Her Majesty's Necromancer (21 page)

Authors: C. J. Archer

Tags: #Sci-Fi & Fantasy

BOOK: Her Majesty's Necromancer

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"He's a grown man. He can fend for himself."

"That's the thing! He can't. He's hopeless. He lurches from one crisis to the next and needs either me or his brother to get him out of them. I'm concerned that he's in over his head."

"Are you?" he drawled. "That's unlike you, Julia, particularly where Andrew is concerned."

I wished I could see her face; it was a long time before she spoke. "I found books on the occult in his rooms. Charms and amulets too."

"You think he's dabbling with forces he doesn't understand?"

"I do." Her voice sounded more like her usual confident one. "I'm going to raise this as a ministry matter since it involves the supernatural."

"We don't know that for sure."

"This is just a courtesy call to you to give you warning," she said.

"I don't need advanced warning."

"Oh, Lincoln, I also came because I
had
to see you."

I pulled myself out of the chair and used my crutches to get to the door and peer round it. She was leaning against Lincoln, her head on his shoulder. He gingerly patted her back as if worried he'd make it worse if he patted too hard.

"I wanted to tell you how sorry I am," she said. "If I'd known how upset you would be over summoning Gurry, I wouldn't have let her do it."

Let me do it! I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on the crutches to storm out and challenge her, but Lincoln's hand suddenly came up at his side in a "wait" gesture. He knew I was there, listening.

"Don't trouble yourself, Julia," he said. "The matter is closed. We'll speak no more of it." He grasped her shoulders and pushed her gently away.

She dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her gloved finger. "But…I need to know why you killed him. Why not just tell me?"

"Because the people who need to know already know. You do not."

"Lincoln! How can you say that? As your friend, I'm worried about you." When he said nothing, she splayed her hands on his chest. Her eyelids lowered and she tilted her face up to his. "As your lover, I have a—"

"Don't!" He grabbed her wrists before stepping away and letting go.

She blinked back at him, but I was too far to see if her eyes were teary. Her hand fluttered at the black ribbon choker at her throat. "Lincoln?" Her pitiful whisper barely reached me.

"Thank you for stopping by," he said, striding past her to the door.

She straightened her shoulders and her chin rose. I'd begun to feel sorry for her, so I was pleased to see her strength of character return. I did
not
want to sympathize with Lady Harcourt. "I came to see Charlie too. She's had quite an ordeal, and I want to see if she needs anything. Is she in her rooms?"

I shook my head at him, but he didn't lift his eyes and couldn't have seen. Even so, he told her I was not up to receiving callers. "As you said, she's had an ordeal. She needs rest."

"Very well. Tell her I'm thinking of her."

"I will."

She brushed past him and he shut the door before her carriage rolled away. He came over to me in the library doorway. "Apparently Lady Harcourt is thinking of you."

"You didn't tell her that you know she blackmailed me into summoning Gurry?"

He shook his head. "I can if you like."

"No. There's no need. I don't want things to be even more awkward between her and me."

"She's not your enemy, Charlie. She's…unhappy."

"I know. I don't think of her as an enemy, but I'm not sure we can be friends." I laughed at my own ridiculous statement. I was a maid and she a lady. There was no chance of friendship between us anyway. "Do you think there's any cause to worry about her stepson?"

"Possibly. I'll have to investigate now, anyway. She'll present it to the ministry in such a way that they'll feel compelled to find out where he went."

"It's not like we have anything better to do."

"We?"

I smiled. "Yes, we. Now, do you think luncheon will be far away? I'm starving."

***

We resumed training after lunch. All of us. Seth arranged a series of firearms on the kitchen table and he and Lincoln went through the particulars of each one while Cook and Gus set up targets outside and a chair for me to sit in. I'd only fired off three bullets, missing all of the tins each time, when a man approached from the side of the house. He wore checked trousers and a brown coat over a black waistcoat. He was a middle aged fellow with brown hair and a graying beard. A uniformed policeman trailed after him.

