Fianna Kelly Versus the Jeebees: A Collection of Steampunk Stories (13 page)

I
had one trick left; something he hadn't taught me. I walked by him as if to sit
down next to him, but instead sat down on his lap. I stared into his eyes for a
few seconds, leaned close, and kissed him. He hadn't time to protest as I
pushed the slice of carrot I had been hiding in my cheek past his lips with my
tongue.

"Which
lesson was 'All is fair in love and war?'," I asked. "I don't expect
that to work again, so don't expect another kiss anytime soon." I sashayed
to my stateroom in triumph leaving him to decide whether to swallow the carrot
or spit it out.

It
was only a few hours until we saw land. We had been so close the whole time,
but had no way to get there on our own. The pilots were busy keeping in line
with the larger airship, and there was little to see from my room. The pirate
ship filled my windows as we were so close to it.

I
had bought a few things to read while waiting at the aerodrome in Dublin and
just remembered I had them. I read all of them now. I felt the ship settle to
the ground with a slight bump. I looked out and saw the pirate ship as it spun
around and headed back towards the sea.

Gerald
said he had business to attend to in town. We hadn't landed where we set out
for and he needed to make arrangements for land travel. I hoped he would also
find someone to replace the engine on my airship so we could take it home when
we finished here. He returned shortly.

He
said, "The people in this village don't like us?"

I
asked, "Why not? What could we have done to them? We just arrived."

"They
knew we were towed here by a pirate ship even though it flew an American flag.
That type of airship must be unique. The consensus is that we are friends of
pirates and not their friends."

I
said, "The master of persuasive techniques was unable to convince them of
the truth?"

"I
don't think they were interested in listening and I didn't have a pot of stew
ready."

I
said, "Was that meant to be a joke? I don't find it funny. If not for me
and my grandmother's stew recipe, you'd be swimming for shore now."

Gerald
assigned the pilots guard duty lest the people became violent. I went to the
galley to check what I had left in the cupboards to eat, crawled into my bed
with an orange, and cried myself to sleep. It had been a miserable day; too
many things had gone wrong. I was emotionally drained and still stuck on an
airship that wasn't going anywhere.

I
woke up to the sound of someone knocking on my door. My first real thought was
something else had gone wrong. I closed the partition doors, smoothed out my
dress, and took out my pistol before opening my door. Gerald was standing there
and he looked happy. He had come to tell me that Eric had heard of us landing
in the wrong port and was sending transportation to bring us to the exhibition.

"What
about my airship? I will not leave it for these people. Who knows what they
will do to it without us here to defend her."

"The
local people respect your friend and have changed their minds about us. You do
remember the lesson about the power of respect, don't you?"

I
gave him an irritated glance. "To be sure I remember. 'Tis not so long ago
you taught me that."

"I
believe it will be safe while a new engine is installed; then the aviators can
bring it to us. They are remaining here to oversee the work."

"Who
was watching the last time someone worked on it?"

"I'd
rather not discuss that now. Mistakes were made and lessons were learned and we
arrived safely after all."

I
didn't get to see much of the town when we arrived yesterday, so I had the men
unhook Bradan so we could wander about it. Our transportation was not due to
arrive for a while but Gerald made me promise not to go far. I just wanted to
get a close look at a windmill. I had read about them when I was a small girl.
The book only had a few drawings and I hadn't realised they were so tall. I
would have loved to see the inside of one, but no-one was inviting us in. I
hoped there was one near the exhibition that was open to visitors.

While
the villagers were not hostile, they didn't seem very friendly either; except
the children. They were curious about Bradan and he loved the attention. We
became the head of a small parade as I checked the shoppes looking for souvenirs.
As usual, Bradan had his arms full of packages by the time we left the parade
behind us and returned to my airship.

I
don't think the men were pleased with me, but I didn't care. There was a
carriage and a wagon waiting next to my ship. I ignored them and opened the
cargo door. Gerald tried, without success, to get me to hurry while I found
places to stow my new purchases. In exchange, I gave Bradan my luggage to load
onto the carriage. I had a plethora of places in my suite to unpack my clothes,
but not enough time. I guessed that was good seeing as I was leaving in a hurry
again.

