Goblin Moon
Page 36
On the tenth day of Fading, on the outskirts of the town, a particularly large but otherwise plain and undistinguished coach came clattering down the road from Thornburg and proceeded toward the Ilben harbor. Inside this coach were Sera, Elsie, and Jed—bound for the New World—and Mr. Hermes Budge and the dwarves Mr. Owlfeather and Master Ule, who had come to see them off.
"This man: Thomas Penn or Thomas Kelly," Mr. Owlfeather was saying, "has apparently disappeared. And so has Caleb Braun, who was last seen leaving Thornburg in great haste, with some sort of a small animal that he carried in a cage. Yet even without Mr. Braun to confirm them, we have been able to reach certain conclusions. The man who killed your grandfather, Miss Vorder, is apparently the same Thomas Kelly who made such a stir in alchemical circles on the island of Mawbri one hundred and fifty years ago! As he was known then to be a wicked and perilous man, it now becomes apparent that you and Miss Elsie have two dangerous enemies to flee from instead of the Duchess only. And that (among many other reasons) is why we have arranged for you to travel such a distance."
Elsie gave a tiny sigh and spoke in a small voice. "Nova Imbria, it is the other side of the world. And to leave without even saying good-bye to Mama and Papa; it is very hard. I do not think I could bear it, if my dear Sera were not coming with me—and Jedidiah, too!"
"Indeed," said Sera, "this all comes about so suddenly and so strangely. I understand the necessity, of course—and the necessity, too, of a gentleman as escort—yet it seems rather hard on poor Jed, who is leaving an excellent position behind, and all his prospects for the future.
"There is no need for you to glare at me, Jedidiah," she added as he cast her a smoldering glance. "I know very well that if you had not been asked, you would have put yourself forward—but the fact remains you are coming along out of a sense of duty, and not for your own advantage. I merely wished to point out that I wished it were otherwise, and you were not forced to give up so much for our sake."
"In fact," said Mr. Owlfeather, "it is not so bad as you think. Mr. Braun is now in my employ, and he will be working for me and earning wages all the time that he is in the New World. I wish to know more about the glass and the porcelain trade as they are now conducted on the continent of Calliope. Accordingly I have commissioned Jedidiah to explore the matter thoroughly, to visit manufactories in Nova Imbria, make observations as to quantity and quality, and send all the information that he can gather, back to me in Thornburg. If he serves me so well and industriously as he has served Master Ule this last year, be sure that his prospects will not suffer. "
The coach lurched as it hit a rut in the road. "Yes," said Sera, straightening her hat. "But nevertheless . . . !"
"Moreover," said Master Ule, "he will also serve the Glassmakers Guild by carrying with him those items—the books once belonging to Thomas Kelly, and the magic parchment formerly in the hands of the Duchess—which we are now sending to our brother Glassmakers in Nova Imbria for safe-keeping. Now that Francis Skelbrooke has revealed himself, in a manner of speaking, to the Duchess, it will not take her long to realize—if indeed she has not realized already—that it was he who stole the document from her. From Skelbrooke to ourselves is not so great a step. Once she begins to suspect that his association with the lodge was not so innocent a thing as she once supposed, the parchment will no longer be safe in our hands. We could not send either the books or the parchment such a distance, except in the hands of a trustworthy messenger like young Jedidiah. "
"We might have considered sending Mr. Budge," added Mr. Owlfeather, "were it not for the fact that he has such a particular reason for wishing to stay—if not in Thornburg, which is now too dangerous for him as well—at least on the continent. To be brief: he is engaged to be married to my niece, Miss Garnet Winterberry."
"Are you, Mr. Budge?" Sera exchanged a fascinated glance with Elsie. It was difficult to imagine the solemn and sensible tutor in love with anyone, let alone entering into anything as daring and romantic as a mixed marriage.
"I have that honor," said Mr. Budge, turning slightly pink.
"Fortunately," went on Mr. Owlfeather, "young Mr. Braun bears a superficial resemblence to you, Miss Sera, which lends credibility to the roles you will be assuming: those of brother and sister. Of course, his manners still lack polish (though much improved, my boy, marvelously improved!) and his speech is still just a little rough. But it is not at all uncommon for boys of his age to be somewhat less elegant than their female relations."
By this time, they had reached the harbor. The coach came to a halt, and everyone climbed out. The gentlemen stayed to attend to the baggage—hastily bought and even more hastily packed—while the girls walked ahead, out onto the windy boardwalks.
