The Apothecary's Poison (Glass and Steele #3)(50)

"I've been looking forward to this first meeting with you," Matt said. "I want you to know that I harbor no ill feelings."

"I…I don't know what you're talking about. That wasn't me."

Matt grunted a harsh laugh. "I know it was you, even if I have no proof."

"You have no proof because I didn't—"

Matt slammed his fist down on the counter. The remaining customers hurried out, and the staff kept their distance. I wasn't sure whether to take Matt's arm and urge him to calm down or let his anger ride itself out.

"Who told you about India's magic?" Matt asked in a harsh whisper.

Of all the questions I thought he'd say, that was not on the list. I held my breath and forced myself to look unruffled as Mr. Abercrombie's gaze fell on me.

"Wh-what do you mean?" he asked.

"Again, you're playing the fool." The chill in Matt's tone sent a shiver down my spine. "Don't."

Abercrombie removed his pince nez. "Eddie Hardacre told me."

"Eddie!" I cried. "How did he know?"

"Your father told him."

My father? But why? How could he tell someone else but not me? I blinked back the tears burning my eyes. I refused to cry in front of Abercrombie.

"To keep you safe," Matt said quietly, guessing the direction of my thoughts. "He knew he was dying and thought Hardacre would protect you after he was gone."

"Instead, Eddie betrayed me." I placed my palms on the counter to steady myself.

Matt placed his hand over mine.

"We must choose our friends wisely, Miss Steele," Mr. Abercrombie said with a lift of his chin. "Clearly you have a problem in that regard."

Matt removed his hand. "You know a Mr. Clark from the Apothecary's Guild," he said.

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"It has a great deal to do with magic, the guilds, and—"

Abercrombie rushed toward the counter. "Be quiet," he hissed. "Lower your voice."

Matt's mouth twisted into a sinister sneer. It was at these moments, when anger overtook him, that I felt I didn't know him at all. It may only ever be directed at the deserving, like Abercrombie, but it chilled me nevertheless. "What are you and Clark plotting?" he growled.

"Nothing! For God's sake, man. Josiah Clark is merely a friend of mine. Occasionally we dine together at my guild's hall or his. There's nothing mysterious in that, and we are certainly not plotting against…people like Miss Steele."

"Just like you didn't plot with the master of the Mapmaker's Guild to kidnap Daniel Gibbons?"

Abercrombie stiffened. "The police questioned me and let me go. Duffield, the master of that guild, worked alone."

That was a lie, but neither we nor the police could prove it.

Matt made a great show of inspecting more watches in the glass cabinet. No customers remained in the shop, only staff. If nothing else, we'd succeeded in costing Abercrombie some business today.

"On second thoughts," Matt said, "I've changed my mind. I won't purchase one of your watches. Your collection is far too provincial for my tastes. I think I'll take my custom elsewhere."

He tucked my hand into the crook of his arm and we left the shop together.

"He's rattled," Matt said as we settled in the carriage.

"But what do you think he's up to with Mr. Clark? Another kidnapping? Hale's murder? If so, perhaps we shouldn't have poked the bees’ nest like that."

"Whatever it is, he'll be more likely to abandon his plans now that he knows we're watching him."

"That's what you wanted to achieve in there?"

"Short of actually extracting his plans from him, yes. I doubted he would simply tell us what he was plotting. Not unless I beat it out of him."

"Then thank goodness his staff remained," I said, only half joking.

"It wasn't his staff who kept me in check." He watched me from beneath heavy lids then turned to look out the window. Anger hung over him like a storm cloud the rest of the way home.

Duke and Willie had returned to the house a few minutes before us, and Catherine was gone. I wanted to ask Cyclops if he'd enjoyed her company much longer after we'd departed but did not get the chance.

"Cyclops, with me," Matt ordered, striding past Willie coming down the staircase. "I need a sparring partner."

Cyclops and Duke exchanged glances but it was Willie who spoke. "Sparring! What in damnation did you do it him, India?"

"We went to see Abercrombie," I said.

"Ah. That explains it."

"It does, rather."

Cyclops rolled up his shirtsleeve and went to follow Matt.

"Don't go in too hard," I told him. "Remember he's not well."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Cyclops said.

"Besides," Duke said, "Matt can take anything Cyclops can throw at him, even when he ain't well."

"If I was a different sort of man, I'd take offense at that." Cyclops slapped Duke on the shoulder and raced up the stairs, taking two at a time.

"I'm going to watch," Willie said. "Coming, India?"