Page 66 of The Journal of a Thousand Years
She rolled her eyes. “You and your rules. I miss Duke.”
I knew that Duke was a friend of Cyclops, Willie and Gabe’s parents who’d moved back to America. He departed England years ago, but they often spoke about him as if he’d just stepped out to run an errand and would return soon.
Willie popped the dumpling in her mouth, but that didn’t stop her talking. “Duke and I got up to a lot of mischief.” She must have been directing her comment to me because Cyclops and Alex would already have heard her stories. It was so rare for her to include me that I stayed silent and waited for more.
Cyclops got in first, however. “I’m sure Tilda would like to know just how much mischief.” He leaned back in the chair and rubbed his stomach with satisfaction. “I’ve been meaning to spend more time with her.”
Willie glared at him as she stabbed another dumpling with her chopstick.
Alex looked between them, shaking his head. “Can you two stop reminiscing about your delinquent pasts and talk about finding Stanley?”
Cyclops sat forward. “You’re right. This is serious. Willie, I didn’t use underhanded methods to get Alcott to talk. I merely reminded him that he’s in a lot of trouble. He then claimed that Stanley brainwashed him into believing that studying Gabe would have enormous benefits for thousands of men. He’s not taking responsibility for his own actions.”
“Coward,” Willie muttered.
Cyclops turned to me. “I asked him about Thurlow, but he’d not heard of him. I don’t think there’s any connection betweenthem. It just happened that Thurlow wanted to use Gabe’s magic for himself, as Stanley did.”
“What about the Hobsons?” I asked. “He knew Bertie.”
“Alcott says he doesn’t remember him. I believe him.”
I pushed the rice around my plate with my chopsticks. I no longer felt like eating. Indeed, I felt sick to my stomach.
“Are you trying to make a pattern?” Cyclops asked gently.
I set my chopsticks down, my decision made. “Remember when you promised not to tell Gabe that Thurlow and the Hobson women abducted me? I’d like you to keep that promise.”
Cyclops shook his head. “I don’t like secrets.”
“It doesn’t have to be forever. Just while he’s weak. He’ll be worried and that worry won’t help his recovery. He’ll want to get out of bed before he’s ready and look for Thurlow himself.”
Willie and Alex understood my point and encouraged Cyclops to agree. Finally, he did.
“Speaking of not telling people about kidnappings,” Alex said to his father, “have you told Mum about Gabe?”
“Not yet.”
“Best not to.”
“I definitely don’t keep secrets from your mother. Trust me, Son, it’s never a good idea to keep something from your wife. For one thing, she’ll always find out. For another, women are stronger than they look. Sometimes I think they’re stronger than us.”
Willie scoffed. “Only sometimes?”
I hardly heard their banter. I was drowning in my own misery, and everything else was simply background noise to the one thought screaming inside my head—Gabe wasn’t safe from Thurlow and anyone else who decided I was the way to lure him. I had to protect him using every means at my disposal.
I had to leave, just as I’d originally planned.
CHAPTER 14
Mrs. Bristow made up the spare bedroom for me, while Sally found a nightgown and clean clothing that I could use. My initial thought was to refuse, since I’d packed my own things that morning, but my cases weren’t in the room. With all the confusion and chaos of the day, I’d misplaced them. The last time I recalled seeing them was outside Huon’s house early that morning when Cyclops transferred them from the taxi to his vehicle. They might still be on the back seat, forgotten. Or he might have deliberately not given them back to me in the hope I wouldn’t leave London without my luggage.
I hadn’t told him that I still planned to leave, and he gave no indication that he assumed I would. Perhaps he thought I’d changed my mind. After all, I’d been so relieved to see Gabe safe that I’d not hidden my love for him from anyone.
It was a setback not to have my personal things with me, particularly the sentimental items that had belonged to my mother and brother, and the Hendry family journal. Gabe would see that the Hendry sisters were given the journal, and he’d keep my other belongings safe. It’s unlikely I’d see them again, unlessStanley, Thurlow and the Hobson women were all caught. Even then, there would be others who tried to use me to get to Gabe.
I twisted my mother’s silver ring on my finger. It was all I had left of her.
The moment I climbed into the soft bed, exhaustion overtook me. The lack of sleep from the night before, as well as the emotional toll of the day, had finally caught up. I managed to set the alarm clock beside the bed before nodding off. It would wake me at a quarter to five, giving me time to leave before the servants started. I didn’t want to face Bristow’s censorious glare. I wanted to slip quietly away hours before my absence was discovered.
