June 1913
Peter
They improved slowly after that, in fits and starts. The Duke was able to walk about a fortnight after he'd initially arrived, and could keep a small light meal down. Grace fared a little worse, still limping and eating barely anything but clear broth. Not to mention she was still not sleeping well, and the shadows under her eyes were far too pronounced for my liking. I could tell Mother and Father were worried about her.
Then, one morning in early June, about two and a half weeks after the Incident, Lottie made an effort to seek us out. We were sitting on the terrace, the Duke gazing vacantly over the countryside below us and Grace leaning against me, eyes closed.
'There you all are,' she said, making us start and turn towards her. She was dressed in a light linen shift, and, it seemed, no corset. 'Mama said you'd be out here.'
'What is it, Lottie?' I noticed the Duke become more alert, but perhaps it was his proximity to my sister.
'I asked Mama if we could go to the pond today, perhaps take a picnic.' Lottie shrugged, but just by the tone of her voice I knew she'd already decided. 'I wanted to see if you lot would join me.'
'Pond?' The Duke said. 'You've never mentioned anything about a pond before.'
'It's best this time of year,' said Lottie, giving him a smile. 'Clear and deep in the middle, and the water's chilly, just fine for a hot day.'
She was right, of course. It was going to be hot today, I could feel it. The sun was already beating down mercilessly on my head and shoulders, and I was sweating under my clothes.
'I haven't been swimming since I was a child,' Grace said, sounding a little more alert.
'It's very refreshing, darling, I assure you.' Lottie smiled and winked at her.
'Are we going now?' I asked, looking her up and down.
'As soon as Alexander comes back,' Lottie sighed. 'Mama wants him to come with us, because apparently we need a chaperone.'
'Really?' The Duke smiled wanly. 'She does not trust us alone?'
'It's probably Father's doing,' I said. 'He seems to think every man is out to snatch his daughter away.'
Lottie rolled her eyes at me, but didn't reply to that. 'I'd better go check on them. They said they'd be out here soon, but that was ten minutes ago.'
'I'll come along,' Grace said, standing up shakily. Her knees wobbled like a newborn foal's.
'Then you can lean on me, darling.' Lottie slid an arm around Grace's waist as she got close, guiding her inside.
'So this incident we've been avoiding,' I said when they were gone. 'These secrets that you've been keeping. Are there any more?'
The Duke nodded slowly. 'I can see that you still don't trust me.'
'After everything that Grace told me, and everything we went through to get here? Forgive me if I'm a little wary of you.'
He looked down at his shoes. 'I understand your reluctance, Master Peter, I do. Given my connection with Benedict Huntley and your mother's history with him. But I swear to you, there is nothing more that I can lose. It would not benefit me to keep anything else from you.'
I supposed he had a point. Any last shred of dignity that he had was beaten out of him by Heacham. 'So then what will you do?'
'I am not entirely sure at the moment,' he said, scratching at the fabric of his trousers. 'Until I know what or who it is we are fighting, I cannot do anything.'
I nodded, but said nothing. He may have been coercive, and he may have been breaking rules, but now that it seemed he was far less dangerous than we thought, there were things we had to re-examine.
'I really did not mean to scare Lady Grace,' he said after a while. 'I know it must have frightened her terribly, but I could not think of another way in.'
'You could have just asked,' I said, thinking of the way Grace had begged me not to be angry with her, not to think she'd betrayed me or broken my trust. 'We would have been wary at first, of course, but if you'd just explained it...'
'I know.' He sighed heavily and ran a hand over one side of his face. 'But your mother has enough reasons not to trust me. I didn't want to give her another.'
'She would have understood as well. Mother has been through much more than the average human being.'
He nodded, and seemed about to reply when Lottie called my name and then the Duke's. The both of us rose just as they straggled around the corner of the house, Grace still leaning on Lottie and Alexander trailing behind, carrying a picnic basket in one hand and a blanket on his arm. I went to him and took the basket from him.
'The pond's just this way,' Lottie said, flashing a dazzling smile over her shoulder as she led us down the hill towards a stand of trees. They concealed a small break in the wall, with a path that led into the forest and to the pond.