"Is one of you gentlemen Mr. Lincoln Fitzroy?" the man asked.

Lincoln stepped forward. "I am."

The newcomer introduced himself as Detective Inspector Darby. He didn't introduce his spotty faced constable. "Is this Miss Holloway?"

"Yes," I said with a smile. "You have some questions for me about the abduction?"

"I do, miss, but first, I must inform you that the fellow known as Captain Jasper is dead."

I gasped. Oh God. Had I killed him? "How…?"

"Throat was cut while he was in the cell."

Not me, thank God. Still, what an awful outcome.

"Blimey," Gus muttered. "A cove ain't safe anywhere these days."

"Sometimes those holding cells can get quite full," I said. "And when you put a group of criminals together…" I knew from experience how violent the holding cells could get.

"He was alone, miss," the inspector said.

"Then who killed him?"

"We don't know. It happened in the night. Whoever did it got in and out without anyone seeing him." The inspector shook his head. "It's a mystery."

Seth shifted his weight and I glanced up at him. But he wasn't looking at me. He was staring at Lincoln. Lincoln, however, wasn't looking at anyone. His gaze was fixed on a point on the horizon. His expression was unreadable, his body still.

"What of the two men who worked for him?" I asked. "Did you catch them?"

The inspector shook his head. "They disappeared. I had men stationed at places they frequented, but there'd been no sign of them until this morning. They turned up dead in the river."

"Both of them?" At his nod, I swallowed heavily. "Were their throats cut too?"

"They were. We have no reason to think their deaths are linked to your abduction, miss, but if you have any information that can help us, we'd be most grateful."

I shook my head. "No, nothing. I'm sorry."

"Mind if I ask you some questions about that night?"

"Of course."

They stayed for a mere fifteen minutes then went on their way. The inspector's questions were exactly the ones I expected; he didn't seem to think the deaths of Jasper, Jimmy and Pete had anything to do with us.

He was the only one who thought that.

Lincoln remained at my side while the inspector was there, but left to see him off and didn't return. I continued my target practice, but only for a few more minutes. It had been a lark before, but a dark cloud had descended over our little group and changed the mood.

I got up, and Gus offered to help me inside but I wanted to do it myself. Going up the staircase wasn't easy, and I dispensed with the crutches and hobbled the rest of the way to Lincoln's rooms. I knocked. He opened the door and didn't look at all surprised to see me there.

"You should use the crutches."

"May I come in?"

He hesitated and, if I wasn't mistaken, he was biting on the inside of his lip.

"Lincoln?" If he'd noticed that I'd dispensed with calling him Mr. Fitzroy lately, he didn't point it out.

He held out his hand to me. I took it and he directed me inside to a chair, but I didn't want to sit down. I suspected he would remain standing, and I didn't want to feel at a disadvantage. I leaned on the back of a chair for support and met his gaze. He was watching me.

"You think I did it," he said. "You think I killed them."

There were several things I could have said, but I chose the path that I hoped would encourage him to tell me more. "Why would you?"

"Revenge." His gaze traveled to my bruised cheek. "You know I'm capable of exacting it."

With those few words, he'd put me in the same category as he placed Tim—as a friend worthy of his vengeful form of justice. Despite everything, it was a relief to hear. It meant he truly had forgiven me for my betrayal. I gave him a wobbly smile, but he didn't seem to understand why I was smiling. He frowned.

"I'm mostly unharmed," I told him. "I hardly think what happened to me warrants such drastic revenge." He said nothing, so I went on. "But you were agitated most of yesterday after we spoke, then you went out last night for a long time. Today, you've been distant. I don't think you killed them, but evidence points that way."

"I didn't."

My hand almost slipped off the chair in relief. If nothing else, it proved I'd harbored a kernel of doubt. "I believe you. So where did you go last night?"

"Nowhere. I walked around for a few hours then came back here."

I frowned. "Why were you just walking?"

