Thomas woke to the sound of the front door slamming shut. Finlay was probably looking for him. It must be later than he thought. Edith's back was to him, her wavy golden hair fanning across the short distance between them. The corner of his lip twitched. He leaned over, curious about how she looked as she slept, but leaned away when he felt something prod his hip. 

Papers peeked from inside Edith's pocket. His brow furrowed.

Gingerly, he slid out the small packet of folded paper, spotting Edith's handwriting.

"I've burned them."

Were these the same pages or something else she was working on?

His fingers blackened and he dropped the pages in alarm. He rubbed his finger tips together. 

Soot?

He unfurled a page. There was more of the black substance.

Thudthudthud!

Thomas' heart leapt, his eyes flashing to Edith's resting form.

"Master Sharpe! The men are waiting for you, sir!" Finlay cawed.

He slipped the pages in his pocket, rushing to the door before Finlay can hammer on it again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edith woke from her restless sleep, remnants of a dream slipping away. Her whole body ached, especially her stomach. Thomas was gone again. The sound of pressured steam and cranking gears grew louder as the East wind carried the sound to the window. She groaned as she stretched, rubbing her hands against her face. 

The events of last night surfaced to her mind. Artemis and the creature grappling. Its trembling jowl screeching. Its cavernous belly. Its eyeless face. Artemis apparating as smoke. Artemis saving her.

Edith rose, patting her gown. Fear twisted inside her. She scrambled off the bed, getting to her knees and searching underneath.

It has to be here somewhere!

"Edith, what on Earth are you doing?"

She straightened at the sound of Lucille's slightly scolding voice. Edith didn't hear the door open. 

"I-I was looking for Pup."

"Pup?" Lucille's mouth scrunched as though the name was a lemon.

"Oh, the dog," Lucille continued, disinterested. "I've brought you breakfast."

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"What are sisters for?" Lucille smiled demurely as she rested the breakfast tray on the bed. Edith returned the smile. Maybe she and Lucille could become like sisters with time.

Edith eyed the tea. She needed something stronger this morning. 

"Thank you again Lucille for this kind gesture, but I think I'll dine downstairs. Maybe put on a pot of coffee?"

A switch seemed to have flipped inside Lucille because she became her monotone self again, her eyes unblinking.

"Wash your face first."

And with that, Lucille left Edith alone.

She made her way to the bathroom, searching the room as she did so for the missing pages. A scream leapt out of her throat when her eyes met the mirror.

Her face was ashen and black in some places. Just like Artemis. 

She raised her hands to the faucet and saw they were covered with charcoal. A shuddering breath of relief slipped between her lips as she washed the chalky material off her hands and then her face. When Edith looked at the mirror again, she was her normal self. Cheeks rosy, a little more now than before. Lips pink instead of pale. Eyes less round and fearful.

She hastened to get fresh clothes on and trotted downstairs where Pup and Lucille were in the kitchen. Pup nearly tripped over himself as he dashed to her, yelping happily. She scooped the small animal in her arms and buried her face in his fur. He needed a bath.

"How are you, sweetie?" she cooed as she leaned her clean face away from his eager pink tongue. Lucille still had her back to her, stirring the pot of coffee, filling the kitchen with its rich oaky aroma.

"Had a scare, did we?" Lucille asked, a smile in her voice.

Edith pressed her lips together as she sat. Lucille must have heard her scream.

"I didn't know writing can be such messy work," Lucille continued, pouring a cup of coffee for Edith.

Edith remembered the inn where she prompted, rather forced, Thomas to drink her preferred coffee. She smiled as she pet the wriggling dog. Pup whined when she set him down.

"Hold on, hold on," she chided teasingly as she torn some bacon and sausage for him.

Lucille left shortly after Edith started eating. She did sometimes wonder what Lucille spends her time doing.

After she finished, she pour a mug of coffee for Thomas, figuring he might appreciate it now that the wind has picked up. She added the cream and sugar, just the way they liked it. Edith smiled at the thought, hoping for more moments like those. The light feeling in her chest dimmed when she recalled how Thomas ignored her the other night. That's something she would not tolerate again. 

Edith walked briskly towards the door. Pup followed her, quietly as though he sensed that distracting her from her mission would be a bad idea. She wrapped one of Thomas' heavy coats around her and hunched her shoulders against the fall chill. Pup gave a startled yelp as he staggered against the wind but continued to follow his mistress.

"Thomas!" she cried out as he and two other grime-covered men hauled a sheet of metal into place. 

Thomas backed away to inspect his work. His face flushed, boy-like with his eyes alight with pride. Edith chuckled at how his hair stood straight up on his head, making him look comedically crazed.  

She called his name again in which he finally turned. He patted his assistants on their backs before jumping down from his machine. 

"Good morning!" he called, a little too loudly.

"More like good afternoon," she replied, handing him the steaming mug.

He thanked her and took it gratefully, watching the men enjoy their moment of repose as he drank.

"Thomas, I need to talk to you about something."

"What?" he nearly shouted over the sound of his invention chugging away.

Edith pulled him closer to the house. Pup sat, watching them at a distance.

"It's about the other night. With my writing."

Thomas obscured his face by taking another sip of his coffee. 

"I'm sorry that it upset you," she continued, "but don't ignore me like that again." 

Edith didn't waver from his beautiful eyes. 

"I wasn't ignoring you," he said.

"Yes, you were," Edith stated. "Being shut out like that makes me sad and angry."

Thomas moved to take another sip of coffee only to find none left.

"I don't know why it upset you so much," she lied, playing ignorance, "but don't punish me for it."

Thomas handed back the mug.

"I didn't mean to...punish you."

Thomas paused.

"I didn't know what to say."

Edith shifted her weight between her feet, selecting her words carefully.

"You don't need to be afraid to tell me what's on your mind," Edith said gently while matter-of-fact. "We're suppose to talk to each other. Trust each other."

Thomas bowed his head, mauling her words over. 

"There are...There are some things I'm not ready to tell you yet. I don't know if I ever will be."

Edith hooked her pinkie finger around the mug handle, allowing her to grasp both of Thomas' hands. 

"We have time." 

A violent screech and men shouting drew their attention. 

"I'm sorry, Edith. I have to go."

Edith watched Thomas race back to his machine. Pup jogged to her.

She sighed, unsure of how to feel.