The Duke inhaled sharply, and when I glanced at him, his eyes were locked onto my sister. Alexander elbowed me and I nodded, knowing exactly what he was thinking. The Duke was under my sister's spell, bewitched by her. And Lottie would take advantage of that in any way she could.
||
The walk to the pond took less than ten minutes. Grace, unable to keep up with Lottie's relentless march, dropped back to walk with me towards the back of the group. I didn't mind it in the least, considering we were courting and this was something that people our age and of our standing did often. And to see her, dressed simply with her hair pinned back but not up or elaborately, I thought she was more beautiful than she'd ever been.
'This is lovely,' she said as we reached the clearing, and I very gently detached myself from her to help Alexander set up the picnic. 'How did you find it?'
'Countess knew about it,' Alexander answered, smoothing out the blanket. 'Said her papa came here when he was a boy.'
'I wish I could take a swim,' she said, hobbling up to it and dipping one of her bare feet into it. 'But I'm afraid my ribs won't allow it.'
'We could dangle our feet in, if that's what you fancy,' I said, because any opportunity to spend a little more time with her I would take.
'I would like that, actually.'
We sat down to eat, and I saw that someone had slipped in some extra biscuits with fruit filling, the kind that both Lottie and I liked. If it was Mother's idea, I wonder if she knew we'd be spending some time alone.
'Do you think he knows?' Grace asked as the others finished and began to make their way to the water's edge.
'Who?'
'The Duke...Henry.' She nodded towards him. 'Lottie's got him completely captivated.'
'Oh, yes, I think he's well aware. He seems to remember it every time he looks at her.' I watched him limp to the edge of the pond, roll his trousers up, and wade in ankle-deep.
'I fancied him once, for a short time,' she said after a moment. 'But then again, I was sixteen and I had no idea what sort of man he was.'
'At that age, none of us know much.' I pulled off my shoes and socks, and began to roll my own trousers up. 'Want to feel the water?'
'I think I will.' She smiled at me as I stood and offered my hand, and I felt warmth curl out from my stomach when she took it.
The water was wonderfully cool. At one time, I may have stripped down to my undergarments like Alexander and jumped in, but I was trying my hardest to be the gentleman my mother had tried to raise me as, especially in front of the girl I was courting and quite possibly my future wife.
Then, from the woods behind us, the bushes rustled. Grace turned her head to look behind us, her skirt slipping from her hand and dropping into the water.
'What was that?'
'Could be an animal,' I said, although it would have had to be a large one to make that much noise.
'I thought I saw something move back there,' she said, squinting. 'Did you see it?'
'No, I...' As soon as I turned, however, I saw it again. A hunched shape, darting between the trees. 'There. Was that it?'
'Yes, I'm sure of it.'
'I'm going to go investigate.' I stepped out of the water, not even thinking of the debris sticking to my wet feet.
'One moment, Peter, I'll come with you.' She caught my arm and limped out after me.
I shook my head. 'Grace, I...'
'I saw the thing, didn't I?' Her eyes narrowed, her first sign of defiance.
'Fair enough.' I backed down, as I had learned to do with my sister. Maybe Lottie was influencing Grace in more ways than one.
We ventured into the trees, the ground damp underfoot. I kept Grace slightly behind me, just in case the thing turned out to be threatening, or put up a fight. She was in no condition to fight anything, especially not with her still-lingering injuries.
The bushes rustled ahead of us, and I stopped. Grace ran into me a second later, and I put my hand out, putting a finger to my lips. For a moment, nothing happened, and the bush continued to rustle. Then a large dark mass burst out of it, shredded bits of leaves and twigs flying everywhere.
'Oi!' I shouted, because now I saw it was human, bent double and running in a sort of sideways hobble. I took off after him, forgetting everything but catching him. 'Get back here!'
He didn't stop, zigzagging between the trees. I caught up to him easily, wrapping my arms around him from behind and knocking him to the ground.
'What are you doing here?' I said as I released him, ramming a knee into the middle of the man's back. I saw a tangle of long hair and a beard, long and greasy and full of leaves and twigs.
''Eard voices, I did. Thought I saw food too.' His voice sounded squished.
'Well, taking what's not yours is called stealing.' I grabbed a fistful of his patched jacket and hauled him upright, noticing he had blood running from a cut across his nose. His eyes were wild, and shifting like water. He was Elemental. 'Come on. We're going to let my father have a look at you.'
'Not 'im, please,' said the man as I pushed him forward, back towards Grace's pale form hovering by a tree. 'Your mum...take me to your mum...'
