Beth shrugged. “I found the heart of metal.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Anyway. Shall I tell him you want to talk to him?”
Eveline glanced at the jade fox. “No,” she said. “Go on, get to class. Someone’s got to keep ’em in hand, and now you’ve gone all gumption and metal, it’ll be easy as anything, won’t it?”
“S
O THERE YOU
are,” Evvie said.
“How are you?” Liu said.
“Sore.”
“Eveline... Lady Sparrow... I should have been here.”
“Well, you had something on, didn’t you?” Evvie said.
“Yes. It was... a family matter.”
She looked back at him. “You going to tell me?”
“It is a long and not very happy story.”
“Well, you tell me what you feel like. If you feel like. Only... I didn’t tell you stuff, before you left, and I probably shoulda. I’m not in the habit, see.” She sighed. “I dunno, I keep thinking I’ve worked stuff out, and then I realise I’m not near as sharp as I think.”
“Now that is a terrible confession you should never make to anyone. Besides, I don’t think it is true.”
“Flatterer. Liu...”
“Yes?”
“I’m serious. I trust Beth like I trust the ground under my feet, but I didn’t tell her what I was doing, and if she hadn’t been so damn sharp, well, I wouldn’t be here. I nearly wasn’t.”
Liu swallowed. “I know. I... am very glad she was so sharp.”
“Well, so’m I. So I think, maybe, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if we told each other what we’re up to, maybe. Next time.”
“You are planning a next time?”
“I never plan nothing, well, ’cepting a con, it’s just, stuff just
happens
. So, you know, just so you know, ’spite of what I said, I trust you, too, and if I get up in it again, I’ll tell you, right? And I’d really appreciate the same from you, because, whatever you were up to, and I get it if you don’t want to tell me, but you look like you din’t exactly have a holiday by the sea, and you still worried about me, too, so...”
“Lady Sparrow.”
“Yeah.”
“Yes. I will tell you. This time. And next time, although I hope there will be no next time for a while. I think I would like some peace and quiet.”
“Me too.”
So he sat in the chair by the bed and told her, as much as he thought she would care to hear. And then she asked questions, and he told her more, until he had told her far more than he ever meant to.
She put her hand over his, where it was clenched on his thigh. “Liu?”
“Yes.” He rubbed his eyes.
“You did right.”
“I should have been here, Evvie. You could have... I should have been here.”
“Well you couldn’t know, could you? And...” She picked at the bedspread, with her free hand, the fingers of the other tightening on his. “If I’da known you were going to get yourself in even more trouble, for me... I’d never have asked.”
“I know.”
“I thought it would be easy, getting the changeling.”
“I never told you otherwise.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I.”
“You got nothing to be sorry for.”
“I wish... I wish I could have brought your sister home. And the red-headed girl... I looked at her, and wondered if she had a sister, like you, at home, who missed her.”
“You can’t rescue everyone, Liu. You wanted to, because you’re decent. Not like...” She broke off, but not before Liu heard the words ‘your father,’ hanging in the air.
He sighed. “The Harp said to me, ‘Consider always whether what you desire will cost you what you love.’ I thought I honoured my father, but in fact, I desired his love.”
“’Course you did. S’natural, a father’s supposed to love his children – but it don’t always work that way, does it? If it did there wouldn’t be so many children knocked about, or on the streets. Anyway,” she said, “why should you honour him when he ain’t done nothing to earn it? I’m s’posed to honour the Queen – our Queen, I mean – just cos she’s the Queen, but she ain’t never done a thing for me.”
“You have done something for her, by preventing a war.”
“Maybe I should write and tell her, that’d go down a treat, wouldn’t it? ‘Dear Ma’am, I just saved your empire from a big row, how’s about a bit of the cash what you won’t have to spend on gunpowder, yours truly, Evvie Sparrow.’”
“Perhaps not.”
“I still need money, or this place is going to fall apart.”
Liu patted her hand. “Between the cunning Fox and the sneaky Sparrow, we should be able to come up with something.”
“Better do it quick, then.” Evvie sighed, and slumped back on the pillow. “Give us a minute, eh?”
“Yes, you should rest.” Liu stood up.
