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She sat in a booth with Ehtfully out theto the endless green en subtly stroked the brooch pinned to her jacket, considering the treasure folded within She had never had a secret before, and yet she had always felt that she had been forced to keep her true self hidden The waving grasses and wild copses of the countryside were like a dream to her, born and bred and ensorcelled in the city as she had been, but it felt good to be free from the wills of harsh men Master Stain as an employer seemed beether So about him drew her in and piqued her curiosity, as if perhaps he kept certain things hidden, too

Outside, the sky hung heavy over grasses the sareen as Mr Murdoch’s eyes Somewhere just out of vieas London And the faster they were out of its range, the better

5

After lunch, Ien all but needed a crowbar to extricate herself froirl was like a vivacious little kraken, her arms as firm and sticky as tentacles

"Really, en said in her sternest rip

Knowing that her next on she shared with Abilene on the pretense of fetching soe lamps of the hallway buzzed to life, the color oddly different fro the faded handbills and posters pasted to the wood Abi had long ago claimed the inner cha her fro access to Is She unlocked her own door and turned on the lights, quickly locking the door behind her again when she was assuredly alone

Her instinct, of course, was to check the security of her trunk, but she didn’t want Eon She therefore had a few et bored and plague solow, she opened the locket she wore always as a brooch, not daring to touch what lay within but feeling its ale nonetheless She had to wonder if its power had anything to do with her sudden need for freedom and empowerment, her drive to be liberated from meddlesomethe locket shut, she told herself it didn’t matter

The deed was done, and here she was

A raindrop thumped on the roof, then another and another, until the usual afternoon showers of a Sanglish su on the flat on door and Abi’s heavy footsteps signaled the end of luncheon, so Ihts At the last reased parasol before darting out into the storm

Just as she had hoped, the caravan was eray skies Thanks to the less nature of the Pinky wagons, there wasn’t even a way for Emerlie to spy on her as she ran to Mr Murdoch’s car

Her boots squelched in theheavily The rain seemed more ferocious outside the city, and she could feel it leeching into her bones A wild, green scent rose fro rattled overhead In the twist of a second, her exhilaration turned to fear, and she wrenched open Mr Murdoch’s door without knocking to escape the furor of the sudden squall

She sla Mr Murdoch gaped at her frohts open in his bare hands The extreme impropriety of her uninvited entrance crashed down upon her, and her cheeks went hot In London, a woraced for such actions, and he would have been ithin his rights to have her fired

"Won’t you cohty until she saw his smile

She took pains with the boot scraper as she reco only, "Thank you, Mr Murdoch"

"I see you are punctual"

"I see you are snooping"

He closed the book, not with the snap she expected but with the gentleness she would use to hold the Common Jezebel folded within The Monarch still sat on his head, and she was charmed that the creature had taken a shine to him The butterflies were a choosy lot, she had learned, and it could just as easily have fluttered well out of his reach

"I think perhaps youpart of , I could never invent anything Every invention is itself a question, you know, and the inventor himself the answer"

"A philosopher, too," she muttered

"And you’re a criminal"

The breath stuck in her throat, her collar suddenly choking her "I don’t knohat you ently in the trunk and crossed the space between theainst her back, and she felt sincerely trapped He stepped closer than he should have, his spring-green eyes boring into hers and his hands in his pockets He was taller and uessed, his shoulders wide beyond his vest The sharp tang of led with smoke and sandalwood, and she felt herself hypnotized like aa cobra