by C. J. Archer
The coach stopped in its usual position at the front steps of the townhouse. I clutched my watch and Matt tucked the diary into his jacket pocket. We both preferred to have our most valued possessions on our person.
"It's not too late to change your mind," Matt said. "You know I'd prefer it if you did."
"I have my watch at hand," I said. "I'll be fine. It's you who are unarmed except for that little knife."
He smirked. "You mean my charming character won't be enough?"
"Not on Eddie."
He got out first and lowered the step for me then assisted me out. The front door to the townhouse remained shut, a telling sign. Usually Bristow or Peter greeted us.
"My guess is he's here," Matt murmured. He signaled for the coachman to drive on then offered me his arm.
We walked up the steps together. My watch chimed once in warning. My heart raced but I didn't pause. Matt pushed open the door and angled his body to shield me before I could squeeze past him. I'd planned to enter ahead of him since the watch was a good weapon. Clearly he decided to ignore that plan. I refrained from digging my elbow into his ribs as a reminder. We could not afford the distraction.
"Bristow?" Matt called out. "Peter?"
"In here, sir," came Bristow's strained voice from the drawing room. "Don't come near! He's got a—" His warning ended with a groan.
A woman screamed.
Matt thrust me behind him and marched to the drawing room door. My watch chimed again, louder. I clutched it tighter and peered past Matt. Miss Glass sat on the sofa, her hands in her lap, her feet together, the pose as prim and proper as always. Except this time she had a gun pointed at her temple.
Eddie cocked the gun. "Come no closer, Glass, or your dear aunt will pay."
Miss Glass made no sound, not even a whimper. She stared straight ahead, her eyes unfocused and distant. Her mind had folded in the face of danger. It was something of a relief that she was not fully aware of the situation.
Bristow touched his cheek where a bruise bloomed. He stood near Eddie, close enough to be struck by the gun handle. Eddie now ordered him and the rest of the servants back, out of reach.
"All of you, back, back, back! No one comes near me or Miss Glass."
The servants obliged. They were all there, Peter the footman, Mr. and Mrs. Bristow, their daughter, Mrs. Potter the cook, Polly Picket, and even Mary, who must have arrived moments before Eddie. Mrs. Bristow drew the young maids with her, and Mrs. Potter blocked them from Eddie's view with her ample frame. I silently willed Mrs. Bristow to grab a heavy object while she could do so without being seen, but she did not. Perhaps it was for the best. If she attempted to throw something at Eddie but missed, she would become a target. At the moment, he had not killed anyone, but I wasn't convinced he would refrain if he felt threatened.
The only person missing from the scene was Chronos himself. Perhaps he was in hiding.
The presence of the rest of the household rendered our plans inadequate. Matt couldn't overpower Eddie with so many people present. If the gun accidentally went off, the chances of someone getting shot were high. Willie couldn't shoot at Eddie through an open window for the same reason. And using my watch in full view of so many artless would reveal the strength of my magic. Still, it was a risk I would take if necessary.
"You're a coward, Hardacre," Matt growled. "Let the women go and we'll discuss this man to man."
"Where are your friends?" Eddie asked.
"Informing the police that your mother killed Dr. Millroy."
"What!" Eddie exploded. "She's an old woman! Leave her be."
"My aunt is an old woman too." Matt nodded at Miss Glass. "Release her—release everyone—and I'll see what I can do to keep the police away from your mother."
Eddie adjusted his grip on the gun. He shook his head. "I can't set anyone free. Not until I have Chronos."
"She's your mother!" I said. "You have a chance to save her—"
"Be quiet, India. It's too late for my mother. You've seen to that."
Yet another part of our plan shriveled and died. We could not use Nell's safety as leverage. He cared for no one and nothing, only his revenge.
"I won't release anyone until I have Chronos." Eddie pointed his chin at Matt. "Where is he?"
"I told you," Bristow said. "He's gone."
"Glass?" Eddie snapped.
"If Bristow says he's gone, then he's gone," Matt said. "He's not going to lie to you when lives are at stake."
