"Something we can dance to," Matt added.
Willie whooped and leapt off the piano stool. She helped the men push furniture aside to make space for dancing. Miss Glass played a fast, joyful tune that didn't require intimacy. I suspected she'd done it on purpose to keep Matt and me apart, but I didn't mind. The mood turned happier and there was no more bickering. We danced, drank, and played poker—without gambling for money—until the early hours.
Matt looked healthier and more awake than I'd ever seen him. I'd always thought him handsome, but for the first time since meeting him, he looked his proper age of twenty-nine, not ten years older. The lines that usually fanned from his eyes and scored his forehead had diminished, the color of his skin was normal, not gray, and a smile was never far from his lips. His eyes shone with good humor most of the time, although I occasionally caught him regarding me somberly.
At those moments, I smiled back, determined not to let the question of our relationship overshadow the happiness I felt at him being healthy again.
* * *
The following morning, I insisted Matt purchase a watch before he went anywhere else. We went directly to the Masons' shop, not the neighboring house, but Catherine was there anyway, showing a lady their range of feminine timepieces. She smiled when she saw me.
"Have you spoken to Abercrombie lately?" Matt asked Mr. Mason at the counter.
"No, but a guild meeting has been called for tonight." Mr. Mason set out a range of watches on the counter in front of me, not Matt. He seemed to do it without thinking, concentrating as he was on the conversation.
I picked out the same watch as last time, since it was the best piece there. "To discuss Oscar Barratt's article?" I asked.
"And all that it implies." He regarded me levelly, without suspicion or fear. He had never looked at me like that. When my father was alive, he treated me like a child, even when I kept house and ran the shop. After my father died and the guild grew suspicious of me, he treated me like a creature that might attack at any moment. It felt good to now be looked upon as an adult, and an equal at that. Very good indeed. "Did your grandfather really try to extend the life of Eddie Hardacre's father, all those years ago?" he asked.
"You would have to ask him."
He leaned over the counter and lowered his voice. "And can you extend another magician's magic?"
No matter how much I wanted to, I found I couldn't lie to him altogether. "It's a theory that only time can prove or disprove."
"India, Matt," said Catherine, joining us as her customer exited. "You do both look well. Particularly you, Matt."
He smiled. "I had a good night's sleep."
"And how is your family?" I asked before she or her father could question us further.
"Fine," Catherine said. "And your friends?"
"A little bored," Matt said. "You ought to visit. One in particular would like to see you."
Catherine flushed but fortunately her father didn't seem to notice as he wrapped up the new purchase.
I thought it a good time to steer Matt out of the shop before he created mischief. He seemed in that sort of mood. I chatted about the Masons and other safe topics until we reached the convent. Matt joined in and didn't attempt to turn the conversation into something more personal, for which I was grateful. Perhaps he wasn't ready yet either.
We spotted Gabriel Seaford as the coach slowed but did not hail him. He left the convent, his head bowed and pace slow.
"I'm glad he came," I said. "Sister Bernadette needed to see him. It's only fair she knows her actions achieved a good outcome."
"He looks contemplative," Matt said.
"A lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours. It'll take time for it to sink in, particularly the importance of his magic."
"And what he did for me," he said quietly. "I hope he comes to terms with it in the next five years."
"Why?" I hedged.
"I may have need of his magic again, if my watch slows down as it did last time. Hopefully this one will last longer, since your magic is stronger than your grandfather's."
Five years suddenly seemed far too soon. I had never wanted my magic to be strong until now.
Sister Clare greeted us in the sitting room a few minutes later with an uncertain smile and a glance over her shoulder. "I spoke with Sister Bernadette after you left here yesterday," she whispered. "She told me what happened to the baby boys, and how Mother Alfreda…" She touched the cross hanging around her neck. "She has answered to God for her sins. That is all that can be said about her now."
I didn't ask if she believed in magic, and she didn't offer an opinion.
"You look well, Mr. Glass," she added.
"I feel well," he said. "Better than I have in a long time. Will you give this letter to your mother superior, please? You may read it. It's a promise of a donation. My lawyer will contact you with the details."
She read the letter and gasped. "Thank you. It will help enormously."
"I'll send my friends around to assist Sister Bernadette with any repairs she can't do on her own. They're bored at home and getting under my feet, so I'd be grateful if she obliged."
She beamed. "Thank you. She will be pleased to hear it. She works so hard and her back pains her, these days. Why don't you tell her yourself? She's in the meeting room."
We knew where the meeting room was located. It was the room where the cross had fallen off the wall and almost hit me. We found Sister Bernadette standing before the cross that had been re-mounted back on the wall. She was deep in contemplation and didn't hear us enter. We waited until she crossed herself then turned away.
"Sorry to interrupt," Matt said. "We wanted to see how you were."
She smiled and extended her hands to us in greeting. "I'm well, as I see you are, Mr. Glass. You look much better."
"I saw an excellent doctor yesterday."
"So he told me. He was just here. What a remarkable young man he turned out to be. Mr. and Mrs. Seaford must be very proud."
"As you should be," I said, clasping her hand.
She nodded and blinked back tears.
"I see the cross is back where it belongs," Matt said, nodding at the crucifix. "I hope it stays there this time."
"As do I," she said. "I put in extra supports. Gabe—Dr. Seaford—helped me."
I wasn't sure that extra supports would stop it falling again if she used her magic to move it. There was no need to tell her that, however. She knew the power of her magic now and would be more careful.
"You come from a long line of carpenters, don't you?" I asked.
"On both sides of my family." She picked up her toolbox and walked with us back to our carriage.
Matt told her he'd send Duke and Cyclops to help her, and perhaps Willie too. "They need something to do," he said.
"And what will you do now, Mr. Glass?" she asked.
"I have an important matter to attend to."
"Ah, yes, you men of business are always busy."