Steam & Sorcery (15 page)

“I arrived home just now—at the same time as Edwin and Tommy returned from the museum. Merrick—they were attacked. I think we’d better summon Mr. Wallace.”

“Again?” Merrick’s jaw dropped. “Are they both…”

“Alive? Yes. Edwin suffered a few bruises, I believe, and Tommy sustained a slash on his thigh from a sword-cane. Had it been deeper, it could have been deadly.” Dorothy’s eyes flew then, to Caro’s bandaged wrist. “And then, nephew, I think you’d better explain to me exactly what is going on.”

Merrick nodded. “Yes. Tonight, we will have our council of war, including you, Edwin and Caro. And heaven help our enemies.”

Several days had passed since the incident in Regent’s Park, and Caroline hadn’t spent so much as a moment alone with Merrick. In fact, she’d begun to suspect he was avoiding her as much as she was avoiding him. She and the children had mostly recovered from their injuries, rapidly enough that she was beginning to believe she might be capable of subconsciously aiding in their healing.

As Caroline dressed, she looked over at the flowers on her dresser—the first bouquet had mostly wilted, but the second was bright and fresh. Mr. Gideon MacKay was such a thoughtful young man. He’d visited yesterday and even invited her to join him at the theatre this weekend. Caroline had declined of course, to Dorothy’s dismay. Gideon was a nice man, but Caroline didn’t feel comfortable encouraging him.

It was a bright, sunny Thursday morning, but today she wasn’t allowed to take the children for a walk. Merrick had commissioned a photographer to come and take portraits of each of his wards. Caroline and Dorothy had used a little powder to hide the last faint traces of Wink’s black eye, while Sally and Becky had wrestled the younger ones into their best clothing. The photographer had chosen a little-used sitting room on the main floor for the portraits, and set up his equipment. Caroline was to bring the children in one by one and see that they behaved. Thankfully, Dorothy had volunteered to assist.

“You know, we really should get one of all of them together—and perhaps with Merrick as well—a family portrait as it were.” Dorothy combed a lock of Jamie’s hair off to the side. His cast was quite hidden by his proper jacket, and seated on a high stool, he looked positively angelic—until he smiled—then he practically sprouted horns and a tail, there was so much devilment in him. Still, Caroline thought he was adorable.

“I think that would be an excellent idea.” Caroline shook her finger at Jamie when he went to move. “I’d even pay for a copy of a photograph of all five of them from my wages.” No matter how many students she went on to have in her lifetime, she already knew none would touch her heart like this raggle-taggle group.

“I’ll go fetch Merrick and the other children.” Before either Caroline or the photographer could speak, Dorothy was out the door.

The photographer finished the photos of Jamie, then gestured at his assistants, who whisked away the chair and replaced it with a sofa, while Jamie stood next to Caroline and watched. Jojo, his mechanical monkey, hopped up on his shoulder at the snap of Jamie’s fingers, so Caroline took care to keep back.

Soon the rest of the group tumbled through the door, Merrick more reluctantly following along behind them. Sally, Becky, Dorothy and Caroline crowded against the far wall of the room, while Merrick and Mr. Berry stood as far from the women as possible, all watching as the photographer positioned each one. The first shot would be of the five children alone, though he reluctantly agreed to allow George, Jojo and Lark into the picture. Tommy sat in the middle with George lying at his feet, flanked by the girls. The two younger boys perched on the arms of the sofa, Piers next to Nell, and Jamie beside Wink. They all looked so happy together, it overcame their natural reluctance to be captured on film, and they smiled brilliantly out at their audience. Then that pose was over, and it was time to add Merrick and Dorothy, who sat on stools behind the sofa, looking down on their charges.

“We want one with Miss Caro,” Jamie called as Merrick moved to leave. “She’s family, too, now, isn’t she?”

“Not really…” Caroline began.

Dorothy nodded. “I believe she is. Caro, come on up here.”

“But I’m not dressed for a portrait.” Though her new day dress in muted sage-green with a modest hoopskirt was certainly finer than anything she’d owned before a week ago.

“Nonsense. Now come stand on the other side of Merrick. Tiny as you are, you won’t need to sit to match us in height.” Dorothy was clearly not going to tolerate an argument. Even Merrick nodded curtly, so Caroline moved to stand beside him.

“She could sit on Sir Merrick’s knee,” Nell offered helpfully.

