"Jessamine found you with the invitation in your hand, so you struck her over the head with a mirror and tied her to her bed?"
Sophie nodded.
"Good Lord," said Tessa. "Sophie, were going to need to fetch someone.
This bal cannot remain a secret, and Jessamine . . . "
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"Not Mrs. Branwell," Sophie moaned. "Shel sack me. Shel have to. "
"Jem-"
"No!" Sophies hand flew to her col ar, where the spot of blood was.
Jessamines blood, Tessa realized with a jolt. "I couldnt bear if he thought I could do such a thing-hes so gentle. Please dont make me tell him, miss. "
Of course, Tessa thought. Sophie loved Jem. In all the mess of the past few days, she had nearly forgotten. A wave of shame swamped her as she thought of the night before; she fought it back, and said determinedly, "There is only one person, then, Sophie, whom we can go to. You do understand that?"
"Master Will," said Sophie with loathing, and sighed. "Very well, miss. I suppose I dont care what he thinks of me. "
Tessa rose and reached for her dressing gown, and wrapped it around herself. "Look upon the bright side, Sophie. At least Will wont be shocked. I doubt Jessamines the first unconscious female hes ever dealt with, or that shel be the last either. "
Tessa had been wrong about at least one thing: Will was shocked.
"Sophie did this?" he said, not for the first time. They were standing at the foot of Jessamines bed. She lay flung upon it, her chest rising and fal ing slowly like the famous Sleeping Beauty waxwork of Madame du Barry. Her fair hair was scattered on the pil ow, and a large, bloody welt ran across her forehead. Each of her wrists was tied to a post of the bed. "Our Sophie?"
Tessa glanced over at Sophie, who was sitting in a chair by the door. Her head was down, and she was staring at her hands. She studiously avoided looking at Tessa or Will.
"Yes," Tessa said, "and do stop repeating it. "
"I think I may be in love with you, Sophie," said Will. "Marriage could be on the cards. "
Sophie whimpered.
"Stop it," Tessa hissed. "I think youre frightening the poor girl more than shes already frightened. "
"Whats to be frightened of? Jessamine? It looks like Sophie won that little altercation easily. " Will was having trouble repressing a grin. "Sophie, my dear, there is nothing to worry about. Manys the time I have wanted to hit Jessamine over the head myself. No one could blame you. "
"Shes afraid Charlotte Will sack her," said Tessa.
"For hitting Jessamine?" Will relented. "Tess, if this invitation is what it looks like, and Jessamine is truly meeting your brother in secret, she may have betrayed us all. Not to mention, what is Benedict Lightwood doing, throwing parties that none of us know about? Parties to which Nate is invited? What Sophie did was heroic. Charlotte Will thank her. "
At that, Sophie lifted her head. "Do you think so?"
"I know it," said Will. For a moment he and Sophie looked at each other steadily across the room. Sophie looked away first, but if Tessa was not mistaken, there had been-for the first time-no dislike in her eyes when shed gazed at Will.
From his belt Will drew his stele. He sat down on the bed beside Jessamine and gently brushed aside her hair. Tessa bit her lip, restraining the impulse to ask him what he was doing.
He laid his stele against Jessamines throat and quickly sketched two runes. "An iratze," he said, without Tessas having to ask. "That is, a healing rune, and a Sleep Now rune. This should keep her quiet at least until morning. Your skil with a hand mirror is to be admired, Sophie, but your knot making could be improved. "
Sophie muttered something under her breath in response. The suspension of her dislike of Will appeared to be over.
"The question," said Will, "is what to do now. "
"We must tell Charlotte-"
"No," Will said firmly. "We must not. "
Tessa looked at him in astonishment. "Why not?"
"Two reasons," said Will. "First, she would be duty-bound to tell the Clave, and if Benedict Lightwood is hosting this ball, I would make a fair guess that some of his fol owers Will be there. But they might not all be. If the Clave is warned, they may be able to get word to him before anyone can arrive to observe what is truly going on. Second, the bal began an hour ago. We do not know when Nate Will arrive, seeking Jessamine, and if he does not see her, he may well depart. He is the best connection to Mortmain we have. We do not have any time to lose or waste, and waking Charlotte to tell her of this Will do both. "
"Jem, then?"
Something flickered in Will s eyes. "No. Not tonight. Jem is not well enough, but he Will say he is. After last night I owe it to him to leave him out of this. "
Tessa looked at him hard. "Then what do you propose to do?"
Will s mouth quirked up at both corners. "Miss Gray," he said, "would you be amenable to attending a bal with me?"
"Do you remember the last party we went to?" Tessa inquired.
Will s smile remained. He had that look of heightened intensity that he wore when he was strategizing a plan. "Dont tell me that you werent thinking the same thing I was, Tessa. "
Tessa sighed. "Yes," she said. "I shall Change into Jessamine and go in her place. It is the only plan that makes sense. " She turned to Sophie. "Do you know the dress Nate spoke of? A white dress of Jessamines?"
Sophie nodded.
"Get it brushed and ready to be worn," said Tessa. "You Will have to do my hair as well, Sophie. Are you calm enough?"
"Yes, miss. " Sophie got to her feet and scurried across the room to the wardrobe, which she threw open. Will was still looking at Tessa; his smile widened.
Tessa lowered her voice. "Will, has it crossed your mind that Mortmain might be there?"
The smile vanished from Will s face. "You Will go nowhere near him if he is. "
"You cannot tell me what to do. "
Will frowned. He was not reacting at all in the way Tessa felt he should.
When Capitola in The Hidden Hand dressed up as a boy and took on the marauding Black Donald to prove her bravery, no one snapped at her.