Chapter Twenty-Two

"He'll try to seduce you," Felix said merrily as I related the details of my meeting with Aristide Dupéré on the way back to my flat.

"You're not the least bit jealous," I said indignantly.

"No, because if you'd wanted a charming ne'er-do-well, you'd be head over ears in love with me by now."

I looked up at him, wondering if there was more to the words than his cheery tone implied.

"Felix…"

He smiled. "It's true, of course, that I'm not French. But it's not the Frenchman I'm worried about."

I didn't say anything. I knew what he meant. And I also knew that I couldn't deny it. But now was not the time for this conversation.

There was, however, another conversation I needed to have with him.

We returned to my flat and took a seat on the sofa. Burglar jumped into my lap with a little meow. He had taken to living with me with great readiness. I was already accustomed to the little presence in my flat, keeping me company.

"When did you get a cat?" Felix asked, reaching out to stroke his head.

"I found him in the rubble of a bombed-out house," I said. "I couldn't leave him there. He's called Burglar."

Felix smiled. "A suitable name."

"Yes." I petted the kitten, the purr surprisingly soothing as I mustered my courage for the coming conversation. At last, I came out with it. "Felix, I need to talk to you about something."

He looked at me. "This sounds serious, sweet."

"It is. At least, it's important to me."

"What is it?"

I drew in a deep breath. "I need you to tell me what you've been doing in Scotland."

I expected a light reply, Felix's customary humor putting off the question, but, instead, his expression grew serious. His eyes met mine. "I can't tell you, love."

"Why not?" I whispered.

"There are… reasons. It brings me no enjoyment to keep things from you."

I should have let it drop, but for some reason I felt unable to. There was so much uncertainty in my life, and I needed answers. "You can trust me, Felix. You know you can."

He sighed. "It isn't that, Ellie. You know it isn't. But there are some things that it's better for you not to know."

I started shaking my head even before he finished speaking. "I don't want things to be that way between us. We're friends, aren't we?"

"You know you don't ever need to ask that, Ellie," he said, grasping my hands in his. "You know how I feel about you, don't you?"

I looked into his eyes. They were so warm and familiar. I always felt comforted when I looked at Felix somehow. It was as if I knew that I was safe.

"If it's a job, I swear I won't tell anyone. Not even Uncle Mick."

He hesitated.

"Or is it the major you're worried about me telling?"

His eyes didn't quite meet mine, and I felt my heart sink.

"That's it, isn't it?" I whispered. "You think I'd betray you to Major Ramsey."

The feeling that he didn't trust me was like a punch to the gut, and I felt tears spring to my eyes. I set Burglar down on the sofa and stood, walking a few steps away so I could collect myself without Felix's eyes on me.

"No. No, Ellie." He came up behind me and turned me to face him, slid his hands up my arms. He was looking down into my face, but I couldn't read his eyes. "I trust you with my life. You know that."

"I wouldn't tell him," I said. "I wouldn't betray you."

"I know, love. I know." He leaned down to kiss me, but it wasn't a passionate kiss. It was to reassure me, to reestablish the connection between us.

"Come back and sit down," he said after a moment, taking my hand and leading me back to the sofa.

I did as he asked. "I'm not trying to make things difficult for you," I said. "I just worry about you."

"I know." He reached into his pocket for his cigarette case. He put one in his mouth then flicked on his lighter. "The truth of the matter is, I've been doing a little work of my own for the government."

I stared at him. This was the last thing I had expected him to say.

"What sort of work?"

"I can't tell you that, Ellie. I've already said too much."

"You mean you're not… you haven't been doing illegal work in Scotland?"

He blew out a stream of smoke and smiled. "I know you haven't exactly taken me for the hero sort. But I figured, one-legged or no, I can still do my bit. Chivalry, remember?"

I gave a little laugh. "Are you… forging?"

"Something like that."

I realized he wasn't going to give me any more details, and that was fine. There was just one more thing I wanted to know.

"Is it dangerous?"

He shrugged. "No more dangerous than anything else I've done."

I knew very well what that meant.

I didn't know if I felt better or worse knowing what Felix had been up to. On the one hand, some part of me was surprisingly relieved that he had not been committing crimes. I didn't know when, exactly, I'd become such a law-abiding citizen, but I couldn't deny the feeling.

"Thank you for telling me, Felix."

His eyes came up to mine, warm and full of affection. "You know I can't resist you, Ellie. Never could."

I wasn't exactly surprised when one of Pony's men came to fetch me that evening. Pony had said he wouldn't do the work for free, and he wasn't a man who said things for the fun of it.

There was a sharp rap on my door as I sat reading a book, Burglar on my lap.

I opened the door to see a grim-faced man I didn't recognize. "Pony wants ye" was all he said.

