Page 385 of Alchemised
“But I’m so close. I can figure this out.”
He came back towards her then. “You promised me that if the research was having an impact on your health, you’d stop.”
“I know, but—”
He gave a gasping laugh, almost more of a sob. “Did you know, you are the worst promise keeper I have ever met?”
Her throat tightened. “I keep the ones that matter.”
“No.” He shook his head. “What you do is make so many conflicting promises that you can pick and choose depending on what you want. I’ve devoted some thought to your methodology.” He looked down. “That’s why you never seem to keep any of the promises that I care about.”
He reached towards her, his fingers brushing her hip. “You care about this baby. You worried about her so constantly, you wrecked your heart with fear over what would happen to her. Now you’re so preoccupied trying to save me that you’re letting yourself forget that she is dependent on you. I can’t protect her from you. Endangering yourself trying to save me risks her.”
Helena’s throat closed. She tried to back away, but he caught hold of her, gripping her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “You have to let me go now.”
“I can’t.” She shook her head. “You think I’ll be calm if I stop? If I have nothing to do but to sit in this room and wait to lose you? You wouldn’t. You never would.”
They compromised in the end.
Kaine took her back to the room and let her spend hours crawling around the floor, copying down every detail of the array onto etching plates. When he had time, he went with her to the library, and let her use her animancy on him, studying the talisman inside his chest, but she did not set foot outside her room without him anymore.
One evening he came back after more than a day’s absence, his expression stony. “You’ll have to stay in tomorrow. There’s to be a dinner party. Aurelia is returning for it, and the remaining Undying.”
“What’s it for?”
He gave a thin smile. “I’m supposed to convince them that there’s nothing wrong.”
CHAPTER 70
Julius 1789
HELENA WATCHED THROUGH THE CURTAINS AS ADDITIONAL servants, both living and dead, were brought in from the city. Kaine had bolted the door shut to ensure that she would receive no unsolicited visitors, leaving one of the maids inside the room with her.
She had never noticed just how heavy and reinforced the door was.
The motorcars arrived in the evening. It was almost funny watching the Undying filing into the house of the very murderer they feared.
She tried not to worry. Kaine had not seemed concerned about the evening, but he was a convincing liar.
As the evening dragged by, she tried to focus on her attempts at reversing Morrough’s array structure when the maid, who’d been standing still as a statue, abruptly sprang into action, rapidly gathering up Helena’s books and notes and shoving them all under the bed.
Someone was coming.
They’d just hidden the last of the papers, ensuring everything was covered by the bed skirt, when the room was filled with the sound of shifting iron. Helena flung herself onto the bed, curling onto her side. A moment later, the door swung open, revealing Stroud, followed closely by Kaine.
“I don’t see how this could possibly help,” he said as Helena blinked at them in feigned confusion. “You know the delicacy of her condition.”
“There are a great many delicate positions right now,” Stroud said, walking over and shaking Helena. “The High Necromancer was very clear that we are to project an image of strength. All these assassinations have threatened their sense of invulnerability, and if their fears are allowed to undermine the regime, we’ll all suffer. We must show them that a solution is under way.”
“And you think parading a pregnant prisoner famously sent here for interrogation will reassure them?”
“I think explaining why she’s pregnant will do it. They’re too paranoid to take our word for it, but they’ll believe it once they see her. She was the Principate’s last sponsored student.” Stroud looked down at Helena. “Get up and put on something thin enough that your stomach will show.”
The pregnancy hardly showed at all unless she was naked; Helena doubted there was anything she could wear that would make it visible. A detail which was immediately obvious when she stood up.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Stroud went over to the wardrobe and pulled out a chemise, then stuffed it up the front of Helena’s dress so that her stomach looked visibly distended.
“There. Come along now.” Stroud took Helena by the arm and began pulling her towards the door.
