Chapter ONE - Weebly

“He’s not afraid of you. No one’s afraid of you,
Ethan. He just doesn’t want to see you. Apparently you
disturbed him in the middle of a negotiation yesterday at
his place of business.” She shook her head. “That was
foolish of you. But then again, you have a habit of
making enemies of the wrong people.”
“I find it hard to believe that you would come to the
North End just to keep away a conjurer who might or
might not show up at Cyrus Derne’s door. What are
you doing here, Sephira? What business do you have
with him?”
“Ethan,” she purred. She came closer to him and
leaned forward so that her face was only inches from
his. “You sound jealous.”
“I imagine he and his father have connections with
merchants throughout the British Empire,” he said,
piecing it together as he spoke. “I’m sure that they pay
very well, and would find value in an ally with your
knowledge of the city and its shadier side. They might
even look to someone like you to help them in a dispute
with a man as influential as Abner Berson. Did Cyrus
Derne really love Jennifer Berson, or was that a ruse, a