Echoes of Aether

by Gail B Williams

  She continued away from the green. A man stood in the road ahead of her. He didn’t move or say anything, but an air of menace surrounded him, and the way he looked at her sent chills down her spine. A roadblock in his dark moleskin trousers, the thick heavy wool of a dark sweater under a black working jacket. Even the dark engineers’ cap on his head had seen better days. From her current distance, she’d guess he was late thirties, early forties, but he was big and solid, that was muscle not fat. Her throat dried out. She hadn’t been able to stop Montgomery for more than a few moments. She wouldn’t get that breathing space with this man.

  Movement between the houses on her left caught her eye. Another man, similar dark dress, similar sneer.

  She stepped back, looked between the two. Determined not to fall foul of men again, she turned on her heel, walked away faster, glad for the training of her youth, that she had a long stride and a solid footing. She had no idea if the men followed her, but she didn’t care, she just wanted to get back to Jade, to the security of his company. Impossibly loud footfalls suddenly echoed behind her. She glanced into the glass of one of the bay windows in the house she was approaching, the men were behind her and unless it was a trick of the glass, there were three of them now.

  Young lady, be damned. She picked up her hem and started running.

  She hadn’t yet reached the green when the smudge of red skidded to a halt and reformed into the A-Class Conveyance. Monty leaned over, pushed the passenger door open.

  “Get in.”

  Amethyst hesitated. She didn’t want to be in close confines with Monty, not after last night.

  “Amethyst, for God’s sake, get in.”

  She looked over her shoulder. The men had stopped running, but they still sauntered closer. If she didn’t get in ‒

  “What’s going on here?”

  Startled by the voice, she turned to see Jenson walking towards them.

  “I am just taking Miss Forester home.”

  “Are you?” Jenson was only a few steps away now.

  “Yes. Inspector.”

  The word was said far louder than it needed to be and a glance backwards told her that her three followers were now loitering by the side of the road. Jenson neared, and she held her hand out to him. When he took it, relief flooded through her, the idea of safety seemed closer. His eyes had turned the colour of concrete, frowning at her, but warmed by the sun of concern. He looked up at the men and now they were wandering away. When she looked at Jenson again, she offered a small sigh, her heart rate slowly returning to normal.

  “What’s going on?” Jade asked as he appeared from the shop. At least he had his shirt on now.

  “As I said, I was going to take Miss Forester home.”

  Jade looked over the car, the lord and his sister. “Apparently, she doesn’t want to go with you, milord.”

  “No, but she really should,” Montgomery grated. “If she knows what’s good for her.”

  “Is that some kind of threat?” Jenson pulled her behind him.

  “No!” Monty looked around him. “Look,” he told Jenson. “Just get her back to the estate, she’ll be safe there.”

  “Why aren’t I safe here?”

  Monty looked around him and scraped his hair back. “Please, just get in and let me take you back to the estate. I’ll explain later. When you’re safe.”

  “Yes, you will,” Jade confirmed. “But she’ll go to the estate with me. In my horseless-carriage.”

  “It’s slow and open.” Monty turned again to Amethyst. “Please, get in.”

  “She’ll be quite safe with Jade and I,” Jenson announced. “We’ll not let any harm come to her.”

  “But ‒”

  Jenson leaned into the car, virtually nose to nose with the lord. “Have you forgotten what you were told?”

  Monty paled, swallowed. “Fine. Can you drive a British Lion?”

  Jenson frowned as he stood straight. The police car he used was a British Lion Sleeker. While different manufacturers used different configurations, all British Lion models were all made the same way. “I can.”

  “Good.” Quickly, fluidly, Monty got out of the vehicle. “You drive her back to the estate then, and I’ll go with Jade.” He turned to the other man. “If you don’t mind?”

  Jade looked shocked to be asked; this wasn’t Monty’s usual manner. Amethyst looked to Jenson, who shrugged and indicated the car. He moved around it to the driver’s seat as she gathered in her skirts to allow the door to close properly. There was even less room with the broader Jenson in the car than with Monty, but she felt much safer. He closed the door and put both hands on the wheel before looking at her.

