Free Lokant by Charlotte E. English Page B

tired he was. He had
probably hallucinated the figure out of pure sleep deprivation. But
the book was certainly gone...
    The prospect of making
his lonely way back to his house repelled him; it was a walk of
more than twenty minutes and he couldn’t face it in his current
state. He shuffled to the sofa instead and lay down.
     
    When he woke, he opened
his eyes to a vision of smooth white skin and soft, even whiter
hair. Lady Glostrum’s face, close to his. Her deep blue eyes were
fixed on him, bearing a thoughtful expression.
    ‘Oh,’ she murmured as
he blinked. ‘I’m sorry. You seemed deeply asleep.’
    ‘One would think in
that case that it would be more questionable to stare at me
in this way.’ He couldn’t move without bumping into her, so he
stayed where he was.
    ‘I told you not to wait
up for me.’
    He cocked an eyebrow at
her. ‘Somebody has to keep an eye on wayward young ladies.’
    He expected her to
laugh at that, but she frowned and sat back on her heels. He sat
up, suddenly feeling awkward. A small black shape fell from his
chest and flew off.
    ‘Rikbeek likes you,’
Eva said, noticing the direction of his gaze. She didn’t move
away.
    ‘Lucky me. Does that
mean he’ll be drinking more of my blood, or less?’
    ‘Probably more.’
    His neck itched, right
on cue. He slapped the gwaystrel away in irritation.
    ‘Sorry,’ Eva said. She
didn’t sound remotely remorseful. If anything she was trying not to
laugh.
    ‘If that monster of
yours sucks me dry, I’m holding you responsible.’
    ‘No danger of that.
He’d explode if he tried it.’
    ‘It might be worth the
sacrifice, in that case.’
    She laughed softly.
Watching the way her mouth dimpled at the corners, he forgot to
speak. The silence stretched.
    ‘Er, so,’ he said with
a cough. ‘How was your dinner? And what time is it,
anyway?’
    She glanced briefly at
the uncurtained window. ‘Not moonrise yet. And dinner was
fine.’
    He looked at her,
puzzled. She’d obviously stayed the night with Angstrun, yet here
she was home before the moon even rose. It was none of his business
to ask, of course, but...
    ‘Oh,’ he blurted. ‘I
forgot. Um, one of the books is gone.’
    ‘Gone.’ She repeated
the word without inflection, gazing at him levelly.
    He sighed and rubbed
his eyes, still feeling exhausted in spite of his few hours of
sleep. ‘I hope you are feeling credulous, or I am about to be
fired.’ He told her about his nocturnal visitor and the woman’s
curious disappearance, explaining in some detail in hopes of being
believed. Her expression didn’t change, but he knew his story must
be hard to credit.
    He finished speaking
and she said nothing at all.
    ‘I suppose I’d better
go home,’ he said at last.
    ‘Must you? I was about
to order breakfast.’ She stood up and dusted off her skirt. ‘Don’t
worry about the book. Not your fault. But it’s interesting. Shall
it be eggs?’
    ‘Thank you, I-’ He
stopped. She was already gone.
     
    Breakfast was a
leisurely affair. Suffering from a headache and some degree of eye
strain, he was in no hurry to return to the study, and neither did
Eva seem to be. Their conversation was restored more or less to
normal; his vague feeling of awkwardness faded and by the end of
the meal he felt cheered and more like himself. As Eva’s servants
cleared away the remains of their meal, Eva paused at the dining
room door and smiled at him.
    ‘I have the morning
free, and I think I shall spend it assisting you. If books are
spiriting themselves away, it would be best to take copious notes
as soon as possible.’
    The prospect of another
long day at the desk was suddenly desirable. ‘Agreed,’ he said,
stretching the muscles of his arms and neck as he followed her back
to the study.
    The desk was empty.
    Both stood frozen for
some moments in complete astonishment. They had been absent for an
hour and a half at best; Tren was certain that all of the books had
been on the desk when