“I am not certain you will be able to wash the stench of smoke from this cloak.” Her tone was conversational as she held it up. “Your dress from yesterday was already quite ruined by blood and filth, but this is a nice cloak. For arson, you should have worn an old one, or borrowed one of my uncle’s.”

I blinked, smiling blankly. “Forgive me, but I do not understand what you mean.”

“There was a terrible fire on the other side of the bridge early this morning. The fire brigade was able to put it out, but not before it destroyed a whole building. Imagine! An entire building, and everything inside, burned beyond salvaging. It is assumed the stove chimney had not been properly cleaned.”

“That is a shame.” I sat opposite her, reaching for the cup of tea she had prepared for me. “I hope no one was hurt.”

“No, the building was as empty as we left it yesterday. And I am quite certain the stove was cold and unlit then.” She dropped my cloak and any pretense at delicacy as she leaned forward intently. “What did you find? Why did you burn it?”

“I do not know what you are talking about.”

“Oh, please do not pretend. You may look like an angel, but I am not a fool. You locked us out. You were afraid of discovering something you wanted no one else to see. And then you had time there, alone, to explore. What was so awful that you had to go back and burn down the building?”

I smiled, knowing full well my smile was sweeter than summer strawberries, my blue eyes as clear and dazzling as the sky. “Maybe I just like fires.”

To my surprise, Mary burst out with a wild laugh. It was the least feminine laugh I had ever heard. Nothing about it was prim or guarded. I wondered how she could even manage to breathe deeply enough in a corset to produce the sound. “Oh, I like you, Elizabeth Lavenza. I like you very much. I am a little bit afraid of you, but I think that makes me like you more. Well. I am going to throw your cloak out with the trash—in someone else’s neighborhood, of course—and then we are going to fetch Justine and check on your Victor.”

“You really do not need to come. You have already done so much.”