I managed to sneak back into the house and return to bed without waking Celia or Lucy. Already the sky was turning gray as dawn crept up on London with its usual stealth. I lay in bed for what felt like an eternity before my room finally lightened. I spent every single one of those minutes thinking. Waiting. Hoping Jacob would do his old trick of suddenly appearing in my bedroom.
And then he did.
"Jacob! Thank goodness." I tumbled out of bed and threw myself at him, not caring how I looked or what he thought of my unladylike display. I was just so blissfully happy to see him.
He caught me and circled his arms around my waist, holding me tight as if he would never let me go. The hard muscles in his shoulders and chest shifted, flexed. Then loosened. He pushed me away and held me at arms' length.
"He was in bed."
It was not what I'd expected him to say. Not even close.
"Who? Finch?"
His hands dropped to his sides, severing all touch entirely. "No, Blunt. When I arrived at the school last night he was asleep."
My chest clenched. My mind reeled. This was not the conversation I wanted to have with him. I wanted to find out what happened now, would he leave, and what was troubling him. I wanted to know what was in store for us. Did we have a future?
But those questions would have to wait. Jacob seemed keen to tell me something about Blunt so it must be important.
"I, uh..." I gave my head a little shake to clear it. "It is a little strange now that you mention it. Surely he must have suspected we would be coming for him after what he witnessed at Belgrave Square. Unless he was very certain of Finch and the demon's victory."
"Nevertheless, if I was him I'd have left London immediately and destroyed all evidence linking me to the demon."
I twisted a strand of hair around my finger, thinking. It only made sense if... "What if it wasn't him at your parents' house?"
He nodded but said nothing. He didn't seem surprised by my conclusion.
"Who could it have been?" I asked.
"I don't know. Are you sure you saw someone?" He shrugged. "The light was poor, you were afraid... Could it have been a spirit?"
I sighed and brushed the end of my hair over my lips. Jacob's gaze followed it. "I suppose so. I don't know. Oh Jacob, what if we're wrong? What if Blunt wasn't to blame?"
He licked his lips and lifted his gaze to my eyes. "Don't think it, Emily. We were right. He confessed and all evidence points to his involvement. He's guilty. But..."