Alden felt rather cold as he gradually regained his senses, but it wasn’t the deathly chill he recalled from those last hazy moments before passing out. Still, he shivered beneath the heavy blankets covering him as he laboriously forced his eyes to open. The air was heavy with the herbal, and floral scents of a hospital room, and as his eyes gradually managed to properly focus he found himself looking up at a starkly white ceiling. “Baba, you’re awake!” Turning his head, Alden saw Chao Xing standing by his bedside. He tried to greet her, but all he managed was a dry croak. Realizing his predicament, Chao Xing poured him a cup of water from a jug on the bedside table and gentle helped him to drink it. Once his throat felt a little less parched, Alden made another attempt. “It’s… good to see you again, Chao-Chao. How… How long was I asleep?” “It’s been almost three days, baba. But the doctor stopped looking quite so worried after the first day, and yesterday she said you would wake up soon.” “I see. I… apologize for keeping you waiting.” Seeing the look Chao Xing’s face, Alden awkwardly worked to extract his arms from the mass of blankets and held them out invitingly. Chao Xing hesitated for a moment, then let herself sink into his embrace. Alden couldn’t help but note just how warm she felt, although that might just be a sign that he was still very cold… “I was worried, baba. I thought you might die.” “It’s all right, Chao-Chao. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll take care of you, I promise.” Chao Xing suddenly pulled free of the hug, and Alden noticed she had a rather stern expression on her face. “What are you saying, baba? You are sick in bed. You can’t take care of anybody right now. Until you are feeling better, I will be the one taking care of you. Now, please lie down and rest properly. I will go fetch the doctor so she can have a look at you.” Alden honestly felt a little bemused as Chao Xing strode from the room. Or, well, as close to striding as her feet would allow. Something of a highly determined totter, really. Still, she must have managed a fair turn of speed, because it wasn’t too long before a rather stately old woman entered the room. She was dressed in a neat, well-kept doctor’s coat, her grey hair was tied into a tight braid and her icy blue eyes looked rather large behind her thick spectacles. She carried a small stack of papers in one hand, and seemed to be skimming them even as she spoke. “I see you’re awake, Mr. Stowe.” “All thanks to you, I’m sure.” The woman gave him a completely humourless smile. “Rather. I am Dr. Liv Tyrasdottir, head of experimental emergency medicine here at the Royal Hospital of London.” “I apologize for the stress I must have put you through, Dr. Tyrasdottir.” “Apology accepted, Mr. Stowe. Now, given who had you admitted to this hospital, I will refrain from asking what sort of situation could possibly lead you to consume such a ghastly mix of dangerous substances, but as a medical professional I must strongly advise you to avoid such behaviour in the future. I will, however, grudgingly admit that taking that purgative was definitely the right course of action. It is very likely that it saved your life, for all that you were a sorry sight when you arrived at this hospital.” “I can imagine. I offer my apologies to any nurses who had to clean up after me as well.” “I’m sure they will appreciate the sentiment, if nothing else. Now, onto the matter of your current condition. I do not believe you are in any immediate danger, but I cannot in good conscience assume your condition is stable. It is quite likely that you have permanently damaged your body’s capacity to replenish the sanguine humour, and I predict that you will need lifelong medical treatment to retain normal functionality.” “I do feel very cold.” “I’ll ask the nurses to bring another blanket or two. More to the point, until your condition is fully stable and a proper course of treatment has been established, I will need to keep you here in this hospital. And even after your discharge you should return once a week for a full medical examination.” “That seems sensible. Thank you for your time, Dr. Tyrasdottir.” “Simply doing my job, Mr. Stowe. As I’m sure you were when you did whatever brought you here in the first place.” Alden sighed softly. “For queen and country, Dr. Tyrasdottir.” “Yes, I rather suspected as much.” Once the doctor had taken her leave, Alden was left without much to do other than rest. Although in all fairness, it wasn’t as though he had the energy to do much else in the first place. The extra blankets did help a bit with the chill, but the sheer weight of blankets now covering him was honestly a little uncomfortable. True to her word, Chao Xing was doing her utmost to take care of Alden, which honestly left him somewhat conflicted. However, since she firmly rebuked him every time he