Nessy's Locket

by A. W. Exley

  “You look beautiful,” Nan whispered as she kissed Cara’s cheek. “You never were a child to do what was expected, and I shouldn’t be surprised that your wedding comes long after you married.”

  “And only days before the child is due.” Nessy raised her eyebrows at Cara’s middle. “I swear you are bigger than you were last night.”

  “Perhaps I’m gestating a dragon. They seem to grow while you stare at them.” She meant it as a jest, but her mind whirled with all the different types of dragons in the world. From her three that demanded rubs, to the one contained in Paniha’s pendant, to the demon that froze the Thames and killed so many Londoners.

  “Is that possible?” Rachel looked from one adult to another, waiting for a reply.

  “Let’s hope not.” Cara managed to make her lips smile, but she had inadvertently voiced her worst nightmare. The one that pulled her from sleep in the middle of the night, when she woke gasping for breath with sweat between her shoulder blades. What if her time as a captive of the Curator affected the child, and his monstrous water demon grew inside her?

  The sunshine outside did much to chase away her fears. The other women bubbled over with excitement and it warmed Cara. Today was a day for love, family, and creating new memories.

  Their destination was the small church that resided in a neglected corner of the Lyons family estate. According to Nate, there hadn’t been a resident clergyman for over two hundred years. Apparently that long-ago man of God stormed off, unable to cope with the morally ambivalent Lyons clan, and declared they were all in league with the devil.

  It was still used for the three main events in the family’s lives: hatched, matched, and dispatched. A preacher travelled out from Lowestoft town to oversee christenings, marriages, and funerals. A sufficiently large donation to his church overcame his misgivings about the antics of the godless Lyons family.

  The building had an air of dishevelled neglect. Moss clung to the stone and softened its hard, grey surface. Wildflowers in full bloom grew around the base. A pair of swallows had nested in the bell tower and they swooped and dived, trying to drive away the assembled people but only succeeding in delighting them.

  Nan and Nessy went inside, leaving Cara and Amy alone in the carriage as their friends and family walked under the archway. Rachel waited next to Jackson by the door. The henchman had agreed to give Cara away because someone had to, and he wanted to make sure she was off his hands.

  Three dragons sat on the lawn, basking in the sunlight. Pavlin was between the other two. Her healing progressed and Amy had recently removed the steel rod from her wing. She was allowed small hops, such as flying from barn to church. Cara was optimistic that the dragon would recover from her broken wing, although she might never be able to undertake long or arduous journeys again.

  “Shall we become old married women?” Cara asked her childhood friend.

  Amy smiled. “I do think the time has come for us to grow up.”

  “What? Speak for yourself. I have no intention of growing up just because I get married,” Cara laughed.

  The two women walked arm-in-arm towards Jackson. Rachel held a basket containing rose petals, the handle pinched between the metal fingers on her prosthetic arm.

  Jackson’s mouth opened and shut as he impersonated a goldfish.

  Amy stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Everything all right, Jack?”

  “You are so beautiful you steal my breath,” he whispered.

  Cara resisted the urge to snort. She coughed instead. “I am the bride, you know.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You look like a prize heifer about to drop a calf.”

  “I think that is the nicest thing you have ever said to me.” Cara dabbed an imaginary handkerchief at pretend tears.

  Rachel entered the church first, strewing rose petals as she went. As matron of honour, Amy followed with slow, measured steps.

  Jackson held out his arm to Cara. “Let’s do this, shall we, doll face?”

  Cara slipped her hand through his arm, glad of his solid presence beside her. Despite her protests that the ceremony wasn’t needed, a slight tremble took hold of her limbs. The slight echo to her heartbeat told her Nate was close and every footstep drew her nearer to him.

  Cool air washed over her as they stepped inside the church. Nan and Nessy had draped the pews with wreaths of sweetly fragrant yellow roses and dark green foliage. Friends and family had travelled from London to watch. Clarence and Brick sat near the front, resplendent in three-piece suits of warm caramel tones. Brick in tweed, Clarence in silk.

