The Watchmaker's Daughter (Glass and Steele #1)(60)

The notion opened a well inside me that filled with an ache. "Mrs. Mason," I ventured, "why have you changed toward me? What have I done to deserve this…coolness I'm confronted with at every turn?" I managed to keep the wobble out of my voice until the end.

"Nothing," Catherine said brightly. "No one is cool toward you. Are they, Mama?"

But Mrs. Mason didn't answer. She set down her cup and buried her hands in her apron.

"Mama?" Catherine shifted forward on her seat and glanced nervously at me.

"Mrs. Mason?" I prompted. "Please."

"I don't know anything," she said, sounding wretched. She was an honest, good woman with a kind heart. So what was stopping her from being open with me? "Mr. Mason was urged not to help you find the watchmaker, that's all. Not that he can! He doesn't know of anyone fitting the fellow's description, and nor do I."

"But you were warned, nevertheless," I said, sitting back heavily. "By whom?"

Catherine gasped. "That's why Papa has received so many callers of late. Several guild members have visited him in the last two days," she told me. "We never usually see them, as Papa isn't particularly friendly with them, so it's been quite noticeable."

"Some of the more senior members have paid calls," Mrs. Mason clarified.

"Led by Abercrombie," I muttered.

"He hasn't been here himself," she said.

But he was most likely behind the visits. "Why does he dislike me so much?"

Catherine set her cup down and crouched before me. Her sweet face was full of earnestness. "I've never liked him. He's an upstart and a…a toad, and he thinks women are beneath him. He's afraid of your skill as a watchmaker, that's my theory. Afraid of seeing a woman surpass him." She looked to her mother. "Do you agree, Mama?"

"I do," she said with an emphatic nod and a sigh of relief. Why would she be relieved by such an explanation?

Unless it wasn't the entire explanation, yet it meant not having to give me the other, more troubling one.

Part of me wanted to push her to tell me, but I suppressed the urge. I didn't want to place her in an awkward position.

"My presence here is making things difficult for you," I said, rising. "I'll leave."

"No, please stay longer," Catherine urged.

Her mother, however, rose too. "It was lovely seeing you again, India. Do take care." She set about gathering the dishes, ignoring her daughter's narrow-eyed glare.

I took Catherine's hand and led her to the front door. "You've been very kind, Catherine, but I won't visit for some time. I don't want to trouble your parents any more than I have."

"Don't mind Mama." She lowered her voice. "Mr. Abercrombie and the guild frighten her. She's not strong like you or me."

"And your father? Do they frighten him too?"

"He must do as they say or risk censure."

"Yes, of course. You're right." It was selfish of me not to think about the predicament the Masons were in. Whatever reason they had for being wary of me, explaining might get them into further trouble with the guild. Trouble they could ill afford with an organization that held such power over their livelihood. I needed to find another way to find the answers. I had an idea. "I wish I could give Mr. Abercrombie and the other Court members a piece of my mind. Do you know when they next meet?"

Her eyes bulged. "You're not considering going, are you?"

"Why not?"

"Because…it's madness! They'll all be against you, and…and it would be awful."

"On the contrary. I might finally get some answers. Besides, what can they do to me now? They've kept me from becoming a member, warned their members not to employ me, and almost had me arrested for a crime I didn't commit. They've used their power to rob me of my home and my livelihood. As I see it, I have nothing more to lose. They cannot possibly take anything else from me, as I have nothing to take."

Her lower lip wobbled and she threw herself into my arms. "Oh, India, you are the bravest soul." Her voice shook and I felt a wet tear fall onto my neck. "I wish I could do more to help you, but I feel so useless."

I hugged her and patted her back. "You're doing more than enough simply by remaining my true friend. Besides, you can help me. You can tell me when the guild next meets."

She pulled away and wiped her cheeks with her thumb. For a long moment, I thought she wouldn't answer me, then she said, "I overheard Papa tell Mama it's tonight at seven o'clock."



I spent the afternoon looking for employment and suitable accommodation but my mind was on the task I'd set for myself that night. I would confront the guild members about their changed attitude toward me and see if the reason behind it was merely their resentment of my gender or something more. I would also ask them about Mr. Mirth. That way, Mr. Glass could come along. While I didn't think they'd use force to throw me out, it would nevertheless give me more confidence to have him at my side.

My distracted mind was probably the reason I was unsuccessful in securing new employment. I did, however, find clean and comfortable rooms to let on the second floor of a modest Bloomsbury house. The landlady was a widow of the late curator of the British Museum's medieval collection and seemed relieved to have a female applicant. I promised to deliver references before Tuesday. I didn't tell her that my employer would leave London that day and I had nothing further lined up.