“Of course I would.”
“Would you put on an angry expression, dress in multicolored clothing, wear a pastry on your head, and rob ships at sea, calling yourself the Irate Pied Pie Pirate for Miss Rosamund’s protection?”
“Yes.”
Rose trembled next to me, politely trying to contain a massive yawn.
I took her arm away from Mr. Jarsdel. “All right, even that isn’t keeping you awake. It’s been a long enough day; you should rest. Catherine, will you take Rose down? Mr. Kent, these pressing questions can wait for tomorrow.”
“We need to be prepared for all possibilities,” Mr. Kent argued.
“Right. Such as Miss Molly’s girls being mad at you for stealing their trunk. Do you still need it?”
“Oh no. I guess I’ll have to go back to the brothel again to return it. What a shame,” Mr. Kent said unconvincingly. “Mr. Braddock, help me with this.”
Sebastian glanced at Mr. Jarsdel and me with concern.
“I’ll lock the door and be right behind you,” I said. “Mr. Kent, ask Mr. Jarsdel if he plans on hurting me.”
“Mr. Jarsdel, are you planning on hurting Miss Wyndham?”
Mr. Jarsdel shook his head. “No, of course not, she’s helping protect Miss Rosamund.”
“There you are,” I said.
That seemed enough to satisfy Sebastian. He took up the other end of the trunk and headed down the stairs with Mr. Kent, behind Rose and Catherine. I wrapped a blanket around Mr. Jarsdel as I waited for all the footsteps to recede all the way down to the next floor. The room finally empty and silent, I whispered a final question to Mr. Jarsdel.
“If I told you I had a plan to get rid of Captain Goode tonight and keep my sister safe forever, would you help?”
Mr. Jarsdel looked at me as if there was only one obvious answer. “Of course.”
“Good,” I said. “Then be ready.”
Chapter Twelve
I STARED AT the ceiling, listening to the creaks and aches of the boarding house, waiting for everyone to fall asleep.
Rose did almost instantly. It was understandable—she had had a brave and exhausting day confronting her power and trying to understand it. I could just make out her form on the bed across the cramped room, her limbs neatly tucked into a little C shape. Her slow, deep breaths barely ruffled the hair splayed on her pillow.
Sebastian took a little longer. I traced patterns on the wall, feeling the sensation move lower and lower as our hands tired. I could picture him on the other side, his eyebrows scrunched down low, hooding his eyes that wouldn’t shut. Nightmares were waiting for him, but I hoped there were dreams slipping in to remind him of the good he was doing, of the people who still cared for him.
As the buzzing finally left the wall, I removed my hand and shoved my thin sheet off, restless and anxious to finish this. It would be for the best. No one else’s lives would be risked. Captain Goode would be less prepared in the middle of the night. The least amount of people could get hurt. All this really would take was one shot and one person to take it.
I slung a leg out of bed before I could lose my nerve. Rose’s even breathing skipped and I froze. Slowly it found its rhythm again and I slid gracelessly out of the bed, landing louder than I would have liked. Rose did not even stir. She had always been a heavy sleeper. I padded across the floor and eased our cabinet open, pulling out my traveling coat, my veil, and my hat. I picked up my boots in one hand and continued to tiptoe to the door.
I gave her one more look. Even in the relative darkness I could see her forehead furrowed, her lips tight. I hoped when Rose and Sebastian woke up, all our problems would be solved. I hoped I’d see them smile again.
Slowly, I creaked up the flight of stairs to the second floor, pausing and listening intently to the odd snuffles and night noises coming from the bedrooms to be sure I was not marked. With the click of my key, the door opened on Mr. Jarsdel, sitting where I left him, his eyes blinking and adjusting to the dark room.
“Be very quiet,” I whispered, unlatching the blade to my dagger fan. I started cutting the rope that confined him to the chair. “You will do anything to protect Miss Rosamund?”
“I will,” he answered, nodding sluggishly, still sick from Sebastian’s effects.
“Including killing Captain Goode?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. If you’re lying to me, I’ll kill you.”
The ropes loosened and he stood up slowly. No flashes of light. No mad dash to the door. I lowered my dagger from his neck and draped my traveling coat over his shoulders to cover the hands bound behind his back. I didn’t trust him enough to remove those restraints yet.
I locked the bedroom door behind us and kept a hold on Mr. Jarsdel as he led us back downstairs, the faintest glow from his body telling us where to step in the darkness. Stair by stair, holding our breath, we made it to the ground floor. The front door was in sight, a few paces down the corridor. A sigh of relief escaped me.
And got caught in my throat. Mr. Jarsdel shut off his glow upon seeing a faint light coming from the parlor. Someone was still awake, and we had to cross the threshold.
Dammit.
I squeezed in front of Mr. Jarsdel and signed for him to wait there. I got to my hands and knees and crawled, trying to envision the layout of the parlor. One settee was right by the door, facing away from it, but the other was positioned perpendicular, so they would see something in the corner of their eye. Unless I was hidden by the first settee. When I reached the door I paused for a long moment. I lay down fully and began to inch myself across the floor, using my heels to propel me, while Mr. Jarsdel stared down at me.
I inched some more. Finally I was across and no one had spoken or called out. They were either facing the other way, engrossed in a book, or simply not looking down, as I had hoped. I got to my feet so slowly, it reminded me of the child’s game where one pretended to be a living statue. I was about to wave Mr. Jarsdel over when Miss Chen spoke, stepping out not from the parlor but from the darkened dining room.
“You are very odd.”
“Erm—oh, I didn’t realize you were awake! I was … getting a glass of water,” I fumbled, trying to keep her eyes on me.
“Hmm. And getting a glass required slithering along the floor?” Her American drawl was more pronounced at the late hour. I could just see her arms folded as she leaned against the wall in the dark.
“I was … inching.”
“Oh, my mistake.” I could feel more than see her raised eyebrows that accurately indicated she believed nothing I was saying.
“All right, if you must know, I was off to have a tryst.” The lie burst from me in the hopes of embarrassing the both of us and cutting the conversation awkwardly short. Of course, it had the opposite effect on Miss Chen.
“With Mr. Jarsdel?” she asked, stepping out into the corridor. Already knowing he was there.
“How did you know—”
“His room is right above ours.”
Damnation and double damn. “Did Catherine wake up?” I asked.
“Not yet,” Miss Chen said vaguely.
It wasn’t hard to decipher her meaning. She’d keep quiet if I had a good plan. Unfortunately, in all the time I’d known her, Miss Chen had considered every plan terrible. How could I make this one sound detailed and well thought out?
“Well, I—”
“I’m coming with you,” she interrupted. “Let’s go.”
“You don’t … want to hear my plan first?” I asked.
“You’re going to blind Goode,” she said. “Simple, smart. Just give me the gun this time.”
“Oh, I … all right,” I said, handing her the pistol.
“Thanks.” Miss Chen tucked it away in a small space in her boot.