Jaclyn Dolamore - Dark Metropolis

“Why do we meet at all if you’re going to be so eager to get rid of me?” the woman said.

He didn’t answer her, just nodded to Thea. As the curtain closed behind her, she heard him say something about his congregation and guessed it might be about not wanting to speak freely around her.

“Fine, we’ll speak at the Rouge,” the woman said, sounding cross.

The Rouge. Thea had heard some of the revolutionaries talk about meeting at the Café Rouge.

Was Father Gruneman a revolutionary? She’d gotten the impression, from her childhood memories, that his life outside of church was nothing but cups of tea, books, and a dog sleeping at his feet.

Then again, his sermons did touch on rebellion and freedom so often, especially before the censorship rules. And he’d been visibly angry the Sunday after the church raids, when the government officials took all the hymnbooks away and replaced them with the “approved” ones. Anyone would be upset about that, of course—all those familiar, lovely old songs, and yet…

If he did know something about her father and didn’t want to tell her, that could explain it. Her father could have been involved with the revolution.

Of all the nights for Nan not to be here! If anyone would know what to make of it all, Nan would.

How could Thea not know where her best friend lived?

At least she could visit Nan now, once she came back to work. Now that Mother—

Mother was gone. The thought of going home to an empty apartment crashed back into her mind.

Nan will be back tomorrow, she told herself, and plunged into work, trying not to let herself think.

Tuesday came and went, and Nan still hadn’t turned up. Mr. Kortig didn’t know where she lived, either.

“She probably got another job,” Mr. Kortig said.

“But we were friends. She would have told me.”

“Girls come and go all the time. She probably doesn’t want to come around because she feels bad for cutting out without giving notice. I bet she has no idea you’re fretting over her.”

His lack of concern was probably meant to ease her worries, but it only made them worse. Mr. Kortig didn’t understand. Nan wasn’t the type of girl to abandon friends and leave her fellow waitresses scrambling.

Something must have happened. Nan always seemed so strong. But no one was invincible.

Thea thought she could try going to Father Gruneman. She ought to tell him what had happened to her mother anyway. But after the other night…

She was emerging from the kitchen with a tray of eels in wine sauce for table 72 when she almost collided with Freddy.

“Freddy!” she exclaimed. “You shouldn’t hang around the kitchens. Someone might spill their tray of eels down the front of your suit, and I’d hate for that someone to be me. Can I bring something to your table?”

“Gerik’s over by the stairs, talking to some old friends,” he said, glancing at the balcony. “I was just looking around when I saw you duck into the kitchen. I hope I’ll be seeing you again tonight.”

“If you asked for me.”

“I asked for Trouble.” He crossed his arms. “Oddly enough, the hostess didn’t recognize the name.”

“It’s Thea.” She felt her cheeks warm.

“Thea,” he said. “Sounds very modern. I imagined you as more of a Rosamunde or an Adelaide.”

“Oh, no, no. I’m a very modern girl.”

“Thea is a nice name, too.”

“I detect a hint of disappointment. You’re more of a three-syllable kind of gent?”

He laughed. “Maybe I just have provincial tastes. My parents were rustics from Irminau.”

“Mine too.” So he really hadn’t meant it as an insult last time, when he’d called her a rustic. But it still didn’t make sense. “Then Mr. Valkenrath is—”

“The city uncle,” he said. “Really a third cousin or something.”

“Very kind of him to show around a nephew from Irminau,” Thea said. “I’d think he wouldn’t want anyone to know he had rustic relatives.”

“I suppose he feels bad that I don’t have a father figure around,” Freddy said. “But it’s true; he doesn’t like me to mention my background, so I wanted to say so when he wasn’t here. You don’t see the Irminau blood in me?”

“A—a little.” She felt flustered. Wooing her with talk of lowborn lineage was certainly a new one, but she had to keep her wits. She couldn’t let him leave here twice without finding out if he had any connection to her father, and that meant she had to keep control of the conversation. “Well, that’s a surprise, but I guess it explains why you don’t seem like most of the other boys who come in here.”

He smiled. His teeth were just a hair crooked, but she rather liked that; after all, she had that stupid tiny gap between hers. “In a good way, I hope.”

She smiled back. If I could just touch him and see if it happens again…

“Well, look,” he said, “I’d better get back. Gerik will think I’m showing poor manners coming down here, but…if I asked you to have coffee with me after work, what would you say?”

“I’d consider it.”

“I hope so.”

She let her smile fade, so as not to seem too eager, and started walking with her eels. It was a good thing the regulars who’d ordered them wouldn’t care that they were getting cold.

She had never before agreed to meet a boy after work. She had her reasons this time, but he didn’t know that. He might think this was a real date. And she had to be careful, certainly.

“Mr. Kortig said for you to go to the balcony,” one of the other waitresses said, hurrying by her.

“I know, thanks.”

Thea took Gerik’s and Freddy’s orders: once again, a drink for each and several rich dishes of food. She made casual banter with them, and when she brought their orders, she tried to find a way to brush one of Freddy’s hands again, but he was still keeping them off the table. It was probably silly to think a boy’s touch could give her visions of her father anyway, but it was strange that he wouldn’t allow her the opportunity to find out.

“Have you had enough time to consider it?” he asked her when she brought their check.

“Consider what?” Gerik asked.

“Coffee, after,” Freddy said.

“Oh, well, then,” Gerik said. “You never asked me.”

“I wasn’t aware you were hoping I’d ask you out for coffee, Gerik.” Freddy grinned. “Besides, you’re the one who told me I should get out more.”

“I guess I didn’t realize how well you’d take to it,” Gerik said, chuckling.

“Don’t mind him,” Freddy said.

“Fine,” Thea said. “Coffee. It’s pretty generous for me to give you more than the time of day when you’ve only been here twice.”

“Then I’m glad I caught you in a generous mood.”

After these past couple of nights of leaving work to go home to an empty apartment, it was nice to see Freddy waiting for her outside, with a gray fedora now covering his hair. He looked cross with Gerik, who stood a short distance behind him, smoking a cigarette.

“It looks like we’re stuck with some company,” Freddy said. “I can’t seem to get rid of him, short of murder in the back alley, perhaps.”

“Every lad has to learn his own ways to avoid his chaperone,” Gerik said. “I can’t make it too easy for you on your first date.”

“You just enjoy the challenge, don’t you? I know it isn’t your strict moral code. I should probably be chaperoning you,” Freddy replied. Then he told Thea, more softly, “Don’t mind him. He’s harmless. I’ve been on dozens of other dates, of course.”