“I always forget that we were privileged to have learned to read,” Alex muttered after she’d hurried away with her father. “It’s wrong, you know, that people can’t,” he said, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his overcoat.
“Very wrong,” Ellen said.
“How is it we didn’t realize how indolent, spoiled, and atrociously behaved we once were?”
“Because everyone around us was the same,” Leo said.
“True,” Alex agreed.
“I’m quite sure I was never atrociously behaved.” Ellen tugged off her gloves. She then stepped to the open doorway.
“It’s my feeling you’re making up for lost time, Miss Ellen,” Mungo said.
“Never a truer word,” Alex agreed.
“Haha,” Ellen said, moving closer to the house.
“What are you doing? Stay here, Ellen,” Leo cautioned.
“I’m just looking inside and am where you can see me, Leo. I’m hardly likely to get into trouble two feet from you, now am I?”
“Would you rather I did not care about you?” the eldest Nightingale said, sounding testy.
“You are a trifle overbearing, Leo,” Alex said. “Ellen is not about to run into danger right before our eyes.”
“I am not overbearing. I am cautious. Someone needs to be in this family.”
Ellen ignored her brothers as they bickered, which they often did. Mungo would interfere if required. She then looked into the house. There was a small lamp that sat on a table. Four chairs and a fireplace but little else. The room was small but tidy. No clothes lying about or other clutter as there would be in their parlor.
The vision hit her fast and hard. She was not prepared and stumbled. Hands settled on her shoulders, steadying her, and then she was once again back in the present.
“What did you see?” Alex said from behind her. “Easy now.”
“Take a deep breath of lovely smoggy London air, Ellen,” Leo said, squeezing her shoulder. “That’s it.”
“Now tell us what you saw, darling,” Alex said. He took a lemon drop out of his pocket and tapped her chin. Opening her mouth, he dropped it in.
The sharp bite of lemon shocked her senses.
“Are you well, Miss Ellen?” Mungo asked.
“I’m fine. I saw a man. Not overly tall but big. He stood outside a wooden building. There was a window. Four,” she said, waving a hand in front of her.
“Four?” Alex asked.
Ellen made a two-fingers-down-and-across movement with her hands.
“I have no idea what you’re trying to get at,” Leo said.
“Four panes in the window?” Mungo asked.
“Yes.” Ellen nodded. “And a lamp sitting there.”
“In the window?” Alex asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m sure that Penny Tompkins has not passed over,” Alex said. “But then sometimes a new spirit takes time to get through.”
