to town that he was going to have to start subletting his sons if his wife didn’t stop birthing them.” He grinned and shook his head. “Twelve sons and only one daughter, poor thing. And now his two eldest have wives and sons of their own.”
Lucas abstractly wondered if Mister Owen’s brother was aware that if he wanted his wife to stop birthing children, he should probably stop siring them.
“So you’re telling me,” Lucas said slowly, still whacking at Laurie, who was still yanking at Lucas’s coat sleeve hard enough to make him worry for the seams, “that in the whole of Red Bridge, there exists only one Slade. And he doesn’t actually live here.”
“ Lucas !” Laurie snapped, and he yanked so hard Lucas went over to the side. Which might not have been too painful or embarrassing, if Lucas hadn’t flailed out to grab at the desk and instead of a solid fall-saving handhold, planted his palm firmly on a small pile of loose papers. The papers slipped, Lucas’s arm went out from under him, the room hove, and Lucas went down, thwacking the side of his face against the corner of Mister Hensley’s desk on his way to the floor.
Being knocked unconscious would have been too kind, Lucas supposed. The abrupt throbbing pain was one thing. The humiliation of trying to blink past the sparkles shrouding his vision and into the shocked faces hovering above him was, if truth be told, quite another.
Well, then. No surprise, really. Just about this time last night, Lucas had been drunk and stuck to a bush and still in the process of being duped by a young man who apparently didn’t even exist. Pratfalls were a logical progression.
Lucas lifted a blurry stare—drat, where were his spectacles?—upward to see Mister Hensley peering down at him over the desk. Laurie leaned over too, his hand clapped over his mouth and his eyes wide. Both of them merely stared, Mister Hensley with a concerned “Oh dear me!” but at least Alex had the presence of mind to crouch down to help Lucas and shoot Laurie a livid glare while he was at it. Good old Alex.
“What the deuce did you think you were doing?” Alex barked at Laurie, helping Lucas to sit first and then stand, all the while running gentle fingers over Lucas’s cheekbone and temple. He grimaced when his fingertips came away with a tiny bit of blood. “Are you all right?”
“I’m not quite certain,” Lucas said as he let Alex help him not wobble on his feet and then blinked and flinched a little when Alex very carefully set Lucas’s glasses back on his nose. Well, at least they hadn’t broken. “I’ve this overwhelming urge to kill my cousin, but I’ve been having that all day.” Lucas gingerly poked at his throbbing cheek and hissed.
“I’m sorry!” Laurie said, more earnest than Lucas had ever seen him, which… he didn’t know if he should believe it or be even more skeptical than usual. Laurie was coming at Lucas with a handkerchief and too-clear intent, but luckily Alex headed him off and snatched the handkerchief from him before he could do any more damage. “I didn’t mean….” Laurie flapped his hands. “I’m truly very sorry, Lucas, it’s only…. You said a man that looked like Slade broke into your house this morning, and….” He waved at the window behind Mister Hensley’s desk and then wrung his hands. “I think maybe he was just looking in at you from the window.”
“N O , SIR , I’m quite certain there’ve been no new guests,” said Miss Hensley, whose given name happened to be Tegan. Lucas knew this because it had taken Alex five seconds and a winning smile to get her to volunteer it. Lucas might have growled and rolled his eyes, but he was too busy glaring Laurie into submission. “Your party was the last,” Miss Hensley told Alex.
“And have you seen anyone about?” Alex pressed. “Very light blond hair, tall?”
“And he dresses funny,” Lucas volunteered, “and he speaks in tongues,” then he shut
Lucas abstractly wondered if Mister Owen’s brother was aware that if he wanted his wife to stop birthing children, he should probably stop siring them.
“So you’re telling me,” Lucas said slowly, still whacking at Laurie, who was still yanking at Lucas’s coat sleeve hard enough to make him worry for the seams, “that in the whole of Red Bridge, there exists only one Slade. And he doesn’t actually live here.”
“ Lucas !” Laurie snapped, and he yanked so hard Lucas went over to the side. Which might not have been too painful or embarrassing, if Lucas hadn’t flailed out to grab at the desk and instead of a solid fall-saving handhold, planted his palm firmly on a small pile of loose papers. The papers slipped, Lucas’s arm went out from under him, the room hove, and Lucas went down, thwacking the side of his face against the corner of Mister Hensley’s desk on his way to the floor.
Being knocked unconscious would have been too kind, Lucas supposed. The abrupt throbbing pain was one thing. The humiliation of trying to blink past the sparkles shrouding his vision and into the shocked faces hovering above him was, if truth be told, quite another.
Well, then. No surprise, really. Just about this time last night, Lucas had been drunk and stuck to a bush and still in the process of being duped by a young man who apparently didn’t even exist. Pratfalls were a logical progression.
Lucas lifted a blurry stare—drat, where were his spectacles?—upward to see Mister Hensley peering down at him over the desk. Laurie leaned over too, his hand clapped over his mouth and his eyes wide. Both of them merely stared, Mister Hensley with a concerned “Oh dear me!” but at least Alex had the presence of mind to crouch down to help Lucas and shoot Laurie a livid glare while he was at it. Good old Alex.
“What the deuce did you think you were doing?” Alex barked at Laurie, helping Lucas to sit first and then stand, all the while running gentle fingers over Lucas’s cheekbone and temple. He grimaced when his fingertips came away with a tiny bit of blood. “Are you all right?”
“I’m not quite certain,” Lucas said as he let Alex help him not wobble on his feet and then blinked and flinched a little when Alex very carefully set Lucas’s glasses back on his nose. Well, at least they hadn’t broken. “I’ve this overwhelming urge to kill my cousin, but I’ve been having that all day.” Lucas gingerly poked at his throbbing cheek and hissed.
“I’m sorry!” Laurie said, more earnest than Lucas had ever seen him, which… he didn’t know if he should believe it or be even more skeptical than usual. Laurie was coming at Lucas with a handkerchief and too-clear intent, but luckily Alex headed him off and snatched the handkerchief from him before he could do any more damage. “I didn’t mean….” Laurie flapped his hands. “I’m truly very sorry, Lucas, it’s only…. You said a man that looked like Slade broke into your house this morning, and….” He waved at the window behind Mister Hensley’s desk and then wrung his hands. “I think maybe he was just looking in at you from the window.”
“N O , SIR , I’m quite certain there’ve been no new guests,” said Miss Hensley, whose given name happened to be Tegan. Lucas knew this because it had taken Alex five seconds and a winning smile to get her to volunteer it. Lucas might have growled and rolled his eyes, but he was too busy glaring Laurie into submission. “Your party was the last,” Miss Hensley told Alex.
“And have you seen anyone about?” Alex pressed. “Very light blond hair, tall?”
“And he dresses funny,” Lucas volunteered, “and he speaks in tongues,” then he shut
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