one of her relations to ask, Whatever happened to Elsie?
Shifting her basket to her other arm, Elsie excused herself silently and stepped back into the sunshine, taking a moment to soak it in until another postal customer forced her to move so he could access the door.
When Elsie got home, Emmeline was scrubbing the floor near the back door, lost somewhere in her thoughts, for she didn’t even look up and beg Elsie to remove her shoes. Elsie did it, anyway, precariously balancing her basket of produce while aiming for dry spots so as not to dampen her stockings.
“Is Ogden in?” she asked upon reaching the stairs.
Emmeline shook her head. “He went out right on your tail. Mr. Parker himself came by for him, wanted his eye on the new stonework for the wall, or something like that.”
Mr. Parker, who worked for the abominable Squire Hughes. Elsie sniffed in disdain. But the squire paid well, which meant Ogden could afford to keep both her and Emmeline on staff.
Elsie would need to man the studio, then. It was usually a boring task, as unlike the post office, a stonemason’s shop was not one people frequented. But her novel reader would keep her company. If she reread it with a scrutinizing eye, she might discover a clue she’d missed the first time.
Hurrying up the steps and down the hallway, Elsie ducked into her room and tossed her hat onto her bed. Her novel reader was tucked away on the small shelf in the corner. As she pulled it free, however, a gray note fell to the floor.
She recognized it instantly, even with the seal facedown.
Although she itched to open it, she crossed the room first to shut and lock the door. That done, she knelt to pick up the folded paper. Turned it over. The symbol of a bird’s footprint overlaying a crescent moon looked back up at her in vivid orange wax.
So soon? she wondered. The notes had been more frequent lately, and more intimate. Left on her bed, under her covers, now on her bookshelf. What if she hadn’t decided to reread the latest installment of The Curse of the Ruby today? Perhaps this mission wasn’t urgent. Perhaps they were watching her more closely than she’d thought.
Elsie turned toward the window, which was two stories up. How absurd it would be for someone, especially a cloaked someone, to hover on the precipice, watching her and learning her habits. She could almost laugh at the notion.
And yet the letter had been waiting.
She used her fingernail to break the seal. A few shillings fell into her lap.
Power taints all. Someone at the Duke of Kent’s estate has enchanted the servants’ door, forbidding them outside after sundown. It is a spell of heat. Be prepared. Take a carriage, but be discreet. At the wine shop in Kent, ask for Mrs. Shaw’s basket.
That was it. No name, no date. She’d have to find a wine shop near the duke’s estate—the note didn’t include an address. What would she do if there was more than one?
Her stomach squirmed. In truth, the wine shop was the least of her troubles. This was the riskiest task she’d ever been given. Hopefully this duke was not a spellmaker as well—they tended to ward their property with all sorts of nasty things, a precaution passed down from the revolts two centuries past. And she’d have to trespass onto his property, not merely brush her fingers across an exterior wall. Swallowing, she reassured herself that the Cowls would not ask her to do anything she wasn’t capable of doing. Perhaps Mrs. Shaw’s basket would lend some aid.
Elsie tried to imagine what it would feel like if Ogden bespelled the stonemasonry shop to keep her and Emmeline locked indoors. The note had said it was a fire spell . . . Did it burn the servants when they attempted to escape? What was it about wealth that made the upper class treat other human beings like they were livestock to keep penned?
She pressed her lips together. Kent wasn’t far. If she took a carriage, she could be there and back before nightfall. The squire would be a fool not to hire Ogden, which meant her boss would likely be busy for the next few days.
It was settled, then. Elsie would rush through her work and ensure everything was in order before leaving. Emmeline could listen for the door and see to any late-day customers.
Replacing her novel reader on the shelf, Elsie