Oh, they really do talk about Frankenstein. To be fair, they're eating breakfast at the time and Mrs. Worth is in the room, so I suppose they can't pretend like it's mating season. For now. After breakfast, Prudence announces that they're going to search the library for clues about Penhurts's (James') disappearance. I guess since Prudence and Sebastian have become close, she can use his brother's first name. Anyway, when Prudence announces that, Mrs. Worth drops a plate. Prudence defends the honor of her lover, and the two are off to explore the library. ...and each other.
All right. I think there's something in the water at Wolfinger Abbey because these two will not stop messing around. Either that, or they're teenagers somehow. Anyway, they go to the library and Prudence starts looking over absolutely everything. I'm sure they haven't been in here to clean in the five...seven months that James has been missing. Sebastian contemplates Prudence and how she transformed him. Also, “She deserved better, but Sebastian had ceased to worry about such details.” Honestly, good. Let her worry about whether or not she deserves better. She's a big girl, although she doesn't always act like it.
Sebastian starts planning how they'll live in Wolfinger Abbey, since she thrives there and London isn't good to her. Then he pictures Prudence writing at the desk in the library, with ink stains of course, and he gets aroused. Holy crap, dude. Calm down. Nope. No time for that. Sebastian kisses her. “She protested at first...” Then stop? Nope.
Eventually, she gives in to their boiling passion, hotter than any star as just as enormous. Sebastian thinks about how he wants to take her on the desk, but they left the door open (they really need to stop doing that), so he'll do something else instead. See, if he puts his head under her skirts, no one will know he's there. You know where this is going. She tells him that she doesn't want to do this here, but he goes ahead anyway. I'm getting less impressed with him as the chapter continues. Not that I liked him all that much to begin with, but still.
When they're done, she's flopped back on the desk like a dead woman. Prudence, you really need to stop doing that. What if he sexes you to death? He wouldn't know! After Prudence recovers, she tells Sebastian that turnabout is fair play. He freaks out a bit with happiness. He picks her up and carries her through a secret passage to his bedroom. Oh yeah, the library was fine for her, but he needs a room with more privacy. Whatever.
So, in the afterglow, Sebastian contemplates how their relationship is soooo much more than sex, you guys. It's totally, like, on a deeper level. It's like their souls unite. Uh-huh. Then Prudence asks if there are any maps of the abbey. She's not done playing detective. Prudence is focusing on maps and secret passageways. Sebastian is thinking about something that's “ridiculous, impossible...within reach.” Now I don't mean to spoil this (yes I do), but I'm pretty sure he's thinking about proposing to her. Just a thought.
So, although neither of them wants to find James' rotting corpse in the abbey, Prudence persuades Sebastian to search it thoroughly with her. They look at the secret passageways and then move to the cellar. There's another cellar within the first one, for use of hiding “free-traded goods”. A bit later, Mrs. Simmons lets us know “free-traded” means smuggled.
So, in this second cellar, the door to which Sebastian has propped open, they find another secret passage. Sebastian didn't know about this one. It could have boobie traps that the Devil Earl left. Wait Prudence! She's fine, this was just to show that Sebastian actually does care about her. They follow the path to a cave with freshly smuggled goods in it. Prudence pokes around and Sebastian wades into the water to learn that it's the perfect depth for a small boat. Prudence gets worried about him walking into the water. Aw. They do care about each other.
They talk a bit, and then they want to have sex again. Really you guys? Prudence has pointed out that it's unlikely the smugglers will be here during the full moon, but there's a time and place. Sebastian uses his common sense and says they should be getting back. Prudence decides this means she should explore some more. Then she finds James' ring.
Dun dun duuun!
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