Viridis - A Steampunk Romance (15 page)

Seth gave him a disarmingly charming smile, and
said, “Aye. Don’t I know it.”

After Phoebe returned and they finished a light
meal, they let Seth get to work tinkering with the module while
William and Phoebe kept each other company to pass the time.

Phoebe poured him another cup of tea and he thanked
her, their initial unease now gone. “I wanted you to know that
Lilly is still alive and safe for now.”

“You found her?” A smile spread across Phoebe’s
face, her eyes alight from within.

“Actually, she managed to find me,” he said with a
smile, and filled Phoebe in on the details of his meeting with
Lilly. “Until this is over, I’m afraid it’s best she stay hidden,
and she agreed. She mentioned staying with some friends, though I
do not know the details.”

“I do hope she’ll stay safe.” Phoebe took another
sip of her tea. “Does her sister know?”

“Lilly said she’d speak to her. She also wanted me
to tell you she was sorry for any problems she may have caused and
would be back to work when it was safe, if you would be so kind as
to hold her position for her.”

“Of course. I’m still terribly worried, though. If
you see her again, please send her my way. Maybe there’s something
I can do to help.”

It was clear that her concern and willingness to
help were genuine, and William could not help but like her even
more. It made the attack to her person all the more difficult to
comprehend, though he’d never seen any logic in the abuse of a
woman.

William had not expected to hear Seth speak, so
quietly had he been working. “I’ve managed to get through the
system’s security. I’m sorry it took so long, but each tinkering is
a little different depending on its maker, and I haven’t had the
chance to work with these information modules much. Though I still
cannot say with complete certainty, I would indeed guess this
module was created by the Secret Service.”

Abandoning their tea, William and Phoebe joined Seth
at the other side of the sitting room where he was working. The
module lay open on the large oak desk, a notebook set to the side
with Seth’s notes scribbled across the paper.

William looked over Seth’s shoulder at the glowing
screen. “Fantastic. So this is the information that Lord Niles kept
on his work.”

“Aye. It is. Ye see the module contains an internal
brain of sorts that’s made up of aether. The information that is
entered with these keys here, rides along a matrix and imbeds
itself within the cells of aether, allowing the user to pull out
the stored information when they need it.”

William shook his head in wonder. “It is utterly
amazing. I had not realized the complexities of such a
tinkering.”

Seth nodded. “Though the aether matrix was developed
only a decade ago, it has revolutionized tinkerings, allowing us to
develop far more complex creations than we previously thought
possible.”

William moved in for a closer as Seth shifted to the
side and continued his explanation. “The information is usually
categorized into books like you see here. In order to access them,
you use this sphere here to move the corresponding sphere of light
on the glass screen. Once it’s over the desired book of
information, you tap this button here.” Seth pointed to a copper
button, enameled in blue.

He continued, “Now here is the interesting part. I
managed to uncover a few books of information that he had rendered
invisible. You would need to know where to look to find them, so I
have transferred them to the main library of books to make it easy
for you to access. There are three in total, right here.” Seth
moved the ball of light around the screen, circling the books in
question.

“This is amazing.” William had never seen anything
quite like it.

“Here, sit down and give it a try.” Seth slid his
chair back, vacating it. “This way, you’ll be familiar with the
module once you get it home. I have not accessed any of the hidden
books, not sure of the type of information it would hold. I looked
through the books that were easily accessible, to make sure there
weren’t any other security measures, but you may want to go through
the remaining three to make sure you have access and will not
encounter any difficulties once you’re home.”

William sat down, spinning the seat back to the
module. “I cannot thank you enough.” Placing his hand on the still
warm brass ball, William moved it around to get a feel for
maneuvering around the glass screen. It seemed easy enough, and he
felt his heart race with excitement as he clicked onto the
previously hidden books, one by one. But his excitement was
replaced with a feeling of dread. Before anyone could see, he hit
the red enameled button like he had seen Seth do previously in
order to shut down the tinkering, and then closed the case.

William stood, tucking the case into his bag. “I’m
afraid I’ve eaten up most of your day. I cannot thank you enough
for your help, Mr. Elliot. Lady Hughes, as always, a pleasure.”

He knew he was being rude to leave so suddenly, but
he needed to get home and take a closer look at what was in those
books— for the first was on the Cause, the second on Special
Services, and the third on Phoebe Hughes.

Chapter Twenty

After leaving Phoebe at her home, Seth went and paid
Victor’s stable boy a visit, where a generous amount of coin bought
him information and silence. Victor was a creature of habit,
spending every Thursday evening at his gentlemen’s club,
Browning’s.

Walking down by the docks, Seth concentrated on the
road ahead of him. Though the mild evening temperatures made it a
comfortable walk, it also contributed to a blinding fog. He only
hoped he’d manage to find Gavin without falling into the
Thames.

Tracking him down would be easy enough. After all,
there were few airships of his design gracing the London skyline.
But with any luck, Gavin would be holed up at The Spotted Goat, his
usual watering hole when in the city. It’d be early enough to catch
him there, before he moved on to more unsavory pursuits.

With only a few wrong turns, Seth found The Goat,
and Gavin within. Taller than anyone he knew, with hair black as a
raven’s wing, broad shoulders, and looks one would sell their soul
for, the Scotsman, was easy enough to spot, kilt and all.

