Page 34 of Murder at Somerset House (A Wrexford & Sloane Mystery #9)
He hoped that she had more of her late brother Thomas’s sunny disposition than his own tendency to brood.
A rustle of silk against the carpet drew him back from such thoughts, and an instant later, Charlotte leaned over the back of his chair and placed her hands on his shoulders.
The lamplight seemed to brighten, the flames releasing a sudden warmth into the room.
“I am sorry to have upended our life as we know it,” he said, after grasping her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
A chuckle. “Our life as we know it was hardly a pattern card for peace and tranquility,” responded Charlotte.
“Besides, you have always told me that an elemental scientific truth is that the world is in a state of constant flux. Time ticks on, the tides ebb and flow, the seasons move inexorably through the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.”
“That is all very well in the abstract,” said the earl, “but when it becomes personal—”
“Change is good. Challenges are what keep us from becoming complacent. They make us learn and grow.” She moved around and settled herself in his lap. “Am I terrified of what lies ahead?” Her mouth quirked. “Absolutely. But somehow we will manage.”
Wrexford felt the knot in his chest slowly loosen. “What did I do to deserve you?”
“As I recall, you were sarcastic and sharp-tongued enough to get yourself accused of a heinous murder.”
He laughed. “And despite the fact that you loathed me, you cared enough about Truth and Justice to pull my cods out of the fire.”
“Principle must always overrule personal feelings.”
The earl put his arms around her and drew her close, savoring the sense of joy that her presence lit in his heart. He wished he could keep hold of the moment indefinitely.
However …
“Speaking of Principle, we have committed to helping the government protect the country from its enemies. But given how profoundly our new responsibilities will alter our family life, we need to discuss our future priorities.”
“We have managed to handle complicated investigations in the past,” she countered.
“Yes, but I fear that this particular demand will test our limits,” he admitted. “I have no idea how to be a brother—and in some ways a father—to a complete stranger.”
“You and the Weasels got off to a much less auspicious start,” she reminded him. “Raven actually stabbed you in the leg during your first encounter, while Eddy made no attempt to draw blood. So I take that as a sign of encouragement.”
“But you—”
“Hush.” Charlotte pressed a finger to his lips. “No more doubts. First thing in the morning we will start making plans.”
“Your famous lists,” he murmured.
“I daresay I’ll need a whole new notebook.” The lamplight gilded the curl of her smile. “And the first entry will be the need to acquire pigeon squabs—and not just any pigeon squabs.”
“What are squabs? And why on earth would we want them?”
She quickly explained about Eddy having to abandon her pigeons.
“Ah.” Wrexford pursed his lips. “I believe that Thaddeus Howe, secretary of the London Avian Appreciation Club and a fellow member of the Royal Society, breeds messenger pigeons. I shall send a note to him in the morning. I’m sure I can convince him that his squabs will be coming to a good home.”
His expression turned more troubled. “As for our damnable search for a ruthless French operative and whatever dastardly plot he and his cohorts have in mind—”
“Have faith, Wrex. Together, we shall find a way to make all of this work out.”
“Do you hear any sounds of distress?”
Raven pulled his head from the corridor and closed the door. “Impossible to say. Her room is too far away.”
“What if she’s scared and lonely?” whispered Hawk. “What if she misses her old home?” His face scrunched in worry. “What if she doesn’t like our family?”
The comment roused Harper from his slumber by the hearth. Shaking his shaggy head, he gave a soft whoof .
“Don’t worry, Harper. I think she may like animals better than people,” mused Hawk.
“She strikes me as more prickly than scared.” Raven made a face. “Regardless, it seems that we’re all stuck with each other. Remember, she told us that Miss O’Malley is seriously ill and can’t care for her any longer.”
“What if …” Hawk hesitated. “Should we check and make sure that she’s not feeling frightened and abandoned?”
“Hammering on her door might wake her up,” pointed out Peregrine. “She’s likely exhausted by all the emotions of the day.” He looked pensive. “I know from experience that it’s not easy having your life turned topsy-turvy by circumstances out of your own control.”
“We could check on her discreetly,” said Hawk. “The ledge outside our bedroom window leads around past hers.”
Raven muttered something under his breath but surrendered on catching his brother’s pleading look. “Very well. But we need to take off our shoes and move very quietly. It would be embarrassing to get caught.”
The three of them quickly stripped off their footwear and tiptoed out of the schoolroom.
