Heaven forbid I be allowed out of the next stuffy room Vasek found for us. Despite my new insistence I was perfectly capable, now that I had the proper attire to prowl the streets, Josephine and Vasek demanded I remain behind.

"Brindle knows you," Vasek said, "and you don't know London. You could stumble into trouble and burn the entire city down before we could rescue you."

That old jibe again. As though the loss of his precious club were my fault.

"Just stay ...