by C. J. Archer
She shook her head.
"It could be a coincidence," Adelaide said, though from her tone I could tell that she didn't quite believe it.
"Myer is certainly an odd fellow," Jacob said.
"And surprisingly not very well known," Samuel told us. "He has acquaintances, not friends, and nobody remembers his family. The gentlemen at his club claim that Myer is an excellent fellow, charming and witty, but he knows nothing about financial matters."
"Clearly he's not the brains behind Hatfield and Harrington," Jacob said. "His position as major shareholder is not hands-on."
"I actually learned more about Edith Myer than her husband," Samuel went on.
"Such as?"
"I had luncheon with your parents yesterday, Beaufort. Lady Preston knew Edith Myer around the time of her coming out. She remembers Edith as being a terrible flirt, not particularly bright but a lot of fun. She was never a beauty, but gentlemen enjoyed her vivacious company."
"Vivacious!" I blinked at Samuel. "That doesn't sound like the woman I met that day at the Butterworths'." The Harborough mayor and his wife hosted the Myers when they came to the village. It had been the first time I'd met them and I'd not been particularly enamored of either. Mrs. Myer was a sour woman with no respect for her husband and he had hypnotized her right in front of us. It had been one of the most awkward encounters I'd ever experienced.
"It would seem marriage has changed her," Charity said.
Nobody said as much, but it was clear that we were all thinking the same thing—marriage to a man like Myer, who had no qualms about hypnotizing his wife, would dampen even the most lively spirit.
We ate the rest of our meal amid quiet chatter. Only Quin didn't join in. He'd been silent for some time and even appeared to be off his food, until the pudding arrived in glass bowls. His eyes widened at the sight of the accompanying dishes of jellies, sweet cakes and chocolates. They closed in ecstasy as he tasted each one. I couldn't help smiling when he came to the chocolates shaped as strawberries. I wondered if I had that enraptured look on my face when I ate them.
Once the meal was complete, Emily rose and we followed her lead. "We'll all adjourn to the drawing room, since Cara and Quin cannot be separated. The gentlemen will have to go without cigars this evening."
"Fine by me," Samuel said. "The company of females is always more enlightening anyway."
"It sounds like a pleasant way to see out the evening," George added. "And a most interesting evening it has been thus far."
"Indeed." Emily frowned, thoughtful. "What is that line by Danté? 'Remember tonight…' How does it end? Quin, do you know?"
Quin's gaze narrowed. "I do not."
"'Remember tonight…for it is the beginning of always,'" George said.
"A fitting quote," Charity said. When everyone turned to her, she merely smiled shyly at me. "I suspect so, anyway, since this evening the search for the book begins in earnest."
I smiled back, but I wasn't really listening to her. My mind was on what Emily had just achieved. An educated man from Tudor times would have known the Danté Alighieri quote. He had lived in the late thirteenth century, while the earlier quote from Bernard of Chartres that Quin had known was from at least a century earlier, if memory served. That meant Quin had been alive after Bernard and before Danté.
We filed out of the dining room, but I lingered until Quin was just out of earshot. I pulled Emily aside. "I didn't know you knew so much about medieval philosophers and poets," I whispered.
"I don't," she whispered back. "I quickly studied some before we came down to dinner. Jacob's library has a book that lists well-known quotes from medieval texts. It came in very handy. We now know your Quin St. Clair was alive in this realm between the early twelfth century and the late thirteenth."
My heart sank. "That's almost a two hundred year span."
She shrugged. "It was the best I could do. It explains his accent, though. The upper classes spoke mostly French, with some Middle English in the early middle ages."
My gaze connected with Quin's. He waited by the door to the formal drawing room, Jacob beside him, the others having gone in. If he knew we were discussing him, he showed no sign. "Thank you, Em. At least I'm a little closer to knowing something about him."
She caught my arm. Where before her eyes sparkled with mischief, they were now clouded with concern. "Don't make the mistake of getting to know him too well, Cara. He doesn't belong here and you do."
"I know that," I snipped back. "And it's a little early in our acquaintance to fear that I'll develop feelings for him."
