Page 54 (1/1)

This was very different to handling Vale There she had needed to hide her fear to convince him to wait for information Here, with Kai, she needed to show her control and dispassion or, she could feel it in her bones, she would lose him to his true nature

She couldn’t afford that She had a responsibility to the Library And she had a responsibility to him

‘Are you still my student?’ she asked hi more than that The bond of loyalty, and the bond of trust Anything else was so that they would have to work out later

He looked at her, and so inhuman seethed behind his eyes ‘Do you think you can coe

The word hung in the air between them Then Kai closed his eyes, and reopened theer alien ‘Then I believe I aed a very srock, over here!’ Vale called He had walked to where the dock ended and the houses began, and had soe As Irene followed Kai across to the carriage, struggling with her soaked skirts and cloak, she couldn’t help but notice that Kai was perfectly dry It didn’t see on which to concentrate She could be aggravated by so in terror at what she had just faced down

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

‘I would appreciate that explanation, Miss Winters,’ Vale said as he refilled their teacups

There had been hot baths and bandaging of injuries Even Kai, untouched by the dirty water of the Thames, needed to clean himself after the exertions of the reception and its accoator blood As for Vale and Irene, they were soaked and filthy The driver had been e cleaned, even after a very generous tip froladly have soaked for a few more hours, but she hadn’t felt it safe to leave Vale and Kai alone to talk for too long Kai’s teht ask a question that wasof self-sacrifice, she’d dragged herself out of the hip-bath that she’d been allotted, wrapped herself up in the heavy flannel dressing-gown Vale had lent her, turbaned her hair in a towel, and gone out to join the others in Vale’s study for tea and interrogation

(She hadn’t asked why Vale had a spare woown in his wardrobe Presumably specifically for fe However, she didn’t think it belonged to any close fe, it clearly hadn’t been used forto be flirtatious would not choose a dressing-gown , Vale hadn’t offered her any other feiven her the sort of attention that even the politest ofHe’d bustled her off towards the hot tub as briskly as theschool Not that she wanted hiive her that sort of attention, anyhow)

Irene sipped her tea Milk Two lu from shock ‘I should warn you that it is a little, ah, far-fetched,’ she said, trying to think how best to explain it, or failing all else, lie about it

Vale shrugged His dressing-goas red and black silk His hair was still daht from the lamps ‘I can hardly object until I have heard it’ Soe his books, after the disorder which Irene had inflicted on them, and neat piles of half-sorted literature sat around his chair like patient children

Kai sipped his own tea (no ) and watched the two of the of distance about hi as obviously Vale’s second-best dressing-gown – the san, butthe embroidery of the cuffs His rock and I are agents of a library,’ Irene started ‘It is often known as the Invisible Library a those who have heard of it, as it’s hidden froranted ‘Where is it based? I would hardly think that it could be London’ Since I have never heard of it, he didn’t bother to add

‘Ah Now this would be the implausible bit,’ Irene said ‘Are you familiar with the concept of alternate worlds?’

Vale put down his cup, his regard assessing rather than outright disbelieving ‘The theory has been mooted by some of the more metaphysically inclined philosophers and scientists While I do not necessarily believe in it, I must admit that it has a certain quality of inherent satisfaction That is, to coin a phrase – it "makes sense" that possible fulcrus ht have been different’

Irene nodded That way of looking at it would do for the ents of a library which exists between the alternate worlds Our task is to collect books for the Library frofully at his crowded bookshelves ‘You must admit that to a keen reader – like yourself, or like oogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">