The Convent's Secret

by C. J. Archer

  "There's nothing to discuss. I had a pain in my chest, but it went away. Nothing came of it. The long rest did me good. I feel fitter than I have in some time."

  I eyed him closely, trying to detect if that were a lie or not, but he noticed and broke into a grin. "Be truthful, India, you were really hoping to catch me without my shirt. That's why you barged into my room."

  "I didn't barge in," I said, striding off down the corridor. "I knocked first. And I know what you're trying to do, Matt. You're trying to distract me from inquiring about your health."

  Miss Glass met us on her way up the stairs and looked relieved to see Matt. "I thought I should check on you," she said. "But I see India already has."

  Matt placed a hand on my lower back and steered me down the stairs alongside his aunt. "She takes good care of me," he said.

  "India, can you help me with something, please?"

  I silently groaned but allowed Matt to go on ahead of us.

  "India, you mustn't encourage him," Miss Glass hissed. "It's not appropriate for you to enter his room alone, now that he and Patience are almost engaged."

  There were a thousand things I could have said in response but I chose the most benign one. I did not want to enter into awkward discussions with her. "You're right. It was highly inappropriate. I'll only enter his room if his life is in danger, from now on."

  She hooked my arm with hers. "Thank you, India. You're such a good, agreeable sort."

  Sometimes I wished I wasn't.

  We caught up to Matt in the sitting room where he stood reading a newspaper. From the looks on the faces of the others, I knew it contained something I wouldn't like.

  "It's this week's edition of The Weekly Gazette," Duke said. "Barratt's latest article is in it."

  Matt lowered the paper so I could read too. The article contained no surprises, thankfully. It was a quarter page feature, and it mostly outlined the good work magicians could do when allowed to, such as building sturdy houses, creating beautiful and functional maps, and generally being useful yet ordinary members of society. The word "ordinary" had been stressed with bold type, and Oscar had gone on to say that magicians could be a friend or neighbor but suppress their true nature to go about their daily lives undetected. If they did not, the craft guilds would refuse membership to protect non-magician members. I thought it a tempered article. He could have said the guilds persecuted magicians.

  Then I reached the final paragraph. Oscar wrote that magic was fleeting, but it could be extended by combining one magician's magic with that of a timepiece magician. He'd posed it as a theory only and had not expanded on the potential. Even so, he gave away too much for my liking. Where Force's article in The City Review had merely alluded to the possibility of extending magic through the experiment on Wilson Sweet, Barratt's article had left nothing open to interpretation.

  "Damn it." Matt slapped the newspaper onto a table. "Damn Barratt."

  "He always pushes the boundary," Cyclops said with a shake of his head.

  "It's his job," Willie said. "He wouldn't be a good reporter if he didn't stir things up."

  "Nonsense," Miss Glass said, picking up the paper. "There's no reason he can't write nice, sensible things that don't ruffle feathers. I'd read it. Many people would. There's no need to cause trouble like this." She dropped the paper back onto the table. "No need at all."

  Willie rolled her eyes but wisely kept her mouth shut.

  "So what do we do about it?" Duke asked. "Confront him? Warn him not to do it again?"

  "Ask him to write a retraction," Cyclops added.

  Willie leaned forward where she sat, legs apart like a man. "It's too late. The horse has bolted. We need to stop him from writing anything more, and the only way to do that is to threaten him. Make him afraid." She tapped her chest. "Let me do it. I'm the only one with the stomach for it."

  "The only one fool enough," Duke muttered.

  "Willie," Miss Glass snapped. "Knees together. You're not a cowboy, as much as you dress and act like one. And no one will threaten anyone with weapons. There are non-violent methods to explore first. I propose we find out what secrets he has to hide then threaten to tell his loved ones. If we can't find anything of a salacious nature, we can always make something up. Journalists do that all the time. It's entirely justified to give him a taste of his own medicine."

  Everyone stared at her. Then Willie smiled. "I like you more and more, Letty."

