“Good to see you again, Winston,” I said, stowing the key in my pocket and stepping inside the rather spacious living room. Bastien’s piles of books lay across nearly every surface—the stacks even larger than the last time I’d visited—and every curtain had been drawn.
“She is taking tea with Madam Greene in the study. I shall let her know that you’re here.”
“Lynette?” I asked, turning back toward the man, but he was already through the doorway leading into the kitchen, so I had tohurry after him. From deeper in the flat, the sharp trill of Amelia VanDoughten’s laugh sparked a dozen thoughts that ricocheted around my head, till finally sharpening into one. Had Lynette woken? If so, did that mean?—
Winston paused his gait halfway down the hall, just outside of a pair of sliding doors. He rapped a knuckle against the frame before sliding one half open. Light poured in from the large window opposite the door, blinding me momentarily as the butler entered the space.
“You have a visitor, ma’am.”
I followed Winston through, shielding my eyes from the glare of the window.
The shape of Amelia entered my vision before my eyes had adjusted, blotting out a portion of the light.
“Azrael! How lovely to see you again. I wish Bastien had told me you were coming in his stead. I was beginning to worry.”
I blinked a few times, the visage of the woman clearing with each. “Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t follow.”
Amelia’s smile twisted into a frown, her thin brows deepening. “How rude of him, asking you to look after his responsibilities, then leaving you in the dark like that. I should give him a proper tongue lashing the next time I see him.” Her gaze moved over my shoulder. “Winston, please take down this note. Bastien. Tongue lashing. Expeditiously.”
“Right, Ma’am.”
The door slid closed behind us.
“Not that I mind, of course,” Amelia continued, turning back to the small table set by the window. Two of the plush leather chairs had been positioned carefully, sat opposite one another, yet turned with their backs to the door as they gazed through the window. A tea service for two sat on the table, with one plate piled high with biscuits. “I’ve been dreadfully bored since we left the Magi City. Even more so than when I’m forced to visit mydearest auntie out in the countryside. Her staff are such sticks in the mud, they don’t even let poor Winston stay in one of the chalets out back with the rest of them. He has to roll out a cot outside of my door, can you imagine?”
Anger bloomed under my cheeks, but I let out a steady exhale. “Sounds awful,” I commiserated, my attention still trained on the chair opposite the plate stacked with treats. “Amelia, Winston told me that you were taking tea with Lynette. Is that true?”
Amelia stamped her foot on the ground, “Oh, that busybody always spreading my business about. It was going to be a surprise, but I guess the proverbial cow is out of the rucksack now. Yes, I brought Lynette along so that she could visit her brother.” She lunged forward, taking my hand in hers as she pulled me towards the chair. “Come and say hello!”
Curiosity propelling me just as quickly as Amelia, we took the few steps over to the wall of books, a familiar head of red curls waiting for me.
Lynette Greene rested in the leather chair, her posture slightly askew as the side of her face leaned against the wing of the high-backed seat. She was dressed in a puffy gown of lace that entirely swallowed her frame, and blush had been smeared along her cheeks, giving her the unsettling visage of a doll. I paused long enough to catch the subtle, slow breath that seeped from her nostrils before turning back to Amelia, finding her beaming as she looked down at her supposed dearest friend.
“Lenny, you were absolutely right about Bastien’s tardiness,” she said, releasing her hold on my hand as she made her way back to the chair opposite Lynette. “He’s sent poor Azrael here to come and relieve me so we can return above ground. All of this mountain dust has my allergies positively manic.”
I found myself waiting for Lynette’s response for a moment before speaking up. “Actually, that’s not why I’m here at all. In fact, I was just coming to see Tobias before I had to leave town.”
Amelia’s frown deepened. “You’re leaving? Then who is going to watch Tobias?”
“I’ll have one of my Urchins stand guard.”
“Well, why didn’t Bastien arrange that in the first place? Instead of us going down all those bloody tunnels. Winston had to steer my luggage cart through some harrowing turns. I can’t bear to dwell on it any longer.”
“I cannot speak for Bastien. But I’m certain there must have been a reason.”
Amelia seized the biscuit from the top of the pile, dunking it in her teacup with an aggression that seemed misplaced. “Well, we’ll be out of here in the morning, then. It’s too late in the day to ask Winston to start packing. The poor thing will need at least a few hours.”
Lynette’s breathing remained steady as ever.
While Amelia seethed, I gave the room a quick glance, hoping that the woman hadn’t been treating Tobias as one of her living dolls. Thankfully, the rest of the study was as I expected. More books, and not nearly enough shelves.
“Tobias is upstairs,” Amelia answered my unspoken question, popping the soggy biscuit into her mouth. “He wasn’t in the mood for tea, Lenny said. Something about him being tired from trying to jump into Bastien’s dreams, or some hogwash. I mean, can you imagine?”
“It does take great effort.”
“Precisely. Anyways, tell this Urchin that you’re sending over that he’s not to miss the concert that Lynette and I will be performing this evening. Winston has just finished unpacking my instruments, and it’s shaping up to be one of our best. My euphonium solo is a revelation.”
“I’ll be sure to do that.”
