Jane woke after Vincent had departed, and took her breakfast in their apartment. The dry toast, bland though it was, turned her stomach, and she had to force herself to chew each mouthful and then swallow methodically. If she focused her attention on other matters, she could put much of the nausea out of her mind. It was fortunate, then, that her mind occupied itself so thoroughly with Vincent’s odd behaviour.

She sat at the table under the window, and tried to ignore Vincent’s writing desk, which sat upon it. Running her hand along the edge of the travel desk, Jane did not try the latch, but it was clear from the solidity of the connection that it was locked. She took another bite of toast and drummed her fingers on the wood surface of the writing desk. What would Vincent need to keep secret?

The only thing which Jane could summon to her mind was the glass glamour, although he left that sitting upon the desk freely enough. In truth, there was little need to hide it, since the experiment had failed. She sighed and pushed the toast away from her. It would lead to no good, worrying at a problem which had no basis in anything more than her own unease. Still, she could not keep her mind from wondering what Vincent would have cause to hide from her.

To escape the perambulations of her thoughts, which would insist upon treading paths she did not wish to visit, Jane took herself downstairs, intent on seeking Mme Chastain’s company in the parlour. As she descended the grand stairs, Vincent came out of M. Chastain’s office, his riding coat slung over his arm.

‘Oh, I thought I had missed you already.’ Jane hurried down the last few stairs.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. ‘I was in the studio, and only stepped in to see if the mail had come before I head out.’

‘Where are you off to today?’

‘I have a few errands to run. Nothing terribly interesting.’

‘Shall I come with you, then? To keep you company?’

He shook his coat out and slipped one arm into it. ‘Thank you, but as much as I would enjoy your company, I must go on to Brussels today and will not have time for dallying.’