"I'm not so sure about that." Her gaze drifted to Jacob. "It's been known to happen suddenly."
"Not to me."
***
Whenever Sylvia had more than two glasses of wine, her sleep became restless. She kicked me beneath the covers and her breathing alternated between resembling a trumpeter's fanfare and stopping altogether. I didn't known what was worse, the noise or waiting for it.
With a sigh, I finally climbed off the bed and rounded the screen. "Are you awake?" I whispered to Quin.
He sat up and I could just make out his bare chest in the poor light. Since visibility was so low, it didn't matter that he was semi-naked or that I wore only a nightgown. But just to be safe, I wouldn't tell anyone.
"How can I not be?" he whispered back. "The train was quieter."
I smiled and sat on the end of the truckle near his covered feet. Tommy lay fast asleep on the other low bed next to Quin's. "It's been quite a lot for you to take in today," I said. "Your first train journey, first time in Victorian London, and meeting some of my family. I am sorry for Jacob's hostility toward you. It's not personal."
"He thinks I am a danger to you."
"Not a danger, exactly. More like a bad influence."
He humphed under his breath. "He doesn't know you well, then. I've been with you mere days and I understand that you're not easily influenced."
"Am I that obstinate?"
His white teeth bared in a smile. "I would say determined and brave."
"Brave? How do you figure that?"
"Emily told me you traveled from Melbourne to London accompanied only by an old family friend who was also traveling the same route. She said you took care of your chaperone rather than the other way."
"Mrs. Dartmoor suffered terrible seasickness, poor thing."
"Not too many young ladies would thrive under such circumstances, but Emily claims you did. Nor would they attend lectures or write to the authorities about allowing women into universities."
"Emily shouldn't boast so much. Anyway, it wasn't the authorities, it was a newspaper, and it was only one letter. They did publish it, however."
"And you still wish to visit this Myer gentleman, despite the dangers he poses?"
I drew my knees up under my night dress and circled my arms around them. "It's unfortunate but necessary. We need the society's library and he is master of the society."
"At least I know those things about Myer now before we visit him."
"Does it matter?"
"It matters. I'm supposed to protect you. I need to know everything there is to know in order to perform my duty."
"You are here to keep the curse at bay."
"Aye, and protect you in every way I can too. While I'm here in this realm, we're bound, Cara. I must take care of you."
"I don't need anyone to take care of me." The automatic response was out of my mouth before I could stop it. Despite my conviction, a wash of tingles skittered up my spine at his words. "Thank you. I think." It was, after all, his duty to protect me. He wasn't doing it because he wanted to. It was important to remember that.
He drew up one leg under the covers and rested his arm on it while the other remained stretched flat. His foot touched my thigh. He did not move away and I liked to think it was because he wanted to strengthen the connection between us, but it was most likely because he hadn't realized.
"Will you reconsider v
isiting Myer?" he asked.
"No. Besides, I'll have you there to protect me."
"I cannot stop him hypnotizing you if he hypnotizes me first."
"Samuel can. He's promised to accompany us."
"There is no swaying your mind, is there?" There was a smile in his voice if not on his lips.
I grinned. "No. I'm determined and brave, remember?"
"Obstinate." He laughed softly and lowered his leg. That foot too brushed against my thigh and came to settle beside his other one, touching me, albeit with the covers between us.
Still, I froze. Touching in such an intimate place was indecent and Jacob would throttle him if he knew, but I found the gesture thrilling. My nerves would not stop pulsing in anticipation of what might happen next.
His feet suddenly shifted, breaking the contact. "Go back to bed," he whispered. "We shouldn't talk when others aren't present." He slammed down onto his back and rolled to his side, leaving one big brawny shoulder exposed above the bedcovers.
I sighed and turned away from the enticing sight. What had gotten into him? "Goodnight, Quin."
