"Oh, dear, not one of those places thats run by ifrits," sighed Charlotte.
"Real y, Will -"
"Exactly one of those places," said Jem, coming into the breakfast room and sliding into a chair beside Charlotte-quite as far away from Tessa as it was possible to sit, she noticed, with a pinching feeling in her chest. He didnt look at her either. "Off Whitechapel High Street. "
"And how do you and Tessa know so much about it?" asked Jessamine, who appeared revitalized by either her sugar intake or the expectation of some good gossip, or both.
"I used a tracking spel to find Will last night," said Jem. "I was growing concerned at his absence. I thought he might have forgotten the way back to the Institute. "
"You worry too much," said Jessamine. "Its sil y. "
"Youre quite right. I wont make that mistake again," said Jem, reaching for the dish of kedgeree. "As it turned out, Will wasnt in need of my assistance at all. "
Will looked at Jem thoughtful y. "I seem to have woken up with what they call a Monday mouse," he said, pointing at the bruised skin under his eye.
"Any idea where I got it?"
"None. " Jem helped himself to some tea.
"Eggs," said Henry dreamily, looking at his plate. "I do love eggs. I could eat them all day. "
"Was there really a need to bring Tessa with you to Whitechapel?"
Charlotte asked Jem, sliding her glasses off and placing them on the newspaper. Her brown eyes were reproachful.
"Tessa is not made of delicate china," said Jem. "She Will not break. "
For some reason this statement, though he said it still without looking at her, sent a flood of images through Tessas mind of the night before-of clinging to Jem in the shadows of his bed, his hands gripping her shoulders, their mouths fierce on each others. No, he had not treated her as if she were breakable then. A boiling flood of heat seared her cheeks, and she looked down quickly, praying for her blush to go away.
"You might be surprised to know," said Will, "that I saw something rather interesting in the opium den. "
"Im sure you did," said Charlotte with asperity.
"Was it an egg?" Henry inquired.
"Downworlders," said Will. "Almost all werewolves. "
"Theres nothing interesting about werewolves. " Jessamine sounded aggrieved. "Were focusing on finding Mortmain now, Will, if you havent forgotten, not some drug-addled Downworlders. "
"They were buying yin fen," said Will. "Buckets of it. "
At that Jems head snapped up and he met Will s eyes.
"They had already begun to change color," said Will. "Quite a few had silver hair, or eyes. Even their skin had started to silver over. "
"This is very disturbing. " Charlotte frowned. "We should speak to Woolsey Scott as soon as this Mortmain matter is cleared up. If there is an issue of addiction to warlock powders in his pack, he Will want to know about it. "
"Dont you think he already does?" said Will, sitting back in his chair. He looked pleased to have finally gotten a reaction to his news. "It is his pack, after all. "
"His pack is all of Londons wolves," objected Jem. "He cant possibly keep real track of them all. "
"Im not sure you want to wait," said Will. "If you can get hold of Scott, Id speak to him as soon as possible. "
Charlotte tilted her head to the side. "And why is that?"
"Because," said Will. "One of the ifrits asked a werewolf why he needed so much yin fen. Apparently it works on werewolves as a stimulant. The answer was that it pleased the Magister that the drug kept them working all night long. "
Charlottes teacup crashed into her saucer. "Working on what?"
Will smirked, clearly pleased at the effect he was having. "Ive no idea. I lost consciousness about then. I was having a lovely dream about a young woman who had mislaid nearly all her clothes . . . "
Charlotte was white-faced. "Dear God, I hope Scott isnt caught up with the Magister. De Quincey first, now the wolves-al our all ies. The Accords . . . "
"Im sure it Will all be all right, Charlotte," said Henry mildly. "Scott doesnt seem the sort to get tangled up with Mortmains sort. "
"Perhaps you should be there when I speak with him," said Charlotte.
"Nominal y, you are the head of the Institute-"
"Oh, no," said Henry with a look of horror. "Darling, youl be quite all right without me. Youre such a genius where these negotiations are concerned, and Im simply not. And besides, the invention Im working on now could shatter the whole clockwork army into pieces if I get the formulations right!"
He beamed round the table proudly. Charlotte looked at him for a long moment, then pushed her chair back from the table, stood up, and walked out of the room without another word.
Will regarded Henry from beneath half-lidded eyes. "Nothing ever disturbs your circles, does it, Henry?"