Page 21 of The Unseen Hour

“Marie, we should let her rest. She’ll call for us if she needs us,” Charlotte’s voice answered.

Day and Death preserve you, Charlotte, you absolute gem.

I didn’t catch Marie’s response, but their voices moved away from the doorway to the back rooms, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I picked the file up and brought it close to the lantern, where I could see better.

“Here we are. Precautions due to dosage complications. Suggested dosages based on height and weight. Only referenced for men, of course. Come on, come on … yes!” I threw a hand over my mouth; I’d been louder than intended. After a few moments, when Charlotte and Marie didn’t come running back in, I continued reading.

The antidote was listed as well. Both gods be praised, all the ingredients I could either buy in town, without the need for all this sneaking, or find them in our garden at Scops.

A chime rang at the front door, signaling the physician’s return. I stuffed the paper listing the antidote ingredients into my bodice, next to my glove. I was going to have things falling out of every nook and cranny in the fabric of these layers when I returned home.

After shoving the rest of the files back into a drawer, I doused the lantern and scurried back to the physician’s quarters.

I’d barely made it inside when he came to the back rooms. I leaned against the doorway, feigning as though I’d been on my way to the front of the shop.

“I heard a noise.”

“Yes, I have everything I need now. Come back to the front and have a seat, Lady Hipnosi. We’ll have you sorted in no time.”

He was much cheerier now, and Thomas trailed on his heels.

“My brother promised him double his usual fee,” Charlotte leaned down to whisper in my ear as we passed.

Guilt gnawed at me. Retrieving my father helped my family, but it did nothing to make up for the hurt I would bring to those closest to me. If I could, I’d gather information on the hour itself while rescuing Father. Surely I could learn something useful when I was wherever it was that the souls were Taken. Maybe there really was a way to rescue even more souls, or take royal troops to the mysterious destination of the Taken and wage war on a god.

Either way, I owed my friends a great debt.

One remedy for headache pain and an ironically stomach-churning treatment for nausea later and I was seen safely to the inn, accompanied by Charlotte, Marie, and Thomas. Thomas took a room down the hall from the three of us, an exception to the ‘ladies only’ boarding policy, since he was technically responsible for the lot of us.

I didn’t have to feign exhaustion. The headache medicine caused extreme drowsiness. The horrid aftertaste of the nausea medication lingered on my tongue, but it had been worth it.

I had a few weeks left to gather the antidote ingredients, and now I knew my plan was possible.

In less than a month, gods willing, I’d see my father again.

For the first time, I was looking forward to midnight.

CHAPTER 12

NEW YEAR’S EVE

THE 99th HOUR

“Stay safe, Tilly. May both gods see you and save you,” I said to the housemaid as she began to close the double doors of my room.

“And you, Miss,” Tilly responded, voice shaky as she pulled the doors closed.

It was the customary exchange for anyone you saw on December thirty-first, no matter how familiar you were or weren’t. Everyone clung to the same phrases, as if the words alone might keep them safe, instead of their windows and doors firmly shut and locked.

There were two hours remaining until midnight.

I was antsy, my muscles tight and jumpy with the desire to spring from my bed, lest I miss my opportunity, but I willed myself to wait. I focused on my breathing. One, two, three, in. One, two, three, out. Over and over.

I checked my small shoulder satchel for a third, and then a fourth, and then a fifth time. I had four vials of the antidote nestled within, along with the journal and Father’s notes. It was probably far too late to glean any helpful information if I wasn’t on the right path with my plan, but I felt some comfort at having the two men with me in some way. I’d also tucked in a bit of food from the kitchens, and a few pieces of jewelry—a last-minute decision when I was restless. For all I knew, I’d have to bribe our way out of wherever Father was.

After what felt like the longest wait I’d ever endured, I heard blessed silence. No more squeaks in the floorboards, no more slams or bangs as windows and doors were shut. No more soft footsteps as Mrs. Fig and Shrewsbury checked each one for the fifteenth time, ensuring not even a mouse would be able to sneak into the manor unannounced. Even then, I made myself count my breaths for several more minutes, creeping to my wardrobe to change. I flung the doors wide. At the base, under a pile of folded shifts, sat my disguise. Temple wouldn’t be thrilled that I’d stolen his favorite riding outfit, but it couldn’t be helped.