  “Settled?”

  She nodded. Inertia pushed them both back in their seats as he pulled swiftly away.

  Chapter 48

  Maker saw the A-Class flying up the drive. Monty must be insane to drive like that. And given that he had nothing better to do, Maker marched to the front of the house, yanked the door open in time to be faced with a wall of dust as the vehicle came to a sudden halt in the stone chips of the drive. Before he took the two steps down from the house, Amethyst was already out of the vehicle, though Jenson struggled to extract himself from a vehicle designed more for the svelte than the muscular. Uncaring of the upholstery, he stood on the seat to make his exit from the passenger side.

  Watching the way Jenson’s hand went to Amethyst’s shoulder, Maker clenched his own fists. Oh, for such freedoms. With his arm around her, Jenson turned Amethyst and walked her into the house. Strain marred both their faces.

  “What’s going on?”

  Maker turned to the short woman at his side. He hadn’t heard the thump-shuffle of Great-Aunt Flora’s arrival, but her presence was undeniable.

  “In the workroom,” Jenson said as the two came up the steps.

  Jenson clearly had no intention of stopping. Plastering his back to the door, Maker moved out of the way. Great-Aunt Flora mirrored the action. For a moment they looked at one another in stunned silence. Maker moved first, and offering Great-Aunt Flora an arm, he found himself in the unexpected position of being dragged faster by the old woman. By the time they reached the workroom, Amethyst stood by the desk and Jenson rang for a servant.

  “I told you not to leave the house, young lady,” Great-Aunt Flora started as soon as Maker closed the door.

  “I needed to talk to Jade.”

  “That doesn’t‒”

  “Lady Gordon!”

  It was unclear what surprised Great-Aunt Flora most, the sharpness of Jenson’s tone or the use of her title, neither being typical of him. In silence he took a deep breath and turned to Amethyst.

  “Are you restored?”

  Her laugh carried a bitter tinge. “I’ll feel better after a drink, but I’m fine.” She looked at Maker and her aunt. “I suppose you want to know why Jenson was driving Montgomery’s car?”

  “Monty drove out of here like a legion of the damned were after him.”

  “As you returned,” Maker added to Great-Aunt Flora’s comment.

  This time when Amethyst looked to Jenson, she swallowed before she spoke. Propping herself against the desk, Amethyst gripped its edges. He saw a deep breath, another look at Jenson, then she looked to her great aunt.

  “I went to the village because I needed to speak to Jade. I know he worked with Stephen on a number of projects. He hasn’t been able to decipher the symbology any better than I have, but I thought that if I could get hold of the receiver unit, I might be able to backward engineer it. But I didn’t know where it was. I thought Jade might, but he not only knew about the machine, he had it, he’s bringing it up here now.”

  “You still shouldn’t have gone alone.”

  “I know.”

  Skin so pale as to be translucent confirmed that she’d learned that lesson the hard way.

  “Jade wasn’t ready to leave, so while he finished up, I went for a walk. My way got blocked, and I was running back ‒” />
  “Running?” Great-Aunt Flora demanded. “A young lady should never run in public.”

  “In this case, running was not only justified, it was necessary.” Jenson’s deep tone reflected the seriousness of the situation.

  Even Great-Aunt Flora paled at that.

  “I was running back towards the forge when Monty and his car screeched to a halt in front of me and he just yelled at me to get in. I hesitated…”

  “Why?”

  For good reason, but no one was telling Great-Aunt Flora what that reason was.

  “I saw the conveyance speeding through the village, heard it slide to a halt, and went to investigate.” Jenson took up the story. “That was when I saw Amethyst and the three men following her.”

  “Three men?” Great-Aunt Flora’s hand went to her throat. Maker guided her across to the nearest chair, his stomach knotting as all manner of worst case scenarios ran through his mind.

  The door opened and one of the footmen appeared. “You rang, sir?”

  “Four brandies, quickly.”

