"The only one fool enough," Duke muttered.
"Willie," Miss Glass snapped. "Knees together. You're not a cowboy, as much as you dress and act like one. And no one will threaten anyone with weapons. There are non-violent methods to explore first. I propose we find out what secrets he has to hide then threaten to tell his loved ones. If we can't find anything of a salacious nature, we can always make something up. Journalists do that all the time. It's entirely justified to give him a taste of his own medicine."
Everyone stared at her. Then Willie smiled. "I like you more and more, Letty."
"Since Oscar doesn't seem to have any loved ones, there's very little we can do," I told them. "He doesn't even seem like he particularly cares for his brother. We go on as we have been and find Phineas Millroy. That's our priority. This," I indicated the newspaper. "This is not important right now."
"I beg to differ," Matt said. "Barratt may not have mentioned you, but between Force's article and this, you've been exposed as a timepiece magician with the power to extend magic. Every magician who has ever wanted their magic to last will seek you out now. Where Force's article made them wonder, Barratt's has banished all doubts."
"Not all of them. Besides, complete strangers won't know where to find me. And if they do find me, I'll simply send them on their way."
He regarded me darkly but left the matter alone. I suspected he had more to say, but I was glad he kept quiet. There was already too much tension between us, of all kinds.
Over dinner, we discussed plans to return to the convent that night. Matt refused to stay home and rest. I didn't tell anyone that I planned on going too. I would wait for Miss Glass to retire before doing so.
Lord Rycroft visited shortly after we removed ourselves from the dining room and asked to see Matt alone. He even asked his sister to leave. Matt did not protest, and he retired to the smoking room with his uncle.
I spent a restless fifteen minutes in the drawing room, waiting for Lord Rycroft to leave. When I heard movement in the entrance hall, I peered out to see. Bristow handed him his hat and coat. Matt was nowhere to be seen.
Lord Rycroft turned, catching me watching him. A satisfied smile touched his lips, sending an icy shiver down my spine. He slapped his hat on his head, sending a waft of cigar smoke my way. "Farewell, Miss Steele. I know it may not seem it right now, but I do wish you well in your future. I hope Mr. Barratt's latest article doesn't cause you too many difficulties."
I stared at the closed door for some time after he left. Farewell? Not good evening or good day? And why was he wishing me well? It sounded like he expected never to see me again.
Matt emerged from the smoking room only to stop upon seeing me. All the benefits of his long rest had disappeared, leaving him looking haggard and drawn again. His gaze slid to the front door. "What did he say to you?" he asked.
"Farewell. What did he say to you?"
He hesitated then said, "He'd seen Barratt's article in this evening's paper and wanted to know if you are a time magician. I told him it was none of his business."
That wasn't all. It couldn't be all. Lord Rycroft's smile implied he'd won a game and Matt's forlorn expression told me he'd lost. "What else did he say?"
"Nothing." He pushed past me and plucked his hat off the hat stand.
"Where are you going?"
"Out."
"Out where?"
"For a walk. I need some fresh air." He didn't look at me as he spoke. He seemed distracted, distant, and I knew him to be lost in thought. A thinking Matt was better than a forlorn Matt, but it still worried me. What had his uncle said to him?
"Someone should go with you. I'll fetch Cyclops—"
"I want to be alone." He left before I had a chance to protest again.
At least my worries had company.
"Why didn't you fetch us, India?" Willie wailed after I informed her and the others of Matt's movements. She paced across the drawing room floor, drew back the curtain to look through the window, then continued her pacing. "He's been gone an age."
"Thirty minutes is not an age," I said. "And I didn't fetch you because he didn't give me a chance. He wanted to be alone."
"So he could forget to use his watch!" She threw her hands in the air and continued her pacing.
"He won't forget. He doesn't forget."
"But sometimes he doesn't use it in time," Duke said. "Like when he's being attacked."
"No will attack him," Cyclops said. "Can you both shut your traps? You're frightening the ladies."
Miss Glass did look rather frightened. She sat like a small statue dressed in black lace. The last time I'd seen her so still, her mind wandered into the past where she felt safer.
"What did my rotten brother say to him?" she asked, proving she was still in the here and now.
"I don't know," I said. "But Lord Rycroft looked…triumphant."
Willie stilled. "Surely not," she whispered, her gaze boring into me. "Surely Matt didn't agree to marry Patience."
My heart plunged. I'd been thinking it too, but I hadn't allowed myself to fully explore the notion. Yet Willie must be right. What else could Lord Rycroft be triumphant about?
More importantly, why did Matt look so troubled?
"That ain't it," Duke said with a shake of his head. "Nope. Not a chance. Matt wouldn't agree to it, no matter what." He got up to pour himself a brandy at the sideboard. He drank the contents of the tumbler then refilled it.
I felt sick.
We convinced Miss Glass to retire at ten. She was half asleep on the sofa, waiting up for Matt to return. My reassurance that he would be fine soothed her enough and she took herself off, stifling her yawn.
The rest of us could not be so easily convinced. By the time the clock struck eleven, I took over pacing from Willie. My jittery nerves wouldn't allow me to sit still any longer. Something must have happened to Matt for him to be away so long. He wouldn't be so cruel as to leave us worrying for hours.
"I can't wait here all night doing nothing," Cyclops said, getting to his feet. "I'm going to look for him."
"Me too." Willie followed him out, Duke at her heels.
I refused to be left behind and asked them to wait while I fetched a coat. I was half way up the stairs when the front door opened and Matt walked in. Indeed, he didn't so much as walk in, but rather stumbled across the threshold. He righted himself before he fell and shoved his hat into Duke's chest.
"Where's Bristow?" Matt asked, frowning at Duke. "And why are you all standing here?"
"We were about to look for you." Duke thrust Matt's hat onto the hook on the hat stand as if he were a medieval warrior ramming an enemy's head onto a spike.
"No need. I'm here. Thank God India's not with you. I don't want to face her tonight."
I cleared my throat and descended the stairs.
"Oh." He plastered on a smile. "What a lovely surprise, India. It's always good to see you."
"Where have you been?" I asked, ever so casually.
Cyclops sniffed. "Drinking's my guess."