After Lavender had insisted she at least eat a pumpkin pancake for breakfast, Prue hurried over to the main building.

She walked in just as Craftsman Primrose was leaving the building. “Studying again, Apprentice Haywood? There’s no stopping you! The good news is we’re about to meet Master Woolstenbury’s expectations on the hundred. Mind you, this news is top secret; if Governor Watson-Wentworth gets wind of it, he’ll likely add another ten personifates on to the list!”

He peered at her for a second. “Is that a Rights for Personifates badge?”

“Oh yes, is it all right to wear it?”

“Well, some here might prefer a more neutral stance, but I can’t say that I mind at all,” he winked kindly.

She told him about the poor retriever and handed him the address of the personifate’s companion.

“Dear me, how terrible. I’ll make a few enquiries and check whoever was responsible was charged. Right, best be getting on.”

He hurried away. Prue waited for a moment, then went up the stairs to the memory lab. With a quick glance over her shoulder she hurried along, rushed through the door, then shut it gently behind her.

She froze.

Edwin was sitting in the middle of the room staring at her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’ve been following you for days.”

Her words jammed in her throat.

“You’ve been avoiding me for a while now. What exactly are you up to, Frances?”

“I’m not avoiding you. I’ve just been—”

“Busy?”

“Yes, well, it’s a nice quiet room for studying.”

“And for experimenting with equipment.” He pulled the sheet from the box where Prue had hidden her modified GODAR.

“Please, you haven’t told anyone, have you?”

He looked at her curiously. “I thought we were friends?”

“We were friends, I mean we are. It’s just…” She thought of Francis and the wound felt new again, and the emotion of it all rose in her chest in an overwhelming surge. She felt tears filming her eyes. She didn’t want to cry, but she’d been caught, and she suddenly felt laid bare and exhausted from having to keep secrets.

“What’s going on?”

She sat down beside Edwin and drew in a long breath. “I had a brother. He got sick, just a silly bug, the sort that most people get over, except he didn’t. He was the one from one in a thousand who died from it.”

Edwin looked up at her. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

Prue didn’t want anyone to be sorry, she just wanted things back to how they were.

“I know what it’s like,” he said after a while.

“Edwin, how can you possibly know what it’s like? You don’t have family.”