Revenge of the Brotherhood (Book 3 in the Tom & Laura Series)

by John Booth

  “Everybody back to the Hubris,” Dougal ordered. French and Baum helped him pick up Tom’s limp form and take it back to the ship.

  Laura and Daisy held their torn dresses in front of them as they helped the men with Tom. Wainwright and Alan were viewing the Hubris with something like alarm.

  “I have to free the horses,” Wainwright said and rushed off, leaving Alan staring at the strange flying ship with something akin to fear.

  “Oh dear,” Laura said as they clambered aboard. “There really is a flying ship.”

  “I did tell you,” Daisy said as they made their way up the ladder to the observation room floor.

  “Nice to see you, Miss Drew,” Alice said in her most elegant voice. Edith and Lucy curtseyed.

  “It is just like being back at Glen Russell,” Daisy said, and smiled at the children. “Where are Ebb and Tricky?”

  “I’m ’ere,” Ebb said as his head appeared from the port gun hatch. “That was me doin’ the shootin’.”

  “Tricky’s steering the ship,” Alice said proudly.

  “Lord preserve us all,” Dougal said fervently. “Let’s get Tom into his bunk so I can take over.”

  “Is Tom all right?” Antonia called from the bridge door; no one could have mistaken the anxiety in her voice.

  Antonia and Laura’s eyes met and the temperature in the room dropped. Daisy shivered.

  Arnold showed Gareth Jones into Trelawney’s study where he was offered a chair.

  “Miss Mann is not present today?” Jones asked.

  “She has urgent business at St. Giles. Our wedding is almost upon us and there are always last minute details.”

  “Quite, quite. Perhaps it is best if I tell you first and then you can decide what to tell her.”

  “There is bad news?” Trelawney sat back in his chair and lit his pipe. His talent suggested that, if anything, things were going well.

  “Did you see the news in the papers, about the fire last night?”

  “At the Sanatorium? Yes I saw it.”

  “It was arson. They have found the bodies of nearly thirty people and we must assume that Ebenezer and the other children perished.”

  “No, we must not. I do not suppose you have talked to Miss Wright today?”

  Jones felt flustered. He had spent the day at the school, the Sanatorium, and then in conference with Sir Anthony Baxter before making his way to Trelawney.

  “Should I have?”

  “Best that you did not. Your manner would have come across as entirely false to Baxter and that would not have done at all. The nurse who was looking after Ebenezer went to the police this morning and they contacted me. She is being confined to a cell for a few days to keep her news under wraps.”

  “The police contacted you?” Jones asked.

  “My retirement came with some unusual codicils,” Trelawney admitted. “That was one of them.”

  “The children are safe?”

  “And Ebenezer is fully recovered after Thomas Carter treated him. Things are going rather well, I think. Our enemies are beginning to make mistakes. Try and stay away from Baxter until after the wedding if you can. By the way, we look forward to seeing you there.”

  It was a dismissal and Jones got to his feet to shake Trelawney’s hand.

  As he was leaving the room, Trelawney called after him, “And do remember to bring your pistol with you, old chap.”

  Dougal made the decision not to put the airship underway until the next morning. There were mountains on the route back to England and he had no intention of trying to negotiate them in the dark with his pilot unconscious. Instead they lifted the ship to take a position high in the sky with the engines running enough to counter the effects of the wind. As that had to be judged by eye he was sure they would drift before morning, but it would not be a problem.

  Dougal hoped it would also give Laura and Antonia time to iron out their differences, which would be conducive to a well run ship. He might need them to work together.

  At that moment, Antonia and Laura stood over Tom’s bunk looking like cats about to fight over a mouse.

  “There is no need for you to look after Tom now I am here,” Laura said icily.

  “I have been taking care of him in ways you cannot even imagine.”

  “They say it is good for a man to learn from a whore. I had hoped Tom would find a younger and prettier one.”

  Daisy popped her head around the door, preventing the fight from becoming physical.

