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I slumped back. Of course. “I’ve been trying to think of diseases with his symptoms, but haven?
??t had any success.”
Thomas nodded. “I didn’t study him for long, but he appeared quite pale. I’d wager that it wasn’t only because of his ailment. Though perhaps it’s as simple as the frigid weather. His lips hadn’t turned blue yet, however. Very odd indeed.”
I cocked my head. “Are you suggesting something a bit more sinister, then?”
“I—” He laughed, the sound jarring me into standing straighter. “I actually don’t know. I haven’t felt quite myself since our arrival.” Thomas paced along the perimeter of the room, hands tapping his sides. I wondered if that was the true reason he’d been ready to leave the academy so quickly. “Being unable to make connections to symptoms and facts sooner. I… it’s unpleasant. How do people tolerate it—this inability to deduce the obvious?”
I managed to only roll my eyes once. “Somehow we manage to survive, Cresswell.”
“It’s dreadful.”
Instead of indulging him further, I brought our conversation back to Wilhelm’s strange death. “Do you believe we might have been able to assist him? I keep thinking if we hadn’t lost him, we could have administered aid.”
Thomas stopped pacing and faced me. “Audrey Rose, you mustn’t—”
“Good evening, Thomas,” a sultry voice purred from the doorway.
We turned to see a young woman with dark hair glide into the room. Her face was both angular and dainty. A contradiction that was not unpleasing to the eye. Everything from her perfectly coiffed hair to the enormous ruby in her choker screamed wealth and decadence. And the way she carried herself, shoulders back and neck arched, exuded the confidence of a queen. She turned her little pert nose up and smiled at her subjects.
I watched Thomas’s face light up in a way I’d never witnessed before. I slunk back, feeling conflicted. It was obvious they were quite fond of each other, and yet it stirred something uncomfortable within me. Something I dared not think on too much.
Thomas stood there as if he were photographing each detail of this moment to revisit time and again during the frigid winter months. A bit of warmth to cling to when the snow froze his black little heart. Then, without warning, he burst from his daze.
“Daciana!”
Without a backward glance, Thomas bolted for the girl and lifted her in a swinging embrace, leaving me all but forgotten.
THOMAS’S CHAMBERS
CAMERA LUI THOMAS
BRAN CASTLE
3 DECEMBER 1888
As I watched Thomas and the dark-haired beauty lose themselves in whispered chatter, my own heart shriveled up within my jealous skin. He was allowed to court whomever he wanted. No promises had been made or agreed upon.
And yet… my stomach churned as I watched Thomas with someone else. He might be free to do whatever he liked, but that did not mean I wanted to witness it. Especially at midnight in his chambers.
I stood near a deep blue settee, trying to force myself to smile, but knew it appeared too brittle. It was hardly the girl’s fault Thomas was paying her so much attention, and I refused to dislike her because of my own newfound insecurity. After what seemed like a year of slow torture, Thomas wrested himself from Daciana’s grasp. He took two steps toward me, then halted, head tilting to one side as he surveyed me.
It took most of my effort to not cross my arms over my chest and glare. I watched as he drank in every blasted detail—each exclamation of emotion I failed to hide from his lengthy read of me.
“You do know that expression is my favorite.” He smiled broadly, and I wished one hundred unpleasant things to befall him at once. “So delectable.”
He stalked closer, a confident air in his gait, his gaze never leaving mine, practically pinning me to the ground as if I were a specimen in our old laboratory. Before I could stop him, he lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a long, chaste kiss to it. Warmth rose from my toes to my hairline, but I didn’t pull my hand away.
“Daciana”—he smirked at the reaction he’d teased from me—“this is the enchanting young woman I’ve been writing about. My beloved Audrey Rose.” He kept my hand tucked into his arm and nodded at the other girl. “And this is my sister, Wadsworth. I believe you saw her photograph in our family’s flat on Piccadilly Street. I told you she was almost as lovely as I. If you look closely enough, you’ll see those irresistible Cresswell genes.”
A memory of seeing the picture flashed before me, and shame covered my tongue. It tasted bitter and foul. How very foolish of me! His sister. I shot him a miserable look as I removed my hand, and he laughed outright. He was enjoying this situation entirely too much. I realized he’d orchestrated the entire setup to gauge my reaction.
The fiend.
“It’s so very nice to meet you,” I said, doing a terrible job of keeping my voice steady. “Please forgive my surprise; Thomas kept your visit a secret. Will you be studying here, too?”
“Oh, heavens no.” Daciana laughed. “I’m traveling through the Continent with friends on a Grand Tour.” She squeezed her brother’s arm in a loving manner. “Thomas deigned to send a letter and said I should visit if I found myself in the area. Lucky for him, I just happened to be in Bucharest.”
