"I don't like it," Matt said. He was watching me choose a dress, but I knew he wasn't referring to the outfits.

"Which do you prefer? The pink or green sage?" I asked, studying each one laid out on the bed. "Or are they both too formal for a soiree? What does one wear to a soiree?"

"I don't know. India, I don't think you should go," he said for the second time since arriving home.

"Of course I'm going," I repeated, also for the second time. "Mrs. Delancey made it clear that if we wanted answers, I had to attend."

"It could be a trap."

"It is a trap—a trap to get me to meet her friends. She only wants to show me off, Matt, not kidnap me and keep me in the attic."

"Don't joke, India."

I joined him by the window where he perched on the sill. "Your nerves are more frayed these days than when your life was in peril from your watch stopping."

"And yours aren't frayed enough. I wish you'd be more careful when it came to your own safety."

I touched his chest over his waistcoat. I could just make out the shape of his magic watch, tucked into the hidden pocket. It pulsed in response. I smiled, more relieved and happy than words could express. My magic made it pulse. It recognized me, its creator. My magic helped keep Matt alive. How could I fear or resent my art when it had the power to do that?

He smiled back and closed his hand over mine. "Come here," he purred, hooking his arm around my waist.

We kissed until I heard footsteps in the corridor outside my room. "You shouldn't be in here, Matt. If the servants catch us, your uncle might find out."

"The servants know if they tattle I'll dismiss them."

"Even so, I’d feel better if we don't meet like this. You're not a free man yet." I turned back to study the dresses. "The green, I think." I put the other away then hesitated. We might have exchanged several kisses, but I would not undress in front of him. I raised my brows at him.

"If you insist on going to the soiree then I'm coming with you," he said, pushing off from the window sill.

"Men are not invited. I'll be fine, Matt. Stop worrying."

He crossed his arms. "She wants something in exchange from you."

"She only wants my presence. She might ask me to speak a spell into a watch or clock, but I'll just tell her I don't know any, if that makes you feel better. I'll fix it or something instead."

His fingers drummed against his thigh. "Allow me to escort you to keep an eye on everything."

"I'm going alone." I stepped around him and opened my dressing table drawer. I wished I hadn't said no to Miss Glass's pearl earrings. They would go nicely with the dress.

"Is this because of the wedding announcement?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

He sat on the bed and dragged his hand through his hair. Being still, even for a moment, seemed beyond him. "I'm not even sure any more. That announcement coming so soon shocked me. I can only imagine how it affected you. Not to mention the wedding being brought forward, along with our plan to leave. I won't lie to you, India. I hate what we have to do to Patience."

I sat beside him on the bed. "I hate it too. Do you want to delay our departure?"

He shook his head. "That's the one thing I don't want to do."

"Then what can be done?"

"That's the problem. Nothing, and I hate doing nothing."

I pecked his cheek and returned to the dressing table. I unpinned my hair and let it fall around my shoulders. He watched me in the mirror's reflection, his eyes warm. He'd finally gone still.

"Are you sure you don't want me to escort you?" he asked.

I laughed. "No, Matt."

"I know how becoming you are in that dress. All the men will be looking at you, and with the damned announcement now advertising your availability…" He muttered something under his breath that sounded like a slang American word I'd heard Willie say when she stubbed her toe. "I hate this."

I stroked his hair back and kissed his forehead. "There'll only be women there, no gentlemen."

"Footmen may act like they see and hear nothing, but they're men too, and neither blind nor deaf. The Delanceys have a lot of footmen."

I laughed. "Go on, off with you or I'll never be ready in time."

He finally left after another kiss, only to be replaced ten minutes later with Miss Glass. She brought Polly with her and the pearl earrings.

"I know you said you don't want them, but you may want to borrow them for tonight." She thrust the box at me. "Polly will do your hair. She's keen to try the more fashionable styles the young women wear nowadays. I like my hair the way it's always been done, but you ought to try something new, India." She steered me to the dressing table chair and ordered me to sit. "Something that shows off the earrings."

"There won't be any gentlemen there," I said, thinking about the footmen and dismissing them just as quickly. Miss Glass wouldn't consider them potential beaus, even for me. "It's for women only."

"India," she chided, making way for Polly to stand behind me. "I am not playing matchmaker. I know how things are."

Did that mean she accepted my relationship with Matt? I eyed her in the reflection, but her face didn't give away her thoughts. She fussed with the things on my dressing table and acted as assistant to Polly, passing the maid pins and combs when she requested them.

