "I'll get you out safe," he said, louder. "Do you hear me?"
"Yes." Her voice quavered. "I know you will. Be careful."
"That's enough!" Edith snapped. "Get the book, and do it now, before I grow impatient with this vacuous twit!"
There were no scoffing sounds this time, only silence. Jack tapped Tommy on the shoulder and signaled for him to come away. Tommy looked as if he wouldn't obey, but then he stepped back from the door and climbed the steps with Jack and Quin. He cast a longing gaze at the basement door then followed us through the service area and into the entrance hall again.
We passed by the main staircase but stopped when Langley hailed us. Bollard carried him, as he always did between levels. De Mordaunt's broad forehead crumpled into a frown as he watched the slow, steady progress of the men. The frown twisted into a sneer of disgust.
Mr. Langley took my hand when they reached the
bottom and patted it before letting go. He inclined his head at Quin. Even Myer had a tight smile sent his way. He did not acknowledge Tommy. I didn't necessarily think that a bad thing. No acknowledgement was better than a shouted "get out of my house!"
Bollard set his master down in the ground floor wheelchair. "We need to talk." Langley waved us through to the larger of the sitting rooms. Bollard pushed the chair forward, leading the way.
De Mordaunt followed behind, a swagger in his step. He sniffed. "In my day, if a man's legs didn't work, he would be dead."
"Your legs work and you're still dead," Jack pointed out.
"I would be happy to render them useless for you in this realm," Quin said. "To prove your theory true."
I didn't see de Mordaunt's expression but he mercifully kept quiet. His habit of saying horrid things whenever he opened his mouth was dangerous for all concerned.
Mrs. Moore was already pouring the tea and serving up slices of cake when we entered. She must have guessed the time of our arrival and prepared refreshments early. She greeted me warmly then left, leaving the door open. Nobody went to close it. Mrs. Moore had seen and heard many strange things over the last few months and never told a soul. I suspected she would be loyal to Frakingham and Langley until the day she died, and it didn't matter if she heard something curious now.
"I think you need to tell us what you learned in London," Jack began. "What's this about sending Edith Myer back to her own realm?"
"Her own realm?" Langley was in the middle of accepting a cup of tea from Bollard when he almost spilled the contents over his lap. "What is she?"
"Demon," I said. I eyed Quin. He and Bollard were the only ones standing. Jack, Tommy and even Myer sat on the edges of their seats, looking as if they would leap up at the slightest sound coming from the direction of the basement. Only de Mordaunt appeared comfortable. He sprawled in an armchair, his legs apart, and ate his slice of cake in two bites. He swept the crumbs littering his chest onto the rug. Hannah picked up the plate containing the remaining half of the unsliced cake and moved it to a table near her, out of his reach.
I told them what we'd learned about Edith Myer, from Myer himself, and his failed attempts to send her back, with the amulet as well as hypnosis, years ago.
"Hence my need to bring another here to do it," Myer cut in with a nod in de Mordaunt's direction. "The known methods weren't working."
"We were there when De Mordaunt confronted her in London only two nights ago," I said, "but unfortunately he couldn't capture her. She had a few spirits helping her."
"Can't Quin do something?" Hannah asked.
"I can if he fails," Quin said. "Or if he asks for my assistance."
De Mordaunt snorted. "I don't need you, St. Clair."
"Let's not be hasty." Myer nibbled his cake. "We need to do whatever is necessary to force her to leave."
"Why is she even here?" Jack asked. "How and when did she arrive?"
Myer took to eating his cake more vigorously, avoiding Jack's gaze. Quin and I exchanged brief glances. "She came here in sixty-six," I said. "She worked for the royal guard in her realm but, for reasons we don't yet know, she committed a crime and came here to avoid punishment."
Bollard and Langley's gazes settled on Jack. Hannah moved closer to her husband, but he remained perfectly still, his face unmoving. I almost thought he hadn't understood the link, but his eyes gave him away. They were only too aware, too knowing. Jack was far too clever to miss the implication of that date.
"Your mother was sent here to capture her and take her home," I told him.
Jack drew in a long, deep breath, his first in quite some time.
"She got side-tracked," Myer said with a huff and shake of his head. "Had a liaison with Wade, found herself with child, and died."
Hannah's knuckles went white as she squeezed her husband's hand. "Did Edith—the demon inside Edith—kill her?"
Myer nodded. "Her pursuer, as she called Hannah Smith—the original Hannah Smith, your namesake—was weak after giving birth. Edith took advantage of her vulnerability."
Jack leaned his elbows on his knees, taking Hannah's hand with him. He pressed her fingers to his lips, his gaze unfocused, distant. She sidled closer, until their shoulders pressed together, and blinked teary eyes back at me in silent appeal.
