Page 81 of The Last Necromancer
"Seth got stabbed?"
"Fitzroy!" I punched him hard in the ribs and he coughed. "He's gravely injured." The drops of blood on the cobblestones were testament to that. The knife, lying forgotten near the manhole, was covered in blood. "He needs to dress the wound."
"He needs to catch Frankenstein. It's our best chance."
I went to punch him again, but he caught my fist. "That hurt," he said, rubbing his chest. His gaze lifted above my head. "Bloody hell, what happened to you? You look like you seen a ghost."
"I got embroiled in a melee."
"Why the white face?"
"My sword got in the way."
"You ain't carrying— Ah." Gus snorted. "Dagger, more like."
Seth peered down the manhole. "Where's Fitzroy?"
"Gone after Frankenstein. He's armed." He tapped Seth's shoulder. "I think it's time we left."
Three of the local men glared at us, their teeth bared. Behind them, the rest of the crowd still gathered around the boy and his family, offering comfort.
"We didn't do anything," Seth grumbled. "Fitzroy saved him."
"They want someone to blame. We're here, Frankenstein isn't." Gus took my elbow and tried to steer me away, but I refused to go.
"We can't leave Fitzroy down there!"
"We can and we will," Seth said. "He won't necessarily resurface this way, anyway. It's a warren of tunnels down there. We have no idea which one he's taken or where he'll end up. Come home with us, Charlie. He'll want you to be safe now."
I allowed them to escort me out through the arch. Seth dropped some coins and the crowd pounced on them instead of us.
We hurried up Totten Lane and returned to the stables, some blocks away, where we'd lodged the horse and carriage. Seth drove and Gus rode in the cabin with me. His gaze flicked to me often but he didn't speak, mercifully. I wasn't ready to talk about what had happened. About Frankenstein being my father.
Back at the house, I sat in the library where I could watch the driveway. Seth joined me, but not near the window. He sat at the central table, one foot on the chair opposite, and crossed his arms. I felt his eyes on me, but I didn't engage him in conversation. Gus delivered tea then left again to get cake.
When we were alone again, Seth finally spoke. "He's not worth it."
I said nothing and continued to look out the window.
"You're better than that. Better than him." He sounded annoyed. I supposed getting kneed in the family jewels can upset a man. "This is your home now, Charlie. You don't need him. You have us."
I frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Frankenstein. He may be your father, but he's lying about wanting you. He doesn't even know you."
"Oh. Frankenstein. Yes, of course." I turned back to the window, somewhat more distracted from my vigil than I had been before. Frankenstein had almost duped me, until he'd endangered the life of the child. What sort of man did that?
A desperate one. One I shouldn't want to associate with. Nevertheless, I wanted to talk to him, and discover everything there was to know about my ancestry—my mother.
"You don't believe anything he said, do you?" he went on.
"I believe he is my father."
"Yes. Well, that, I suppose. Now that I've seen him, the resemblance is remarkable, I'll admit. But that doesn't mean he wants to be a loving father."
But Frankenstein knew who my real mother was. No one else did.
A movement between the trees at the base of the drive caught my attention. I rose and leaned closer to the window. A hansom cab rolled up to the house and Fitzroy emerged from the cabin. He held his arm close to his body. His side was damp with blood.
