The Watchmaker's Daughter (Glass and Steele #1)(55)

He slipped the coat over my hands, but did not remove it entirely. I was trapped by my own clothing, yet I felt no panic and no vulnerability. This man wouldn't harm me. Why I felt so certain of that, I didn't know. While my head was telling me to run to my room, every other piece of me wanted to remain.

"You're living under my roof, for the time being," he murmured. "It's my duty to protect every member of this household. Including you, Miss Steele."

"It's not necessary." I hardly knew what I was saying anymore. My mind was filled with a fog that made it difficult to think beyond the present, heady moment. "Does a landlord care what his lodger does in the evenings?"

"You are not my lodger."

"Employee then. Until Tuesday, that is."

He drew in a sharp breath. Then he stepped away, taking my coat with him. He folded it over his arm, smoothing it with his hand. "Thank you for the reminder."

"Reminder?" I shook my head. "Had you forgotten already?"

He grunted a laugh. "In a way."

"Mr. Glass, are you feeling all right? May I get you something from the kitchen? Or perhaps you ought to go directly to bed. Pass me the coat. I'll hang it up." I was very aware that I was rambling yet I couldn't stop. "You do look very tired."

His jaw hardened. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. I'm capable of hanging up the coat myself. Goodnight, Miss Steele."

I sighed. I still wasn't sure if what had passed between us was real or not, but I missed it now it was gone. "Goodnight, Mr. Glass."



"I ought to be doing something," I told Mr. Glass over breakfast when he declared that I wasn't required that day. "You're paying me to help you find Chronos, but sitting here while you go out is a waste of time. Surely there's something I can do."

"I'm not looking for Chronos today," he said yet again as he buttered his toast. "And you can't search for him without me. Only I know what he looks like."

Cyclops and Duke busied themselves at the sideboard, piling toast, bacon and eggs onto their plates, but I got the distinct impression they were listening intently to our exchange. Neither Willie nor Miss Glass had ventured down from their rooms yet.

"I can ask after Mirth," I said. "Someone may know where he's gone, who his friends are, et cetera."

He bit off the corner of his toast and didn't answer me until he'd swallowed. It gave me time to study him. While he looked less tired, the shadow of illness still clung to him. He required more sleep. "Someone may," he said, "but they're unlikely to give the information to you. We've seen how the watchmakers of London react to you. I don't want a repeat of your encounter with Abercrombie."

That encounter was still troubling me, too, as was Mr. Glass's reaction to it. Whatever he'd said to Abercrombie the next day had appeared to put an end to the accusation. The police hadn't come looking for me. I wouldn't risk going to see Abercrombie, however, and asking him why he'd been so cruel. Not until I knew for certain that he wasn't going to call for the constables at the first sight of me.

"I think I'll visit the Masons," I said. "Mr. Mason may know about the Mirth fellow."

"Very well. Enjoy your day out."

"Thank you." I sipped my tea. "I thought the search for Chronos was vitally important."

"It is."

"Then why are you not spending today looking for him? You're running out of time."

"A damned good question," Duke growled as he sat beside me. "Forget about…the intruder, Matt. Your other business is more pressing."

"I beg to differ," Mr. Glass said.

"Cyclops, you tell him."

Cyclops sat too. His pile of bacon toppled, sending the topmost piece onto the table. He stabbed it with a fork and stuffed it into his mouth as if he'd been starved of bacon for years. After he swallowed, he dabbed his mouth delicately with a napkin. "Matt is right," he said. "We need to find…the intruder."

"But—"

"But you're also right," Cyclops went on. "We need to find Chronos."

"Thank you for your insightful observation," Mr. Glass said wryly.

"Including today, and not counting Tuesday as we leave in the morning, we have three days. The question is, can we find both men in that time?" He picked up his teacup and swallowed the contents in one gulp.

"No, we cannot," Duke said. "We've made almost no progress in the hunt for Chronos. That must be our priority. The other thing can wait until—" His gaze flicked to me. "Until after your watch is fixed."

"It can't wait," Mr. Glass growled. "The intruder must be stopped before he returns."

"Why would he return here?" I picked up the knife and leaned forward. "You know him, don't you?"

He nodded. "It's someone we've crossed paths with in America."

"Who?"

"That's a private matter."

I sliced the top off my boiled egg with a single strike of my knife. The force caused it to miss my plate and land on the table. Mr. Glass reached across the table, picked it up and placed it on my plate. He smiled. I scowled back.