Assassin's Masque (Palace of Spies Book 3) by Sarah Zettel

Author:Sarah Zettel
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: 2016-01-11T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

IN WHICH OUR HEROINE IS DISCOVERED IN COMPROMISING CIRCUMSTANCES AND A CERTAIN GENTLEMAN MAY BE SEEN TO FAIL IN HIS AIMS.

Mr. Tinderflint froze. So did the rest of us. Together, we listened to the mumbles of apology out in the gallery, and then a man’s angry reply.

“Matthew.” I grabbed his arm. Matthew dropped his pencil into his pocket and followed closely. At the door I turned quickly to face him, grabbed both his hands, and shoved his fingers into my hair. At almost the same moment, I went onto my toes and kissed him, hard.

As aware as I was that I was being stared at and that I must hurry, the intensity with which Matthew answered that kiss caused me to linger perhaps a little longer than was wise. I broke away as quickly as I could manage. Even so, I had only a heartbeat to see the confusion and delight in Matthew’s face before I turned, undid the bolt, and eased the door open the narrowest crack.

“Well. Half the world is looking for you and this is all you’re up to,” said Sebastian from the other side. His grin was odious, and I fairly itched to wipe it off his face. I also noted, however, that his cavalier’s hat was askew and he had abandoned his black mask at some point, which made it easy to see that his face was red, as if he was angry, or drunk.

Or simply in some tremendous hurry.

“Hello, Miss Fitzroy,” Sebastian continued, with that particular sneering amiability at which he was so expert. Matthew crowded close behind me, effectively blocking what little view Sebastian might have otherwise had of the room. “I thought I might find you hiding here. Aren’t you supposed to be downstairs waiting on things?” He gestured down the gallery.

“What business is it of yours where I am?” I snapped, largely to cover the rustling behind me as Mr. Tinderflint and Olivia cleared away evidence of our recent clerical activities.

“None at all.” He shrugged. “But you should know, your absence has been remarked upon.”

“By you and Sophy, yes, I’m sure it was.” I attempted to sound utterly bored by this, but inside, fresh worry blossomed.

“Not just by us. I’m deadly serious about this, Margaret Fitzroy.” Sebastian stepped closer until only the width of the door separated us. He had whiskey on his breath and a wild, worried glint in his blue eyes. “You need to come with me, or there will be trouble.”

Matthew closed his hand around mine. I did not move. “Trouble for me or for you?” I asked Sebastian.

“For you. There is someone very particular looking for you. Very particular.”

The rustling behind us had stopped. Matthew squeezed my hand. I chose to take it as a signal that the various papers had been appropriately concealed and we could put an end to this strange and uncomfortable scene. There were, however, one or two points yet to be covered. “If we are to speak of persons who are missing, Mr.

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