It
was a short ride from The Hague to Amsterdam. It was nice to know where I was
and where I was headed today. Given a choice, I would rather have ridden with
Bradan in the wagon. That was not permitted. I was facing the wrong way in a
covered carriage and had no knowledge of the ruts and stones in the road until
the wheels ran over them. It was quiet though. Horses made less noise than
steam engines did.

I
don't know what I was expecting to see, but the countryside looked just like
home... except with windmills. I would have thought a foreign country would
look more foreign. I watched out the tiny window to see what we had just passed
by. It was such a short time in my airship, but I had gotten spoiled by the
view from my room.

The
carriage stopped in front of a castle. One man ran inside it while the other
opened the door for us.

The
castle had all the expected parts: towers, spires, and arches. The main
entrance and windows were all sized for a single person instead of an army
though. As one would expect for a country that is mostly below sea level, the
castle looked like it was built in the middle of a pond; the bricks going
directly into the water without any land visible beneath them. I leaned over
the railing on the bridge and looked at the clear blue water. I could see some
fish darting in and out of the shadows below me.

The
man returned shortly with Eric a few steps behind. It was so nice to see a
friendly face. I forgot about everything else as I hugged him. "It's so
very nice to see you again!"

"Yes,
I am pleased to see you as well."

The
two men had gotten back on the carriage and were leaving without saying a word.
Eric noticed my shocked look and said, "They are taking your things over
to the guest house."

I
asked him, "We aren't staying at a hotel in town?"

"Invited
guests staying in town? Don't even think of it. It's much nicer here; just ask
the others."

"Pardon
my manners, this is Gerald. He is my tutor."

Gerald
came over and instead of shaking hands as I expected, bowed before Eric.
"I am honoured to meet you, sir."

Eric
smiled and said, "There is no need to be formal in private."

I
looked at the two of them. "Have I made a mistake?" I curtsied.
"Is this the proper greeting?"

Eric
laughed. "While that may be the proper one, I much preferred your first
one. Do stand up and relax; both of you."

"You
didn't mention any titles when you were in London."

"Then
and now, I'd rather our relationship was of two people sharing common
interests. You only need to treat me differently when surrounded by people
doing the same."

"I
just remembered. My girlfriends wanted me to pass on their regards... in a
variety of intimate ways."

"Tell
them that if they wished to embarrass me again, that just did. Anyway, there
are few things I'd rather do than spend time hearing about your trip, but I
have duties that must be done before evening. You are both invited to dinner,
of course."

I
looked around, wondering where the carriage had gone. These clothes were
clearly not appropriate for dinner amongst royalty. As before, Eric sensed my
discomfort and said, "Follow the brick path to your left. It will take you
to and from the guest house which is nestled in the trees just out of sight."

Gerald
bowed to Eric again, but I hugged him and said quietly, "There are few
things I'd rather do now than tell you of all that has passed since we last
met."

The
men must not have figured how to get Bradan out of the wagon since he was
waiting in it. I would have to get one of Felix's convertible wagons stored on
my airship for occasions like this. Bradan and I were accustomed to the process
though and he had all three legs back on the ground shortly.

I
asked Gerald to see to our luggage while I talked with Bradan. I had noticed
several soldiers wandering about the castle and guest house. I explained to
Bradan that I would frequently be out of sight and he should stay on the brick
paths. Once he sensed any jeebees, he will warn Gerald or the soldiers, but be discreet
about it. We decided that the word 'INTRUDERS' was okay.

That
issue taken care of, I took a good look at the guest house. I could understand
why it was out of sight as it wasn't interesting to look at; just a two-story
stone box with a door and windows. Inside was just the opposite. It reminded me
of a hunting lodge with dark wood supports, chairs clustered around a large
hearth, and wide stairs leading up to the second level. Gerald had been busy
while I was outside and had dealt with our rooms.

We were
on the second floor; the last two rooms on the left. I had gotten accustomed to
a private commode in my travels, but that was not the case here. Luckily, the
communal comfort room was just outside my door as it had been a long day with
no stops until now. It also felt good to unpack and change clothes as I had
been in these for too long. Hopefully, there was someone or someplace to wash
them.