  If the young man was perturbed by Maker’s brusque command, he admirably didn’t show it.

  “Great-Aunt Flora, are you well?”

  She looked up at Jenson with worried eyes. “Better now you’re addressing me correctly.”

  Jenson offered a smile and small bow. “Remember that whatever you have yet to discover, Amethyst is here, she is unhurt, and she is safe.”

  “Thankfully.” Maker hadn’t meant to speak the thought aloud.

  “Indeed.” Great-Aunt Flora agreed. “But how is it that you drove back and not Lord Montgomery?”

  “I thought it safer.”

  The old lady nodded. “Given that young man’s driving style, I suspect you were right.”

  Maker wasn’t sure he agreed with that given the speed at which the car had arrived, but he also suspected that the safety of Monty’s driving wasn’t the biggest concern for Jenson or Amethyst. The footman came back with the glasses of brandy and they each took one, and Jenson asked for tea to be sent in too. Jenson sipped his brandy, as did Maker and Flora - Amethyst drank hers in one. There was a moment when she closed her eyes and held the back of her hand against her lips, letting the fiery liquid burn down her throat.

  “What really happened?” Maker asked Jenson.

  “Not much.”

  The surprising answer came from Amethyst. She stepped over and put a reassuring hand on his arm, offered Great-Aunt Flora a similar smile.

  “In all fairness, not much did happen, it’s what could have happened that frightened me. If Monty and Jenson hadn’t come along when they did, I don’t know where I’d be right now, and that’s a frightening‒” She frowned at the door, at the footsteps rushing down the hall. “‒thought.”

  Lord Montgomery burst through the door, but stopped with his hand on the wood, Jade came rushing straight in and grabbed Amethyst in a tremendous bear hug.

  “Thank God you’re alright.” Copious amounts of hair and fabric muffled his voice, not to mention the way his twin hugged him back.

  “So much for downplaying it.”

  “You are alright?”

  “I’m fine, put me down.” Jade let his sister down, but the twins stayed hugging one another.

  “Inspector Jenson.” The way Great-Aunt Flora demanded the man’s attention drew the focus of the room. “You’re as sensible as any, more than most. Would you mind starting from the beginning and leading us to a conclusion?”

  Jenson inclined his head in recognition of the compliment. “In truth, all I can testify to is seeing Monty driving too fast through the village and going to see what required such speed. Amethyst was already by the car and the three men behind her were turning away from me. The sense of urgency to get Amethyst home was what I picked up from Lord Montgomery, whom I suspect knows more than any of us have yet heard.”

  Attention turned to the lord, who had closed the door and was leaning his back on it. His skin was sallow and his eyes shadowed, he’d had trouble meeting Maker’s gaze already today. This was a very different man to the one Maker was used to, the strutting peacock who paraded and performed.

  “Monty?” He’d meant the tone to warn but wasn’t expecting the man to shrink so from him. Last night’s explosion of wrath was not something of which he was proud, and it had changed a great many things. It seemed more was over than his friendship with this man.

  Downcast, Monty quietly, ashamedly told the story. “I got a message from Vostock this morning. I had to meet him.” This time the awkward swallow was accompanied by hands going through his hair. “He said he’d forgive my debts, if… if I gave him Miss Forester.”

  “Gave him?”

  Merging with the wood of the door was not an option, but Monty was giving it a go. “Apparently, they’ve heard of her, heard about her skills with aether. He said she could be the one to finish Stephen’s work, and if she was good enough to get Stephen back, they could use the pair of them.”

  “Bastard!”

  The whole room turned at Amethyst’s indignant expulsion.

  “Technical aether-worker’s term.” Jade tried to joke the expletive away.

  “No!” Amethyst pushed away from her brother and started to pace the room, gesturing with her hands and arm. “Why do you men always just think women are here to be exploited? You put up with the most feeble-minded male; you let the weakest of men stand up and be counted; show respect to a lord, however corrupt; but God forbid you respect a woman of intelligence, strength or integrity!”

