Capering Rogues and Feathered Foes

Previously

…But I knew, with a certainty that chilled me to the bone, that the man I thought I knew was a carefully crafted illusion. And the chirps of gossip I'd overheard were not just idle chatter, but the first, faint warnings of a storm brewing beneath the polished surface. I had a choice to make. I could retreat, pretend I hadn't seen anything, and let Bartholomew’s carefully constructed world continue to spin. Or I could take this single, tell-tale cufflink, and start to unravel the truth, no matter how messy or inconvenient it might be. My feet felt rooted to the spot, the weight of the tiny silver object in my hand suddenly immense. The chirps were getting louder.