Watching her through the night while she was cradled in my arms felt wrong. Sometimes she would shift, and I would think to let go of her and flee before remembering that I was not in her chambers in secret. She was in my arms because she wanted to be.
When she yelled at me last night, I felt a constriction around my stomach and chest. It was not at all pleasurable like it had been many times before. The entire situation stressed her to the point of lashing out. She had become more unstable as the days went on. There was no doubt that her mentality had suffered in turn. I’d assumed that a country getaway would be relaxing, but it had made her decline faster than I thought. The way the gravity around her was heavy, more so than normal.
She needed to be alone. I needed to take her away. Socializing was not good for her. She needed a place to unravel.
When I finally pried myself away from her that morning, other guests were already awake, and a few gentlemen were scattered about the lounge drinking morning tea and trying toabsolve their drunkenness. One dark-haired figure on the couch, in particular, pulled my attention.
“This seat taken?” It was more of an announcement that I would be sitting, not a question. I did not care for this fool’s permission.
I took the seat across from our dark-haired acquaintance.
“It is now,” Viktor said with a tight smile. “What brings you to this specific corner?”
“Why, I thought the company would be pleasant!” I said sarcastically.
“Late start to the morning?”
“Ah, well, departing a lady’s chambers too early would be improper. I thought I’d bring her breakfast.” I smiled. “No one to keepyouin bed this beautiful morning?”
“You’re quite sharp for just waking up.” He ignored my previous comment, sipping his tea and glancing at the unbound stack of papers on his lap.
“Who said I went to sleep?” I smirked. “Some of us are kept occupied throughout the night.”
“Was she also aware, or do you like it while she sleeps?” His eyes darted in my direction.
“Is that what you tell yourself? To make you feel better about being rejected?” I smiled innocently.
“You’re on thin ice to begin with.”
“Pardon?”
“No matter.” A smile returned to his face as he handed me the stack of papers he had been annotating. “Give these to Alina when you head back up, yeah?” He stood and patted me playfully on the cheek before leaving the lounge area.
What on earth was that? Thin ice? With whom?
The papers in my hand looked to be a lab report. Not something I tended to read for fun, but then I saw her name on thefront, right next tohisname. It was a sickening reminder that I was not allowed to kill him, no matter how infuriating he was. I could only hope Alina would tire of him soon and he would fade into the background. She was like a cat, playing with many interesting things until she grew bored. Viktor was no different. She would be rid of him once she was donewith her research.
36
THE POISONER
The winding trails of the Caldor Estate held some of the most beautiful scenes. They cut through endless fields that turned from wildflowers to golden grass in autumn. The ones that led into the forest went over creeks with thick trees in between, perfect for clearing the mind. The sunsets always lit the leaves on fire in a golden glow late in the day. The main road leading into town was on the other side of the wooded area.
The old English town looked frozen in time, not excluding the shops, taverns, and markets. It was perfectly quaint. Even at its busiest, it was quieter than my favorite market in London.
Phoebe and I arrived on horseback. There was a fox hunt later on, but other than that, it was a perfect leisurely day. We thought spending some time away from the crowd might be nice. It had been awkward between us since we found Boris. I made Silas promise no more surprises unless absolutely necessary. I warned him that he would cause me to fall ill if he kept leaving me with dead things. He was reluctant, but agreed.
Although Phoebe didn’t know it, Silas had decided to stay at the estate with me. As they say, it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and Phoebe did not need to know why he wasreallythere.
I told him he was not allowed to be seen too close to me if we wanted to keep a low profile. More attention was unnecessary until we figured out who my second stalker was. He was reluctant to leave me alone, but he needed to give me some space to keep more rumors from spreading. There were already so many from when he would not leave my side back home.
So far, Phoebe had informed me that people thought we had an arranged marriage, that I had fallen pregnant with his child, or that I was a witch because a man like him could not possibly want a woman who had a nontraditional lifestyle and a pedigree. The stories had become our new form of entertainment. Phoebe seemed less irritable about the whole thing, as I assured her that our relationship was professional.
While Silas’s and my relationship was complicated, I found myself hating him less and less, especially after last night. Unfortunately, I had seen every side of him, yet I was still helpless to keep myself from certain feelings. I would like to say maybe my presence had changed him, but I might be getting ahead of myself.
I needed him whether I liked it or not. I knew he wasn’t telling me everything. Something was wrong if he was genuinely worried. Stalking out of amusement had turned into stalking out of necessity recently. How did I always manage to attract the strangest men?
“You know, there’s a patrons’ gala when we return to the city. Father is lending some of his collection to the museum for a new exhibition,” Phoebe chattered excitedly. “I’d love for you tocome! Everyone from the museum will be there. I am sure my father could recommend you if you make any contacts. Many men from the natural sciences department will be in attendance.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively.
