The Masque of a Murderer by Calkins Susanna

Author:Calkins, Susanna [Calkins, Susanna]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2015-03-12T07:00:00+00:00

11

“Miss Campion?” a young boy called, poking his face into the printer’s shop. Two days had passed since Jacob Whitby’s funeral and Lucy’s conversation with the searcher. Lucy and Lach were both engaged in small tasks set them by Master Aubrey. Seeing Lucy’s startled nod, the boy moved to where she was standing by the printing press. “I have a message for you. Already paid.” He handed her a note that had been sealed with red wax and left the shop. From the elegant script bearing her name, she knew the note was from Adam.

Before Lucy could read the message, however, Lach snatched it from her hand, breaking open the seal. He skimmed the contents, despite her indignant protests. “Quack, quack, quack! More stuff about the Quakers.” He tossed her the note.

Lucy threw a wooden block at him, which narrowly missed his head. She picked up the crumpled note, reading the note to herself.

Sarah has just informed us, Adam wrote, that she can no longer stifle her conscience. As we feared she might do, she has left my father’s home and has taken up residence with Julia Whitby. We are hopeful that she will return soon. If she does not, perhaps you might be so good to stop by the Whitbys’ tomorrow after church, and do what you can to prevail upon her to forego this independent spirit. We should like to mend this divide before it is too late. Yours, etc., Adam Hargrave.

“I do not know that I can help them,” she said softly. Though her words were not intended for Lach, he heard them anyway.

“Why bother? Quackers quack the loudest when people try to silence them. Why not let her leave? Be done with her?” Lach said, beginning to quack like a duck again.

“Lach! Stop that nonsense!” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “If you could only see how Sarah’s decisions have pained the magistrate and Adam, you would not mock them. If you cared about anyone other than yourself, you would understand how they worry when she is away, walking unprotected in the world.” She stared down at the note. “I will do what I can to help them.” She looked back at Lach. She knew her voice was rising. “And I will not let you mock them or me for doing so!”

The apprentice just shook his head at her. “Adam Hargrave is besotted with you, Lucy. Why, I have no idea. But I know he will not be besotted forever, if you stay the harping shrew you are now.”

She was about to retort when the constable opened the door to the shop and stepped inside. His eyes flitted from one to the other, and Lucy wondered if he had heard any of her conversation with Lach. Their odd encounter from the other day still entered her thoughts, and she did not know what—if anything—it could mean.

Naturally, at the sight of Duncan, Lach immediately began to hum a mocking tune.

“The Constable Cozened, Lach?” Duncan asked, his eyebrow raised.

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