  "Since Oscar doesn't seem to have any loved ones, there's very little we can do," I told them. "He doesn't even seem like he particularly cares for his brother. We go on as we have been and find Phineas Millroy. That's our priority. This," I indicated the newspaper. "This is not important right now."

  "I beg to differ," Matt said. "Barratt may not have mentioned you, but between Force's article and this, you've been exposed as a timepiece magician with the power to extend magic. Every magician who has ever wanted their magic to last will seek you out now. Where Force's article made them wonder, Barratt's has banished all doubts."

  "Not all of them. Besides, complete strangers won't know where to find me. And if they do find me, I'll simply send them on their way."

  He regarded me darkly but left the matter alone. I suspected he had more to say, but I was glad he kept quiet. There was already too much tension between us, of all kinds.

  Over dinner, we discussed plans to return to the convent that night. Matt refused to stay home and rest. I didn't tell anyone that I planned on going too. I would wait for Miss Glass to retire before doing so.

  Lord Rycroft visited shortly after we removed ourselves from the dining room and asked to see Matt alone. He even asked his sister to leave. Matt did not protest, and he retired to the smoking room with his uncle.

  I spent a restless fifteen minutes in the drawing room, waiting for Lord Rycroft to leave. When I heard movement in the entrance hall, I peered out to see. Bristow handed him his hat and coat. Matt was nowhere to be seen.

  Lord Rycroft turned, catching me watching him. A satisfied smile touched his lips, sending an icy shiver down my spine. He slapped his hat on his head, sending a waft of cigar smoke my way. "Farewell, Miss Steele. I know it may not seem it right now, but I do wish you well in your future. I hope Mr. Barratt's latest article doesn't cause you too many difficulties."

  I stared at the closed door for some time after he left. Farewell? Not good evening or good day? And why was he wishing me well? It sounded like he expected never to see me again.

  Matt emerged from the smoking room only to stop upon seeing me. All the benefits of his long rest had disappeared, leaving him looking haggard and drawn again. His gaze slid to the front door. "What did he say to you?" he asked.

  "Farewell. What did he say to you?"

  He hesitated then said, "He'd seen Barratt's article in this evening's paper and wanted to know if you are a time magician. I told him it was none of his business."

  That wasn't all. It couldn't be all. Lord Rycroft's smile implied he'd won a game and Matt's forlorn expression told me he'd lost. "What else did he say?"

  "Nothing." He pushed past me and plucked his hat off the hat stand.

  "Where are you going?"

  "Out."

  "Out where?"

  "For a walk. I need some fresh air." He didn't look at me as he spoke. He seemed distracted, distant, and I knew him to be lost in thought. A thinking Matt was better than a forlorn Matt, but it still worried me. What had his uncle said to him?

  "Someone should go with you. I'll fetch Cyclops—"

  "I want to be alone." He left before I had a chance to protest again.

  At least my worries had company.

  "Why didn't you fetch us, India?" Willie wailed after I informed her and the others of Matt's movements. She paced across the drawing room floor, drew back the curtain to look through the window, then continued her pacing. "He's been gone an age."

  "Thirty minutes is not an age," I said. "And I didn't fetch you because he didn't g
ive me a chance. He wanted to be alone."

  "So he could forget to use his watch!" She threw her hands in the air and continued her pacing.

  "He won't forget. He doesn't forget."

  "But sometimes he doesn't use it in time," Duke said. "Like when he's being attacked."

  "No will attack him," Cyclops said. "Can you both shut your traps? You're frightening the ladies."

  Miss Glass did look rather frightened. She sat like a small statue dressed in black lace. The last time I'd seen her so still, her mind wandered into the past where she felt safer.

  "What did my rotten brother say to him?" she asked, proving she was still in the here and now.

  "I don't know," I said. "But Lord Rycroft looked…triumphant."

  Willie stilled. "Surely not," she whispered, her gaze boring into me. "Surely Matt didn't agree to marry Patience."

  My heart plunged. I'd been thinking it too, but I hadn't allowed myself to fully explore the notion. Yet Willie must be right. What else could Lord Rycroft be triumphant about?

  More importantly, why did Matt look so troubled?