Eddie looked to me. I stared back, not really seeing him as I tried to think. Would Bristow lie in the hope Eddie would merely give up and walk away? Or had Chronos indeed left? If so, where had he gone?
"Where is he, India?" he ground out between gritted teeth.
"I don't know," I said. "I've been out all day."
"You're his granddaughter. He would have told you his plans."
"He did not. He is only my grandfather in the literal sense. It's a mistake to think that a man who walked out on me as a baby would care enough to remain now when his enemies are closing in."
"Enemies." He snorted. "You make it sound as if he is the victim. I am the victim. My mother, my father…both victims. Not Chronos. He killed my father as surely as Millroy did."
"Your father volunteered to participate in their experiment. He knew the risks."
He swung the gun toward me. "He did not know the risks!"
My watch chimed loudly but did not jump out of my hand in an attempt to strangle or shock him. Matt shoved me behind him and I could no longer see Eddie.
"Your family had their revenge for the crime committed against your father," Matt said. "Your mother killed Millroy and you've humiliated Chronos's granddaughter. You took India's shop, her livelihood, and you destroyed her trust. What more do you want?"
"I want Chronos dead now that I know he's not."
"If Bristow says he's gone then he's gone. You have to settle for the revenge you've already wreaked on India."
"It's not enough!" Eddie screeched. "I thought it would be, I thought I wanted the shop, but when I learned Chronos still lived… I have to punish him directly. I can't think, can't sleep or work knowing he's out there, free."
"Let the police catch him," Matt said. "I know for a fact they're searching for him."
Eddie snorted, a wet, slimy sound. "The police won't bother. They're in your pocket."
"Let Chronos go then, and your mother will not be arrested. That's fair."
"It is not fair! My father's death sent her mad, then after Millroy… She went even madder. She was never the same. She couldn't get work, and with no one to protect her…men took advantage. I spent most of my childhood hungry and in fear, hiding from her latest so-called protector. She thought they'd save her, but she only ended up beaten half to death. Tell me how it's fair that Chronos's granddaughter lived in comfort while his victim's son lived in poverty. Well? Tell me that!"
"How do you know your father's death sent her mad?" Matt asked. "You were too young when it happened. Perhaps she was already mad." He lifted one shoulder. "Considering she had no remorse in committing incest with her brother, she must have already been a little crazed at least."
One of the servants gasped.
"Matt," I whispered. "Don't provoke him."
"Listen to India." I heard the smile in Eddie's voice, even though I couldn't see him past Matt. "She knows me well enough to know I'm capable of taking revenge for a slight against my family."
I tried to muscle my way through to the room, but Matt was having none of it. He continued to block me. "I don't know you very well at all, Eddie." I said. "I never did. But I do know this. You care about your mother enough to send her money and sweets. You still visit her. You don't want her arrested for murdering Dr. Millroy. So end this now or the police will be informed."
"Nicely put, India, but I won't leave here until Chronos gives himself up to me. Do you hear that?" he shouted. "Come out, Chronos! I can stay here all night!"
"P
lease, sir," Mrs. Bristow begged. "Let the girls go. They're frightened."
"Let them all go," Matt said. "I'll stay as long as you like."
"No one leaves," Eddie growled.
I slipped in beside Matt, still standing in the doorway. Eddie focused on the servant women, backed into a corner behind Mrs. Potter. Miss Glass hadn't moved and didn't so much as blink. Bristow and Peter could do nothing, kept at a distance as they were.
"It appears we're at a stalemate," Matt said. "Shall we settle in for the evening?" He put his hands in the air and walked slowly into the room.
Eddie let him take a few steps then ordered him to stop. "Keep your hands where I can see them."
"Do you really think you can outlast all of us? Do you think the police won't storm in here?"
"I can kill a number of you before they get me, or before I tire. India first, of course." He turned the gun on me and my heart plunged. "If I can't have Chronos, then I'll kill his one remaining family member."
