He suddenly stood and moved away.
"I shouldn't have come here," he said. And then he was gone. Just like that. No warning, no discussion, just gone.
"No! Jacob, come back!" I scrambled off the bed and stood on the spot where he'd been. "Come back, I want to talk to you. I have something important I need to ask you. Please, Jacob." My voice was a whine but I didn't care. I just wanted him to return. Partly for me-because I selfishly wanted him there-but partly because I suspect he needed to speak about what had happened. Not to the Administrators or anyone else in the Waiting Area but to me.
"I know you can hear me," I said, knowing nothing of the sort. "Listen. I want to stop this demon from hurting anyone else. Help me decide what to do next." I waited but he didn't reappear. "Talk to me Jacob. Tell me how to proceed." Still no answer. "Very well, I'll tell you what I think I should do. I'll wait for the peddler to come but I have a suspicion she won't." If she'd been the one to curse the amulet then she'd be a fool to show up again. "So I'll simply have to find out more about the two victims, see if there is indeed no link between them."
"You'll do no such thing," Jacob said, reappearing in front of me, hands on his hips. He looked very big, very powerful, and very dangerous.
I smiled. "Good. Now please stop popping out like that. I find it more disturbing than your sudden appearances."
"You will not go into Whitechapel on your own, and you will not ask questions about either victim." He held up his hands, warding me off. "Let me rephrase that. You will not go into Whitechapel at all. Ever. With or without me, and with or without the entire British Army at your disposal. Disregard everything you've ever heard about that place, it's ten times worse. Do you understand?"
I nodded. "Of course."
He eyed me closely. "You won't go venturing into that part of London?"
"I won't."
His eyes narrowed to slits. Clearly he didn't believe me. "You don't strike me as a stupid female."
"Thank you, I think." It was probably unwise to tell him I'd only said I'd follow up on the victims in order to get him to return to my room. I had no intention of investigating on my own. "Now that we've established that, do you think you could stay awhile. Sit." I indicated the stool at my dressing table. "Talk to me."
He crossed his arms and remained standing. "You should go back to sleep. Dawn's still an hour away."