Moonlight Secrets (#2 Penderry's Bizarre)

Chapter Six

Bunny and Anju wandered around Jim Penderry's study, exploring the many strange knick-knacks on display. Shelves housed foreign artefacts, glass jars filled with peculiar things, and books; one of which Mr Westman was reading by the window. On the walls, Bunny discovered maps, masks and a straw doll.

An ageing woman in an apron traipsed into the room, looking as mild-tempered as a Bulldog chewing a wasp. She stopped where Jim sat at his desk and clapped a wet compress over his bruised eye.

Jim sucked in a surprised breath. "Ow! Esme."

The servant, Esme, mumbled something about taking down the swelling then walked out. Anju went back to peering into a crystal ball while Bunny picked up a jar of murky red liquid.

Jim held the cold cloth over his eye and leaned back in his chair. "That's blood rain from the Isle of Wight."

She placed down the jar and examined a bundle of talismans on chains. "So, this is what you do?"

"Fascinating, isn't it? There's a whole other world existing alongside us. The world of the supernatural."

"This is quite a curious collection."

"I've travelled around the country a bit. This is my latest acquisition." He indicated to a phial on his desk.

Bunny picked up the little bottle of hair and her brow furrowed. "Is this..?"

"Found at the scene of the crime, so-to-speak," said Westman. He didn't glance up from the open book in his hands.

Jim nodded. "Werewolf fur. I have a theory that the colour of that fur will match the attacker's human hair."

Bunny lifted the specimen into a shaft of dusty daylight. "A dark-haired individual. But not young. I see a lot of grey."

The servant with the eye-patch entered the study, the sleeves of his great coat swishing at his sides. His face glowed pink from the cold. "I've brought the carriage round like you wanted, Mr Westman, sir."

"Thank you, Blinks. Take the young ladies home and then return for me directly."

Surprised, Bunny turned to Westman. "Oh, we don't wish to impose. We can walk home."

Westman closed the book and looked at her. "Walk? All the way to Hammersmith with a heavy trunk?"

"Trunk?"

"Yes. Didn't Mr Penderry tell you? Your luggage is found."

"Found?" Her spirits lifted, and she exchanged a smile with Anju. "Oh, thank you. Thank you, both."

"Not at all." Jim stood and went to a rack of tincture bottles in a cabinet. He sifted through them one-handed, checking the labels before selecting one. "I'll show you to the door."

Blinks went ahead and Jim led Bunny and Anju along the hallway. He kept one white shirtsleeve raised, his elbow jutting out, and a hand clamped to the compress on his face.

"You know, back home we put ghee, I mean butter, on bruises," Bunny told him. "It stops them turning a nasty shade."

Jim paused and peered into a mirror on the wall. He lifted the cloth and grimaced. "I'll try it."

Bunny let Anju continue to the carriage while she joined Jim in front of the mirror. A split in his lip glistened, and the skin covering his brow bone and the tip of his cheek blazed deep red. But the swelling was minimal, thank goodness.

"Hm. It's not too bad. I've seen worse," said Bunny.

It was true. She'd seen wounded soldiers return from combat.