  Indignation shone through every inch of her. Maker found her particularly magnificent, Athena on high, demanding adoration.

  “Because men are pigs.” Jade was probably the only one that could have answered.

  She turned to him, the scowl at the ready, readily turned into an indulgent eye roll.

  “Look, sis, no matter how right you might actually be, the immutable fact is that, generally speaking, men are stronger than women. We can, by force, demand what we want of you. And think of it this way, they sent three men to get one you. If they weren’t afraid of what you’re capable of, they would only have sent one. In a way, that’s a compliment.”

  “Like the way saying you’re just a blacksmith would be a compliment? It’s not funny to feel like a victim because of something that isn’t my fault.”

  “Ha! Says the women who pranked me on our twelfth‒”

  “Stop right there!”

  With a laugh, Jade did. “Good, that got you smiling again. Right. Now we can get on with dealing with the situation.” He turned to Monty. “What do you know about Vostock?”

  “He’s mean and strong and getting in his way is foolish.”

  “Hmm.”

  “He’s a lot worse than that,” Jenson amended. “With him on the scene, especially now he knows about Amethyst’s talents, we’re all going to have to be especially careful.”

  “Definitely no going anywhere alone, deary.”

  This time Amethyst didn’t roll her eyes. “No, Great-Aunt Flora, definitely not.”

  Such acquiescence wasn’t like Amethyst. No matter how she tried to downplay this one, fear was one of the few things that could turn someone around this quickly.

  “I think one of us should be with you at all times,” Monty said.

  “We’ll work out a rota.” Jenson looked at Maker. “I’m sure that Blanchard would be happy to be the fourth man.”

  “What?” Jade halted proceedings. “There are four of us in here, who aren’t you counting?”

  “There are six of us in here,” Amethyst corrected. “And don’t any of you go making plans about me as if I’m not in the room to be consulted.”

  Ah, the indignation was back. Were he prone to emotional displays, Maker would have smiled.

  Jenson looked to Jade as he said, “The four are you, Maker, Blanchard and myself.”

  “I just said don’t ignore me.” Amethyst faced up to Jenson.

  The look in
his eye was quite soft when he looked down at her. “I wouldn’t dare, but I was answering questions in the order they came.”

  “I can help.”

  “No,” the quintet of voices chorused, looking at Monty.

  The incipient argument cut short by someone trying the door, Montgomery had to move to allow the footman and his tea tray into the room. As the tray was carefully placed on the desk, Jenson asked the footman to send Blanchard to join them. “Will you pour, deary, a good cup of strong British tea is just what I could do with at the moment.”

  “Of course, Great-Aunt Flora.”

  Amethyst was so obliging, Maker tensed for the retort.

  “Though I believe this tea is Chinese, since tea doesn’t grow in Britain.”

  “You’ve had a shock, deary,” Great-Aunt Flora observed, “or you’d not get away with talking to me like that.”

  Amethyst’s raised hackles dropped, then she picked up the tea cup by the saucer and presented it to her elderly relative, it shook only slightly. “You’re quite right, Great-Aunt Flora, I wouldn’t. I apologise.” Flora took the tea and Amethyst sank down to sit on the floor by her feet.

  The days of difficultly doing that in a crinoline were well and truly past, though Maker fondly remembered the odd glimpse of pantalet the unwary had offered those around them.

  Not surprisingly, Jenson brought the conversation back on track. “Lord Montgomery, in this matter you showed some courage in rushing to Miss Forester’s aid this afternoon, but you also demonstrated that your connection with Vostock is the very thing that compromises her safety. I am sorry, Lord Montgomery, but I must insist on three things. One – you will accept the presence of a new house guest in Jade Forester. Two – you will have no part in the security arrangements we are about to agree with Miss Forester. And three – you will accept all of this with the good grace that the aristocracy is meant to be noted for.”

  Monty’s chin rose, his lips pressed harder with every passing sentence from Jenson. “I must protest –”

  “Oh, must you?” Great-Aunt Flora asked the teacup going noisily to the saucer.

  “I feel compelled –”