Samuel scoffed. "Fire starting I can believe, almost, but ghosts are purely in the realm of fantasy."
"You think that because you can't see them," Langley said.
"Can you?"
"No, but others can."
Samuel snorted. "I thought you were a man of science and reason, Mr. Langley."
"And I thought you were a natural hypnotist born with that ability, Samuel," I said. "Can you explain that ?" It wasn't often I felt compelled to defend August Langley. Indeed, make that never . But Samuel was being particularly obstinate in this case, and it wasn't fair to accuse Langley of setting aside his scientific reasoning. It was because he was a scientist that he believed in the paranormal. He'd seen evidence of it enough through Jack's fire starting.
"It would seem I'm out-witted," Samuel said with a slight bow to me. "I'll concede that ghosts may indeed exist, but I don't understand why Jack could see it and we couldn't."
"Perhaps he's a spirit medium," Sylvia said. "Like that Mrs. Beaufort."
"Perhaps," I said, although I thought it unlikely since he'd never seen a ghost until now.
"Once again," Samuel said with barely contained patience, "I am in the dark. Who is Mrs. Beaufort?"
"A spirit medium of course," Sylvia said with a roll of her eyes. "One of the few legitimate ones. Uncle August met her years ago, didn't you, Uncle?"
Langley nodded. "She is also the patroness of a school for orphans in London."
" And married to a viscount's heir," Sylvia added with a sigh. "What a thrilling life."
"I don't think I'd want to be able to see ghosts," Tommy said. He'd been standing so quietly off to the side that I'd almost forgotten he was there. I felt a little guilty. I'd not thought the servants would ever become invisible to me, but it seemed I was little better than Langley and Sylvia in that regard. Samuel and Jack always seemed aware when a servant was in the room and spoke to them like they were real people, but Sylvia and her uncle treated the servants as if they were a piece of furniture, functional but not worthy of much attention. I didn't want to become like them.
"Nor I," I said. "It's quite enough to be able to start fires, thank you. I'm sure Jack would agree if he were here."
Samuel went to stand by the window. There was still no sign of Jack. I didn't want to think about him out there. Didn't want to think about how he was going to find that…thing, and if he did, what he'd do. Nor did I want to think about the dead body in the trench. We still had to notify the police, the man's family...oh God.
"You need a name for it," Sylvia declared suddenly.
"Pardon?" I asked.
"A name. For the fire starting. Someone who sees ghosts is called a medium, someone who sees the future is known as a seer, so what should we call you and Jack? We need a word that rolls off the tongue."
"What's wrong with fire starter?" I asked.
"It sounds awkward and consists of two words. One would be better." Her hands twisted in her lap, over and over. I knew her well enough to know that she was worried about Jack but determined not to show it. If there was one thing she would never admit, it was that she cared for her cousin. They may disagree often and tease each other mercilessly, but they were family.
"Sylvia, you're being ridiculous," Langley scolded. "This is not the time to think of such frivolities."
I certainly didn't agree with him about that. Now was exactly the time. We all needed a distraction from the painful wait for Jack to return. "Does anyone know the Latin word for fire?"
"Ignis," Samuel said. "Or there's flamma meaning flame and inflammo is torch."
"Torch isn't quite right, but I like flamma," said Sylvia. "What about autoflamma? Self-flaming."
I screwed up my nose. "It doesn't have the right ring to it."
"And you're mixing Greek and Latin," Samuel said.
There was a knock on the front door of the house. "Jack!" Sylvia cried, leaping off the settee, our exercise in linguistics forgotten.
We followed her out to the entrance
"You think that because you can't see them," Langley said.
"Can you?"
"No, but others can."
Samuel snorted. "I thought you were a man of science and reason, Mr. Langley."
"And I thought you were a natural hypnotist born with that ability, Samuel," I said. "Can you explain that ?" It wasn't often I felt compelled to defend August Langley. Indeed, make that never . But Samuel was being particularly obstinate in this case, and it wasn't fair to accuse Langley of setting aside his scientific reasoning. It was because he was a scientist that he believed in the paranormal. He'd seen evidence of it enough through Jack's fire starting.
"It would seem I'm out-witted," Samuel said with a slight bow to me. "I'll concede that ghosts may indeed exist, but I don't understand why Jack could see it and we couldn't."
"Perhaps he's a spirit medium," Sylvia said. "Like that Mrs. Beaufort."
"Perhaps," I said, although I thought it unlikely since he'd never seen a ghost until now.
"Once again," Samuel said with barely contained patience, "I am in the dark. Who is Mrs. Beaufort?"
"A spirit medium of course," Sylvia said with a roll of her eyes. "One of the few legitimate ones. Uncle August met her years ago, didn't you, Uncle?"
Langley nodded. "She is also the patroness of a school for orphans in London."
" And married to a viscount's heir," Sylvia added with a sigh. "What a thrilling life."
"I don't think I'd want to be able to see ghosts," Tommy said. He'd been standing so quietly off to the side that I'd almost forgotten he was there. I felt a little guilty. I'd not thought the servants would ever become invisible to me, but it seemed I was little better than Langley and Sylvia in that regard. Samuel and Jack always seemed aware when a servant was in the room and spoke to them like they were real people, but Sylvia and her uncle treated the servants as if they were a piece of furniture, functional but not worthy of much attention. I didn't want to become like them.
"Nor I," I said. "It's quite enough to be able to start fires, thank you. I'm sure Jack would agree if he were here."
Samuel went to stand by the window. There was still no sign of Jack. I didn't want to think about him out there. Didn't want to think about how he was going to find that…thing, and if he did, what he'd do. Nor did I want to think about the dead body in the trench. We still had to notify the police, the man's family...oh God.
"You need a name for it," Sylvia declared suddenly.
"Pardon?" I asked.
"A name. For the fire starting. Someone who sees ghosts is called a medium, someone who sees the future is known as a seer, so what should we call you and Jack? We need a word that rolls off the tongue."
"What's wrong with fire starter?" I asked.
"It sounds awkward and consists of two words. One would be better." Her hands twisted in her lap, over and over. I knew her well enough to know that she was worried about Jack but determined not to show it. If there was one thing she would never admit, it was that she cared for her cousin. They may disagree often and tease each other mercilessly, but they were family.
"Sylvia, you're being ridiculous," Langley scolded. "This is not the time to think of such frivolities."
I certainly didn't agree with him about that. Now was exactly the time. We all needed a distraction from the painful wait for Jack to return. "Does anyone know the Latin word for fire?"
"Ignis," Samuel said. "Or there's flamma meaning flame and inflammo is torch."
"Torch isn't quite right, but I like flamma," said Sylvia. "What about autoflamma? Self-flaming."
I screwed up my nose. "It doesn't have the right ring to it."
"And you're mixing Greek and Latin," Samuel said.
There was a knock on the front door of the house. "Jack!" Sylvia cried, leaping off the settee, our exercise in linguistics forgotten.
We followed her out to the entrance
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