The Apothecary's Poison (Glass and Steele #3)(70)

I breathed a sigh of relief. Willie muttered a prayer under her breath.

"He's getting worse," Cyclops said from his position by the window. "He tires quicker and he's got that look about him like he had after Doc Parsons stitched him up and before he believed in the watch's power."

They'd told me the story of those days after Dr. Parsons and Chronos combined their magic into Matt's watch, and how he refused to consider that it could keep him alive. He became terribly ill and would have died if Willie, who'd witnessed the surgery and initial magic, hadn't pressed the watch into his palm as he lay dying.

Willie buried her face in her hands, her fingers digging into her hair. "We've got to find Chronos."

"We're waiting for him to return to the Cross Keys," I reminded her.

"All this waiting! It makes me want to stab myself in the eye with a fork."

Duke pushed up from the chair where he'd thrown himself and marched to the door. "I'm going to Worthey's factory in Clerkenwell. Maybe Chronos will show up again."

"And I'm going to the Cross Keys," Cyclops said.

Willie followed them out. "I ain't sitting here doing nothing, either."

I was tempted to join them, but the investigation needed to continue.

Matt finally came down and apologized for his tardiness. "It was a late night," he said.

"Was the dinner enjoyable?"

"It was, surprisingly. Aunt Letitia has an eclectic circle. I find there's usually someone interesting to talk to, and last night was no exception. I discussed archaeology with a gentleman who funds digs and collects Egyptian artifacts."

I smiled despite the hollowness that opened up inside me. It wasn't jealousy. He hadn't even mentioned speaking to any women. No, it was the emptiness that came from being left out, of wishing I'd heard what the gentleman had to say, too, and of not being at Matt's side. I'd grown so used to investigating alongside him, traveling everywhere together, and discovering new things with him, that I felt the exclusion keenly.

"I wish you could have been there, India," he said. "You would have found him interesting too."

I concentrated on the papers I'd been staring at most of the morning. It was a contract for a small house on the edge of London that I was considering purchasing. The papers had arrived in the morning's post, but the legal jargon was so complicated that I couldn't make heads or tails of it. I gave up and glanced at Matt, catching him trying to sneak a look at the papers.

"It's for that house," I told him. "The one in Willesden."

"You really are considering purchasing it? Good for you, India. It's in a great location, near the station and in a quiet street. It'll be easy to rent out to a family where the husband works in the city. I think it's a solid investment for your reward money."

I didn't tell him I was thinking about living in it myself. I could still commute to Mayfair every day to work with him or be with his aunt, and it would provide me with an income if he returned to America, as I could rent out the spare room. I had to think about my future, and the house was far too good to let go. I had to think about the present too, and how awkward it was living in the same house as him, particularly in the evenings when his aunt had gone to bed and we spent quiet moments together or happened upon each other in a dark corridor. The longer I remained at number sixteen Park Street, the more danger I was of falling further in love with him. So much further, in fact, that I worried I could not untangle myself when he found himself a wife or…or died.

"Will you look over these papers with me later?" I asked. "I feel as though I need a law degree to understand them."

"Of course. And if it's all in order, I'll have my lawyer finalize arrangements for you."

"Thank you, Matt. That's very generous of you."

"Generous?" He frowned. "India, it's nothing."

Peter the footman entered and announced the arrival of a visitor. "There's a Dr. Wiley to see you, sir. Shall I escort him to your study?"

"I'll see him in here," Matt said. Once Peter left, Matt addressed me again. "If ever you need anything, just ask. I'm happy to help you. In fact, I need to help you."

Need? That was an odd thing to say. He must have thought so too, because his frown deepened and did not disappear until Dr. Wiley entered. The doctor clutched his hat in both hands and gave me a nervous little bow.

"G-good morning," he said. "Lovely day today."

"It does seem pleasant," I said with a glance at the window.

"You have something for me?" Matt asked.

Dr. Wiley cleared his throat. "Y-yes."

"Then please sit," I said, shooting Matt a stern glare at his inhospitable behavior.

Matt settled his feet a little apart and his hands behind his back. When I realized he wasn't going to sit too, I glared even harder at him. He finally relented and sat.

"Go on, Dr. Wiley," I prompted.

"I had to wait for Dr. Ritter to leave his office and look through his papers," the doctor said. "I didn't like doing it, mind, but you left me no choice, Mr. Glass."

Matt didn't bat an eyelid at the accusation. If his form of blackmail bothered him, he didn't show it. "To whom did he sell the medicines?" Matt asked.