"You look lovely," she declared when Polly finished. "A real beauty. Who would have known when you first arrived here that such a lovely woman hid behind that mousy façade? You were so demure and quiet, and those clothes and hairstyle made you look quite plain."

I chose to take that as a compliment and thanked her.

She dismissed Polly and picked up the earrings box. "Put these on. I have a necklace to go with it, if you like."

"It might be too much," I said, fixing one of the earrings in place.

"Nonsense. In a room full of ladies, no amount of jewelry is too much."

"Why only in the presence of ladies?"

"I have no idea." She plucked at the shoulder of my dress, teasing the stiff silk into a peak. "You do look lovely."

I narrowed my gaze at her. "Miss Glass, is something wrong?"

"May I not admire my pretty young companion?"

I wanted to sigh but kept it in check. "Does calling me your companion mean you've accepted Matt and me?"

Her sharp gaze met mine in the mirror's reflection. "I don't like it, India. What do you call it? Blackmail?"

"We're not blackmailing you. You have a choice."

She sat on the bed and skimmed her hand lightly over the coverlet. "It feels as though my mind has been made up for me."

I joined her on the bed and rested my hand over hers. "Are you worried about what will happen to you when we leave?"

"Matthew has already made it clear that I'll be getting a new companion."

"Is that all you want? A new companion?"

"I want my old companion, India. You know that." She stood with surprising vigor and marched out of the room.

I sighed and finished getting ready before going in search of Matt. I found him in his study. He leaned back in his chair, smiled, and beckoned me to join him. "You look beautiful. I'm jealous."

"Of the footmen?"

"Of anyone who gets to stare at you all evening while I'm tackling this paperwork."

"I'm sure the others will challenge you to a few rounds of poker. Or why not go out to the theater? It might do you all some good."

He nodded. "I'll take my aunt and ask her on the way if she wants to leave with us on Saturday."

"Do you think she should be told yet? She might let it slip to someone in the family—or even to Polly. I don't want anything to go wrong at the eleventh hour."

He pulled me onto his lap and locked me in his arms. "Nothing will go wrong, India. As to my aunt, she can't be kept in the dark any longer. She should know."

I snuggled into him with a sigh. "You're right. But extract a promise from her first that she won't tell. Hopefully she'll manage to keep it."

I may not have been to many soirees before—indeed, I'd been to none hosted by the likes of Mrs. Delancey—but I was quite sure the long table set up in the refreshment room should have sandwiches and cakes on it, not watches and clocks.

"Champagne, India?" Mrs. Delancey pressed a glass into my hand. "May I call you India?"

"Please do."

As I sipped, I became aware of the gazes of the other guests on me. I felt like a performer in a show, yet I had no tricks for them, no amazing feats. They would be disappointed when they learned my magic had no visual appeal. It wasn't like Oscar's, where he could make words float from the page, or even when I combined my magic with the medical magic in Matt's watch and made it glow.

"Allow me to introduce you to my friends." Mrs. Delancey did not steer me from one guest to another as I expected, but clapped her hands and called them to attention.

The footmen quietly exited the room, and the butler shut the door as he left. The ladies gave their hostess their full attention. Like Mrs. Delancey, they were dressed in elegant evening gowns and jewelry worth more than the entire stock in my father's store. Thank goodness for Miss Glass's earrings, or I would have felt like a slum dweller by comparison.

"Please extend a warm welcome to our guest of honor, Miss India Steele." Mrs. Delancey waited until the applause ended. "You all know of her, but allow me to remind you of her capabilities. She is the granddaughter of the watch magician who was the first in recent memory to experiment with combining his magic with that of other magicians. Her magic is powerful enough that her devices work independently of any spell to save lives."

"Er, that's not correct," I said.

"Come now, India, don't be modest. Lord Coyle witnessed your watch protect you in his own home."

There was no point denying it anymore, but I could at least make sure her information was accurate. "My watch, Mrs. Delancey. It was a device I've owned for years and had worked on hundreds of times. I cannot make other people's watches or clocks do that."

Murmurs of disappointment rippled around the drawing room.

"Can your magic heal the sick when combined with a doctor's magic?" one woman asked.

I had expected the question, but even so, the woman's directness, coming so early in the evening, unsettled me. "That rumor was begun by a murderer and a liar," I said. "I wouldn't trust what he says. He'll do anything in his power to cause problems for my friends and me."

"You haven't answered the question directly, Miss Steele," the woman pressed. "Can you heal people by combining your magic with a doctor's, as your grandfather once hoped to do?"

I held her gaze. "No."

More murmurs. The woman arched a sharp brow at Mrs. Delancey.

