“I have, but I don’t have my memory. And I need to know who I am.”
“What do you know about yourself so far?” Christopher asked without so much as a blink of surprise. Adaptability was an attractive trait in a man.
As he cut a wedge of cheese, Victor replied, “He’s educated, can read and write, with good manners and a fine mind. Good teeth. No pox scars. Knows Latin. He can navigate by the stars, and I’d wager he could tell you the botanical name of every plant in this courtyard. He can ride better than I and load a pistol. I believe him to be a gentleman of excellent standing.”
Christopher plainly did not like this assessment. “Right.”
Will noticed, and continued his explanation. “The Frankensteins have been doing everything in their power to help me find out where I came from, and they have given me the very shirt on my back. But I think we need your help, Commander.”
Christopher’s expression gave nothing away. “What do you imagine I could do?”
“You have resources that would be invaluable to my search. You can discreetly speak with magistrates, the night watch, military men, the church.”
“We have tried to investigate to the best of our ability,” Angelika agreed. “But it isn’t enough.”
“That’s why you first visited my office,” Christopher said slowly, turning to her. “You asked me if there had been an accident. Surely you know we would not leave an injured officer behind, and not on a forest road. Is this why you made my acquaintance? You could have just asked me directly in that first meeting, and I would have done all I could.”
“I know that now,” Angelika said quietly. “But it was confidential, and strange, and I didn’t know you then. Please don’t feel that I have used you.”
She could see that he did.
“I would like to know the exact date and location. I will visit it tomorrow.” Christopher’s voice had changed, and now he was every inch a military commander. “Was there a coach overturned? Any debris, any signs of a scuffle?”
“Not a thing. Just Will, lying there looking very much naked and dead.” Victor coughed after a pause. “We did locate a ring with possibly a family crest on his person, but it has since gone missing.”
Will explained, “We have followed what leads we could, but so far we have not been able to find any promising local events of violence.”
“You haven’t tried hard. The village is overrun,” Christopher exclaimed in disbelief. “There’s dozens of places you could have come from. This village is placed upon a trade route, and the inn is where horses are changed and travelers stay overnight. There have been merchants robbed at knifepoint, a group of tramps set up camp in a ravine near the high road south, a horse-stealing ring that has spread to the neighboring five counties—”
“Already, you are proving you can help us,” Lizzie said, producing her notebook and a shard of lead. “I will begin writing these down. We are all part of this investigation now, and we must all swear to never tell a soul. We are now a secret society.”
Clara exclaimed with a smile, “How utterly exciting.” Then she went red and amended, stammering, “Except it is a t-terrible circumstance.”
“It’s all right, it is exciting,” Angelika told her.
Victor said sagely, “I am already in three secret societies. It’s not as interesting as you would think.”
Christopher gestured in the direction of the academy. “On my desk, right this moment, I have a bulletin of missing persons and criminals wanted. I don’t completely understand why you would risk that possible outcome. Why not just continue living here?”
Will replied to him, “I am living in luxury that is unearned. I sleep in the room opposite Angelika’s bedroom, but I could be anybody—a thief, a scoundrel, a murderer—and it disturbs me. Until I find out if I am even worthy to be in her presence, or if I am free to court her, we are at an impasse.”
Christopher was caught on one detail. “You sleep opposite her bedroom?”
“You mentioned you are not a gambling man,” Victor pointed out to Christopher. “But I think you would take this bet. What are the odds that a man of this age, appearance, education, and apparent good breeding is unmarried? The ring we found was on the wedded finger.”
Christopher stared at his handsome rival. “May I be forthright?” Will gave a nod. “I believe there is a possibility you are lying to these generous people. You have not lost your memory, but instead you are here to milk what fortune you can out of this situation. I have known swindlers in my time, even handsome and well-bred.”