  "That ain't it," Duke said with a shake of his head. "Nope. Not a chance. Matt wouldn't agree to it, no matter what." He got up to pour himself a brandy at the sideboard. He drank the contents of the tumbler then refilled it.

  I felt sick.

  We convinced Miss Glass to retire at ten. She was half asleep on the sofa, waiting up for Matt to return. My reassurance that he would be fine soothed her enough and she took herself off, stifling her yawn.

  The rest of us could not be so easily convinced. By the time the clock struck eleven, I took over pacing from Willie. My jittery nerves wouldn't allow me to sit still any longer. Something must have happened to Matt for him to be away so long. He wouldn't be so cruel as to leave us worrying for hours.

  "I can't wait here all night doing nothing," Cyclops said, getting to his feet. "I'm going to look for him."

  "Me too." Willie followed him out, Duke at her heels.

  I refused to be left behind and asked them to wait while I fetched a coat. I was half way up the stairs when the front door opened and Matt walked in. Indeed, he didn't so much as walk in, but rather stumbled across the threshold. He righted himself before he fell and shoved his hat into Duke's chest.

  "Where's Bristow?" Matt asked, frowning at Duke. "And why are you all standing here?"

  "We were about to look for you." Duke thrust Matt's hat onto the hook on the hat stand as if he were a medieval warrior ramming an enemy's head onto a spike.

  "No need. I'm here. Thank God India's not with you. I don't want to face her tonight."

  I cleared my throat and descended the stairs.

  "Oh." He plastered on a smile. "What a lovely surprise, India. It's always good to see you."

  "Where have you been?" I asked, ever so casually.

  Cyclops sniffed. "Drinking's my guess."

  "Idiot," Willie snapped. "You know you shouldn't drink more than one, Matt."

  "I can hold my liquor," Matt protested. "I'll prove it." He proceeded to walk in a straight line to the base of the staircase where I stood. He took one look at me and tucked his hands behind his back. "Hell," he said. "I was hoping you'd be in bed by now."

  "And miss the joy of you walking in straight lines?"

  He grunted. "Go on, then. Lecture me for being out drinking." He sighed, half closing his eyes. "I deserve it."

  Part of me wanted to walk him up the stairs and tuck him into bed. But I knew now was my best chance of getting answers so I remained standing on the first step where I was the right height to look him in the eye.

  "So why don't you want to face me?" I asked.

  "Because I'm drunk."

  "But you walked in a straight line."

  "Not that drunk. Just drunk enough for you to disapprove."

  "Have I said I disapprove?"

  "You don't have to." His gaze lowered to my mouth and for one heart-stopping moment I thought he'd kiss me in front of the others. "I can see the disapproval on your lips."

  "My lips?"

  "They're pinched and hard. I'm considering how best to fix them."

  One of the men cleared his throat, and Matt seemed to recall that we weren't alone. He squared his shoulders.

  "Excuse me, India. I should freshen up before we go to the convent."

  "I'm not sure you should come," I said.

  He grunted. "Try and stop me." He took a step to the side and paused, as if he expected me to move and block his way. When he realized I was staying put, he climbed the stairs.

  "Well," I said to the others after he'd vanished from sight. "I don't know about you three, but I need something to fortify my nerves before we sneak onto convent grounds. Who wants a brandy?"

  * * *

  Matt slept for an hour and I must have dozed off on the sofa because I opened my eyes to see him talking quietly to Cyclops and Duke by the fireplace. Willie sprawled in an armchair, her head tipped back and her mouth open. She snored loudly.

  "Ready?" I asked the men. It was a little after midnight, the perfect time to head to the convent where the nuns kept early hours. "We need digging equipment, black clothing and something to light our way."

  Matt opened his mouth.

  "Do not order me to stay behind," I told him before he could speak.

  "I wasn't going to. I was about to suggest you borrow some trousers from Willie but changed my mind."

  "You're right to change it," I said. "Willie's smaller than me and her trousers wouldn't fit."

  "That's not why I changed my mind," he said, voice husky.

