The wig itched. The bracelets that Silver had given her to wear chafed, and the Library brand across her shoulders smarted. No doubt the dragon pendant would be itching shortly as well, just as soon as it identified the worst possible moment to do so.
She wanted to know exactly what Silver had in his bags. Solid gold bars, by the weight of them. Or possibly heavy steel shackles, for use in chaining up dragons, Librarians and other inconveniences.
No, she wasn’t happy about this at all.
The evening crowd could best be described as a screaming mob. Apparently the incoming Fae train had been arranged with the station staff at short notice - where ‘arranged’ meant ‘informed them it would be arriving, leaving them with the job of preventing a major accident’. Half the usual trains had been thrown off-schedule, and the other half were arriving at different platforms from normal. Passengers were running in all directions, grabbing guards and demanding directions, or simply throwing public hysterics. One young man had given up, piled his bags in the middle of the floor and was reclining on them while eating a ham sandwich.
The crowd parted as Silver strode forward, his coat flaring dramatically and a riding crop held negligently in his left hand. The group of servants and maids, Irene among them, shuffled in his wake.
Fortunately the train was due to arrive at one of the closer platforms, and a space was being kept empty there by the strenuous efforts of several thuggish men. All of them had the identifying hairy palms and heavy eyebrows of a werewolf, something that Irene was growing far too used to. She hoped none of them had smelled her previously. And in the centre of her protected circle stood a woman whom Irene recognized from Li Ming’s picture. It had to be Lady Guantes. Although she was dressed in the style of this alternate, she was unmistakeable. She might not have the heart-stirring allure of a Fae like Silver, but she had a serenity that translated into its own kind of attraction. Her eyes were mild, her hair was pinned neatly under her hat and her dress was stylish. It might even be haute couture, yet it wasn’t overdone. On top of it all, she looked positively … nice. Reasonable. Understanding.
No doubt it was all Fae glamour, Irene thought cynically.
Several others waited around the edge of the protected circle. Possibly other local Fae. But in that case, if they were here to catch this train, how fast must word have spread about it? Just how far in advance had Kai’s kidnapping been planned?
Silver advanced on Lady Guantes, who turned from her contemplation of the railway tracks and offered her hand, smiling. He took it and pressed his lips against it in a way that brought audible gasps from a number of onlookers. The nearby crowd had given up on running frantically in all directions in order to watch the show.
‘Madam.’ Silver’s voice was as rich as double cream with brandy. ‘I hoped I might be here in time to meet you.’
‘Sir.’ She withdrew her hand and adjusted her veil. ‘I think it more likely you allowed time to catch the train.’
‘Such a pity that your husband is not with you,’ Silver said, his voice redolent with meaning. ‘It must be a great inconvenience for you to travel this way, lacking his abilities.’
Lady Guantes simply shrugged. ‘I am confident that he will be meeting me very soon.’
Was Silver being typically melodramatic, Irene suddenly wondered, or was he trying to draw Lady Guantes out, so that Irene could get some idea of her? While he was technically helping her to reach this ‘Venice’, Irene hadn’t expected any real aid from him, short of getting on the train. But she was used to operating alone - and after Vale’s little tantrum, she’d written him off in terms of assistance. o;With the utmost decorum,’ Irene said. Part of her mind was considering the remark about Lady Guantes. The reference to ‘actually keeping him to one plan at a time’ was intriguing. Could it be that Lord Guantes was as distractible as Silver? And could she use that? The rest of her mind was focused on clenching her teeth and keeping her temper. For the moment, she had to play along. ‘But since you’ve got your way and I’m accompanying you to Venice, I do have a question. Why did they take Kai to this Venice, of all places?’
‘Well now.’ Silver considered a moment. ‘There are very few places where they could be sure of restraining him while at the same time keeping him alive. It also required a world that a number of Fae could access with relative ease. And it needed to have the facilities to host the big display that is being laid on for us. Hence the train being provided so that we may get there, my mouse, my Librarian, my lady. Hence this little jaunt.’
Suddenly all that tension and anger were back again full force, twisting in Irene’s belly. It took an effort to keep her voice calm. ‘I don’t understand. What do you mean?’
‘Why, Kai’s to be auctioned, my pet. To the highest bidder.’ Silver tossed back the last of the brandy and set the glass down with a clink. ‘And we must hurry if we are to get there in time.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Paddington Station at night was full of sparks and brilliance, and the grumble and screech of arriving and departing trains. The great curve of the steel-and-glass roof overhead was lined with harsh white lamps, which threw people’s shadows in black pools on the floor. From time to time, singed pigeon feathers drifted down. Irene huddled with Silver’s half-dozen other servants, a maid’s long white apron and black dress tight and cumbersome on top of her business suit, and tried not to grunt at the weight of the bags she was dragging behind her. In view of the severe lack of time, Silver had abandoned any attempts to restyle and colour her hair naturally, and had instead disdainfully handed her a blonde wig with the tips of his fingers. Hopefully that would be enough, together with a short veil, to conceal her from Lady Guantes at the railway station. Irene would have to work out a better way to hide herself later.
The wig itched. The bracelets that Silver had given her to wear chafed, and the Library brand across her shoulders smarted. No doubt the dragon pendant would be itching shortly as well, just as soon as it identified the worst possible moment to do so.
She wanted to know exactly what Silver had in his bags. Solid gold bars, by the weight of them. Or possibly heavy steel shackles, for use in chaining up dragons, Librarians and other inconveniences.
No, she wasn’t happy about this at all.
The evening crowd could best be described as a screaming mob. Apparently the incoming Fae train had been arranged with the station staff at short notice - where ‘arranged’ meant ‘informed them it would be arriving, leaving them with the job of preventing a major accident’. Half the usual trains had been thrown off-schedule, and the other half were arriving at different platforms from normal. Passengers were running in all directions, grabbing guards and demanding directions, or simply throwing public hysterics. One young man had given up, piled his bags in the middle of the floor and was reclining on them while eating a ham sandwich.
The crowd parted as Silver strode forward, his coat flaring dramatically and a riding crop held negligently in his left hand. The group of servants and maids, Irene among them, shuffled in his wake.
Fortunately the train was due to arrive at one of the closer platforms, and a space was being kept empty there by the strenuous efforts of several thuggish men. All of them had the identifying hairy palms and heavy eyebrows of a werewolf, something that Irene was growing far too used to. She hoped none of them had smelled her previously. And in the centre of her protected circle stood a woman whom Irene recognized from Li Ming’s picture. It had to be Lady Guantes. Although she was dressed in the style of this alternate, she was unmistakeable. She might not have the heart-stirring allure of a Fae like Silver, but she had a serenity that translated into its own kind of attraction. Her eyes were mild, her hair was pinned neatly under her hat and her dress was stylish. It might even be haute couture, yet it wasn’t overdone. On top of it all, she looked positively … nice. Reasonable. Understanding.
No doubt it was all Fae glamour, Irene thought cynically.
Several others waited around the edge of the protected circle. Possibly other local Fae. But in that case, if they were here to catch this train, how fast must word have spread about it? Just how far in advance had Kai’s kidnapping been planned?
Silver advanced on Lady Guantes, who turned from her contemplation of the railway tracks and offered her hand, smiling. He took it and pressed his lips against it in a way that brought audible gasps from a number of onlookers. The nearby crowd had given up on running frantically in all directions in order to watch the show.
‘Madam.’ Silver’s voice was as rich as double cream with brandy. ‘I hoped I might be here in time to meet you.’
‘Sir.’ She withdrew her hand and adjusted her veil. ‘I think it more likely you allowed time to catch the train.’