We entered the opera house foyer to find the largest crush I had ever seen there. The light of the gas lamps glinted off richly coloured silks and dazzling jewels. The dark room was littered with enough gilt to give the effect of a jewel box.
I spotted one or two acquaintances and stepped toward them, but Theo was already guiding me in a different direction. I frowned a little, but let him take the lead. I regretted my decision when the crowd shifted and I realised where he was leading me.
Delilah. The beautiful witch-hunter stood in the middle of a cluster of admirers. She wore scarlet, her silk dress clinging to her in a way that made my deep blue dull and old-fashioned in comparison.
She turned to face us as we approached, holding out her hands to Theo in welcome, her smile dazzling. I consoled myself with the thought that her jewels were considerably less dazzling. Her family might be successful witch-hunters, but it evidently did not pay well; she wore paste. At least my superiority was clear in one area.
“Always a pleasure,” I said smoothly, elbowing Theo aside to take her hand myself.
“Please, let me introduce my brother,” she said, gesturing a young man forward.
I smiled at him in recognition.
“Marcus, what a delightful surprise. I had no idea that you had a sister.”
It had been enough of a surprise to learn that Marcus, an old acquaintance of mine, was friends with Theo. Was he also involved in the hunt? At least, with his broad smile and friendly eyes, he was much less intimidating than his sister.
“Marcus will help us with the wolf,” Theo murmured in my ear.
I introduced Alexandra next. Delilah’s smile seemed no less forced. Did she dislike everyone except Theo and Marcus?
“Quite a crowd this evening,” Delilah said once the introductions were over. All the gentlemen around her rushed to agree. Even Theo nodded seriously, as if she had said something of great wisdom. Any idiot could see that there was a crowd. The lack of available floor space offered an obvious clue.
“We barely managed to obtain seats at all,” Marcus put in. “We find ourselves with perhaps the worst view in the house.”
“I’m sure we’d be delighted for you to join us in Lily’s box,” Theo said, smiling at Delilah.
How dare he! Offering my box as if it was his own. Asking this woman to sit with us when we were supposed to be spending time together. He had a nerve even suggesting such a thing.
“Of course,” I said politely. “It would be a pleasure to have your company for the evening.”
I addressed my remark more to Marcus than to Delilah. His lips twitched slightly, and I wondered if he had grasped that detail. He truly was far less intimidating than his sister. Perhaps this was a man I could work with.
He’s still a witch-hunter, my heart warned me.
I stayed silent as we drifted up the gilt-edged staircase to take our seats. This had been my parents’ box since I was a child, and I was deeply fond of it. Delilah swept in ahead of me, seating herself in my favourite chair without asking. She tugged at Theo’s hands to pull him down beside her. He shot me an apologetic glance over his shoulder, but made no effort to move. He knew that was my spot! Fuming, I found myself sat in the second row of my own box, glaring at the dark glossiness of Delilah’s head. What an uncouth and unpleasant woman! I exchanged glances with Alexandra, who had settled into the seat beside me. My chaperon looked equally unimpressed.
Marcus attempted to make small talk with me as the orchestra warmed up and the audience took their seats. I tried to be polite, but I could not find the energy to mask my disdain. At the first opportunity, I excused myself and opened the door to the corridor beyond. When I spotted a servant loitering in the narrow hallway, I impulsively ordered two bottles of the finest champagne. If I was to be trapped for an entire evening with that insufferable woman, I would need some way of enjoying myself.
Another servant appeared with the champagne in moments, laying five sparkling crystal glasses on the table at the back of my box. Delilah exclaimed in delight and thanked me very prettily. Theo simply raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled back, my expression so flawlessly polite that I knew he would expect trouble.
But the time had come for the opera to begin. we settled into our seats as the lights dimmed and the first notes echoed from the stage. Goodness, such a voice. I leaned forward in awe, barely able to stop my mouth from dropping open. The rumours had not lied in the slightest. What a musical treat we would experience this evening!
