Page 54 of Grave Expectations
"You wouldn't have let me go."
"There's a good reason for that."
I sighed. "I can't stay in here day and night doing nothing." Not when people were keeping things from me.
"Where did you go?" Seth asked, staying by the door.
"Kensington Police Station. I wanted to find out where Mrs. Drinkwater's sister lived. I'd like to speak to her again, without Lincoln glaring daggers at her, that is."
"And did you find the sister's address?"
"The detective inspector wouldn't speak to me." There. That wasn't a lie.
I ate some bread and cheese and a slice of beef, all while my heart beat out a guilty rhythm against my ribs. I finished and washed my meal down with a glass of red wine. "Lincoln hasn't sent word?"
"None," Gus said.
"He's been gone a long time. Do you think he's all right?"
"Of course he bloody is. He's always all right."
I didn't think that was a good reason not to worry. And Iwasworried. What made it worse was that I had no idea where to begin looking for him.
"Give him until the morning," Seth said quietly. "If he's not back by then, we'll begin a search."
I gave him a flat smile. "Very well. You're probably right, and he's just busy looking for Mrs. Drinkwater." I stood. "Goodnight all. This time I really am retiring to my room."
Seth followed me out of the kitchen. "Then you won't mind if I make sure you get there, and check on you from time to time."
"Forget checkin' on her," Gus said, also following. "I'm standin' outside her door."
I let them walk with me up the stairs. It didn't matter whether they remained on guard or not, so I closed the door and thought nothing more about them. Instead of preparing for bed, however, I sat in the armchair by the fire and loosened my hair. It reached just past my shoulders now, still much shorter than it had been before I cut it at age thirteen. One day, it would grow long again. Sometimes that day felt like a lifetime away.
I must have fallen asleep. It was still dark when I awoke, and the orange glow of the coals provided the only light. I lit a candle, wrapped a shawl around my shoulders, and slipped out of the room. Neither Gus nor Seth had remained in the corridor and the house was silent. It felt empty.
I knocked lightly on Lincoln's door, and entered when there was no answer. His sitting room and study were undisturbed and his bed made. I set the candle on the table and slipped under the covers to wait for him. With his scent enveloping me, I soon fell asleep.
I awoke alone the following morning. I quickly dressed and joined the others in the kitchen. "He didn't come home," I announced.
"What you want us to do?" Gus asked.
Cook set a plate of poached eggs and bacon in front of me. "Eat first, worry later."
"I don't feel like eating." I pushed the plate away.
"He'll be fine," Seth said.
"He was angry when he left. I'm worried that his anger will cause him to make mistakes."
"He don't make mistakes," Gus said, hacking into his bacon. "Besides, if we want to find him, where would we start lookin'?"
I sighed. I truly didn't know. They were right, and searching for Lincoln would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. But I had to try. "Let's do something different. Since we only know the Drinkwaters' London address and Mrs. Drinkwater's sister's address, we've struck a dead end. Lincoln would have already searched there, and my guess is that she won't be at either of those places. So let's speak with Joan Brumley's cousin."
"Who?" Cook asked.
"The other supernatural victim," Seth told him. "How will we find the cousin?"
"Her address was noted in the detective's files," I said.
