Shadows Fall Away Read Online Free

then,” she said. “But I want you to bring the inspector here tonight.”
    Harry nodded. “Yes miss. I’ll just ‘ave a quick bite first then go fetch the Inspector for ya.”
    I turned back and stared at the young man on the table. Sarah had said he was “quality” but he wasn’t really, I realized. But not of the working class either, despite his build that hinted at physical labor. The material of his suit was of decent fabric, but not posh. His boots, as well seemed to be a bit above average. His pocket watch appeared to be well used and either he had lost his fob or had never bothered with one.
    He was a mystery, I thought as I noted his unfashionably-cut dark hair. Not of the upper class, not lower, and yet not quite fitting in the middle either.
    I suppose if I were possessed of Phoebe’s disposition, I might suspect the clothing was stolen. Father would no doubt suggest that it was far more probable that all of these discrepancies could be accounted for by the fact that he was an American. Mother would simply sniff and turn her back since he was obviously not one of her “gallant lads” who’d served in the British Army. Then she would suggest as she often did, that I concentrate on finding a suitable husband.
    But I wasn’t like any of them. I was intrigued by the pieces that represented this human puzzle and the pieces simply didn’t fit.
    And, I fully intended, when Father wasn’t watching, to try and have a much closer look at the American’s strange, small clothes.

Chapter Three
     
    Genie
     
    “I imagine he’ll be coming around soon,” Father remarked after I’d changed into a dry dress and returned to the surgery. “He called for that woman again. Agatha, I believe.”
    I stepped closer to the table, wondering who this Agatha was. His mother most likely. But Inspector Fraser didn’t have a sister named Agatha. My thoughts broke off at the sound of Father’s voice.
    “I’m going to pop into my study for a cigar. Have Sarah come sit with the lad.”
    My heart raced, but I managed a frown. “I am perfectly capable of remaining here to keep watch over him, Father.”
    He appeared ready to protest but simply nodded as he usually did when he knew my mind was set, and exited the surgery, leaving the door open.
    After his footsteps died away, I partially closed the door then returned to my place near the examining table. I stared down at the American’s attractive face, but my thoughts kept drifting back to those strange underclothes he’d been wearing.
    Father had allowed me only limited training as a nurse and, despite Phoebe’s insinuations, I had only the vaguest idea of the male part of the “mechanisms” that governed conception. Even though this man wasn’t mature and by no means brawny, there had been a noticeable bulge in his small clothes. I lifted the sheet to look more closely. My cheeks grew hot as monstrous images of what might be causing that bulge ran through my mind, images fueled mostly by the lewd comments of the West End women. I rather suspected they were not seeing the matter scientifically but, at the moment, neither was I. The women went on about men who got hard as bricks and those than couldn’t. This one didn’t seem brick hard, but he didn’t seem to be “soft” in that way either. Would one tiny touch really be so horrid?
    I dropped the sheet as if it were on fire. How could I even dare think of such a thing? Wait. There’d been something else. A scar, low on his abdomen off to the right side. It mightn’t have been a scar, though. There was a chance it was a tattoo of some sort. If it was it might lead to his identity. And that would be important if Inspector Fraser proved not to know him. I took a deep breath and plucked up the edge of the sheet again. After all, it was my duty to look.
     
    ***
     
    Mark
     
    The sense of smell returned first.
    Medicinal. No.
    Flowery. Sort of.
    I felt something hard beneath me. Hard but covered in leather or