Nooks & Crannies by Jessica Lawson

Author:Jessica Lawson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

While the others wandered the manor’s parlors, drawing room, and gallery, Tabitha waited her turn in the library, gently petting Pemberley in her skirt pocket, occasionally knitting a bit of scarf, and attempting to whistle. The sight of the books helped her to relax, and she let her eyes drift over the shelves until her heartbeat became slow and steady once again.

She was used to cruelty, so the Countess’s rather callous behavior didn’t put her off nearly as much as it did the others. And she was shaken and saddened by Mary’s death and Barnaby’s disappearance, that was true, but there was a nagging feeling that all could be explained if she could just put the pieces together. She tapped her finger to her temple. That sort of thing appeared in Pensive novels and always seemed to help the tapper, though Tabitha was uncertain why. Perhaps it jarred the area of the brain assigned to clue retention.

Having had a few hours of what Inspector Pensive would call observance of character, Tabitha found the Countess’s indifference to her maid’s demise most curious, and it led her to wonder at the history between the two. It’s dreadfully difficult being charitable to those you don’t like, the Countess had said. But why would she need to be charitable at all in those cases? Perhaps Mary Pettigrew had been a family maid, passed down from a previous generation, and therefore deserved a hint of special consideration.

Oliver walked into the library with his hands shoved deep in both pockets. He glanced around the room. “No rogue kidnappers here,” he joked weakly. His face was paler and more drawn than it’d been the night before. “Hullo.”

Tabitha stopped pacing and pulled her hand away from Pemberley. “Oh, um. Yes, same to you.” Stop being awkward.

“Know what you’ll be saying to the Countess?”

“No,” Tabitha said, smoothing her skirt and taking a seat.

Oliver sat beside her. “You don’t talk very much, do you? You’re rather quiet and shy.”

Tabitha couldn’t help but smile and think of her conversations with Pemberley. “Not really.”

Standing in a fidgety manner, Oliver plucked a book from a shelf and flipped through it without glancing at the pages. “I once got mad at my parents and threatened not to speak to them ever again.” His eyes crinkled. “How long do you think I lasted?”

Tabitha shook her head.

“Three hours. My father says that if you stay quiet too long, you’ll lose your voice. Funny sort of thing to say, isn’t it?”

She shook her head again. “I think I know what he means.” Keep talking. That’s what people do, so say something else. “I don’t think it matters much what I say to the Countess.”

Oliver stepped toward her. “What do you mean by that?”

Don’t say the wrong thing, and for God’s sake, don’t say a word about Augustus Home! Tabitha let her shoulders lift and drop. “Just that I’m not the heir. If I was, my parents would have flung themselves on the opportunity to take advantage of it, I’m certain.

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