"Now?"

He gave a nod.

"Let me get my coat."

A moment later, we set off.

Pony had a job for me, then.

Well, it was best that I do it and get it done with. At least I could put it behind me and no longer dread the day when he might turn up asking for a favor.

The hulking bloke he sent to collect me said nothing as we made our way back to Pony's. It occurred to me that it must be something pretty urgent if I hadn't even been given the liberty of coming in my own good time.

I felt a bit uneasy about it all, truth be told, but I'd learned a long time ago to hide any such feelings, especially from men like these.

We reached Pony's quickly and found the basement mostly empty except for a table of men with loosened ties and sweaty shirts, indicating they'd been playing all day and showed no signs of slowing down.

Pony wasn't at the table, though. Instead, the man led me wordlessly through the room to a door on the other side.

I expected some sort of office, but it was more of a storeroom. What use would Pony have, after all, for a desk? There was a table there, though, where he sat with a plate of dinner before him, a great pile of eggs and what looked to be thick steak and warm buttered rolls. It seemed that Pony had connections on the black market.

"Have a seat, Ellie," he said, motioning to the place across from him.

There was no chair there, but at his words the man who had brought me from my house slung one over from a wall. The chair's feet skidded across the concrete floor but came to a stop directly across from Pony.

I moved forward and took a seat.

I didn't like anything about this situation, but I also knew I couldn't do much to change it. Nor did I feel as though I was currently in danger. If I did as Pony asked, all would be well. After all, he wasn't likely to harm me when he had use for me.

All the same, I would be glad to be out of this basement and back in the winter darkness.

He took a long swig of tea from a chipped cup before he turned his attention back to me.

"I've got a bit of a problem that I think you can help me with."

"Oh?"

He took a large bite of eggs and then glanced down at the plate. "Would you like some dinner?"

"No, thank you."

He took another bite. He was enjoying himself, clearly. Pony was the kind of man who liked people to be afraid of him, to worry about what he might say or do. I didn't intend to give him the satisfaction.

"I do hate to rush you, Pony, but I've an appointment this evening," I said. I didn't, but I didn't intend to sit here all night waiting for him to make his reveal.

He looked up at me and grinned. "Few people rush me these days, Ellie McDonnell. I like your mettle."

"After all, I'm doing a favor for you."

"Right you are," he said. "Right you are."

He motioned to the man, and he moved to a stack of crates that stood in the corner. He picked up something from the top crate and brought it over to Pony.

Pony set it on the table between us and then pushed it toward me. It was a photograph.

I looked at the man in the photo. He was distinguished looking, with dark hair and eyes and a trim mustache.

"Do you know him?"

I looked from the photograph to Pony. He was watching me, and I wondered if he expected me to recognize the man.

Just to be sure, I glanced at the photo again. Then I set it back down on the table and shook my head. "I've never seen him before."

"Good," Pony said. "I need you to take care of a little matter for me, and it's better if you don't know the man."

"I hope you don't expect me to kill him," I said. I was making light of things, but I wouldn't entirely put it past Pony.

He laughed boisterously. "No, nothing like that. If I wanted him dead, I'd send Jonsey here," he said, jerking his head toward his employee who still stood motionless in the shadows.

That wasn't exactly comforting, but at least I knew he didn't expect me to play the assassin.

"This fellow is in possession of something I want. I need you to get it for me."

That seemed simple enough.

"What is it?" I asked.

"That's for me to know, love."

"You'll have to tell me something if you want me to do the job."

"It's not exactly an object, so to speak. It's information."

I narrowed my eyes. "How can I get that?" I hadn't been about to kill a man for Pony, and I wasn't going to seduce one for him either, if that's what he had in mind.

"You will need to get into his office without leaving a trace. I've got a little device I want installed. It'll allow me to listen in on his conversations."

So he wanted to wiretap the man. I'd heard of such things, though no one I knew dabbled in that sort of work.

This was better, I supposed, than some of the other job options Pony might have given me. And I knew the sort of people Pony dealt with. If this mystery man was an associate of his, it was likely he was up to no good. Their business was none of my concern. I would do the job and be well rid of Pony.

I couldn't help but feel a bit like the fly who'd walked right into the spider's web.

Well, this was my own doing, and there was no undoing it now. I didn't allow myself to think of what Uncle Mick might have to say about the matter, and I certainly didn't give myself time to think about what Major Ramsey would do if he found out.

I'd made a deal with the devil, and now it was time to pay up.

"All right," I said. "I can do that."

"I know you can. You'll do it tomorrow."

I thought of all that was already happening tomorrow and shook my head. "I'm busy tomorrow. I'll do it the day after."

He gave a little nod, spearing his steak with his knife. "Don't make me wait too long."