Maisie tightened her hand on John’s shoulder. He would not see the venom she had read. He would not know that Parliament debated whether he was even worthy of belonging. Let the Baron sneer in Westminster. Let the tailor nod in smug agreement. John would never doubt. Not while she lived.
He had trust. He had nails. And he had her.
*
Felix wiped hishands on a towel as he came down the narrow staircase, the smell of cloves still clinging to his sleeves. The front door thudded shut, the last trace of a purple silk coat vanishing into the street. Pale knuckles had drawn it closed—Baron von List.
Felix’s stomach twisted. The Baron left nothing behind but the sour echo of his voice, clipped and polished to civility, yet steeped in scorn. He came often enough that passersby might mistake them for acquaintances, perhaps even allies. Felix knew better. To deny him treatment would be to hand him the very scandal he wanted: proof that Harley Street’s doctors turned away nobles. Their hard-won reputation could shatter in a week. So they endured his charade of ailments, holding their dignity while he hunted for ways to ruin them.
Down the hall, Alfie emerged from the apothecary, rolling his sleeves, his apron blotched from tinctures. Nick stepped from hissurgery room with Wendy close behind, tucking her nurse’s cap into place. Andre appeared from the far end, coat buttoned, eyes sharp. They were all drawn by the same thing—the aftertaste of List’s visit.
“What did he want this time?” Nick asked, though the answer was obvious.
“Valerian for his nerves,” Alfie muttered, his lip curling.
Andre crossed his arms. “He’s staking us out. Like a rat with a monocle.”
“Says he has unfinished business and will get to the bottom of it soon,” Alfie said as he narrowed his eyes.
Felix leaned back against the wall, folding his arms across his chest. “Not a rat,” he said. “A fox. Watching its prey before the strike.”
“So you remember Vienna, too?” Alfie asked.
“What happened in Vienna that I don’t know about?” Andre asked, since he and Nick had been at the same university, and Wendy had already started to learn alongside Nick. They all took a step toward Felix. “Tell us!”
“I didn’t connect it at first, forgot for a while…” Felix looked at Alfie, whose mien had gone dark, which confirmed Felix’s worst suspicion. “There was an afternoon when Alfie tended to the horse at the Spanish Riding School, and one of those horses belonged to the nephew of Rector Hofstätter.”
“Baron Wolfgang von List,” Nick more groaned than spoke the words.
“He has unfinished business?” Wendy asked. “But why?”
“His son attacked Felix that night and got me instead,” Alfie explained.
“Alfie defended me,” Felix added.
“They would have killed you!” Alfie said. “They didn’t want Felix to graduate at the top of our class.”
“Altenburg and Hofstätter, titled and well-connected students were vying for the top spot, and I took the spot even though theexams were anonymous,” Felix explained. Scoundrels from theBurschenschaft.
“So a Jew outranked the titled students. Meritocracy. Everything List stands against.” Nick cast one of those protective glances at Wendy, like he usually did when he felt the need to protect his younger sister, even though she was all grown up. Yet, they were all List’s targets for one reason or another. And thus, they were all in danger.
“It’s List’s cause and he’s brought it with him all the way from Königsberg in Prussia to London via Vienna,” Alfie said with a tone that could have announced the end of the world.
His words settled, heavy. Then he added, quieter: “Raphi Klonimus says he’s gathering more names. Old officers from the campaigns, men of rank and purse. They’re printing his words in the papers now, calling themselves defenders of order.”
Nick’s jaw tightened. “So that’s the cause. To tear down the Crown Jewelers—strip trade from the Klonimus family, choke the gold coming out of Transylvania. Weaken the suppliers, and anyone who dares stand beside them. Which means us.”
Wendy’s brow furrowed. “And because the Klonimus name is tied to the Crown, List counts their allies as fair game.” She glanced at Felix, her voice low but certain. “It isn’t only hatred of Jews. It’s power. He wants the estates, the routes, everything—until his name eclipses the rest.”
Andre’s arms folded tighter. “I can’t believe he’s still skating along the edge of legality.”
Felix’s reply came measured, though his throat felt tight. “You may be assured he’ll press further. Men like him always do.”
Nick turned, studying him. “Are you well, Felix?”
Felix didn’t answer immediately. His eyes stayed fixed on the door where List had vanished, as if some part of him still tracked the man’s shadow.
Wendy crossed her arms, her tone decisive. “We shouldn’t leave him here alone at night.”