“I’ll stand,” she assured the children. “And if I’m in the photo, then Mr. Berry should be as well. Perhaps another stool can be found so he can sit beside Miss Dorothy?” All the adults but her were tall, as was Tommy. Perhaps it was a trait common in families of the Order.

“Excellent thinking, Caro.” Merrick didn’t even turn to look at her as he spoke, just gestured for the tutor to join them. “Edwin, come along, and bring that chair from the corner.”

With a little more direction from the photographer and his assistants, the large group portrait was taken. At the last minute, Merrick managed to slip his arm behind Caroline’s waist and draw her in closer to the heat of his body. Hopefully, her wide startled eyes didn’t come out in the finished photograph. Really, what was the man thinking?

Finally, the ordeal was over, and the Hadrians departed, along with Mr. Berry, Sally and Jamie, who could now change back into play clothes. Nell opted to watch while Piers and then Tommy took his turn. The girl watched the oldest boy with a wistful smile while leaning up against Caroline companionably in the far corner. Hmm, perhaps here was one of the children who didn’t feel like a sibling to at least one of the others. Caroline made a mental note to talk to Merrick about that potential quagmire.

“Sir Merrick—he’s an awful handsome bloke, isn’t he?”

Caroline was so proud of Nell for pronouncing all her H’s that she almost missed what the girl had said. Good lord, Nell wasn’t developing romantic feelings for Tommy, but for her guardian.
Oh dear!
“I suppose he is, in an older, distinguished sort of way,” Caroline replied carefully.
Older, indeed.
The man was clearly in his prime. He couldn’t possibly be close to his fortieth birthday.

“He’s not
that
old, Miss Caro. You’re close to the same age, aren’t you? He isn’t too old for you
.
”

Oh, goodness, Caroline had been wrong again. Nell didn’t have feelings for Sir Merrick—probably not for Tommy either. The little minx was matchmaking. That wouldn’t do at all. It was bad enough, Caroline couldn’t forget his kiss.

“He’s my employer, Nell.” She kept her tone gentle, but firm—her proper governess voice. “
And
a baronet. That makes him far, far above my touch.”
Regrettably.

“We’ll see.” Nell tucked her hand into Caroline’s and sighed. “Means he shouldn’t have us here either, and look how that turned out.”

Caroline was exhausted by the time she reached the ladies’ lending library that afternoon for her half-day. Aside from the photography, it seemed she’d spent most of the morning arguing. She wasn’t even counting the discussion with Nell about Merrick. No, it had been simply one argument after another with her employers.

First, she’d reminded them that the children were most likely still in danger. Caroline had maintained that she should forego her half-day and remain with her charges. That had been denied by Dorothy, who’d decided to personally supervise their daily walk to the park. Since the older woman was at least as capable in a crisis as Caroline, and probably more so, Caroline had been forced to concede.

Then there was the great transportation debate—which had been less rational discussion and more forceful commands. Caroline had planned, as always, to walk. Sir Merrick wouldn’t hear of it. She’d been ambushed at the door by Debbins, who’d insisted on driving her in Sir Merrick’s private coach, with an armed footman on the back, who’d escorted her right up the library steps. Really, it was becoming something of a farce. The man ignored her for days, then in one morning he’d put his arm around her in a photograph and ordered her to travel under armed guard.

All Caroline wanted to do at that point was spend the entire afternoon reading and avoid thinking about Hadrian House and its occupants altogether.

Unfortunately, even that degree of peace was to be denied her. The main reading room was filled with what she, Dorothy and the others in their reading group privately referred to as the “Chatterbox Society.” The group of well-off young matrons read nothing but the latest sensation and came here mainly to discuss beaux, fashion and society gossip. Loudly. With a great deal of giggling.

Caroline winced at a particularly shrill shriek and tried to sink deeper into her own chair, hidden slightly from the others by a low bookshelf.

“Melinda, you absolutely
must
get Rutland to take you to the Sorcery Society’s masked ball tomorrow night. The occult vibrations in the air are just so…so stimulating, if you get my meaning. Why last week, I even danced with an actual vampyre. I was so terrified I could barely catch my breath, but I needn’t have worried. He was pale, with fangs of course, but otherwise polite as could be.”

A vampyre? At a ball? Certainly not.
Still, Caroline gave up all pretense of reading her book on educational theory and settled in to eavesdrop without feeling the slightest twinge of remorse. If they’d already perfected that formula Merrick was searching for, it could have actually happened.