“Look!” Delilah exclaimed, her voice jarringly loud. “There’s Jules Beaumont! Do you think he can see us, Marcus?”
“Please keep your voice down,” I said sharply, not bothering to hide my disdain. Did the woman have no sense of culture? Here we were, in the middle of a breathtaking work of art, and she wanted to talk about who might see her? How delighted she must be, sat here in one of the opera house’s most expensive boxes, in full view of the entire crowd.
“Goodness!” she said, her rich voice artificially bright. “I had no idea we would be subjected to such strict rules upon accepting an invitation to sit in your box. Theo was never so strict when we attended the opera together, were you Theo?”
Theo muttered something noncommittal, and a rush of red-hot fury swept through me. So, even he could not take my side? He would say nothing to support me?
“I prefer to enjoy my opera as intently as possible,” I said. “Please do indulge me.”
To her credit, Delilah had the intelligence to hold her tongue for a while. She let the first act pass without so much as a whisper of interruption. When the ushers called a brief interval, however, she leapt to her feet and clutched at Theo’s arm.
“Shall we circulate a little? It would be so delightful to catch up with a few old friends. I really do not attend the opera as often as I would like.”
Did I imagine it, or did Marcus, half-hidden in the shadows, roll his eyes at that comment? I found that I liked the man more than expected. Which was all to the best, as he was to be my escort; Delilah had already claimed Theo’s arm and marched him out of the box. More rage swelled at her utter discourtesy. He was my fiance, and she would do well to remember that.
In the grand room where refreshments were served, Delilah soon found the Mr Beaumont she had spoken of earlier; Jules, as she introduced him. To my surprise, I already knew Mr Beaumont, a rather serious man in his thirties. He was, in fact, my new neighbour, having recently purchased the house beside mine. He also seemed to know Alexandra, although she did not appear pleased to see him. The six of us made small talk for a few moments. All the while, I hoped that my smile did not look as strained as it felt.
Other people drifted over to our little group. A few of my friends provided a welcome relief from the tedium, and I greeted them gladly. They all knew Theo by now, of course, so only needed to be introduced to the Carringtons and Mr Beaumont. I performed the introductions as briefly as possible. My friends would notice my dislike of Delilah.
But she was certainly not to be outdone, and a number of her own friends and admirers also wandered over. One plump lady, in her forties or perhaps even her fifties, embraced Delilah with great fondness, almost elbowing me aside in the process.
“My dear!” she said, her voice far too loud to be seemly. “What a pleasure to see you! And dear Amberson as well - Theodoric, what a delight. And even more of a joy to see you two together. Tell me, have you finally made the announcement? Are you to be married at last?”
I could not keep my quiet any longer.
“Madam,” I said coldly. “I am afraid we have not yet been introduced. I am Lady Lily Gabriel, Theodoric’s fiancee.”
I took some small level of satisfaction in watching the woman’s face change to an odd purple colour.
“Goodness, well, a delight indeed. I do apologise, my lady - it is some time since I last encountered Theodoric, and I had not realised - well -”
I let her words trail off into silence, then I smiled coldly. Th
e group around me had gone utterly silent.
“I am sure that such misunderstandings occur all the time,” I said. “I appreciate that you meant no ill will.”
She attempted a smile, still looking slightly sick.
“I think I would like to return to our box,” I said to Theo. He offered me his arm, and we nodded our farewells before retreating to the privacy of my box. Even Alexandra did not follow us.
“Lily-” Theo began, but I cut him off with a shake of my head.
“Not now, Theo. I want to enjoy what’s left of the opera.”
We watched the second act in silence, not touching as we sat side by side in the box. The Carringtons did not rejoin us; I spotted Delilah’s scarlet dress down in the audience below. They had no doubt returned to the seats that they had actually purchased. Did Theo see her too?
The opera was beautiful, as promised, but I could not focus properly. That foolish woman’s words had been meaningless, I knew, yet they still hurt.
