“You are a marvel.” Arthur let Rory move him, let himself be steered backward until he hit the mattress and went down on his back. “I can’t believe you used your magic to take advantage of me.”
“I’m about to take advantage of you all over again,” Rory told him, and crawled on top of him.
Chapter Sixteen
Arthur went to the book-filled back room in the morning with Rory, who seemed unusually distracted, touching his pocket more often than usual.
“Everything all right?” Arthur asked, as they approached the door in the alley. The bowls of food scraps were out again, a mangy cat skittering away as it saw them.
Rory touched his pocket again, where he kept the ring in its lead box at all times now. “I’ll tell you later.”
Arthur frowned.
Jade and Zhang were already there, sitting on the striped chaise with a notebook. Jade motioned for Arthur to join her. “Gwen was telling the truth, the seller of the siphon will no longer work with an alias,” she said. “He wants to know who he’s been dealing with.”
He was willing to take the risk, of course, but it wasn’t his alone. “If I use my name, will it come back to my family?”
“Shelley was targeting your brother with her nightmares, and Hyde knew all about you. I’m afraid we should assume Baron Zeppler knows who your family is already,” Jade said quietly. “And Gwen and Ellis shared Mansfield’s ledger; your name is in there. You’re listed as the—his words, not mine—weak link in your family and a possible target.”
“Flattering,” Arthur said dryly. “This is your way of telling me it’s too late to hide; my name has already gone out into the paranormal world as a possible rube?”
“There aren’t very many names in there who could afford what the seller is asking,” said Jade. “It’s known you were at Mansfield’s mansion the night he was murdered. I think we might have to accept that your name may be more than just out.”
“The watcher on the boat,” Zhang said. “What if it wasn’t about Rory for Zeppler, but you for the seller?”
Arthur rubbed his temple. He had never wanted magic so close to his family, but here he was. “If I’m known, then there’s no choice. I might as well exploit it.”
Jade touched his arm. “I’m sorry you’re in this position.”
“Not your fault,” he said firmly. “Yes, I’m in. The telegram can come from me. Let’s find this seller.” He looked across the room. Rory had gone straight to Sebastian, and the two of them were talking quietly. “Excuse me.”
He crossed the room to the pair. “What are we up to, gents?” he said, too cheerfully.
“I got a relic, here’s a fella who knows about relics,” Rory said, gesturing at Sebastian. “So now I got questions.”
Rory had none of the hostility from the day before. Arthur felt completely wrong footed, his chest too tight. “I see,” he said uncertainly. “Rory, could I talk to you a moment?”
Rory followed him into the other room, behind the pocket door.
“I, um.” Arthur shook his head slightly. “I thought you didn’t like Sebastian.”
Rory waved it away. “I was being stupid yesterday,” he said earnestly. “You were right, he’s not interested in you, and it isn’t real sporting to dislike a fella just ’cause he’s good looking.”
Arthur blinked, his chest growing tighter. “I didn’t realizeyouthought he was good looking.”
“Well, yeah,” Rory said, like it was obvious. “I got eyes behind these glasses.”
All right, Rory thought Sebastian was good looking. And Sebastian spoke more Italian phrases than Arthur did. That was fine, Arthur was fine with that, why wouldn’t he be?
“Have fun at the veterans’ thing with your ex,” Rory said, without an ounce of jealousy, and Arthur watched as he went back to Sebastian.
Six people in a back room was a tight fit for a quiet conversation, and Sebastian was willing to talk in the pub. Even in the alley, the spring air was wet with a misty rain that left a film on Rory’s glasses and made his curls tighter spirals.
Inside the dark pub, they got drinks and squeezed into the same corner wooden booth as the day before. There were carvings and pen marks on the wall of the booth, lovers’ initials and swear words. The window could’ve used a good cleaning, or maybe the day was just a grimy sort of gray.
Rory glanced around, but no one was paying them any attention. Gritting his teeth against the sting, he fished the lead ring box out of his pocket.
“So,” Sebastian started, “what did you—”
