Page 82 of The Last Necromancer
I picked up my skirts and ran out of the library then flung the front door open. "Lincoln!" It wasn't lost on me that I used his first name to greet him.
It seemed it wasn't lost on him either. He blinked at me from the bottom step. His face was a little pale, his eyes circled by shadows. I trotted down the steps as the cab pulled away.
"Thank God you're all right. I've been sick with worry." I went to take his arm to help him, but he kept his distance.
"You shouldn't have concerned yourself." He strode past me.
I stood there, staring at his back, dumbfounded by his snub. What had I done to deserve that? "You cannot tell me what I can and can't be concerned about!"
My protest might as well have fallen on deaf ears. He didn't slow down, didn't acknowledge me at all.
Seth, standing in the doorway, moved aside to let his master pass. "Did you catch him, sir?"
"No."
Seth gave me a sympathetic smile. "He'll be in a foul mood for the rest of the day," he whispered when I drew closer. "Don't mind him."
"Why will he be in a foul mood? Because he failed?"
"Yes, and he's worried that Frankenstein will get the better of him and harm the royal family."
"You got all that from the few curt words he spoke?"
Fitzroy headed straight for the stairs, just as Gus came down them in the opposite direction. "Thought I smelled you." He wrinkled his nose. Fitzroy did indeed stink of the sewers, and his trousers were wet and filthy from the knees down. "At least you're balanced now, sir," he said cheerfully. At Fitzroy's hesitation, he added, "Charlie shot you on the other side, didn't she?"
Fitzroy glanced back at me, and I froze at the coldness in his eyes. If looks could kill, I would have been turned into an icicle. I gulped and dipped my head, hoping he didn't see the color rise to my cheeks.
When I looked up again, however, he was no longer there. He'd gone quietly up the stairs.
"Better get some clean bandages to dress the wound," Seth told Gus. "I'll boil the water."
"You're going to dress his wound?" I asked. "Not a doctor?"
"If it's not too deep, he'll do it himself. He has some medical knowledge. We're just delivering the supplies."
"I wonder how Frankenstein got away," Gus mused.
"Probably lost him in the sewers," Seth said.
I left the two of them pondering that and headed toward the service area at the back of the house. "Where are the bandages?"
"Leave it to us," Gus said. "He'll prefer it."
"That's too bad. Besides, everyone knows women make the best nurses. You two lugs are too rough." They protested some more, but I refused to listen.
Cook gave me some warm water in a jug and Seth found bandages. "I'll see to the rest," he said.
"You sure you want to face him now?" Gus asked me. "He'll be a bloody-minded bear."
"He's less likely to lash out at me than you."
"True. Good luck."
I headed up the stairs, only to realize Fitzroy was in the bathroom. I could hear water spilling in the tub. I waited in his sitting room for his return, and he arrived some fifteen minutes later, looking damp, disheveled and delectable.
Thick straps of muscle stretched across his shoulders and chest. His hair hung loose, brushing the nape of his neck, and blood smeared his side. He stopped in the doorway when he saw me, his eyes huge. He seemed startled, not at all his gruff, cool self. The change threw me a little off balance and I remained rooted to the spot, uncertain how to proceed.
"Where are Seth and Gus?" he asked, recovering before I did.