suggested she needn’t worry so much over him, all he could do was try his best to think of things she might do for him that would keep her off her feet. But alas, it didn’t take long for Chao Xing to realize that this was what he was doing. “You worry too much over me, baba. I have walked on these feet for years. You don’t need to treat me like something fragile.” “But you’re fussing over me even more, Chao-Chao.” “It is not the same! You almost died!” Alden was about to retort when a thought popped into his head. “I’m glad.” Chao Xing frowned in confusion. “You are glad? Because you almost died?” “No, I’m glad that you’re shouting at me.” Chao Xing seemed almost stunned for a moment, then she put her hands over her mouth with a small gasp. “I’m sorry, baba. I didn’t realize I was shouting. That was very rude of me.” Alden shook his head. “I’m not offended, Chao-Chao. I told you I’m glad, didn’t I? If you’re shouting at me, that means you’re not afraid of me. A father whose children aren’t afraid to raise their voices at him is exactly the sort of father I hope to be.” Chao Xing shot him a very strange sort of look. “I’m not sure I understand, baba.” “It’s fine. For now, all you need to know is that it’s fine for you to shout at me when I’m being too stubborn.” “If that is what you want, baba… Do Tiffany-jie and Ember also shout at you?” “Not as of yet, but I’m sure I’ll do something stupid enough to make them do so one of these days. What does ‘jie’ mean, anyway?” “It means older sister, baba.” “But Ember is just Ember?” Chao Xing blushed faintly and rolled up her right sleeve, revealing a faint, fading bite mark on her arm. Alden let out a bark of laughter. “I can see you’re well acquainted with your new family already, Chao-Chao.” “Oh, that reminds me. When Tiffany-jie visited yesterday, she gave me this envelope. She said she had figured out what was in the vial you asked her to look at.” Alden took the envelope curiously and pulled out a small note, instantly recognizing Tiffany’s neat, unobtrusive handwriting. Reading the message, Alden frowned darkly. “Well now, this is going to get someone into an awful lot of trouble. I will have to tell…” But he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Chao Xing got up and headed over to answer it. She only opened it a little ways, though, and after a brief, mumbled conversation with the person standing outside she turned back to Alden. “Baba, a woman who introduced herself as Lucille Baines wishes to speak to you alone.” “It’s all right, Chao Xing. She is my employer. Go and get some rest, maybe find yourself something to eat. Do you need any money?” “I have been eating in the staff dining room since I came here, baba. I was told someone arranged for my stay here along with your own.” “Then off you go. I’ll talk to you later.” “Do not overexert yourself while I am away, baba.” With that final word of caution, Chao Xing left, passing Lucille Baines in the doorway. Lucille carefully closed and locked the door behind herself before heading over to take a seat by Alden’s bedside. “That girl has barely left your side since you arrived here. She seemed adamant that she be allowed to watch over you, so I paid for a room and meals for her here at the hospital. I’m not sure she’s even set foot in the room, though. As I understand it, she’s been sleeping in a folding bed over by the door to this room.” “She is turning out to be rather more devoted than I had expected.” “Who exactly is she, anyway? That Mei Jing girl vouched for her, so I allowed her to stay here, but I’ve been so busy I haven’t had the chance to investigate the matter further.” “Her name is Stowe Chao Xing. My daughter.” Lucille gave Alden a somewhat exasperated look. “Another one, Alden? Has adoption turned into some sort of hobby for you?” Alden sighed deeply. “I didn’t have much choice. The threat Robert Smith posed to myself and my family had to be dealt with immediately. In order to facilitate that, I found myself needing to make a horribly mistreated young girl go from treating me with wary suspicion to fully trusting and supporting me over the course of a brief conversation. Since that girl seemed to be basing the entirety of what little self-worth she possessed on her family name, I couldn’t think of any way to make that happen without offering her a different family name.” “That’s rather utilitarian, Alden. Some might even consider that reasoning rather cold.” “You’re not wrong. I cannot claim that I felt any of the pride and familiarity towards Chao Xing that I do towards Tiffany, Ember or even Mei Jing. Although the latter summarily rejected my offer to adopt her on perfectly logical grounds. No, what I felt for Chao Xing was, at most, a measure of sympathy and no small amount of pity. And it’s not as though I intend to adopt every pitiful child in London. That’s what orphanages are for.” Lucille opened her