Free Ashes To Ashes: A Ministry of Curiosities Novella (The Ministry of Curiosities Book 5) by C.J. Archer

distaste. Ever since witnessing Julia's cruel behavior toward Charlie, Seth had gone cold toward his occasional lover. The only indication that she noticed was a slight tightening of her lips as he straightened.
    "I do hope you'll spare a dance or two for my son," Lady Vickers went on with a gleam in her eye. "He tells me that he finds you to be a rare gem in this city, and that he hopes to get to know you better."
    Julia flushed ever so slightly but her smile remained.
    Seth's smile held a darkly wicked edge. "You are correct, Mother. Julia is rare, indeed. I can honestly say that I've never met anyone like her before."
    Lady Vickers beamed. "Isn't he charming?"
    "But I assure you, Mother, Julia and I are already acquainted as deeply as we both would like to be." He bowed again to Julia, so deeply as to be mocking. "It's kind of you to take pity on we poor unfortunate outcasts. We'll try not to embarrass you, but I can't make any promises. You know what I'm like."
    Lady Vickers was left staring open-mouthed at Seth as he strode off. She followed him without a word, and they disappeared into the crowd. Julia stood stony-faced and immobile.
    Lincoln stepped into their place. "Good evening, Julia." There were several bland pleasantries he could have uttered about her dress, the house, or the weather, but he didn't feel like making the effort.
    "I'll be a laughing stock for inviting her," she whispered. She turned hard, glittering eyes onto Lincoln. "I suppose she's my punishment."
    "No, she's not." He turned and walked off, hoping she assumed a worse punishment was yet to come.
    He nodded at a group of gentlemen as he moved farther into the room. Julia had decorated the ballroom with hothouse flowers blooming out of season, and clusters of silver and blue ribbons adorned the walls, connected by swathes of more ribbons. The facets of the lead crystal candelabras and chandeliers provided a dazzling example of light dispersion and refraction. Julia didn't do anything in half measures.
    He spotted Seth surrounded by people of both sexes, most of them young and already on their way to being drunk. A mature woman standing a little to one side tried to catch his attention with a rapid flutter of her fan. Seth extracted himself from the girls clinging to each of his arms and went to speak to the woman, much to her delight. If the diamonds dripping from her person were any indication, she was wealthy indeed. Lady Vickers was nowhere to be seen.
    Lincoln scanned the faces and saw Andrew Buchanan talking with three gentlemen, their gazes all on the doorway leading to an adjoining room. Buchanan shrugged then nodded. One of the fellows slapped him on the back, shoving him toward the door. Buchanan moved off, and the three men grinned then followed.
    Lincoln went to listen in. He'd spent much of the afternoon listening to conversations in pubs and speaking with his contacts again, but he'd come home with no new information. By the end of the day, he was quite sure the killer hadn't made further contact with anyone else. It would seem he was satisfied with the gunman he'd hired to kill O'Neill.
    It only remained to be seen who was next on his list, unless Lincoln could stop him first.
    The room adjoining the ballroom was quieter and smoky. Card players in deep concentration clustered around the tables. Buchanan sauntered up to one lady, her back to the door. Her fair hair had slipped a little from its arrangement and she wore no jewels at her ears or neck. So Lady Vickers was a card player. Lincoln wondered what she wagered with. Perhaps Seth had given her some money. Lincoln watched as Buchanan touched the back of her bare neck and skimmed his thumb along her shoulder. He bent down to whisper something in his ear.
    "Why, sir, you're disturbing my concentration." Lady Vickers fluttered her hand of cards at her face, and leaned away from him. It was such a slight shifting of her weight that most would not have noticed it, but Lincoln saw, as