The Golden Spider (The Elemental Web Chronicles Book 1) by Anne Renwick Page A

something you need to know, something you must keep in the utmost of confidences.”
    With so many lives at stake, it was past time to break her promise by telling Thornton.
    His eyes narrowed, promising nothing. “Tell me.”
    “My sister, Emily, eloped some months ago. With a gypsy. A childhood friend named Luca.”
    The great country estates of the peerage relied heavily upon gypsy labor and their finesse with clockwork-driven machinery. Most ton children were forbidden to visit their camps, to befriend the gypsies, but Father had waved aside Mother’s concerns. Once merely a distant relative of the former duke with no expectation of inheriting the title, Father had not been raised as an indulged elite. He’d worked‌—‌at the docks, in the fields, in trade‌—‌and believed in personal industry. As such, Amanda, her brother, and two sisters had been actively encouraged to seek out knowledge wherever it resided, and the gypsies on their country estate had had much to offer.
    His permissiveness‌—‌resulting in Emily’s elopement‌—‌was now the source of a deep rift and a festering argument between her parents.
    Emily’s actions, were they to become publicly known, would have deep and lasting social ramifications for Amanda’s family. Mother had great marital aspirations for her remaining daughters, particularly Olivia. Even Ned needed to marry well, and the pool of acceptable brides was already greatly reduced due to his injuries. Father’s post was a political one, easily lost to social opinion. No, Emily’s marriage to a gypsy needed to remain a secret from society.
    “Emily does not wish me to visit,” Amanda said. “I don’t know her whereabouts. We communicate by letter, one gypsy after another passing along our messages, hand to hand. Sometimes days pass, sometimes weeks, before a letter returns. I’ve written her about the formula, but,” she shook her head, “I’ve had no response yet.”
    “So Lady Emily could be anywhere.” Thornton’s mouth was a grim line.
    “Yes. But Nicu Sindel, the gypsy who often sets up shop in Clockwork Corridor? He is my brother-in-law’s grandfather.”
    “And would likely know Lady Emily’s whereabouts,” Thornton concluded, his eyes lighting with interest. “Henri took you to his caravan for parts.”
    Amanda nodded. “He did.”
    Nicu had folded Amanda in his arms, welcoming her like family, inquiring about her own. Emily was fine, more than fine, he’d whispered in her ear. Yet when she’d discreetly inquired as to her sister’s whereabouts, Nicu shook his head. He’d make certain Emily knew of Amanda’s desire to visit, but a gypsy guarded privacy above all else. Emily herself would have to extend the invitation. Amanda might be family, but she was also gadji ‌—‌an outsider.
    She told Thornton as much, then finished, “Every day I go to Clockwork Corridor, but Nicu has yet to return. Perhaps Black can help?”
    “Of course.” Thornton began to walk down the hallway once more. Faster, as if eager to be rid of her. “I’ll set him to it. Immediately.”
    At this speed, his limp was far more pronounced, the earlier ease of his steps, gone. The man’s leg hurt him far more than he was willing to admit. As a physician, he would be using medication in addition to the brace, but there was more to be done. She had studied traditional Oriental pressure points and thought they might provide him with some relief.
    She grew warm at the thought of wrapping her hands around the man’s leg and thought better of extending the invitation.
    Together, they stepped out of Lister Laboratories onto pavement. A line of stately gas lamps attempted to cut through the gathering fog.
    She made one last attempt to ask. “Does it hurt?”
    “Hurt?” he asked.
    “Your leg.”
    He sighed. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
    She waited.
    “Yes, it hurts. With every step, a thousand tiny needles pierce my foot.” A one-shouldered