"It wasn't the first murder the Edith demon committed here," I said gently. "She killed the real Edith, of course, and Edith's parents and maids when they became suspicious about her odd change of character."
"My God," Langley murmured. "Myer…you knew?"
Myer cleared his throat. "I, er…"
"He knew," I said darkly.
"There was nothing I could do! She was more powerful than me. When I realized that…" He fiddled with his tie and collar again. "It was too late. I was trapped."
"Coward," Jack growled low, ominously. "You should have said something. Done something."
"What could I have done?" Myer spat. "Tell the authorities that I married a demon murderess? Ha! They would have blamed me for the crimes."
The muscles in Jack's jaw bunched. He looked as if he would leap across the rug and throttle Myer if it weren't for Hannah's hand anchoring him.
"It's done now." Langley's voice cut through the tension. "She's here. We must get rid of her or…" He broke off, but the words "lose Sylvia" were on my lips, and probably everyone else's.
Tommy lowered his head and dragged his hand through his hair. Jack's shoulders were slumped and Hannah's big eyes were full of tears. Bollard's hand rested on his master's shoulder, but it didn't seem to be enough to banish the bleakness in either man's face. I'd never seen the scientist look so distressed before. He and Sylvia may have argued of late, and he wasn't always kind to her, but any doubts I'd held about her importance to him were banished.
I glanced at Quin, feeling in need of comfort myself. But he wasn't looking at me. He'd moved to the window and was staring across the lawn to the abbey ruins and the portal. A terrible feeling tightened my chest. Someone had to go through the portal to get the book back or we would risk losing Sylvia altogether.
CHAPTER 13
"Have you tried tricking her with an old book from Langley's library?" Myer asked Jack. "She's never seen the real one before. She won't know if we wave a fake in front of her."
"Your wife is too clever to fall for that," Jack said. "She won't release Sylvia until she can confirm the book is the right one. I don't want to risk angering her by attempting to trick her."
"I wish everyone would stop calling her my wife." Myer's top lip curled almost to his nose, as if he'd tasted something disgusting. "I'm sure marriages between species is illegal in English law anyway."
"Enough talk." De Mordaunt launched himself to his feet, startling me, and headed for the door. "We're wasting our time."
Jack and Tommy cut him off by blocking the exit, and Quin came at him from behind. He grabbed de Mordaunt's collar. "You are not going anywhere. A woman's life is in danger. You will do what we say, when we say it, or I will hurl you back to the dungeons."
De Mordaunt turned and shoved Quin's hand off. "And risk the administrators' wrath for interfering? No, I don't think you will. You've always done as they say. Always been the good dog, obeying orders without thought."
Quin smirked, the mocking words rolling off him.
"Then what can we do?" Myer whined. "How will we break this impasse?"
We all looked at him, even de Mordaunt.
His lips parted with the release of a wheezy breath. He sat back and clutched the chair arms, as if the object could keep anyone from hurling him through the portal to the other realms.
"You have to do it," I told him. "There is no other way. Edith needs to see the real book, and you're the only one who knows where it is."
"It's through the portal again for you." Hannah seemed almost gleeful about the idea.
"No. No, no, no. I can't! The portal…it'll take me to the demon realm, and that place…" He shudd
ered.
"It is not a bad realm," Quin said. "They won't harm you if you ignore your urges."
"Urges?" Jack asked.
"A person from this realm will arrive there starved, much as the demons that arrive here are. Since you are not summoned, but go of your own accord, you can control yourself."
We all knew how unpredictable and dangerous a demon wrenched here through summoning could be. Those demons needed their summoner to control them, or they would savage everything in their path. Others who'd come here of their own volition, like Edith and the first Hannah Smith, were not so frenzied and were more human. It made sense that the same thing happened in reverse. A human choosing to go through to the demon realm was at least in control of their actions, thank God.
"You coped well enough last time," I told Myer. "Didn't the demon realm authorities send you to the Purgatory administrators almost immediately?"
"It was an anxious wait until they did. I was captured by those hideous beasts and taken prisoner." Another shudder wracked him. "I didn't understand a word of their language, and they didn't understand mine. I was fortunate that those who found me took me to the authorities and didn't decide to make a meal of me."
"They're more accepting of the supernatural than here," Quin told us. "They're aware of the other realms and certain figures can communicate with the administrators of the afterlife." To Myer, he said, "You weren't a prisoner, and I doubt you would have been eaten. They were trying to help you."
Myer sniffed. "They treated me without thought for my dignity, touching my skin, my hair and clothing. It was terribly distressing."
I could imagine it would have been, not knowing their language and customs, or what they planned on doing with him. "Since you've already had some experience, you won't be so anxious this time," I said cheerfully.
"Miss Moreau, I most strenuously object! Why not send St. Clair? Or Langley?" He nodded at Jack, earning him a glare from Hannah that he ignored. "They're his people on the demon realm, after all."