There
are few things like an unexpected formal dinner to make one learn to improvise.
It took over a dozen pins to bring my hair up above my neck. I had a white
blouse with ruffles down the front and at the cuffs. Over that, I wore my
lime-green ankle-length dress which had a stiff collar that will stand up or be
worn flat. I had a pair of slippers in the same colour. I chose a pair of
delicate and dangly earrings and then several colourful bracelets. As far as my
face, it was best without putting on anything that would be disturbed by
eating.

I
was relaxing in a chair, looking at a book of art that had been in the room,
when Gerald knocked on my door. He was dressed for the occasion as well;
starched shirt, vest, bow tie, and suit coat. His shoes were recently polished
and reflected the light like black marble.

"You
look very good," I said.

"Nowhere
near as good as you," he replied.

"Now
we've said what needed to be said, what do I need to know about dinner?"

"I
thought you knew that your friend was not just another guy with a rifle or I
would have better prepared you."

"I'm
listening..."

"While
he's not in line to be king, he is in the royal family. As you have seen, his
countrymen respect and trust him. The changing times have not favoured him and
he has arrangements with the military for use of the family castle and lands in
exchange for other considerations."

"I
had wondered about all the soldiers I've seen since we arrived here."

"So
have we. While the idea makes perfect sense, the way they've gone about it is
more convoluted and suspicious."

"Am
I supposed to use my new skills to inquire about those arrangements?"

"No,
you may do anything except that. Listen to what people say and how they say it.
Be attentive and they may say something interesting without knowing it. Once
they do that, gently guide the conversation around that subject. Don't be
direct, but flirt with it."

"Could
you provide an example?"

"Well...
This is a silly example, but it should suffice. Suppose a man says that he has
five red cannons. You should not ask about the cannons or why they need to be
red. Instead you ask if they are red like roses or robins? Flowers and birds
are harmless and he will likely answer truthfully. You could get all kinds of
useful facts that way."

"I
think I understand."

"That's
good. It is most important that you do not say anything about the jeebees and
if your involvement with them is mentioned in public, you should dismiss it
like it was nothing."

"'Tis
much easier to say than do."

"I
believe in you. You can do this... Since your friends believe I am an escort,
may I?" He held his arm out and I took his hand as if he had asked me to
dance. We walked side-by-side back up the brick path with Bradan following ten
paces behind as usual. I thought we were a sight not seen often, but it was
possible this path was used by many couples followed by their servants.

We
left Bradan at the door and were led through the castle into a massive room. As
far as I was concerned, there was a large table in the centre, but it was small
in comparison to the room it was in. It appeared as if we arrived late, seeing
as most of the chairs were occupied. I asked Gerald and he assured me that we
arrived precisely as he had planned, whenever that was.

I
was seated near the head of the table with Eric to my left and Mr. James
Anderson across from me. There were women on my side of the table and men on
the other side. Their names were unimportant to me now. I was almost speechless
with admiration. I had idolised Mr. Anderson for years. I wanted to say so many
things to him, but was afraid of his replies. I wanted to be his friend so
badly. Gerald was too far away to advise me on the best way to approach this.

I
did have an advantage. As long as I could control my enthusiasm, I could act
like a proper woman and wait for the man to talk first. This was so very
difficult. I wondered what I would do once he not deign to speak with me? Eric
solved this dilemma for me.

"Fianna,
this is Mr. James Anderson. Jim, this is Miss Fianna Kelly."

I
said, "I am most happy to finally meet you, sir." I was sure that I
was blushing.

He
looked at me for a moment before replying. "Young lady, most people are
happy to meet me. But few can say that I was happy to meet them... You are one
of those few. I am honestly glad to make your acquaintance, Ma'am."

I
was about to ask him why when Eric interrupted, "I am surprised that you
two haven't met before now."

I
said, "I don't travel much, this being my second trip outside
Ireland."

He
countered, "I travel quite a bit, but America is a big country and one can
go a long way without leaving it."

"I've
read of America. I'd love to visit someday."

"Let
me know when you do and I will clean up the country before you arrive."

Eric
said the meal consisted of exotic dishes from many countries. Jim entertained
us with a short tale of his adventures between each one. I was as close to
heaven as I could get while being alive. I was spellbound by this man and his
words.

After
dinner, Eric stood up and got the attention of everyone. "I'd like to
thank Jim for telling us his stories tonight... Fianna, now is the time to hear
of your adventure on the way to our table tonight. I believe it is a story
worth sharing."