The Lion Lies Waiting Read online

  “Who’s the other girl?” he asked, nodding in the direction of the artwork.

  Iris faced her and laid a supportive hand on her knee.

  “She, Mr. Shipp, is my dear sister, Daisy,” Eva replied.

  “Oh, I didn’t know you ’ad one,” Robin said.

  “We don’t speak anymore,” Eva said with unguarded regret.

  “She don’t look much like you,” Robin said, earning him the second admonishing glare of the evening from Edwin.

  “No, no she wouldn’t. Different mothers, you see. After my mother, Ivy, passed away, Father managed to find time to romance another woman. She was the captain of a ship he had wanted to purchase. Every few months she would arrive at Blackrabbit from her home in India and Father would be there waiting with another offer, even greater than the last. He had been impressed by her refusal of his overly-generous bids for her vessel and had fallen for her. Or so he says. The cynics among you might note that at the time she happened to have a monopoly on the lucrative shipping of tea leaves to this part of the world, a monopoly soon folded into the Chase Trading empire.

  After a quick, private handfasting ceremony, Captain Sada—that was her name—moved here, into the manor. Within a year, she had given birth to a daughter whom they named Daisy. When Daisy was five years old, Sada grew weary of Father, took Daisy and left.”

  Eva folded and refolded the napkin on her lap several times, avoiding the eyes of her guests. She often wondered if it had been the final weight on her father’s heart, the one to finally crush it. Things were never the same for her afterwards. Her father, already less than loving, had become even more distant, taking little to do with her at all. His duties as Swan had long threatened to consume him and once Sada and Daisy were gone, he allowed them to.

  She forced a quick smile to show it was an old pain, long since dealt with, though she could tell no one believed it. It was clear she missed her sister terribly.

  “You ain’t seen ’er since?” Robin asked.

  Eva shook her head. “I received a letter from her once, some years after she had left, telling me all about her new life, but after that, I never heard from her again.”

  If Eva was in other company, she might have allowed a tear to gather in her eye, but she already regretted revealing so much in front of Baxbary. She knew what kind of man he was and showing weakness to him was rarely advisable. She consoled herself with the thought he likely already knew most of the family history, as he had been uncomfortably close to her father for years. In many ways, Marley treated him as the son he never had.

  “It’s a terrible thing, to keep family apart,” Robin said with real sadness in his voice. “Breaks your soul in two, it does.”

  Eva smiled her appreciation of the solidarity.

  The Ladies had seen neither hide nor hair of her father the entire day and when the nervous young footman brought their first course of mushroom broth, Eva gestured towards the empty place setting.

  “Will my father not be joining us this evening?”

  The footman was nervous. “Err, no, ma’am,” he replied. “Lord Chase will join you afterwards.”

  “It’s quite rude of him to invite guests to dinner and then not join them,” Eva said, casting a withering stare toward Baxbary and Ms. Bezzle.

  “But from what I gather, you weren’t invited at all, were you my dear?” Baxbary said. “You just showed up, with the briefest of announcements. And then you invited these lovely people to join you this evening.”

  Eva shot him another look.

  “Marley rarely eats with his guests these days,” Baxbary continued.

  “And how would you know?” Eva snapped.

  “If I may, ma’am, I’m given to understand Lord Chase doesn’t eat much of anything lately,” the footman said.

  “Whatever do you mean?” Eva asked.

  “I just mean, given his condition…”

  “What condition?” she almost yelled.

  “That’s plenty, Drake, go about your work,” said the butler who had once again appeared from nowhere.

  The young footman turned on his heels and left.

  “What’s all this about, Mrs. Knight? Where is my father?” Eva demanded.

  “If you’d bothered to visit him, you’d know Lord Chase is ill,” the lady butler replied, shooting a very odd look in Robin’s direction.

  Eva jumped to her feet, tipping over an expensive glass of expensive wine.

  “What do you mean, ill? Ill! Where is he?” she asked.

  Mrs. Knight tilted her head back ever so lightly.

  “Your father had a rather busy day at the council meeting and is resting,” she said with marked pleasure.

