Chapter 11 Zaria #2
This—where they were now—was entirely unexpected.
The other stagecoaches rattling by were made of gleaming wood and pulled by gleaming horses.
The wide streets were otherwise silent; absent was the unending racket Zaria was accustomed to in Devil’s Acre.
It wasn’t the first time she’d been here, of course, but the stark contrast struck her every time.
“Now what?” she hissed. Although they’d stopped moving, neither Adam nor Elijah had budged from their seats.
“Now,” came a different voice, “you come with me.”
The stagecoach door was flung open, and Zaria gritted her teeth against the curse building in her throat. Kane stood there, a foot lifted to brace on the step, his gaze downcast as he studied that accursed pocket watch of his.
“Kane,” she said, a stiff greeting.
“Zaria.” His eyes flicked back up. “Let’s go.”
“Not until you explain what we’re doing here.”
He chose to disregard that, addressing Elijah and Adam instead. “You’re cutting it close. The meeting lets out soon.”
“Apologies,” said Adam, looking morose.
Elijah tilted his chin in Zaria’s direction. “She wasn’t in much of a rush.”
Zaria scowled. “You didn’t tell me there was a rush.” Not that she would have cared either way.
Kane flicked a wrist as if brushing their conversation aside. “Doesn’t matter. We’re all here now. You two remember where to go?”
Elijah nodded.
“Good. Zaria, come with me.”
Reminding herself that she’d agreed to do whatever he asked, she clambered begrudgingly out of the stagecoach.
It lurched into motion once more, leaving her alone with Kane at the side of the road.
Now that she could see him more fully, it was obvious he’d changed from his earlier attire, now sporting a black vest and cravat beneath his coat.
His expression was focused, unflappable, and with a dawning horror, Zaria understood what was happening.
“Oh my God.” She hurried to keep up with him. “You’re pulling a con.”
“Wrong.” Kane quickened his stride even more. “You are.”
“What?”
He pointed at Mansion House up ahead. It dominated the street, recognizable by its classical architecture and the half dozen pillars framing the entrance.
“In a couple of minutes, the Royal Commission’s meeting will let out.
When the members emerge, a bloke named William Cubitt will be among them.
He’s on the commission. Was the chief engineer in the construction of the Crystal Palace. ”
“Okay,” Zaria said, not comprehending. “So?”
“So, Cubitt is also a former alchemologist.”
She slowed her pace, spurring Kane to do the same. “A member of the Royal Commission practices alchemology?”
“Used to,” he corrected her. A light breeze ruffled his hair, and impatience tightened the set of his mouth.
“With the exception of the Crystal Palace, most of his recent work has to do with the new railway system. Before that, however, he was known on the dark market for his skill with large-scale magical explosives. Did you ever hear about the cliff explosion in Dover?”
Zaria furrowed her brow, still attempting to figure out why any of this necessitated her presence. “No.”
“Nearly a decade ago, Cubitt was contracted to blow up an entire cliff face in order to assist with the construction of a railroad,” Kane said.
“The public story was that he used massive amounts of gunpowder, but in truth, he managed to create an alchemological explosive capable of mass destruction. Almost got caught, too—onlookers at the time couldn’t stop talking about how the explosion was oddly silent.
In the end, I believe legislators explained it away by saying the blast happened underground.
Cubitt received an official warning from the crown, but his work was so respected by that point, nobody wanted him arrested.
He agreed never to practice alchemology again, and as far as I can tell, he’s kept his promise. ”
“How do you know all this?”
“Ward,” Kane replied simply. “He knew quite a lot about many people.”
Zaria’s frustration was beginning to boil over. “And why is it important?”
They drew up beside a domed building across from Mansion House.
Kane halted, indicating that Zaria should do the same as he pressed his back against the exterior wall.
“Because it explains why, out of everyone on the Royal Commission, I’ve decided on Cubitt as our mark.
That, and the fact that he possesses a weakness when it comes to women for hire. ”
She was starting to get a bad feeling about this. “Prostitutes?”
“Indeed.”
Although they were already speaking softly, Zaria lowered her voice even more. “If you’re about to tell me I was brought here to seduce that man, I’ll kick you between the legs hard enough to—”
“If I were you,” Kane said, “I wouldn’t finish that sentence. I take it you remember our arrangement?”
She clamped her mouth shut, seething.
“I didn’t take you as the type to wring your hands over such things.”
“I’m not,” Zaria shot back. “Despite what people say, it’s a perfectly valid job, and often a well-paying one. But I will not be forced into—”
Kane put a finger to his lips, guiding her close to the wall once more; she’d backed away from him in her indignation.
