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I slowed to a halt, scanning the cobblestone streets for the black cloak belonging to Wilhelm. I saw a flutter of dark material disappear into a shop with a sign I couldn’t read. I pointed it out to Thomas.
“I think he went in there.”
“Lead the way, Wadsworth. I’m simply along for my brute strength and charm.”
We entered a store that sold parchment and journals and all manner of things one needed to write or draw with. It wasn’t an odd place for a student to visit. Wilhelm very well might be in need of supplies for class. I drifted down narrow aisles stacked with rolled paper.
It had a pleasing ink and paper smell that reminded me of sticking my nose in an old book. Antique pages were a scent that should be bottled up and sold to those who adored the aroma.
I smiled at the shop owner, a wrinkled old man with a generous grin. “We’re looking for our classmate. I believe he came in a moment ago?”
The old man drew his brows together and responded rapidly in Romanian, his words too fast for me to process. Thomas stepped forward and spoke just as quickly. They continued back and forth for a few moments before Thomas turned to me and motioned toward the door. I’d finally gathered the gist of it, but Thomas translated anyway.
“He said his son just brought a new delivery in, and no one else has been in all morning.”
I stared out the window at a line of shops. Their signs and windows made it clear what wares they were selling. Pastries and fabrics and hats and shoes. Wilhelm could have entered any of them. “We might as well split up and check each business.”
We bid good-bye to the shop owner and exited. I walked down to the next shop and paused. A dress made for royalty hung proudly in the center of the bay window, stealing my breath. It had a pale yellow gem-encrusted bodice that gradually tapered into shades of butter, then winter white at the waist. The gown’s skirts appeared as if clouds of white, cream, and pale yellow tulle swept over one another in the most magnificent gradient.
Its stitches were crafted by a deft hand, and I couldn’t help but move closer for a better look. I all but pressed my face against the thick, wavy glass separating me from the garment. Gemstones were splattered across the low-cut bodice—stars set against the daylight.
“What exquisite artistry! It’s… heaven. It’s a daydream in wearable form. Or sunshine.”
It was gorgeous enough that I forgot about our mission for a moment. When Thomas hadn’t answered or even mocked me for getting distracted, I turned. He was watching me with deep amusement before snapping out of his own reverie. Straightening to his full height, he jerked his thumb at the next storefront.
“The neckline on that beauty would certainly cause an uproar. And quite a few… daydreams.” He flashed a wolfish grin as I crossed my arms. “Not that you couldn’t handle yourself when fighting off the hordes of gentleman suitors. I believe you could manage that just fine. Your father, however, did say to chaperone you everywhere and keep you out of trouble.”
“If that’s true, then he shouldn’t have asked you to be my caretaker.”
“Oh? And what would you ask of me? Should I forsake your father’s wishes?”
The glint of an unexpected challenge lit his features. I hadn’t seen such a serious expression since the last time he’d grasped me in his arms and allowed his lips the freedom of communicating his deepest desires without words. I found myself momentarily breathless as I recalled—in vivid detail—the sensation and rightness of our very wrong kiss.
“What do you want from me, Audrey Rose? What are your wishes?”
I took a step back, heart pounding. I wanted more than anything to tell him how afraid I was of my recent hauntings. I wanted him to reassure me that I would heal in time. That I would once again wield my blade without fear of the dead rising. I longed for him to promise me he’d never cage me were we to become betrothed. But how could I utter such things while he was being vulnerable? To admit that the fissure inside me kept growing and I’d no idea if it would ever truly be mended? That perhaps I might end up destroying him along with myself?
“Right now?” I stepped closer, watching the column of his throat tighten as he nodded. “I wish to know what Wilhelm saw on the train, if anything. I want to know why two people were murdered—staked through the heart—as if they were strigoi. And I want to find clues before we potentially have another Ripper case on our hands.”
Thomas exhaled a bit too loudly for it to be casual. Part of me wished to take it back, to tell him I loved him and wanted everything I could see he was offering in his eyes. Perhaps I was the worst kind of fool. I kept my mouth shut. Better for him to be temporarily dismayed than permanently hurt by my wavering emotions.
“Let’s go hunting, then”—he offered an arm—“shall we?”
I hesitated. For a moment I thought I saw a shadow angling toward us from around the building. My heart picked up speed as I waited for its owner to step forth. Thomas followed my gaze, a crinkle in his brow, before turning back to inspect me.
“I think it best if we split up and find Wilhelm, Cresswell.”
“As the lady wishes.”
Thomas stared at me a moment too long, then pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek before I knew what he was doing. He drew back slowly, mischief flickering in his eyes, as I quickly glanced around for witnesses to such untowardness. The shadow that I’d sworn was moving in our direction was gone.
Shaking off the feeling of being watched by things I couldn’t see, I admitted to myself that I’d been bested by my imagination once again and entered the dress shop. Bolts of fabrics in rich colors spilled from rolls like they were silken blood freed from their host. I ran my hands over the satins and fine knits as I made my way toward the work desk near the back.
A short, rotund woman called hello. “Buna.”
“Buna. Has anyone been in here? A young man? Very sick. Um… foarte bolnav.”
The gray-haired woman didn’t break her dimpled smile, and I hoped she understood my Romanian. Her gaze traveled over me swiftly, as if assessing whether I had any snakes hidden up my sleeves or other nasty tricks she should be wary of.