  “Leave Tom in peace and come with me,” she ordered.

  Both girls looked at Tom, who slept on in peaceful oblivion and felt guilty. They meekly followed Daisy through the ship, arriving a minute later at a large room with a double bed.

  “This is the Ship’s Captain’s cabin and I have arranged with Dougal to put it at your disposal for the night. I am going to lock you in here and by morning I expect you to have come to an equitable arrangement. Tom is not a toy, he is a free man and I expect you both to respect that.”

  Daisy stepped out of the cabin and locked the door.

  Antonia stared defiantly at Laura. “Go on then, use your Class A powers to turn me into a mouse or a bug. That’s what you want to do, admit it.”

  Laura sat on the bed with her head down. Her hands clenched and unclenched.

  “I wanted to be his first!”

  This was not the response that Antonia anticipated. She sat down on a chair facing Laura. “They are never any good the first time. Too eager and all instinct. And if he had done that and then had me he would have been betraying you.”

  Laura lifted a tear stained face to stare at Antonia. “And this is not betraying me?”

  “Not really. He was far from home, had no expectation of ever seeing you again and… I seduced him.”

  Laura’s lips almost turned up in the ghost of a smile. “I tried that. Even naked in bed he resisted me.”

  “Oh, never in a bed the first time. You need to take control, partially clothed while he is naked. You must raise his animal instincts to the point of no return and then he has no choice but to consummate the process.”

  “Is that what you did with Tom?”

  “In a way. Let me tell you about it.”

  Tom woke in the early hours of the morning. A soft hum from the propellers vibrated the walls and he knew they were flying, but with no particular destination. Of late he had become attuned to the ship and understood her moods. He needed to find out if Laura was fully recovered. He could remember little beyond starting to heal the girls. What if he had failed?

  He did not want to go around waking people up. Dougal would be able to tell him. Tom got out of bed wearing only his underwear and crept to Dougal’s room. There were noises coming from it that he could not make out and he decided to leave when he saw the key was on the outside of the door. Unlocking it, he stepped inside.

  The sight that greeted him in the flickering electric light was unbelievable, not to mention extremely stimulating. Laura had Antonia over her knee with Laura’s hand in the air as if to come down on Antonia’s bared bottom. Both girls wore the flimsiest underwear.

  Antonia looked up and smiled. “Shut the door, Thomas, and do close your mouth. Your wife to be and I have come to an arrangement and we were just sealing the deal.”

  “He seems to have noticed that,” Laura remarked. “Or does he always keep a truncheon in his underwear?”

  Antonia slipped off Laura’s knee and arranged her slip so it covered her reddened bottom. She strode over to Tom and with one swift movement pulled his underwear down to below his knees.

  “I think it is time you two consummated your love, don’t you?”

  Laura beckoned to Tom and he tried to step forward, falling over his bunched up clothes and ending up sprawled on the floor.

  “Do you see now what I mean about instinct overcoming intelligence?” Antonia said disapprovingly. “Now make sure you remember everything I taught you, Thomas. If Laura’s tells me she is disappoint
ed in you, I shall be very cross.” Antonia stepped to the door and out of it, locking it behind her.

  Tom kicked his underwear off and ended up on his knees in front of a giggling Laura.

  He kissed her hands and looked up into her eyes.

  “I’m getting impatient, Thomas,” Laura said, tapping her dainty toes on the floor.

  Tom did not keep her waiting long.

  A long time later, Tom looked up at the ceiling and then across at Laura, who had a broad smirk on her face. “Wife to be?”

  “I thought you would never ask.” Laura rolled on top of him and kissed him on the nose. “We shall marry in September.”

  “Do I need to know what arrangement you have come to with Antonia?”

  Laura laughed. “You will find out in time, Thomas. Do you think it would be outrageous if I married in white?”

  “I shall insist upon it.”

  They kissed for what seemed like an eternity.