“No, Deborah, you goose. Getting tickets is the easiest thing in the world. Any of the members can invite you.” The speaker went on to name several possible candidates, which Caroline hurriedly scribbled down in the notebook where she’d been jotting tips about teaching language skills. Surely, Merrick or Dorothy would know one of these pillars of society. The more they talked, the more she grew certain that Merrick needed to visit this Sorcery Society, and the more determined she became to attend herself.

Sir Merrick, however, was more difficult to convince than she’d anticipated.

“It’s nonsense,” he told Caroline when she bearded him in his library late that evening after he’d returned from his club—which she’d begun to suspect was really where he met with his Order. “I don’t see any point in following up on the gossip of a bunch of silly hens.”

“They specifically mentioned a vampyre who looked and acted human.” She tapped her fingers restlessly on his desk, then stopped to wrap her arms around her torso. Why had she come down to speak with him in nothing more than her nightgown and wrapper?

“Sit down, Caro.” He ran one hand through his hair, already disheveled as if he’d been doing that for some time. “I’m sorry. Do you really think this might mean something other than a mindless entertainment for bored ladies?”

Caroline shrugged. “I don’t know. It may well be. Most of the women in that group pretend to be literate, but none of them is a true intellectual. It could be though, that someone is taking advantage of their susceptibility and somehow using them to further his own goals.”

He nodded slowly. “Someone with real power. Yes, it’s possible. Even if it’s unlikely, it’s something I should follow up on. Lord knows I don’t have any other leads. You say this event is tomorrow night?”

Caroline nodded. “The Sorcery Society balls are always on Fridays, according to what I overheard.” She handed over her notebook with the list of members’ names and other bits of information she’d garnered.

Merrick studied the list. “Bingley—I can catch him tomorrow morning at White’s. He’s there every day just in time for luncheon.”

“I’d like to go as well, if I may. Since it’s a masked ball, no one will know who I am. I may be able to pick up things from the ladies that a gentleman might not hear.” Forgetting to clutch her dressing gown closed, she leaned forward, both her hands flat on his desk.

“Absolutely not. This may be a harmless fancy dress party, but as you say, it may not. If there truly is magick at work, you could be in danger.”

“Nonsense.” She was not about to let him leave her behind. “No more danger than I appear to be in from walking in the park. You’ll need someone to watch your back. And I promise to remain inconspicuous. No one will know I’m the governess if we both remain incognito.”

He barked out a rough laugh. “Caro, I doubt you could be inconspicuous if you were covered in tree bark in the middle of a forest.”

She tipped her head and narrowed her eyes. “Was that meant to be a compliment? It certainly didn’t sound like one.”

“I have no idea.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose with forefinger and thumb. “I think it was just a statement of fact. No matter how hard you try to hide it, you’re a beautiful young woman, and even without your touch of faery glamour, people notice.”

“Maybe I should just cut off my nose or something. Or pray for warts.” She leaned further over the desk and rested her chin on her hands. “A pretty face is nothing but a nuisance.” So why was she delighted that he found her attractive, even without the so-called magick?

Merrick winced. “And now you can add me to the list of employers who’ve behaved badly toward you. I’m sorry for the other night, Caro. I promise, it won’t happen again.”

She felt her face heat, knew she was blushing red as an apple. “That was different. It was…mutual, not an act of force. I don’t hold you responsible for anything, Merrick.” There was no way she could tell him his kiss had been one of the most astounding experiences of her life—perhaps the best.

“Still, you have my apologies.” He opened and closed his mouth as if he’d started to say something but thought better of it.

A wicked thought occurred to her and she fluttered her lashes in an exaggerated manner. “Then you may express your remorse by taking me with you to the Sorcery Society ball.”

“Absolutely not.” He stood and leaned over the desk, hands planted on either side of her shoulders, forcing her to tip her neck back at an awkward angle to look up at him. This close she could smell him—male skin, with just a hint of shaving lotion and good tobacco. She’d never seen him smoke, so she assumed it was someone he’d been with at his club.

Caroline shrugged. “Fine. I’ll send a note to Mr. MacKay. I assume he’ll know someone who can procure us tickets. He wanted to escort me to the theatre tomorrow, but I’m sure I’ll find this much more entertaining.”