London Calling

by Sorcha Mowbray

  “I assume I return the way I came in?”

  “Yes.” George wheeled himself to the door, unlocked the multiple locks, then touched a button to open door. By Nathaniel’s estimations, the trigger was likely the only thing that enabled George to manage the heavy door. “Any of the guards can show you the way if you if you get turned around though.”

  “Very good.” Nathaniel tipped his head. “Good day.”

  “Good day to you, sir.”

  Nathaniel retraced his steps back to the lounge. As soon as he crossed the threshold, someone called out his name. He scanned the room for the source. An older gentlemen sitting near the fireplace caught his eye. Without saying a word, the gentleman invited him over.

  “I understand you’re one of Glastone’s men,” the man said when Nathaniel approached.

  Something about the man’s presence commanded his attention. “Yes, sir, I am.”

  The man gestured to the chair across from him. “Your name?”

  “Dennison, sir. Nathaniel Dennison.” He extended his hand to the man.

  The man shook, but didn’t release him immediately. He squinted up at him. “One of James Dennison’s boys?”

  “The youngest.”

  “Ah.” He released his hold on Nathaniel’s hand. “Your older brother now holds the title, correct.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “How is he handling it?”

  Nathaniel shrugged as he took his seat. “William was born into the role. Father had ample time to prepare him before he passed, so I believe he will do well.”

  The man grunted his agreement.

  “Forgive me, sir, but you are?” Nathaniel raised his brow in question.

  “Richardson. Colonel Richardson.”

  Nathaniel barely restrained the impulse to snap to attention.

  “I assume you’ve heard of me, then?” the older man said with a lift of his brow.

  “Yes, sir, I have. Your efforts in the Sardinian coup are still whispered about with a touch of awe.”

  The Colonel snorted. “Likely an exaggeration.”

  Nathaniel shrugged. “Even so, I’m pleased to finally meet you.”

  “I’ve been hearing positive things about you, Mr. Dennison. What brings you to our neighborhood?”

  “I’m following a lead related to the Mastermind.”

  “Did they finally put you on that case?”

  “All of us work it when we can. But I am intrigued by the many unknowns.”

  “And it led you to Edinburgh?”

  “Not directly, no. I came to see what information your investigators had on what I believe to be peripheral cases.”

  “And what did you find?”

  Nathaniel smiled. “More cases to review.”

  “Seems to be the way of it, doesn’t it? Dammed frustrating. Whoever this mastermind is has a knack for sending us in circles. Every time we get close, the trail goes cold.”

  “We’ll find him.”

  “Yes, but will we all be cold in our grave by then?”

  “I for one, hope not,” Nathaniel said sincerely.

  “Well perhaps you will have more luck than the rest of us, young man.”

  “I don’t believe in luck, sir.”

  A man approached and whispered in the Colonel’s ear. The Colonel nodded then looked at Nathaniel. “I’m sorry to cut this short but there is something I must attend to.”

  Nathaniel got to his feet when the Colonel did. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Dennison. Henry can show you the way out if you’ve finished your business here.”

  “I have.” He shook the Colonel’s hand. “Thank you, sir.”

  “Give Glastone my regards.”

  “I shall.” He watched the man who, if you believed the stories, single-handedly saved the crown twice by intercepting and decoding assassination attempts and returning false information to the enemy. Perhaps one day his service would be as equally valuable.

  In the meantime, he had a lunch date to keep.

  11

  Trixie slammed the book she had been reading closed with a little more force than she’d intended. Why was it taking Nathaniel so long? Had he been arrested for going someplace he shouldn’t have? He acted as if he would be allowed to enter the local intelligence office. What if he had been wrong?

  She wasn’t certain how much time had passed since he left but it had to have been several hours. After all, she’d explored five different boutiques, a bookstore, and now she’d consumed most of a pot of tea. Even the lure of her new book couldn’t distract her from worrying about Nathaniel and whether something had happened to him.

  She absently drummed her finger on the table as she stared out the window. What were her options for action?

  Naturally, she could choose to wait indefinitely for him. Waiting only made her anxious. She could give up, return to her airship, and forget the entire plan. Her stomach turned just thinking about leaving Nathaniel without knowing what happened to him much less if he had found anything about father or Peter’s disappearance. She could march up to the door of the building Nathaniel had described and demand to be let in. She grimaced. That would only call attention to herself and invite trouble.

  “Have you been waiting long?”

  Trixie startled at the question. She quelled her impulse to launch herself into Nathaniel’s arms and demand he never leave her behind like that again. . “Of course not.” With a heavy dose of false calm, she gestured to the empty seat across from her. “Tea?”

  “Please. And biscuits too, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.” She signaled for the waitress. As soon as the young lady left to fill their request, she asked him, “Did you learn anything?”

  “Afraid not.”

  She blinked, uncomprehending. Surely he jested. “Well—”

  “How was your shopping?”

  “Boring, actually.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  She started to question him more but her cut her off.

