He left after achieving his goal. As he stepped out of the apartnt, Jenkins was pleased with how smoothly everything had gone. Beside him, Hathaway was also happy, but she remained wary of Mr. Candle.
She had intended to part ways with the mysterious man at the corner, but Jenkins's words stopped her in her tracks:
"I don't know what you plan to do with this statue, but I must warn you, it's not a good thing. If I were you, I'd throw it away imdiately. That's my advice to you, as a friend."
The wooden carving wasn't of a person, but of a bird with its wings spread. It resembled an eagle, but on closer inspection, it looked more like a crow. Jenkins had seen a very faint black aura on it, which was why he gave the warning.
"I understand. Thank you," Hathaway said, but Jenkins believed she wouldn't discard the wooden statue so easily.
"Are all female Enchanters this unwilling to trust others?"
He asked, drawing out the words. Hathaway looked ready to leave, but after a mont's thought, she shot back:
"How do you know I'm really a woman? And don't look down on won. Miss Fabricy, now she ran circles around all you n."
"Yes, I am indeed a man, I won't deny that. But speaking of Miss Fabricy, it seems her sche wasn't a complete success. The one who exposed her was a man... Jenkins Williams, I rember the na. You hired to investigate him last year."
In the next instant, Jenkins could clearly see rage and murderous intent on Hathaway's disguised face. He even thought she might pull out a gun and kill him right then and there, but thankfully, Hathaway remained rational.
"Mr. Candle, no matter who you are, rember this: if you dare lay a hand on him, I will kill you. I will kill you, no matter the cost!"
The woman was like an enraged lioness now, the tremor in her voice making even Jenkins a little afraid.
"Don't be angry, I was only joking. Oh, really, just a joke, I swear it on my Lord's na!"
He took a few steps back, then stroked the cat, Vanilla, on his shoulder.
"See? How could soone who keeps such an adorable cat be a bad person?"
He retreated step by step to the end of the alley, then ducked and ran to the other side of the street, nearly causing a boy who wanted to ask if he'd buy the evening paper to drop his things.
As for Hathaway's wariness, Jenkins believed it stemd from her hiring him to investigate Jenkins last year. This not only risked exposing Hathaway's real identity but could also bring trouble to Jenkins.
That was why Hathaway displayed such an attitude every ti she faced the powerful and mysterious Mr. Candle. Jenkins was both pleased and annoyed by this. Pleased, of course, by the girl's fiery passion; annoyed because the lie he'd spun last year about Mr. Candle could lead to a series of complications.
But Hathaway had no need to worry that Mr. Candle had any designs on Jenkins, because half an hour later, she was passionately kissing Mr. Candle in a carriage.
The junk shop that had sold the fruit platter to MrBirchwood's mother was not the sa one the Church was investigating for selling numbered items. Jenkins followed the address to check, but when he arrived, he found the door tightly locked. The owner had already closed for the day.
He could only co back when he had ti. As he reached the entrance of the Legacy Sage Church, he once again encountered a carriage carrying Hathaway—only this ti, it was her family's. The woman, blushing, invited Jenkins into the carriage for a talk, and soon they were locked in an embrace, kissing.
She was incredibly passionate. This was their first chance to be alone since they had confessed their feelings for each other on the night of the opera house incident.
"I am your lover, and Briny is also your lover, but we are not your lovers at the sa ti."
That sentence had left a deep impression on Jenkins, and as lovers, they could naturally do certain things they had been too shy to do before.
Although, in so respects, nothing had stopped them from doing things lovers could do in the past, either. It was just that now they understood each other's feelings and had accepted each other's status, so they had beco a little bolder.
As he held the girl, Jenkins could feel his cat's claws scratching at his face. But the cat's strength was negligible, so there was no need to pay it any mind.
After the kiss, they parted, their faces flushed. Jenkins licked his lips, hoping the water he'd used to rinse his mouth after dinner had completely eliminated any lingering taste.
He felt the temperature in the carriage was a bit high, so he reached up and undid the top button of his shirt. Normally, this button didn't need to be fastened, as it made one look stuffy and serious, but Jenkins felt that if a button was there, it was useless not to button it.
"It's been a while, Hathaway."
"I thought you would have co looking for ."
The red-haired girl complained softly. Jenkins, not knowing what to say, reached out and took her hand. It was a very effective move; given Jenkins's past behavior, even the slightest initiative now could win the hearts of his female companions.
"I noticed a statue in that small paper bag over there. That's not a very good thing, you know. You'd best destroy it as soon as possible."
He still hadn't forgotten about it.
"Alright, I'll burn it in a little while..."
Her attitude was completely different from when she'd faced Mr. Candle. This made Jenkins start to consider whether he should find an opportunity to clear things up about his identity. Otherwise, it would cause a huge problem one day.
"Has Briny been to see you? After that night."
Hathaway asked directly, though her thoughts seed to be elsewhere.
"No. After you both ca to the antique shop to talk about the outing, I haven't seen either of you since. Speaking of which, shouldn't we lay our cards on the table soon? I feel like we're playing a dangerous ga right now."
"But it's thrilling, isn't it? Just like in those stories and knight novels."
Hathaway winked at Jenkins. The man blushed and didn't deny it.
The ignored cat was on the verge of shredding the seat cushion.
"Alright, alright, let's get down to business."
She didn't press Jenkins for an answer to an unanswerable question, instead moving from the seat opposite him to sit by his side. She noticed Jenkins seed to want to put his arm around her, but ultimately gave up.
"The date for the outing is set. We'll leave this Saturday morning and be back by evening. I trust you'll have the ti."
"Yes, I'll have ti... Why didn't Briny co?"
The mont the words left his mouth, he realized he'd said the wrong thing again.
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