"To clear my head and think."

"What were you thinking about?"

He drew in a deep breath, then another, and he stepped closer. He lifted a hand to my swollen cheek but didn't touch it. His eyes turned smoky, warm, and his face lowered. "About whether I should do this."

His mouth met mine. There was nothing tentative about the kiss. It was thorough, confident, yet as gentle as a first kiss ought to be. I'd not expected him to have soft lips. They were usually drawn into a hard, firm line, but now they felt like pillows. They were wonderful.
He
was wonderful. I knew the kiss didn't solve anything between us—if anything, it probably complicated things—but at that moment, I didn't care.

I let go of the chair, buried my hands in his hair, and kissed him back.

THE END

Coming Soon:

Beyond The Grave

The 3rd book in the Ministry Of Curiosities series by C.J. Archer.

Charlie, Lincoln and the other Ministry of Curiosities employees fight against villains both living and dead in the search for Lady Harcourt's missing stepson, and in the process, they uncover twisted family secrets and danger.

Look for BEYOND THE GRAVE in November 2015. To be notified of its release, sign up to C.J.'s newsletter via her website:
http://cjarcher.com/contact-cj/newsletter/

A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR

I hope you enjoyed reading HER MAJESTY'S NECROMANCER as much as I enjoyed writing it. As an independent author, getting the word out about my book is vital to its success, so if you liked this book please consider telling your friends and writing a review at the store where you purchased it. If you would like to be contacted when I release a new book, subscribe to my newsletter at
http://cjarcher.com/contact-cj/newsletter/
. You will only be contacted when I have a new book out.

Get a FREE Short Story

I wrote a short story featuring Lincoln Fitzroy that is set before THE LAST NECROMANCER. Titled STRANGE HORIZONS, it reveals how he learned where to look for Charlie during a visit to Paris. While the story can be read as a standalone, it contains spoilers from The 1st Freak House Trilogy, so I advise you to read that series first. The best part is, the short story is FREE, but only to my newsletter subscribers.
So subscribe now
via my website if you haven't already.

BOOKS BY C.J. ARCHER

The Medium (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium #1)

Possession (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium #2)

Evermore (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium #3)

The Wrong Girl (1st Freak House #1)

Playing With Fire (1st Freak House #2)

Heart Burn (1st Freak House #3)

The Memory Keeper (2nd Freak House #1)

Seared With Scars (2nd Freak House #2)

Edge Of Darkness (2nd Freak House #3)

Ghost Girl (3rd Freak House #1)

Banished (3rd Freak House #2)

My Soul To Take (3rd Freak House #3)

The Last Necromancer (Ministry of Curiosities #1)

Her Majesty's Necromancer (Ministry of Curiosities #2)

The Charmer (Assassins Guild #1)

The Rebel (Assassins Guild #2)

The Saint (Assassins Guild #3)

The Sinner (Assassins Guild #4)

Her Secret Desire (Lord Hawkesbury's Players #1)

Scandal's Mistress (Lord Hawkesbury's Players #2)

To Tempt The Devil (Lord Hawkesbury's Players #3)

Honor Bound (The Witchblade Chronicles Book #1)

Kiss Of Ash (The Witchblade Chronicles #2)

Courting His Countess

Surrender

Redemption

The Mercenary's Price

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C.J. Archer has loved history and books for as long as she can remember. She worked as a librarian and technical writer until she was able to channel her twin loves by writing historical fiction. She has won and placed in numerous romance writing contests, including taking home RWAustralia’s Emerald Award in 2008 for the manuscript that would become her novel
Honor Bound
. Under the name Carolyn Scott, she has published contemporary romantic mysteries, including
Finders Keepers Losers Die
, and
The Diamond Affair
. After spending her childhood surrounded by the dramatic beauty of outback Queensland, she lives today in suburban Melbourne, Australia, with her husband and their two children.

She loves to hear from readers. You can contact her in one of these ways: