Viridis - A Steampunk Romance (18 page)

“Yes. You see here.” She flipped forward several
more pages, and then looked up at him.

Seth, who hadn’t said much of anything up until now,
spoke. “Whoever took the information must not have easy access or
they would have the latter equations. And in case you are
wondering, Inspector, I only just returned from the Outlands less
than two weeks ago.”

William nodded, his face serious. “I thank you for
your honesty. What you say makes sense. I cannot imagine it would
be easy to gain access to the room. Unfortunately, someone has
managed to do just that, possibly on more than one occasion, given
the amount of material.” He turned to Phoebe. “Unless, of course,
they had access to your book for a length of time or had removed it
from the home. You have servants— they may have noticed something
and thought nothing of it at the time.”

“Just the two, Sarah and Martha. You may feel free
to speak with them regarding the matter.” Phoebe closed her book
and tied it shut with the leather thong, before stashing it
away.

“Thank you. Have they been with in your employment
long?”

“Only three or four months. Prior to opening
Viridis, there wasn’t much need.” Nor had there been any money.

“Would it be possible for them to gain access to
this room?”

She hated to think of it. “I suppose so. I had only
thought of the lock on the door as a precaution in the case of a
burglary. Though it’s locked when I’m not using the laboratory and
I’ve not given either of the girls permission to enter, the
distillation process is time consuming, and I do frequently go to
other areas of the home without closing or locking the door.”

“I’m afraid there is a chance your servants could
have gained access to this room. In light of the evidence, I’ll
need to speak with them, though it may be difficult to prove
whether they did indeed have a hand in the theft. There’s a reason
your formulas ended up in Lord Hawthorne’s hands, and he very well
may have died for it. We cannot be too careful.”

***

Phoebe had been prowling the house since William
left, trying in vain to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut. She
was only too happy that Sarah and Martha were preoccupied in the
kitchen. It was quite clear that they were shaken after being
questioned by the inspector, and she could not blame them. She felt
horrible that they were under suspicion, and how she would face
them again, she did not know.

At least she had a wedding to distract her. With the
seamstress due to arrive at any moment, she was able to convince
Seth, Gabriel, and Gavin that she would be fine on her own. The
last thing she needed was for the three of them to be doddering
around the house, watching her every breath. She’d finally pushed
them out the door with promises she’d meet with them later at
Viridis.

She showed the seamstress to her room, where she
stripped down to her undergarments so measurements could be taken.
Speaking expertly through a mouthful of pins, her seamstress said,
“Have ye given any thought to the design? I do no’ think anything
too full on such a small frame like yours, but a bustle in the back
with a slim sleeve would look awful nice on ye. An’ with your hair
and coloring, ye should think of an ivory silk. White would be too
harsh; wash ye out it would.”

“No, definitely nothing too full.” She too easily
could drown in a sea of fabric. “And nothing overworked. I’d like
to keep it simple.” All her dresses lacked the frivolity most women
seemed to relish.

“Och, now m’ lady, ‘tis yer wedding day. If ye
cannot wear something fancy on the day, then when will ye? Ain’t
gonna get married but the one time, gods willing.”

Phoebe nodded. The temperature in the room seemed to
have climbed to just short of stifling, a fine dew breaking out on
her skin. A ball of panic and excitement bubbled in the pit of her
stomach, as she thought of her future with Seth. “All right, then.
Maybe we can adorn the gown— just a little.”

Chapter Twenty Five

Seth stepped over a puddle, keeping his pace brisk
as he and Gavin walked down the road. The Inspector’s impromptu
visit had left Phoebe rather upset and with good cause. It also
left him adding another errand to his growing list. But for the
moment, he had other business to attend to.

“She’ll nae like it. Ye ken that, aye?” Gavin
glanced at him, a grin creeping across his face at the thought of
mischief.