"India's merely being cautious," Mrs. Delancey said quickly. "In these trying times, can one blame her?"

I shook my head. "That's not—"

"You can trust us, Miss Steele," said an elderly woman dripping in diamonds. "We're all friendly here, and supportive of people like you."

"Your kind are so peculiar," added another. "I admit to being quite intrigued. Tell us, how does magic feel?"

"Warm," I said, remembering the heat that surged from Matt's watch as it filled with my magic and Gabe's. I'd never felt anything quite like it.

Another round of murmurs rippled among the semi-circle of women.

"Does it hurt you?" the same woman asked. "Does the sensation tingle?"

"No."

"They say you're powerful."

"Who does?"

She waved a hand to indicate the entire audience. "If you're so powerful, surely you can do more than simply make watches run on time."

"Clocks too," I said.

"We know that's not all."

I didn't answer. Before the silence stretched too thin, Mrs. Delancey pointed to a pretty woman with a serious set to her brow. "You have a question for Miss Steele, Louisa?"

"What do you think about Professor Nash's theories on the history of magic?" Louisa asked.

"I don't know enough about magic's past to form an opinion," I said.

"Surely you must be curious. Don't you think it a shame that all that power has disappeared? That all magicians are left with is a few useless parlor tricks?"

"Louisa," Mrs. Delancey chided. "This is supposed to be a light-hearted evening where Miss Steele is celebrated, not derided. Parlor tricks, indeed!"

"I don't mean to offend, and I certainly am not deriding Miss Steele. She's a fascinating subject. I merely want her opinion on the professor's theories."

"It's all right," I told Mrs. Delancey. "I agree with her, as it happens. My magic is next to useless, particularly since I don't make or repair timepieces anymore. I don't find that a shame at all, however. On the contrary, I find it a comfort. The sort of power that Professor Nash describes is beyond comprehension. For a few magicians to hold such power would be worrying."

Some nodded and others whispered to friends behind their hands.

Louisa merely lifted a shoulder. "Or wondrous. Imagine the possibilities."

I blinked hard. "What possibilities?"

"Oh, you know." She waved a hand and gold rings flashed in the lamplight. "The beautiful things you could create, like flying carpets, or towers that reach to the clouds, or a train that could also float like a ship. And you, Miss Steele, could make that magic last into eternity with your extending spell." She sipped her Champagne and stared at me over the rim of her glass, a curious smile in her eyes.

No one else in the room moved and the only sound came from the loud tick of one of the clocks in the adjoining room. I was about to remind her of the terrible things Professor Nash said that magic caused, like floods and plagues, but another woman spoke first.

"If you're as powerful as they say, Miss Steele, wouldn't you be interested in learning if you have a part to play in the resurrection of such amazing feats?"

"I… That is…" My mouth felt dry so I sipped my Champagne. I ended up drinking the remainder of the glass. It gave me time to think of an answer, and a little courage. "There is no evidence that my magic is that powerful. Even if there were, there are no magicians alive who know how to do what you describe. The knowledge is lost."

"There may be no magicians, but that doesn't mean their teachings are gone," Louisa said, that curious smile still in play.

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps there are spells, or pieces of spells, that a powerful magician can decipher and complete."

"The language of magic is lost, madam."

"Is it?" she asked lightly.

I turned to Mrs. Delancey. "What is this? What do you know, or think you know?"

Mrs. Delancey put up both her hands. "Nothing, I assure you. Louisa is merely speculating. She likes to stir things up." She glared at Louisa. "She's quite the insurgent."

"I like to speculate," Louisa countered. "The possibilities of magic intrigue me. You intrigue me, Miss Steele."

"I am quite ordinary." I set my glass down on a table. "Perhaps I ought to go."

Mrs. Delancey caught my arm. "Don't run off." She leaned closer and whispered, "You promised."

"I promised to come, and I have. You have not yet fulfilled your part in our bargain."

"I will, I will. Come with me." She hooked her arm through mine. "Come and speak a spell into the clocks and watches my friends brought in for you."

"I will work on them, but that's all," I told her as we made our way to the refreshment room. "It should be enough to make them all operate efficiently from now on."

"See," Louisa said in a hushed voice from close behind us. "You're powerful. Other magicians need spells for their magic to work. You do not. You are special, Miss Steele. Never forget that." She peeled away to join her friends as they gathered to watch me.

The next hour must have been quite dull for them, as I simply checked the inner workings of each device, removed parts and reassembled them. It was a task I'd performed my entire life, but it was far from dull for me. I'd not worked on many clocks or watches since Matt's return to full health, and the exercise calmed me in a way few other things did. It allowed me to empty my mind of my troubles, even thoughts of Matt and our future together, and simply drift away as peacefully as a boat on a lake.

