“I thought you weren’t hungry,” she said.
Malcolm brushed the last crumbs of the crusty bread from his dark lapels. “That was six hours ago. It’s hungry work watching for an Egyptian demon queen.”
With a halfhearted huff, Penny dug into her satchel and produced two apples, tossing him one of them. “Here.”
“How much stuff do you lug around in that bottomless bag of yours?” He crunched into the crisp fruit. “And how do you have fresh apples in winter?”
“I have whatever I think I might need.”
“Like Kate’s entire larder.”
“Ha, that’s funny from the man who just wolfed down three sandwiches without even a single thank-you,” Penny scolded. “And stop scratching at your hands.”
“I can’t stand this damned magic being under my skin. It’s like having Simon with me every second.”
“Oh, you can’t even feel it. You just know it’s there.” She then said with her voice tinged in wonder, “It was very exciting that they managed to trigger the key. The fact that I can watch it work now means I can likely create more.”
Malcolm bit a worm out of the apple and spit it away. “I suppose.”
“You’re not impressed by the ability to travel across the globe in an instant?”
“I can travel fast enough now, thank you. What good did it do for the men who built it? Simon’s father is dead. Sir Roland is gone, likely dead. All of us were almost killed by creatures searching for that key. I don’t see much evidence of good coming from it.”
“Well, Simon was awfully excited about it.”
“He was, true enough. I hope it took his mind off the pain he’s in for a moment. Maybe that’s value enough, but here he is with his magic key and he looked like hell. He could barely walk.” Malcolm tossed the apple core away. “And I’m sure he’s right now sitting in St. Mary Woolnoth watching for Barnes if he could get enough of Kate’s elixir to keep him upright.”
“Kate loves him,” Penny said quietly.
“Aye. And he’ll break her heart one day.”
“Why?” She looked surprised. “You think Simon doesn’t love her?”
“Oh no. He does. But that’s not enough. He doesn’t appreciate how lucky he is to have her. And I don’t think he knows just how far she’ll go for him. That’s the problem. She’s a remarkable woman.”
Penny crunched the apple and chewed loudly in the silence. “So, you fancy Kate?”
“No.” Malcolm looked into the distance, pretending he was studying the house. “I admire her. Her strength. The fight that’s in her, I’ve never seen the like. All she’s been through. First her sister. Then Charlotte. She had to fight like hell for those two, and she did. And she was right. If there’s ever a time when I could choose one person to walk into Hell with me, it would be Kate Anstruther.”
“Oh.” Penny threw the half-eaten apple away with all her force. “I’d choose my brother, Charles, because he knows the way out.”
Malcolm looked at her. Her usual jovial expression had fallen as she studied the Mansfield residence. The way she had said the last line tugged at him. He was silent, unsure of how to approach her because, for the first time, he was worried about Penny Carter. She hadn’t come out clean this venture. And while Penny seemed all right on the exterior, he knew that deep inside the damage could be festering. He knew because he was just like that. Penny was only a bit more polite about the matter.
It couldn’t have been easy to face what she had faced. Malcolm wasn’t sure just how well he would have taken it if his own Da had come back. Though most likely his father would have tried to smack him around, and Malcolm would have retaliated.
“I heard about your mother.” Malcolm gave her a questioning glance, as if that explained everything he was thinking. “That couldn’t have been easy.”
Penny’s expression suddenly softened. “No, but I’m fine with it. I got to see my mother one more time. She wasn’t suffering anymore. She only wanted to see how Charles and I were getting on. And we got a chance to say good-bye. Proper-like.” There were no tears in her eyes, only a gentle memory.
A blush came over Malcolm’s pale cheeks as he realized suddenly why Penny had reached out to Simon instead of him. He could never have seen her mother’s walking corpse as anything but a walking corpse. He would have dealt with it as he dealt with any monster, without thinking, without caring. His gaze fell away from her. To all appearances, he remained still only a brute in her eyes.
“I’d walk into Hell with you, Penny Carter,” Malcolm admitted quietly.
Penny’s eyes widened at the remark and her cheeks grew even rosier in the brisk air. She glanced away toward the house, parting the bush with her hands, changing the subject. “Are we going to wait out here all day?”
“Yes. We’re only here to observe and follow them if they leave the house.”
“Bugger that.”