Unhallowed (Rath and Rune #1) - Jordan L. Hawk Page 0,33

be on his own.

Ves stared out the window and tried very hard not to think about that.

“Home sweet home,” Sebastian said. “Or, rather, my sister’s house, but she’s kind enough to let me live with her.”

Ves stood uncertainly on the walk outside the house Sebastian had suggested they retreat to, so they could look over O’Neil’s mail. It had an eclectic appearance, as if its architect had been unable to settle on a single style. To one side of the entrance, a narrow turret jutted up, while the other side sported broad, shallow bay windows. The main part of the roof was steeply gabled, but one end was unexpectedly interrupted by a sort of half-turret. Balconies jutted out in random spots, each of a different design, and the carriageway might have belonged to another house altogether before being uneasily joined to this one.

“It’s something,” he said.

Sebastian grinned at him. “Don’t worry, it’s much more orderly on the inside. You should have seen the house we grew up in. That one looked normal from the outside, but the interior was practically a maze. It originally belonged to my grandmother and great-uncle, so no wonder mother ended up working in the library—it must have felt just like home.” He started up the walk. “Come on—Bonnie’s probably about to put dinner on the table.”

Ves felt rooted to the spot. He’d never been in someone’s private home before, other than the one he’d grown up in. He’d set foot in boarding houses, of course, but only in the rooms he was looking to rent for Noct and himself. He seldom sat through the communal dinners they offered, preferring to eat in his room, alone with his brother, whom none of the other boarders ever knew existed.

“I don’t want to put her to any trouble,” he said. “I’ll just…we’ll take a look at the mail tomorrow, at the library.”

“Don’t be ridiculous—the more the merrier,” Sebastian beckoned to him. “I promise, she’ll be glad to meet you. They all will.”

“They?” Ves asked in alarm, but by now Sebastian had reached the entryway and opened the door. Not knowing what else to do, Ves followed him.

A huge vase of flowers sat on a table in the front hall, perfuming the air. “Pete’s back!” Sebastian exclaimed in obvious pleasure.

“That I am!” called a deep voice from the room ahead of them. Sebastian led the way, and Ves followed, though he wasn’t certain if he should.

A grizzled man with a face weathered by the elements stood in the sitting room. In his arms, he cradled an infant who was probably only a few months old. His thick gray beard jutted out over the baby, as though protecting it.

Upon seeing Sebastian, his seamed face split into a grin. “Ah, Sebastian, good to see you. I’ve just been getting acquainted with the little one, while Bonnie sees to dinner.”

“I’m glad to have you safely back,” Sebastian said. He turned to Ves. “This is my sister’s husband, Captain Pete Degas of the Hawthorne. He’s just back from hauling cargo around the world for the last…how long has it been, two years?”

“Aye,” the captain agreed.

Sebastian reached for the infant, then turned and held it out to Ves. “And this is Bonnie’s youngest, Clara. Clara, this is Vesper Rune, a very nice man from the library.”

Ves wasn’t sure if he was more shocked by Sebastian describing him as “nice,” or by the fact he seemed to be trying to hand the infant to him. Then it occurred to him that, given the baby’s age, it couldn’t possibly belong to Captain Degas if he’d been at sea for two years.

Degas, however, was beaming at the baby as if she was the most perfect thing he’d ever seen. “Go on, now, don’t be afraid to take her. She’ll not bite—she’s got no teeth to do it with!”

Degas laughed heartily. Ves shot a panicked glance at Sebastian, then slowly reached out to take the baby.

“There you go,” Sebastian said. “Support her head—yes, just like that.”

Now that they were both unencumbered by the baby, Sebastian and Degas embraced, clapping each other on the back. “Bonnie tells me you’re still working at that library,” Degas said. “You always were one for books, weren’t you? Just like your mam.”

Sebastian’s expression flickered slightly, but he nodded. “Just like.”

Feet thundered on the stairs behind them, and two girls ran in from the front hall, one chasing the other. “Go into the yard if you want to race, girls,” Sebastian called, seeming glad