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knees, he crept forward to the front of the house, remaining low, though it was unlikely anyone could see a man dressed in black from the street. When he was almost to the edge, he pulled out the now damp newspaper and took off his gloves. He set the cell in front of him and uncoiled the copper wires so he could attach them to it at each end.
    With a prayer for success, he pulled his gloves back on when he’d attached the wires and climbed up the roof, then slithered to the back of the house and dangled his feet off the roof until he found the window sill with his boots. Two minutes later he was back in the attic, pouring water from the brim of his hat back out the window.
    He sloshed through the empty room and opened the trap door an inch. Hearing nothing, he crept down, pushed the ladder back up and went to his room.
    Inside, he did a little jig. Time to go to the club and remove Celeste. He was utterly soaked, but he’d say he walked through the rain without an umbrella.
    At eight p.m., Mrs. Teagarden welcomed him into the hallway. “You’re h’eager tonight, Master ‘owell.”
    “I have plans later this evening,” he said, hoping his measured tones did not betray the pounding of his heart, still active from the exertions on the roof.
    “You’ll catch your death like that.”
    “Forgot my umbrella,” he said. “Noah could float his ark down the street tonight.”
    “I ‘ope all my customers are as eager as you.” She gestured him to the stairs and he walked up behind him, his dripping clothes leaving puddles on the carpet. At Celeste’s door she rapped hard.
    “Liza!”
    Celeste opened the door, her expression bored. She was a good actress, Brace saw with approval. Her little sneer reminded him of the way her mouth had milked his cock and he hardened instantly. He didn’t think he’d ever look at her without becoming aroused.
    “I’ll bring you a towel,” Mrs. Teagarden said. “Make sure you wipe the floor when you’re done, Liza. I don’t want the boards getting warped.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Celeste said.
    Brace winced when he realized the getting of the towel would cause a delay and another chance for the proprietress to get a look at Celeste. As if hearing his thoughts, she put her hand to her throat, covering the clockwork mechanism. He realized that one look at her had caused all thoughts of the magnet to flee from his brain. Had it worked? He had no way to tell until time passed and he could see if the hands moved.
    Mrs. Teagarden pulled the key from her bodice and placed it in the clockwork. Celeste stood as still as a statue when the proprietress huffed. “Well, I’ll be, the bloody thing ain’t turning.”
    Brace’s fast heartbeats increased to something that a horse might experience in a race. Why hadn’t he realized he ought not to have engaged the magnet until after Mrs. Teagarden had gone? He should have left the magnet on the roof unengaged and climbed up to connect the wires during his hour.
    He heard the door knocker hitting the door downstairs. Mrs. Teagarden huffed again. “Well, sir, you are a regular so you know the rules. I’ll be back to get you in an hour.”
    “Very well,” he said, fisting his hands at his sides.
    Celeste blinked fast.
    “I’ll just get that towel,” the proprietress muttered and stomped down the hallway.
    Celeste turned sideways so he could enter her room.
    “Sorry, I didn’t know just how the magnet would work,” he muttered.
    “We can still do this,” she whispered. “She didn’t notice that the time was off by ten minutes. I think her vision is going.”
    A minute later, Mrs. Teagarden was handing in a graying towel and Celeste shut the door.
    “We’d better go quickly while she’s downstairs,” Celeste said, once the footsteps were gone away. “They still can’t find me, right? The alarm won’t go off.”
    “It’s not wound.” Brace wiped his clothes with the towel and threw it the corner.
    “Right. We are free of the