  22. Deceit

  Laura and Tom sat up as the cabin door creaked open. Antonia popped her head around it.

  “I trust Tom has provided satisfaction?” she asked.

  Laura yawned and stretched her arms, “Adequate on the whole. Though I must commend you for teaching him that trick with his fingers.”

  “He taught himself that one,” Antonia said loftily. “One must allow the man some limited opportunity to stretch their creativity, provided such imagination is strictly controlled, of course.”

  “I agree completely.” Laura could not hide her grin. “Though I think we must consider him a work in progress rather than a finished product.”

  “I would not like to think that either of us is finished with him.” Antonia stepped fully into the room to reveal she was carrying Laura’s dress. “I mended this last night before going to sleep.”

  “If you ladies are quite finished treating me like a prize bull,” Tom said in a very slightly whiney way.

  “Oh not a bull, Tom,” Laura protested.

  “Certainly not,” Antonia agreed. “We have no plans to put you out to stud.”

  [Remind them of the promise he made to me.]

  [Take the boy again and stop bothering me. It was very enjoyable last time.]

  [Please ask, Sister.]

  Antonia put her hands together and dropped to her knees as if in prayer. “My sister has asked me to beseech you to remember the promise Tom made to her.”

  Tom flushed red in the face. “I cannot… It would not be…”

  “I was not talking to you, Tom. I was addressing my plea to Laura.”

  Laura mused, a finger tapping against her lips. “It was a promise made in good faith, and as a result of it Daisy and I were saved from certain death. Tom is only permitted the one mistress, and may only indulge her when I agree. But in the case of an identical twin it would be difficult to avoid duplicity between sisters. Hmm, I grant Andrea her wish. However, I will set the time and place.”

  Antonia clapped her hands together in applause. “You will make a splendid wife, Laura, hard but fair in all matters.”

  Laura laughed, “Oh, I do hope so.”

  Tom pulled the covers over his head in embarrassment. Laura kicked him, hard.

  “Get up and out, Thomas. I expect that Daisy has foreseen all this, but we must make the best of efforts to confuse her. Back to your room and lock the door behind you.”

  Tom struggled out of bed and his embarrassment was greatly increased by the way both women made comments about his body as he struggled to get his long underwear on. He ran from the room as soon as he was decent, pausing only to lock the door.

  Tom’s head barely hit his pillow before Dougal knocked on the door and entered the room.

  “It is an hour past dawn and we must plan our campaign. The others are gathering in the observation room and I need you there with me. There is much to be discussed.”

  “Give me a minute to get dressed.”

  Dougal grunted in agreement and left the room. Tom was struck by how happy Dougal looked, as if all his dreams had come true and anything from now on could be regarded as trivial.

  Daisy unlocked the door and was surprised to find Antonia dressed and Laura about her ablutions. There was no sign of animosity between them.

  “Dougal is starting a meeting in the observation room. He needs you, Antonia, as there are messages to be sent via Andrea and Alan’s brother.”

  “Very much the same place right now,” Antonia whispered to no one.

  “Laura, I think you will want to be there. We are going to make our way back to England and there is a farm I suspect you want to stop off at.”

  “You have been using that talent of yours again,” Laura scolded. “Now we have Tom we must certainly go to visit Claude.”

  Daisy was still puzzled by the girls’ attitude. “Are you and Antonia fully resolved in your dispute?”

  Laura put her arm over Antonia’s shoulder, “We are like sisters.”

  “And the best sisters share everything,” Antonia agreed.

  [Once.] Antonia informed Andrea.

  [Bitch.]

  The observation room was crowded. Daisy, Laura and Antonia arrived just after Tom and if anyone was flying the Hubris, he must have been a stowaway.

  “We have a number of unprecedented opportunities,” Dougal said cheerfully. “But I must check some facts with our telepaths before I go any further.”

  Dougal turned to Alan. “I asked you to ensure that your brother did not pass on any information about the battle last night. Has he told anybody?”

