“I can’t. Not now. You know that.”
Nick rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Simon, there’s nothing to hold you here. You’ve done your Galahad bit. You did what you could for the Anstruthers, which was none of our affair from the beginning. And it nearly cost you everything.”
“Kate needed help. She and Imogen would both be dead now if we hadn’t intervened.”
“Job well done then. White is dead. Gretta is dead or gone. You owe those women nothing more.” Nick’s voice grew more insistent. “Come on. Come with me, old boy. We’ll go to Rome or Constantinople or Mandalay. If you miss England, we’ll come back when it’s over.”
Simon paused, dread rising in him. “When what is over? We destroyed Dr. White and Gretta. Her army is dead or scattered. They were at the root of all the disturbances that have been troubling London. It’s done.”
Nick rubbed his chin angrily and sat back. “Look, it should just be the two of us again. That worked well, didn’t it? Everything was easier then. Don’t you want it to be easy again? There’s so much more for you to learn.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Everyone forever doubts my intentions! I’m sick of it!” Nick shouted. Then he grew quiet. “Listen, Simon, you must come with me. The world is about to split open. I’m asking you, I’m begging you, come with me.”
Simon frowned. “You know my answer.”
“Why, for God’s sake!” Nick shook his head and closed his eyes, almost as if suppressing tears. “Simon, the next time you die, it’s final. You should do your best to ensure there isn’t a next time. So I’m telling you for your own good, because I’m the only one who will, you are not the magician you think you are. You’re not the man you think you are.”
Simon stared angrily at his friend. His fingers clawed at the tabletop. Breath poured heavy from flared nostrils. His voice was strained with pain and hurt. “Thank you. Your confidence is bracing.”
Nick stood up and started across the floor. A few steps from the table, he turned back. “Are you coming with me?”
“No, Nick.” Simon looked at him as if he were suddenly a stranger.
“Damn it, Simon, you don’t understand anything that’s going on around you.”
“You’re certainly right about that.”
“Well, I’ll not be the one to teach you.” Nick looked at Simon for another moment, then he shook his head and left the pub.
Simon glanced up from where he sat pondering. Kate and Malcolm stood beside his table. The crowd was thinner now in the Devil’s Loom. His half-finished ale was still in front of him.
Kate eyed Nick’s empty glass on the table and the displaced chair. “You found him?”
“Yes.”
She scanned the crowd at the bar. “Where is he?”
“Gone.”
“Gone where?” Malcolm asked casually.
Simon shrugged.
“Oh.” Kate raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Do you mean he’s gone, and not coming back?”
“That’s what I mean.”
“No loss,” the Scotsman said. “From what I could see, the only good he ever did was bringing you back to life. And it’s still up for debate whether that was good.”
Simon prepared an angry retort but gave an empty laugh instead.
Kate slid onto the bench next to him. She tapped his glass. “How many is this for you?”
“Just the half.”
Kate gasped theatrically and placed a cool hand on his forehead. “You don’t feel feverish.” She allowed her hand to gently run back across his hair. “Malcolm, fetch a round.”
“Here?” The Scotsman looked disgusted. “Can’t we go somewhere that’s been aired out since the Great Fire?”
“I like it here.” Kate regarded the warm, jubilant faces reveling in their daily life. “It’s homey.”
Malcolm went to the bar, muttering.
Kate leaned on her elbow. “I’m sorry about Nick. I know he was your friend, but it’s not really a surprise, is it?”
“I suppose not, in hindsight.”
She shoved his shoulder. “You’re not going to have some romantic poet’s collapse while you mourn his departure, are you?”
“I may mourn the death of your sense of tact. Beyond that, I suppose it depends on what happens next.” He searched her face and the warmth in her eyes was like being held in her arms again.
“The future is bright, Simon.” Kate laid a comforting hand over his.
For a second, Simon saw Beatrice’s face staring at him across the table. He then broke into a cynical grin at Kate. “I once thought I had a very bright future. A man of vast potential. Years later, that’s still what I have. Potential.”
“Nonsense. You’ve created a remarkable thing.”