“Colonel Worthington, Phillip, look who’s appeared!”
I stepped around her, and Colonel Worthington and Phillip both rose from their chairs. Phillip took the distance between us in two long strides and swept me into a crushing hug. When he put me down, the curator was waiting, crutch under one arm, reaching for me with the other.
“We are so glad to see you safe, Genevieve. Come, have a seat and tell us what happened.”
Adele had slid out in the midst of everything, so I took the other chair in the room and sat with a sigh. It was strange how this place had become home in such a short time. As my gaze passed between Phillip and the colonel, I thought about what Kreios had said. There were no more options. I would do what they wanted, even if it killed me. Because the alternative might kill them.
When Colonel Worthington repeated his question, I dredged up a smile and sighed. “Justin surprised me and knocked me out. When I woke up, he was taking me to see Lord Kreios.”
The curator’s eyes narrowed when I mentioned Kreios’ name. It seemed they knew each other, and I could only speculate on the circumstances. “What happened then?”
I shrugged. His scrutiny was becoming uncomfortable. “He told me Terry was alive and that he knew where he was. He then insisted I go upstairs, have a bath, rest and wouldn’t tell me anything.”
Phillip snorted. “Sounds like him. He enjoys other people’s discomfort.”
A frown pulled at my mouth. “How do you know him?”
Phillip reddened then crossed his arms. “I’m just full of surprises.”
Colonel Worthington drew my attention away. “What then? You slept, you got up…”
“He dressed me up in this ridiculous outfit, and then he told me he wanted to take me on a tour. He took me to a factory.” My nose burned and I sniffed back tears. “There were children everywhere. He’s one of the people taking children from the streets. Terry was there, in chains, working on the big piston.”
Phillip patted my shoulder with one large hand. Colonel Worthington continued to watch me.
“And then he just dropped you off here without any other information?”
I shook my head, breathing deep to calm myself. “No. He told me I must steal the box and produce it in front of the gates in three days.”
“Or else he’ll take it out on Terry.” The curator made the statement with a snort of disgust.
“And out on you two.” I nodded, sliding down into the chair as far as the confines of the corset would let me. “I told him I would get the box. Not that I would give it to him, but that I would get it.” It seemed important to point out those semantics.
Colonel Worthington smiled and my shoulders sagged with relief. “Ah, you are far more intelligent than he thinks you are.”
“I doubt he thinks so,” I muttered.
“That’s all for the better then. Now, we just have to find a way for you to bring him something satisfactory while we try to catch him.”
I leaned forward. “Catch him? What would we do with him if we did?”
The colonel’s smile was a bit toothy, and I wondered just what he’d done in the military. “Believe me, I have several people who would love to take him off our hands and speak to him at length.”
The whole situation had spiraled out of my control, and I didn’t like it. My stomach seemed to be permanently tied in knots, and I felt like looking over my shoulder all the time. Even though I loved this place, and cared deeply about Colonel Worthington and Phillip, I couldn’t be at ease with them anymore either. They knew more than they were letting on. Everyone around me seemed to have received notes giving them all the details and I had been left off the list.
I sat up, accepting a plate with a sandwich from Phillip. For the moment, things would stay as they were. I needed them, and they me, to an extent. For the most part, I was safe here. Until I could think of something better, it would have to be enough.
Chapter Eighteen
“We need to decide what we’re doing in three days,” Colonel Worthington announced.
I sat back, finishing the last bite of my sandwich.
“Believe me, my dear, I am thrilled you’ve returned, but things aren’t going to get better until we get Kreios off your back.”
I knew that already. Phillip made quick work of a tiny frosted cake, and then smiled. “I’ve got a brilliant plan.”
The curator’s face made me stifle a giggle. He sighed and waved a hand. “All right then, tell me.”
Phillip wiped a hand through his hair. “Well, we know Kreios isn’t going to take any excuses. So why don’t I make a replica of the box for her to take him? He obviously only has a vague idea of what it is. I can make an exact copy and put a lock on it. By the time he gets it open, we’ll have nabbed him.”
Colonel Worthington’s eyebrows drew together in a bushy line. Finally he looked up with a faint smile. “It might work.”
“What happens when I take it to him? How can you be certain he won’t know it’s a fake?” I demanded. “I still have to get Terry out of that factory, and I can’t afford anything going wrong that might jeopardize that.”
Colonel Worthington patted my hand. “Don’t worry. I’ve got some friends at Scotland Yard, and they’ll have someone tailing him. He won’t get anywhere without us knowing.”
I shook my head. Even I knew Kreios would expect something like that. “No. Make the replica. Make a lock for it that requires a lot of effort to get open. But tailing him is a ridiculous notion. He’ll expect it. He’ll know.”
Phillip looked a little less sure. “She does have a point.”
“We can make this work. Don’t worry so much. I’ll hash out all the details with my contacts.”
My hand pressed against the curator’s sleeve. “No tails. Promise.”
His fingers covered mine and his features softened when he looked at me. “I promise. No tails. I won’t make it easy for him. And don’t worry. We’ll get Terry back.”
