The Ghost of The Lightner Museum

Chapter Sixteen

My boots crunched beneath the cobbled street as I kept my skirts hoisted in my fists, dashing down King's street towards the Alcazar Hotel. In the distance, the cathedral bells rang the hour of precisely nine in the morning while seagulls skirted through the cloudy skies overhead.

Once I reached the servants' quarters, I gasped for breath, wiping the sweat away from my forehead before trudging towards the supply pantry in search of the nearest duster.

I kept myself busy, dusting away the grand foyer before moving towards the ballroom; my usual area of work. Quietly, I turned over the issue of Aaron's predicament in my mind. At noon, he was expected to arrive. The sun room would be temporarily closed to outsiders for the use of Lord John's portrait sit-in. I fully intended on being there to witness the catastrophe first-hand.

A part of me pitied Aaron, yet the bitter part of me smiled in evil anticipation for the humiliation he so rightly deserved. Let him suffer from his folly, lest he ever act in such a wretched manner again.

Although...that surely couldn't be the reason John murdered him later on. The notion was far too petty, I believed, for John to ever act so forthright. Yet then again, a murderer of any kind was not a fully-sane being to begin with.

I shuddered, blocking thoughts of the future as my eyes drifted towards the ticking grandfather clock in the corner of the ballroom.

Ten more minutes...

I shoved my duster beneath my arm as I quickly strided out of the ballroom, down the red velvet stairs towards the sun room in the back of the hotel. Silent as a mouse, I neared the door to the sun room to discreetly take a glimpse inside.

Through the crack of the door I noticed Lord John sitting on a plum brocade chair with one leg crossed over the other. His chin was tilted up and his face was directed towards the far off wall of windows where sunlight pooled into the room.

He wore no smile, however his eyes were sharp, clear and narrowed as if a great deal of matters were on his mind. I subtly took in the way the sunlight gleamed over the black locks of his hair and his narrow jawline that bespoke the nobility he was born from.

I was certain in this day and age, he had no issue finding accommodating women, so the fact that he had even taken notice of me before, had me feeling inwardly satisfied in a feminine nature to it's core.

The sound of footsteps came from behind me, making me jerk away from the door and slip into a nearby alcove. I watched in mirth just as Aaron appeared walking around the corner in his best dress suit of dark brown and a matching hat. Parcels and his eisel where clamped beneath his arm as he hastily walked towards the door. I could tell from the sick expression on his face that he was inwardly dreading this moment, although I could only place a hand over my mouth to keep from making a laughing snort or snicker as he passed me.

He swung open the door, facing an elegantly dressed John who then turned and snapped his gaze up to Aaron's with stunned surprise. The surprise slowly dissipated into annoyance as he remarked,

"What the devil are you doing here? Are you not Miss Charlotte's brother? The drunkard from last night?"

Aaron stumbled to a stop, his shoulders stiffening before he answered in an even tone,

"My apologies for the night before...yes, Miss Charlotte's brother, Aaron. Aaron Starling, my lord." He nodded his head before setting his items down on a nearby table.

I craned my neck to keep listening to their conversation through the doorway...

John sighed, looking back out the window as he merely flicked a hand up into the air as if to dash away Aaron's words. I raised a brow at his uncouth arrogance, yet watched, waiting for how Aaron would react.

He simply set up his eisel and prepared his paints while John waited in what appeared to be sheer boredom.

"So tell me, Mr. Starling, how old is your sister?" John voiced in a conversational tone, still facing the window. Aaron's hands paused over his brushes for only a second before he muttered,

"Twenty-five, sir."

I nearly frowned then.

Try twenty-one, bro!

John's brows rose slightly as he replied,

"Oh...I thought her to be younger."

What?! Is he disappointed?! These fuckers right here...it didn't matter if I WAS younger or not, stop talking about me like I'm a heffer for sale!

Aaron shrugged wordlessly before taking a seat in front of his eisel and remarking,

"Well, she isn't, so....shall we begin?"

John glanced at him with a skeptical expression of haughtiness before nodding his head curtly.

"Yes, I haven't got all day."

My scowl deepened as I realized while watching them that I no longer wanted to be here witnessing this conversation or event. Therefore, I tisked underneath my breath before turning away.

"What would you say if I asked to court your sister, Mr. Starling?" John's voice suddenly had me frozen in place as I snapped my head back to the door at his words.

What the?!

Aaron looked up quickly from his eisel with startled eyes before clearing his throat awkwardly and shrugging.

"Of course." He mumbled, picking back up where he left off.

My eyes widened in shock before I took a few steps backward...

Picking up my skirts, I ran away down the hall.

What on earth was happening?! I was supposed to be Aaron's wife! How had everything become so backwards?!