mouth to speak, but Alden held up a hand to forestall whatever she was about to say. “However, now that I have decided to adopt Chao Xing, I intend to take full responsibility for that decision. I may have become her father entirely as a utilitarian measure, but now that I have, I damn well intend to be the best father I can be. No matter how she ended up becoming family, she is still family.” Lucille shot him a strange sort of smile. “You know, I’m honestly not sure if you could be considered an honourable man or not, Alden Stowe.” “Only when the situation allows, Lucille. But honourable or not, I’d like to think I’m a useful man.” “Oh, of that I have no doubts. Speaking of which, my main point of business here today is to ask if you’re well enough to discuss recent events with our patron.” “That shouldn’t be a problem, so long as I don’t have to leave this room. I’m afraid I will probably be bedridden for a while longer.” “In that case he will come to see you tomorrow. Get well soon, Alden. You are, after all, a very useful man, and keeping you confined to a hospital room like this is a terrible waste.” “I shall do my best. Oh, and before you leave the hospital, do you think you could ask someone to come see me? There’s a surgeon here who I would like to speak to.” It was already well into evening by the time the surgeon arrived, and Alden once again asked Chao Xing to leave the room for the time being. The time would come when the three of them needed to discuss this matter together, but Alden wanted to make absolutely sure he could arrange for the necessary surgeries before that happened. Su Li turned out to be quite young for a surgeon, probably in her early thirties, but she carried herself with an air of determination that seemed to speak of a deep-seated conviction. “Junior surgeon Su Li, I take it?” “I am. And you must be Alden Stowe. I’m glad you called for me. I have been curious to meet you ever since I heard a girl with broken feet was watching over you and introducing herself with your family name.” “That would be my daughter, Chao Xing.” Su Li’s face softened just a little. “That’s a relief. I was worried that she might be your betrothed.” Alden frowned darkly. “I’d thank you not to make such insinuations. She’s a child. She’s not even a third of my age, for gods’ sakes!” “There are plenty of men in the world who would not consider that a problem, Mr. Stowe.” “I suppose that’s true. I met just such a man a few days ago. But with any luck he’ll be hanged in short order.” Su Li smiled. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant smile. “I think you and I might get along quite well after all, Mr. Stowe.” “As heartening as that is, my business with you today is hardly a social matter.” “I take it you want me to make a treatment plan for your daughter?” “I do. I hear you have had good results treating similar cases in the past.” “The surgeries and treatments are still experimental, Mr. Stowe. Patients generally regain full or nearly full mobility, and report significantly reduced pain, but even in the best case the feet end up being quite large and flat with visually apparent deformities and significant scarring.” “Even so, I know for a fact that it would mean the world to my daughter to be able to run and jump again. How long do you think it will take before you can begin treatments, and how much will the procedure cost?” “I should be able to schedule a preliminary examination within a week or two, and the initial surgery shortly after that. But I won’t charge for it. The procedures are still experimental, and it would be against hospital policy to charge for experimental treatments. My work is instead funded by a small royal grant along with private donations.” “In that case, I would like you to join me and my daughter to discuss these matters at your earliest opportunity. On an unrelated note, I find myself suddenly feeling quite charitable. I don’t suppose you know of any medical research program that could use a charitable donation of a hundred pounds or so?” Su Li’s smile was far warmer this time. “I think I know just the one, Mr. Stowe.” The following day, Alden was quite shocked when a very tall man in a brown surgeon’s coat wearing a medical filtering mask entered his room just after Chao Xing had left to eat her lunch. Alden was fairly certain he wasn’t sick with anything contagious, so he could see no reason why anyone would need to wear a fully covering mask with a trunk full of miasma filters just to speak to him. He got even more concerned when the masked man closed and locked the door behind himself. Fortunately, before Alden could raise any alarm, the man reached up and unclipped his mask, revealing the rather amused-looking face of Prince Wallace. Alden shot him a long-suffering glare. “You just about scared the living daylights out of me, Prince Wallace. I thought you might be some sort of