I nodded and leaned back. Phillip and Colonel Worthington sat, sketching out a plan in words. Listening to someone else make the plans was difficult, but I was out of my league and out of ideas. The longer I sat there, warm in the fire glow, fed and comfortable, the heavier my eyelids grew. Somewhere along the way, in between a discussion about what the replica should be made of and whether or not Scotland Yard or the Home Office should be involved, my eyes drifted shut and I slept.
****
The next morning I woke in my room with a start. Someone, probably Adele, had removed my clothing and corset and I lay in my own bed. Broken furniture still leaned against one wall, but a dressing table and chair had been brought in, a vase of flowers gracing the tabletop.
The place was beginning to look more and more like home.
I got up, pulled on a long robe draped over the chair—another new item–and checked the pocket watch that lay on the desk. It was in the early hours of the morning. No one else would be awake. I slipped into my shoes and left the room, heading for the gallery.
The artifacts seemed pleased to see me again. They whispered greetings as I passed. I headed toward the storeroom entrance, but stopped short when a rotund figure came around the corner.
“So, you’re back, eh?”
“I am.” I clutched the top of the dressing gown closed at my throat. Something about meeting Walter here in the early hours of the morning made him threatening.
He fisted his hands on his hips and watched me. “I would suggest that you get your priorities straight, my dear. Three days isn’t a long time, and I’d hate to see anything happen to any of our friends.”
Cold fingers of alarm brushed over my spine. The hair on my arms stood at attention. I doubt the curator or Phillip had told him about my deadline.
“What do you mean?” I backed up a step. While I didn’t want him to think I was scared, I also wanted room to run if I had to. Walter and I had never gotten along, but I hadn’t thought he would be this bad.
He coc
ked his head to the side. “I mean you need to be careful. If anything happens to Worthington or Phillip, I’ll hold you responsible.”
The danger drained away from him like water from a gutter. He still made me anxious, but he sensed my discomfort and softened his tone. But under it all, a thread of menace slithered through his words.
“I would hold myself responsible.”
His brow rose. “You intend to go through with it?”
Backing away another step, my lips pulled into a frown. “What other choice do I have?”
He stroked his chin and stared. “Well, then.”
Without another word he pivoted and went back the way he’d come. I blew out hard, willing my nerves back where they belonged. Around me, the statues, which had fallen silent, now whispered furiously. I turned and asked one to explain, but their answer was a garbled mix of English and Spanish. I didn’t try to understand. I rubbed a palm over my face.
Things just kept getting more complicated.
****
Colonel Worthington found me deep in conversation with a set of pearl-handled pistols. I’d come down to the storeroom after going to my room and getting dressed for the day. After the encounter with Walter, I knew returning to sleep would have been impossible.
“I thought we’d find you here.” He stroked one pistol with a calloused fingertip when I set it down.
“Couldn’t sleep any longer,” I mumbled.
He stared at me from under those furry eyebrows for a moment, but didn’t comment further.
“I’ve got a mission for you, if you don’t mind,” he said.
“Certainly.” Brushing off my skirt, I came around the table and walked back to his room with him. A lunch tray was set up and covered with a tea towel, resting on the side table near the door. The curator flipped a hand at it as we came in.
“I’d like you to take Phillip some lunch. He’s been at work on the replica since early this morning.”
Guilt began to gather in the pit of my stomach. “I’d be happy to.” I picked up the tray, and stopped when Colonel Worthington’s hand covered mine.
“Listen, Genevieve, before you go, there’s one more thing.” He waited until I put the tray down. “Just in case something should happen to me, I need you to promise me something.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” I told him, the words thick in my throat.
He smiled and squeezed my fingers. “All the same, I’d like to ask you a favor.”
“Anything.”
“The box you seek is something I’ve been guarding. I’d like you to take my place as its guardian.”
Chapter Nineteen
“You what?” I shouted. He couldn’t be serious.
“You said you’d do whatever I asked. This is what I want. If something should happen to me, it becomes your responsibility. When you touch it, you will understand better what you protect.” He chuckled. “Perhaps better than I do. What you decide to do with it then is your choice. I believe you’ll make the right one.”
If I’d been a girl prone to fainting, I’d have done so. “You can’t give it to me. I’m…I’m nobody.”
He shook his head. “You’re Genevieve Bond, and that is no small matter. You’ll be fine. Now, come with me and I’ll show you where it’s hidden.”
He tugged me into the small room where he slept and showed me how to open the false panel on the side. Even as I felt the catch under my fingertips, my entire body shuddered with emotion. I didn’t want this responsibility. It was too much for me. Too much like Colonel Worthington was saying goodbye.
I flipped open the panel and saw a dark, worn rucksack before replacing it again and following the curator back into the living room.
“Now, remember, only in case of emergency.”
I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. I couldn’t decide whether to be afraid or flattered.
Colonel Worthington gave me a gentle push towards the door. “Go on, then. Phillip is waiting for lunch. You’ll see I’m right in the end.”
