Rebel Magisters (5 page)

He was so addled, I wasn’t sure if the message got through to him, but he put his hat back on his head and bowed slightly as he touched the brim. “I will be sure to let him know, and I look forward to our next chat. Ladies, have a nice afternoon.”

“It was so lovely to meet you,” Flora said with more enthusiasm than I’d ever heard her use for anything other than a ballgown. He gave her a cheeky grin and a wink as he passed us.

Lady Charity barely waited for him to be out of earshot before she turned on Flora. “I can’t believe you! You criticize my attachment to a magister commoner, and then you go and practically throw yourself at someone like that.” She hesitated and turned to me. “He’s not magister, is he, Miss Newton?”

“No, he isn’t,” I confirmed. “And I believe we’ve had quite enough excitement for one walk in the park. Tea will be ready, so we should turn back.”

Lady Charity had to hook her arm through Flora’s to steer her friend down the path, Flora seemed to be in such a daze. I could hardly believe it. Colin was charming, and he put a great deal of effort into being that way, but I couldn’t imagine anyone swooning over him, least of all Flora.

I got the girls back to the Spencer house and turned them over to the housekeeper and maids for tea. My services as chaperone were no longer required, and I wasn’t invited to join them. While they giggled and fluttered, Flora having recovered somewhat, I carried out my errand for Lord Henry.

Approaching the butler in the foyer, I said, “Lord Henry has asked me to leave his card for Mr. Philip Spencer.”

“Very good, miss,” the butler said. He took a silver tray from a nearby stand and held it out to me. I placed a card on the tray. The butler nodded and retreated into the house.

I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to go or what I was expected to do. No one had invited me to sit down. A governess usually wasn’t welcome in the servants’ hall, so I couldn’t go downstairs and have a cup of tea with them. I was left waiting in the foyer, which seemed the height of rudeness to me, but apparently manners only counted for the upper crust when they were dealing with each other.

A few minutes later, I heard a soft, “Psst!” coming from under the stairs. When it was repeated, I glanced around to make sure no one was watching me and edged my way toward the grand staircase. A fair-haired young man who was essentially a male version of Lady Charity lurked under the stairs, beckoning to me.

“You’re Henry’s gal, aren’t you?” he asked in a whisper.

I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, so I said, “I am in Lord Henry’s employ, yes.”

“I thought I recognized you.” He looked vaguely familiar. He must have been part of the group who’d aided the Mechanics’ escape. “You can tell Henry that I’m up for it. He just needs to schedule it, and I’ll come up with some excuse to get away. Maybe a hunting trip? That would be jolly. We haven’t had one of those in a while—not for real. Though I guess this one wouldn’t be real, either, what? But we’d probably be less likely to be arrested from this one.” He paused, blanching, before saying warily, “You do know about…”

“Lord Henry’s unorthodox hobbies? Yes, I am fully aware of those.”

“Oh, good. Thought I’d really put my foot in it. Please don’t tell Henry.”

“You may be assured of my discretion.”

He grinned as his shoulders sagged with relief. “Right then. You can tell Henry to tell me when, and I’m game. I’d also be up to the other kind of hunting expedition”—he winked at me—“if he just says the word. It’s been a bit boring lately.”

“I will pass that on.” I could hardly believe that the success of the revolution might rest in the hands—or bank account—of such a person. But he had to be somewhat competent to stay in Henry’s band, I was sure.

Voices from the parlor above drifted down the stairs, and Philip made shooing motions with his hands as he crept deeper into the shadows. I moved out into the foyer just as Flora and Lady Charity came around the sweeping bend of the staircase. The butler brought Flora’s coat—no one had taken mine in the first place—and she kissed Lady Charity on the cheek before leaving with me.

When the carriage was on its way, Flora said, “We have two more calls to make, but they will be much shorter. I don’t plan to spend more than ten minutes at each home. I would say that you could stay in the carriage, but Henry told me you had to come inside with me. I don’t see why. As long as you watch me enter the house safely, that should satisfy any requirements of propriety, as I am not visiting nonmagisters.”