assassin here to finish me off.” “I’m sorry, Alden. But I’m afraid the mask was quite necessary. After all, I can’t have it be known that I’m here to visit you, now can I?” “You don’t look the least bit sorry, Prince Wallace.” “I’m sure you’ll forgive a little harmless mischief. Besides, that’s not what we’re here to talk about, now is it?” “I should hope not. How fares matters with Robert Smith?” “Oh, quite splendidly. My men were able to seize a wealth of incriminating evidence from Shimmer Place during the raid. Quite enough to form a viable Casus Belli against the nation of Han, should my dear sister ever decide the right way to counter them is through strength of arms.” “That sounds rather drastic.” “War is always drastic, but it’s sometimes necessary. I personally hope it won’t come to that, but if it does then I’d rather have a justification for it that the international diplomatic community will readily accept. More to the point, however, the evidence retrieved was more than enough to justify an accelerated trial against Robert Smith on charges of High Treason. We should have the official verdict within a matter of days, but it’s frankly a foregone conclusion.” “Good. I want to see that bastard hang.” “My dear sister is rather pleased as well, even if she doesn’t know the full story of how Smith’s treasonous acts came to light. She never liked the man much. And besides, with Smith being convicted of High Treason, the Crown will be able to seize just about all his assets. It’s looking to be quite the windfall.” “I’m glad you’re pleased.” “I am more than pleased, Alden. Your work has been quite exemplary.” “On that note, Prince Wallace, my equally exemplary daughter has identified that vial you confiscated from your… third cousin, was it?” “Indeed? What was it, then?” “A mostly obsolete herbal treatment for people prone to epileptic fits.” “How curious. Why would he be carrying something like that?” “Most likely because one of the reasons it is no longer used is because it carries a high risk of causing long-term infertility in women.” The prince grew silent as he contemplated this revelation. “I see… Well then. I think my cousin’s life is about to take a turn for the worse. Especially if my nieces get their hands on him. I can’t imagine such a plot would be aimed at anybody but them. Still, this is excellent work, Alden.” “As I said, it wasn’t me who identified the substance, it was my Tiffany.” “Yes… I suppose I shall have to think of some suitable reward for her. And on that note! Alden, you have proven to be a most excellent asset in my ongoing efforts to aid my dear sister. In a month’s time you managed to uncover and expose a treasonous plot and practically uproot the nation of Han’s intelligence efforts in London. I do believe a reward is in order. After all, I would very much like for you to keep working with me for the foreseeable future. As such, I was considering putting in a request with the Social Circle. How would you like to be a Darling of the Clubs, Alden? Lucille seems to find the position quite rewarding in itself, not to mention how it benefits her work.” Alden was rather taken aback by the suggestion. After all, the Darlings were the absolute pinnacle of the social elite. There were only eleven Darlings currently recognized by the Social Circle, and the thought that he, Alden Stowe, might become the twelfth was frankly mind-boggling. And yet… “It’s a very generous offer, Prince Wallace, but I’m afraid I must decline.” “Really? Whatever for?” “The way I operate and the way Lucille Baines operates are very different. I’m sure being a Darling has been hugely helpful to Lucille, but I’m far more suited to working quietly within the lower social strata of London. Thinking back on how I resolved this matter, I can’t think of a single time when being a Darling of the Clubs would have solved any of my problems, but I can think of several times where the fame and notoriety of a Darling would have become a hindrance.” The prince seemed rather shocked. “So you are turning down a position of vast status and no small amount of power because you feel it would interfere in your work as an intelligence agent?” Alden shrugged. “I suppose I’ve grown rather attached to this line of work. Although I’d thank you not to mention that fact to Lucille. She’s been trying to convince me I’m a natural born spy for weeks now, and I’m sure she’d be downright insufferable if she found out I’ve come to agree with her. But more to the point, this line of work has allowed me to help quite a lot of people I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to help, and to curtail the activities of a large number of truly awful people. I find that I would very much like to continue to do so.” “Very well, then. I shall respect your wishes. But if you won’t be a Darling, what sort of reward would you accept for your services?” “I would