We left as soon as the final curtain fell, remaining silent as we navigated our way through the departing crush. My coach was ready and waiting for us, and I was grateful to sink into its dark privacy. Alexandra had not reappeared, so Theo and I were alone.
“I can tell that you’re upset,” Theo said, his voice careful. “You know that you have no true cause for concern, though, don’t you?”
“What kind of history do you and Delilah Carrington have?” I asked.
He sighed, running his hand through his hair as he gazed out of the window. The glass was streaked with the first drops of the night's rain.
“Delilah and I have known each other since we were children. Our parents and grandparents worked closely with each other, so we often spent time together. As we grew older, it was rather expected by everyone around us that we would eventually marry. To our parents, it made perfect sense. Why not unite two great dynasties of witch hunters?”
“So you were engaged to be married?”
“She’s more like a sister to me,” Theo said, leaning forward to clasp my hands. “You are honestly the only woman I have ever wished to marry.”
“That didn’t answer my question,” I said.
“Yes, we were engaged,” he said, the words tumbling out. “It was what everyone expected, everyone wanted. But we called it off within a couple of weeks. It was always a bad idea.”
A previous fiance. How had that slipped his mind in all our discussions of life before we met each other? That was quite a detail to leave unmentioned.
“Does she also believe it was all a bad idea?” I asked.
Theo hesitated for just a second too long.
“I’m sure she knows that our relationship has only ever been a friendly one. She has never had any real expectations of me.”
Could he truly not see how possessive Delilah was? How she grasped his arm, monopolised his attention, edged me out of the way? No expectations - well that was nonsense. I could already tell that Delilah believed their engagement was far from over.
“Be careful,” I said, turning to gaze out of the opposite window. “She may not see things quite as you do.”
“Lily, you really do not have to worry,” Theo said, stroking my fingers.
I did not turn to face him, but kept gazing out at the rain. Night had fallen while we sat in the opera house. Now, only the faint gas lights of the city streets lit up the blackness that lay beyond the distorted glass.
“Have you been spending much time with her lately?” I asked, already dreading the answer.
“We’ve had a few meetings, to discuss this issue of the wolf,” Theo said. “But she understands that they are business only - as, of course, do I. Lily, please don’t worry. I have no interest in any woman but you, and the whole world knows it.”
“Not quite the whole world,” I pointed out dryly.
“I haven’t seen that foolish old woman since I was nineteen,” Theo said, his voice calm and reasonable. I felt like a hysterical wreck in comparison to him.
“Please don’t concern yourself on my account,” I said, the familiar cool tone slipping back into my words. “I simply wished to make sure that I knew the full details of your history with Delilah. In case such an unfortunate situation should arise again.”
“Well, you have nothing to worry about,” Theo said.
I believed him, of course I did. But I was far from worry-free. And as we travelled the last of the journey home in silence, I could sense the shadows creeping up around me, choking out the lamplight from the street outside.
Theo came into the house with me and fell asleep beside me, his arm slung over my waist, his face against my shoulder. But I lay awake, staring up at the canopy of my bed, wondering when the darkness would come for me at last.
Hemlock
Theo left before I woke. To my shame, I was glad. I did not think I could have faced him. And it was probably for the best. I had things to do.
I walked down to the kitchen, which was almost a foreign world to me. At Beechwood, I had visited the kitchens as a child, and marvelled at the huge, cavernous rooms full of roaring fires and endless busyness. Here, though, I had rarely had reason to visit the kitchen. That was why I employed a housekeeper.
“I’m looking for Gwyneth,” I told the first maid I spotted. She squeaked and almost dropped the tea tray she was carrying. I watched as one sugar lump tumbled to the floor.
“Gwyneth has disappeared, my lady,” she said once she had the wobbling teapot under control.
I frowned at her, uncomprehending.
“Disappeared? What do you mean?”
“She didn’t appear for work this morning, my lady. And when we looked in her room, she was gone. Looks like she never slept in her bed.”