I nodded in acknowledgment, unsure of what there was to say in response or if a response was required. Flora usually preferred me not to speak because that made it easier for her to pretend I didn’t exist. She was more fidgety than usual, and she kept glancing at me rather than looking past me the way she usually did. A couple of times, she opened her mouth as though to speak, took a breath, then abruptly closed her mouth, sealing her lips tight. She got as far as saying, “Er, um, Miss Newton,” before the carriage stopped.

Again, I was left in the foyer, where I handed Lord Henry’s card to the butler. This time, there was no response before Flora left. She seemed somewhat distracted in the carriage, picking at the folds of her skirt, and she stopped and started an attempt to speak several more times. I was the one who was glad when we reached our destination and could get out of the carriage because I’d had to bite my tongue to keep from telling her, “Oh, come out with it.”

At this home, within a minute of me handing over Henry’s card there were footsteps on the stairs, and a young man came racing down. He stopped abruptly on the bottom step. “Oh, it’s you,” he said.

“Indeed it is,” I replied, unable to suppress a smile. “We enjoyed quite the journey together.” I recognized him as the passenger who’d come into my car, claiming to have fled another car with a noisy baby on it, after the train robbery during which I’d first met Henry. This validated my suspicion that the robbers had never left the train but had rather disguised themselves and blended in among the passengers.

“You didn’t give me away,” he said.

“I wasn’t sure about you at the time.”

“I’m assuming you’re sure now, if you’re working for Henry and carrying his messages.”

“You can rely on my loyalty and discretion.”

“Then you can tell him I’m up for it.”

Girls’ voices drifted down from the upper floor, and he glanced upward before saying, “I’d better run. Wouldn’t do to be caught chatting with a chaperone. But I hope we can talk later.” He sounded rather serious, not at all flirtatious, like he was treating me as an equal member of the group. He ran up the stairs and ducked into a doorway before Flora and her friend emerged from the parlor. I noticed him darting down a hallway behind them and had to turn away so Flora wouldn’t notice me smiling.

Back in the carriage, Flora spent only a minute or so fidgeting before she blurted, “You seem to know such interesting people, Miss Newton.”

“I do, but which one do you mean? Mr. Flynn?”

“Oh, yes, that was his name.” She smoothed an imaginary
wrinkle in her skirt. “Is he from Ireland?”

“I believe so, but he and his sister came over when they were children.”

“His sister is your good friend?”

“Perhaps my closest in this city.” Or she had been, once. Lizzie and I weren’t on such good terms anymore, after I’d learned she’d been part of the plot to recruit me through deception, but we’d remained civil.

“You said he was an engineering student?”

“Yes.” At least, I thought he was. He and Alec had been introduced to me that way, but I wasn’t sure what Colin’s technical expertise was. He mostly seemed to serve as the group’s spokesman and carnival barker. I’d never seen him work directly with a machine, and I couldn’t remember ever hearing a mention of him attending a class.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever met anyone like him.” I recognized the dreamy look in her eyes. I’d seen it in my own mirror during the days when Alec had been wooing me.

“That’s probably for the best,” I said in my most prim chaperone voice. “Your uncle would most certainly not approve.” I realized a moment later that I’d only made Colin sound even more appealing. The best way to handle this was to make her think with her head and possibly bypass her heart. “What was it about Colin that you found so compelling?” I asked.

After a deep, wistful sigh, she said, “He made me feel like I was the only woman in the world, and that there were endless possibilities available to me.”

“That’s just Colin,” I said gently. “He’s like that with everyone. He’d flirt with a lamppost, and I’d swear it would light up brighter for him.”

She lost the dreamy look and narrowed her eyes shrewdly at me. “He’s not your beau, is he, Miss Newton?”

“Nothing of the sort. He really is just a friend, almost like a brother.” In her relief, she went back to gazing dreamily into the middle distance.

When the carriage stopped, before the driver opened the door, she reached across and grabbed my wrist. “You won’t tell Henry, will you?”

“I don’t see why I should. There’s nothing to tell.”

“Right. Nothing to tell. Good.” She seemed almost back to her old self as she alighted from the carriage and made her way up the front steps to the house.

