Box of Secrets, Page 2

  “No.” It was the lack of a note that worried Piper the most. Over the years, she’d grown used to her father’s erratic obsession for seeking out the rare and unusual—which had only grown worse after Piper grew old enough to no longer need a babysitter—but leaving no message was totally out of character for him. She leaned back in her chair and traced the line of a coffee cup ring on the table’s surface. “But he might have had to leave in a rush and travel further this time.”

  “And you think he’s spent the last six months hunting down some super-duper, special antique, somewhere where he can’t even get word to his daughter to let her know he’s alive? Come on. I don’t want to sound harsh, but even you aren’t that naive. Admit it. There are only two possibilities for his silence: either he doesn’t want to get in touch, or he can’t.”

  Piper hated hearing the truth spoken aloud. It was something she’d been denying and making excuses about for months, convinced he would stride through the door one day as if he’d never left. But Maddie was right. It had been too long. Wherever he was, he should have made an attempt to contact her. Maybe it was time to accept that he’d left her for good, just as her mother had all those years ago, and work out a way to deal with the situation—like how she was going to keep a roof over her head with no money coming in? Perhaps it was time to pay a visit to the bank.

  “I’ve got to go,” Maddie said, standing up. “Are you sure I can’t persuade you to come out?”

  “Not tonight.”

  “You don’t know what you’re missing,” she chirped as she left.

  Piper sighed as the walls closed in again. Tiny flowers faded into a drab background on wallpaper that had been up so long she’d forgotten what colour it used to be. A night away from them did sound appealing. Giving up college life to ensure the business stayed afloat until her father’s return was sacrifice enough. Did she really have to wave goodbye to her social life, too? After all, she was only seventeen.

  Picking up the pencil rubbing, she stared at it. There was something about the key that called to her. She looked at the letter and back to the key. What was the connection?

  A noise downstairs startled her from her thoughts. Maybe Maddie had forgotten something? Piper held her breath and listened intently for footsteps coming up the wooden stairs, but was met with silence. It was probably nothing, but a churning in the pit of her stomach wouldn’t allow her to ignore the fact that she had heard something. She opened the door and crept down the staircase with her heart flickering wildly in her throat.

  There were two doors at the bottom. One directly opposite the last step, which led to the side street outside and was left unlocked until bedtime, and another to the left, giving access to the shop. Piper locked that one when she closed the shop for the day, and double-checked it when she secured the street door at night. Although, it wouldn’t hurt to get extra verification. Turning the handle confirmed she had not been remiss with the security, but unsatisfied, she investigated further.

  The shop was just as Piper had left it, with the catch down on the front door and everything where it should be. She went to the window and looked out at the inky sky speckled with a sprinkling of stars, wondering if she was going mad. Six months in solitary could do that to a person, she’d heard.

  Across the road, a couple of giggling girls walked into view. Piper ignored her twinge of jealousy as she noted they were dressed for a night on the town. They walked past a boy standing in the doorway of the hardware shop, and one of them took a step back to glance at him. She whispered something in her friend’s ear before they continued on their way. The boy didn’t acknowledge them. In fact, he appeared not to notice them at all; he was too busy staring... at Piper.

  Chapter Four

  LAMBERT HAD NO IDEA where he was. The room full of strange objects was not where he was used to waking up, and when he heard someone approaching, he knew he had to get out of there. Danger he was used to, but in order to face it, he had to know what he was dealing with, and why. So far, all he knew was that this was an odd place full of unusual buildings and peculiar people. Why had he been sent here?

  He sank into the shadow of a doorway enclosure as two girls drew near. Where he lived, it was frowned upon for young girls to wander the streets at night unescorted, and the clothes they were wearing could only mean they were the sort of girls his mother would not approve of.

  Ignoring them, he studied the building he’d found himself in, a moment ago, and another girl’s face appeared in the window. Her dirty-blonde waves and angular chin reminded him of someone, but it had to be a coincidence. He was clearly far from home, and his brain was probably trying to conjure up any connection it could.

