"Any progress?"
Doctor Ashburn shook his head. "Whoever did this to her, they were thorough. I'm afraid that I don't know what was used; many poisons present the same symptoms; unconsciousness, muscle weakness, difficulty breathing... the list of possible ailments is long, Lord Arvill." His eyes flickered to the door, which was firmly shut behind him. "Do you know anyone who would want to hurt her?"
"That's exactly what I've been trying to find out," he replied. For some reason, James felt the overwhelming need to whisper; it was silly, really, because it wasn't as if Alicia could hear him in her current state. Even so, he wanted to spare her from the pain of knowing someone had done this intentionally. "I just can't imagine anyone disliking her at all, never mind enough to - wait..."
Quirking a brow, Doctor Ashburn waited.
Agatha. Hadn't Agatha been acting odd for her entire visit? Not just today, in fact, but ever since Alicia had become the children's governess? It was clear that she held some less than savory opinions about Alicia - completely unfounded, of course, but that wasn't the point. Except, they had been friends foryears,Agatha and him; why would she have any desire to hurt his staff?
Because she doesn't see Alicia as just a governess,his mind chided,she sees Alicia as competition.
"Lord Arvill?"
He snapped back to attention with a jolt, eyes going wide. "I think I know who did it."
Doctor Ashburn parted his lips to reply - but James was already darting down the hall. He heard the doctor calling after him, but he was already so far away that the words were lost.
Within moments, he was standing in the foyer, breathing heavily. Organizing horses and a carriage would take too long. The coachman had retired for the evening, too. James glanced outside and saw a cool breeze rustling the trees; he'd have to walk. Soon, he was stumbling past the doors before Archie could protest, shouting a halfhearted excuse about needing to see Agathanow.
Her home was almost twenty minutes away on foot - they lived in the same neighborhood, at least, where the houses were all enormous white buildings with acres of land all to themselves. James' was the largest though, meaning that once he was standing on the street, he could stare down and see the other houses dotting the distance.
Without pausing for breath, James stormed towards Agatha's home. He only passed two other similar homes on the way, as spread out by lands and woods as they were, before he was practicallysprintingalong Agatha's long, narrow driveway.
Somehow, though, James managed to calm himself enough to look presentable as he knocked frantically on the door.Please let me be wrong,he thought, feeling his heart shudder. There was a part of him that simply refused to believe that Agatha could be behind this; but he had to admit that she was the only person who disliked Alicia enough to try something so horrible.
A short, squat doorman answered, brows furrowed as he caught James standing, breathless, on the front steps. "Lord Arvill?" he asked, "It's awfully late-"
"I need to see Agatha. Please. It's important."
The doorman hesitated briefly, eyes dark filled with concern, before stepping aside. "Of course. Please, come in, and I'll see if she's available."
Unlike his own home, there was nowhere to sit in this pearly white foyer. All of the doors were closed, and most likely many of the inhabitants of the house had already retired to bed for the evening. Those thatwereawake wouldn't appreciate the intrusion - but for once, James didn't care if he disturbed someone else.
He waited. And waited. And waited. With each passing minute, James felt his breath hitching more and anxiety growing in his stomach. She didn't seem to want to come at all, and James had the horrible thought that he'd have to leave without ever seeing her-
Then the woman in question swept into the foyer from a room off to the side - the library, James knew - her long hair swirling about her head. "James?" she asked, "My doorman just said that you were here, but I thought he was mistaken. Have you come to apologize for earlier?"
Apologize.It was Agatha that needed to apologize, for treating Alicia in such a way - but their fight wasn't important right now. "Alicia is very ill," he snapped, "and she was fine before you left. Did you do something to her?"
Agatha flinched, physically reeling back. The hurt that flashed across her face made James' heart ache, but then her expression turned cold. "Do you really think I'd do that?Truly,James? I know I can be short tempered and frustrating, but to accuse me of trying to hurt someone-"
"Please," James cut in; and he hated how tears threatened to blur his vision. Blinking them away, he tried again. "Tell me the truth. If you did it, just tell me. I don't have the energy for lies today." He had already lost mother, and then father. James didn't think that he could lose another loved one.
Agatha's eyes fluttered wide, then, and she regarded James with quiet realization. "You really love her, don't you?"
His heart thudded against his ribs, and for a long moment he couldn't form a reply. When he did, it was with a stuttering voice. "I-I don't know what you mean."
Her expression softened, just a little, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I promise you I didn't do anything to Miss Sempill, or anyone else. Whatever happened, it was nothing to do with me. I'm sorry."
He found himself nodding dumbly; yet no matter how much James wanted to believe that Agatha was innocent, he justcouldn't.Agatha had always been selfish and impulsive. Jealous. Yetthis,it was a whole new and horrible kind of cruel. He had never considered that she was capable of cruelty; yet hadn't she only proved that she was, earlier today? She had been so horrible to Alicia, calling her names and acting like she deserved it simply for being there. Was it really so much of a step from feeling jealous, to doing something about it?
When James looked back up,
Agatha’s eyes had filled with tears. She wrenched her hand from his shoulder with a look of disgust. "Don't believe me, then. I know you, James, and you'll believe whatever you want if it fits your own narrative." She stepped back, boots clicking on the tiled floor, and gestured to the door. "If you really think I'm capable of such a thing, then you won't want to stay in my house any longer. I think it's time you left."
He only blinked down at her, brows furrowed. "Agatha-"
"Leave!"Her voice echoed throughout the foyer, bouncing off the high ceilings and making James' headache throb more than ever. "Go back to Alicia and make sure she's okay, but don't bother coming back here until you realize what you've just accused me of."
