I breathed a sigh. "I'm very glad to hear it, Mrs. White. I'm sorry but I had to ask." The woman who'd sold Celia the amulet remained a mystery. Perhaps I would never learn her identity.
George cleared his throat and jerked his head toward the door. I didn't need to be told twice. With Mrs. White settled and promising to call the police if Mr. Blunt hadn't gone by the morning, George and I left.
Outside, he hopped up beside the driver. "Get in," he said to me. "I'm going to ride up here, keep watch." A glint of steel shone in the wan light. The pistol. It was our protection from whatever we might come up against in Whitechapel, both human and demonic.
I clamped down on my fear and climbed inside only to find Jacob seated on the far side, his arms crossed over his chest, his face in shadow. It wasn't a pose to invite me to sit close so I sat opposite. The separation didn't make me want him any less. He could have the most forbidding expression and I'd still want to be near him.
"Where did you go?" I asked, jolting as the carriage rolled forward.
"To Dwindling Lane to see if Finch is still there."
"And is he?" He nodded.
"Good," I said. "We'll sort-."
"There's no 'we'. You're going home."
Jacob certainly had a lot more to learn about me if he thought I'd leave he and George to go on alone. "It would seem the carriage is heading towards Whitechapel, not Chelsea."
"Tell George to take you home."
I crossed my arms. "No. I know you think it's the best thing for me-."
"It is the best thing for you, Emily, I don't even need to think about it. Go home. It's too dangerous for you."
"It's just as dangerous for you, Jacob," I said quietly.
He leaned forward and stared at my mouth as if he wanted to kiss it, or bite it. It was hard to tell what mood he was in. "I'm already dead." His words hummed across my skin like a caress. If he was trying to addle my wits in an attempt to gain some sort of control then it was working. Almost.
"But you still have a soul worth losing," I said.
He made a sound of disgust in the back of his throat. "Are you sure about that?"
I switched sides to sit next to him. I felt rather than saw him stiffen. "Jacob, what happened tonight? At your parents' place? Tell me what was going through your mind."
He tilted his head back and blinked rapidly up at the padded ceiling. "I can't," he choked out. "God, Emily, stop being so stubborn for once and listen to me. Go home. Stay away."