  “Did you try the bookseller on the corner?”

  “Of course. It was the most interesting place on the block.”

  “Is that a new book then?” He pointed to the one she had left on the table.

  “Yes, it is. Are you sure you didn’t learn anything?”

  “Quite. What is your new book about?” His abrupt dismissal of her question made her grit her teeth.

  “It’s a novel about an inspector and his colleague who are hunting for a missing mummy. If you didn’t learn anything then what took you so long?”

  “Just chatting with some of the men in the club.” He pointed to her book. “It looks as if you’ve started reading it. Do you like the book so far?”

  She narrowed her gaze at him. Why was he acting so strange? Perhaps he didn’t want to share what he found out. “No, actually, I’m not enjoying the book. I’ve been quite disappointed in the inspector. He’s been behaving quite oddly.”

  “That’s a shame. Perhaps it will be better later on. You shouldn’t give up on a book after only a few chapters.”

  “Hmmm.” She stared at him and tried to figure out what was going on in his head.

  The waitress returned with the things they had requested. As soon as she left again, Nathaniel began a long diatribe about the benefits of tea on the body. Despite consuming several biscuits and two cups of tea, he somehow managed to keep up his monologue and effectively blocked her every time she started to ask a question.

  Had they been in a less public place she would have given him an earful. Instead, she forced a smile and silently prayed he would choke on a bite so she could get a word in.

  He paid for their food and once again offered her his arm. She debated refusing it but finally relented. When they reached the end of the block he leaned closer. “We’re being watched. Ask no questions about your father. I’ll share what I learned when we return to the ship.”

  She stiffened her spine. They were being watched? By whom?
>
  She assumed the role of chatty companion and told him in excruciating detail every one of the scarves she found in the boutiques until Nathaniel hailed a hackney for their return to port. He handed her up into the carriage then waited for a sign from him that it was safe.

  Once they set off he took her hand into his and began to draw on her palm with his finger. It took a moment but she quickly realized he was drawing letters trying to tell her something.

  N-O-T-S-A-F-E.

  She nodded she understood and remained silent for the rest of their ride.

  They exited the carriage in a new part of town instead of the port.

  “Come, dear.” Nathaniel held his hand out to help her down. “Perhaps we’ll be able to find that scarf you wanted here.”

  Playing along with his charade, she batted her eyes at him. “But I thought you said I’d spent my allowance already?”

  “Consider it my way of making up to you after leaving you alone for so long while I chatted with my friends.”

  She took his arm. “I’m afraid it may take more than a scarf to accomplish that, dear.”

  “Now, now.”

  In her ear he whispered, “We’ll duck into a shop a try to find a way out the back.”

  She nodded once to let him know she’d heard. He led her into one of the larger shops and paid one of the workers to show them another way out.

  When they stepped into the back alley, he pulled her quickly to the end, then around the corner and into another shop. There he pulled her into a darkened corner and gestured for her to riffle through whatever was on the table. Finally he tugged on her elbow and urged her to leave. They went the other direction on the street and boarded a hackney they found waiting at the corner. This one he directed to the port.

  “I believe we lost them but I won’t know for certain until we reach the port,” he told her in a low tone.

  “Who was following us?”

  “I’m not certain.” He took her hand in his. “How long will it take you to ready the ship to leave?”

  “Not long. I left an order to have fuel delivered to the dock. It should be waiting when we return. It would only be a matter of getting permission and a departure time from the port master. My size ship usually doesn’t take long.”

  He nodded. “Try to secure one for as quickly as possible.”

  “To return to London?”

  “Must you declare your return location for departure?”

  “Yes.” She shrugged. “But I can always correct my records in London to show what I want.”

  “Good. I am not sure I want to return directly to London with this.” He pulled a book from his coat pocket and handed it to her.

  She gasped. “You found Father’s journal.”

  12

  Trixie traced the edge of the outline of the metal heart that enclosed the lock mechanism with the tip of her finger. “I never expected to see Father’s journal again.” Tears had pooled in her eyes when she looked up. “Where did you find it?”

  “In the records room.” He pulled the mechanical mouse from his pocket and let it run from his palm to hers. “Actually, your little friend is the one that found it.”

  She touched the metal mouse on the nose. “How do you suppose Father’s journal come to be in the records room?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know.” He peered out the window of the carriage. “I’m afraid I have more questions than answers in this and I don’t like it very much.”

  “You’ll work it out.” She squeezed his hand.

  He looked at her. “It is good being with you again, Trixie.”

  She put her free hand on his forearm. “You, too.”

  For a moment he considered kissing her. In the privacy of the carriage, no would even notice. But if he did, he might not want to stop and right now he needed all of his wits to keep them safe. Whoever had been following them was likely not a friend to them. He wasn’t about to risk Trixie’s safety just to satisfy his craving.

  Instead he changed the subject. “I presume you can land your airship in just about any open field.”

  “I can. Why?”

  “I know someplace we can go instead of London.”