  Her face vanished almost as quickly as it had arrived, and Lambert set off down the street. The girl could wait. His time was limited, and if he wanted to find out the purpose of his enforced visit, he first needed to explore his new environment.

  *****

  Nervous of the boy’s scrutiny, Piper retreated to the flat, but she couldn’t relax. She was clueless as to which of the evening’s events caused her the most unease, but something had changed. She could feel it. So against her better judgement, she changed her work shirt for a camisole, painted on an extra layer of makeup to accentuate her green eyes, and slid her leather jacket from its hanger. The jacket had been a sixteenth birthday present from her father, and she’d always loved the smell of the hide and the silky feel of it against her skin.

  Scooping a few coins from a dish on the sideboard, she hoped there was enough to buy a Coke. It had been a while since she’d been to the club, and the prices had probably gone up. She paused at the door and turned back to the room, before snatching the two pieces of paper from the table and tucking them into her jeans pocket.

  A sharp breeze rippled through the hedgerows and blew dead leaves from the trees as she walked past the park and turned onto the high street. But Piper didn’t notice the slight chill in the autumn air, and a few minutes later, she entered Despots.

  It was quite busy for a Wednesday. Faces turned as she entered the vast room, but none of them belonged to Maddie. Twinkling lights in the two-storey-high ceiling cast a soft glow over the tables below, and to her right, the stage curtains were drawn together—a sure sign that no live acts were playing that night. A staircase led up to a mezzanine level, where students liked to chill out on clusters of beanbags. Piper wondered whether Maddie was up there but decided to get her drink before going to check.

  Behind the bar, Martin the bartender was serving an attractive lady with a mane of brown curls. Piper perched on the neighbouring stool to wait. She pulled the papers from her pocket and placed them on the bar so she could plunder the coins from the depths of her jeans.

  Martin handed the lady her change. “What can I get you?” he asked Piper as she counted out the coins.

  “Um... How much is a Coke?”

  “One-eighty.”

  “I’ll have one, please,” she said, pushing money towards him under the watchful eye of the lady at her side.

  “Interesting key,” the lady said.

  “Huh? Oh.” Piper glanced at the paper unfurling on the counter top. “Yes,” she said, running a finger over the shape.

  “Are you an art student?”

  “No. Why do you ask?”

  “I thought carrying a pencil rubbing around might mean you were doing art at the university. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just... my friend used to study art. I could have introduced you. She has a great studio up at the Towers.”

  “The Towers? Do you mean Lovell Towers? I’ve heard of that place. I’ve always thought there must be a lot of antiques there.”

  “A tad too many, if you ask me.” The lady chuckled and held out her hand. “I’m Beth, by the way.”

  Unsure as to why the lady was being so friendly, Piper gingerly took hold of her fingers and shook them once before letting go. “Piper.”

  “Pretty name. Aren’t you a bit young to be intereste
d in antiques?”

  “My dad has the shop on Blossom Road.”

  “Oh. So you’re the girl whose father disappeared? I remember that. It was in the newspaper. It must be hard not knowing what happened to him.”

  Piper lowered her head. It had been a mistake for her to leave the flat. Wherever she went, there was always somebody asking questions. She had hoped it was old news for the gossips, but clearly infamy stuck around.

  “Have I upset you?” Beth asked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. My big mouth doesn’t know when to shut up sometimes.” She tapped the paper. “Do you mind if I have a look?”

  Piper shook her head. Anything to get away from the subject of her absent father.

  “You know, I think I’ve seen a key like this before, but I can’t for the life of me remember where. Is this another one?” she asked, unfolding the letter before Piper could stop her. “Oops,” she said, scanning the page and making no attempt to put it back down. “There I go again, poking my nose into your business. I hope this isn’t personal.”

  “No. It’s nothing.”