With a sigh, I realized that the last thing this household needed was yet another secret. I didn’t think any harm would actually come of this one, as I knew Colin well enough to know that he was seldom sincere and had probably already forgotten the encounter.

Flora went to her room to rest before dinner, and I went to the library, where I wasn’t at all surprised to be joined by Henry a few minutes later. “I hope today wasn’t too painful for you,” he said, leaning against the bookcase next to where I stood. “I know Flora can be a snob, and she’s even worse when she’s with her friends. Paying calls with her must be sheer torture.”

“I did spend a fair amount of time standing in the foyer,” I admitted.

“What? They didn’t offer you a seat or a cup of tea?”

“On the other hand, I didn’t have to listen to their conversation.”

He laughed. “Yes, I suppose that’s a kindness, even if it was unintentional. I’ll have a word with Flora, though.”

“No, don’t,” I urged. “Then she’ll know I said something
to you. And how will I carry out your missions if I’m stuck in the parlor? While I stood in the foyer, I had some very interesting conversations with your friends.”

“You have responses already?”

“I do. Philip Spencer is quite keen, though I get the impression that he’s quite keen on just about everything.”

“He is. The banditry was largely his idea, though his suggestion was somewhat lacking in detail and logistics.”

“Lord Julian didn’t respond at all. I don’t know if he was even at home. I left the card, but he didn’t come out. Viscount Hayes was also interested. So it seems I should set up a meeting with the Mechanics for them.”

“And for me, as well. I have a little money of my own.” I was sure that his definition of “a little money” was very different than mine—yet another reminder of the gulf between us.

The library door opened, and both of us jumped guiltily, although we’d been doing nothing untoward—aside from plotting revolution. Mr. Chastain stood in the doorway. “My lord, the duke is here and wishes to meet with you and the children.”

Henry and I exchanged a glance. The Duke of New York, governor of the American colonies, was the children’s maternal grandfather. When he called, it was usually bad news.

In Which

I Am Greatly Amused

“Take him to the family parlor,” Henry said. “And send
the children to join him.”

“Very good, sir,” Mr. Chastain said, nodding before backing out of the room and shutting the door.

Henry groaned. “I wonder what he wants now.”

“Does he have to want anything?” I asked. “He
is
the children’s grandfather.”

“I know you haven’t been with us long, but have you ever known him to come just to visit his grandchildren? He only comes when he has bad news.”

Although he’d echoed my own thought about bad news, I said, “Nothing much has happened in weeks, so I can’t imagine what bad news he might have today.”

“Well, whatever it is, I suppose I’d better face it.” Henry took a couple of deep breaths, straightened his necktie, smoothed his lapels, and headed for the door. I went back to browsing the bookshelves, and a moment later I heard Henry clearing his throat. “Aren’t you coming?” he asked when I looked up to see him still standing in the doorway.

“This sounds like a family affair.”

He shook his head. “Oh no. If I have to face him, I want you there. He likes you.”

“But there’s no reason for the governess to be present.”

“Go intercept the children and bring them in. I know it will have taken Chastain this long to pry Olive and Flora out of their rooms.”

His tone suggested that while he wasn’t making it an order, he considered it to be one, so I didn’t argue further. Besides, I was curious about the governor’s visit.

I hurried upstairs to the bedrooms, meeting Flora and Olive on the stairs. “There you are,” I said. “I was just coming to get you.”

“Chastain already sent my maid,” Flora said with a yawn.

“And your uncle sent me. Come on. We don’t want to keep your grandfather waiting.”

Henry must have taken his time heading to the parlor because he was barely ahead of us when we reached the room. Rollo was already in there doing his homework, and he was in the process of describing some airship he’d either seen or wanted to see. The governor seemed quite glad at our arrival, but whether that was because of seeing his granddaughters or getting a reprieve from Rollo’s technical discourse was uncertain.

Samuel DeLancey was a large man who appeared as though he could be quite jovial under the right circumstances. I’d never seen him in those circumstances. He always struck me as intimidating, and Henry didn’t have to work to fake his bumbling young nobleman persona in his presence.