"Jed has changed, " Elsie said, when they had walked some little distance. "He truly does speak and behave in—in quite a respectable fashion."
Sera sniffed loudly. "There is nothing in that. Jed always could speak perfectly decently when he cared to make the effort. Didn't he and I take lessons together when we were small? But he was always one to hide his light under a bushel, lest the other boys and men who worked on the river get the idea that he was getting above himself. He has a great deal of natural modesty," she added, with a sigh. "Even now, I rather suspect he would get on much faster, if he weren't so mortally afraid of appearing presumptuous!"
She gave Elsie's hand a reassuring squeeze. "But we shall have sufficient opportunity to polish him up on shipboard. By the time we land in Nova Imbria, Jed will be a perfect gentleman. And then we shall see . . . what we shall see."
"Miss Vorder, a word with you, if I may," said Mr. Budge, catching up with Sera, just as she and Elsie and Jed were about to ascend the narrow gangplank to the big merchant vessel which would take them across the sea. "We have not had the opportunity to speak alone since Lord Skelbrooke took leave of us, and I feel there are many things which I ought to tell you."
"Yes," said Sera, a little nervously, as she allowed him to lead her aside from the others, past bales, and boxes and trunks, and along the pier. "Perhaps you might begin by telling me whether—whether you think it likely that Lord Skelbrooke will be able to keep his promise. We are going so dreadfully far away, you know, and we shall be covering our tracks as we go—so that even Mr. Owlfeather will not know exactly where we are or where we are heading—it hardly seems possible that Lord Skelbrooke will be able to find us and receive an answer to the question he asked me."
"Nevertheless," said Mr. Budge, "I am persuaded that he shall. He is a man of great resource and determination, and obstacles are as nothing to him. And that is precisely why I think it necessary for me to inform you of . . . certain unfortunate traits in Lord Skelbrooke's character."
He shook his head sadly. "You are, perhaps, already aware of a number of these—among them, his regrettable tendency to be unnecessarily secretive, as when he failed to confide in Mr. Owlfeather or any of his friends before his disappearance. Had he told any one of them what he had guessed concerning Jarl Skogsrå, then Mr. Owlfeather would have sent word to me, and your cousin should not have suffered so very narrow an escape." The tutor heaved a sigh. "But it is all of a piece with his usual behavior, and I should tell you that, though the Glassmakers do employ him as a kind of an agent, his methods are sometimes so ruthless as to cause considerable consternation among them."
"Yes," said Sera, standing there above the bright water, with the wind blowing her skirts around her and fluttering the ribbons on her hat. "I have seen Lord Skelbrooke when he was very cold and very ruthless. But do you mean to tell me, Mr. Budge, that these defects of character are irreparable?"
"By no means," said Mr. Budge. "There is also much goodness, much generosity, decency, and compassion in Francis Skelbrooke. I do not consider, him a wicked man, so much as a man . . . divided in his nature. And I have some hope that the love of a good woman, such as yourself, might do much to heal that division."
Sera felt an odd lightening of her spirits. "Mr.
Budge, I thank you. I believe that you have done me a great service, and Lord Skelbrooke as well."
Budge inclined his head solemnly. "I shall rest easier for knowing that. Farewell, Miss Vorder, and a safe voyage. I hope that we may meet again, and under happier circumstances."
Sera took leave of Master Ule and Mr. Owlfeather, and climbed the gangplank to the ship. She discovered Elsie and Jed standing at the rail, gazing out across the blue water, into the unknown distances into which they would be sailing.
Elsie slipped her hand into Sera's. "How very strange it seems. Only a few days ago, we thought we knew everything that would happen to us for the rest of our lives, and now here we are, quite unexpectedly, sailing to the New World. It seems I ought to be frightened, but instead . . . I feel rather brave and adventurous."
It was very curious, thought Sera, but she felt exactly the same. The future she saw before her was nothing at all like the life she had imagined for herself, the safe, and sober, and sensible existence; her grandfather was dead (she had not yet been given the time to mourn for him but she knew that the tears would come); she did not think that she would ever see Thornburg again—yet here were Elsie and Jedidiah beside her; Francis Skelbrooke would be following in his own good time; and a new life in a new land beckoned.
"Indeed," said Sera, with a toss of her head. "I am perfectly convinced we are about to embark on a grand adventure!"