like for you to keep me on retainer.” “I beg your pardon?” “I want eighty pounds per week to fund both myself and the people working for me. Of course, this is a mere base fee, and when you have actual work for me, I expect you to cover any additional expenses and pay me appropriately for tasks completed.” “That’s certainly a non-trivial amount of money, but it’s hardly a princely sum. I will accept your terms as stated, but I shall simply consider it a contract negotiation, not a reward. Now please consider this matter seriously, Alden. You are being offered a reward by a grateful prince. Surely, there must be something you want?” Alden smiled. “Well now that you mention it, there might just be one or two things…” Alden leaned back with a small sigh. In all honesty, he hadn’t even done that much work. Getting the newly renamed Stowe Place ready for habitation had mostly been handled by a number of hired hands, and Alden had really only been coordinating their efforts. But despite that, he was feeling rather worn out. The new medication was certainly helping, but his convalescence and the lingering effects of the poisoning hadn’t done his stamina any favours. “I better work hard to get back in shape. If I’m not careful, I’ll end up becoming a ‘precision instrument’ like Lucille.” Still, as exhausting as it had been to get ready to move into the house, it was rather satisfying. Stowe Place was a fine old building, certainly one of the nicest in the area, and it was very conveniently located within half an hour’s walk from Stowe’s Tinctures, The Place and the Rosethorn Academy, where Ember would enrol after winter break. Frankly, getting Ember’s room and Chao Xing’s room ready had been an adventure in itself. When given free reign on how their rooms should be furnished and decorated, it turned out that they both had extremely particular and completely dissimilar views on how a bedroom ought to look. Even now, they were still waiting for the completion of the family portrait that Ember had insisted they wanted hung over their bed, and Chao Xing was still working on creating a Han-style character to represent the name Stowe so that she could, in her own words, ‘sign her name properly’. Still, Alden was just glad that they managed to move in properly before Chao Xing’s first surgery. Once she left for the hospital, she wouldn’t be coming back home until after the recovery period of the fourth surgery, and by then Ember would be busy with school. As such, Alden was very happy that they would all have a brief opportunity to simply learn how to live together as a family before all that. “Papa! A messenger delivered a note from the painter. He wants us all to come in for another sitting tomorrow evening. Make sure you tell Tiffany when you see her!” “Baba, the bath here is so big! Will you teach me how to run and heat it?” “I guess that’s as much rest as I’m getting, then.” With a fond smile, Alden went to spend some time with his children. “So you’ve finally managed to move in, then?” “At long last. The house stood empty for over a year since the previous owner passed away, so there was a lot that needed to be done. Oh, and the painter wants us to come for another sitting tomorrow evening.” Tiffany huffed in irritation. “That’s the sixth sitting now. Does the painter have a memory problem or something?” Alden smiled. “Who can say, but it’s important to Ember, so…” “I know. I just have so much work to do, and those sittings take hours.” “Well, since at least half your workload seems to be your own personal projects, I can’t help you there. But maybe I can save you some time going to and from work. Since I don’t live there anymore, and the tinctury is pretty much all yours these days anyway, how would you like to live in the upstairs apartment? It’s not that big, but it has to be bigger than the room you’re sharing with Elisabeth.” “About three times as big, I think. Is that really all right, dad?” “What else would I use it for? Besides, a single room in a workers’ lodging house sounds rather cramped for two people. I mean, I’d offer you a room at Stowe Place, gods know there’s enough of them, but I doubt Elisabeth would want to move in with me and the children.” “Probably not, no. I’ll talk to Liz about the apartment, though. It would be convenient, since we both work here.” “And I barely do. Be sure to tell me if you need an assistant.” “It’s fine, dad. With the new workroom, the regular work is almost trivial. I’d be working half-days if I didn’t have so many personal projects. How about you? Is your patron still keeping you busy?” “Right now I’m mostly cleaning up a few loose ends. I do have something for you, though. It arrived yesterday. A bit of a personal reward for identifying that strange little vial I gave you.” Tiffany examined the odd piece of paper Alden handed her, and Alden privately delighted in the shock and incredulity