“Which never gets cold. A nice perk of an enchanted building.” Sarah leaned her umbrella against the wall before she sat.
A waiter delivered a steaming pot of tea—it was true; it never got cold at Gould’s—along with a pitcher of creamer and honey and a plate of butter-glazed scones. The girls were quiet as they prepared their cups. But then Sarah must have felt the worry that had followed Iris into the café. She glanced up and said, “I take it you saw Kitt’s article this morning.”
“Yes.” Iris reached down to where she had the paper waiting on the floor, setting it on the tabletop. Roman’s headline continued to draw her in, like an eddy in the ocean. “And I have some questions.”
“As do I,” Sarah said, removing her glasses to wipe the fog and speckled rain from them. “I’ve had questions ever since you left the Gazette, such as why did Kitt resign only a few weeks after you left? It all seems serendipitous, until I look at it closer.” She placed her glasses back on her nose, her eyes flaring wide. “And oh my gods, I just noticed you have a ring on your hand! Is that … did the two of you…？”
“Shh,” Iris said, noticing they had drawn a few glances. “And yes. Kitt and I are married.”
“When did this happen?”
“At the front.”
“Oh, you have so much explaining to do, Winnow. Or should I also call you Kitt now?”
“Winnow is fine,” Iris said, taking a sip of tea. “But it’s a long story and it’ll have to be shared later, I’m afraid. Right now, I need to know how Kitt’s words arrived at the Gazette. Did they come by letter? Was it addressed to Autry? Was it handwritten or was his article already typed?”
Sarah frowned. “You know, it was very odd. But two days ago, I was sitting in Autry’s office, taking down his lunch order, when a man knocked on the door.”
“Who was this man?” Iris demanded. “What did he look like? What was his name?”
“I … I don’t know who he was,” Sarah replied. “I honestly couldn’t see his face. He was tall, I remember. He wore a cloak, and the hood was up. His voice was rough and had a strange, almost languid lilt. Not unpleasant, but it made me feel cold when I heard it.”
Iris sat back in her chair, cracking her knuckles. This man must have been one of Dacre’s associates. One of Dacre’s most trusted servants had been in Oath, standing not far from where Iris and Sarah sat now, sharing tea in a café. How had the man moved so seamlessly, without detection? Had he taken the train to Oath? Had he walked from the war front to the city? Ridden in a vehicle?
It made the hair rise on Iris’s arms. The war was much closer to the city than she had once believed.
“So this man hand delivered Kitt’s article to Autry,” Iris surmised.
“He did. And he said it was something Autry would surely want for a price.”
“And what was the price?”
Sarah fiddled with the dainty handle of her teacup. “That Autry could have it, but only if he agreed to continue publishing all the articles that were delivered to him. He couldn’t pick and choose from that moment onward.”
“So more will be coming?”
Sarah nodded. “Autry was very pleased with it all. He sent me away from his office so he could open the delivery in private. Not two minutes later, he called me back in, and told me to carry the article to Benton’s desk, for proofing. So I did, and I got a glance at it, shocked to see it was Kitt’s writing.”
“His handwriting?” Iris asked.
“No. It was typed,” Sarah answered. “I only meant that I was taken aback to see his words again, and that he was to publish with the Gazette once more, especially after he quit and caused such a stir with Autry.”
Roman’s article had been typed, which meant he had access to a typewriter. Hopefully one of the Alouettes, Iris thought.
“Is Kitt … is he in trouble, Winnow?” Sarah asked.
“I believe he is,” Iris said. “And I’m about to ask you to do something very illegal and very dangerous.”
“Illegal?”
“Yes. And I wouldn’t put you in this position if I didn’t desperately need you to pull it off.”
Sarah’s mouth quirked to the side. She set down her teacup and laced her fingers together, leaning closer to Iris with a conspiratorial air. “I’m listening, then.”
“You’re still very familiar with the museum, aren’t you?”