Tess Gerritsen - The Bone Garden - A Novel

— All I've exerted so far is my tongue. —

Wendell stood. — We do need to be going anyway. —

— Wait. You never told me why you came to see my uncle. —

— Oh, nothing really. It's just about that West End business. —

— You mean the Reaper? — Charles's attention perked up. — I heard they found Dr. Berry's body. —

Eliza cut in: — Who told you that? —

— The maids were talking about it. —

— They shouldn't have. I want nothing to upset you. —

— I'm not upset. I want to hear the latest. —

— Not tonight, — said Eliza, curtly ending the conversation. — I'll see your friends out now. —

She accompanied Wendell and Norris down the stairs to the front door. As the two men stepped out, she said: — While Charles welcomes your visits, I do hope that next time you'll keep the conversation on pleasant and uplifting subjects. Kitty and Gwen Welliver were here this afternoon, and they practically filled his room with laughter. The kind of happy chatter he needs to hear, especially around Christmas. —

From the brainless Welliver sisters? Norris preferred to be comatose. But all he said was, — We'll remember that, Mrs. Lackaway. Good night. —

Outside, he and Wendell paused on Beacon Street, their breath clouding in the cold, and watched a lone horse and rider clop past, the man hunched deep within his greatcoat.

— Dr. Grenville is right, you know, — said Wendell. — The child would be much better off here, with him. We should have taken him up on the offer. —

— It's not our decision. The choice is Rose's. —

— You trust her judgment that completely? —

— Yes, I do. — Norris stared up the street as the horse and rider faded into the darkness up Beacon Street. — I think she's the wisest girl I've ever met. —

— You are besotted with her, aren't you? —

— I respect her. And yes, I'm fond of her— who wouldn't be? She has the most generous heart. —

— The word is besotted, Norris. Bewitched. In love. — Wendell gave a knowing sigh. — And clearly she's just as besotted with you. —

Norris frowned. — What? —

— Haven't you seen the way she looks at you, the way she hangs on your every word? The way she's tidied up your room and mended your coat and done everything possible to please you? Do you need any more obvious clue that she's in love with you? —

— In love? —

— Open your eyes, man! — Wendell laughed and gave him a clap on the shoulder. — I must go home for the holiday. I take it you're going to Belmont? —

Norris was still stunned by what Wendell had just said. — Yes, — he said, dazed. — My father expects me. —

— What about Rose? —

What about Rose, indeed?

She was all Norris thought about after he and Wendell parted. As he walked back to his lodgings, he wondered if his friend could possibly be right. Rose in love with him? He'd been oblivious to it. But I never looked for it, either .

From the street below, he could see candlelight flickering in his attic window. She's still awake, he thought, and suddenly he could not wait to see her. He climbed the stairs, feeling more anxious with each step. By the time he opened the door, his heart was pounding as much from anticipation as from exertion.

Rose had fallen asleep at the desk, her head resting on her folded arms, Wistar's Anatomy lying open before her. Looking over her shoulder, he saw that she'd been looking at an illustration of the heart, and he thought: What an extraordinary girl. The candle had guttered down to a mere puddle of wax, so he lit another. As he gently closed the cover of Wistar's, Rose stirred awake.

— Oh, — she murmured, lifting her head. — You're back. —

He watched her stretch, her neck arching, her hair tumbling loose. Looking into her face, he saw no artifice, no guile, just a drowsy girl trying to shake off sleep. The shawl she'd draped around her shoulders was of coarse, dun-colored wool, and when she wiped her hand across her cheek, she left behind a cindery smudge. He thought of how different she was from the Welliver sisters with their silk gowns and pretty fringed scarves and fine Morocco leather boots. There was not a moment, keeping company with those sisters, when he'd felt he was actually seeing them for who they were, so skilled were they at the dishonest game of flirtation. Not like this girl, who openly yawned and rubbed her eyes as naturally as any child awakening from a nap.

She looked up at him. — Did you tell him? What did he say? —

— Dr. Grenville reserves judgment. He wants to hear the story from your own lips. — He leaned in close and placed his hand on her shoulder. — Rose, he made a generous offer, one that both Wendell and I think is for the best. Dr. Grenville has offered to take in Meggie. —

She went rigid. Instead of gratitude, what flashed in her eyes was panic. — Tell me you didn't agree! —

— It would be so much better for her. Safer and healthier. —

— You had no right! — She shot to her feet. Staring into her eyes, Norris saw the primal fierceness of a girl prepared to sacrifice everything for someone she loved. A girl so loyal that she'd endure anything to see her niece survive. — You gave him Meggie ? —

— Rose, I'd never betray your trust! —

— She's not yours to give! —

— Listen to me. Listen. — He took her face in his hands and forced her to meet his gaze. — I told him you're the only one who'll decide. I told him I'd do only what you want. I follow your orders, Rose, whatever your wishes. You're the one who knows best, and I just want you to be happy. —

— You mean that? — she whispered.

— Yes. Truly. —

They stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly her eyes went bright with tears and she pulled away. How small she is, he thought. How fragile. Yet this girl has carried the weight of the world, and its scorn as well. She's quite a pretty girl, Wendell had said. Looking down at her now, Norris saw a pure and honest beauty that glowed even through the smudges of ash, a beauty that the Welliver sisters could never match. They were merely two simpering princesses dressed in satin. This girl had so little to her name, yet she'd taken that half-wit Billy under her wing. She'd scraped together all she owned to buy her sister a decent burial and keep her niece fed.

This is a girl who'd stand by me. Even if I don't deserve it.

— Rose, — he said, — it's time for us to speak of the future. —

— The future? —

— What happens next to you and Meggie. I must be honest: My prospects at the college are dim. I don't know if I can afford to keep this room, much less keep us all fed. —

— You want me to leave. — She said it as a statement of fact, as if no other conclusion was possible. How easy she made it for him just to send her away. How generously she absolved him of all guilt.

— I want you to be safe, — he said.

— I don't break, Norrie. I can live with the truth. Just tell me. —

— Tomorrow, I go home to Belmont. My father expects me for the holiday. I can tell you it won't be a cheerful stay. He's not one for celebration, and I'll probably spend it doing chores around the farm. —

— You needn't explain. — She turned. — I'll be gone in the morning. —

— Yes, you'll be gone. With me. —

Suddenly she turned back to him, her eyes wide with delight. — Go to Belmont? —

— It's the safest place for you both. There'll be fresh milk for Meggie, and a bed of your own. No one will find you there. —

— I can bring her? —

— Of course we'll bring her. I wouldn't dream of leaving her behind. —