“Liu? Can you do us one more favour? There’s still that hellhound Simms. He knows more’n is healthy. I don’t know
what
I’m going to do about him, but while I’m laid up, I’d like to think someone’s keeping an eye on him.”
“I suspect he need not trouble you for long.”
“Oh? What d’you mean?”
“Ma Pether has gone looking for him. If I were him, I would be finding a very deep, dark hole to hide in.”
“She has?” Evvie sat up, her eyes wide, and winced. “Gah, that hurts.”
“Lie down, please!”
“But Liu... Ma’s done a lot of stuff but she’s never been a killer, she’s never held with it! I don’t want her hanged ’cause of me!”
“Eveline... please. I do not know what she was planning, but she had a smile and a large bag and I did not scent murder on her. Mischief, yes. I think Mr Simms may have a long time to regret his actions. Perhaps he will become a reformed character.”
“Well, I hope you’re right. But I wish she wouldn’t...”
“Help you? When you cannot, for the moment, help yourself?”
“Well... all right.”
“Sometimes one must accept help.”
“Look who’s talking.”
“You are obviously better, since you are feeling argumentative. But now I think you should sleep.”
“Liu?”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad you came back.”
“Thank you.” He smiled. “I am glad, too. Go to sleep, Lady Sparrow.”
“E
VELINE, COME TO
the parlour.”
“What is it, Mama?”
“We’ve a visitor. Oh, dear...” Madeleine was twisting her hands together, her hair coming adrift from its bun.
“Mama? It’s not the carpenter, is it? I told you to let me deal with him.”
“No, it’s Mr Thring.”
“What’s going on?”
“You’d better come. He’ll tell you.”
The parlour was small, and all the furniture, though lovingly chosen, was second-hand. The fire in the grate struggled, chewing on the cheapest coal. Octavius Thring, standing on the threadbare carpet, looked distinctly out of place: altogether too plump, and shiny, and prosperous. Today’s waistcoat was embroidered with fleurs-de-lis, in green and silver, and his rambunctious silver curls were already escaping from an inadequate application of pomade. He was looking out of the window to the old stables, from which issued interesting clankings and occasional puffs of oddly-coloured smoke.
“Ah, Miss Sparrow,” he said. “How are you today?”
“I’m well, thank you, Mr Thring. My Mama said you wished to speak to me?”
“Yes, well, I’m afraid I have a confession to make. I do hope you won’t be too terribly upset with me.”
“What sort of a confession?” Eveline was instantly aprickle.
“I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”
I knew it
. Eveline’s stomach fell to her boots, but she folded her arms, pointed her chin and waited.
Octavius Thring fidgeted with the scarf he was wearing. “Oh, well,” he said, “perhaps it would be easier if I just gave you these.” He thrust a sheaf of papers at her.
Eveline looked at the top layer. It was the language of lawyers – impenetrable as a pea-souper. She flicked through, looking for something she could understand.
And there, glaring up at her, was a name she knew, and a signature she had seen before.
Josh Stug, Esq.
A dozen fragmented thoughts jammed into her mind, crashing into each other. He knew Stug. They had worked together. Perhaps Stug had been government after all... was Thring government too? How would she protect her mother, Beth, the girls?
“It’s not as complicated as it looks,” Thring said. “Fortunately everything was already in place. Did you know Stug seems to have disappeared? I suspect some of his less legitimate dealings may have caught up with him.”
Well that’s true enough,
Eveline thought.
Thring shook his head. “Long spoons, you know. Long spoons. But his secretary is a smart young man, and I made sure everything was in order.”
“What do you mean spoons?” Eveline said, grabbing at the thing that made the least sense.
“Oh, well, you know, one needs a long spoon to sup with the devil, and I suspect Mr Stug’s spoon lacked sufficient length.”
“Mr Thring, I don’t know who you really are or what you’ve done, but I’ll thank you to make yourself plain.”
“Who I really am? Oh, dear, I quite thought we’d been properly introduced, when I first came to visit your Mama, I’m dreadfully sorry.”
“Are you government?”
“What? Good heavens, no. Whatever gave you that idea? No, no, entirely a private individual. I dabble, you know, I dabble – but not in government. Heaven forfend. Merely in mechanics. Your Mama is a far better creator. But she has too much to worry her. It interferes with the concentration. I know you do your best...”
