“No.”
To which question? I thought.
“Then, what the bloody hell is it?” I demanded.
“This is not the proper time with Soropkin still out there. There are too many things at stake.”
There most certainly were.
“Proper time?” I replied and made no attempt to disguise the anger. Of all the absurd things he could have said.
“Aye, proper, between the two of us.”
“Exactly,” I replied. “However, you chose…”
He cut off what I was about to say.
“It was about ye.”
That set me back, but only momentarily.
“If this is about protecting me, we’ve already had that conversation.”
Numerous times, as a matter of fact. He rounded the desk and came toward me— or perhaps stalked was a better word.
I refused to be intimidated.
“And you will not use that excuse.” I informed him at the same time I considered blackening his other eye.
“Aye, ye have proven that… and I accept it as far as it goes.”
Whatever that was supposed to mean.
“However, with what we have now learned, I thought that if ye still had feelin’s for the man…”
I stared at him— feelings for Redstone?
There were several things I could have said. I didn’t. Instead I pushed my way past him and went to the desk.
I shoved Dr. Bennett’s book into my bag, along with the notes he had made for his second book, and those ancient papyrus notes.
“Mikaela…!”
“Yes, of course,” I replied with a full measure of cynicism. “That explains everything.”
I went to the door, then down the stairs to the street below.
Brodie didn’t follow, and I was grateful for that. I didn’t want him to follow me. At that moment I didn’t want to see him.
I didn’t wait for Mr. Cavendish to find a driver, but instead crossed the Strand at a furious pace, then continued down the opposite side to the cross street and waved down a driver.
The townhouse was quiet when I returned.
Mrs. Ryan made a brief appearance. She took one look at me and frowned.
“You’ve spoken with Mr. Brodie?”
I did not answer, which I suppose was an answer in itself.