'You don't get a say in this,' I said as I pushed him forward when he stopped. 'You're trespassing, you realise.'
'Peter, don't...' I heard Grace say as I passed, keeping the man hobbling forward with pushes to his shoulders.
'Petey!' Lottie called, first distantly and then closer. 'Grace! Where have you gone off to?'
'Over here, Lottie!' I called back.
She found us a few moments later, with Alexander in tow. Her long red hair was wet and hanging down her back, and Alexander's was too, slicked back and flat against his head. They were both looking from me and our trespasser to Grace.
'What's going on here?' Lottie spoke first. 'What's this all about?'
'We heard him making a racket in the bushes there,' I said, cutting him off when he tried to speak. 'Spying on us, I think. He looks guilty enough.'
'But this...' Lottie shook her head and furrowed her brow in disbelief. 'It's Mr Worthington. Mama's friend, remember? But why's he sneaking around out here?'
Worthington. Of course. I should have seen it earlier. 'Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?'
'Let's get him back to the house, then,' Lottie said, keeping her voice calm and neutral. 'We'll see what Papa has to say.'
||
Mother, as it turned out, had just left. She was going to call on Dr Nash, probably to update him on our convalescents. Father saw us first, coming up the hillside in a sort of disjointed train, the Duke and Alexander holding Worthington tightly between them. He met us in the middle, disregarding us and zeroing straight in on Worthington.
'What the devil are you doing here?' Father hissed, eyes narrowing dangerously.
'Scavengin' in the woods, milord. 'Eard there was game in there.'
'Those are our woods, in case you didn't know,' Father said. 'And I could have you arrested for trespassing and poaching, Worthington, something I should have done a long time ago.'
''Er Ladyship would understand. Jus' lemme speak to 'Er Ladyship.' I didn't like his begging tone, and I felt a flare of irritation that he could be so presumptuous.
'She won't be back for at least an hour,' Father said curtly. 'And you don't get to see my wife again, understand? She's had enough of her past coming back to haunt her. You aren't helping.'
'Can't I at least...'
'No, to whatever you were going to say. Leave, and don't come back. You're lucky I was in a good mood today.'
'M'lord...'
'Enough.' Father stepped back. 'Show your face round here again, and I'll have you arrested. Alexander, please see this man off our property.'
'Yes, milord.' Alexander nodded at the Duke to release Worthington, which he did, and then frogmarched the man down the hill again towards the gate.
'Now carry on,' Father said, waving his hand dismissively at us. 'I'm sure you had other things to occupy you.'
We scattered. Lottie hurried inside, to change clothes and dry off, while the Duke shuffled back around the corner of the house, no doubt to resume his seat on the terrace. Grace I caught just as she was about to go up the steps, not even glancing behind her.
'Grace, wait a moment.' I caught her hand and she flinched. 'What is it?'
'Peter, don't...' she said without looking at me, trying to tug her hand away.
'At least tell me what's...'
'You, back there...' She turned abruptly, making me stop a step below her. I saw her eyes shining with tears. 'With Mr Worthington in the woods...I've never seen you that way. You seemed so...so cold and so...I don't know...merciless. It scared me.'
'Grace, I'm sorry, I must have panicked...'
'Did you really?' She shook her head and pressed her knuckles to her lips. Her tears escaped, sliding down her cheeks. 'It scared me, Peter...I thought you were about to hit him...'
'I wouldn't...' I began, but it occurred to me what she must have seen. I'd been so caught up in catching him, and making sure he knew who he was dealing with. 'I wouldn't do that.'
'You say you won't...but...what if you do?' She took a shuddering breath, and more tears came. 'I don't want to be afraid of you, but...'
'Grace...'
'You must know...when I was captured...Heacham, he...he did the same thing. He interrogated Henry, hit him when he wouldn't answer...controlling the situation to his advantage...and for a moment, back there, with you...I saw it in you, and I just...I got so scared, Peter, I...'
Her knees buckled and I caught her before she hit the ground. We sunk down together and she buried her face in my shoulder, quiet sobs coming from her. Her hands bunched in my waistcoat, and she shuddered against me, but let me hold her. I felt terrible for the way I'd handled this. I hadn't meant to scare her. I hadn't even meant to scare Worthington. I'd wanted to leave the intimidation to Father.