on her face. It was to be expected, after all. For one thing, he had just handed her a royal treasury draft for three hundred pounds, but also… “I… Dad… This… I mean, it’s a lovely gesture, but… This is made out to Tiffany Stowe. I won’t be able to withdraw the funds if the name doesn’t match my identity in the Registry of Citizens…” “I have it on very good authority that your entry in the registry identifies you as Tiffany Stowe, eldest daughter of Alden Stowe, sister of Ember Stowe and Stowe Chao Xing. As of this morning, in fact.” Tiffany just stared at him for a moment, as if her mind hadn’t quite managed to process the words he just said. Then, she let out a happy little gasp and grabbed Alden in a tight hug. Alden just smiled and returned the embrace. Having friends in high places really did come in handy, sometimes. Alden waited patiently as the waiter brought out two pots of tea and a shockingly large selection of desserts. When he had invited Alice Corker and Viscount Albright to join him for tea, he hadn’t realized just how much of a sweet tooth the viscount had on him. Still, it only took a few minutes for the waiter to arrange the veritable banquet of sweet treats and depart, leaving the three of them alone in the private room. Of course, it took a lot longer before they actually got around to speaking about anything of importance. Viscount Albright, it turned out, was very keen not just on eating sweets, but also on making sure the people he ate them with sampled and understood the good points of each individual treat. Alden supposed his rather sporty mode of dress was no idle boast, because any man who could eat this amount of sweets and still retain a fine figure must be a very physically active man indeed. Once the sweets had been, in Viscount Albright’s words, properly appreciated, the now somewhat uncomfortably full Alden Stowe was finally able to get to the point. “Alice Corker, I’m here to offer you my thanks for your assistance. Without your help, I would never have been able to bring the matter your brothers found themselves involved in to a satisfactory conclusion.” “Oh, no, that’s… You don’t need to thank me! If anything, I should be thanking you for helping my brothers get out of that mess with their lives.” “Even so, your assistance helped me keep myself and my family safe. As such, I’ve taken the liberty of pulling a few strings on your behalf. I do have some friends in rather high places, after all. And a couple in rather low places, comes to that.” “Pulling a few strings? What do you mean?” “I have ensured that neither the Registry of Citizens nor the Roll of the Rascals contain any records of Benjamin Corker. Instead, they list one Alice Corker, a woman with no black marks or criminal record.” Alice’s eyes grew wide. “Are… Are you serious?” “Do you really think me the sort of man who would joke about something like this?” “No… No, I suppose not. But… how…?” “Don’t ask me that. In fact, don’t even mention this matter to anyone who doesn’t absolutely have to know.” Alice floundered for a moment, but as soon as she managed to get her bearings she immediately turned to face Viscount Albright. “Gareth Albright, if it’s not too late, I would like to wholeheartedly accept your proposal for marriage.” Viscount Albright blinked his eyes a few times, clearly blindsided by the sudden shift in the conversation. But then he smiled brightly and clasped both of Alice’s hands in his own. “Of course it’s not too late! I’d be lucky to marry you, Alice Corker. In all the world, there could be no woman better suited than you to be the wife of a man like myself.” Alden thought that sounded like a very sweet sentiment, but for some reason Alice reacted by flushing brightly red. “Gareth, you dog! What a thing to say during a proposal!” Alden felt rather left out as the two lovers descended into playful bickering that he half-suspected was rife with some sort of innuendo he didn’t fully comprehend. But just as he was pondering whether it would be rude for him to simply sneak out and leave the two to their flirting, Alice suddenly turned to look him in the eye. “Alden, will you please be the bond-binder at our handfasting?” Alden was rather taken aback by the request. “Surely there must be someone better suited to that role than me. Perhaps a close family member, or Viscount Albright’s husband?” “Nonsense!” Viscount Albright barked out. “Without you, this marriage would never have been possible! And for gods’ sakes, call me Gareth! You’re practically family after everything you’ve done for my Alice!” “As awkward as it is for me to say, it would be rather inconvenient for me to be known as a close acquaintance of a Viscount, so I’m afraid I must decline…” Alice waved away his concerns. “You don’t have to worry about that. We’ll make it a small, private ceremony. Just us, Gareth’s wife and husband and one or two close