Page 37 of A Devilish Element
“I had no candle, Miss. I swear it, and the coals were burned down to embers. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Next I suppose you’ll expect me to believe it the work of the spectre,” Linfield said, already edging away from the source of the mayhem. He tsked as specks of ash landed on his shoulder and flicked them away. “Bell, to where should they remove my wife?”
George and Jem emerged from Jane’s chamber at that moment. “It’s out,” the latter declared, “But the bed’s blackened to ruins.”
“My room is right here,” Eliza gave a nod towards her door. “Unless you think she needs to be further away from the—”
“This will be fine,” Bell spoke over her. “Only get those windows open and some air in, and have some cloths set to the bottoms of the adjoining doors.”
The servants set to it at once. While they did so, Eliza took a peep into Jane’s chamber. The windows had been cast wide, but ashes still swirled in the air, and the scent of burned fibres caused her to quickly cover her mouth and nose. Jem entered behind her. He rested a hand on her shoulder. Eliza longed to turn into him but contented herself with the brush of his fingertip against her neck.
“A candle flame wouldn’t cause such an inferno, nor a stray spark. It might burn a hole, but it would not ignite the drapes in so short a time.”
“They’ll blame the girl.”
Eliza scowled. “You don’t think her responsible, do you, Jem?”
“I’m not sure what to think. But come from here, let us speak elsewhere. All this ash, it gets in your throat.” She nodded her assent and followed him back into the corridor. “I’m sure Bell didn’t intend her any harm,” he said.
Eliza didn’t feel quite so forgiving, and so she pursed her lips. “I should go and sit with her. Ensure no other disasters befall her.”
“You fear someone means her ill.”
“What other conclusion is there?” She could see it in his eyes that he’d thought the same thing. “Someone set out to scare her last night, and now this. Before, I wondered if it was merely a prank, now, I don’t know.”
“It does seem rather malicious.”
“I’m afraid for her, Jem. I fear someone in this house means her harm.”
-10-
Jem
Jem was in entirely too much agreement with Eliza’s assessment, though he couldn’t fathom for the life of him what anyone could have against Lady Linfield. She was a pleasant, amenable sort, rather too timid for his tastes, but certainly not the sort of woman one imagined having vindictive enough enemies that they’d attempt to burn one alive, or, for that matter, any enemies at all. In fact, the only person who’d displayed any sort of antagonism towards her was her husband.
To reassure himself Linfield hadn’t fallen onto the notion of disposing of his wife, Jem sought him out with the intention of asking plainly. He found Linfield in the library reading one of last week’s newspapers. He had the broadsheet spread across his desk, examining the print through a magnifying glass.
“Anything of interest afoot in the world?”
“Nothing that’s worth wasting my sight over.” With a great show of sullenness, he cast down the eyeglass.
Jem picked it up, though he could see the print perfectly well without it.
“There is some article about someone called Hatchett you’ll probably wish to drool over. Member of the Royal Society. Says he’s discovered ‘new earth’, not that one imagines it has any practical application.”
Jem took a position side by side with Linfield to read the article for himself. There was little reported beyond what Linfield had already told him, besides the discovery having been found during an analysis of a specimen from the collection at the British Museum.
“Where is everyone?” He imagined he would find them all ruminating over the strange fire and Lady Linfield’s health.
“Isn’t that a jolly good question?” Linfield griped. “Bell, I believe, is at his cadavers. You are here. My wife is no doubt still comatose, though I can’t in all honesty say that is a great shame, and as for the Cluetts…” He did not finish that remark, but took to pacing, which seemed an interesting development, as normally George and Linfield were as thick as thieves. Still, there were more pressing matters to address than whatever tiff the two happened to have had.
“It strikes me, that perhaps you ought to display a little more concern for Lady Linfield’s well-being,” Jem said, instantly earning himself a scowl. “That is, unless you wish everyone to think you’re behind the unfortunate bed incident.”
Linfield came to an abrupt halt, swirling to face Jem head on. “What the mithering devil are you talking about? An absentminded maid with a stray candle flame was behind that drama. There’s no mystery. Ill intent—pfft!” He snapped his fingers at the very notion.
“She swears—”
“Of course she does. What servant would ever confess to such ineptitude? Nearly burning her mistress to death, I should think she’d deny it even if we’d caught her holding the damn flame.”