Frustrated with the situation, Seth said, “Of course
I know. But with luck she’ll not find out.” He picked up his pace,
their destination not very far now. The cold had returned, bringing
a brisk wind with it, their skin stinging as they kept their heads
tucked low and buried in their upturned collars.

“Are ye sure ye want to be doing this? She’s got a
wee bit of a temper on her, aye? If she catches on, she’s liable to
call off the wedding. And odds are against ye that she willna
realize, seeing as she’s not only playing with a full deck, but has
a few cards stashed up her sleeve, if ye ken my meaning.”

“Aye. I know,” Seth said through gritted teeth. “But
what choice do I have?”

“Ye could always get me to do the job.” Gavin’s grin
widened, frustrating Seth all the more.

Seth shook his head. “We’re just there now.”

A few minutes later, he was knocking on the door to
Phoebe’s shelter. A girl no older than sixteen answered the door.
“What can I do ye for?”

Seth smiled in an attempt to set her at ease. “I was
wondering if you could help me. I’m looking for a young lad by the
name of Samuel.”

She looked at him suspiciously. “And what would ye
be wanting with him?” Then she quickly thought about it and added,
“Not that I’m saying he comes here, or anything.”

Trying to ease her fears, he said, “Do not worry.
He’s not in any trouble. I actually wanted to offer him a job.”

The girl mulled it over, eyeing them suspiciously.
Finally, she said, “Well, seeing as I don’t know where he is, why
don’t ye leave me yer name and a way he can reach ye, and I’ll try
to get it to him.” A smile tugged at her lips, obviously happy with
herself for having come up with a plan.

Seth smiled back. “That would be fine.” He took a
calling card out of its case and handed it to her. “It is rather
important, so I’d appreciate any effort on your part.” He handed
her a few shillings, hoping it would aid her memory before they’d
left the neighborhood.

And correct he was. They’d only gone a couple blocks
when Samuel slid out of a side street and stepped in front of them,
his walk jaunty and his head held high. “Molly said ye wanted
me?”

“I wanted to offer you work.” Seth remembered the
lad being tall enough and slender, but what he recalled the most
was his dogged dedication to Phoebe and a quick intelligence.

“Aye? And what would ye be wanting me for?” He
looked at Seth and Gavin with his chin out, refusing to be
intimidated by anyone.

“Why don’t we get ourselves out of the cold? We can
discuss matters over a bit of hot food and drink.”

Samuel gave it a moment’s thought. “Fine then,
seeing as yer buying.” He gave Seth a sly smile, pausing just a
moment to see if Seth would protest. “Ain’t stupid enough to pass
on a free meal.”

“No. I wouldn’t think you are.”

Chapter Twenty Six

In light of his new findings, William decided to
return to Niles’s living quarters and see if he could come across
any other information that he might have missed during his first
visit.

After checking with the footman to ensure no one
else had entered since the break in, he got the key and then made
his way to the second story flat, letting himself in
.

Lilly had thought Special Services were somehow
coercing Niles into working for them. But doing what? Trying to get
Phoebe’s formula or trying to infiltrate the Cause? It could very
well be both. If not for the wealth Phoebe’s formula could bring,
then certainly Special Services could make use of the herbal for
its effects, especially with her new formulations. If Viridis was
any indication of what Phoebe was capable of, he had no doubt her
new formula, once she completed it, would be nothing short of
incredible. Yes, he could see why they may want access to her
work.

When he had spoken to Phoebe’s maids, they knew of
no one who could have had access to Phoebe’s laboratory, but with
the two of them so nervous about being questioned, it was difficult
to tell if they were being less than truthful. His gut, though,
told him at least one of them had been somehow involved. Niles
could have very easily bribed one of the girls to gain access or to
copy the formulas
.

There was no way of proving any involvement on their
part, so he hoped Phoebe would take precautions. She had balked at
the idea of letting them go with no evidence to be had, and though
it was the honorable thing to do, she took a great chance by
keeping them in her home. With luck, she’d take his suggestion to
find them employment at Viridis instead, and would also purchase
herself a safe box to keep her notes in.