friends. Nobody’s going to gossip about you, I promise.” Alden considered declining the offer more forcefully, but in the end he capitulated before the sheer eagerness of the pair. “Very well then. If it’s so important to you I suppose it would be terribly rude of me to decline.” As Alice and Gareth celebrated his acceptance, Alden considered what sort of stomach remedy he might need to survive the event. After all, if the spread of sweet treats before him was what Gareth Albright considered a reasonable afternoon tea, Alden shuddered to think what he might consider suitable for a wedding reception. It was a cold, foggy morning as Alden and Mei Jing made their way to a front row seat before the Black Gallows. The imposing structure was only used to hang the very worst sorts of criminals. Mass murderers, mutineers and traitors against the Crown were sent here, and to Alden’s knowledge it had been over a year since it last saw use. Given this, it was always something of a spectacle when a hanging took place here, and even though the stands built around the structure could easily seat a thousand, he wouldn’t be surprised if they filled up. As such, Alden and Mei Jing had arrived very early, more than an hour in advance of the actual hanging. Even then, they had only just been able to find a seat in the front row. Mei Jing had been quite eager to attend the event, but Chao Xing had seemed deeply conflicted as to whether she wanted to see it or not. Noticing her uncertainty, Alden had quietly discussed the matter with Su Li, and had managed to get Chao Xing’s first surgery scheduled on the same day as the hanging. And so, while Alden tried not to shiver in the nearly freezing morning air, Chao Xing was being prepared for surgery with Ember and Tiffany keeping her company. Alden glanced over to Mei Jing. The girl’s eyes were focused on the sombre structure where Robert Smith would soon meet his end, but Alden was more concerned with the fact that she kept rubbing at the stump of her missing finger. Deciding it might be best to take her mind off of things until the actual event, Alden turned to speak to her. “Is the building I arranged for you and the girls treating you well?” “Yes. It is quite comfortable, Alden Stowe. Thank you again for your generosity.” “The generosity is mostly on the part of my patron. He is the one who purchased the old dormitory building for you, after all.” “But you are the one who asked for it on our behalf, and so it is you I am grateful to. It is good that all my girls can now live together under one roof. It makes it easier for them to train together, to exchange information, to teach the newcomers.” “Good. You and the girls do good work, and I want to keep you all as safe as I can.” “We already receive work and a united cause from you, Alden Stowe, adding a whole building to that is almost too many gifts.” “Well, that’s a shame, because I want to give you one more.” Mei Jing raised an eyebrow as she accepted a small cloth package from Alden. Unwrapping it carefully, she found a hair pin sporting a lotus flower made from petals of knitted red yarn around a gleaming copper centre. “The copper is coated in a resin that should keep it from tarnishing.” Mei Jing looked at the red flower for a long while, her expression unreadable. Then, with slightly trembling hands, she reached up to push the pin into her tightly bound hair. “Thank you.” “You may never be a Stowe, Mei Jing, but you’ll always be one of my girls.” Mei Jing turned her gaze back towards the gallows, and Alden pretended not to see the moist shine of her eyes. There are many ways in which a man can face his death. Some people faced the hangman with quiet dignity, head held high with a sort of dark pride. Some slouched, bowed beneath the despair of inevitability. Some stormed towards their final destination, as if they were in a hurry to get the whole matter over with. And some shook and shivered and cried and begged, overcome with terror. Robert Smith didn’t do any of those things. Robert Smith struggled and fought the whole way. He was bound and gagged, but even then it took four men to drag his writhing, thrashing body to the gallows. At one point he managed to drive an elbow into the stomach of one of his guards, and another man had to take the stricken guard’s place in conveying Robert Smith to his final destination. As the crier read the list of Robert’s crimes, the hangman pulled a black hood over the struggling man’s head. But just as the cloth was about to cover the man’s eyes, Alden could have sworn that Robert spotted him and Mei Jing and sent them a baleful glare. But of course, his struggles and rage amounted to nothing in the end. The hatch was opened, the body fell, the rope snapped taut and Robert Smith was no more. And in the front row of the stands, amidst the raucous cheers and jeers of the crowd, Alden and Mei Jing shared a quiet smile.