I picked up the tray again and let my feet lead me to Phillip’s lair, but I wasn’t really there. My mind still crouched next to the false panel, anxiety curling through my throat and disbelief making my body tremble.
It was just so final. As if Colonel Worthington were already saying goodbye because he knew something bad was coming. I didn’t want to be responsible for the stupid box. People’s lives were more important than a hunk of hollow metal. Nothing inside could be worth so much trouble, could it?
I made my way down the stairs into Phillip’s boiler room and forced my mind to the task of balancing the tray with most of the weight on one hand. The staircase was narrow, and I didn’t want to knock Phillip’s lunch to the floor.
“Ah, my heroine approaches.” Phillip called, dropping something into a large bucket of water and wiping his hands on a rag tucked into the front pocket of the leather apron he wore. His face was drenched in sweat and rosy from standing at the forge all day. He looked thrilled.
“How’s it going?”
His teeth glowed against his ruddy face. “Fantastic. I love this kind of work, but I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like. The box should be ready when you need it.”
“Thanks, Phillip. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help.”
He shrugged and took a huge bite of the sandwich I’d brought. “Listen, any time you need help, I’m here. You’d do the same for me.”
Staring into the glowing embers of Phillip’s forge, I couldn’t suppress a small niggle of curiosity. “What does it have in it, anyway?”
“You’re asking the wrong person. I know it’s important, but I don’t even think the colonel knows what it is. It hasn’t been opened in years.”
My brow furrowed. “Why would he put his life on the line if he doesn’t even know what it is?”
Phillip wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. “That’s his job. He’s been in the service since he was old enough to have a commission. He’ll do it because Queen and country said so. And to be honest.” He leaned forward as if he were sharing a dark secret. “He was quite high in the pecking order when he retired. They only ask him to do things now if it’s something extremely important. So you can bet if he’s guarding it, there’s a good reason.”
It shouldn’t have surprised me, I suppose. The Colonel had never said much about his military career, but I gathered that it was mostly in intelligence. He would have many contacts. And I knew him. Phillip was right. He wouldn’t be guarding something he didn’t believe was important.
Phillip polished off the last of the sandwich, took a swig from the ale bottle, and then patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry so much. It’ll give you wrinkles.”
He moved back to the forge, pulling the metal from the bucket of water with a pair of iron tongs. The hunk of metal didn’t look like much.
Phillip saw me looking and winked. “Trust me, it gets better.”
“I certainly hope so.” The cheerfulness was forced, but Phillip didn’t notice. He was whistling to himself as he stoked the fire and wiggled the metal into the glowing coals.
Turning to leave the rising heat, I almost ran into Thomason. How the automaton had managed to get behind me without making noise I’ll never know. But there he stood, watching me as usual.
“Phillip, I think Thomason needs you.”
Phillip spared a cursory glance over his shoulder as he flipped the metal, which was beginning to glow. “No. He’s here for you.”
“What?”
“Colonel Worthington decided you might need someone looking after you for the next couple of days. He told Thomason to stay by your side.”
I wiped damp palms on my skirt and turned back to stare into those strange, yellow eyes. Thomason cocked his head.
“You have to follow me around, huh?”
I came about four inches off the floor when Thomason nodded.
“He doesn’t bite, Gennie,” Phillip said.
He winked. “Can’t bite, no teeth.”
“Ha ha. Very funny.”
Nibbling on my thumbnail, I stared at Thomason. This was a development I hadn’t expected.
“What will I do when I go to meet Spiros. He can’t come with me then.”
“That’s a different matter. Thomason doesn’t walk outside the museum. Ever. He’ll stay here for that.
“You taking note of all this?” I muttered to the offending robot.
He nodded once, and I almost thought he looked sad for a moment.
“Go easy on him, Gennie. Thomason’s a little bit like you, lost and looking for something.”
I couldn’t question his statement, because he began pounding away at the metal he’d put on the anvil. With a frown, I headed for the door. I needed to get a handle on myself. There was no reason to feel the panic rising from the base of my spine. No reason for me to wish that Colonel Worthington and Phillip were anywhere but here.
No reason at all.
Chapter Twenty
The days moved with nail-biting slowness. No task or chore could pass the time fast enough. Everywhere I looked, Thomason or Walter lurked in the shadows. While I knew why Thomason was there, I didn’t know how to respond. And Walter’s presence was even more confusing. Everywhere I turned, he was there, watching. Thomason seemed to be unaware of him. He just followed me like a lost puppy. When I worked on the artifacts, he came by and brought me tea, and even refilled my pot from the reservoir in his hand. It always tasted a little tinny, but he seemed so eager to please, I didn’t have the heart to tell him.
The truth was, despite his creepiness, he was growing on me. I didn’t want to like him. It complicated my already muddled life.
Phillip had been slaving over the box nearly nonstop for two days, and as I woke the third day, stretching, I could only hope that all his hard work would pay off. Tonight was the moment of truth. We’d either succeed together or fail miserably.
Into the Ether Page 10
