The Watchmaker's Daughter (Glass and Steele #1)(25)

"I don't like her," she said. "She's a hoity toity miss who thinks she's better than all of us."

"You're being childish," Mr. Glass chided. "Miss Steele isn't like that at all."

Willie snorted. "Why'd you bring her here, anyway? You could have paid for lodgings somewhere else. She didn't have to come under our roof."

"I agree with Willie," said Duke. "Letting the Steele woman live here is dangerous. She might see something she shouldn't."

"Or Matt might do something he shouldn't," said Cyclops with a deep chuckle.

"Shut your trap, Cyclops," Willie snapped. "Matt ain't interested in the likes of her. What's she got to offer him that other ladies don't?"

Cyclops's low chuckle filtered out to me. I wished I could see the others' reactions, particularly Mr. Glass's.

"I wanted her here for a reason," Mr. Glass said. "Not that reason," he added quickly. "There's something about her. I can feel it. Or, rather, the device can."

"The device can?" Duke echoed.

"When she's nearby, the watch becomes warmer. I can feel it through my shirt."

"That's ridiculous," Willie said. "It can't do that."

"How would you know?" Duke sneered. "But Matt…is that all? Does it glow or something?"

"No, but I'm convinced she's more than a simple watchmaker's daughter. She must be, or why would all the other watchmakers in the city be afraid of her?"

Afraid of me? That was overstating it a little. They did seem unnaturally wary of me, however, for reasons I couldn't fathom. Even Mr. Mason. The only one who treated me as he'd always done was Mr. Healy.

"She's staying here," Mr. Glass announced, "because she's of use to me. So be nice. All of you, Willie."

Was that why he was being gentlemanly to me? Was that why he'd saved me from Mr. Abercrombie's clutches? Because he suspected I was useful to him? While I'd never expected to become friends with him, I had thought we shared an amiable connection. Now, I wasn't sure what I felt or whether I could trust his pleasant manner. It sounded like it was all an act to lull me into trusting him.

But to what end, I didn't know. I had nothing worth stealing and there was certainly nothing special about me, no matter what he thought. Nothing special at all.





Chapter 6





Dinner was an unusual affair. Duke had prepared sole, followed by roasted pork, potatoes, salads, and finishing with jelly. The unusual part was that he and Cyclops dined with Mr. Glass, Willie and myself in the dining room instead of the servants' quarters.

"This is delicious, Duke," I said, casting him a smile.

His cheeks flushed and he concentrated on his plate of food. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"Should be," Willie said, stabbing a slice of pork with her fork. "He spent all afternoon on it to impress you."

Duke rolled his eyes. "It takes all afternoon to prepare something like this. Not that you would know. You burn everything."

"Where did you learn?" I asked quickly before the conversation descended into an argument between them.

"Here and there." He stuffed his mouth full of potato. I gathered that meant he didn't want to answer any more questions about his cooking.

"Cyclops, did you collect our tickets?" Mr. Glass asked his coachman.

"Aye, after I brought you back here, I went to the booking office," Cyclops said.

"Finally!" Willie licked pork grease off her lower lip. "I was beginning to think we were going to stay in this miserable country forever. When are we going home?"

"Next Tuesday." Cyclops's one clear eye focused on Mr. Glass. "As long as all goes well and we find him."

"We will," Mr. Glass said, cheerfully. "Won't we, Miss Steele?"

"I, er, hope so," I said. Unless the watchmaker was dead, or living elsewhere. The more I thought about all the reasons why he wouldn't be in London, the more doubtful of success I became. He could be anywhere in the world. "But what happens if we don't find him in a week? Will you still return to America?"

The resulting silence was so complete that even chewing ceased. Duke, Willie and Cyclops all glanced at Mr. Glass. Mr. Glass studied his wine but did not drink.

"You'll find him, Miss Steele." Willie pointed her knife at me. "Or else."

"Willie," Mr. Glass said with effort. "If we fail to find the watchmaker, it won't be Miss Steele's fault."

Willie sniffed then gulped down the contents of her wineglass. "Just find him," she growled, setting the glass down hard. "You can't afford not to."

Again, nobody spoke, and again Mr. Glass pretended not to notice everyone staring at him. Cyclops looked worried, Willie seemed angry, but Duke's reaction interested me most. His eyes moistened. When he saw me watching, he quickly lowered his head, and shoveled another potato into his mouth.

"Goodness me," I said, brightly. "You all seem rather distressed by the thought of not finding the watchmaker." I hoped I wasn't stirring a bees nest, but I would seem more suspicious to them if I didn't say something at this juncture. "Your watch must be very special indeed if only one man in the world can fix it, and the thought of not finding him elicits such concern."