Getting to the task at hand, he started in Niles’s
office, looking for any hiding spots. He pulled each book off the
shelf, flipping through it, before putting it back. It was tedious
work and yielded little more than a few pieces of paper, but
William pressed on, determined to find something to aid his
investigation.

William moved on to the sleeping quarters. A tall
wardrobe stood in the corner of the room, the dresser, a matching
set, not far on an adjacent wall. Nothing turned up in either piece
of furniture, so he moved on to the bed. He had searched all this
previously, but at the time, he’d been looking for clues to a
simple murder. With the SS involved, his search now widened.

There was nothing to be had under the bed or under
the mattress, but while he was on the ground looking, he remembered
Anne and her hiding place. Starting at one end of the room, he got
down on bended knee, and started to tap on each board, listening
for any change of sound or a loose board. He continued in this
manner, checking every plank, and thinking he’d need a new pair of
trousers by the time he’d finished even half the room.

Another thump-thump, thump-thump and then a
thump-thunk. He tilted his head, his ear towards the board and
tapped again. Thunk. Thunk. Tapping for reference on the adjacent
board, he realized the sound was indeed different. Pulling out his
pocket knife, he fed the blade between the boards, to lever the
loose one up, his heart pounding as it slid out of its spot to
reveal a hidden area and his pirate’s treasure.

***

William sat in the comfort of his own home and laid
out before him the items from Niles’s apartment. In addition to the
pieces of paper, he’d uncovered from the floorboards a stack of
letters neatly tied with a red silk ribbon.

One of the sheets of paper appeared to be a receipt
from an accountant, for a deposit of one thousand pounds Sterling—
quite the sizable sum. The accountant’s office was located on
Baker’s Street.

Even though Niles came from a wealthy family, it was
unusual to transfer such large sums of money. William was starting
to suspect Niles planned for the money to make its way to the
Cause, however it was unclear whether the money was his or if it
was coming from another source, like Special Services. Then again,
there was a lot he still did not know about Niles, and the money
could have nothing to do with the Cause. Either way, he’d pay the
accountant a visit and see what he could learn
.

The other two pieces were of no real importance;
just tallies owed, one to a tailor and the other to his gentlemen’s
club, Browning’s. It may be worth going to the club to see if
anyone might have information that could be of use. William knew
men tended to open up to each other in their clubs, the combination
of food, drink and smoke, enough to get them to lower their guard.
Whether they’d open up to an outsider though, was questionable,
though he’d still give it a try.

Setting the papers aside, William picked up the
letters, pulling on one end of the silk ribbon, taking pleasure in
the way it slipped loose from itself. Careful to keep them in their
current order, he examined each of the envelopes. The paper itself
was of good quality. Every single one of them was blank— no names,
no addresses. Whoever had sent the letters to Niles had done so
either in person or by carrier.

Careful not to tear the envelope, William removed
the letter within, unfolding it. The handwriting was neat and
precise, slanting precariously to the right.

My dearest love,

Words cannot express the feelings that overcame me
when I saw you walk into the room. How I wanted to go to your side.
To touch you, to hear you whisper my name, and to know that it
cannot be. So I will resign myself to stolen moments, until we can
once again find each other in the cover of night. Know that you are
in my thought every waking moment and in my dreams every eve.

I place all my hopes in your hands. May the gods
help you succeed in your plan so that we may be together. Until
then, I will settle as I must for the little you can give.

Yours truly

There was no signature. He thought of Lilly, but the
possibility of her penning these letters seemed slight. He doubted
she knew how to read or write, and if she did, her hand would not
be as well schooled as this.

Who was Niles’s mistress? Perhaps she was a married
woman or betrothed to another? Or was it a simple matter of class,
his family one of wealth and status and she not of a family his
would approve?

He was going through the other letters, which were
essentially the same, when there was a knock, his constable at the
door.