  When she was young, she once overheard Mrs. Knight tell a maid “to deny Lady Eva of even her simplest desire was a pleasure to be cherished.” She never forgot those words.

  “Well, he is not resting in his rooms, I checked earlier,” Eva said.

  “No, he’s resting in the medical suite.”

  Eva’s eyes widened. “The what? The medical what?”

  “Suite,” Mrs. Knight said.

  “Chase Manor does not have a medical suite,” Eva said through gritted teeth, the ire in her voice rising.

  “It does now,” the butler Knight said, “but don’t trouble yourself. Finish your meal, your father will see you shortly.”

  With that, the imperious old lady left the grand dining room. Eva leaned on the table, her fists clenched. After a moment, she calmly sat and called for Drake to clean up her spilled wine.

  “I do hope your father is well enough to join us later,” Baxbary said. “It’s been so long since he’s seen Mr. Hunger.”

  His name on Baxbary’s lips caused Duncan to visibly flinch.

  “Yes, about that, I wasn’t aware you’d met?” Eva asked.

  Duncan said nothing, instead swallowing a mouthful of broth.

  “It was a long time ago,” Baxbary said, ignoring Eva, “but I bet he remembers you. You always make such an impression on people, don’t you, Duncan?”

  Baxbary grinned and took a swig from his own goblet, never taking his eyes off Duncan.

  “That’s enough, Baxbary,” Duncan said.

  “Oh, he does speak! I was worried you’d lost your voice on the little wind-swept rock you moved to. Where’s all your anger and energy gone, hmm? Your defiance? The Duncan of old was never afraid to speak his mind to any man.”

  “Perhaps, like me, he simply does not think of you as a man at all,” Eva interjected.

  “You wound me,” Baxbary replied.

  “Not as much as I’d like to,” Eva said. “I hadn’t realised we shared so much in common, Duncan. It seems you had a lucky escape, too.”

  “Whatever did you do to earn this fine lady’s enmity?” Ms. Bezzle asked with a giggle.

  Baxbary cleared his throat as if to speak, but Eva got there first.

  “You mean he hasn’t told you? No mention of how he and my father concocted a little scheme between themselves? A plan to have me married off to the mighty Mudge clan in order to start a political dynasty? The shipping Chases and the mining Mudges. We would have been quite the powerhouse. Sadly, neither of these two great men gave a single moment’s thought as to whether or not I might actually want to marry anyone, let alone a man.”

  “We foolishly thought we might have known what was best for a wild-hearted and unfocused woman,” Baxbary said.

  “You thought you could control me. As though I had no mind of my own.”

  “Sometimes a girl can lose her way. Sometimes she needs a man to set her mind on the right path,” Baxbary said, his voice dipped low like a growl.

  “My dear councilman, I think you’re forgetting good Queen Matilda’s law. Women have been the equal of men for six hundred years. Though why she felt the need to elevate you to our level is beyond me,” Eva said with a smile.

  “Hear, hear!” Ms. Bezzle said, raising her glass.

  Baxbary held his hands up
in surrender and laughed. “I know better than to fight this battle!”

  “You need an army to fight a battle,” Duncan said. “What kind of army would follow you, Baxbary? An army of foxes, perhaps?”

  Baxbary’s eyes were steel then and the permanent grin faltered, ever-so-slightly. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “You’re referring, of course, to the good people of Gull’s Reach. I have my supporters there, it’s true. Though I’d hardly call them an army! How silly of you, Duncan. Always prone to such dramas. Those people have been so often overlooked, they see me now as their spokesperson.”

  “I thought that was my mum,” Edwin said. “Voice of the Roost, isn’t that what they call her?”

  “Is it? I’m afraid I wouldn’t know. I’m not brave enough to face the cutpurses of the Reach myself.”

  “Truly?” Duncan asked. “Then I can’t help but wonder why you consider yourself their mouthpiece on the council?”

  In response to the remark from Duncan, Baxbary fixed his gaze on him.

