“Why are you here, Miss . . . er, Empr . . . uh, Eleanor.”
My breath skipped. He had almost said Empress, and strange behavior or not, that was too intimate for me.
I swallowed. “If you must know, Daniel, I was chased out of Philadelphia by Marcus, and now”—I flourished my left hand in the air—“here I am. And what about you? I thought you were due in later.”
He grunted again and lengthened his stride. Since we were attached, Laure and I had no choice but to pump our legs faster. I didn’t mind. The hotel was close now, and the columns of Le Meurice beckoned to me.
“What will ’appen to your balloon?” Laure asked
Daniel peered at her, giving an absentminded smile. “Actually, I prefer to call it an airship. Once I unload my things, I’ll move it outside the city, to a big warehouse that holds bal—er, airships.”
“And what will you unload?” she pressed, still trying to draw his attention.
But he didn’t answer right away. We strode through the street’s traffic, somehow walking even faster than before. It wasn’t until we were almost to the other side that he lifted his voice.
“I’m an inventor, Mademoiselle, and I have new inventions for my employer.” His face shifted back to me. “Things for Joseph.”
“Fascinating,” I inserted before Daniel could go into any detail. I was desperate for some space.
Plus, we had reached the sidewalk on the other side, and I could just make out the hotel’s white marble foyer. Freedom was so close! “We left our breakfast half eaten, Laure.”
Laure snorted. “Très horrible,” she said flatly. “To think of a breakfast unfinished—the world might stop spinning.” She pulled free of Daniel and sauntered toward the door.
“Must you be so sarcastic?” I demanded, trying to free my own arm from Daniel’s and scurry after her.
“Oh, I am only beginning,” she called, already disappearing into the hotel.
I pulled harder, throwing a glare at Daniel. “Let go.”
“No. Wait . . . Please.”
I frowned as he tugged me, and against my better judgment, I let him guide me between two columns. He bent toward me, his gaze roving over my face—some of his old slouch back. “Did he hurt you?”
“Who?”
“Marcus.”
I reared back slightly. “Oh no. I managed to get away before he could do anything.”
“Is he here?” Daniel leaned in more closely. “Are you in danger now?”
“No—not yet. At least, I don’t think so. I cannot be entirely sure.” I was rambling—Daniel’s proximity was making my head spin. “I do think he will follow, though—”
I didn’t get to finish, for at that moment, Daniel’s eyes landed on my right hand. “What is that?”
“My hand.” I curled my fingers into a fist.
He grabbed my wrist and pulled at the glove, but the instant he saw flesh, he let go, repulsed.
“How? How’s this possible?”
“It’s a long story.” I tugged my glove back in place. “One I would rather not share.”
“Tell me!” His voice lashed out like a pistol shot. “I have a right to know!”
“A right?” I hissed. “What, pray tell, gives you any right to know about me?” I backed up two steps. “Have you forgotten how you left things between us in Philadelphia? You cannot simply show up in a fancy balloon, Daniel, and expect me to fall at your feet. I am not some girl to be trifled—”
“I ain’t expecting that!” he snapped. “I just wanna know where that came from.”
A female squeal burst out behind me. “Monsieur Sheridan!”
I whirled around, and my stomach flew into my throat. Rushing toward us, all smiles and perfect couture, was beautiful girl after beautiful girl. Their lashes batted so wildly I thought they might be having conniptions.
Daniel stood, clearly bewildered as the array of silly girls came nearer and nearer. And though this was easily the worst nightmare I could ever conjure, it was also an opportunity to escape Daniel’s temper.
So as fast as humanly possible, I fled for the restaurant. Yet I was almost immediately intercepted —by Joseph and Jie.
“Eleanor,” Joseph said, beckoning for me to follow him out of the lobby and into the relative quiet of the main stairwell. He and Jie paused at the bottom step, and then he turned a hard eye on me. “You did not come to the lab last night.”
“I’m sorry,” I said tiredly. “I did not get in until quite late.”
“Did you have a nice time?” Jie asked, sliding her hands into her pockets. “Was the Madame’s house really—”
“You could have come this morning,” Joseph cut in. “It is imperative that we fix your magic as soon as possible.”
“Fix it?” I repeated. “It’s not as if it is broken.”
He dipped his chin, watching me from the tops of his eyes. “That is precisely the problem, Eleanor. It is broken, and yet you act as if what you did yesterday was of no consequence.”