It wasn't until I closed the housing on the last clock that I once again became aware of the other guests as they applauded. I dipped my head to hide the flush spreading over my cheeks. It seemed silly to be celebrated for something so ordinary.

Mrs. Delancey put a finger beneath my chin. "Don't be shy, India. You deserve this. You were wonderful."

"I'm afraid there's nothing to see," I said, indicating the devices.

"That's not important. What matters is that you are here and have been more than willing to share your magic with us. We are quite privileged."

"Indeed," the woman named Louisa said. "Do have some more Champagne, Miss Steele."

"Call me India."

She smiled. "And you must call me Louisa." She extended a hand and I shook it. "I believe we will be friends."

I gave her a polite smile before enduring more polite conversation with her and some of the other women. Mrs. Delancey supervised the removal of the timepieces to another room, and upon the arrival of sandwiches and cakes to replace them, she steered me away from the group to a quiet corner.

"Now, your payment," she began. "You wished to know why Isaac Barratt was here."

"You said he spoke with your husband about a business matter."

"I don't know the particulars of that conversation, but I assume it's the same reason Mr. Hendry spoke to my husband privately, too."

"Hendry!"

She nodded. "I do know about that meeting. He asked my husband for a loan."

"Why not go to the bank?"

"Not a bank loan, a private one. Mr. Hendry has debts, you see, and his usual bank won't lend him any more to pay them off. It wasn't a problem until recently. You see, his debts are being called in."

"All of them? All at once?"

She nodded. "After Mr. Barratt's articles, the banks decided to stop lending money to known magicians. It's their way to ensure their businesses are hobbled in favor of the artless ones. Despite my husband's attempts to prevent this attitude, his own bank is also refusing to loan money to magicians."

"So Mr. Hendry needs a sum of money now to pay off debts that have suddenly been called in, and he cannot get that money due to new loan constraints."

"Precisely."

"Poor Mr. Hendry, and Mr. Barratt too, if he was indeed here for the same reason. Did Mr. Delancey loan Mr. Hendry the money?"

She nodded. "He is a friend to magicians. Both Mr. Hendry and Isaac Barratt will benefit from my husband's generosity."

"Have any other magicians come calling on your husband at home?"

She shook her head.

"And what about your visit to Mr. Hendry? Why did you call on him?"

"I wanted him to perform magic for me."

"You mean speak a spell into the paper as he made it?"

She crossed her arms and tapped her finger on her sleeve. It should have been a very simple answer to a very simple question, but she gave it deep consideration. "He can do more than speak a single spell to make strong paper," she finally said. "I've heard he can make paper fold itself to form lovely designs."

I stared at her and didn't realize my jaw had dropped until I went to speak. That made three spells Mr. Hendry knew—one to make quality paper, one to fling it as a weapon, and a third to fold it into beautiful shapes. "The paper folds without him touching it?"

She nodded and glanced toward the group of ladies. Only Louisa noticed. "That's what I heard, but don't tell anyone. He wouldn't confirm it, so I wouldn't wish to spread the rumor if it's not true. The poor man seems to have enough on his plate at the moment, without this gaggle descending on him."

"How did you learn that he could fold paper with a spell?"

She hesitated, and I had to prompt her before she would answer. "I am not an eavesdropper, you understand. It is not something I make a habit of doing, but I was simply there at the right time when they were discussing Hendry."

"Who?"

"Lord Coyle and Sir Charles Whittaker. It was at a collector's meeting, a few evenings ago, and I'd retired to a sitting room with a headache. They came in and shut the door. Sir Charles told Coyle what he'd learned about Hendry. They didn't see me."

"How did Sir Charles know about Hendry?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. This is our secret, India. Well, I did tell Mr. Delancey, of course. I'm not proud of my actions. I should have declared myself that night, but…" She shrugged again and looked away.

"Neither man mentioned Hendry's abilities to the rest of the collectors?"

She shook her head.

"Is that odd?" I asked.

"Yes, very. Mr. Delancey wasn't happy to be excluded, but he won't tell them what I overheard. The thing is, India, my husband thinks this is not the first time those two have discussed magical matters between themselves and not passed the information on to the rest of us."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know, but I do want you to be aware of it. Neither man can be trusted." She patted my arm. "Now, come and have some more Champagne."

Matt was waiting up for me when I returned a few minutes before midnight. He opened the front door himself and asked me to join him in the library. I flopped into one of the deep, comfortable leather armchairs and tossed my reticule onto the side table.