“What business did you have with ‘Viper’ Stug, Mr Thring?”
“Ah, well, perhaps I’d better start at the beginning.”
“Perhaps you had.”
“Your mama told me what you were planning – the security business. A most intriguing idea, I must say – I had some thoughts on a device or two that might be of use, I’m sure I had the notes somewhere... in any case, well, I have a little property here and there, and I’d come across Stug’s name... there was never any suggestion of anything actually
illegal,
just a sense that perhaps he wasn’t entirely
savoury
. So I thought perhaps I should look into it.”
“You did, did you?”
“Yes. Oh, dear, you’re offended, aren’t you? Your mama tells me you’re a very independent young lady. Admirable, you know, entirely admirable, but... well, it’s too late now.”
“What’s too late?”
“I’m afraid I did something rather unsavoury myself.”
“What?”
“I’ve dealt with men like Stug before, you know. Desperate for the appearance of respectability.”
“Mr Thring!”
“Oh, dear, yes, well. I’m afraid I rather, well, actually, turned the tables on him.”
“Mr Thring, if you don’t tell me what you’re talking about in the plainest language, right this minute, I shall hit you with the poker.”
“Oh, please don’t. Very well. I gave Stug the impression that he could buy you out, but in fact, I was setting up a charity to support the school. Those papers you signed? It’s all entirely in order. But there will be money, from Stug’s estate. A nice regular sum. And it’s been announced. So even if he does reappear – I did mention he seems to have disappeared? – he can’t stop it without looking like a bad sort to the very people to whom he would most wish to appear respectable.”
Eveline sat down, hard, on the nearest chair.
“S
O WE’VE PAID
the butcher, and the cook, and the grocer...” Beth said.
Evvie nodded. “I think that’s the lot.”
They were in the kitchen. Liu sat on the table, swinging his legs. “Well, Lady Sparrow, now you have nothing to worry about.”
“Apart from Thring mooning over Mama.”
“Is he?” Beth said.
“Follows her about like a spaniel, he does.”
“Oh. Well, he’s nice, I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
Evvie hunched her shoulders. “Well, it’s not exactly
wrong,
I s’pose, but I don’t have to like it.”
“Why not? He’s perfectly nice, and look at what he did,” Beth said.
“He only did it to get on Mama’s good side.”
“That’s silly,” Beth said. “We
need
that money, Evvie. It’s not even his, it’s Stug’s. Don’t tell me you aren’t happy to take Stug’s money.”
Evvie shrugged again.
“Perhaps,” Liu said, “you would rather have solved everything yourself. Stopped a war, got rid of Stug, kept the school afloat...”
“It’s too easy,” Evvie said. “I don’t trust what comes easy, not any more. I’m still going to do the security business.”
“And?” Liu said.
“And what?”
“Apart from the undoubtedly desirable but perhaps not terribly exciting security business, what will you do?”
“I don’t want any more excitement, for the moment, thank you,” Evvie said, scratching her ribs, where a thick scar was now forming.
Liu suddenly turned, his lip lifting. Evvie felt the hairs on her arms prickle. “What...” she said.
“The way is opening,” Liu said. “Something is coming, from the Crepuscular. I think you two should leave.”
“I’m not leaving you on your own! Besides, this is
my
kitchen, I want to see who thinks they can walk in here without asking!”
The air shuddered and split, and the kitchen filled with the scent of cold flowers, and an iron tang of blood. A figure stepped through the breach, slight and finely dressed and looking about with curiosity.
“It’s me, Evvie,” said Charlotte. “I have to live here now. What an ugly room. Oh, and Fox, you’re in
ever
so much trouble.”
Acknowledgements
T
O THE COOL
froods of Solaris, my splendid agent, John Jarrold, my constantly-indulgent friends and family, and my ever-beloved Dave. I literally couldn’t do it without you all.
About the Author
G
AIE
S
EBOLD LIVES
in London, works for a charity, reads obsessively, gardens amateurishly, and sometimes runs around in woods hitting people with latex weapons. She has won awards for her poetry. Born in the US, she has lived in the UK most of her life. Her
Babylon Steel
and
Dangerous Gifts
books for Solaris have won her critical and popular acclaim.