  “Gentlemen, please, we’ve had more than enough boring politics at the dinner table,” Ms. Bezzle said, diplomatically trying to defuse the tension a little. “This is such a marvellous house. I never tire of coming here.”

  Behind Eva, the moon poked through the cloud cover for just a heartbeat, dousing the room in thin light. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the full splendour of Ms. Loveday Bezzle.

  “I was not aware you had spent much time here. I cannot recall you having visited when I lived here.”

  “Your father has invited the council to dine at Chase Manor quite often in recent months,” Ms. Bezzle replied.

  “Has he, indeed?” Eva said, her eyebrow raised so high it was sure to make a break for it at any second.

  “Making up for lost time, so he says.”

  “Sadly, Rabbit and Badger were unable to attend this evening. Prior commitments,” Baxbary said. “It’s a shame; we’ve all spent so many wonderful nights here. Of course, one wouldn’t want to spend quite so much time at the other Chase property.”

  “Not the shipyards? Oh, you mean the prison?” Ms. Bezzle replied.

  “The very same. Such an interesting place. And so well occupied,” Baxbary said.

  “Why might that be?” Iris asked, confused. “I know Port Knot has its fair share of crime…”

  Baxbary lifted a spoonful of broth to his lips. “Oh, there are all sorts of reasons why a person might find themselves there. They might well have broken the law, or they might be touched in the head and taken out of the community, away from their families and loved ones.”

  Eva didn’t take the bait. “Father built the prison to keep criminals away from decent people. And it’s somewhere safe for the lunatics to go, somewhere they can be kept out of harm’s way, where they can be cared for.”

  “Have you ever visited your father’s prison?” Baxbary asked.

  Eva sat her spoon down and leaned back in her chair. “Why would I?”

  “I think you’d find it illuminating,” Baxbary said.

  Iris coughed slightly before turning to Edwin.

  “How goes it with your mother?”

  “Ah, I haven’t had the chance to talk to her as yet,” he said. “The Roost was quite busy last night.”

  “The Roost? What is the Roost?” Iris asked.

  “It’s a refuge!” said Ms. Bezzle. “A haven! Those clever people have made something wonderful from such adversity.”

  Duncan tutted loudly. “It’s a disgrace. It’s a bleddy slum! The people who lost their homes in the hurricane have been left to fend for themselves on the rooftops of Gull’s Reach like a flock of hungry, well, gulls, I suppose. They’ve built a squalid little village out of whatever they can find. All it will take is one stormy night to sweep the whole lot into the sea.”

  Iris clasped her throat. “And that’s where your mother is?”

  “I admit I’m quite worried about her.”

  “It’s not her you should be concerned about, it’s everybody else,” Duncan said.

  “What do you mean?” Iris asked.

  “She seems to be positively thriving there. She’s got them all eating out of the palm of her hand.”

  “Duncan…” Robin said.

  “Well, what’s he so worried about? It’s not as if she can ever come back to Blashy Cove, not after all she’s done.”

  “Why? What has she done?” Ms. Bezzle asked.

  Duncan’s back was well and truly up which meant everyone was in the firing line. “Let’s review, shall we? And please, Edwin, correct me if I’m wrong in any of this.”

  He began counting points on his stubby, hairy fingers.

  “After the death of Edwin’s brother, she harassed his sister-in-law so much Hester took her children and left—not just the village, mind you, but the island.”

  He touched his second fingertip.

  “She never missed a chance to needle Robin’s mother, Mrs. Whitewater, whether it was making up lies about her or just generally being spiteful.”

  Third finger.

  “She constantly sneered at Robin and badmouthed him to anyone who would listen.”

  He finished by hooking his little finger.

  “Oh, and let’s not forget the crowning achievement in the career of Mrs. Sylvia Farriner! She witnessed the death of Mrs. Whitewater’s husband—the man she herself was secretly in love with—and even though she knew it was an accident, she lied about it and let everyone think Robin’s dad had killed him. For forty years! And after this all came out, she basically told her own husband she never loved him. And this is just the stuff I know about. I mean, come on, Edwin, I know she’s your mother, but even you have to admit she’s not exactly—”

  “Enough now, Duncan,” Robin said, calmly. “You’ve made your point.”

