“An unfortunate task.” His sad smile was fleeting, and I strained to see the possible madness behind his mask, but it was only calm. Extremely so. “I believe I saw a slop boy down by the kitchen, but take your time. A moment to compose yourself, perhaps? Hurstwell can be a frightening place at the start.” Father Christmas—that’s who he reminded me of, big and stocky, only without the jolliness. “Come, I’ll walk that way with you.”

An aid hurried through the corridor with a patient in tow, a woman who sobbed and stumbled along. I shivered.

Thornhill looked me over, hands behind his back. “They can catch you off guard, can’t they? Broken shards buried behind such seeming normalcy.” His voice was low and private. “We try to patch them up, but the cracks always come unglued eventually.” His steps slowed. “A broken vessel can never truly be fixed—first this crack, then that one comes loose, no matter the glue one uses. But we do try.”

He looked me over again, as if reading my every thought.

I forced my mind to be blank and smiled up at him. “Have you worked here long?”

His sigh was huge. “Too long.” A few more steps. “I’m afraid a body never grows used to it. They always have the ability to shock and unsettle you.” He paused, tipping his hat. “Well now, you’re off this way, and I must attend to some paperwork. Best of luck to you, my dear.” With a nod, he turned and strode back in the direction of his office.

Had I locked it? Had I even closed the door?

Duffy. How would she escape?

Another pause to compose myself, and I hurried down the narrow corridor, following the faint sound of whistling in the distance. I caught up with Lew outside the kitchen and was only the littlest bit jittery, the way I felt after a difficult performance.

He caught sight of me and smiled. “Find what you needed?”

I kept my eyes down and knelt beside him, taking an empty bucket. “More than I bargained for. Definitely not what I expected.”

“Glad it was something, I suppose.”

I gave myself over to the work, scraping food bits into a larger bucket with rope handles. The exertion worked out my nerves until I was quite myself again. Then I remembered I still had Lew’s keys and handed them back. I didn’t release them when his hands reached for them, though. “One day I’d like to repay all your kindness. I shall find you good, clean work away from this dungeon.” What a small boy to live in the shadow of such a place. If he only knew the danger at the helm.

His pale face stilled. “Thank you kindly, miss, but I won’t be leaving. Ain’t such an ’orrible place, you know.” Yet his face always wore a slightly haunted air. Worried, perhaps.