The Apothecary's Poison (Glass and Steele #3)(51)

"No, thank you. Watching two men punching one another is not my idea of a pleasant afternoon."

"Right you are. It ain't meant to be pleasant. It's about raw strength and manly pride. It's damned good to watch."

"Be sure Miss Glass doesn't catch wind of it," I called after her as she ran up the stairs. Duke followed and I retired to my own rooms to freshen up and consider whether we'd made a mistake in visiting Abercrombie.

In the end, I couldn't decide. I conceded that Matt may have a point. Abercrombie and Clark might abandon their plan, if they had one, now that they knew we were watching them.

Or they might hasten it. Or come after us to silence us.



I went in search of Miss Glass but was distracted from my quest by the grunts and Willie's occasional cheer coming from the drawing room. A little peek at the men sparring would do no harm. Perhaps Willie was right and boxing wasn't such a bloodthirsty sport after all. Queensberry's Rules had helped it become more respectable and less violent, so my father had told me, and the nobility flocked to matches. Only the men, of course. Women were strictly forbidden. Yet another reason to see what all the fuss was about and prove, if only to myself, that my constitution couldn't be described as delicate.

I opened the door and peered through the gap. They'd moved the furniture out of the way to create a large space in which Matt and Cyclops circled one another, fists raised. They were not fighting under Queensberry's Rules. I didn't know much about the code, but I did know gloves must be worn. Both Matt and Cyclops merely had strips of white cloth wrapped around their knuckles. It couldn't possibly offer enough protection.

Cyclops jabbed with his left then followed it with his right in quick succession. Matt dodged both, but only just, then went in low, catching Cyclops unawares. He hit Cyclops in the stomach. The big man grunted but got in a punch of his own to Matt's body before he managed to dance out of the way. I suspected they'd both pulled back so as not to hurt the other. I'd seen Matt fell men with his fists, and I suspected Cyclops was capable too, yet neither looked to be in pain.

"Go on, Matt," Willie jeered. She sat on the back of an armchair, her booted feat on the seat. Miss Glass would have a fit if she saw. "You can do better than that."

"Willie," Duke growled, "not today. Look at him. He can hardly stand."

Surely he exaggerated. Matt was avoiding most of Cyclops's punches well. I tried to get a better look at his face, but he had his back to me. His body seemed alert and his reactions quick.

Willie, sitting where she could see Matt's face, frowned. "Matt," she called to her cousin, "that's enough. You stop now."

Matt ignored her and threw another punch at Cyclops, but Cyclops swayed backward and it missed him.

I maneuvered around the furniture and joined Duke and Willie to get a better look at Matt. My movement caught his attention, distracting him from the fight. Cyclops's fist connected with Matt's face with a sickening thud.

I cringed, and Cyclops caught Matt's shoulder to steady him.

"Why didn't you get out of the way?" he said.

Willie leapt off the chair. "Miss Uptight over here distracted him with her halo." She inspected Matt's face. "That's going to show up nice and black later. Better start thinking of an explanation that won't give your aunt a conniption."

"I'm sorry," I said, touching his cheek gently. "I thought you wouldn't see me if I was quiet."

"You were quiet," he said, "but no less distracting."

"Oh, Matt," I said on a sigh. "Look at you." It wasn't just the bruise beginning to form beneath the eye but the unhealthy pallor and exhaustion etched into the lines slicing across his forehead. "Where is your watch?"

I moved off toward the jacket slung over the back of the sofa but he caught my arm. "Not yet, India. I'll use it later so it lasts me through the night."

The fact that he had to control its use worried me. "All right. But you should freshen up. One look at you and Miss Glass will know what you've been up to."

"After we get the room back to order."

We returned the furniture to its usual state and Matt retired to his rooms. Cyclops sat on the sofa with a groan and I sat beside him.

"Sherry, India?" Duke asked from the sideboard.

"Yes, please." I turned to Cyclops. "Did Catherine stay long after we left?"

"A good half hour at least," he said, extending his arm and stretching out his fingers.

"What did you talk about?"

"America, mostly. She had a lot of questions."

I smiled and accepted the glass of sherry from Duke. He handed Cyclops a brandy. "She's got a curious spirit."

"Aye, she's the adventuring type." He smirked into his glass.

"Why are you smiling like that?" I asked, unable to stop smiling myself.

"No reason. She took me by surprise."

"Ah. You were expecting a demure English rose."

"From the look of her, aye. She seemed like the sort that likes to wear pretty dresses and gossip all day."

I laughed. "Oh, Cyclops, you've been duped by her pale beauty and youthfulness. I assure you, Catherine is as robust as they come, in spirit if not in body. She may like to wear pretty dresses, and will pass on juicy gossip as much as the next person, but she's more than that."