“Miss Juliet! I thought I’d seen a ghost with you in the mistress’s dress.” She motioned to the bread almost apologetically. “Just heating up the bits left over from yesterday’s feast for breakfast. Didn’t have the heart to cook a full meal, not after last night.” She turned away, fiddling with the oven so I wouldn’t see her tears. “You and I should sit down and discuss the running of the manor. I’ve kept meticulous ledgers over the years, just like my mother and grandmother. I’ll help get you on your feet, and the staff will be calling you ‘Mistress’ in no time.”
I touched her shoulder gently. “McKenna, I know everyone is mourning Elizabeth and Hensley, but there’s something else I must discuss with the staff. As soon as Carlyle and the girls have finished their morning chores, have them meet me in the library. Send someone to the lower field to fetch Jack Serra’s carnival troupe as well. They arrived late last night and are camped there.”
Her eyes went wide for an instant, but she nodded, drying her hands on her apron. I went upstairs to the attic, where I found Lucy coming out the door. She closed it gently.
“Did you tell Edward that your father is on his way?” I said.
She nodded. “Yes, and about the deaths last night. He’s feeling much stronger. He can help us.”
“I’m gathering the staff later this morning—be ready to bring him downstairs, but wait for my signal.”
A few hours later, I paused just outside the open library doorway. I could hear the somber voices of the girls inside, gathered and awaiting me. One of them was still sobbing over the tragedy. Pity twisted at my heart. They were my responsibility now. I had never wanted to be a mother, and yet now I had six young girls and Lily and Moira, all of them looking to me for guidance.
I leaned against the doorway, trying to steady my breath.
A gentle hand brushed my back.
Montgomery was dressed in the dark work trousers and faded shirt that he had worn so often on the island. My heart pounded to see him like this, so wild, looking just like he had when I’d first fallen in love with him.
“McKenna told me you’d gathered everyone,” he said. “I assume you’re going to tell them about Radcliffe. Have you decided what to do?”
I nodded. Part of me wanted to tell Montgomery about Edward in private, but I forced myself to wait. He might try to convince me not to tell the others, but we needed Edward too much. I couldn’t afford to have Montgomery contradict me.
I clutched his arm on impulse. “Whatever happens, please trust me,” I said. “If I’ve ever kept secrets from you, it’s because I had no choice. Marrying you was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
He leaned in and placed a kiss on the center of my forehead. “I would follow you to the ends of the earth if you asked. They will, too.”
We entered the library and all eyes turned to me. Lily and Moira sat on opposite sofas, each with a girl in her lap, and the rest of the girls sat cross-legged on the rug, corralled in by McKenna and Carlyle. Jack Serra and a handful of his troupe hung about in the back, blending into the shadows. The girls’ faces were splotchy from crying, but their round eyes found mine almost beseechingly, and I realized how desperate they were for a leader.
“Listen to Miss Juliet, girls,” McKenna prodded gently. “She’s your mistress now.”
“Is this about a funeral for the mistress and Master Hensley?” Lily asked, hugging the girl in her lap.
“No,” I stammered, and then touched Jack’s charm beneath my dress, centering myself. “There will be a funeral, but not today. I encourage you all to find time to say your own prayers of farewell to them both; I know how much they meant to you, and when we are able to, we will commemorate this tragedy with all the respect they deserve.”
The little girls just stared with wide eyes, but Moira and Lily exchanged a troubled glance with McKenna.
I looked at Montgomery, and he gave me a slight nod of encouragement.
“I’m afraid Ballentyne is facing a new danger,” I said. “A gentleman by the name of John Radcliffe is on his way here from London, as we speak. I have reason to believe he intends my friends and me harm, as well as anyone we are associated with.” I motioned to the carnival troupe in the back. “Jack Serra and his men have been spying on him. They’ve reported that he has plans to attack this household. We believe he’s seeking retribution for the deaths of several of his associates. It’s true that we’re responsible for those deaths, but we didn’t have a choice. They intended to release deadly creatures in a public square that would have killed hundreds of people.” I paused long enough to take a deep breath. “Our best option is to fight him off. We’ll have to strengthen the defenses and gather as many weapons as we can. I won’t ask anyone to stay; I don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way, and we shall hide the younger girls in the barn just as we did with the Beast. Lucy shall stay with them. This man, Radcliffe, is her father. It will be better this way, so she won’t have to face him.”
An image flashed in my head. I pictured the red door to my own father’s island laboratory, the doorknob under my hand, Jaguar slinking along the shadows ready to tear him apart if I would only twist that knob.
Through the crowd, my eyes met Jack Serra’s. No, I would not force Lucy to make the same impossible choices I had.