Page 20 of The Rising Dark
Crucially, though, how did Michelle fit into all of this?
As much as she hated to admit it, there was only one way forward.She wanted to shield Michelle from as much of this as possible.Michelle had been distressed on that first night they met, and that wouldn’t happen again, not on her watch.But if Michelle could give any information at all that would set Lavinia on the right trail, Michelle would be able to go home.
Lavinia stepped into the corridor.Michelle’s scent lingered in the air, but it had faded into a pale ghost of its usual full-bodied bouquet.She wasn’t in her room, then.Taking the back staircase to the ground floor, she ran into Lucretia.
“Have you seen Michelle?”Lavinia asked.
“Kitchen.”
“Thanks.”
Luce stopped and turned.“Any progress?”
“Not yet.”
Luce emitted a low humming noise from the back of her throat, half acknowledgement, half irritation.It wasn’t anger with Lavinia—if Luce was angry with her, there would be much more than a grunt or two—but having Michelle around put everyone on edge.It had been just them for so long.Although Michelle was only one human, she disrupted their routines.Even Quintia had been on her best behaviour.That surely wouldn’t last long.It would be better for everyone involved for Michelle to go back to her own life so they could return to their old ways.
Lavinia walked into the kitchen.Michelle sat at the counter, the spacious modern room making her look small.For a moment, Lavinia was stunned by her beauty.The line of her cheekbones, the way her chin curved, a perfect counterbalance for the hollow of her neck.Her skin glowed in the afternoon sunlight, and it looked oh-so edible.Stars, Lavinia really needed to feed.
Michelle looked up from her plate and tucked a strand of her mahogany hair behind one ear.“Oh, hey,” she said, noticing Lavinia.“How are you doing?”
“Fine,” Lavinia said, the answer coming automatically.Under Michelle’s open gaze, she relented.“Frustrated, actually.”
“How come?”
Lavinia leaned against the counter.Michelle popped the last piece of mango into her mouth.Lavinia had to tear her eyes from her lips and focused her gaze on the artwork on the wall behind her.It was some food-related still life in oil.She had never noticed it before.“The information we got from the Witch Council has been useful, but I’ve reached a dead end.”
“Can I help?”Michelle asked, wiping her hands on a cloth napkin.
“Maybe,” Lavinia admitted.“Would you mind having a look at the victims and tell me if any of them seem familiar to you?If there is some sort of connection, we can narrow our search.Even for us, finding two killers among millions of Londoners isn’t easy.”
“Of course.”Michelle hopped off the stool, picked up her plate, and took it to the sink.“Anything I can do to help.I’ve been thinking about why anyone would want me dead, but I can’t think of anything.Why would they wantme?They’re some powerful witch, right?”
Lavinia shrugged.“A competent one at the very least, or the demon would have torn them to shreds the moment it was summoned.”
“So why me?I don’t know anything about magic at all.”Michelle washed the plate with practised motions, shook the last couple of drops off, and wiped it dry with a dishcloth.
“I don’t know,” Lavinia said truthfully.“Also, you don’t have to do that.”
“Do what?”
“The dishes.”
Michelle put the plate into the cupboard with its fellows.“I don’t like being waited on.It’s bad enough that Mrs.Frost does all the cooking and cleaning.The very least I could do is tidy up after myself.”
“It’s your funeral.”
Her hand stilled, holding the door of the cupboard.“Why?”
“Mrs.Frost gets very grumpy when anyone messes with her kitchen.”
“Mrs.Frost is always grumpy,” Michelle countered.
“What was that about me?”Mrs.Frost’s husky voice rang from the foyer.The old woman had the hearing of a bat.
“Nothing,” Lavinia said, raising an eyebrow at Michelle.“We just love your food.”
“You better,” Mrs.Frost sniffed, marching into the kitchen.Then she spotted Michelle, guiltily standing in front of the open cupboard.“What are you doing?Get away from there.”