  As she walked, Malachi blew her a kiss with an enormous grin in his face. Liam had travelled from the Rookery and brought a group of women who helped out in the school, along with a gaggle of Rachel’s friends.

  And there at the nave was the man who stole her breath. Nate was dressed in his customary black. The jacket cut to the waist at the front and dropped to evening tails in the back. A creamy cravat that matched her dress was tucked into a cream silk waistcoat, and a diamond stick pin sparkled from among the folds.

  Cara only had eyes for him.

  He was her world and the pulse that thrummed through her body.

  A clergyman with a bright red face and sweaty brow stood next to Nate. In his hands he clutched a small book. Cara wondered if the nervous glances at Nate meant the priest checked the viscount for signs of smoke and combustion from being in a house of God.

  They reached the front of the church and stopped. For once in his life, Nate dropped his poker face and grinned widely. He mouthed I love you as Jackson gave her hand to him.

  Cara squeezed Nate’s hand and then turned to Jackson. “One thing before you go, Jackson.”

  The henchman paused with suspicion written all over his face.

  Cara reached out for Amy. She took her friend’s hand and then placed it in Jackson’s rough and calloused one. Then she winked. “You two will be joining us for the ceremony.”

  Cara moved back to stand at Nate’s side while the frown on Jackson’s face got deeper.

  “What?” It appeared his brain had frozen as he simply stared at Amy and blinked.

  “We’re getting married. This is a double wedding.” Amy glowed with happiness.

  His eyes narrowed before widening with surprise. “We are? I mean, you’ll have me?”

  “Of course I’ll have you. You’ve not changed your mind, have you?” A moment of concern flashed across Amy’s face.

  “Not bloody likely.” Jackson waved to the clergyman and tightened his grip on Amy’s hand. “Get on with it, man, before she comes to her senses and tries to run off.”

  Cara remembered little of the service. Nate was her sole focus as his hand warmed hers. The steady pulse through her body of their entwined hearts was joined for the first time ever by the soft flutter of their child. Love surrounded and flowed through her. Not just for the man beside her, but for the entire family they had gathered around them.

  While she knew they were married, it had never seemed real until this moment. She said her vows, only omitting the word obey, because the entire congregation knew that was never going to happen.

  At the end of the ceremony, Nate cleared his throat. “We’re not done yet. There is a very important exchange still missing.”

  Nate knelt before Rachel and pulled a necklace from his pocket. The end was a silver dragon, fashioned to resemble Pavlin. He held out the necklace to the girl. “Rachel, would you accept this necklace and officially be our daughter? We promise to love and protect you for as long as we shall live.”

  The girl’s eyes were as round as saucers as she looked from Nate to Cara. Then in a raspy voice she said, “Yes.”

  Nate placed the necklace around her neck and then kissed her cheek. Rachel flung her arms around Nate and hugged him fiercely. Cara leaned down as far as she could to hug her daughter and kiss her cheek. Then they walked down the aisle as a family, the three of them soon to be four.

  Nan and Nessy b
oth had tears in their eyes. Malachi appeared at Nessy’s side and handed her a clean handkerchief. He winked at Cara and then offered Nessy a supportive arm.

  Outside, the two couples stood on the steps as friends and family gathered around. The dragons rose up on their hind legs. Calypso and Kirill back-winged, and the wind surge they created picked up rose petals from the ground and rained them down from above.

  Nan threw rice at Nate and Cara. Then with her old friend in mischief, who had briefly let go of Malachi, the two older ladies threw rice a lot harder at Amy and Jackson.

  Carriages and conveyances lined up to take people back to the main house for the celebrations. The courtyard was laid out with tables covered in bright yellow tablecloths. An eclectic assortment of chairs and benches were lined up around the tables. Vases full of wildflowers released a subtle fragrance over the guests.

  An enormous pile of wood was destined to become a bonfire once the sun dipped below the horizon. The celebration was informal, and Nate’s men dragged out what musical instruments they could play and had people clapping and laughing.

