The next week passed in a flurry of wedding meetings, working on my dress, visits from Desmarc, Slipping around the house, and exchanging messages with Hiram about the case.
“Kyra?” Papá called from his study.
“Yes?” I stopped by the door and peered inside. His face was a mask of worry that tugged at my heart despite my frustration. “Is everything all right?”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” He sighed and straightened the papers on his desk into a pile.
I gritted my teeth and stared at the floor. Would he ever stop treating me as if I was still the same little girl I’d been when Mamá died?
“Will you go to my room and fetch me my pipe? I need a smoke before we leave for the debate.”
“All right.” I went to his dresser and grabbed the pipe, only then realizing the key was gone. Pulse racing, I scanned the room once more to confirm it. The dresser held many of the same mementos as before, the pearl in the bowl, the black comb, and the glass bottle with the airship inside.
But the key to Mamá’s vault was missing.
I curled my fingers around the pipe and breathed deeply. This was probably because I’d told him I’d been Slipping again. I’d ask Papá after the debate.
I went downstairs and checked the siphon, finding a note from Hiram and one from Desmarc. I put the first into my pocket as I walked back to Papá’s office.
“Thank you, Kyra.” Papá took a puff of his pipe, then said, “Who is it from?”
“Desmarc.” I skimmed the missive, then handed it over, but my tone came out too curt. “He’s coming over before today’s debate to go over details for the wedding.”
“Good lad.” Papá scanned the note as well, then put it on his desk. “Then he can accompany us when we leave.”
That was probably what he was planning. “I’m going upstairs to get ready.” Unable to stop thinking about the missing key, I didn’t look at Papá as I turned and made my way to the door.
“You know I love you, right?” Papá asked just before I left as if he could sense my frustration.
“I do, Papá.” But it wasn’t enough with the secrets between us. Maybe once Desmarc and I were married and Papá and I had more space, we’d be able to improve our relationship.
I made my way up to my room without a backward glance and waited until the door shut behind me with a resounding click before I pulled the second note from my pocket.
Poppy,
We received a tip that there might be trouble at the debate today. I doubt you’ll listen to me even if I ask you to stay home, so I at least wanted to ask you to be careful. If I can, I’ll check on you.
-H
My breath caught as his anxiety bled to me through the note. What sort of tip had they received and would Papá be in danger? I couldn’t tell him not to go when he was participating in the debate, especially with something as vague as “it might be dangerous” when he didn’t even know I was in communication with Hiram. I would have to keep a wary eye out.
I walked to my desk and opened a drawer, then wiggled out the false bottom I’d found in the desk as a child. The note joined the handful of others I’d received over the last few days.
A knock on the front door pulled me down the stairs. Instead of letting a server bot answer, I opened the door.
Desmarc was stunning in a tastefully tailored black suit with a top hat, pocket watch, and a pair of sleek leather shoes. “You look beautiful,” he said.
I shoved my nerves for this afternoon to the back of my mind. “Thank you.” I’d changed into a ruffled skirt with a silky green top with puffy sleeves that fit under a leather corset that had matching leather boots. And, of course, I wore our engagement necklace, which settled snugly between my collarbones. But with Desmarc’s comments about the Lower Chimes still ticking through my thoughts, the compliment didn’t cause the same flutter as before.
“Please, come in.” I waved him inside before he could notice anything amiss, then shut the door.
“Did you make that dress yourself?” Desmarc asked as we walked to the sitting room.
I claimed a chair and smoothed my skirts. “I’m impressed you noticed.”
“How could I not? If it looks marvelous, I have to assume you made it.” He kissed my hand, then took the seat across from me and rested his hat on his knee.
I smiled and twisted my finger into a ruffle on my skirt. “Papá said we could wait here while he finishes rehearsing his speech for today, then we can head to the debate together.”
“Excellent.” Desmarc rotated his hat in his hand again and again. It seemed like a nervous tic, which I guessed made sense. We were all a little on edge about today’s debate. If Papá failed here, all his hard work until now would have been for nothing, which meant less chance to help the Lower Chimes. “Can you believe our wedding is only a week away?”
I shook my head, my stomach tightening with nerves. “I really can’t. It’s all happening so fast.” The thought made my hands shake.
“And with the renewal around the same time, it makes things even busier.”
Of course, that was precisely why Papá had chosen to announce our engagement when he had. He’d planned it perfectly to maximize publicity for our wedding so it would coincide with the close of the voting period. Anything to get the Annandale name on people’s tongues and boost his chances at becoming the Prime Meridian.
“I’ve reserved the airship for the ceremony, and—”
“An airship?” I reached into my pocket and gripped the thimble there. In all the planning, I’d never heard anything about an airship.
“Didn’t your father tell you? He and I discussed it earlier. We thought it would be a good way to limit the guest numbers for the ceremony itself.” And make those who were actually invited feel extra special, no doubt. “We’ll perform the ceremony while we fly over the city, and then we can have a larger group for the reception after we dock.”
“I see.” I swallowed past the nausea in my stomach.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m a little nervous.”
“I’m sorry. I know you’re afraid of heights.” Desmarc left his chair and knelt in front of me. “Once you’re on the airship, you don’t even have to look out over the city if you don’t want to. It’s so smooth, it won’t even feel like we’re flying.”
I smiled weakly. Thankfully, the conversation ended abruptly when Papá came downstairs. He placed his top hat on his head and picked up his sleek black cane.
“Are you both ready?” he asked.
“Yes.” I took Desmarc’s offered hand and rose to my feet in a rustle of skirts.
“Is there anything I can do to help before we leave?” Desmarc asked Papá.
“The time for preparation is over.” Papá straightened his top hat and patted his pocket. “Now is the time to see if our hard work pays off.”
A prickle of anticipation raced down the back of my neck.
An hour later, Desmarc and I stood at the front of the crowd in the city center. Expectant energy roiled through the throng of onlookers like the electricity in the air before a storm. A brisk fall wind swept through the area, sending goose bumps over my exposed skin.
The Epoch Clock’s long shadow fell over us, while the gurgle of the Steele River provided a hum of background noise to match the crowd. This close, it was impossible not to note the imposing structure of the giant clock. The top was a dodecagon adorned with ornate numerals and hands pointed toward each Chime. The body of the Epoch Clock, embellished with intertwined gears and cogs, was crafted from the finest materials and built for longevity since every other clock in the city was based on it.
Traffic had been blocked off around the roundabout, leaving all the streets and bridges open for people to gather and hear the speeches. Papá, Meridian Eliver from the Extremists faction, and Meridian Lambkins from the Neo-Unionists faction stood at the base of the clock where three daises had been constructed. Once today ended, the twelve-day voting period—one day for each Chime—would open. Every citizen was expected to cast a vote to help decide the next Prime Meridian.
Blue Capes roamed through the crowds, their very presence demanding order and peace in a situation that could otherwise spark into chaos quite easily. Although their presence was mandatory at events like this, I couldn’t help a sense of foreboding as I watched them, thinking of Hiram’s warning.
Every time I spotted a flash of blue in the crowd, I searched for Hiram, but I’d yet to spot him. Not that we could’ve talked, anyway. Here in public, I was very much Gideon Annandale’s daughter and I had no business talking with anyone from the Iron Watch, especially not after what had happened outside Cogs and Corsets.
After half an hour, the city center felt like it was going to burst at the seams. The Epoch Clock chimed twelve times, the sound extra loud with our proximity. A hush fell over the rambunctious group.