Page 12 of On Edge

“I asked Elias to look for it, but he couldn’t find it. Are you sure you brought one?”

“Yes, I did, and a vanity.” Something gnaws in the pit of my stomach. It could be hunger. I hope it is.

“Oh, well, I’ll see if he can take another look.” She waits while I grab my toiletries and pajamas. She’s furiously typing something on her phone, a scowl on her face, when I emerge.

“Is everything alright?” I ask her.

Her head snaps up, and she replaces her frown with a very fake-looking smile. “Yes, of course,” she says, sounding tense and not at all alright.

Mrs Oakley leads me down a narrow corridor to a set of stairs at the back of the house.

“Will this do?” she says, opening the door of one of the rooms a few turns from the staircase with a flourish. “We don’t get many guests here.”

The smell hits me first—floral cleaner, so strong it stings my nostrils. My boots squeak on the gleaming, damp floors, announcing my presence like a cartoon character. Of course they do.

The room is smaller than Severin’s master suite by a country mile, cozier, some would say. I move toward the French doors, needing air, needing space. But the bright new locks stop me.

Mrs Oakley clears her throat, waiting for me to reply. I turn back to face her, catching my reflection in a large mirror I hadn’t noticed, set under a beam, making the room seem twice its size.

Another lie.

I gnaw my lip, feeling trapped.

Mrs. Oakley gives me a concerned look when I don’t say a word. “You missed breakfast, but if you’re hungry, lunch will be ready in about half an hour. You might want to explore the house before then, but please be careful. Some areas are still under construction, as I mentioned last night.”

“I’m allowed to look around?” I had a mad notion I’d be locked in my room.

“Of course, you are.” She sighs loudly. “Though if I were you, I wouldn’t wander too far. Master Troy doesn’t like to be disturbed while he’s working.”

Last night’s nightmare, when he held me roughly down on the bed and almost strangled me, flashes through my mind.As well as the feel of his mouth, bruising mine.

“W-will I…see him later?”

She shrugs. “I assume so. Now you’re here, why wouldn’t you?”

Something low in my belly twinges at that. It makes my face flush, but I squash it flat and turn away so Mrs. Oakley can’t see.

Afternoon light streams through the glass, almost blinding me. For something to do, anything, my hand glides over the lovely dresser, my fingers brushing against fresh lavender in a vase.

I hear Mrs. Oakley start towards the door. “I’ll leave you to get settled, then.”

“Did you know my sister?” I blurt out before she can leave, turning to face her. As I do, the sweet scent of the flowers mingles with the chemical cleaner, cloying the air, making me want to choke.

She stops mid-stride. “Your sister?”

“Nell. She was engaged to Severin before me.” I pause, unsure if I should just come right out with it. “She came here, to Grayfleet, too.”

She turns to face me. “I didn’t think anyone came here before you.” Her voice seems guarded.

“Nell did…She disappeared. They think she may have fallen or drowned in the lake.” I say it so I’m not accusing anyone. I’m just making conversation. Not that I know for sure that’s what happened. No one tells me anything. I’ve had to figure out everything on my own.

Mrs. Oakley’s expression shutters. “I don’t remember. I wasn’t here then. I didn’t move in until Master Troy bought the property.”

“He bought it the day they were engaged.” I know because I checked the land registry. The property transferred to one of Severin’s subsidiaries that same day.

It was also the day I was admitted to Newgate Hospital under Dr. Fogg’s supervision…

I had a breakdown, my parents said.