Iris answered for the group. “Because you know people in the museum. And about antique pottery—you can help make sure we take back the correct item.”
Jamie winced and rubbed his brow. “Please do not tell me you don’t even know what this jar looks like.”
“I have a drawing,” Iris said. “And a photograph, though it’s a bit blurry. I’ve never seen it myself, no.”
“We are hoping it is labeled,” Evie put in.
“Hoping it is …” Jamie groaned. “Damnation.” He took his hand from his face. “What is your plan?” he asked warily.
“Easy enough,” Atherton leaned forward eagerly. “Wait until the museum is closed. Find a back window—it’s an old building, and I’m certain we can force one open. Miss Georgiou did not see the jar on display today—we suspected it wouldn’t be, but we thought we’d better check. It must be in storage, so we’ll root around there until we find it. Should be quiet enough at night. The guards will only be patrolling the main part of the museum.”
“Oh, aye?” Jamie said in amazement. “Root around in storerooms that contain tens of thousands of items and hope your pot is labeled? Meanwhile, someone calls the police when they see four people climbing through the back window. You won’t have much time to search, trust me. And who knows who’ll be in the basement rooms? Researchers and archeologists keep odd hours.”
“Yes, I thought of all this,” Evie stated, with an air of one who had argued her points and lost.
“How did you plan to carry off the alabastron? Put it under your coat and climb back out the window? And then what? Hail a hansom? Lug it to a Tube station?”
From the exchange of glances, this was exactly what they’d had in mind.
Jamie regarded them with pity. “Well, I’m glad ye decided to come to me. As thieves you are decidedly lacking in skills.”
“Oh?” Atherton said, a bit huffily. “And you are good at it?”
“Let’s say I’ve wriggled out of some tight places in my life. Let me think this over and come up with a better plan than your reckless one. At the very least, I’ll provide the transportation. My cousin will lend me one of his motorcars.”
Iris looked hopeful, but Atherton scoffed. “A noisy, chugging machine that draws every eye? Shall we pause in our getaway while you crank it to life?”
“Not necessarily.” Jamie gave them a wise smile. “You leave the transport to me. Miss Georgiou, may I borrow your pictures of the jar? I will narrow down where it might be kept without everyone in London knowing there’s an interest in it.”
“Yes, of course.” Iris began scrabbling through the loose bag she carried and pulled out a few thin papers. Evie took them from her, folded them, and passed them to Jamie, making sure their fingers did not touch as she handed them off.
Jamie tucked the pages into his pocket without looking at them. “Thank you. When will this event take place?”
Evie and Iris glanced at each other. “Soon,” Evie said. “Iris does not know when her father will be called back to Athens—or when he’ll flee there, riddled with guilt. We thought this Monday night.”
It was Saturday. “No,” Jamie said firmly. “If you rush things, they will go wrong. Give me time to research. I might even be able to fetch the jar myself without any window-breaking at all.”
“That would be wonderful,” Iris said in relief.
Atherton appeared disappointed in this scenario, but this was probably the most exciting event he’d been a part of in a long while. “I suppose you’re right, Mackenzie. Very well—you find things out, and we’ll wait for your report.”
“Wiser to.” Jamie traced the rim of his teacup. “One question. Why have you decided to trust me? I could run straight to the museum officials, or the minister in question, or anyone on the Cabinet who’d listen to me.”
“You’re a friend of Evie’s,” Iris said promptly.
“Besides, you’re a Mackenzie,” Atherton put in. “Everyone knows your duke uncle would stick it to our government anytime he was able. I’ve also heard you’ve run around the world a time or two, helping in hopeless causes.”
So Atherton had looked into Jamie’s background, had he? Jamie grinned at him. “You consider this a hopeless cause?”
Atherton laughed weakly. “I hope not.”
“I haven’t lost one yet.” Jamie lifted his cup. “Let us drink to it, my friends.”
They clicked cups and gulped tea, Evie relaxing at last. She alone had not put forth a reason why the group should trust Jamie.
“Will you let me talk you out of this?” Jamie asked Evie when they left the teashop. This time, Atherton escorted Iris, leaving Jamie to offer Evie his arm.
“No.” Evie only lightly rested her fingers on Jamie’s elbow, but the spark that leapt through him made him long to seize her and leap into the nearest carriage, wrest the reins from the driver, and not stop until he’d fled with her far from here.
Jamie drew a breath, calming his wild urge. “I wish I had friends who contemplated breaking into museums for me.”
“Iris’s father stands to lose everything. He could be made an example of by any of his rivals. The whole family might be disgraced, making things very difficult for Iris and her sisters.” Evie sighed. “The safest course is to return the alabastron and be done with it.”
“I do understand his predicament.” Jamie rested his hand over hers and hid his regret when Evie quickly withdrew. “Shame he didn’t find out what the devil this jar was before he went and gave it away.”
“Yes, Iris is very irritated with her father.” Evie walked stiffly, her arms now at her sides. “It seems he does things on whims. Even sending Iris to school in England was a whim, but it is one I’m happy he had.”
“Good friends are a treasure,” Jamie agreed.
“Where are yours?” Evie asked him abruptly.
Jamie blinked. “Pardon?”
“I have very dear friends, as well as my sisters. Each time I’ve encountered you, you’ve been alone.”
Jamie hid a pang. “If you have to know, I have plenty of mates. I admit they’re scattered around the world at the moment. A few deceased.”
“Oh.” Evie’s voice changed. “I’m sorry.”
“It happens.” Jamie shut out thoughts of those killed in the hopeless causes he’d mentioned. “No one is immortal. But don’t feel sorry for me. I come from a very large family, and my cousins and I are close. No matter how exasperating they are.”
Evie’s face softened with her smile. “Like Gavina. I met her.”
“Did you?” Jamie’s interest perked. “When? At Cambridge?”
“No. The night we stayed at the Langham. She dropped by looking for something and found us there.”
Jamie’s interest quickly turned to disquiet. “Did she now?”
Dropped by looking for something, had she? That smelled of a fat lie. Jamie thought of how quickly Alec had departed from him that night, after Jamie had been evasive about the Langham. Jamie wagered his wily coz had sent in Gavina to spy, the rat.