Chapter Seven #2
“And then he’s going out to some sort of club—I am not joining him,” he continued. He raised an eyebrow. “Although if you were interested in going, I would very much like to attend also.” His tone made it absolutely clear what type of “club” he was talking about.
I turned several shades of red before answering. But not before briefly considering saying yes because I was a fully functioning human who was in the presence of a stunning man who apparently wanted to kiss me, and I wanted to kiss him right back. And more, besides.
Curse him yet again for looking so good.
“No, thank you, my lord,” I said in as neutral a tone as possible.
“A shame, Hastings.” He took a sip of his coffee. “If you change your mind—”
“The Tower of London,” I interrupted. “At least I won’t need to go clear out holy water this time.”
He gave me a knowing smile, one that indicated he likely understood exactly what salacious thoughts were racing through my mind, despite doing my very best to keep them in check.
“Well,” I said brightly, as though I was ignoring absolutely everything in our conversation thus far, “should we head back?”
He tossed some money on the table and rose, his movements sleek and elegant.
Once outside, he took my arm, and I thought it would be pettish for me to shake it off, even though his proximity was doing dangerous things to my insides.
Maybe Mrs. Collins had something to quell the deep longing I had to do unspeakable things with this man?
Though I doubted any elixir could cure me. I was too far gone.
“He’s here! He’s in London! Lock your doors—hide your children! The Devil is in town!”
A street urchin held a sheaf of papers in his hands, distributing them to the people passing by.
I snatched one of them from him and brought it back, scanning the inflammatory headlines as the marquis peered over my shoulder.
Speak of the Devil!
The Prince of Darkness is in London!
It’s bad enough that our world has been overrun with species that could destroy you before you can find anything with which to defend yourself. Now, we’ve learned, our bloodsucking Queen has invited the Lord of the Underworld to London for a diplomatic visit!
Are we safe in our homes?
How can we protect ourselves?
When the world outside is so threatening, who can we depend upon?
At the bottom of the sheet were details of a meeting in the upcoming week, a meeting that would “inform honest citizens how they can protect their families during this time of trouble,” which sounded rather ominous, given the context.
I tucked the information away—I thought I should probably attend the meeting just so I could be aware of any real threat to my devilish charges, but I’d need to ensure nobody there knew my position in the government. The thought of going incognito sent a delicious thrill through me.
I’d always loved playing dress-up as a child; this would just be a more-adult version.
The marquis folded the sheet and put it into his pocket, a grim expression on his face. I was honestly surprised he’d be bothered at all; I would have thought a demon would grow accustomed to being feared wherever he went, but perhaps he hadn’t traveled much outside Hell.
“Let’s get going,” he said, taking my arm again. He began to walk quickly, and I soon found myself at a brisk trot, glad I was such a devout perambulator and therefore was able to keep up.
“There are always going to be people—humans—who are frightened of the unknown,” I began.
“I’ve seen similar broadsheets ever since the Great Revelation.
” I paused, catching my breath. “Though not ones that then proposed an actual meeting to do something about it. That is worth mentioning to my superiors.”
“I don’t want this reaching anybody else’s ears,” he said tersely.
“If my father hears of it—” He inhaled sharply.
“My father does not have a good temper in the best of times, and if he thinks he is unwelcome somewhere, he will do his best to seek out those who wish him ill.” He turned to meet my gaze. “You don’t want that outcome here.”
His words sent a chill down my spine, and I immediately nodded in reply. “No, I won’t tell anybody.” Not even my superiors, in case this was just a whole lot of nothing. That just meant I had to attend the meeting myself.
We arrived back at Clarence House to find the Devil pacing downstairs, having waited for us a full five minutes.
It seemed he’d gone out after the dinner and had rather a long night as a result—his horns were droopier than usual, and his tail looked rather the worse for wear—but his demeanor was cheerful.
Which gave me no small feelings of trepidation.
Especially after having spent a few hours with his son.
“The Tower of London today, my lord?” I asked.
He ignored me, addressing his son instead. “I want to go now.”
He really was a spoiled child.
We got to the Tower of London without any mishap, and I was able to breathe easier here than in the church, given the context.
The tower itself was rather a misnomer; while there was a tower, there were also surrounding buildings that added to the general forbidding atmosphere.
So it could have been called an enclave, since there wasn’t just one structure.
I’d never visited before, and I felt the gloom of the place as soon as we entered the environs.
Massive stone buildings surrounded the titular tower, while the now-drained moat was yet another barrier to entry.
I could see why the tower had been at the center of the area’s history, from Wat Tyler to Guy Fawkes.
We were escorted to the rooms where the young princes had been imprisoned, Anne Boleyn had been held until her beheading, and various and sundry officials who’d managed to offend those in charge had been taken and tortured.
As we walked to our destination, I fancied I could still hear the screams of the people from those times crying out in pain, and I shuddered.
I didn’t believe in ghosts—thus far, they were not among the supernatural species I’d encountered—but as I passed through the halls, I allowed myself to believe that they did exist. After all, the Great Revelation had only occurred within the past few years; who was to say what other species might still be in hiding?
While I was indulging in such speculation, I was also wishing we were anywhere but here. I would have accepted the circus or, God forbid, another church bazaar if it meant I could avoid the creeping dread I was currently feeling.
Of course, my charge felt exactly the opposite, as was to be expected.
The Devil immediately went to the area where the torture devices were displayed.
I followed but kept a discreet distance between us, as much because I didn’t want to see the implements on display as I didn’t want to see the Devil’s reaction to them.
“I could use this,” I heard him exclaim. Unfortunately, he was close enough for me to hear.
The marquis had taken his usual position beside me, and I allowed myself to wonder if it was because he might actually prefer my presence to anyone else’s. Granted, the other people in the room were his father and his father’s hangers-on, so perhaps there wasn’t much of a contest, but still.
It felt nice.
The Devil’s entourage was also less terrifying to me than they had been when I’d first encountered them.
There were some demons among them, but they seemed to be behaving as anyone would: viewing the exhibits, talking among themselves, and only occasionally emitting wisps of smoke.
They looked like humans as well, just with more horns, tails, and colored skin.
I wondered why Hell’s denizens hadn’t seized the moment of the Great Revelation to come above before—as far as I knew, this was the first time they’d been here at all since then.