"You look happy," he said with a small smile.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm running away to be with the man I love. Also, I drank a little too much Champagne. It is rather delicious, though. Have you tried it?"

"I have. Brandy?"

A hiccup escaped at precisely that moment. "I think I'd better abstain."

He put down the decanter and glass and crouched before me. "If I were a gentleman, I'd send you to bed and not take advantage of you." His gaze turned hooded and smoky. "But my intentions toward you are not at all gentlemanly."

I hiccupped again and clapped a hand over my mouth.

He laughed softly and drew my hands away. He kissed me lightly on the lips then settled in the chair opposite. "How did the evening go?"

I shook my head. "You first. Did you go to the theater?"

"We did. My aunt and I arrived home fifteen minutes ago. I sent her and the servants to bed. The others decided to continue with their evening." He glanced at the clock on the mantel. "Hopefully they're not getting into too much trouble."

"Did you tell your aunt our plans?"

"Only that we're leaving on Saturday. I decided not to tell her we want her to join us. Not yet. I'll do it on Friday, at the last possible moment. She'll want to visit her friends and tell them, and we can't risk it. She can write letters, and I'll ask Bristow to post them after we've left."

"If she decides to come with us."

His gaze slid away. "I think she will."

"Matt?" I hedged. "What is it?"

He drummed his fingers on the chair arm and for a moment, I thought he'd tell me nothing was wrong. Then he said, "She's upset about us leaving."

"Then perhaps we should tell her she can come after all."

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "As upset as she is, I don't want to jeopardize our plans. If she tells someone…" He shook his head. "It's cruel but for the best, and it’s only for a few days. She'll be fine, once we tell her."

"On Friday," I said hollowly. Poor Miss Steele. She must feel as though we were abandoning her. "I'll spend some time with her over the next few days between investigating."

"Speaking of which, how did it go tonight? What did Mrs. Delancey want you to do?"

"I worked on the timepieces her friends brought in. I didn't speak any spells," I assured him. "She simply wanted to show me off, I think. It was a little odd but quite harmless. Besides, I learned that Mr. Hendry went to see Mr. Delancey about a loan. Isaac Barratt probably did too."

I told him what Mrs. Delancey had said about Hendry's business problems, as well as the conversation she'd overheard between Lord Coyle and Sir Charles Whittaker. That seemed to concern Matt more, if his frown was an indication, but he made no comment about it.

"What I want to know is," I said, "who told Hendry's creditors and his bank that he was a magician?"

Matt nodded slowly. "Someone must have. Sweeney, perhaps, or one of the other guild masters."

"Abercrombie," I added. "It's precisely the sort of underhanded and cowardly tactic he'd employ. No bloodshed but an awful amount of trouble can be inflicted to Hendry's business this way."

"And that of other magicians."

"Thankfully Oscar didn't name any names aside from himself and my grandfather. I don't owe anyone money, nor do I need a loan, so I am quite safe. Isaac Barratt can't say the same. Mrs. Delancey suspects his financial problems are behind his visits to Mr. Delancey too."

"It's yet another reason for him to be angry with his brother," Matt said.

"As long as it's contained to just Isaac Barratt and Mr. Hendry, there's no reason for concern."

"You have more faith in Abercrombie and his cronies than me. What's to stop them talking to the banks about men they merely suspect are magicians?"

"Let's worry about that when it happens. Besides, we'll be far away from London and all these problems after Saturday. None of this will concern us anymore."

He smiled that boyish smile. "You'll be far away, India. Safe."

"Safe," I echoed. Yet I felt as though I was abandoning my fellow magicians at a time when they needed me the most.

"India! India, wake up!" Matt's shout would have woken the entire household, not just me.

I threw a shawl around my shoulders and opened the door. He stood there dressed only in trousers and a shirt that he had not yet tucked in. Stubble darkened his jaw and his hair was a tumbled mess.

"What is it?" I asked, my heart in my throat.

"Aunt Letitia has gone."

"What do you mean? She can't have vanished."

"She's not in the house, and Polly searched the vicinity before waking me." He scrubbed his hands down his face. "This is all my fault. I should have told her. I should have—"

"Matt." I grabbed his hands and pulled them away. He blinked back at me with tired, worried eyes. "We'll find her. Rouse the others while I dress. She can't have got far. She's probably walking in Hyde Park."

"If she wanted to go for a walk, she wouldn't have taken her case. Polly said some of my aunt's clothes are missing." A muscle in his jaw bunched. "And Peter saw a hansom pull away from the curb outside the house earlier. She's gone, India. She's run away."