“Please, come in girls,” Lady Norbright insisted. “Would you care for some tea?”
The two looked about the room, from Henry to Keegan and then Pickmore before taking a seat.
“You already know Mr. Keegan and Lord Kilsyth,” Norbright said. “This gentleman holding his injured ribs is Captain Pickmore.”
At that, the girl’s eyes widened.
Pickmore wasn’t so scary, was he?
“My sisters, Olivia.” The young woman in blue bobbed a curtsey. “And Victoria.” The one in green did the same.
“Gabriel, have there been any further mishaps?” Victoria asked as she took a seat.
Norbright frowned. “Mishaps?”
“Yes,” Olivia answered. “We were told of the seal biting a footman, Cook being burned and a maid slipping and injuring herself.”
That was right, three of the students were in the foyer that day.
“I don’t believe so,” Norbright answered. “Have there been any othermishaps?” he asked his wife.
Lady Norbright frowned as she poured tea for the sisters. “Actually, the gardener was trimming limbs out of a tree when one fell and struck him on the head.”
The girls sucked in a breath.
“The doctor assured me that he will be fine.” Then she glanced at her husband. “How is Clive?”
“What happened to Clive?” Victoria asked in alarm.
“Who is Clive?” Henry found himself asking.
“The stablemaster,” Olivia answered, then focused on Lady Norbright. “Our horses are fine, aren’t they?”
“Yes, of course.” Lady Norbright smiled. “One of the horses became agitated and stepped on Clive’s foot. I’m certain that in no time it will heal and he’ll be able to return to his duties.”
The twins shared a look and if Henry wasn’t mistaken, fear sparked in their eyes. And, as he was a study of character, Henry was quite certain the two were afraid. However, he couldn’t imagine why. Though unfortunate, the instances weren’t so unusual.
“Anything else?” Olivia asked.
Lady Norbright frowned. “My maid miss-stepped and twisted her ankle, but she’s already recovering.”
Again, Ladies Olivia and Victoria shared a looked as they set the tea cups back on the table.
“For once, I think Eliza is wrong,” Victoria said.
“And the others are right?” Olivia agreed
“About?” Norbright asked.
“The curse,” Victoria blew out.
“Curse? What curse?” Lady Norbright demanded.
Henry fought the smile that pulled at his lips. There were no such things as curses, but he couldn’t wait to hear this explanation.
“The curse of the Mayfair mummy,” Olivia answered with such complete seriousness that no doubt she believed it to be true.
“Mayfair mummy, you say?” Pickmore asked with humor as he poured a glass of brandy. “As we are not in Mayfair, I don’t see how that is even possible.”
