Page 16 of The Quarterlands (Dark Water #4)

Chapter Five

Josiah

Elsie encouraged Alex to start painting again when his arm healed, and he did so with gusto.

Josiah would often come home to find him still in his night clothes, so lost in his work that he’d forgotten to wash, shave, or dress.

Josiah never tired of watching him at work, his face lost in concentration.

It reminded him of what his father had said about how he could see the beauty in the world and convey it through his art.

There was nothing bland about his work, though; it was quirky and creative.

Tyler’s trial date had been set for October, and the Inquisitus lawyers insisted that Alex stay in Josiah’s custody until then, which was a relief to them both. Josiah hoped it would give him some breathing space to recover, at least a little.

When he wasn’t painting, Alex had a rota of visitors – Elsie, Noah, Charles, Ted, Sofie. They all dropped by regularly to spend time with him. Slowly, surrounded by love and friendship, he began to heal. He ate more and lost that sharp, angular, shadow-eyed look he’d had.

Josiah didn’t spy on him, so he didn’t know what private conversations he had with his father and brother. He had been put under a microscope enough. Josiah wanted him to feel free, even if it was only an illusion .

One day, over breakfast, Josiah casually threw him a biokey.

“What’s this?” Alex frowned, looking up.

“For you. It’s in the garage.” Josiah winked at him.

“What?” Alex jumped to his feet and ran into the garage, with Josiah following behind at a more leisurely pace.

The duck was second-hand but she was sound. Josiah had had Big Jen look her over, just to be sure. Alex stared at the vehicle as if she was made of cheese.

“She’s a Lytton Classic,” Josiah said softly.

“I didn’t think you’d want a duck with the Tyler name on it.

She’s not flashy, but she’ll get you around.

Now you’re feeling a little better, I thought you’d appreciate more independence.

You can go and visit your family at The Orchard, if you want.

Or go anywhere you like. I’m not keeping tabs on you.

Tyler is, unfortunately, but he won’t risk messing with you with the trial hanging over him. ”

“You bought her for me?” Alex asked, wide-eyed.

“Yes. She’s second hand, nothing special, but— Oomph. ”

Josiah reeled backwards as Alex threw himself at him. For a moment, their faces were almost touching and Alex’s lips were on his, his body pressed up close.

Josiah wanted him with every fibre of his being, and he knew that, right here, right now, he could have him, but that wasn’t why he’d bought him the duck. He was enjoying the warmth of Alex’s kiss, and it took all his strength to push him away.

“No,” he said regretfully, putting a finger over Alex’s lips. “You don’t have to pay for anything with sex, Alex. Not with me. Never with me.”

“I know, but supposing I just really, really want you right now?” Alex grinned at him stupidly. “AVs always turn me on.”

“Weirdo.” Josiah grinned back. “But no. I’m not a commodity, to be picked up and put down on a whim. I’m worth more than that, and so are you.”

Alex blinked. “Nobody’s ever talked to me like that.”

“I know, and that’s the problem.” Josiah deposited a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“The duck’s for you, no strings attached.

Go and enjoy it,” he said firmly. “And if that means you use it to go clubbing, to hook up with some guy – or girl – or even bring them back here for the night, then that’s fine.

You don’t have to ask or explain anything to me. ”

Alex stood with his hands planted on his hips, looking at Josiah curiously, as if he was some strange new type of person he’d never encountered before.

Then, as was the way with him these days, his mood changed abruptly and he wiped his hand over his eyes.

Josiah turned away to give him the space to process his emotions.

When he glanced back, Alex was sitting in the duck, caressing the steering wheel and looking joyously happy.

Josiah smiled and walked away. Why did he always fall for men who loved vehicles so much? It wasn’t a passion he shared.

Alex made the most of his new freedom, flitting around in his new duck, enjoying life for perhaps the first time since his mother died.

Josiah loved seeing him so happy. His moods were still a rollercoaster but less volatile than before.

He didn’t bring anyone home, much to Josiah’s relief, although he schooled himself to be okay with it if he did.

Meanwhile, he slowly ticked every area of Alex’s life off his list, except one.

Finally, he decided it was time to head for Belvedere.

He wasn’t sure what he was hoping to find, or how it might help, but he couldn’t leave any stone unturned.

