Haunted Hearts

7

"I was invited," Rufus continued as though he hadn't been interrupted.

Elphi bit her tongue to keep from saying something that would come out sounding like a snarky reply of the obvious and prayed for patience in dealing with the male species.

Roderick nudged Rufus, "Well, what say you?"

"Dim lighting—"

"That's a given," Roderick interrupted with a shake of his head. "Lifting tables? Spirit writing? Rappings?" He lowered his voice and dramatically whispered, "Possession?"

Rufus arched a brow, "Don't forget secret knocks on doors before we're allowed to enter the room among all the other parlor tricks used by charlatans to disguise their inability to commune with the dead."

Elphi turned to face him, unable to hide her curiosity. "Does that mean you believe tonight's spiritualist will be a fraud, Lord Treadway?"

"Absolutely."

"You sound incredibly sure of your answer," Elphi murmured, her eyes narrowing as she studied him and tried to ignore the way her stomach started flipping somersaults when he held her gaze. "Roderick? Do you agree with Lord Treadway? Because I, for one—"

"Yes."

Elphi blinked and stared at her brother, wondering if he only disagreed, hoping it would rile her up. "You do?"

"Rufus is never wrong when it comes to these matters," Roderick declared. He then turned to his friend, "Though it does take all the fun out of having a little wager, doesn't it?"

Elphi rolled her eyes, "His Lordship isn't infallible, you know. He's riddled with flaws."

"Yes," Rufus murmured, "including the five you scribbled on a rather convenient list for me last week. I should thank you since you mentioned two that I was previously unaware of."

Elphi looked at her brother in horror and mortification and fought against the urge to kick him in the shins. If she wore sturdier shoes, she would have refrained since she'd chosen style over serviceability and had no wish to injure herself in the desire to inflict pain on her dastardly sibling.

She would allow him to believe he was safe from her ire for the time being. However, when they returned home, she would retrieve the decorative pillow she'd cross-stitched several years ago from the attic.

It was hideous and poorly crafted despite spending almost nine painstaking and miserable months working on what was supposed to have resembled a scene of birds in flight. Instead, they looked more like colorful—or perhaps, diseased— misshapen blotches made of uneven stitches.

However, in the end, it confirmed two important things about her.

One, no matter how many hours Elphi spent practicing needlepoint, much to Mother's dismay, her skill never improved.

And two—the most crucial lesson learned and only realized by a wayward comment from Roderick—her unsightly creation served as a warning she had both the patience and determination necessary to stab something over a thousand times.

The loud clunk of the gold-plated knocker against the front door jolted Elphi out of her reverie, just in time to see it swing open a heartbeat later, revealing a stoic butler and two footmen in the expansive marble foyer.

After quietly collecting Elphi's winter cloak and Rufus and Roderick's capes, a footman ushered the trio down a dimly lit hallway to a closed door. He rapped his knuckles three times in quick succession, followed by two long hard knocks, before lowering his arm once more.

Rufus heaved a sigh.

Elphi flicked a covert glance at Rufus and bit back a grin as Roderick covered his mouth to muffle what sounded suspiciously like a giggle.