The Apothecary's Poison (Glass and Steele #3)(58)

Mr. Barratt's brows flew up his forehead. "You were alone?"

"The butler was there."

"But Mr. Glass was not?"

Matt drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I got the feeling he was keeping his temper in check and his response to himself.

"Matt can't be home all the time," I said, "and he can't know when someone plans on threatening us. To be fair, he was threatened too."

"You're a very reasonable woman, Miss Steele. I know ladies who would berate their menfolk for not being around for such an event, rightly or wrongly."

"Mr. Glass is my employer, not my folk," I said icily. Honestly, I'd had enough of men and their overbearing notions for one day.

Mr. Barratt surprised me with a genuine smile. "Thank you for clarifying that for me."

I got the feeling he'd done some fishing and I'd gobbled up the bait and hook in one gulp.

Both men regarded one another over the desk, one smiling and the other scowling. It was a thrilling feeling to be the object of their silent battle, until I remembered that my instincts could be completely off. It was more likely that Matt didn't trust Mr. Barratt and Mr. Barratt…actually I could not think of a reason for him to dislike Matt.

"You said you were coming to visit me today," Matt said. "Why?"

"Not you," Mr. Barratt said. "I wanted to see Miss Steele."

"Me?" I blinked at him. "Why?"

"Ever since we spoke about your grandparents, I decided to do a little investigation of my own."

Matt sat forward. "You did what?"

Mr. Barratt put up his hands. "Whoa, calm down. Why are you angry, Mr. Glass?"

"You've been spying on India, that's why."

"Not at all. I'm helping her find the missing pieces of her background. I want her to understand where her magic came from."

"I see," I said before Matt could interrupt. While I saw his point, and it was odd that Mr. Barratt would investigate my background without asking me first, he was telling me now. And I was wildly curious about what he'd found. "And?" I prompted.

"And I learned two things. First of all, you may not have inherited your magic from your paternal grandfather but your paternal grandmother."

"Well, that's interesting, and could explain why my grandfather was granted a license from the Watchmaker's Guild. He was artless and harmless in their eyes. My grandmother may have assisted him, but the guild probably didn't know about her."

"She died before you were born?" Matt asked.

I nodded. "My father spoke fondly of her, but not so fondly of my grandfather. Their marriage wasn't a happy one. Apparently my grandfather was a selfish man and his neglect drove my grandmother to an early grave. I always thought it sad."

"Unhappy marriages are common," Matt said quietly. "I've certainly seen enough of them."

"Amen," Mr. Barratt muttered.

"How did you find out about my grandmother's magic?" I asked him.

"I asked a retired watchmaker I know in passing if he knew the Steeles of St. Martins Lane. His son now owns the shop around the corner from here, but the elderly man remembered your father and grandparents. After a few pertinent questions about your grandfather's skill, he said that his work deteriorated after your grandmother died. That got me thinking that he wasn't the magician, but she was. A few more questions and I became certain of it. He'd once seen her fix an extremely old clock with mechanisms that had stumped him."

"Did you mention magic to the retired watchmaker?" Matt asked.

"Of course not." Mr. Barratt pulled his chair forward and leaned his elbows on the desk. His blue eyes sparkled. "That's not all I learned from the old watchmaker. As we were talking, he said it was odd that I was asking him about your grandfather now, of all times."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he thought he saw him recently."

"That's impossible. He's dead."

"That's what I told him, but he insisted he passed him in the street a few weeks ago. He called out but the other man kept going."

"Your source must have been mistaken."

"I thought so too, but I decided to follow it up." Mr. Barratt smiled an odd little smile. "I checked at the General Register Office. His birth and marriage details are recorded, but not his death."

"It must be an oversight," I said. "He is dead. My father told me."

Mr. Barratt and Matt exchanged glances. "Unless your father lied," Matt said. "If he didn't like him and wanted nothing to do with him…" He shrugged, almost as if offering me an apology for suggesting it.

"It's possible," I muttered.

"Separately, the two pieces of evidence amount to no more than speculation," Mr. Barratt said. "But together, I think there's a very real possibility that your grandfather is alive and living in London."





Chapter 11





"I think we should change our plans," I said as Matt opened the carriage door for me outside the Gazette's office. "Instead of confronting Lord Coyle, I think we should spy on him. He's unlikely to admit to sending his man to threaten us, and spying on him might give us more evidence against him."