Page 27 of The Last Necromancer
Her face softened. "He is, isn't he?"
Fitzroy didn't seem to care that I'd called him cruel. No doubt he'd been labeled worse.
Gus arrived, sporting crumbs down the front of his waistcoat. "Boy giving you trouble, sir? Want me to take him away?"
"No. How long until dinner?"
"It's just about ready. Might as well go and sit down. Save me coming back to call you." He trudged off as I heard Lady Harcourt quietly lament the lack of proper servants.
"Shall we?" Fitzroy offered her his arm.
She took it and bestowed a too-sweet smile on him. "Hungry, my dear? Or do you wish to get rid of me?"
"If I wanted to be rid of you, I wouldn't be dining with you."
Her smile faltered and she allowed him to lead her out.
"Come, Charlie," he said. "You need to eat too."
I trailed behind, somewhat stupefied by the invitation to dinner. It seemed silly to worry that I wasn't dressed for the occasion, since it was just the three of us, but they were a beautiful and elegant couple in their eveningwear, and I was disheveled by comparison. The dining room wasn't meant for the likes of me either. It was sized for large parties, with the long mahogany table seating twenty, although it was only set for three tonight. The chandelier suspended above it blazed, catching the facets of the crystal glasses and the diamond earrings dangling from Lady Harcourt's ears. I hunched my shoulders and kept my head low, not wanting them to change their minds and send the scruffy gutter rat from the room.
We sat and Fitzroy poured the wine himself. There was no sign of footmen or a butler, and moments later, Seth and Gus brought in the food. I stared at the platters piled with roast beef and poultry, lobster salad and vegetables. There was so much of it!
"You must serve yourself," Seth whispered in my ear. "Be sure to use the utensils provided and not your hands."
"I am not a Barbarian."
Behind him, Gus snorted a laugh. "Sewer rats are refined fellows now, eh?"
"Cut up his food," Fitzroy told the men, "then remove his knife."
After Seth finished cutting my food, Lady Harcourt arched her brows at Fitzroy, who dismissed the men with a nod. She served herself, placing only a minute portion of each dish on her plate. No wonder her waist was so tiny. I may eat just as little, but only because I wasn't used to so much food and I didn't want to throw it all up later. For one thing, it would be a waste, and for another, Fitzroy's rugs looked expensive.
"You could have returned the pistol to me tomorrow," Lady Harcourt said, passing the peas to Fitzroy. "Why the invitation to dinner?"
"I want you to tell the boy what it is we do here at Lichfield Towers, and why we need him."
"You haven't informed him yet?"
"I tried. He doesn't believe me."
She laughed until her eyes watered. "Why am I not surprised? Lincoln, you aren't very good when it comes to convincing people."
"I had some success in Paris," he said mildly.
"And nobody is more surprised than me. Ordinarily people run from you when you become intense. Which, I might add, is all the time."
I held my breath. I wasn't sure if she were teasing him or accusing him. Nor was I sure how he would take it. He didn't seem like the sort of man just anyone could tease. The longer I spent in their company, the more certain I became that Gus and Seth were right. Fitzroy and Lady Harcourt had been lovers. It wasn't clear if they still were.
"Well, now I know why I was invited to dinner," she said with a smile for Fitzroy. "I thought there had to be another reason."
He said nothing, and I wondered if it was true and he didn't particularly desire her company. It was strange that he could be so cool toward her, whereas her emotions had seemed in danger of boiling over ever since her arrival. I was beginning to think I'd been wrong and he had been the one to end their relationship.
"I explained about the queen's life being in danger," Fitzroy said. "Charlie didn't believe me."
"I see. Well then, after we finish the main course, I'll tell him what he needs to know."
After a few minutes, in which the only sounds were that of chewing, Lady Harcourt asked me some questions. They were innocuous enough, and I answered in a way that gave nothing away. I wanted to know more about her too, but refrained. Boys like me didn't ask impertinent questions of ladies like her, and I was afraid the only questions I could think of were impertinent.