  “Only Antonia’s sister. They were together when it happened.”

  [And all night since, you debauched cradle snatcher,] Antonia told her sister.

  [You should talk. Tom is barely a year older.]

  “Antonia, what does the Army know of our movements?”

  Antonia laughed. “They think we are still in New York. Apparently, after Captain Evans failed to stop us leaving, he decided to follow your orders and pretend we were still there.”

  Dougal rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. We could not have planned it better if we had foreknowledge.”

  “Doesn’t make no sense to me,” Tricky said, having checked he was beyond range of a slap from Dougal.

  “Nor me,” Tom seconded.

  “Listen and learn from a master,” Dougal commanded. “Alan, does your brother have pen and paper? He must take this message to give to the Army exactly as I dictate it.”

  Alan Kincaid mentally shouted at his brother to pay attention. “He appears a little distracted, sir, but he says he has found pen and paper.”

  Antonia put her hand over her mouth to stop anyone seeing her giggling.

  [Stop doing that to him, Andrea. This is important.]

  [So is this. He needs to learn a little self control.]

  “This is the message. ‘The Class A and Agent Drew were captured late yesterday. The camp was attacked in the middle of the night by rebels. Lieutenant Kincaid was knocked unconscious in the battle and woke at dawn to find everyone around him dead. General Brent-Smyth was killed by a single bullet to the head. The Class A and Agent Drew were also killed in enemy action. Lieutenant Kincaid checked the bodies and found Corporal Wainwright still alive though injured. Following the Corporal’s advice, they have escaped across the border into France and have stolen civilian clothing. They intend to make their way to Calais and cross the channel back to England.’ Did you get all that?”

  Dougal made Alan recite it back from his brother’s note.

  [See? No self control. He barely lasted to the end of the message.]

  [Andrea!]

  “I don’t understand?” Laura said.

  Dougal gave her a quick hug. “Having you both safely dead means no one will be looking for you. A rebel attack will let the Army off the hook for your death and they will seize on it as though their lives depended on it. That everybody responsible for the affair is dead will be regarded as the icing on the cake. Nobody will
investigate any further in case the story unravels. You are free.”

  “What about us, Sir?” Wainwright asked.

  Dougal waved a hand dismissively. “Alan can make regular progress reports back to the Army and eventually the two of you will be greeted as heroes when you arrive back in England. I will take you onto my staff and you will both be fine.”

  “What next?” Tom asked.

  “Andrea will pass on a message to the Army saying that we left New York last night bound for London, but that bad weather is delaying our journey. The earliest we think we can arrive will be Saturday afternoon.”

  Tom was not the only one to look puzzled.

  “That disassociates us from the events in Brittany, and since Daisy has told me certain things about Sir Ernest’s wedding, I think we should attend.”

  “Sir Ernest is getting married? Who too?” Tom asked in surprise.

  “Do keep up, Tom,” Laura said primly. “Sir Ernest has been secretly in love with Miss Mann for years.

  “Even I knows that,” Tricky put in, a pleased smirk on his face.

  Dougal gave Antonia a serious look. “Does Andrea trust the MM1 Director?”

  “Trust is the wrong word. She believes he is working in concert with Trelawney.”

  “Then ask her to give him this message to pass on to Sir Ernest. ‘All packages securely on board and in good condition. We will use ‘H’ as a staging post.’ Has she got that?”

  “Where’s ‘H’” French asked, saving Tom the trouble.

  “A place Tom and Laura know very well,” Daisy said and then smiled in delight. “It is a surprise.”

  “We should get there tonight and the children can disembark,” Dougal said. “We have subjected them to quite enough risk as it is.”

  Alice looked outraged. “Don’t we get a say in it? You wouldn’t even be ’ere if it weren’t for us. And me an’ Edith got special gifts workin’ together.”

  “What’s that mean?” Tricky asked.

  “Boys never notice nothin’,” Alice said haughtily.