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“And?” he asked. “Was he so offended by my kissing your hand? If he was, then you ought to look into finding another beau. Jealousy is a disease that spreads. If anything, I’ve done you a considerable honor by rooting out that cancer of an emotion. You’re quite welcome.”
“It would take something much more inexcusable to break us, and I guarantee it is impossible, so don’t even attempt it.”
“There you go,” he said with a toss of a hand. “If you two are unbreakable, then I might try as hard as I want to gain your affection. Where’s the harm in that?”
“It is indecent and wholly unnecessary considering you and I don’t even know each other, and another woman is in love with you. You are playing a game and I won’t take part in it.” I tried keeping myself from shouting, but my voice rose
all the same. I took a moment to compose myself. “And it is unkind. If you truly want to be friends, that’s hardly the way to go about it.”
“I’m a showman. I am not kind. Nor am I decent.” He lifted a shoulder as if he were simply commenting on something as insignificant as the weather. “If you expect me to be either, you will be disappointed.”
I glared at him, hands curling at my sides. “Then why, pray tell, did you wish to meet again?”
He had the absolute nerve to smile at me. “Based on your experience with forensic medicine, I have a revised proposal for you. And it isn’t of the marriage variety—ah, please don’t look so sad.” I all but bared my teeth, and he tossed his hands up in placation. “I’m only kidding, Miss Wadsworth. I require your assistance with my show.”
He paused, watching to see if I had any arguments thus far, which I did not.
“I saw your face when your cousin came onstage that first night—you do not approve of the carnival or her role in it, do you?”
That was untrue. “That is none of your concern.”
“Isn’t it, though?” He grinned again and I thought of all the ways I might pry that smile from his face. “What if I told you I could assist you? You desire to help your cousin be free of the show and Houdini. I know a secret that would aid your cause. Only if you help me. Do we have a bargain? My assistance for the price of yours?”
I was desperately curious about the secret he knew, but had learned the price of curiosity. He must have seen something in my expression, though, something that gave him hope.
“There is one stipulation. You cannot utter one word of our deal. Not to Mr. Cresswell or your cousin, or anyone else aboard this ship. If they were to find out… well, I would be forced to play my hand and tell your secret.”
“What secret?” I bristled. “I have done nothing to worry about.”
“Are you certain?” he asked, all innocence and deceit at once. “I doubt Liza would ever return home if she discovered you were to blame for her inevitable heartbreak.”
“I have not even agreed to this, and yet you’re already blackmailing me?”
He lifted a shoulder again. “You didn’t say no straightaway, did you?”
I stared at him, working out the offer and trying desperately to rein my emotions in. My initial inclination was to say no, slap him with a discarded glove, and walk away. To rush off in the opposite direction and not lay eyes on him again before we reached America.
It would be the wisest choice.
The safest.
It was also the choice that was selfish and would neither help my cousin nor myself. I’d been raised to use inaction as a security net, but it didn’t lend itself to exploring uncharted waters.
Mephistopheles stepped closer, a wolf scenting his prey. I could see my distorted image reflected back in the filigree of his mask, and I shuddered.
“I will give you what you most want, Miss Wadsworth. Your cousin free from ruination and disgrace, all without you having to play the role of villain. And I will get what I most want in return for your help.”
“What is it that you most want? Surely it cannot simply be my help with the show.”
“Your cousin, if rumors are to be believed, is no longer able to assist. I do need another pretty girl to help dazzle the crowd. That’s all.”
“I cannot perform nightly—it’s preposterous to believe my uncle would be all right with it, especially after he’s the one who’s forbidden Liza from that very thing.”
“I don’t require your help every night. Just for one show in particular.” He gazed at me intently. “Do you want to free your cousin from Houdini or not?”
My palms itched. I did not want to think about Liza’s tattered reputation should her romance with Houdini either end or become widely known.
“Liza will be laughed at, mocked, scorned,” Mephistopheles pressed on, knowing he’d found the correct thread to tug that would unravel my resolve. “Her family destroyed. She will never host another tea, be courted by a handsome gentleman, or be invited to a lavish ball.” He took another step forward. “She loves those things, doesn’t she? Will you stand by, watching as she sets her entire life on fire for a man who is sure to disappear once the smoke clears?”
