Molls and Moles

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The next night, Agatha is holding a brisk, grim court, using the roar of the club as a cover.

Whilst Tedros provides a convenient distraction by leaving a trail of swooning girls, his position marked by wherever people were currently hollering loudest, Sophie lays it out.

"We need to be subtler, I won't sugercoat it. We know they've got moles in our clubs, there ain't nothin' I can do about that--"

She sees Hester shift in her seat and shoots her a dark look.

"I know what you'd do about it, but you ain't in charge here."

"Neither are you." Says Hester thinly.

"You can go and be the spy, then come back and tell me it's still a good idea to gun down the people you agreed to let in whilst you were there--"

"Get back to the point." Interrupts Agatha, tonight mostly inconspicuous in one of her dresses, but not doing a good job of looking anything less than calculating. There was a tension surrounding them that it was impossible to ignore.

"Right." Sophie turns away from Hester with some difficulty. "Well, from what I can tell, they're beginnin' to try and find a way of gettin' you out into the open--"

"Me, specifically?" Interrupts her sister. "How charmin'."

Sophie glares at her.

"You're really gonna make a joke of this? After everythin' that happened last time? You know full well they wanna get rid of you because, without you, this whole thing will crumble. Ain't as if you've been trainin' up a successor, is it?"

Agatha's face darkens.

Behind her, someone else faints, and Tedros goes sauntering back through the bar. A low chant, repeating his name, had emerged during the last song, and it was slowly getting louder. More money tonight then, more drinks. She hoped he'd stay out longer. He could convince them to buy and buy and buy, unmatched in his conviction. He'd never let Sophie down yet, not even in the tension of these past months.

He wasn't just good, she realised vaguely.

He was their best. Maybe the best they'd ever had.

"No." Says Agatha simply. "I ain't anticipatin' dyin' any time soon, see."

"Well maybe you should consider it." Snaps Sophie. "If you'd heard what they were sayin'--"

"You're not makin' yourself sound real trustworthy right now, you know that?" Anadil interrupts.

Sophie stares at her, incredulous.

"You really think I'd betray everyone, after everythin' that's happened?"

"Well, word has it that they've been showerin' you with lots of lovely things--"

Sophie's voice is rising as she gets more riled, and Anadil is starting to tense.

"How dare you suggest I'd betray my sister for jewellery!"

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