How could she have left before she’d told me what she was hiding? And worse, who else might she have told it to?
“Bring me the housekeeper,” I demanded. “Now!”
The girl scuttled off, still clutching the tray. She vanished through a door on the opposite side of the room. The rest of the staff, busy with their own tasks, all cast me nervous looks, but no one else said anything.
The housekeeper, a rather more familiar face, appeared from her office in just a moment. She had once been the housekeeper at Beechwood, and I had brought her to London when I made this house my permanent residence. Mrs Scott, everyone called her, although I had no idea if she had ever been married. Perhaps there still was a Mr Scott. I had never thought to investigate.
“How can I help you, Lady Lily?” she asked, clutching the keys hanging from her belt.
“The maid, Gwyneth. Where is she?”
“Gwyneth, my lady?”
Mrs Scott blinked at me as if she hadn’t quite heard what I said. I hissed in a breath of exasperation. Simple questions should not be so difficult.
“We don’t know where she’s gone, my lady,” Mrs Scott said. “She’s left without notice. Completely vanished, and not a word to anyone.”
This was unacceptable.
“Show me her room,” I demanded.
Mrs Scott blinked up at me as if I had spoken in French.
“Her room, my lady?”
“If that is where she disappeared from, I want to see it.”
“She probably just ran away, my lady. Nothing to concern yourself with.”
“Show me. Right away.”
I saw Mrs Scott exchange a nervous glance with the maid whose name I could not remember.
“As you wish, my lady,” she said. “Follow me.”
I ignored the whispers of the staff and followed her up through the house, all the way up to the attic level. We came to a halt before a narrow door tucked into the eaves of the steep roof. I waited, tapping my foot impatiently, while Mrs Scott fumbled on her belt for the correct key.
The door finally swung open to reveal a small room. Two tiny beds were squeezed in against the walls. One on of the beds sat a large covered basket. I stepped closer to peer at it and saw that a piece of
paper lay on top. To my surprise, neat handwriting spelt out “Lady Lily Gabriel”.
“Is this Gwyneth’s bed?” I asked.
Mrs Scott nodded. She didn’t seem able to take her eyes off the basket. What on earth had Gwyneth left for me?
“Open this,” I said, thrusting the basket at Mrs Scott. Gwyneth knew my true nature; I would not take any chances on what nasty surprises might await me inside that basket. I was prepared for all kinds of things. But I was not prepared for Mrs Scott to look back up at me, her eyes wide, and say,
“It’s a kitten, my lady.”
For a second, I thought I must have misheard her. But when I looked more closely at the basket, two bright green eyes peered out at me. A kitten. A tiny, tabby little thing, it seemed remarkably calm.
“Take the basket to my room,” I ordered. “I’ll have a closer look at it there.”
With one more troubled glance down at the basket, Mrs Scott did as I asked.
I settled down beside the fire in my bedroom and carefully lifted the kitten out. It didn’t bite or scratch; in fact, it seemed unconcerned by my presence. It simply curled up on the rug and began to snore in soft little gulps. What a strange creature.
I reached into the basket, feeling gingerly around the soft blanket that lined it. I still did not trust Gwyneth. But all that awaited me was a folded piece of paper. I pulled it out, unfolded it, and scanned the few words written there.
It appeared that Gwyneth had found herself with a litter of kittens to re-home, and this was the last of them. She said that I may find the creature to be an excellent companion. And then, finally, she wrote what I wanted to hear.
For more information on your particular interest, my lady, please let me put you in touch with those who can best help.
And there was an address. A London address, only a few miles from my house.
I absently reached out to stroke the little kitten while I wondered what to do. Should I visit this place? Could I trust Gwyneth? Or could she be another hunter, out to trap me? If she had any link to Delilah, I might find myself in deep trouble.
I decided to start with those problems that I could immediately solve. I rang for a maid.
Wolfdark Page 3