Page 37 of House of Salt and Sorrows
“Mr. Morris.”
Though it was the height of disrespect, I remained at the piano bench, too surprised to move. It was as though I was truly seeing him for the very first time, spotting details I’d never noticed before. A small scar slashed just above his upper lip, the same lips Eulalie must have kissed. And those were the hands Eulalie had undoubtedly grasped as he secretly proposed to her. Had she run her fingers through that pale blond hair? Taken off the tortoiseshell glasses to gaze into his squinting hazel eyes?
What secrets of hers did this man keep?
“Mr. Morris, what an unexpected surprise.” We heard Camille’s voice before she entered. Edgar still stood near the threshold, unsure of what he ought to be doing. “Annaleigh, have you sent for tea?”
I shook my head.
“That’s quite all right, Miss Thaumas, I don’t intend to stay long,” he stammered, holding his hand out as if to stop her.
“Martha?” Camille called out, overriding him. “Tell Cook we’ll need tea and perhaps a plate of those lemon cookies she made yesterday.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Have a seat, please, Mr. Morris. Annaleigh?”
“What?” I asked, stubbornly remaining on the bench.
“You’ll join us, yes?”
After a long pause, I stood. “Of course.”
Martha wheeled in a tea service. As eldest, Camille set to work readying everyone’s cups. Once we were served, she straightened, eyeing our guest. “What can we help you with today, Mr. Morris?”
He took a sip of the tea, fortifying himself for the conversation to come. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior in the marketplace. I fear I wasn’t wholly myself that day. It was such a surprise seeing you both out in public and looking so…” His jaw clenched. “Well…your faces reminded me of Eulalie. It caught me quite off guard. I also…I hoped to speak with you. About…that night.”
If Camille was surprised, she was far more skilled at hiding it than I.
“What about it?” she asked, stirring her tea so smoothly the spoon never once clinked.
He squirmed uncomfortably. “I suppose I can admit this now, but I was here…the night it happened.”
“I know,” I murmured, my voice so quiet I wasn’t wholly certain I’d spoken.
Edgar’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Eulalie told you aboutme?”
I shook my head. “The inscription, in the locket…”
He dabbed at his forehead with his handkerchief. Even it was black. “I was surprised to see it on her at the funeral. She never wore it in life. It was our secret.”
“She must have had it on when she fell, but I don’t think anyone ever noticed it…. The fishermen who found her read the engraving. If they hadn’t, I would never have known Eulalie was engaged.”
“Engaged!” Camille snorted. “Don’t be absurd. Eulalie wasn’t engaged.”
Edgar shifted to the edge of his seat, focusing his attention on me with an unnerving intensity. “How did you know it was me? We were so careful.”
“I found the pocket watch she’d hidden, with the lock of hair. It wasn’t until you took your hat off in the marketplace that I realized you were a perfect match.”
“You found the watch?”
“What watch? Annaleigh, what is going on?”
For the first time during his visit, Edgar truly smiled. “I thought for certain it was lost to the Salt. I gave it to her in lieu of a ring.”
Camille’s mouth fell open. “A ring?”
I rubbed my forehead. “The night that Eulalie…she was leaving Highmoor to elope with Edgar.”
