by George Mann
Veronica laughed. "Well, sit yourself down and I'll prepare a nice cup of Earl Grey. Miss Coulthard should be back soon. She's just popped along to the archive to file some papers." She climbed to her feet, stretching her back after spending too long sitting hunched over her desk.
"Indeed. I ran in to her in the passageway. It's most excellent news about the safe return of her brother. I understand that you were instrumental in seeing him home?"
Veronica came out from behind her desk. She shrugged. "Yes, I suppose you could put it that way. I happened upon him in the most unlikely of spots, and having seen one of Miss Coulthard's photographs, I was able to place him. His memory has yet to return, but I'm told he's otherwise in good health."
Newbury nodded. "So how did you find Amelia? Is she bearing up?"
Veronica tried to maintain her smile, but her face faltered. "Not well, I'm afraid. She grows weaker with every visit I make. I don't know what else I can do for her. I think just being in that place is enough to suck the life out of her."
Newbury stepped closer and tenderly placed his hand on her arm. "We must see what we can do to help. I'll give the matter some attention directly."
Veronica's breath became shallow. She edged nearer to Newbury, her heart hammering in her chest. Her lips were dry. "It's good to have you back, Sir Maurice."
"I-"
Then the door swung open and Miss Coulthard bustled noisily into the office. Veronica hurriedly stepped back from Newbury, smoothing her dress. Her face flushed.
Miss Coulthard seemed not to notice anything untoward. She smiled. "Good to have you back, Sir Maurice." She glanced at them both in turn, and then shuffled over to the stove. "Tea, anyone?"
Newbury laughed. "Yes please, Miss Coulthard. That would be perfect." He crossed into the other room and dropped his hat on the stand, shrugged out of his coat, and then, moving gingerly so as not to put stress on his wounds, he wandered back through to his desk and lowered himself into his chair.
Veronica returned to her seat. They eyed each other across the office, neither of them knowing what to say. Miss Coulthard whistled tunefully in the other room as she set the kettle on the stove and searched around in the cupboard for some cups and saucers.
Newbury was first to break the silence. "Did Bainbridge stop by to inform you of my theory about the Dutch Royal cousin and The Lady Armitage?"
Veronica nodded. "Indeed he did. He was rather less than forthcoming when it came to detailing the activities the man had been pursuing in the Whitechapel district, but I was able to tease out enough information from his inferences to work out what he was trying to say."
Newbury laughed. "That certainly sounds like Charles. He never could talk to a lady."
Veronica looked suddenly serious. "I suppose that explains why all of the passengers had been tied to their seats on the airship. The fact that they were plague victims, I mean."
"Yes, I suppose it does."
Veronica toyed with the corner of one of the manuscript pages on her desk. "So how did Her Majesty take the news? It's rather a scandalous affair for the family, isn't it?"
Newbury shrugged. "I visited the palace yesterday. Her Majesty seemed to take the news impartially. She was rather too busy admonishing me for the state of my health, if truth be told." He chuckled. "I doubt there'll be any word of it in the press. Whether the facts are deemed appropriate for the boy's mother, we'll have to leave for others to decide." Veronica nodded. "So, what's next?"
Newbury laughed again. "Druids. The Bronze Age. Pages and pages of arduous notes." He leaned back in his chair. "After that, who knows? I'm sure that something will turn up." He turned to see Miss Coulthard entering the office, bearing two cups of Earl Grey on a wooden tray.
Veronica smiled, reaching for another sheaf of papers on her desk. She shuffled them into a neat pile before her. Looking up, she met Newbury's eye from across the room. "I do believe it will, Sir Maurice. I do believe it will."
Epilogue
The life-preserving machine laboured in the semi-darkness, hissing and wheezing as the bellows rose and fell in time with the toilsome breathing of its occupant. Her Majesty Queen Victoria eased herself forward, wheeling her chair closer to the figure that was standing in the shadows on the other side of the audience chamber. Her face resolved in the gloom. She was wearing a stern expression. "We are most satisfied with the resolution of this investigation," her voice was shrill and echoed around the empty room, "yet we remain concerned for the well-being of our agent. Tell me, Miss Hobbes, do you believe that Sir Maurice acquitted himself in a manner becoming a representative of the Crown?"
Veronica swallowed and stepped forward into the wavering light of the gas lamps. "I do, Your Majesty. Sir Maurice is a credit to his nation."
The monarch nodded. "Very good. That is most reassuring." She put her hand to her mouth and gave a wet, spluttering cough. The machine wheezed as it tried to compensate for the brief fit. Her chest heaved, her lungs filling with oxygen. She continued, catching her breath. "Even so, Miss Hobbes, we encourage you to remember your duty. We must ensure that Newbury remains steadfast in his beliefs. We fear that the dark arts have a terrible allure, and, lest you forget, your primary role in this assignment is to protect Newbury from falling for such devious charms. One would hate to imagine that we were allowing another dissenter to propagate in our midst."
Veronica frowned. "What word is there of Dr. Knox?"
The Queen shook her head. "No word. He is lost to us. We have dozens of agents searching for him, all across the Empire, but he proves as elusive as he ever was. He has managed not to show his hand for over a year now. One wonders what he is plotting in the darkness."
Veronica shrugged. "Perhaps he is already dead."
"No." The Queen was firm. "He is a wily devil, and he has darker forces at his disposal. We have no doubt that he is alive, somewhere out there, hiding in the quiet places, unseen to our agents." She straightened herself in her wheelchair. "What is clear to us is that Newbury must be steered in a wholly different direction. He cannot be allowed to succumb."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I can assure you that this matter remains my sole concern. I will ensure that Sir Maurice does not fall prey to that particular trap."
Victoria raised an eyebrow. "You seem overly confident in your own abilities, Miss Hobbes. Perhaps you already have the man wrapped around your little finger." She laughed, and the sound was like boots crunching on gravel.
Veronica looked away, a pained expression on her face. "Perhaps. Yet I think his heart is true. He will not be swayed by petty obsessions or a vain desire for power. He is not Aubrey Knox. He serves you well, Your Majesty."
Victoria nodded. "Then you may go, Miss Hobbes, and be about your business." She wheeled back a few feet, indicating that it was time for Veronica to leave. Veronica crossed the room. Victoria waited until she was nearing the door. "Oh, and Miss Hobbes? One other thing before you take your leave."
Veronica turned back to regard her, finding it difficult to place her in the dim light. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"This 'affinity bridge' that Newbury spoke of. The device that facilitates the interaction between the human brain and an artificial body. Have they all been destroyed?"
"No, Your Majesty. The Chapman and Villiers automatons are currently being decommissioned, but it is proving to be a lengthy process. It will be some months before they are all accounted for."
The Queen offered her a wry smile. "Good. Please ensure that you keep at least a handful of them in working order. One never knows when the technology may prove useful."
"Indeed, Your Majesty. I will endeavour to do so." She glanced at the door. "Will there be anything else?"
"No. That is all. Thank you, Miss Hobbes."
"Good day, Your Majesty."
Veronica pulled open the door and hurried along the passageway, keen to get away from the palace and find her way back to the museum, to Newbury, and to her newfound life of adventure.
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