I barked out a laugh. "You think he cares about me? A man who has been absent my entire life? A man who let me think he was dead? Hardly."
He frowned. "You truly thought he was dead?"
"Yes. Did you?"
"I recently heard rumors of sightings from other watchmakers. An old fellow swore black and blue he'd seen Gideon Steele. So I began a little investigation and you can probably guess what I discovered. Or rather, what I didn't discover. There was no death recorded for Gideon Steele. I wondered how much you knew and if he'd contacted you, so I watched this house. I saw an old man fitting Chronos's description leave here one day. I called out his name and he didn't turn around but he picked up his pace. It was as good a signal as any that he was, in fact, your grandfather."
Chronos hadn't mentioned that someone recognized him that day. What else hadn't he told us?
"Did you attack him the second time he left?" Matt asked.
Eddie simply smiled, all wet lips and gleaming eyes.
"You were looking for him that day you called on me here," I said. "What would you have done if you'd seen him? Chased him and killed him right here in the house?"
Eddie's smile turned hard. "You accuse me of entering your house with false intentions, yet that's precisely what you did to my mother!"
"She was not harmed," I snapped. "Nor was it anyone's intention to hurt her."
"You terrified her. You searched through her belongings and upset her."
"She told you about her American caller, didn't she?" I said. "After we first visited her, she described us to you and you realized Matt and I were investigating Dr. Millroy's death. That's how you knew what we were doing. That's why you came here, to encourage us to stop. No wonder you had an odd look on your face when I mentioned the vagrant's name was Mr. Wilson. You hoped we'd never learn Wilson was his first name and that he was connected to Nell and you."
"Congratulations for finally working it out. It's not surprising that it took you so long—you are something of a dim wit."
I caught Matt's arm but he had not taken a step forward, as I expected him to. He stood rigid, the muscles in his jaw working. I hoped he was forming a plan because I didn't know how we would get out, short of simply waiting until Eddie fell asleep. Of course, there was a good chance that Eddie would grow tired of waiting for Chronos and shoot me anyway.
I swallowed the bile burning my throat.
"May we open the window for air?" Matt asked. "It's warm in here."
"So one of your gunmen can take a shot at me? Ha! I only played the fool, Glass. No windows will be opened, but curtains will be shut. The housekeeper may light one lamp first and the rest after she closes the curtains."
Damnation. What would Willie, Duke and Cyclops do now? What could they do except wait, like us? The drawing room didn't have a hidden passage to the service area, so even if they got into the house via the servants' door, they would not be able to make their way in here and catch Eddie unawares.
Waiting was our only option.
I glanced at Miss Glass and thanked God she was still unaware of our predicament. "May I sit with her?" I asked Eddie.
"No. You may sit where you are, on the floor."
"India will not sit on the floor," Matt growled.
"I prefer to remain standing for now," I said.
Eddie snorted. "You always were stubborn."
I bit my tongue. Throwing out retorts would not help our situation. I watched as Mrs. Bristow closed the curtains and lit two more lamps. She then returned to the girls, clutching them to her in matronly support. I was glad to see she had already accepted Mary into the fold. It was a bright moment in the otherwise dark situation.
"What's in your hand?" Eddie's voice cut rudely through my thoughts.
I uncurled my fingers to show him. "Just my watch. I find it a comfort to hold."
"A watch? A comfort? God, India, I knew you were sentimental, but that's absurd. It's just metal parts even if you have put your magic into it."
One of the servants drew in a sharp breath. I felt several gazes fall on me.
"Speaking of watches." A slow smile crept across Eddie's lips. "Glass, your watch please."
Matt pulled out his regular timepiece, not the magical one. He tossed it to Eddie. Eddie dropped it onto the rug and ground it beneath his heel.
"That cost me a pretty fortune," Matt said.
"I know how much it's worth. I sell others just like it in my shop." Eddie shot me a slick smile.
Biting my tongue almost wasn't enough to hold me back from reminding him that the shop belonged to my grandfather. I swallowed the drop of blood that filled my mouth and managed to keep my silence.
