Chapter 10

Lady Stanhope confronts Sylvia in her room, implying she had Sylvia blacklisted from the Royal Academy and issuing veiled threats about Sylvia’s safety. The encounter leaves Sylvia unsettled despite her new post at the Glass Library.

On her way to work, Sylvia senses she is being followed. Outside the library, Tommy Allan grabs her and rants that she judged him to the police. Remembering her mother’s self-defense lessons, Sylvia stomps, elbows, and kicks him free, then calls for Professor Nash as Tommy retreats. Shaken but resolute, Sylvia declines to call the police.

Gabe and Alex arrive after Professor Nash telephones them. Sylvia reports both Tommy’s attack and Lady Stanhope’s visit. They theorize Tommy could be working for Lady Stanhope and Ludlow. Deciding to press for leads, they head to Burlington House to locate Tommy.

At the Academy, Mr. Driscoll first evades questions but admits giving Lady Stanhope Sylvia’s address. Mr. Bolton, alarmed, provides Tommy’s last address, noting Tommy’s temporary employment has ended. A check on the guarded seascape shows security intact.

In Lambeth, Tommy’s former fiancée reveals she expelled him for violence exacerbated by drink and trauma, and believes he is now homeless and mixed with a bad crowd. As the group prepares to search poor houses, Sylvia recalls a distinctive pile of cigarette butts and realizes she may know where Tommy has been living.