“Christ, Mendoza, I’m not asking you to sleep with the man.
I would never do that.” His gaze was hard, serious, the bite in his tone surprising her.
“I have Adam and Elijah standing guard outside the nearest brothel. I’ve rented a room there for the night, but not for the reasons anyone thinks.
If what I know about Cubitt is true, he’ll follow you there based on nothing more than a smile and a wave.
You’ll lead him upstairs to me, where I’ll be waiting to have a conversation with him. ”
Zaria relaxed. “You’re using me to corner him.”
“Correct. You won’t need to so much as touch the man. And should he try anything, I’ll cut off every single one of his fingers and shove them down his throat until he asphyxiates.”
“Lovely,” she said, and repressed a shudder—whether at the prospect of Cubitt trying anything or at the disgusting mental image, she wasn’t entirely sure. As far as Kane’s requests went, she supposed it could have been worse. “Why is it so important that you speak with him?”
Kane checked his pocket watch again. “No time to explain, but it’ll become clear soon enough. I’ll want you in there with me, just in case he makes any references to alchemology that I don’t understand.”
“Is that likely?”
“I haven’t a clue.” Kane’s head snapped up, a lock of dark hair falling across his brow.
His eyes sharpened, fixing on the entrance to Mansion House.
“All right. They’ll emerge any moment now, so I need you to listen very carefully.
When I point out Cubitt, catch his eye and do whatever it takes to get him to follow you.
A suggestive grin, a beckoning finger… I don’t care.
Lead him to the corner and turn onto Queen Street, then cross the river and take a right on Bankside.
Walk until you see Adam and Elijah. They’ll be directly outside a brothel that faces the wharf.
Once you’re in the building, go upstairs and enter the first room on the left. Got it?”
Zaria’s head spun as she tried to commit the instructions to memory. The entire walk should take no more than ten minutes. Still, she could think of approximately a hundred ways in which it could go wrong. “How can you even be certain Cubitt will follow me?”
Kane remained focused on Mansion House. “I’m not certain, but close enough.
It’s not uncommon to seek out clients on the street, nor to keep your distance until you’ve both reached the meeting place so as not to arouse suspicion.
Trust me—a man like him won’t say no to a girl like you.
” His upper lip pulled back as he spoke, betraying what might have been…
apprehension? Before Zaria could decide, Kane tensed, an animal locking in for the kill. “There he is.”
She followed his gaze. Several nondescript older men had emerged from Mansion House at the same time. “Which one?”
“White hair, gray coat.”
Zaria narrowed in on Cubitt. He appeared to be in his sixties, with a prominent nose and a shock of white hair as Kane had described.
He held himself with an air of dignity and moved with careful confidence, his high-necked shirt and silk bow tie suggesting he came from wealth.
By now, several carriages had lined up to take their eminent employers away, and Cubitt called a farewell to a couple of the other men before crossing the street.
“Go,” Kane said under his breath. “Now. And you’d do well to remember what’s at stake if you mess this up.”
Resisting the urge to make a rude gesture, Zaria ducked away from him, strolling out of the shadows and directly into Cubitt’s path.
The older man took note of her at once, his brown eyes surprisingly keen and lively.
Zaria arched a brow as if their meeting had been utterly coincidental, letting a demure smile curve her lips.
She slowed her pace, chancing a look over her shoulder.
Kane was already gone. It made sense, given that he needed to reach the brothel before her, but his absence rankled in a way that didn’t make sense.
It wasn’t like she wanted him here, watching her do this.
All around her, well-dressed men clambered into stagecoaches or loitered on the steps of Mansion House, conversing in the irritatingly loud voices of those who had never been ordered into silence.
Zaria could feel more than one other pair of eyes on her, but she avoided them, crooking a single finger at Cubitt.
He reacted at once, adjusting his cravat as he glanced around to ensure nobody was watching him.
Then, heart in her throat, Zaria rounded the corner.
She kept her gait slow, listening for some indication that she was being pursued.
This plan of Kane’s was absurd. There was no guarantee that Cubitt would even want her, let alone be willing to traverse the dark streets all the way across the river.
And yet if this failed, it would be her fault. How ridiculous.
Zaria blew out a breath, prepared to resign herself to the fact that she was quite alone, when she heard the echo of footfalls behind her.
“All right, then,” she murmured to herself, throwing a wink over her shoulder—Cubitt was indeed half a block back, his cheeks flushed and his chest heaving. “Let’s do this.”