Eddie waved his hand at Matt. "Your other watch, please, Mr. Glass. Your magic one." He laughed. "You ought to see the looks on both your faces. Yes, I know about the second watch. Hand it to me."
"There is no other watch," I said quickly. Perhaps too quickly, too vehemently.
"Don't try to talk your way out of this one. I know you have a second watch and that it's special to you. Your friend, a particular sheriff, called upon me one day, asking questions about the two of you. He told me all about it."
"So you know it brings me luck?" Matt said. "At cards, the horses…"
"Don't lie to me. I know it keeps you alive, Glass. I also know it must be slowing down. Why else are you looking for Dr. Millroy's killer? I admit it took us both a little time and much discussion, but we worked it out. I see you found the doctor's diary." He nodded at the book protruding from Matt's jacket pocket. "All the trouble you went to yet it won't help you. That spell doesn't work, remember? It killed my father. Whatever spell Millroy, or some other doctor magician used on your watch, is lost. Yes, I've read the pertinent parts of the diary and know what he and Chronos tried to achieve. It doesn't say it in so many words, but it wasn't too hard to guess once you put the pieces I knew together with the pieces Payne had witnessed with his own eyes. What makes you think you can succeed with that spell where it failed for Millroy? And anyway, you don't know a doctor magician. It could take years to find one."
So he did not know about Millroy's son or that the spell in the diary was correct; it just needed to be spoken with the proper accent and inflection to make it work. Thank God or he would have destroyed the diary, or hidden it better.
"Hand the watch over," Eddie said. "I want to see it."
Matt stretched his arms wide. "Come and take it."
"Nice try, Glass. Throw the watch to me or I shoot India."
"You're going to shoot her anyway, because Chronos isn't here. If he was, he would have shown himself by now. You shoot India and I'll kill you."
"Not before I turn the gun on you. You're not fast enough."
"Oh, I'm fast enough." That calmly angry tone that was never far from Matt's voice lately was back, darker than ever. "The question is, are you?"
Eddie's smile vanished. "Throw me the bloody watch."
Matt slowly opened his jacket then his waistcoat and
unbuttoned the secret pocket where he hid his magic watch. Surely he wouldn't let Eddie have it. He would crush it too!
"Don't, Matt," I said.
He responded by throwing the watch. It sailed through the air in an arc and Eddie took his eyes off us long enough to catch it. The instant of his distraction wasn't enough for Matt or anyone else to tackle him. He was simply too far away.
"Thank you." Eddie dropped the watch onto the carpet with a triumphant smirk. "Say goodbye to your loved ones, Glass. Then let's see how long it takes for you to die."
He lifted his foot over the watch and brought his heel down.
Chapter 18
"Stop!" The command was hardly out of my mouth when I lunged at Eddie.
Matt, however, was faster. He threw himself forward and reached Eddie before me.
The gun went off, the deafening boom filling the room, a nightmarish sound that seemed to go on forever. It filled my head and vibrated through my body. It completely drowned out the rapid chimes of my watch but not the screams.
So many screams and shouts.
None came from Matt. His body went limp, crushing Eddie beneath him. One of the screams came from Eddie.
I did not waste a single moment. Matt's momentum had sent Eddie backward, removing his foot from its dangerous position above the watch. It nestled in the rug, whole and untouched. Letting my own watch go, I snatched his up, too afraid to lose precious time in being thankful for its unbroken state. I removed Matt's glove from his right hand, opened the watch case, and tucked it into his palm.
And that's when I noticed the blood. It seeped through his clothing, covering Eddie beneath him. Eddie tried to shove Matt off, pushing at me as he did so and knocking Matt's watch out from between our joined hands.
"If you move again, I'll kill you," I snarled at Eddie. I plucked up the watch and once again pressed it to Matt's hand. Please, don't die.
He'd told me after the coach accident in which he'd been brought back to full health by his watch that it couldn't save him if he stopped breathing altogether or if he lost too much blood. The danger of that happening now was high. There was so much of it…