“How can I help?” Colton asked. “I feel so useless. It’s my cog, and I should be fighting for it.”
“I’m your mechanic. It’s my responsibility to repair you.”
“You’ve already done too much for me. Matthias was caught because he did too much for Evaline.” He brushed a thumb over Danny’s knuckles. “I refuse to get you in trouble. I can handle this on my own.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t do anything in the state you’re in. You can barely walk!”
He knew he’d said the wrong thing only when the words were out of his mouth. Colton’s face shut like a door before he dropped Danny’s hand and turned away.
Evaline looked between them. “Some advice: take whatever time you have together before it’s gone. In case the worst should happen.”
Her words were stingingly blunt, but effective. Danny followed Colton to the southern clock face, where the spirit had retreated. His silhouette against the light made Danny’s chest ache, as if he were already too far away, out of Danny’s reach.
They stood side by side in silence and looked out over the city, the winking lanterns like fairy lights, the coils of smoke like the aftereffects of spells, the serpentine curve of the Thames glittering in the moonlight. The view from Enfield was so small and simple in comparison, but Danny couldn’t help but long for it now, even with this vision spread out before him.
“I’m sorry,” Danny mumbled at last. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
He wondered if Colton would have sighed, had he been able. “No, you’re right. I’m next to useless. Even in my tower, all I’m good for is keeping time running. And I can’t even do that properly.”
“Don’t say that. Look at all you do for Enfield. The people dancing on the green, the couples falling in love, the children growing up. That’s you, Colton. You’re giving them life.”
Colton’s eyes flinched with pain, feeling the pull of his town so far away, the need to bring that life back.
“We’ll do this together,” Danny said. It had been apparent from the start, he realized. Colton helping him during those first Enfield assignments, putting his trust in Danny. Only together could they mend what was broken.
“But what can I do?”
“When we find Matthias, you’ll have to convince him to return the cog. Maybe if he sees what he’s done to you, he’ll change his mind.”
Colton looked skeptical, but took Danny’s hand again, threading their fingers together. There was something slow and somber in the touch, as if Colton thought what Danny refused to—that this could be the last time. Their last moment alone.
“I like London,” Colton said, his eyes heavy and warm and golden, a late afternoon sun about to set. “I wish I could stay here.”
If only he knew that the same wish was branded on Danny’s heart. “I wish you could, too. I’ve told you so much about it, and yet all you’ve seen is my bedroom and this bloody old clock.”
“Hey now, what’s so terrible about this clock?”
Danny jumped. Behind them stood a tall, broad man with a blond beard. He wore a workman’s outfit of brown trousers, white shirt, and tan vest. The man’s light brown eyes traveled from Colton to Evaline before settling on Danny with a knowing gleam.
“S-sorry,” Danny said, “I didn’t think anyone would be here at this hour.” Danny blinked once, twice. “Hold on, I know you. You’re one of the tower mechanics.” He remembered asking the man whether he preferred the name Big Ben or St. Stephen’s.
“Not quite,” the man said with barely concealed amusement.
“But I saw you when I was an apprentice here. I’m sure of it.”
Colton tugged on his sleeve. “Danny,” he whispered, “he’s the spirit.”
Danny stared. Looking closer, he saw that the man’s shirtsleeves were rolled to his elbows, and a tattoo—or what looked like a tattoo—circled one thick arm: DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRUM VICOTIAM PRIMAM.
When the spirit who wanted to be called Big Ben winked, Danny rocked back on his heels, his face burning.
So much for being a detective.
“We’re sorry to intrude,” Evaline said, sounding humble in the man’s presence, which was definitely big. His smile alone flooded the room like a blast of heat, and Danny swore the clock faces glowed brighter.
“No need to be sorry. I like the company. Couldn’t help but overhear your dilemma, though. What are two spirits doing outside their towers in the first place?”
Colton and Evaline explained while Danny lingered shyly in the background. He wondered how many people Big Ben had revealed himself to over the years, and if any of them had been quicker to catch on.
“Well, now, that makes sense. I’ve felt you in the city for a while, but I wasn’t sure why. I felt you just recently,” Big Ben said, turning to Colton. “I know this mechanic fellow you talked about. I’ve seen him here working and training young mechanics. He didn’t strike me as the type to turn rotten.”