Page 48 of The Journal of a Thousand Years
“She was, then she escaped, then Gabe was.”
“Sounds complicated.”
Alex stepped closer. He towered over Jakes, but Jakes simply tilted his head to peer up at him. If he felt intimidated, he didn’t show it. “Don’t make light of this. Gabe has been abducted, and you are a suspect.”
“I assure you, Military Intelligence are not in the habit of abducting Englishmen from their beds.”
“We didn’t tell you he was in bed. Only the kidnapper would know that detail.”
“I merely assumed, since you said it happened last night.”
“We also didn’t say the War Office sanctioned it,” Alex added.
Mr. Jakes arched his brows. “What are you suggesting?”
“That you did it with the help of a hired man for reasons of your own.”
“What reasons?”
“You think Gabe’s a magician, and you want to study him.”
Mr. Jakes barked a laugh.
I’d had enough. My nerves were stretched to breaking point, my head felt woolly, and I was tired and on edge, not to mention frustrated at our lack of progress. Mr. Jakes’s casual dismissal was the last straw. I moved up alongside Alex so that I was toe to toe with Jakes. Then I balled my hand into a fist and jabbed him in the gut.
He grunted, wincing.
I stepped back. “Next time, it will be your bollocks.”
Willie clapped me on the shoulder. “You continue to surprise me, Sylv.”
I didn’t take my eyes off Jakes. “Some time ago, you came into the library and asked to see books about magic mutations because you assumed Gabe’s luck could be explained that way. Nobody believes you’ve suddenly stopped being interested.”
Mr. Jakes went to remove something from his inside jacket pocket, but Alex caught his wrist. “I’m just reaching for my cigarettes.”
Alex released him and Jakes pulled the gold case out. He offered Alex a cigarette. Alex simply glared at him.
Mr. Jakes lit the cigarette and took his first puff. “It’s true,” he said, blowing out smoke as he spoke. “I do want to study Glass and his magic. Don’t bother to deny it or pretend he’s just lucky. No one is that fortunate. I know he can perform magic to save himself and others. What I don’t know is how it works. His mother couldn’t do it, nor her ancestors, as far as we know, which leads us to the theory of mutation. His mother received an unprecedented dose of magic while she carried him in her womb, so the theory isn’t completely wild.” He took another puff. “But even my department draws the line at abducting members of the British aristocracy to get answers.”
He drew on his cigarette again, the action languid. He was so unruffled that I began to wonder if he was acting. No one wouldbe that cool with a furious tower of muscle standing before them, alongside an armed madwoman and another woman stretched to her limit.
Mr. Jakes pointed his cigarette along The Strand. “You’re welcome to continue following me. I have a dentist appointment.” He touched his jaw. “A molar has been giving me trouble.”
When none of us moved, Jakes took a step away from Alex, as if testing what he’d do. He addressed me, however. “Oh, Miss Ashe, I want to thank you again for bringing in Hobson. He has been most helpful. He claims he did nothing wrong, but further investigation will reveal the truth.”
“Have you found Mrs. Hobson or Ivy?” I asked.
“Not yet.”
“What will happen to Bertie?”
“That depends on what the factory’s paperwork reveals, and also what his mother says.”
“If you find her.”
“We’ll find her. Women like her don’t hide forever. They get lawyers.” He walked off, but stopped once again and turned back to us. “Odd how Glass has gone missing at the same time as his former fiancée and her mother, just one day after you were also abducted, Miss Ashe.”
Willie charged after him. “What are you suggesting?”
