innovate-issue-005

The Library - Chapter FiveI awoke to a scream and the sight of Leo hefting a heavy brass candlestick in my direction."What the fuck, Leo?" I yelled and rolled over as the offending object slammed rather weakly intowhere I had been lying. Weak or not, it would have left a severe dent in my head if I had not movedout the way.He was staring at me with confusion."How you know my name?" he asked, thick-tongued and puzzled."Lara told me to bring you home" I said."She did?", he slumped to the floor, sitting up against his bed, "I hate waking up" he said."I can see why", I said, "if you always try to kill your guests""Why would Lara tell you?" he said, frowning up at me."We went to Balthazar's Gate together...""Oh God, there!" he shivered, "I wish she wouldn't, it could bring dishonour on us all!""What?", I struggled out from beneath the bedclothes and sat on the edge looking down at him, "Its theDuke of Sussex's mansion""So?" he rubbed at his eyes, "No one in good society goes there""The Earl of Leicester sang there" I said, but he seemed uninterested, "The Duchess of Netherton wasthere with her grand-daughter""Hell" he said.A few minutes later, after neither of us had spoken, he rose to his feet and crossed to the far cornerwhere his bureau was. Reaching in he ripped off a poster and strode over to me,"Burn this" he said.It was a photograph of Lady Eliza, the young heir of the Duchess of Netherton."I can't burn her" I protested."I was going to ask her to marry me" he said, sounding to my ears drunken and pathetic, "Not now, butwhen I graduated, our family connections would have got me an introduction, but if she dances to theDevil's tune...""What on Earth are you on about?!" I snapped.He sat back on his bed and eyed me, probably seeing me for the first time in any detail."I don't like the way you look" he said."You don't look much good yourself" I snapped back at him."You are still dancing the Devil's tune" he said, as if the phrase had recently appealed to him."I think you're hungover" I said"Get out" he said, rising to his feet and crossing to the door, "I didn't invite you in here...GET OUT!"I was not about to argue with a shrieking idiot, and got out as he demanded. He slammed the doorbehind me, leaving me marooned in the corridor. A passing youth raised his eyebrow."Seems he is not as happy about his cousin's intervention in the morning as he is at night" I said, inwhat I hoped was a cryptic manner."Oh Lara" the fellow laughed, "He can only stand her when he's drunk""That's not all the time?" I asked cattily."Not all the time" the fellow said, "He can be quite sober by mid-week"He looked down at his towel and toilet bag."See you again?" he said."I doubt it" I replied and he laughed.I made my way slowly down the stairs.Intending to head for the dining room, I was brought up short by the memory of not having the right