Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices 2)

Those boys. The way she said it made it sound like Sophie had sympathy for Gabriel as well as Gideon. Just what did Gideon think of his younger brother, Tessa wondered, and the sister, too? But she asked nothing as Sophie brushed and curled her hair, and daubed her temples with lavender water.

"Now, dont you look lovely, miss," she said proudly when she was done at last, and Tessa had to admit that Charlotte had done a fine job in selecting just the right cut to flatter her, and gray suited her well. Her eyes looked bigger and blue, her waist and arms more slender, her bosom full er. "Theres just one other thing . . . "

"What is it, Sophie?"

"Master Jem," said Sophie, startling Tessa. "Please, whatever else you do, miss . . . " The other girl glanced at the chain of the jade pendant tucked down the front of Tessas dress and bit her lip. "Dont break his heart. "

Chapter 20: The Bitter Root

But now, you are twain, you are cloven apart,

Flesh of his flesh, but heart of my heart;

And deep in one is the bitter root,

And sweet for one is the lifelong flower.

-Algernon Charles Swinburne,

"The Triumph of Time"

Tessa was just drawing on her velvet gloves as she ducked through the front doors of the Institute. A sharp wind had come up off the river and was blowing armfuls of leaves through the courtyard. The sky had gone thunderous and gray. Will stood at the foot of the stairs, hands in his pockets, looking up at the church steeple.

He was hatless, and the wind lifted his black hair and blew it back from his face. He did not seem to see Tessa, and for a moment she stood and looked at him. She knew it was not right to do; Jem was hers, she was his now, and other men might as well not exist. But she could not stop herself from comparing the two-Jem with his odd combination of delicacy and strength, and Will like a storm at sea, slate blue and black with bril iant flashes of temper like heat lightning. She wondered if there would ever be a time when the sight of him didnt move her, make her heart flutter, and if that feeling would subside as she grew used to the idea of being engaged to Jem. It was new enough still that it did not seem real.

There was one thing that was different, though. When she looked at Will now, she no longer felt any pain.

Will saw her then, and smiled through the hair that blew across his face.

He reached up to push it back. "Thats a new dress, isnt it?" he said as she came down the stairs. "Not one of Jessamines. "

She nodded, and waited resignedly for him to say something sarcastic, about her, Jessamine, the dress, or all three.

"It suits you. Odd that gray would make your eyes look blue, but it does. "

She looked at him in astonishment, but before she could do more than open her mouth to ask him if he was feeling all right, the carriage came rattling around the corner of the Institute with Cyril at the reins. He pulled up in front of the steps, and the door of the carriage opened; Charlotte was inside, wearing a wine-colored velvet dress and a hat with a sprig of dried flowers in it. She looked as nervous as Tessa had ever seen her. "Get in quickly," she call ed, holding her hat on as she leaned out the door. "I think its going to rain. "

To Tessas surprise, Cyril drove her, Charlotte, and Will not to the manor house in Chiswick but to an elegant house in Pimlico, which was apparently the Lightwoods weekday residence. It had begun to rain, and their wet things-gloves, hats, and coats-were taken from them by a sour-faced footman before they were ushered down many polished corridors and into a large library, where a roaring fire burned in a deep grate.

Behind a massive oak desk sat Benedict Lightwood, his sharp profile made even sharper by the play of light and shadow inside the room. The drapes were pulled across the windows, and the wal s were lined with heavy tomes bound in dark leather, gold printing across the spines. On either side of him stood his sons-Gideon at his right, his blond hair fal ing forward to hide his expression, his arms crossed over his broad chest. On the other side was Gabriel, his green eyes alight with a superior amusement, his hands in the pockets of his trousers. He looked as if he were about to start whistling.

"Charlotte," said Benedict. "Will. Miss Gray. Always a pleasure. " He gestured for them to seat themselves in the chairs set before the desk.

Gabriel grinned nastily at Will as he sat. Will looked at him, his face a careful blank, and then looked away. Without a sarcastic remark, Tessa thought, baffled. Without even a cold glare. What was going on?

"Thank you, Benedict. " Charlotte, tiny, her spine straight, spoke with perfect poise. "For seeing us on such short notice. "

"Of course. " He smiled. "You do know that theres nothing you can do thats going to change the outcome of this. It isnt up to me what the Council rules. It is their decision entirely. "

Charlotte tilted her head to the side. "Indeed, Benedict. But it is you who are making this happen. If you had not forced Consul Wayland into making a show of disciplining me, there would be no ruling. "

Benedict shrugged his narrow shoulders. "Ah, Charlotte. I remember you when you were Charlotte Fairchild. You were such a delightful little girl, and believe it or not as you will, I am fond of you even now. What I am doing is in the best interests of the Institute and the Clave. A woman cannot run the Institute. It is not in her nature. Youl be thanking me when youre home with Henry raising the next generation of Shadowhunters, as you should be. It might sting your pride, but in your heart you know Im correct. "

Charlottes chest rose and fell rapidly. "If you abdicated your claim on the Institute before the ruling, do you truly think it would be such a disaster? Me, running the Institute?"

"Well, wel never find out, Will we?"

"Oh, I dont know," Charlotte said. "I think most Council members would choose a woman over a dissolute reprobate who fraternizes not just with Downworlders but with demons. "

There was a short silence. Benedict didnt move a muscle. Neither did Gideon.

Final y Benedict spoke, though now there were teeth in the smooth velvet of his voice. "Rumors and innuendo. "

"Truth and observation," said Charlotte. "Wil and Tessa were at your last gathering, in Chiswick. They observed a great deal. "

"That demon woman you were lounging with on the divan," said Will.

"Would you call her a friend, or more of a business associate?"

Benedicts dark eyes hardened. "Insolent puppy-"

"Oh, Id say she was a friend," said Tessa. "One doesnt usual y let ones business associates lick ones face. Although I could be wrong. What do I know about these things? Im only a sil y woman. "

Will s mouth quirked up at the corner. Gabriel was still staring; Gideon had his eyes on the floor. Charlotte sat perfectly composed, hands in her lap.

"All three of you are quite foolish," said Benedict, gesturing contemptuously toward them. Tessa caught a glimpse of something on his wrist, a shadow, like the coils of a womans bracelet, before his sleeve fel back to cover it. "That is, if you think the Council Will believe any of your lies.

You"-he cast a dismissive look at Tessa-"are a Downworlder; your word is worthless. And you"-he flung an arm at Will -"are a certifiable lunatic who fraternizes with warlocks. Not just this chit here but Magnus Bane as well.

And when they test me under the Mortal Sword and I refute your claims, who do you think Will be believed, you or me?"

Will exchanged a quick look with Charlotte and Tessa. He had been right, Tessa thought, that Benedict did not fear the Sword. "There is other evidence, Benedict," he said.