Chapter 16

Summary

• In Chapter 16, Lady Stanhope confronts Gabe, Miss Ashe, and Professor Nash at the library about Gabe's broken engagement with Ivy, hinting at the possible repercussions of messing with the powerful Hobson family.
• Despite having previously endorsed Ivy as a perfect match for Gabe because they were both from magician families, Lady Stanhope now takes a contrary position, saying Ivy wasn't right for Gabe, likely due to the troubled times faced by Ivy's family.
• The scenes at the social club reveal that the protagonist(s) are trying to investigate Huon Barratt, one of Ivy's acquaintances. However, Huon’s inebriated state prevents them from extracting any valuable information from him about the stolen book.
• Alex shows his protective side by dealing with a man who refuses to release Daisy at the dance club. He also ends up dancing with Daisy, leading to Willie speculating that the two of them like each other.
• Gabe is shown to be restless and agitated at the dance club and longing to resume the investigation about the book thief, which leads to them patching together some leads and reaching a boarding house in search of the potential thief.
• The chapter ends with Gabe about to confront the possible suspect at the boarding house while Miss Ashe and Alex await further developments.

• The speaker (presumably a detective or someone assisting one) is communicating with a woman about contacting a boarder in her home, the suspected thief.
• The detective, Gabe, hesitates in providing his name for fear that the suspect might flee.
• The speaker suggests that they use the name of Miss Sylvia Ashe to meet the suspect, claiming to have important information for him.
• The woman agrees and goes to fetch the boarder, leaving the speaker and Gabe alone in the entrance hall.
• The speaker tells Gabe to hide until the suspected thief appears, hoping to prevent the suspect from running away.
• Ending the chapter, Gabe asks the speaker to reveal the identity of the suspect.