  “Where?”

  “A friend of mine owns an estate not far from here. He would be in a position to help if trouble did follow.”

  “Will you be putting others in danger, do you think?”

  “I won’t know until we set off.” He shrugged. “Even if we are followed, Carrick won’t mind. He’s always spoiling for a good fight.”

  “I see.”

  The hackney stopped near the port entrance. Nathaniel scanned the area for threats as he paid the driver. When he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary he helped Trixie step down.

  As they entered the still-bustling port she asked in a low tone, “What do you want me to do?”

  “Just act as you normally would. Get whatever permissions you need to from the port, but avoid saying more than you have to. Once we’re in the air I’ll direct you.”

  She tipped her head in acknowledgement.

  They hurried to her ship. He carried the fuel that had been delivered aboard. Once everything had been safely stored she ran to get permission to depart. He hated letting her leave his sight for even a moment, but hovering over her would be abnormal. Besides, he didn’t want to risk anyone sneaking board the ship while they were away.

  Trixie’s mechanical creatures scampered about the deck as he checked the lines the way she had shown him. He kept one eye on the port building and didn’t relax until he spotted Trixie again.

  “Everything all right?” she asked when she stepped onto the deck of the ship.

  “It is now. Did they say when we could depart?”

  “Yes. We have permission to leave as soon as we’re ready.”

  “That seems rather easy.”

  “My ship moves quickly and doesn’t need port assistance. Their only requirement is that we depart well before the Endeavor at quarter past three.”

  “Shall we set off then?”

  “Yes. Let me make one last check of the lines.”

  She danced from one line to the other, pulling and tugging on the ropes and retying knots where needed. Finally she returned and declared, “All right, let’s be off.”

  He smiled down at her. “What can I do to help?”

  “Same as before. Watch the tail as we exit and let me know if we veer too close to anything.”

  “I can do that.” He opened the windows facing the rear of the ship so she could hear him yell from the deck.

  “What direction should I take?” she asked.

  “Head for London until I tell you otherwise.”

  “All right.”

  Like their London departure, she maneuvered the craft without incident. As soon as they cleared the port he returned to the cabin. From there he alternated watching the sky behind them yet and the landmarks below.

  Trixie had spread a map across the desk next to the captain’s post. Her mechanicals kept it in place.

  “This is Carrick’s land.” He circled a spot on the map with his finger. “There’s a large open field west of the carriage house where you should be able to land. If that won’t work, the one to the south is another option. We would just have a longer hike to the main house.”

  “As long as the area is reasonably flat with no trees to snag the lines or puncture the body we will be fine.”

  “Can you land in the dark?”

  “It’s not my preference but if I have to, yes.”

  “We should make it well before dusk, but I wanted to make sure you’d be comfortable just in case.”

  They rode in silence for several moments before she said, “Thank you for bringing me Father’s journal.”

  “You’re welcome.” He glanced her way. “I’m just sorry you won’t be able to read it.”

  She frowned in confusion. “Why can’t I?”

  “Based on the scratches around the lock me
chanism I’m guessing one of the RIO investigators tried to break open the lock and failed. More than once. Not to be rude, but if they couldn’t break the lock I doubt you will be successful either.”

  “I don’t need to break the lock. I have the key.”

  It was his turn to be surprised. “Oh. Well, good. Then I hope it brings back many happy memories of your family.”

  “Oh, it’s not a journal like you would think. Father recorded his experiments and calculations in this.”

  “You mean for his inventions and things?”

  “Yes.”

  Another piece fell into place in Nathaniel’s mind. “Wouldn’t your father have kept something like that hidden away?”

  “Only for formal occasions or when Mother insisted. Normally, he kept it with him at all times.”

  “You said you thought he had it with him when his ship crashed, correct?”

  “Yes, he would have. That’s why I’m curious how someone here obtained it.”

  “Me too,” he muttered. “May I inspect the book while you are busy?”

  “Of course.” She handed him the book.

  He inspected the outer casing. It was made of some type of metal. He tipped it toward the sunlight. It was far too sturdy to be tarnished silver as he originally thought. The material was surprisingly lightweight yet durable. There were multiple cogs and wheels layered across the cover within a heart shaped base. Scorch marks indicated the book had been exposed to high heat and, as he’d already pointed out, scratches around the hinges and lock mechanism hinted someone had tried to force their way in. Yet all of the pieces remained intact.

  Like the woman flying the Valkyrie and the creatures running about the desk, the book was a marvel.

  13

  Nathaniel pointed out a field not far from a manor house. A dense treed area surrounded the property with large open fields on either side. Even from their height she could tell the estate was an older one. The largest building resembled a fortress. It reminded her of the ruins of a Norman castle she’d seen on holiday.

  “Your friend lives here?” she asked.

  “Most of the year. He does keep a house in London for the times he needs to conduct business or social obligations. But he prefers the country.”

  “What if he’s not in residence?”

  “Then Gerard will make us welcome in his stead.”