  “These names,” she said, lines creasing her brow as she squinted at the print.

  “What about them?”

  “Where did you get this?”

  “It’s just something I found at the shop. Why?”

  “They look familiar, too.”

  “Do you know who they are?”

  Beth twisted her bottom lip, lost in thought as she shook her head. “I don’t think so. They’re probably just similar to something I’ve read in the Towers’ library. But I read so much, it all becomes a bit muddled after a while.”

  “I know what you mean. I feel the same way about all the textbooks I have to read for college. I mean, I love reading, but I can’t wait until the time I can pick up a book and read for pleasure again.”

  “In that case, you should visit the Towers sometime. They have hundreds of rare and fascinating books,” Beth said. “I never used to read, but now I can’t seem to stop.”

  “Is it open to the public?”

  Beth laughed softly. “No, but I’m sure Sophie wouldn’t mind. She’d never admit to it, but she gets bored up there on her own. Her husband works away a lot, and I can’t always be there to keep her company. I think she’d appreciate a new face around the place, and with your obvious interest in history, I’m sure you’d find the selection of books... enlightening.” She smiled.

  Piper forced a weak smile in return. “Sounds amazing, but with Dad away, I don’t have a lot of spare time.”

  “Well, it was only a thought. You might change your mind.” She waved at someone behind Piper’s head. “My date’s arrived. It was nice to meet you, Piper. I’m going to take a wild guess and say we’ll see each other again... very soon.”

  Piper watched her leave and was shocked to find she’d finished most of her drink as they’d been talking. She stared at the dregs and sighed. So much for making one Coke last all evening. There wasn’t much point seeking out Maddie now. She might as well head off home.

  *****

  Standing unnoticed in a dark corner of the club, Lambert studied the two women with curiosity. He’d grown cold walking the streets and had sought the warmth of a tavern, but this was the most unusual drinking hole he’d ever visited. Loud music played without musicians and bright lights were conjured up without fire—much like atop the stone sticks outside. This was a fantastical land, the likes of which he’d never encountered before, but at least his discoveries proved one thing: magic was at work in this town, and that meant he’d been sent to his own kind. Whether they were the good kind or the bad kind remained to be seen. He prayed for the good kind and that whoever had sent him was thinking of his protection, not his destruction.

  The woman at the bar greeted a gentleman. Her aura was clear. He knew precisely what kind she was, but the girl... She was something different entirely. And he’d been sent to her. Why?

  She got up to leave, and he followed, knowing his time was coming to an end and that he couldn’t let his first night pass without gaining some information, however small, to evaluate during his confinement. When she arrived at the shop, he emerged from the shadows.

  “Excuse me, miss.”

  *****

  Piper paused with her key in the lock and spun around, wide-eyed. “Jeez. Do you get a kick out of sneaking up on people like that?”

  “I am unsure of your meaning.”

  “You could have killed me.”

  “I assure you, miss, I hold no weapon.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” His eyes, the colour of a newly budding leaf, were enough of a weapon all on their own, cutting into hers, alert and unyielding. “What do you want?”

  “Merely some information.”

  “Such as?”

  “I understand you may have come into possession of a rather unusual box today.”

  “And how would you know that?”

  “I have my sources.”

  Tearing her eyes away from his stare to afford the boy a top-to-toe assessment, Piper noted his unusual attire: trousers made from a brushed material, and a rough linen, loosely fitting shirt, open at the neck and partially covered by a leather waistcoat. “Yeah. I got a box. What of it?”

  “I was hoping you could enlighten me as to who gave it to you.”

  “Sold it to me, you mean. I bought it fair and square, so if you want it, it’s going to cost you.”

  “I am not wishing to purchase it, merely interested in from whom you acquired it.”

  Piper thought for a moment. If she couldn’t sell it to him, maybe the box could earn its keep another way. Information held value too. “Why?”

  “That I cannot disclose.”