'Henry told me everything about his father while we were there,' Grace said quietly when she was finished crying, simply resting there in my arms. 'About what happened to his mother too.'
'It's gruesome, isn't it?' I said, thankful that he had been adopted by a family that could protect him from all of that. He wouldn't be nearly as well-off now if he hadn't been. He might have even been our enemy.
Grace nodded. 'Promise me, Peter, you'll never do that again.'
I kissed her hair gently and then rested my cheek on it. 'I promise,' I said, and I meant it.
||
Charlotte
Petey began to act strangely again after that day at the pond. His bouts of silence were nothing new, of course, but somehow, watching him stand on the steps as Grace and Aunt Cath said their goodbyes made it seem different. He'd been far too withdrawn, and this time, I had to get some answers out of him.
'Petey,' I said, catching him before he could retreat again. 'Stop a moment.'
'What do you want, Lottie?' he asked, stopping without turning around.
'You're acting oddly again, and I want to know why. Maybe I can help.'
'You want to help me?' That did make him turn, giving me a strange look.
'Of course I do. I'm your sister. And if it's one thing I'm not going to do, it's let you go on this way.'
'All right, fine.' He passed me and gestured for me to follow. Once we were in the drawing room and the doors were shut behind us, he spoke again. 'This is about what happened that day. After we came back from the pond.'
'Oh, is it?' I figured that's what it was about, but trying to read my brother was like trying to peer through a telescope with the cover on. Couldn't see a bloody thing. 'What about it, exactly?'
He recounted what had happened with Grace, how she'd told him he'd scared her when he'd manhandled Mr Worthington, trying to take control of the situation and being all gruff and bluster. He'd told her he might have panicked, but she'd then said that Heacham had done the same thing to the Duke, threatening him and hitting him when he didn't answer. Petey hadn't hit him, or so he said, but he'd definitely shown a side of himself that Grace had never seen before.
I shook my head. Petey was not violent by nature. He was really quite gentle, although I'd seen flashes of temper that alarmed me. Sometimes it was in a look, or it was in the strength of his grip. Most recently, it had been the way he spoke, with a hard flinty edge to his voice that betrayed nothing.
'Petey,' I said, with a sigh. 'Grace is still very fragile. Much more fragile than you or I had we been in the same situation. You must be careful with her, or she'll break. I've seen that for myself.'
'I know, I know, I must have just...' He ran a hand over his face. 'I must have been so caught up in my emotions...adrenaline...something.'
'Perhaps we might not ever know for sure. But the least you can do is make sure you don't do it again. Control it a little better, especially around her.' I thought it was strange, to say the least. Aunt Cath was one of the strongest women I knew, besides Mama. The fact that Grace came to be so tenderhearted and fragile was a mystery to me.
'I think the Earl's hiding something,' Petey said suddenly, stopping and looking right at me. 'I could see it in his eyes.'
'You do?' I said, because my surprise wouldn't let me say much else. 'What makes you say that?'
'If he really wanted the Anathema, or a way to harvest Essence, he wouldn't have wasted his time to capture anyone and interrogate them. He would have been looking already, and trying to find out as much as he could.'
'Well, maybe that's what he was doing...given the Duke being Huntley's son and everything...' I said, although I knew that was a weak argument.
'He knows every detail about the Duke's life, Lottie, even that he was raised as a member of the aristocracy. He wanted to scare him, that's what I think is going on. And he wanted the Duke to believe that he was closer than he really is. No one knows where the Anathema is. No one's seen it for ages.'
I shook my head. 'What about Wittenberg? Do you suppose...? With him mentioning it the last time he was here, and the Duke in the same room?'
'It's possible,' Petey said, running a hand over his face. 'We won't know for sure. But I suppose I owe Grace an explanation. And an apology.'
'Yes, I suppose you do,' I said, although sometimes I wish I could tell her she had to be stronger. The weakest Elementals were always falling prey to everything.
'I appreciate you talking me through it, Lottie, truly.' Petey came up to me, taking my hand and kissing it. 'I don't know what I would have done otherwise.'
'I believe you would have worked it out eventually.' I straightened his lapel, and ran the backs of my fingers over it. 'I've never seen you think so levelheadedly as you do regarding Grace.'
He rolled his eyes. 'Because it appears you keep reminding me.'
I gave him a smile. 'She may be your future wife, Petey. I can understand perfectly.'
All he did was huff out a heavy sigh.