***
The Myers lived in a Mayfair townhouse situated in a coveted street overlooking Berkeley Square. If I thought Emily and Jacob were wealthy, the Myers were something else entirely. The drawing room in which we waited may have been spartanly furnished, but everything was of high quality, from the black marble mantel to the heavy chaise and wingback chairs. The thick pile of the large Aubusson rug meant it was new or the room rarely used. If Mrs. Myer was such a recluse, as everyone claimed, then it was likely she had very few visitors.
Samuel and I sat on the sofa while Quin stood by the unlit fireplace, his alert gaze on the doorway. One finger tapped the marble absently while the other remained behind his back. They were the only signs that he was a little on edge. He'd told us on the way over to Mayfair that he disliked having to rely on others for our safety; in this case, Samuel.
"I won't let him hypnotize her," Samuel assured Quin.
Quin hadn't responded, nor did he seem placated. I resisted the urge to settle my hand over his to reassure him as I'd seen Samuel do with Charity, and Emily with Jacob, when tensions ran high.
I was surprised to see the Myers enter the drawing room together, considering they were the least united couple I'd ever met. What surprised me even more was the sandy haired gentleman with slate gray eyes trailing behind them.
My gasp echoed around the large, empty room, and had everyone turning to me before we could even make the introductions.
"Nathaniel!" I cried. "Good lord, this is a coincidence. What are you doing here? And why did you ignore me at King's Cross yesterday?"
CHAPTER 6
"You didn't tell us you knew Miss Moreau," Myer said to Nathaniel.
"I wasn't aware you knew her." Nathaniel bowed smoothly, and when he straightened, his eyes danced over my face and figure. His smile broadened. "My humblest apologies, Miss Moreau. It's a pleasure to see you again. How long has it been now?"
"A matter of months," I said. "We came over on the S.S. Bombay together," I told the others. "Since neither of us suffered from seasickness, we often went out strolling the decks."
"The fresh sea air was very healthful."
My initial shock at finding him with the Myers was replaced by irritation at his snubbing of me at the station. "Why didn't you stop when you saw me at King's Cross yesterday?"
He frowned. "I didn't see you there."
"You must have. You looked directly at me."
"I'm so very sorry. You know me. I can be a little vague when my mind is on other things, as it was yesterday. Again, I am deeply sorry and didn't mean to cause offence." He bowed again and when he rose, his gray eyes were more silver than slate. He took my hand and pressed it between his own. "I hope you can forgive my poor manners. I shall have to make it up to you."
I couldn't help smiling at his effusive apology. "You're forgiven."
Quin stepped forward and glared at Nathaniel until he let go of my hand.
"It's good to see you again, Mr. Gladstone," Myer said to Samuel. "And who is your new friend?"
"Quintin St. Clair," Samuel said. "A friend of Cara's from Melbourne."
"From the other side of the world! I thought the colonies were hot places, yet you don't seem perturbed by our cooler climate, Mr. St. Clair." He indicated Quin's shirt with a flip of his hand.
"My luggage was lost on the voyage," Quin said, using the story we'd laid out on the journey to Mayfair.
"He has to make do until his new suit arrives," I said.
Quin extended his hand and Myer shook it. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Myer. Cara has told me much about you." He said it exactly as we'd coached him, yet I could still detect a hint of distrust in his tone.
Myer, apparently, did not. He puffed out his chest and gave his wife a triumphant smile. "Has she now? I assure you, only the good bits are true." He laughed and rocked back on his heels.
"Good lord," Edith Myer muttered with a roll of her eyes. "If you're going to stay then you might as well sit. Adamson, bring refreshments," she ordered the butler.
"We won't stay long," I assured her. Indeed, I had hoped not to see her at all. She might look innocuous, with her drab clothing and severe hairstyle that only widened already broad features, but she made me anxious nevertheless. Where Myer had all the power with his hypnosis, her tongue was dipped in vitriol and she wasn't afraid to wield it. Fortunately, she reserved her verbal lashings for her husband and had never directed her harsh words at anyone else. "We've come to ask permission to look through the society's library," I said. "Mr. St. Clair has an interest in the paranormal and has heard of the society. When I told him we were acquainted with its grand master, he became keen to meet you."
