“I went round your place this morning, saw the copper wardlings, and came here,” she said. “Who rolled you?”
“Two snuffmages waiting outside Bridget’s.” I finished and put my clothes to rights. “Why did you go to the flat? You know I’m never there after seven.”
“No, you were here, and all night, too.” She grabbed my chin and looked into my eyes again. “The swine in charge said when they couldn’t rouse you, they brought in a physick. Sweet Mary, look at your eyes.”
All I remembered was the dream of being strangled by Dredmore. “A little nap never hurt anyone.”
“A little?” Her brows rose. “Love, you’ve been out cold for the last eighteen hours.”
Rina ushered me back into the office, where Doyle was waiting for us. “I’m taking her.”
“Not yet.” He took out a notebook. “I need some answers from her.”
“I really like him,” I confided to Rina. “Too bad he’s the law.”
“Shut up, Kit.” To Doyle, Rina said, “Has she been charged with an offense? No? You lot too busy dosing her with ruddy joy, then?”
“Tommy?” I tried to wave a hand and nearly smacked myself in the eye. “He wouldn’t do that. He likes me too much.”
“Shut up, Kit.” Doyle snapped his notebook closed and regarded Rina. “I did nothing of the sort to her. What kind of man do you think I am?”
“Like all the others in the world. Stupid. Did you really think it would make her talk?” She tightened her arm around me. “The poor gel’s never had it, you dolt. Much as you dosed her, I’m surprised she woke up at all.”
“We don’t drug suspects,” Doyle said between clenched teeth. “She ran afoul of some snuffmages; maybe they added more than killing powder to bespell her.”
“Bespelled my ass.” Rina thrust me toward him. “Look at her eyes. You know what poppy dust does to the whites. Go on, look. Red as roses, they are.” She brought a fold of my skirt up to her nose and sniffed it. “Nothing but charcoal.”
Doyle looked and muttered words unbecoming an officer of the Yard. “Someone must have slipped it to her another way.”
“In here?” Rina made a rude sound. “How?”
“In my tea,” I offered dully. “Tasted funny.”
“The guild master.” The inspector swore softly.
“Sodding bastards tried to get at her again, right under your noses. Come on, love, we’re leaving.” Rina steered me toward the door.
He stepped in front of it. “You’ll need protection.”
“Wreck,” Rina called out.
The door opened inward, hitting Doyle in the back and shoving him aside. He spun around, fist curled, and then took a step back.
Wrecker stepped in and turned toward the inspector, his face bland. “Take care of this one, milady?”
“Not just yet, Wreck.” To Doyle, Rina said, “Here’s my protection.” She patted the broad wall of Wrecker’s chest. “Got anything bigger than this, cop?” When Doyle remained silent, she said, “Didn’t think so.”
My throat burned and I thought my head might tumble off my shoulders a few times on the way out of the station, but by the time Rina and Wrecker helped me into the carri and we were on our way, my thoughts cleared.
“Don’t take me home,” I told my friend. “I need to go in to work.”
“With you nattering on and your eyes like that?” Rina hooted. “They’ll toss your ass out in the street and cancel your office lease. No, love, we’re going to the Lily.”
“I don’t have time for a bath.”
“That’s tragic.” Rina sniffed. “So is the way you smell.”
I didn’t have the strength to bicker, so I leaned back against the neck rest and closed my eyes.
If the guild master had drugged my tea, it may have been to render me helpless against a second attack— and he would have needed at least one man on the inside. I knew Doyle couldn’t have been involved; he wouldn’t have saved my life to attack me in a police station. If for any reason Dredmore wanted me dead, he could have stood by in the alley and watched the snuffmage cut my throat. I was less sure of Mary Harris, but I couldn’t imagine why a nice old lady who believed she protected people with her idiot spells would get mixed up with hired killers.
Drugging me helpless was too similar to what had been done to Diana Walsh. It stank of the same combination of cunning and cowardice.
As the last of the joy’s effects faded, I began to feel wretched. I wanted to go home and barricade myself in my flat. But even there I wouldn’t be safe, not from someone who could doctor my tea in a police station, or assault me in my sleep.
Physicks believed that dreams were the mind’s suppressed desires and fears. Across the pond, there were new types of phsyicks who even studied dreams in hopes of connecting them to body ailments. I’d never thought much about it—I hardly ever remembered my dreams—but Lucien Dredmore kissing and then trying to choke me to death in my mind could be nothing more than a garden-variety nightmare.
Besides, why would he try to kill me in my dreams when he’d saved me in the alley?
When we reached the Lily, I was able to climb down out of the carri without assistance. Rina still took my arm as if she was afraid I’d run away.
“Two for the works,” she told the gel at the desk inside, who gave me a single scandalized glance before accepting Rina’s payment.
“Will you be having a massage today, madam?” the desklass asked.
“No, and we don’t need maids; we’ll see to ourselves.” Rina took the key the gel handed her and glanced back at Wrecker. “Go back to the house and ask Almira to give you a complete change for Miss Kit. Tell her something light and warm.”
“Right away, milady.” Wrecker touched his cap and took off.
“You can’t throw away my skirts,” I told Rina as she walked me back to the private bathing room. “I need them.”
“As what? Cleaning rags? ’Sall they’re good for now.” She unlocked the door and gave me a little push. “Come on, the stink of you is about to make me puke.”
“I need the skirts”—I paused as Rina pulled my bodice out of my waister and over my head—“to test the powder on them from the snuffmages’ balls”—I turned so she could unknot the mangle of my fasteners—“and see if it contains poppy dust.”
“I’ve already checked it; it’s charcoal, nothing more.” She pulled out a fold on my skirt and bent over to examine the stain. “No one would toss this much red joy at you, Kit. It’d cost the earth. The coppers were the ones that dosed you.”
“They’ve no motive,” I reminded her as I tried to unlace the front of my chemise. My fingers felt thick and I fumbled until she pushed my hands aside. “Doyle thinks I’m in on some extortion scheme. You don’t try to kill someone you think is nicking coin from the tonners.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, my gel, Doyle works for the Hill,” she snapped. “If they told him to dress you like a performing ape, put you on a leash, and take you for a walk, he’d be trotting you round Central Square right now.”
“No.” I set my jaw. “Not Tommy. He’s not like that.”
“For bleeding Christ’s sake, Kit, he’s little more than a nobber in fancy dress. Get over him.” She helped me out of my drawers and pointed to the slats. “Use the hot,” she said as she began undressing, “or you’ll never work that dried muck out of your hair.”
I stood naked on the spaced slats and reached up for the red shower pull. The water that gushed over me was almost too hot to bear, but I stood under the wide stream and let it soak me thoroughly. Once my hair was plastered to my skull, I reached for a handful of scented soap mash and began working it into my snarled, filthy locks.
Rina came over with a handled sponge but set it aside to peek under the bandage on my arm. “Shit. That
