“No?”
“You walked into my house, wounded. I’ll see that you’re patched up before anyone goes anywhere. And don’t bother arguing. You won’t win.”
He slid a look over to Neds, who were standing off to one side and behind me now, as if expecting the man to charge at any minute. I didn’t think he got much support from Neds.
“Do you know who I am?” the stranger asked me.
“I do not. Well, galvanized, obviously. You can tell me more while I look at your wound. Neds, would you get the jelly, please? Here.” I pointed at a chair. “Have a sit so I can take a look at your gut.”
The man hesitated, paused there in the hallway.
I raised one eyebrow, my finger still pointing.
“If you don’t want to sit, you might as well walk out that door. Medical’s just left but a minute or two ago. I suppose they’ll patch you up. Unless they’re the ones who put that hole in you.”
He exhaled on a held breath and wiped his free hand over his face, pausing to scratch at the stubble on the side of his jaw. He finally strolled over and sat in the chair across from Grandma, who was humming to herself and paying no attention to what was happening around her.
Neds started off down the hall for the jelly.
“The sooner you leave, the better it will be for all of us,” Left Ned muttered as they left. Right Ned hushed him.
“I came here on a matter of some urgency,” the man said. “To take your father to safety.”
“I’m pretty sure the grave is as safe as man can get.”
He flattened both hands on his thighs, elbows out, studying me. “What House are you claimed by, Matilda? This is a farm, so I assume the farm is claimed by House Green?”
He said it like he might have the power to do the claiming. Which he didn’t.
“How many questions do I have to answer before you tell me your name?” I asked.
“Abraham,” he said. “Seventh.” He waited for me to react to that, as if his name alone should mean something to me. But I didn’t keep track of galvanized, as they mostly didn’t affect me or mine.
“Good to meet you, Abraham. That there is Neds.”
Neds walked in and tossed me the jar of scale jelly, which I caught. “And that’s Grandma Case. This”—I lifted the jar—“is the jelly that will keep your insides from rotting out.”
I nudged the footstool with my boot until it was in front of his chair.
“What is it?”
“You don’t want to know,” Right Ned said quietly.
“Old family recipe.” I sat on the stool and unscrewed the ring on the jar. “Who sent you goose chasing anyway?”
“Looking for your father?”
I nodded.
“We had information.”
“We?” Neds asked.
“My House.”
“And what House is that?” I pulled the lid off the jelly and dug in my pocket for a cloth to use with it. No cloth. Fingers would have to do.
“House Gray,” he said.