  “Well, I don’t give out customers’ details for free.”

  “I am but a poor traveller, sadly without means.”

  “That’s a shame,” she said, reaching behind her back to turn the key and remove it from the lock, without taking her eyes away from the boy. Fosswell was a small town full of friendly people, and until today, she’d never felt threatened by any of them, but maybe it was time to think about getting some form of protection.

  “Perhaps it would be prudent for me to converse with your master?”

  Piper shot out a small breath. “My master?” Who did this guy think he was? “I have no master.”

  “You are the mistress of this abode?”

  “Whether I am or not is none of your business,” she said, wary of divulging to a stranger that she lived alone. Then, for the second time in a day, she heard two words.

  “My apologies.” His eyes shot to the sky, and he appeared to be searching the stars.

  “Look,” she said, waving the key in front of his face to get his attention, “I’ve had a long day, and as you don’t want to buy the box, I’d appreciate it if you would leave.”

  The stranger stepped back, palms aloft. “Please. There must be something I can offer in exchange for your assistance.”

  “Um... Get out of my face?”

  “Gladly... When you have imparted the information.”

  Piper considered his request. Clearly she wasn’t going to get any money out of him. Oh, what the hell? she thought. She’d have to settle for getting rid of him instead. “Perhaps you should ask the long-haired, black-eyed man to help you out with your poverty. He has a crisp, new fifty-pound note burning a hole in his tailcoat pocket, in exchange for a box I’m beginning to regret purchasing.”

  A soft smile spread across the boy’s face as he inclined his head. “Thank you,” he said, continuing to stare at her.

  “I thought you were leaving.”

  “Yes. Yes. It is late, and you are correct. I must bid you goodnight, but I would like to continue our discussion. Therefore, if it is convenient, I shall call upon you again tomorrow at sunset.”

  Late? It wasn’t even eight o’clock. “Whatever,” Piper said as she slipped through the door, secured it behind her, and leaned against it, makin
g a mental note to keep it locked in future. What was it with all the weirdos coming out of the woodwork today?

  Chapter Five

  UNDER THE CLOAK OF NIGHTFALL, Rixton slipped silently through a door at the rear of his family home and exhaled a breath of relief. It had been an extremely unpleasant journey, one which he had almost failed to complete. He hoped it had been a worthwhile one.

  “Where have you been, boy?” his father bellowed.

  “Locora. Did Ma not tell you?” Rixton said, placing a muslin bag on the kitchen table.

  “She said you had gone for more supplies of cerelli root, but it does not take more than one sun cycle to travel to Locora and back. Your mother was out of her mind thinking the Resistance had claimed you.”

  “You know I would never join them. I believe in the Crown, not the old ways. Besides, I am eighteen years old and prefer fun to fighting. I stayed overnight at the tavern.”

  “Now that, I believe,” his father said, untying the bag and picking up a handful of the dried plant to add to the simmering cauldron. “Always thinking of your own enjoyment before the safety of others.”

  Rixton stared into the pot and watched the armora potion turn blue. He understood his father was scared, and if he wanted to take his anger at the situation out on him, then fine. Better that than to lose his temper out in the open, where those who opposed the Crown lay in wait for anyone who spoke out.

  Lambert had spoken out of turn, and it had landed him in a situation no one would wish for. Luckily, he had friends in high places, and when the queen’s precious secret no longer posed a threat, his friend’s unusual predicament would come to an end. Until then, the queen’s secret had become his own, and he must keep it at all costs.

  Chapter Six

  THE NEXT MORNING DRAGGED, the monotony broken only by an old couple taking a fancy to a figurine in the shop window. The sale of the figurine had brought in enough funds for Piper to be able to eat well for the rest of the week if she wanted to, but she hated to take money from the business for herself. It felt like theft. So when lunchtime arrived, she went to the bank as planned. To her surprise, she was offered an immediate consultation with the manager.