  I was about to ask him what he meant, but he began giving orders to Duke and Cyclops. Willie awoke and dazedly asked what we were doing.

  "Going to the convent," I said. "If you hadn't woken up we would have left you behind."

  "Damned lucky you didn't," she growled. "I'm as important to this mission as you are, India. Maybe more, since you can't wield a shovel on account of you being all delicate."

  "Thank you, Willie, you are sweet. I've never been called delicate before."

  A short time later I sat in the coach with Cyclops and Duke. Matt insisted on driving and Willie insisted on sitting beside him. I knew she wanted to be near him to keep an eye on him, and I suspected he drove so he didn't have to sit with me and risk me interrogating him about the reason for his uncle's visit.

  I wasn't sure if he ought to drive so soon after admitting to being drunk, but the horses were well behaved enough that they wouldn't follow any silly orders he gave them, and Willie would be there if he nodded off. And anyway, he seemed quite sober in the few minutes we were together in the stables preparing the coach. He did an excellent job of avoiding me and seemed in control of the situation and himself. The others obeyed his commands when he gave them and didn't seem in the least concerned that he wanted to drive.

  We'd brought the stable boy with us and he remained with the horses and coach one street back from the convent. It was a middle class area so he shouldn't be troubled. Even so, Matt told him to whistle if he needed us.

  We each carried a shovel, pick or small trowel to the convent gate, only to find it locked. I swore under my breath, earning a wide-eyed stare from Willie.

  "Wash your mouth out, India," she hissed. "This here's a house of God."

  "Sorry," I muttered. "I'm having a bad day."

  Matt used a pair of slender metal tools to unlock the gate. He held it open for each of us to slip through. While the others walked ahead, I remained behind with Matt as he shut the gate.

  "What did your uncle want?" I asked, tackling the question that had been on my mind head-on. I could no longer avoid it, it occupied my entire waking moments, and so it simply blurted out.

  "Don't ask me that, India," he said, his voice a low rumble.

  I wished it wasn't so dark so I could see his face. But the moon hid behind clouds and we'd shuttered our lanterns. "It was about you marrying Patience, wasn't it?"


  He quickened his pace.

  "He found a way to convince you to do it, didn't he?"

  The silence was so profound it was a tangible thing. It blanketed us as we followed the others to the rear of the convent. "I'll find a way out," he finally said.

  My pace slowed. My heart plunged to my stomach, leaving a hole in my chest. I hadn't expected to feel so empty upon hearing him admit it. Then again, I hadn't truly expected him to tell me his uncle was forcing his hand and that he had gone along with it.

  Matt stopped when he realized I'd fallen behind. He slung the pick over his shoulder and held out his free hand to me. I took it without a word and together we headed past the convent outbuildings for the small copse of trees that Father Antonio had referred to as woods.

  I glanced back at the hulking form of the convent with its chimneys reaching into the inky sky from the razor sharp spine of its roofline. No lights shone, and the dark windows reflected nothing. Yet I felt like we were being watched. I tightened my grip on Matt's hand and passed through the thicket into the trees.

  It was even darker in the woods but a dim light dancing between branches ahead gave me something to aim for. We soon caught up to Willie, Duke and Cyclops in a clearing barely large enough for all of us to stand in.

  Duke leaned on his shovel, the lamp at his feet. "What about here?" he whispered.

  Willie didn't wait for an answer. She thrust her shovel into the bed of leaves and began to dig.

  "It's as good a place as any," Matt said, swinging his pick into the ground.

  I knelt at the clearing's edge and cleared away the decaying matt of leaves then pushed the gardening trowel into the soft earth. After what I gauged to be thirty minutes, an ache settled into my hand yet I'd made little progress. I looked up, expecting to see much more progress from the others, but despite a few strategically placed holes, they had covered very little ground.

  We worked silently for an hour more before Willie flopped onto the ground with a sigh. She leaned back against a tree and stretched out her legs. "My back is broken," she moaned.

  "I'd offer to massage it if my shoulder didn't feel like a knife were stabbing it," Duke said, carefully lowering himself to sit next to her.