If he didn’t find out absolutely everything there was to know, then Tyler might, and that could derail the trial. He didn’t want any surprises.

It was a nice day for a drive, the sun bright in a crystal-clear sky.

As he drove, he listened to Alex’s first trial, following Isobel’s death, although it left him none the wiser.

He felt like he was pulling threads from a tapestry; they all led somewhere, but the more he pulled, the less clear the big picture became.

Belvedere was an old Georgian manor house that had once been a spa, later converted into an army supply station and then used to train indentured servants. It was a pleasant if unremarkable white building, standing on a clifftop with beautiful sea views.

He was ushered into a hall with a huge log fire burning merrily in a grate .

“Investigator Raine,” he said to the homely-looking woman on reception, showing her his ID. “Madeleine Selcourt is expecting me.”

“Yes, of course, Investigator Raine. This way.”

She led him down many interminable white corridors until finally he ended up in a more modern wing of the house.

He was shown into a beautiful room with a sea view, and there, behind a desk, was an equally beautiful woman.

She really was stunning – slim and stylish, her sleek dark hair pulled into an elegant chignon.

Her clothes were chic – a little cream-coloured suit teamed with a silver silk blouse.

Josiah had an eye for sartorial dressing, but even he couldn’t find a hair out of place on her.

She had large, intelligent, almost soulful dark eyes, her skin was a smooth olive brown, and her nails were perfectly manicured.

She had to be in her late fifties, but she could have passed for twenty years younger. She was flawless.

“Investigator Raine, please be seated.” Her voice was mellow, cultured, and refined.

Josiah adjusted his tie slightly, making sure it was perfect.

This was a woman to be reckoned with; there was something about her that made him want to pull himself up by his bootstraps and impress her.

She certainly wasn’t a woman whose time he could waste.

“I was surprised to receive your call, but I’m happy to help in any way I can,” she said, offering him a cup of tea. “I presume you’re here to ask about Alexander Tyler, given all the interest in him in the news recently.”

“Alexander Ty…?” Josiah frowned. “Oh. I see.”

“I’ve gathered every piece of information we have on him and have prepared it for you.” She zapped the document over to his nym, then looked up with a detached smile. “Will that be all?”

“No.” He smiled back pleasantly. “Can you advise me what kind of a place Belvedere was when Alexander was here, Ms Selcourt?”

“It was a training facility for indentured servants.”

“A very specialised training facility, I think it’d be fair to say?”

“We dealt only with high-value servants. There’s little point to training someone to do construction or factory work, after all.”

“Quite. I gather that some houders paid a high price for your services?”

“Think of it like The New Dorchester, or Rolls Royce.” She pursed her lips together.

“We offered bespoke training, dealing with only the most exclusive servants for wealthy clients. Mostly, that meant personal servants – those who would have been butlers, ladies’ maids, valets, housekeepers, and so on in wealthy establishments. ”

“What about training servants to offer sexual services?” Josiah felt almost dirty throwing that suggestion at this cultured, elegant woman, but he was interested in her response. Much to his disappointment, she merely gazed at him coolly, as if he were a foul-mouthed schoolboy.

“We certainly didn’t deal in anything vulgar, or illegal,” she said firmly. “I have no idea how you would even provide training in something so distasteful, but I can assure you it’s not something we offered here.”

“So, when George Tyler called and asked you to train a difficult servant, you felt you understood the brief?”

“Of course.” She inclined her head gracefully. “Over the years, we’ve been approached to turn all kinds of people into perfect servants. We developed various training schemes and protocols for such eventualities. These arose out of the other work we do here, the more regular courses we offer.”

“I see. So you weren’t asked to ‘break’ Alexander?”

“If we had been, it’s not a request we’d have agreed to.” Her nostrils flared, ever so slightly. “However, we did understand that some people are very attached to their servants and required a personalised approach. We were always happy to tailor our training in those circumstances, for a fee.”

“Hmm. How much were you aware of what went on here? I know you own Belvedere, but you own many businesses. You left the day-to-day running to your own indentured servant, I believe? A man called Gideon Bart?”

“That’s right. Poor, dear Gideon.” She smiled sadly.

“He passed away recently, I understand?”

“Some time ago now. It was in June last year.”

“When did he last work here?”