“Maybe so,” she conceded, tossing her spent cigarillo to the ground before crushing it with her heel. “Think I’ll go wake her up anyhow and get home.”

“You sure? There’s still plenty of merrymaking to be had.” She gestured at the night. “Costumed revelry. It’s not too late join in.” The older woman looked her up and down. “How old are you? Twenty-two?”

“Twenty-three.”

“Almost a spinster. It’s about time you stopped slumming it down here with us, anyhow. Find yourself some Elect gentleman who’ll marry you and make you respectable.” Her tone was light, but Celeste could tell she meant it. “I’ll never understand why you spend your time down here when you could be up there, living the life.”

“You know why.” Celeste’s voice was hard. “Besides, you’re well past thirty, and I don’t see you on the arm of a man.”

“And you never will.” Hypatia pulled from her flask again. “It’s different for us full-bloods, and you know it.”

And that stung more than Celeste liked. “Good night, Hypatia.”

“Wait, I was going to ask you, what do you think of that new saloon girl?”

“Which one?” she asked, a touch exasperated. “You go through a half dozen girls a month.”

“The short one with the fringe and the dimples.”

“She seems nice,” she said diffidently. She couldn’t, in fact, place a face with Hypatia’s description.

“Nice in the sack, too.” Hypatia waggled her thick eyebrows, enough to make Celeste laugh.

“I’m not shacking up with a saloon girl, either.”

“Her name’s Lilitha, and why not? Haven’t you ever wanted someone, Celeste?”

“You know I have,” she said, working hard to keep the bitterness out of her voice, “but it didn’t work out.”

“Aw, hell.” Hypatia had the grace to look embarrassed. “Abraxas. Look, I didn’t mean to bring him up, I just—”

“Forget it. That’s long over, and nothing’s changing that. Now all I want is to go home and get some sleep.”

“I wish you’d tell me what happened.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” she lied. “It’s just… complicated. Besides, it doesn’t matter now. I’ve got everything I need.”

“You mean Mariel?”

“And faro. Assuming I’m not out of a job after tonight.”

Hypatia allowed her to change the subject. “Naw, that was just the kind of excitement that keeps the Eden top pick on Perdition Street. Don’t want us getting a reputation for respectability, do we?”

Celeste smiled, grateful for the grace. “Heaven forfend.”

“I’m just saying that if you don’t let anybody in… well, it’s a lonely life you set yourself up for. Mariel won’t stick around for long. She’ll marry soon enough, and nobody’s life ambition is to deal faro.”