“We’ll do a lap of the grounds,” Sam said. “Make sure Lee didn’t leave us a parting gift.”
“I’ll join you,” Brandon said. “Lock the door behind us. I’ll take a key.”
Ed stared at the closed door, his muscles stiff. Was his brother walking into danger? He’d never considered it before, probably because they’d never been close, but he disliked the tension filling him. Although Ed still hadn’t forgiven him for leaving after Charlie died, he didn’t want to lose any more of his family.
“Do you two want more tea?” Amy asked.
Ed checked with Tess, then shook his head. “You want to explore the cellar some more?”
Tess hesitated, and then sighed. “We might miss something in the dark. Let’s wait for morning and we can go through it systematically.”
He smiled as she gathered up the journals the others had left on the table. “I need to talk to Georgie about where she’s sleeping,” he said. “Why don’t you take those to our room, and I’ll join you in a minute?”
“All right.”
Amy sat with a mug of tea clenched in her hands, glancing towards the door. Even more worried than him. Ed placed a hand on her shoulder and put as much confidence in his voice as he could. “They’ll be fine, Ames.”
She smiled up at him. “I know, but I can’t go to bed until Brandon’s back.”
“I’ll wait up with you. Just let me have a word with Georgie.” Ed found Georgie hunched over one of the trunks. She looked up. “This is fascinating. Why didn’t we ever do this before?”
Ed shrugged. “As kids, we wouldn’t have cared.”
“True.”
“Is there anything up with you?” he asked.
She twisted her hair around her finger. “No. Why?”
He took hold of her hand. “Because earlier you were biting your nail, and now you’re twirling your hair.”
She sighed. “You’re annoying.”
Ed smiled. “So what gives?”
“I applied for a job with Parks and Wildlife Services,” she said. “I’ve got an interview on Friday.”
“That’s great.” He hugged her. “Why are you nervous?”
“Because I want it so badly.”
“You’ll rock the interview, Mermaid. Everyone loves you.”
She squeezed him. “Thanks, Astro Boy. I needed to hear that.” She turned back to the trunks.
Now he needed to address why he was here. Ed picked up the mantel clock and turned it over in his hands. It was made of some dark wood, and the craftmanship was excellent. “Can you sleep in the shearers’ quarters tonight?”
She looked up, surprised. “Oh, Tess is in our room, right?”
He nodded.
“Do you think we can trust her? If Lee was a spy…”
“She isn’t.” His reaction was instant. He wouldn’t believe that, he couldn’t. “We can trust her.”
“You’re not letting her doe eyes seduce you, are you?”
He rolled his eyes. “Give it a rest, Georgie.”