  The food was plentiful, as was the wine for everyone except Cara, who stuck to boiled water with lemon. Or, if she was particularly daring, a slice of cucumber.

  Nate and Jackson both took their wives’ hands for the first dance. Cara was grateful that the men played a slow waltz, as she wasn’t up to moving fast any more. For the second dance, Nate and Jackson changed partners, and Amy was whirled away by the viscount.

  “Was that your idea, to ambush me at the altar?” Jackson asked as they danced.

  “Absolutely.” Cara wouldn’t apologise. Amy was deliriously happy, and whatever doubts Cara once had, Jackson was good for her.

  “Thank you,” he muttered.

  “Pardon? I don’t think I quite heard that.” Cara feigned deafness and leaned a little closer.

  “You did so and I don’t chew my cabbage twice. I know you think we’re an odd couple, but I’d do anything for Amy—even lay down my life for her. I’ll never forget Angelique and Sarah. They’ll always be in my heart. But Amy is my second chance to be happy, and I won’t waste it. I’ll always be grateful that you threw us together.”

  Cara choked back tears. Once, she had seen the achingly painful reminder of Jackson’s lost family. She was glad Amy had brought sunshine into his life. For all his gruff exterior, he was just like an onion. If you peeled back enough layers, you’d find the sweet centre.

  “Just promise to take care of her,” she said.

  The henchman nodded as he turned them in a slow spin.

  Cara pondered the path her life had taken. “So much has changed since you broke into my father’s house and I had to shoot you. It’s hard to believe that was only last year. To think I once couldn’t stand anyone to touch me, and now I have an urge to hug everyone.”

  Jackson’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. He held Cara farther away from him. “If I have a choice, I’d rather you shot me.”

  Cara laughed as she was reclaimed by her husband. She’d get a hug from Jackson before the night was over.

  21

  A week after the wedding, Cara was in the barn with Rachel, rubbing liniment into Pavlin’s itchy scars. Nate was out in the courtyard with a prototype vehicle they were testing. Larger than the Armadillo, it had a sleeker appearance and was supposedly faster. It would be ideal for travelling around England, if only they could keep it stable. The thing had a tendency to veer off course and smash into trees.

  A rider came hurtling across the lawn, sods of earth thrown up by the horse’s hooves. The animal skidded to a stop and its rider leapt to the ground.

  “Huge airship headed this way, looks like the Alexandrina,” he gasped as he caught his breath.

  Cara handed the pot of liniment to Rachel and walked out into the sunshine to stand next to Nate.

  “The HMS Alexandrina?” Cara asked. That was the queen’s personal airship, the one she used for jaunts around England. The HMS Brittannia was the enormous, long-range craft used by the royal family for travelling to Europe and beyond.

  The rider nodded.

  “It would appear we are going to have company. Put the vehicle back in the shed and tidy away our more personal projects.” Nate issued orders to his men.

  Cara bit back a smile. If the queen expected to ferret out his secrets, she would need to make a less obvious entrance.

  Men rushed around the courtyard as mechanical marvels were hidden back in the large workshop. Two men grabbed brooms and swept out the courtyard. Cara considered changing clothes, but doubted she had sufficient time. She made do with washing her hands.

  “What’s taking them so long?” she asked Nate when half an hour had ticked by with no sight of the royal vessel.

  Nate sent a man up to the lookout turret. High above sat a man equipped with binoculars, who was tracking the airship’s movements.

  “They’ve stopped by the edge of the estate and don’t seem to be going any farther,” the man reported back.

  Nate looked to Cara and arched a black brow. “Almost makes one wonder if something were stopping the airship from entering our territory.”

  Cara chewed her bottom lip and glanced to the large rectangular stone by the barn. There was a worrying thought—had the foundation stone from the Great Wall halted the queen’s airship because she intended them harm?

  Cara shielded her eyes against the sun and stared at the top of the turret. The lookout was visible, the ends of the binoculars rimmed by fire as the light caught the metal. Then he waved an arm and made a series of hand signals.

