“What else?” I searched his face.
“Alex’s situation is complicated.” His words were careful.
My chest tightened. “Papa.”
He held up a hand. “I can ask Dr. Fletcher to visit Alex, but you aren’t going to get involved.”
“I want to see Alex.” Guilt made me feel small enough to disappear through the cracks in the pavement. I should have visited Alex earlier.
Papa knocked on the front door, and Jones opened it. “Get inside. Now.”
“You said you’d sheltered me for too long.” I lifted my chin. “That’s the perfect opportunity to give me more freedom.”
“I’ll shelter you for a little longer.” He pointed to the entrance hall.
Darius cleared his throat. “Your father is right, miss. Seeing Alex now is a bad idea.”
“Why?” I put a hand on my hip. “His neck wound?—”
“What neck wound?” Papa cut me off.
“The infection must have worsened.”
Darius’s aura pulsated faster. It was fascinating to look at. “He’s in a terrible state.”
“That’s why I want to see him.”
“Irene, enough!” Papa took my hand. “You aren’t going to the rookery to see Alex. And that’s final.”
His rage formed a scarlet brightness around him and stung my skin.
“Go to your room. Now.”
“You wanted to give me more freedom.”
“Catching a disease isn’t freedom. To your room.”
With angry tears wetting my cheeks, I did as told. But I refused to stay home for long.
The streetlamps litup London when I donned an afternoon gown and a thick coat that night.
I peeked into the corridor. No light came from Papa’s bedroom, and the house was quiet. I let my power go, which was something I didn’t do often. Usually, I tried to rein it in. It leapt out of me, eager to prance around, but I directed it downstairs. If Jones or the housekeeper was still up, I would sense their feelings.
Only Papa’s peacefulness reached me. He had to be sound asleep. Before leaving my bedroom, I placed my gold cross on the dresser. Alex had an aversion to it.
I tiptoed down the stairs and paused in the entrance hall. Every shadow startled me, but there was no one around. Slowly, I pulled the door open and paused before going outside.
Excitement tore a nervous giggle out of me. It was the first time I’d disobeyed Papa, and while a good dose of guilt weighed me down, there was also a sense of anticipation. When he’d told me I should learn to face life on my own, he hadn’t meant sneaking out of the house at night, and, under normal circumstances, I would have agreed. But he was right. I should start making my own decisions, live my own life without fear. And what better reason to do so if not to help a friend in need?
Ten minutes later, I was in a hansom cab, riding towards the rookery. I checked the driver’s feelings, just in case he had sinister intentions, but he was mostly bored and tired.
The cab didn’t fit into the narrow alley where Alex lived, so I climbed out to proceed on foot. Old paint flaked off Alex’s door, and gaps opened between the wooden planks. Mould was chipping the brick wall away.
The hinges were broken, and the door didn’t close properly. I pushed it gently.
“Darius? Alex?”
The smell of decay and humidity pinched my nostrils when I stepped into the single-room flat. Two mismatched chairs and a table leaning to one side were the furniture. A rusty stove took up a corner, but the fire didn’t fend off the chill that clung to the air with desperation. The other side was closed by a tattered curtain.
