Although I didn’t much like lace, I couldn’t help but bristle at her assessment of me as too practical. I imagined her putting me in a slightly fancier version of the kinds of day dresses I usually wore, but she returned from her back room with a bolt of cloth the color of new leaves in springtime and draped it around my shoulders. The silk fell in supple folds, and I sighed with pleasure. “Yes, that is the color for you,” she said with a nod. “It brings out your eyes.” Then she showed me a fashion plate of perhaps the most beautiful gown I’d ever seen. It was simple, but so very elegant with a sweetheart neckline, snug-fitting bodice, a slight bustle, and a swirl of skirts. “Do you like?” she asked.

“Oh, yes!” I said, thinking it was a pity Alec wouldn’t see me in this gown. Madame Flambeau took measurements and sent me on my way, telling me to come back in a week for a fitting, assuming the rebels hadn’t burned down the city by then.

The shop selling Flora’s ribbons lay beyond the barriers. British soldiers were checking credentials of people heading uptown, but they waved me into the downtown zone with a firm “Be careful, miss. There are ruffians about.”

This part of town looked very different from the way I’d last seen it. Rebel Mechanics banners now hung from windows and fire escapes, along with the white banners smeared with red paint to symbolize blood. Almost every available wall surface was covered in posters and signs, pasted over each other in a mad collage. The posters urged citizens to resist British rule, reminded people that British troops had fired on colonial children, and promoted the benefits of machinery over magic.

The streets were oddly quiet, with none of the usual bustle, and most of the shop doors remained shut. I decided to carry out my errand for Lord Henry first, as I was nervous about having his parcel with me. The address on the parcel was a few blocks down Broadway. The bookshop didn’t appear to be open. The front door was locked, and I saw no lights or signs of life through the small gaps between posters on the front windows.

I doubted Lord Henry would have sent me to the wrong address, so I pulled the bell and waited for a response. I jumped and barely swallowed a scream when an eye appeared in a narrow triangle between two Rebel Mechanics posters on the front window. I took the parcel from my bag and held it up. The door suddenly flew open and a hand reached out to grab me and pull me inside. Before I knew it, the door had closed behind me.