  “Ship’s on the move,” Nate interpreted.

  They didn’t have long to wait. The airship appeared in the distance, skimming the tree line. Kirill and Calypso flew up to greet the unknown visitors. Kirill coughed smoke balls at the vessel as the dragons wove back and forth across her bow.

  The Alexandrina cast a large shadow over the lawn as it dropped lower. Unlike smaller craft that would kiss the earth, the bigger ship was constructed to be moored to a tower. As it hovered above, an ornate brass cage was lowered from underneath, like an elevator heading down. The airship crew played out enough line so that the cage touched the ground and the cable went slack; it wouldn’t be jerked around by the ship’s movement on air currents as the passengers disembarked.

  The queen walked at the front of a small group. Only two ladies accompanied her, three courtiers, and four of her bodyguards. Her eagle eyes were narrowed and her thin lips pinched when the royal group stopped before Nate and Cara.

  “We were bringing Mr Charles Darwin’s assistant to study the dragons, yet for some reason he could not cross onto your land. It created a most unpleasant scene as the man slid along the deck and was almost flung off the stern of our ship. We had to set him down and leave him standing by the road,” the queen said.

  Cara swallowed a laugh. At least now they had confirmation that the protection barrier worked on airships.

  “A most unfortunate incident, Your Majesty. I will send my men to see to Mr Darwin’s assistant.” Nate waved a hand at Jackson and then gestured back to the edge of the estate.

  The henchman nodded and shoulder tapped two more men to join him.

  Cara was torn. She wanted to go with them and interrogate the man who was stopped by the stone from crossing their boundary. Did he have harmful intent towards her dragons or someone in the family? Yet she couldn’t walk out on the queen and would have to hold her curiosity until the surprise royal visit was done.

  The queen huffed and clasped her hands together. “We have come to inspect our dragons.”

  “Pavlin, who was injured by bounty hunters, is in the barn, ma’am. The other two can be asked to land, once they have finished inspecting your airship.” Cara glanced up at Kirill and Calypso, still circling the Alexandrina. She hoped they didn’t snag their claws in the air bladder. The queen would be most unamused if her airship crashed to the ground.

  “We will begin our inspe
ction with the injured creature. How does its healing progress?” The queen gestured for Cara to walk next to her.

  “The shredded membrane has healed, as has the broken bone, although she experiences some difficulty in flexing and extending the joint. That has, in turn, impacted her ability to fly. We are hoping that with careful exercise, over time she will regain most of her flexibility.” In truth, it tore Cara apart to see how Pavlin struggled to keep up with the other two. But she did improve each week, and they held hope for her recovery.

  The queen stopped at the entrance to the barn. Two of her bodyguards went in first, rifles extended as though they intended to flush out enemies. They stopped several feet inside and adopted an at-ease pose, which served as a signal to the queen.

  The royal personage walked into the shady barn. Pavlin sat within, her wings tucked against her side, and curled up beside her was Rachel, who read from a book. Pavlin’s head rested over the top of the child’s as though the dragon read from the book as well.

  The queen stared at the scene but directed a question to Cara. “You allow a child so close to the creature?”

  Cara walked to Pavlin and held out a hand to Rachel. The girl stood and placed a bookmark on her page before closing the book. She dropped a curtsey.

  “Your Majesty, may I present our daughter, Rachel. The dragons are no danger to us, ma’am, so long as we do not present a danger to them.” Cara rested her hands on Rachel’s shoulders.

  The queen made a noise in that back of her throat that sounded like disbelief. Her sharp gaze fell on Rachel. “Why do you read to the dragon?”

  Cara answered for her daughter. “It has been crucial to keep Pavlin on the ground and quiet while her wing heals. She lives in the barn now, and we need to limit her time flying until she is stronger. Rachel discovered that dragons enjoy listening to stories, and reading to Pavlin keeps her quiet.”

  The queen took a second look at the literate dragon. “How curious. And what, young lady, does the dragon enjoy today?”

  “We are reading Persuasion by Jane Austen, Your Majesty,” Rachel said.