The Chemickal Marriage

and never was.’
    ‘How did you sway Schoepfil?’ Chang demanded. ‘What do you know about the Comte?’
    ‘Vandaariff is our enemy, Cardinal, and you need my help as much as ever. Each man braces his fear against his love. What you love may change. But if you love still, your fear remains.’
    ‘Where is Michel?’ asked Mahmoud. ‘How badly is he hurt?’
    Chang leant close to Mrs Kraft. ‘I have seen it now dozens of times, people who think they can enter this arena and remain unscathed –’
    ‘But I
don’t
think that,’ replied Madelaine Kraft. ‘And I am not
unscathed
– any more than you. Lord Vandaariff’s own ticking clock.’
    Chang prevented himself from slapping her face. When he looked up – when he had controlled his rage – he saw Mahmoud on his feet with the pistol in hand.
    ‘I saw her die,’ Chang said to them both. ‘I felt Angelique’s mind. You gave her to him. If you think I do not blame you – if you think I will forget it – you are wrong. And if you think, whatever happens at Harschmort House, that I will lift a finger to save your cold-minded souls, you could not be more deluded.’
    Chang turned for the door, then spun round, slashing Mahmoud’s weapon to the floor. The dark man clutched his wrist.
    ‘I have done this,’ whispered Chang. ‘I know.
This
was your one chance. It’s gone.’
    Upon exiting the compartment Chang once more darted to the side of the glass, but no bullet came. Pfaff smiled at Chang’s seemingly unnecessary movement.
    ‘And Mrs Kraft reckoned such a smart one. Well, she’ll be dead again soon enough. Us too, unless we leg it. Come.’
    Pfaff retreated down the corridor. At its end he hopped the coupling to the small brake van. In a corner, atop a trunk, sat a bent fellow in overalls, his lank greying hair like last year’s rotten straw. With the coupling separating the brake van from the final carriage, there was no chance of being overheard.
    ‘This is Downie,’ said Pfaff, ‘an old friend who permits my trespass.’ Downie did not seem to hear. ‘This is Cardinal Chang. Don’t cross him, he’s a hard one.’
    Downie blinked his dull eyes and swallowed. An opium eater.
    ‘We’re nearly to Packington,’ said Chang. ‘The train will be crawling with soldiers.’
    ‘Already is, in front.’
    ‘What’s your errand, Jack? You mentioned orders.’
    ‘And betray a client’s trust?’ Before Chang could advance, Pfaff shook his head. ‘You never did keep an ounce of humour.’
    ‘You took her money. You broke your bond.’
    ‘
Bond
. You have no idea what I have done, nor does she.’ Pfaff’s eyes gleamed. ‘And nor does
she
, either.’
    ‘You’re a fool to cross either of those women, Jack. And a fool to cross me.’
    ‘But I haven’t! We’re here, aren’t we? What else would Miss Temple desire?’
    ‘And today with that goblin of a doctor?’
    ‘What else do you expect? If I am to play a part –’
    ‘You’re a liar.’
    ‘I am not!’ Pfaff sighed, like an actress preparing to sing. ‘How can I convince you?’
    ‘You tracked the Contessa from the bankside to the Seventh Bridge – you presented yourself, she enlisted you to her side –’
    ‘She
believes
so.’
    ‘And what do
you
believe, Jack? That you can find your own path? Against Robert Vandaariff? Against
her
?’
    But at his hard tone Pfaff went cold. No matter where Pfaff’s loyalty truly stood, jealousy formed a barrier he would never see beyond. Chang tried another tack. ‘Two of the men you hired for Miss Temple disappeared at Harschmort. One died in St Isobel’s Square wearing an explosive waistcoat – perhaps the other was shredded at the Cathedral. Vandaariff has turned Harschmort into a fortress. Obviously Bronque believes he can force an entrance with his men –’
    Pfaff tossed his head. ‘
Bronque
.’
    Chang was painfully aware of time. ‘Jack, we reach Packington in minutes.’
    Pfaff threw a knowing smile to Downie, whose gaze had not shifted from the floorboards, and then, as if this much delay had made his point, nodded agreeably. ‘Right. You were exchanged for Miss Temple because he knew the Contessa would keep Miss Temple safe, and he’d get another crack at them both.’
    ‘But why would the Contessa keep Miss Temple
safe
?’
    ‘Why do cats play with mice before they dine?’
    ‘Is that something you memorized from a play?’ The words came out sharpened by impatience. Chang wanted to knock Pfaff to the floor