They stood beside his auto, which was parked on the street alongside a dozen others. The moonlight shone against the auto’s black paint—paint that was scraped and chipped, with a large scuff on the passenger-side door. A lantern over their heads flickered, its indecisive light showering them with flashes of sodium yellow glare.
Although Danny had no desire to attend a social, Cassie had reminded him numerous times of the promise he had made her. His mother had even taken the mothballs from his suit and smartened it up. It still smelled like dust and the sour odor of old things. The collar and cuffs were tight, and the fabric of the trousers rasped uncomfortably against his legs.
Cassie was also dressed for the occasion. Her dark blue bodice had a high collar and gleaming black buttons down the front, and flared out over her hips above a ruffled skirt. Her hair had been coiled behind her head, her rough brown work gloves replaced with dainty white ones. It was so strange to see her without her usual coveralls or a braid that Danny couldn’t help but stare.
“What?” she snapped. She unpinned her grandmother’s rose brooch and fumbled to re-adjust it. “Do I look silly?”
“No,” he said honestly, reaching out to help her. “You look nice.” He glanced at the back of her skirt, where he knew she wore a bustle to make her dress flare out. “Your bum looks big, though.”
Though he was teasing, she smacked him hard on the arm anyway, as if she’d been waiting for an excuse. A pair of girls walked past and hid their giggles behind white fans. Cassie’s face turned pink.
“I don’t want to be here long,” Danny said. “You have your escape plan ready?”
Cassie shifted on her feet. “Yes.”
“Then let’s get this over with.” He held out his arm, and she took it.
It wasn’t just the social. Danny didn’t even want to be in London. He wished he were on his way to Enfield to see Colton. But now a visit there would be suspicious, and he needed to toe the mark until he was deemed fit for the Maldon assignment.
You haven’t even been thinking about the Assignment, he scolded himself, guilt flaring uncomfortably in his chest. Get your act together, Danny.
The old stone building where the social was being hosted was tall and wide with Gothic windows, and the open doors spilled light onto the street. Boys and girls chatted and laughed and flirted inside. Danny grimaced and Cassie pinched his arm.
The chaperones at the door asked for their passes. “Daniel Hart and Cassandra Lovett?” They both nodded. “In you get.”
They shuffled across the threshold. Inside, a wide ballroom had been adorned with green and blue streamers, tables of finger food, and crystal bowls of punch. A piano, violin, and cello warbled out songs in the corner. A set of double doors stood open to their right, allowing them a view of the card room where games like whist and speculation were being played amid bursts of laughter. A massive chandelier hung over the marbled floor, casting light onto the partygoers. Candle wax dripped onto the beeswax-polished floor below.
“Coo. Bit butter upon bacon, isn’t it?” Cassie said under the noise. “What should we do?”
Danny watched as a well-dressed group took to the dance floor, their loud chatter like the squawking of seagulls. “Use your escape plan, of course.” Her sheepish frown confirmed his suspicions. “Let me guess: you don’t actually have an escape plan.”
“You know they’ll have chaperones guarding the place. Otherwise all the couples will be off to find themselves a private moment.”
Frustration welled up inside him. He hated that Cassie had dragged him here, forcing him to mingle with people he didn’t like. People who would turn their noses up at his old suit and laugh behind their fans at his clumsy dancing.
He looked at Cassie and found her to be equally miserable, and that made him feel better, in the worst way possible.
“I’m sorry, Cass. I don’t feel well.”
“Will you tell me what’s the matter?” Someone bumped into them from behind. Realizing they were crowding the entrance, they moved toward the tables laden with food.
Danny took a deep breath. “It’s about my job.”
Her fingers tightened on his arm. “You weren’t sacked, were you?”
“No, not that. But Enfield’s been assigned to someone else. The Lead doesn’t think I can handle it anymore.”
“That’s not so bad, is it? You said yourself Enfield was small and—” Her eyes widened. “Oh. Your blond fellow.”
Danny nodded.
“Can’t you still visit him? Or could he come to London?”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
An automaton stood behind the table, its blank face decorated with a ridiculous black mustache. As they approached, the automaton lifted its head. “Refreshments?” it asked in monotone.
“Oh, ah, sure,” Cassie said. She checked her hair as the automaton made up a plate, its arms whirring with movement. When Cassie was certain no lock was out of place, she gave Danny another frown. “You’re being this way on purpose, aren’t you?”
“You caught me. Miserable, brooding Danny, available for one night only! Come on, Cass.”
“Why don’t you just tell me what’s got you so bothered?”
The automaton handed her a small plate loaded with sugared fruit and a colorful assortment of canapés. “Drink?” it asked.