“Why?” George said just as the pause was becoming uncomfortable, drawing out the single syllable. “Why now?”
Jules cut in before Zaria could reply. “So youdoknow.”
“You tell me why you’re asking, and then I’ll decide how much to say.”
Frustration heated Zaria’s cheeks, and yet she couldn’t help being struck by how much George looked like his son when he set his jaw. Damn these men and their stubborn streaks.
“Because I miss her,” she blurted out, at once a truth and a lie. “I’m looking for Cecile because I miss her. Apart from you and Jules, she’s the closest thing I have to family.”
George visibly softened, relaxing back in his chair. “Don’t think I’m not sympathetic, Zaria. To be as grown as you are without parents or any marriage prospects”—he returned the pipe to his lips and spoke around it—“it is unfortunate, to be sure. But Cecile can’t help you. In fact, I’d be surprised to learn she’s still alive, given where she was headed.”
“And where was that?” Zaria pressed, ignoring the remark about her admittedly woeful lack of prospects.
The thin line of his mouth twisted. “She went to work for Alexander Ward.”
“What?”She and Jules spoke at the same time. Zaria felt as if someone had cuffed her upside the head, her thoughts reeling. Kind, quiet Cecile had left to work for the most dangerous man on this side of London?
Why did everything seem to involve the kingpin as of late? He was becoming inextricably twined with every part of Zaria’s life.
“I don’t know why you’re surprised,” George said. “Ward has always held a deep fascination for alchemology. Why do you think he situated himself in the dark market? He all but popularized the magic trade in London.”
Zaria shook her head. “I’m not surprised he wanted Cecile to work for him. He had his eye on my father for years. I’m surprised shewent,is all.”
Though working for Ward would surely have afforded him both money and safety, Itzal had turned the kingpin down more than once, resolutely declaring that he didn’t answer to anyone save himself. Ward had enough influence that Zaria was certain he could have forced her father to create whatever he demanded, but for reasons she wasn’t clear on, that had never happened. Not that she knew of, at least.
George gave a half-hearted shrug. “You know I held a great deal of respect for Itzal, but he was a difficult man to work with. I suspect Cecile grew weary of him, and Ward could offer her so much more.”
“Does she work for him still?”
“I’ve no idea. Like I said, I’d be surprised to learn she’s still alive. The kingpin is demanding, and Cecile had an impertinent streak, not unlike yourself.”
Zaria lifted her chin but didn’t argue. It was Jules who said hotly, “Having an ‘impertinent streak’ is the only reason Zaria has been able to help pay our dues. Her clients are forever trying to shortchange her, and she doesn’t take it.”
George beheld his son with an impassive expression. “You’d do well to adopt that skill yourself. It’s not becoming for a woman to act in such a way, but for a pawnbroker it is a necessity.”
Jules flushed, and this time it was Zaria who bristled. WhenJules was behind the counter, he wasn’t quite as firm in pricing as his father, instead electing to work with what people required or could afford. In a place where everyone was struggling, he’d told Zaria more than once, he couldn’t bear watching patrons’ eyes cloud with dismay when they realized they wouldn’t reach an arrangement.
He doesn’t want to be a pawnbroker, Zaria wanted to snap.And that’s if the shop even survives long enough for him to get the chance.
But she held her tongue. She understood how important family was to Jules, and to his father as well. The years George had spent caring for his ailing parents was proof of that. Despite her gripes with the man, she knew Jules’s dream of leaving the slum included his father, and she would never stand in the way of that. Whether Georgewouldleave, though, was another question entirely, and a barrier she wasn’t sure how Jules would deal with.
George’s eyes had drifted back to his work, and Zaria knew the conversation was over. That was fine by her; she’d gotten what she came for. She could tell Jules was still grinding his teeth, and she put a gentle hand on his arm.
“Thanks,” she told George curtly, pulling Jules from the room as he added, “Good night.”
George inclined his head.
“You’re not a disappointment,” Zaria said to Jules the moment the door closed behind them, knowing where his thoughts were. “You know you’re not. He expects a lot, but he loves you.”
Whether that love was enough for George to keep his son from Ward, though, she wasn’t sure.
Jules’s smile was faint, bitterness thinning his lips. “Yeah. I guess.”
Once back in her workshop, the two of them stretched out onZaria’s bed, cocooned by the darkness. Zaria still clutched the paper in her left hand, as if prolonged contact with Cecile’s words might foster some deeper connection to the woman.
If she could find Cecile, perhaps she could find a primateria source. And if she found a primateria source, she wouldn’t have to worry about what acquiescing to Kane’s demands would do to her. She could create without limits. Then, when she had the jewels Kane promised her, they would have everything they needed to save this place—or leave it behind.
“Too bad about Cecile and Ward,” Jules murmured eventually, his soft voice shattering the fragile quiet. “But we’ll find another solution. Don’t worry.”
