"I have to go out with Matt now," I said to Miss Glass, mid-morning. She sat in a rectangle of sunshine in the sitting room, reading her correspondence. She looked well, her eyes clear, but her frame seemed smaller of late, more frail. She ate very little, and I found I had to encourage her to finish her meals. "If I'm free this afternoon, shall we go for a walk? The day looks pleasant."
"Perhaps," she said. "I have letters to write and the latest editions of both the World of Fashion and The Queen arrived this morning. I'm thinking of having a new outfit made for the wedding, if there's time."
That was if the wedding between her niece, Patience Glass, and Lord Cox went ahead. So far, knowledge of Patience's past dalliance with a scoundrel had been kept quiet to insure her value as a society wife remained high; a gentleman such as Lord Cox prized virtue in a woman above all else. However, the knowledge had recently fallen into the hands of Sheriff Payne, the man who wanted to orchestrate Matt's downfall in any way possible. His latest attack had been in the form of blackmailing the youngest Glass sister, Hope, into stealing Matt's magic watch. Her failure to do so meant Patience's secret could be exposed any day now. Lord Cox was unlikely to want to marry her then.
"Ah, Matthew, there you are." Miss Glass held out her hand to her nephew as he strode into the room. He took it and kissed her cheek. "Where are you two off to this morning?"
"A convent," he said.
Miss Glass lowered her correspondence to her lap and regarded her nephew as if he were mad. "Why do you want to go to a convent?"
"There's a matter I need to discuss with the mother superior."
"Oh my God. You're not…" She fanned herself with her letter. "You're not…"
"Not what, Aunt?"
"Not Catholic." The word burst from her like a violent sneeze.
Matt smirked. "No, I'm not."
Her gaze slid to me.
"Nor am I," I said. "We're hoping to find some answers about Matt's watch."
She knew Matt's magic watch kept him alive, but she didn't know the extent to which it was failing. We didn't know how long he had left, so we'd thought it best to keep her in the dark on that score. The problem was, she was cleverer than she seemed and may have guessed.
"That is a relief," she said. "But do be careful. They'll try every trick in the book to convert you."
Matt looked as if he were about to argue the point, but I quickly grasped his arm and squeezed. It was best not to give Miss Glass a chance to expound on her prejudices. My action brought us closer together and earned a narrowed gaze from Miss Glass. I let him go.
"Matthew," she said, "I'd like to discuss something when you return."
"Of course," he said. "May I know what, in case I need to prepare a defense?"
His light heartedness was met with an even narrower gaze. "Securing interest in your future marriage before the wedding."
"Aunt," he said on a heavy sigh. "Not now."
She held up a finger. "The wedding may be a few weeks away, but we must at least have some viable prospects before then to use as ammunition against your Aunt Beatrice and Hope."
"You're likening marriage to war, Aunt. Doesn't that say something about the way you're approaching it?"
"It can be a battle to find the right wife, certainly. Fortunately you're better equipped for it than most men. You have a fortune and are the heir to a title and estate. It's enough to overlook your American mother."
His spine straightened. "I'm as proud of my American mother as I am of my English father. Now," he said when she opened her mouth to speak, "no more talk of marriage until after my watch is fixed, and then it will be on my terms, since I already have a wife in mind."
Her lips parted with her gasp. Then, realization dawning, her cool gaze slid to me.
I wanted to run off but I feigned ignorance instead.
"She simply needs to agree," Matt finished. "India?"
"No!" I cried.
He indicated his outstretched hand, angled toward the door. His eyes twinkled, damn him. "I was simply asking you to leave with me," he said.
I marched out but stopped at the top of the stairs. Cyclops and Duke leaned casually on the balustrade, but Willie scowled, arms crossed. She turned her scowl onto Matt.
"You look tired." She placed her hands on her hips. The movement pushed back her unbuttoned jacket, exposing the gun tucked into the waistband of her trousers. "You should stay and rest."
"Are you going to shoot us?" Matt asked, his good humor still in play, despite the discussion with his aunt and now this delay.
"Don't be a dang fool."
"Willie's right," Duke said, pushing off from the balustrade. "You had a late night and could do with more sleep. Stay here and we'll go to the convent with India."
"And let Willie loose in a house of high principles and quiet contemplation?" Matt chucked her under her out-thrust chin. "That would be like asking a tornado not to spin."
"More like asking a stuck pig not to squeal." Duke chuckled but had to quickly duck to dodge Willie's fist.
Matt strode past them. "I'm fine. We won't be long, and I have the watch if necessary. India will also keep an eye on me."
"I don't like it," Willie said, "but I won't stop you. Just make sure you get answers. Nuns are a secret lot, and you can't rough 'em up like you can a cowboy to get answers."
I pressed my lips together but spluttered a laugh despite my efforts. Matt joined in, earning a glare from Willie.
"I'll drive you," Duke said, stepping aside to let us pass.
Cyclops laid a hand on Duke's shoulder and shook his head. "Let the new coachman do his job, and let Matt go to the convent. He don't need a nursemaid."
"Thank you, Cyclops," Matt said.
"Besides, we need to continue to look for Payne."
"We ain't never going to find him," Duke muttered. "This city's too big."
"And he's a slippery snake," Willie finished. "But we got to try. We ain't no use to anyone sitting around here sewing and reading."
"You're coming with us?" Duke asked, sounding surprised. "Don't you have someone to see at the hospital?"
Willie swanned off without answering, a smile teasing her lips. Duke stomped down the stairs. He was unhappy that she wouldn't tell him why she was visiting the London Hospital most nights. Indeed, she wouldn't tell us if that's where she continued to go or if the time we'd seen her there had been a one-off. I suspected she was having a dalliance with a doctor or orderly and didn't want Duke to know. It worried me at first, as Duke was sweet on her and I didn't want to see his heart broken. But the more I thought about it, the more I suspected she didn't want to tell him because the dalliance meant nothing to her and was merely a temporary intrigue. He still had a chance, if that were the case.
Not that he saw it that way. The curiosity was eating him up, poor man, and Willie didn't help by maintaining silence.