  Anyone else would have been angry at Duncan for what he’d said, but Eva knew he and Edwin were close. There are certain things only a friend can say, and Duncan wasn’t mean or spiteful, he was just blunt. Exceedingly, extraordinarily blunt.

  “She’s always been difficult,” Edwin said. “She’d lash out unexpectedly, we’d never know how she’d react to the most mundane of news, we had to constantly be on eggshells around her. It was as if she had no idea what anyone else around her feeling. Well, she either didn’t know or simply didn’t care. And it all got worse after Ambrose died, she kept saying he left her, she’d call out for him in the middle of the night.”

  “She sounds quite unhinged. Perhaps she belongs with the others like her at the prison?” Baxbary sneered. “Or a hospital? A place where she can receive…treatment.”

  Edwin wore an expression Eva had never seen on him before. His brow was deeply furrowed, his eyes sorrowful. He’d been deeply struck by Baxbary’s words.

  “Oh, please,” Duncan scoffed. “A hospital. She’s not sick, she’s just a terrible person.”

  AFTER THE FINAL course, the diners were led to another grand room. It was painted sage green, hung with tapestries and contained a shimmering silver swan. The life-sized clockwork marvel rested on a pearly-leafed bed of long, twisted glass rods. Each of the rods rotated at different speeds catching the light from the candlesticks nearby and giving the illusion of running water. The swan itself turned and twisted its elegant neck from side to side, occasionally preening its metal feathers and occasionally even making to catch and swallow one of the tiny silver fish swimming around it. All the while, a gentle tune played from the music box hidden within. Robin and Edwin stared at the mechanical bird in wonder. Duncan held back from the group, imagining what it would be like to “accidentally” run Baxbary through with the poker by the fireplace.

  “It’s leaps and bounds beyond the little songbirds at the Frost & Thaw tea room,” Edwin said.

  “Good, isn’t it?” Baxbary said, flicking a switch which turned off the music. “A gift from to Marley from my father, many years ago.”

  “It’s stunning,” Edwin said. “The Painted Mermaid mu
seum back home used glass rods in a similar fashion, but this must have cost a fortune.”

  “Yes, it did, but then, they were close,” Baxbary said, with a loaded look to Duncan.

  The guests sat by the fire drinking brandy and making the smallest of talk. Duncan excused himself to use the privy closet, a little room at the end of a long, narrow hallway. When he finished, he stepped out and walked straight into Baxbary, who had obviously been waiting to corner him. Duncan said nothing but instead tried to walk around. Baxbary put one hand on the wall, almost dislodging a small painting and blocking his path.

  “What’s the hurry, Duncan? It’s almost like you’re not glad to see me.”

  “Stay away from me. I’ve nothing to say to you.”

  “Maybe not, but maybe I’ve got something to say you. Or to your friends in there. How well do they think they know you, I wonder? What would they say if they knew what you’d done?”

  “You keep your damn mouth shut,” Duncan said, clenching his fists and squaring up to him.

  “Oh, now there’s the Duncan I remember. The angry little man, always ready to fight. But don’t worry, I’ll keep your secrets.”

  “They’re your secrets as well, let’s not forget.”

  “Oh, I think I’ll weather any storm better than you will,” Baxbary said, placing a finger under Duncan’s round chin.

  “You goin’ to ’ave a pee or not?” came a booming voice from behind. “Only there’s a queue formin’ ’ere.”

  Robin stood in the hallway, his wide frame straddling almost the entire gap between both walls.

  “Ah, no, Mr…Shipp, was it? We were just catching up,” Baxbary said.

  Robin turned to one side, barely inhaling and forcing Baxbary to push past his considerable and surprisingly solid stomach. Once he was through, Baxbary smoothed out his clothing and went back to join the rest of the diners.

  “Just say the word an’ I’ll put a dent in ’is perfect little nose.”

  Duncan was taken aback to hear Robin say such a thing as he wasn’t a violent man by nature. Baxbary Mudge had a way of bringing out the worst in people.