Rebel Magisters (Rebel Mechanics #2)(11)

A few minutes later, I heard a soft, “Psst!” coming from under the stairs. When it was repeated, I glanced around to make sure no one was watching me and edged my way toward the grand staircase. A fair-haired young man who was essentially a male version of Lady Charity lurked under the stairs, beckoning to me.

“You’re Henry’s gal, aren’t you?” he asked in a whisper.

I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, so I said, “I am in Lord Henry’s employ, yes.”

“I thought I recognized you.” He looked vaguely familiar. He must have been part of the group who’d aided the Mechanics’ escape. “You can tell Henry that I’m up for it. He just needs to schedule it, and I’ll come up with some excuse to get away. Maybe a hunting trip? That would be jolly. We haven’t had one of those in a while—not for real. Though I guess this one wouldn’t be real, either, what? But we’d probably be less likely to be arrested from this one.” He paused, blanching, before saying warily, “You do know about…”

“Lord Henry’s unorthodox hobbies? Yes, I am fully aware of those.”

“Oh, good. Thought I’d really put my foot in it. Please don’t tell Henry.”

“You may be assured of my discretion.”

He grinned as his shoulders sagged with relief. “Right then. You can tell Henry to tell me when, and I’m game. I’d also be up to the other kind of hunting expedition”—he winked at me—“if he just says the word. It’s been a bit boring lately.”

“I will pass that on.” I could hardly believe that the success of the revolution might rest in the hands—or bank account—of such a person. But he had to be somewhat competent to stay in Henry’s band, I was sure.

Voices from the parlor above drifted down the stairs, and Philip made shooing motions with his hands as he crept deeper into the shadows. I moved out into the foyer just as Flora and Lady Charity came around the sweeping bend of the staircase. The butler brought Flora’s coat—no one had taken mine in the first place—and she kissed Lady Charity on the cheek before leaving with me.

When the carriage was on its way, Flora said, “We have two more calls to make, but they will be much shorter. I don’t plan to spend more than ten minutes at each home. I would say that you could stay in the carriage, but Henry told me you had to come inside with me. I don’t see why. As long as you watch me enter the house safely, that should satisfy any requirements of propriety, as I am not visiting nonmagisters.”

I nodded in acknowledgment, unsure of what there was to say in response or if a response was required. Flora usually preferred me not to speak because that made it easier for her to pretend I didn’t exist. She was more fidgety than usual, and she kept glancing at me rather than looking past me the way she usually did. A couple of times, she opened her mouth as though to speak, took a breath, then abruptly closed her mouth, sealing her lips tight. She got as far as saying, “Er, um, Miss Newton,” before the carriage stopped.

Again, I was left in the foyer, where I handed Lord Henry’s card to the butler. This time, there was no response before Flora left. She seemed somewhat distracted in the carriage, picking at the folds of her skirt, and she stopped and started an attempt to speak several more times. I was the one who was glad when we reached our destination and could get out of the carriage because I’d had to bite my tongue to keep from telling her, “Oh, come out with it.”

At this home, within a minute of me handing over Henry’s card there were footsteps on the stairs, and a young man came racing down. He stopped abruptly on the bottom step. “Oh, it’s you,” he said.

“Indeed it is,” I replied, unable to suppress a smile. “We enjoyed quite the journey together.” I recognized him as the passenger who’d come into my car, claiming to have fled another car with a noisy baby on it, after the train robbery during which I’d first met Henry. This validated my suspicion that the robbers had never left the train but had rather disguised themselves and blended in among the passengers.

“You didn’t give me away,” he said.

“I wasn’t sure about you at the time.”

“I’m assuming you’re sure now, if you’re working for Henry and carrying his messages.”

“You can rely on my loyalty and discretion.”

“Then you can tell him I’m up for it.”

Girls’ voices drifted down from the upper floor, and he glanced upward before saying, “I’d better run. Wouldn’t do to be caught chatting with a chaperone. But I hope we can talk later.” He sounded rather serious, not at all flirtatious, like he was treating me as an equal member of the group. He ran up the stairs and ducked into a doorway before Flora and her friend emerged from the parlor. I noticed him darting down a hallway behind them and had to turn away so Flora wouldn’t notice me smiling.

Back in the carriage, Flora spent only a minute or so fidgeting before she blurted, “You seem to know such interesting people, Miss Newton.”

“I do, but which one do you mean? Mr. Flynn?”

“Oh, yes, that was his name.” She smoothed an imaginary wrinkle in her skirt. “Is he from Ireland?”

“I believe so, but he and his sister came over when they were children.”

“His sister is your good friend?”