Chapter 507: Chapter 507

Unless one actively sought out the supernatural, like Miss Lindsay, ordinary people were blind to the spirits that haunted their world. So it was that Mr. Nelly couldn't truly sense what had been lurking beside him. After the ordeal was over, he simply told Jenkins that he suddenly felt a great weight lift from his chest, though he couldn't explain why.

He would need a few days to be certain Jenkins's method had worked. Still, he stressed again and again:

"Baron Williamette, you must not speak of what happened today..."

"You have my word, sir," Jenkins pledged, raising a hand.

It was nearly evening by the time he left the inn. With time to spare, Jenkins stopped by a pastry shop to buy a small cake, a treat to celebrate a fortunate day—a decision his cat, Chocolate, wholeheartedly approved of. As he walked down St. George Street, box in hand, fending off Chocolate's persistent attempts to clamber down his arm, he looked up to a surprising sight: a carriage parked right in front of his house.

This was no public cab, but a private coach, drawn by fine horses and boasting a lavishly appointed carriage. Its exterior was coated in a lustrous white lacquer, and just below the window, a family crest was emblazoned.

"The Hersha family crest," Jenkins murmured to himself. "Hathaway's here... But why arrive in such a conspicuous carriage? Hasn't she always been so careful about being publicly associated with me?"

He quickened his pace, and sure enough, it was Hathaway who had come to call on him.

Accompanying the carriage were two maids and the Hersha family's hired coachman. The man had a fierce-looking face; Jenkins suspected Earl Hersha had recruited him straight from the military.

"It's quite all right, I haven't been waiting long."

As she spoke, she gave him a subtle look, a clear warning to watch what he said. Jenkins gave a slight nod in return.

The woman in Jenkins's home was Hathaway Hersha, the Earl's daughter—not an unregistered Benefactor, nor the secret lover of a certain young nobleman. Her every movement was impeccable, her smile utterly flawless.

It was a formal call, and the reason for it was an invitation for Jenkins to attend a dinner party at the Earl's estate on Sunday evening.

"A family dinner? Not the kind of party where you invite dozens of friends?"

Hathaway blinked, her lovely lashes fluttering. "Yes. Will you come?"

He ran a hand over the invitation. "Of course. It would be my honor."

He hadn't yet grasped the full implications of the invitation, but he trusted Hathaway wouldn't lead him into a trap.

The young noblewoman departed soon after, and Jenkins's hired maid arrived just as she left. He ate his dinner, and after a brief struggle with Chocolate, finally surrendered a quarter of the cake to the determined feline. The cat trotted off to play with its Life Pearl before the hearth, leaving Jenkins to settle onto the sofa and examine the earring he had acquired that afternoon.

At eight o'clock sharp, the bell on the front gate chimed.

"I had a feeling you'd be back tonight," Jenkins said, opening the door for her. "There were things you couldn't say this afternoon, weren't there?"

He ushered the red-haired woman inside. She looked a little flustered.

"I'm sorry," she began. "For visiting so formally earlier."

"It's fine," he replied. "I've told you before, you're welcome here anytime."

The small table before the fireplace was cluttered with an assortment of things. A half-finished ink paw print, courtesy of Chocolate, marked a sheet of scratch paper covered in mathematical formulas. A wooden platter held a bunch of grapes, the day's yield from Mr. Hunt's Fruit Platter.

"Please, sit anywhere," he offered. "No need to be formal."

He took Hathaway's coat and hat, hanging them on a hook in the entryway before turning toward the kitchen to prepare some tea.

"Don't trouble yourself."

Hathaway stopped him, and they sat down together.

"Your dress is lovely."

"I know I said compliments were effective, but you don't need to offer one every time."

As Hathaway spoke, her gaze drifted to the hearth, where Chocolate was watching her intently. The cat's eyes were unnervingly intelligent, more human than feline.

"Has Chocolate gotten smarter recently?"

She knew Jenkins's cat had consumed an extraordinary potion and was still developing rapidly. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel✶fire.net

"He has," Jenkins confirmed. "He can now find any food I hide in the kitchen. His sense of smell seems to be developing far faster than his intellect."

The cat kneaded its claws into the carpet.

"What were you doing just now?"

The obligatory small talk had to come before the real topic of their conversation.

"I acquired a peculiar item this afternoon," he explained. "I was just trying to figure out what it does."

With that, he picked up the diamond earring he had casually placed on the table and handed it to Hathaway.

Hathaway looked at him as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Are you certain this is a cataloged item, and not just something enchanted through a ritual?"

"Of course. I'm certain it's a Series B Extraordinary item! I know where it came from, so I'm fairly sure it bears no ill will toward humans. I tried holding it to my ear a moment ago, but nothing happened... Perhaps it only works for certain people?"

Hearing his words, Hathaway looked down at the earring lying in her palm.

"I think we can skip the pointless formalities."

The woman by the hearth shot him a playful glare, but she was well-acquainted with his blunt nature and wasn't truly surprised by the comment.

Jenkins commented after she put it on.

"Like I said, you don't have to..."

"No, Hathaway," he interjected. "That wasn't a platitude. I genuinely mean it."

At his words, a faint blush crept onto the red-haired woman's cheeks. She lifted a hand to her ear, touching the ornament and half-shielding her face in the process.

Chocolate's tail swished back and forth as it rested on Jenkins's lap, content to be petted. Now and then, it would crack open an eye to glance at Hathaway before closing it again, completely unconcerned.

"I think I understand what it does now."

"You might not have noticed," she began, "but when you wear the earring and concentrate, any sounds in the direction you focus on become exceptionally clear."

She turned her delicate profile toward him, removing the earring and offering it back. Jenkins didn't take it.

"Then you should hold onto it for now," he said. "I certainly can't go out wearing such a conspicuous earring. That would be far too embarrassing!"

Jenkins had only held it beside his ear, as he had no piercing and no intention of getting one. That, he supposed, was why he hadn't discovered its proper use.