I need to go do some work, Emily announced suddenly, pushing her chair back from the table. Come with me, Sam.
The big dark-haired fellow looked down at his plate. A lone sausage lay there. Im not done.
Bring it with you. Come on. She looked impatient. Sam shrugged and obeyed.
Finley barely had time to say goodbye before they disappeared.
Griffin chuckled. Do you think Emily wanted to leave us alone?
Certainly seems that way, she replied, her own smile wry. Listen, Griffin
He held up his hand. Tell you whatyou dont apologize, and then I wont have to apologize. Lets just say that all is forgiven and never speak of it again.
But I want to speak of it.
That seemed to surprise him. You do?
Yes. Im sorry that Ive behaved the way I have. Its no excuse, but Im still trying to find out who I am, so its difficult for me to know exactly how to behave at times. It felt good to say this out loud. Also, Ive never really had anyone in my life I could trust, no one beyond my mother and Silas. You are right to expect it from me, and I want to be worthy of yours, but ... neither of us seems to be very good at offering it.
He nodded. Youre right. I suppose we both have some work to do. For my part, I am sorry. Im afraid I havent been myself lately.
When it was obvious that was all he was going to say on the subject, she asked, Is it the Aether?
Something feels odd. He shruggedor maybe it was a shudder. Never mind that. I want you to be careful tonight. If it doesnt feel right, get out of there immediately.
She nodded. I will. But she had no intention of leaving without Jasper.
As if reading her mind, Griffin arched a brow. We dont know if youll be able to count on Jasper for help.
Finley met his gaze. You dont really think hes a murderer, do you?
He scratched his head with a sigh. No, I dont, but Ive been wrong before. That doesnt mean Im going to leave him with Dalton, though. At that moment, he looked so tired. She wanted to take all of his worries away, but she had no idea how to do that.
She reached over and touched his hand. Well get him.
A slow smile curved his lips, and she suddenly wanted to lean in and kiss himjust press her lips to his until everything else went away.
His fingers closed around hers. I know.
They sat there for a moment, holding hands until the tension between them grew. One would think this bit of atonement would have made things easier, but this awareness was so thick she could almost taste it.
Something had changed between them. She wasnt certain what it meant, but she was fairly certain that, whatever it was, it was good. And if she survived dinner with Dalton, she just might get to enjoy it.
Chapter 6
After discussing it further with the othersshe was trying to prove she could be a team playerFinley decided she would let Dalton see that her bruises had healed, rather than trying to re-create them with cosmetics. Her ability to heal quickly could only be seen as an advantage, especially to someone who might want to use her for violence.
She dressed in one of her sleeveless Oriental-style gowns in violet satin, embroidered with tiny red-and-gold flowers. It was flashy, but nothing a girl who lived a life of crime couldnt afford. Over it, she hooked a flexible black satin corset that matched her square-toed boots. She put her hair up with chopsticks, darkened her eyelashes and painted a light rose color on her cheeks and lipsnothing too garish. She wanted to look like someone with aspirations of finer things, not a trollop.
Finally she dabbed a little sandalwood perfume behind her ears and on her wrists and strapped a blade around her thighjust above the slit in her skirt. She hoped she wouldnt need it, but even she wasnt stupid enough to go into a lions den without some sort of protection other than her own fists and feet. And her head. She had an incredibly hard skull.
It was a cool evening so she took a shawl with her, though she doubted shed need it. She tended to run a little warmer than most people. When she left her room she locked the door and slipped the key into a small pocket inside her corsetno chance of Dalton or anyone else finding it there. A key from the Waldorf-Astoria would cause suspicion. The last thing she wanted was to alert the criminal to her association with Griffinand therefore Jasper.
Jasper. Would he be glad to see her, or had he already told Dalton who she really was? Would she be walking straight into a trap? No, she wouldnt think that of him. Jasper was her friend, and she would do everything she could for him.
She called for the lift and took it all the way down to the main foyer, which was lit in such a manner as to flatter all the ladiesand their glittering jewels. She hadnt fully realized when they first arrived just how fancy the hotel was. Having been a ladys maid in two fine houses had made it easy for her to move into Griffins house without much fuss. It wasnt until now, walking across this polished floor with its pristine carpets, that she understood how fortunate she was. She could have just as easily ended up in a place like Whitechapel in London or Five Points if Griffin hadnt found her.
