Chapter Fourteen
At ten the next morning I knocked on Ellis’s door, hoping to catch him alone. He wasn’t there.
As I descended the stairs, I could see Anna dusting a heavy silver candlestick on the mantelpiece, her face as pinched as if she’d eaten a green persimmon.
I wondered if she’d heard about the scene from the night before. Then I wondered how I was ever going to face any of the customers at the bar again, never mind Mr. Ross.
Hank and Ellis were sitting at a table, wearing layers of heavy wool and hobnailed boots. Bags and equipment were heaped on the floor beside them, along with their coats, hats, and gloves. I couldn’t believe it. They were going to leave again.
I sailed past and took a seat by the window.
Ellis joined me immediately. “Darling, what’s wrong?”
I tipped my head at the pile of bags by Hank’s feet. “Were you at least going to leave me a note this time?” I said, trying to keep my voice down.
“About what?” He glanced over and looked back, surprised. “That? That’s our field equipment. We were waiting for you to get up. But I gather from your question you’re upset we went to Inverness.”
“Without me,” I said in an urgent whisper. “What if the landlord had thrown me out?”
Anna’s duster was poised above the mantel, its feathers quivering. It was perfectly clear she could hear every word.
“I knew full well Blackbeard wasn’t going to throw you out.”
“How?” I demanded, no longer bothering to whisper.
“I asked him, obviously.”
Anna slammed the duster down and stomped into the kitchen.
“You still could have left me a note,” I said.
Ellis reached across the table and took both my hands. “Darling, that girl was supposed to tell you. And it’s not like I was trying to keep anything from you—Hank and I only realized at breakfast that we needed to get ration books and gas masks immediately or we’d all starve to death, never mind the other possibility. It didn’t even occur to me you’d want to join us. We had to beg a ride in the back of a paraffin van. It reeked to high heaven and we had to crouch the whole way. You’d have been miserable.” He tilted his head, trying to catch my eyes. “Darling? Is something else the matter? You still look upset.”
“Well, I am. Of course.”
“About what?” he asked.
“What do you think?”
His face went blank. “Maddie, I have absolutely no idea.”
“He doesn’t remember a thing,” Hank called over from the other table. “One too many libations, I’m afraid.”
“You called me a very rude name last night,” I said. “Very rude. In public.”
Ellis frowned. “I would never do that. Surely you misheard.”
“I don’t think she did,” Hank piped up. “I’m pretty sure everyone in the room heard. Shall I join you, or would you prefer I continue to fill in the blanks by shouting across the room?”
“What did I say?” Ellis asked.
“I don’t care to repeat it,” I replied.
Ellis squeezed my hands. “Maddie, I’m so sorry. If it’s true, I’d clearly had too much to drink—I would never slight you in my right mind. I adore you.”
I trained my eyes on the fireplace beyond him, but he took my chin and aimed my face at his. He raised his eyebrows questioningly, beseechingly.
After several seconds, I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“That’s my girl,” he said, breaking into a wide grin.
“If we’re all peachy again, can we get this show on the road? The sun is up, so the clock is ticking,” Hank said. “Maddie, darling girl, while you look absolutely stunning, you can’t tromp around the scrub in that getup. Didn’t you bring something a little more…” He stirred the air beside his head with one finger. “I don’t know, Rosie the Riveter?”