Page 88 of Grave Expectations
"I prefer to think alone." He moved past me and opened the door to the house. "Mrs. Drinkwater was released this morning. She was of no further use."
"I see," I said quietly, hardly listening.
He signaled for me to walk ahead, but he soon peeled away when we reached the kitchen. He headed up the corridor without a backward glance, his strides long and purposeful.
I watched him go, my heart like a lump of lead in my chest, my head woolly. I wanted to go after him, force him to tell me what was wrong.
Becausesomethingwas the matter. He hadn't been so cool toward me in a long time. I couldn't blame Lady Harcourt either—he'd been distant last night too. I had put it down to him being worried and angry that I'd investigated without him, but now I wasn't so sure. He would have told me if that were the case, and I doubted his anger would have lasted this long.
Something else troubled him. Something that required him to close himself off from me for the rest of the day and night and not come out, despite my pleas.
"We'll talk in the morning," was all he said through the door when I asked him to join us for dinner. "Go to bed, Charlie. You need to be well rested."
Chapter 17
You needto be well rested.
Lincoln's words clanged in my head like an alarm. What did I need to be rested for? Summoning the spirits of Holloway and the hired killer? That was absurd. He was being patronizing and overbearing. I would tell him as much in the morning after we'd both had a chance to calm down.
I had a restless night and awoke soon after dawn to a light knock on my door. Throwing a wrap around my shoulders, I opened it to see Lincoln standing there looking even worse than he had the day before. His hair fell in tangles to his shoulders, his jaw needed shaving, and spidery red lines criss-crossed his eyes.
"What is it? What's wrong?" I reached for him, but he put his hands up, staying me. Dread settled in my gut like lump of ice.
He reached down near the wall and that's when I noticed the traveling trunk. He picked it up and barged into my sitting room, heading straight for the bedroom. "Pack your things. Wear warm clothes and the amber necklace. You have an hour."
I stared at him, but when he didn't offer more information, I rushed up to him and pulled his arm. "Where are we going?"
"I'll explain after you've packed."
"No, you'll explain now or I won't pack. Where are we going?"
He flipped open the trunk lid. "To a school for young ladies in the north. It's—"
"A school! You're sending me away?" My heart crashed. My insides twisted. This couldn't be happening.
He opened the top drawer of my dresser. "It's for the best."
"Lincoln! I understand that you're upset and angry over my leaving the house yesterday, but there's no need for this. You're overreacting."
"I've thought about it all night and decided it's the best way. The only way. You have to leave."
Breathing suddenly became as difficult as it had in the fire. I couldn't get enough air into my lungs, no matter how many gulps I took. Lincoln transferred some of my clothes into the trunk, refolding and placing them with methodical precision. His entire attention seemed focused on his task. He didn't even spare me a glance.
This was all wrong. He didn't mean to do this, not really. Once I got through to him he would change his mind. I caught his face and forced him to look at me. But while he lifted his chin, his gaze didn't meet mine.
"Look at me," I snapped.
He did then pulled out of my grasp, but that brief moment had been long enough for me to see that the light in his eyes had gone out. The hard man I'd first encountered when I came to Lichfield had returned, the steely mask firmly in place. It was going to take more than a few words to get through to him.
"Is this because you're worried about me?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
"Lincoln, sending me away isn't going to keep me safe. If anything, I'll be more exposed alone."
"Nobody at the school will know that you're a necromancer, and no one here will know where you've gone. Besides, it's not entirely about keeping you safe. It's also about allowing me to focus again."
"Focus?"
