“Right as rain. And now I know who to call on if I’m ever in a pinch.”
“And should I still come to the Nightingale tonight?”
“Unless you want to owe Hux a favor forever,” he said, grinning, though the expression was half a wince. He rotated his shoulder again, grimacing. “I’ll have a drink waiting for you when you’re done talking to her. My treat, with thanks.” He nudged her with his good arm. “Now get back inside before anyone sees those shoes.”
TWELVE
Vivian tried not to think about her sister as she knocked on the door of the Nightingale. She had cleaned the stove, done the laundry, and gone to the market. She had left dinner for the Thomas children in a basket at their door, and left Florence’s dinner warming between two plates in the oven. She had even left an apple turnover from Mr. Hoffmann’s bakery next to a note saying where she had gone, a peace offering to compensate for the guilt she felt at breaking her promise so quickly.
But Honor’s favor and Danny’s fight were hanging over her; there was no chance of her staying home. So Vivian tamped down her guilt, pulled on her new silk stockings, and slicked on an extra coat of lipstick. She was terrified of what she planned to tell Honor that night, and she hoped that if she looked her best, she’d be confident enough to go through with it.
She made it out just before seven, when Florence would be getting home.
Silence opened the door in response to her knock and looked her upand down without a hint of recognition, though she knew that to be any good at his job he would have to remember her from earlier.
“I’ll dance ’til last call.”
He grunted and swung the door open. Vivian made her way down the long hallway to the second doorway, where heavy velvet curtains muffled the sound from downstairs. Vivian took a deep breath and pushed through them.
She was met by the bright sound of music. Vivian paused at the top of the stairs. It didn’t take more than a moment for her to spot Honor, who was leaning against the bar, surveying her club.
She spotted Vivian quickly too, though she didn’t say anything until they were standing next to each other. They eyed each other for a wary moment, Honor’s face giving nothing away and Vivian hoping she was equally impassive, before Honor jerked her chin toward a table in the corner. “Come have a drink with me, pet.”
Vivian thought of refusing, just to show that she couldn’t be pushed around or manipulated. But Honor was collecting two glasses of champagne from Danny, and there was no reason to let that go to waste.
She swallowed half of hers as soon as they were seated, the bubbles striking her throat and making her cough. Before Honor could do more than raise her eyebrows in surprise, before Vivian could lose her nerve, she set the glass down and said in a rush, “I was there when Danny got jumped today.”
“He told me. I’m glad you could help him out, but I’m mad as hell that you put yourself in danger like that.”
“You want to put me in danger,” Vivian pointed out, stung and flattered at the same time.
“I’m asking you to find out a little information and share it with me. That’s different than charging into the middle of a fight.”
“I like Danny,” Vivian said quietly, glancing over at the bar. “He’s been good to me since the first night Bea brought me to the Nightingale. And God knows she’s the best friend I have.” Her voice caught a little, and she had to swallow abruptly to find it again. Imagining Bea cornered in an alley like Danny made her feel sick. “If not knowing what happened to that man, and why, means that everyone who works here is at risk, that the Nightingale is at risk…” Vivian shook her head. “Coming to the Nightingale gets me through the day. It’s all I have right now that isn’t working and arguing with my sister and wondering if we’ll have enough money for heat when winter rolls around. I don’t know what I’d do without this place.”
Honor listened quietly, her head tilted to one side, all her flirting glances gone for the moment. “Does that mean you want to help me out after all?”
“God no, I don’t want to.” Vivian shuddered as she remembered the awful sound the board had made as it connected with the bruiser’s head. “But Danny could have been killed today. Bea could be next. Hell,Icould be next if someone found out I saw the dead fella in that alley. So I’ll do it anyway.”
If she hadn’t been paying such close attention, Vivian would have missed the small breath of relief that Honor released. But the club owner’s face gave nothing away as she smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“Well, that makes one of us,” Vivian muttered. She settled back against the chair, one foot jiggling anxiously as she wondered what she had gotten herself into. It had taken less than forty-eight hours for Honor to go fromForget you saw anythingtoFind out what Leo Green knows.
What exactly had made her change her mind so quickly?
The Nightingale’s owner was playing things close to the chest right now. That was fine. If Vivian was unearthing one set of secrets, she could find out Honor’s while she was at it.
Vivian took another drink. “So I see what I can learn, and after that we’re square?”
Honor raised her glass. “After that we’re square.”
Vivian hesitated, then clinked the rim of her own glass against Honor’s in agreement.
They finished their drinks in silence as Honor turned to glance around the club, a look of pride on her face. The band was already playing, the drinks were starting to flow, and couples were starting to jostle for spots on the dance floor.
“You’re not the only one who feels that way about it, you know,” Honor said, just loud enough for Vivian to hear her over the sound of the music. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my doors open, because a lot of folks here wouldn’t know where else to go if the next raid shut us down.”
Vivian knew it was true; faces of all colors ended up on the dance floor, and Honor wasn’t the only woman who danced with other women. Sometimes there were two men in each other’s arms, and if anyone batted an eyelash at it, they also knew to keep their mouths shut, that night and any days after.
