Chapter SevenI woke up wedged awkwardly against the curved iron windowsill of the lighthouse. For a moment I didn’t move, but simply breathed the clean air and touched the cool glass. Then I sat up and ran my hands over my body. I was whole.
The copper wire that had transmitted the quicksilver’s vision to me lay on the floor, perfectly clean. I wound it back up neatly despite my shaking hands, and crawled over to the stairs. Miss Venture found me sitting there some time later, still too shaken to stand.
She paused as she approached, and I saw understanding flash into her eyes. ‘Melbourne.’
I tried to answer her, but instead I cried some more. She sat on the cold step beside me until I stopped sobbing, and produced a gentleman’s handkerchief from the pocket of her trousers. I wiped my ey