“I’ll go first,” said Raven, easing open the window sash. “Stay close.”
They crept along the outcropping of stone and made their way toward the corner of the townhouse’s south wing. A spill of light through the mullioned glass up ahead indicated that Eddy had not yet retired.
Ducking low, Raven scooted to the far side of window and positioned himself for a look inside. Hawk and Peregrine pressed together at the near side and did the same. On a silent signal from Raven, they pressed their noses to the night-chilled panes—
Only to see a scowling face peering back at them from mere inches away.
“Why are you three out there creeping around in the cold?” demanded Eddy.
“Ummm.” Hawk and Peregrine looked to Raven.
“The moon is full—” he began.
“And the three of you change into hairy werewolves for a few days each month?”
“Ha, ha, ha.” Hawk gave a weak laugh. “Would you sing to us if we were werewolves?”
“No, I would throw garlic at you and stab a silver stake through your evil hearts.”
Raven narrowed his eyes. “Are you always so sarcastic?”
“No,” she answered, “only when someone does something egregiously strange like creep along a window ledge in the bitter cold to stare into someone’s bedchamber.”
A flush darkened Raven’s face. “We were just trying to make sure that you weren’t …”
“Upset,” offered Peregrine. “Or in tears.”
“I never cry.” Eddy then threw open the window sash and stared up at the sky. “So, one really can see the Moon from this cramped and smelly city. I feared it would be hidden by all the noxious smoke and tall buildings.”
“It’s not so bad here, once you get used to it,” offered Hawk. “There are lots of different neighborhoods, all with interesting nooks and crannies to explore.”
Eddy’s eyes betrayed a flicker of interest. “What about riding trails?”
“There are plenty of those in Hyde Park, which is just a stone’s throw from here,” offered Peregrine.
“Do you think His Lordship—”
“Wrex,” corrected Raven. “You’re part of the family, and we all call him Wrex.”
She looked away, making her expression impossible to read. “How do you three fit into the family?” she asked.
In the hustle and bustle of supper and sorting out all the initial logistics of familiarizing Eddy with the house and settling her into her quarters, there had been no time for personal chatter.
“Luck and chance,” responded Raven. “We’re all orphans, and not related to Wrex by blood.
” He hesitated, and then stuck to the story that all outsiders were told.
“But Hawk and I have a distant family connection to m’lady through marriage, and she was kind enough to take us in.
When she married Wrex, he accepted us as part of the package. ”
“I became friends with Hawk and Raven, as m’lady’s brother is married to the sister of my former legal guardian,” explained Peregrine.
“His wife hated me because of the color of my skin—my mother was of African descent—and out of the kindness of their hearts, Wrex and m’lady arranged for me to live here.
As of several months ago, I am now their legal ward. ”
“I’m an orphan, too,” she mused.
“Well then, it seems that we’re birds of a feather,” remarked Raven.
The mention of birds brought a look of longing to Eddy’s face, but she quickly masked it with a slight frown as a thump-thump against the bedroom door caused her to turn around and hop down from her bed.
Thump-thump.
The latch jiggled and then popped up, allowing the door to swing open. A big black nose and lolling pink tongue appeared, followed by the rest of Harper.
The massive iron-grey hound circled Eddy twice and then sat right in front of her and butted his head against her belly.
“Aren’t you a beauty?” she murmured, reaching out both hands to scratch behind his floppy ears.
A blissful sound rumbled in the hound’s throat, and his tail began a rhythmic thumping. Both sounds grew louder as Eddy began to sing softly.
Harper’s rumbles turned into a series of soft howls as he sang along with her.
Hawk’s eyes widened in awe. “Can you teach me how to do that?” asked Hawk.
“He, too, has a special rapport with animals,” explained Raven.
“But not like yours,” Hawk hastened to add.
“It’s not something that can be taught,” answered Eddy. “But if you have the gift, I can maybe help you discover it.”
Hawk’s response was a beatific grin.
“Seeing as you have no need of help in settling in, we ought to return to our quarters,” said Raven, trying not to shiver.
“It might be easier if you climbed down and went out through the door,” drawled Eddy.
“Yes, but it’s much more fun to do it our way,” countered Raven.
“Suit yourself,” she replied.
Harper had already curled up on the rug by the bedside and fallen asleep.
“Sweet dreams,” she added, as Raven slammed the window shut and disappeared from view.