Myer threw his arms wide as he sat. He was as tall as his wife, but half her girth, with a face that would have looked too thin if it weren't for the abundance of sideburns. "Well, here I am in the flesh. Ask me anything you want, Mr. St. Clair. It's always a pleasure to meet a fellow scholar of the paranormal. Don't you agree, Faraday?"
"Of course, but, forgive me, you don't look like a scholar," Nathaniel said to Quin.
Quin merely shrugged.
"What do scholars look like?" I joked. "Me?"
He laughed. "Very amusing. No, I was thinking Mr. St. Clair looked like a prize fighter."
It was a little too close to the truth for my liking, so I changed the subject. "You have an interest in the paranormal, Nathaniel? I thought you were a historian."
"I am, but I have a confession to make. I'm actually a paranormal historian. I must apologize for not telling you, Miss Moreau."
"Call me Cara, like you did on board the Bombay."
He smiled again, baring all of his perfect white teeth. He really was very handsome, especially when he employed the full force of his charms. "Some people aren't so understanding about the supernatural, so I tend not to mention it until I know a person very well."
I suppose that was fair, since I hadn't told him I was a medium. "I completely understand."
"You do?" He looked relieved. "I was hoping I hadn't offended you again. I seem to be making a habit of it."
"Miss Moreau is a spirit medium," Myer said before I could recover enough from Nathaniel's earnest smile to inform him myself.
Nathaniel's eyebrows almost shot off his forehead. "You are? How intriguing. I've never met one before. How is it that you became one?"
"Perhaps you can discuss it another time," Samuel cut in. "Mr. St. Clair is keen to see the library."
"Aye," Quin said darkly. "I found some paranormal anomalies in Melbourne and wish to investigate what they mean while I'm in London."
"Really?" Myer leaned forward. "How interesting. Didn't you spend time in Melbourne, Faraday? Did you see anything unusual there too?"
My stomach plunged. If Nathaniel questioned Quin in detail about the city, we'd be in trouble.
"No," Nathaniel said.
/> I blew out a breath. Beside me, Samuel seemed to relax too.
"Can you describe these anomalies, Mr. St. Clair?" Myer asked.
"Merely a shift in the pattern of the air at a particular spot," Quin said. "It was cooler when it should have been warmer. That sort of thing."
"It sounds like the portal at the ruins. Don't you think, Gladstone, Miss Moreau?"
Samuel and I both nodded. Clearly Quin was describing what he felt at Frakingham Abbey.
"I will be eager for you to learn more, Mr. St Clair. I hope the society's books can tell you something."
"Such as how to close the portal once and for all," Mrs. Myer added.
"No!" Myer exploded. His face turned red and the veins above his collar popped out in thick blue ridges. "That would be foolishness indeed!"
She sniffed. "The portal at Frakingham seems to have caused problems—"
"It requires careful management, that's all." To the rest of us, he said, "If you learn how to close or destroy the portals, I beg you not to do so. It would be catastrophic for the surrounding area. In the case of Frakingham, it might destroy the house itself. You will find that information in one of the books in the library. It was one of the few things I could find out about portals."
"We won't attempt anything like that," I assured him. Aside from potentially destroying the Langleys' home, it would also stop Quin from coming and going between realms. It was necessary to allow him access; if not to fight demons then at least to keep him connected to the human world. To be completely cut off would be unimaginable.
Quin did not respond to Myer's plea. He sat as rigid as a pole in his chair, his expression unreadable.
"Forgive me." Myer turned to Samuel with an apologetic shrug. "I understand why Mr. St. Clair and Miss Moreau are here—she is his friend, after all—but why are you here, Gladstone?"
Samuel gave him a flat smile. "Insurance."
It took a moment for that to register with Myer, and when it finally did, he colored. "Oh. There is no need. You can trust me."
Nobody agreed or disagreed with him, not even his wife. She merely watched him through narrowed eyes. I felt a rush of sympathy for her. It mustn't be an easy life living with a man she not only disliked, but who hypnotized her into doing what he wanted.