Page 105 of Her Scandalous Pursuit

“I was looking for Desmond.”

“Mislaid him, eh?” He smiled in his unflappable way. “Looks like no one’s here. But we can see.” He pulled a key from his pocket and bent to open the door.

The room was indeed empty, as well as cold. Thisbe’s hopes wilted. It was clear Desmond wasn’t here.

“What about the other room?” Thisbe pointed to the door on the opposite wall.

“The supply room? I doubt he would be in there.” Carson opened the door, revealing the same stacks of supplies and equipment that she’d seen when she and Desmond searched it a few days ago.

“Thank you. I’ll let you get to work.” She turned away. Where else could she go? Her choices were growing more limited by the moment.

“Wait.” Carson followed Thisbe to the door. “Is something amiss? You seem a bit distraught.”

Thisbe forced a smile. “No, everything is—I mean—It’s just...”

He frowned. “Now I’m certain something’s wrong. Is it Desmond? Has something happened to him?”

“I don’t know.” Though Thisbe’s voice was low, her words were almost a cry. “We were going to—He was supposed to come to my house this morning, and he didn’t arrive. I can’t find him anywhere.”

“Is this to do with the Eye? Professor Gordon?”

“Yes. Probably. Perhaps. I’m sorry. I must go.”

“Let me help you. We’ll look together.” He trailed after her to the outside stairs. “If I know Desmond, he’s probably reading at the library and doesn’t realize the time. We should visit the reading room at the British Museum. Or the university. Have you tried to his shop?”

“He’s not there. And I can’t imagine that he went to the library today.”

“Is he still trying to find the professor? Could he have gone after him?”

“Yes, perhaps.”

“I’ll close the laboratory and come with you.”

Thisbe was tempted to tell Carson the whole story. He seemed sincerely concerned, and it wouldn’t be amiss to have another pair of hands if she found Desmond in trouble—especially if those hands could make better fists than her own.

But she remembered Desmond’s doubts about Carson, his reluctance to let the other man accompany them on their search. In all likelihood, Desmond’s concerns were foolish and sprang from jealousy. Still...he knew Carson better than she did; indeed, she scarcely knew the man at all. Like the rest of them, Carson was eager to see the Eye. Desmond had said he was the first to suggest stealing it. What if Carson was in league with his professor? He could be the man Gordon had rushed off to talk to the other day.

“No, there’s no need for you to do that,” she told him. “You have work to do.”

“I don’t mind setting it aside.”

She shook her head with finality. “Honestly, I can’t think of anywhere else to look. I’ll just return to the house and wait for him. No doubt he got distracted, as you said, and he will soon rush in, full of apologies.” She smiled, doing her best to infuse her words with light amusement, and started up the stairs without waiting for a response.

“Promise you will come for me if Desmond doesn’t appear,” Carson called, coming up a few steps.

“Yes, of course. Thank you. Goodbye.” She turned to her carriage, where Thompkins stood waiting. She murmured the address of Professor Gordon’s flat to her driver as he gave her a hand up into the carriage. She took care not to glance back at Carson. If he was watching her, she didn’t want to do anything that appeared furtive.

Gordon’s landlord, remembering the coins she had given him the other day, let her into the professor’s flat without protest. She found nothing, which she had expected; a room with neighbors all around seemed an unlikely place to hold anyone prisoner. But the trip was not entirely a waste, for the landlord was happy to inform her that Gordon had returned to his flat.

“Not long after you left the other day, it were. I would have let you know, miss, but I didn’t know how.”

“Has he been here ever since?”

“He nipped in and out a few times, stayed the night and yesterday he left. Carrying a bag.” He paused to emphasize the significance of his words. “I watched, you know, just in case you might come back. Got in a carriage, and that was the last I’ve seen of him.”

“What time of day was that?”

“Not sure. It was dark, right enough. I couldn’t see the coach too well.”