Thankfully, Dalton chose to live just north and west of the desolationon Broadway. She knew exactly where, because shed looked for the street on the map of the city she had found earlier that day.
Griffin had given her ample fare for a cab there and back. Before they left London, the two of them had come to an agreement. Finley wasnt about to live in his house and let him pay for everythingshe knew what society called women who did that. She was comfortable, however, being his employee and accepting a wage for the work she did with him. He paid very wellmore than shed ever earned at another job, more than her stepfather, Silas, probably made in his shop.
A passing bellman in a spotless, creaseless uniform stopped to inquire whether or not she needed a carriage brought around, and for a moment, she felt very posh indeed. Actually, Im in need of a cab, she told him. Might you acquire one for me? She even sounded posh.
The young man replied that he could and headed off to do just that. That left her standing alone, off to one side of the lobby, where she could watch other guests leave for their evenings entertainment.
A fine figure of a gentleman caught her eye as she studied her surroundings. His back was to her, allowing her to admire the breadth of his shoulders beneath his fine black coat, his impressive height and the way the light brought out red and gold in his hair. Then as though feeling the weight of her gaze upon him, he turned and looked right at her.
Breath deserted her lungs. Griffin.
She had thought him handsome the first time she laid eyes on him, and before that, shed heard Phoebe, a girl she used to work for, talk about him and how all the young ladies admired him. Perhaps it was the lighting or the danger of the situation she was about to walk into, but she didnt think he had ever looked as breathtaking as he did at that very moment in his black-and-white evening attire, his thick hair brushed back from his handsome features. Amusement danced in his gray-blue eyes.
Her mouth hung open like an old door off its hinge.
This was the Duke of Greythorne, and it was no wonder young ladies whispered about him. Though Finley would admit that she often found Griffin more attractive when he was slightly scruffy, there was something about the way he was so perfectly dressedsomething about how he stood and held his head. He radiated power and authority; confidence but not arrogance.
She realized then what he and Jack had in common. They liked themselves. They knew their own strengths and their weaknesses and had made peace with them both. She envied that. Respected it.
She still didnt know what her strengthsthe nonphysical oneswere, but she was pretty certain her weaknesses outnumbered them. Someday, though ... Someday, she hoped to feel comfortable in her own skin. She already felt better about herself than she had two months ago. Again, she owed some of that to the gorgeous specimen standing across the foyer from her.
So when Griffin smiled at her, she glanced awayembarrassed, scared that he might have somehow divined her thoughts and emotions. She wanted to be more like him. She wanted to like herself. But first, she had to know herself.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him as he left the hotel, and then through the glass, she saw him climb into a fine carriage driven by two gleaming brass automaton horses. Someone had sent a private vehicle for him so he wouldnt have to take a hack. Nice.
Finley stepped out into the evening air just as Griffins vehicle pulled away. She, of course, didnt have a private carriage waiting on her. It was difficult not to be a little envious of Griffin when she climbed into an interior that smelled of smoke and sweat.
New York, like most modern cities, was humidthe air filled with steam from factories, vehicles and automatons. In the winter, it would make the cold seep into ones bones. In the warmer months, it would make a body so moist youd think people had bathed with their clothes on. Thankfully, this night was cool, so she didnt have to worry about her kit sticking to her skin.
She gave the driver Daltons direction and sat back as the carriage rolled into motion. Hers was driven by a real horse, which added to the bouquet of the cab. She stared out the window at the passing city.
New York might be a newer city, perhaps a little more modern, but life was the same here as in Londonthe wealthy mingled with the poor as little as possible, but often had little choice in the matter. The have-nots would always outnumber the haves, as she had seen the other day in Five Points. It rivaled any London slum.
The lights of a dirigible drifting overhead briefly illuminated 5th Avenue, its engine a low hum over the hustle and bustle of the city. She had heard that the air machines avoided flying over the poorer areas, because they didnt provide a pleasing view for their passengers. Only the very wealthy could afford air travel. The rest of the world still had to rely on rail and boats to get where they wanted to go.