“Are you causing trouble?” Seth sat down next to his
friend, shrugging out of his coat and ordering a whisky.

“I sure as hell am trying. Maybe ye can give me a
hand.” Gavin draped his arm around Seth’s shoulder, leaning his
head in. “There are a few sweet lassies over by the bar, and I’m
positive they’d not be able to resist the dazzling combination of
my good looks and your dizzying intellect.”

Seth looked at him with raised eyebrows and a smile.
“My dizzying intellect, is it?”

“Well they certainly aren’t going to fall for that
scrawny body you’ve got holding up your head, although I will say
ye’re scrappy enough in a fight.” Gavin gave him a conspiratory
wink before continuing. “The way I see it, you go and talk circles
around them ‘til they dinna ken which way’s up, and then I come in
and stun them with my smile. ‘Tis really a plan of perfection.”

Seth burst out laughing. “My dear friend, I realize
you need all the help you can get when it comes to the fairer sex
and I would love to help, however I am no longer a free man.”

Gavin’s eyes widened with shock before he pulled his
friend into an enthusiastic embrace. “Did Phoebe finally lose her
senses and agree to marry you? My sincerest congratulations. A
better match could not be had. I’m truly happy for you,
mo
charaid
.”

Seth couldn’t help but grin at the thought of
spending the rest of his life with Phoebe. “Well, I’m glad to hear
you approve, since I’ve a favor or two to ask you.”

“All ye need do is ask, aye?” Gavin took a long pull
from his glass.

“You know Phoebe isn’t terribly traditional, and I
do not know whether a priest would even marry us, neither of us
being the god-fearing sort. So, I was wondering if you could
perform the marriage. Since you’re a captain, you’d have the
authority to do so.”

“I’d be honored. Just tell me when and I’ll be
there.”

“There’s one more favor I must ask of you, though
I’ll understand if you’d rather not get involved.” Seth wasn’t
quite sure how much he should say and opted to say little, knowing
his friend’s temper and his soft spot for Phoebe. “I just need your
help while I take care of a misunderstanding. ‘Tis more of a
precaution than anything else, since the man isn’t to be
trusted.”

Gavin looked at him, taken aback. “Must be serious.
I dinna think I ever kent ye to bother with
‘misunderstandings’.”

“Serious enough. I hate to do this to you, but I
know his whereabouts for the evening, and I’d like to get this
taken care of as soon as possible. I think I’ve got a plan that may
work.”

“No worries.” He threw some coin down on the table,
and they got up to go.

They took a coach and had the driver leave them a
few blocks from Victor’s club. Seth casually walked the area
outside Browning’s with Gavin at his side. It would not be so easy
to get Victor alone, but he’d manage it with Gavin’s help. Having
gotten a description of Victor’s carriage earlier in the evening,
it was easy enough to pick it out amongst the others awaiting their
masters.

“There.” Seth gave a slight tilt of his head in the
direction of one of the carriages, knowing Gavin would catch it,
despite the road being lit by only the lamplights. They’d always
had a way of being able to communicate with few spoken words, and
it had come in handy on more than one occasion.

The carriage itself was opulent to the extreme,
pulled by two matching pairs of white steeds. Just what Seth would
expect of Victor— always feeling the need to flaunt his wealth, a
distraction from his many other shortcomings.

Gavin approached the coach with his fuse gun at the
ready, while Seth headed to the horses to grab the reins. “If ye’ll
pardon me, sir.” Gavin flashed his weapon to the coachman, and then
climbed up beside him before he had a chance to react. Prodding him
with the fuse gun, he said, “I’d suggest ye keep quiet and take the
carriage over to the alley just there.”

Once Gavin had control of the reins, Seth followed
behind the coach. With Gavin’s fuse gun and some discreet coercion,
they were able to convince the coachman it would be in his best
interest to cooperate. Together, he and Gavin made quick work of
the man, binding and gagging him with little difficulty or harm.
They left him in the baggage compartment with their apologies, and
a promise to cut him free if he cooperated by keeping quiet. Gavin
was quite convincing in relaying the consequences if the coachman
decided not to cooperate.

Gavin perched himself up on the driver’s seat, now
wearing the coachman’s hat and jacket, his kilt covered by a lap
blanket, while Seth climbed into the carriage. He was counting on
the fact that a man like Victor would no more notice his coachman
than he would any of his other servants.

It turned out they did not have long to wait before
Victor hailed the coach for his departure. Gavin pulled the
carriage in front of Browning’s with an ease that made Seth wonder
about his friend’s past times, and not for the first time.

Seth was on Victor as soon as he climbed into the
coach, grabbing him and placing his knife to his throat as Gavin
sped them through the streets of London.

Seth felt his anger coil within him, ready to
strike, and it took all he had to keep it under control. He was not
a violent man by nature, but he’d be damned if he was going to sit
idly by and let this man assault what was most precious to him.

“
You!
” Victor had the audacity to laugh. “Is
this about that whore?”

Seth’s fist connected with Victor’s face before he
even had a chance to think about it. Blood spurted from Victor’s
broken nose. With his free hand, Seth grabbed a handful of Victor’s
coat, dragging him to within inches of his face. “Let me make this
very clear. If you
ever
go near Phoebe again, I will make it
so that you wish you were dead.” With one swift movement, Seth
transferred the knife from Victor’s throat to his crotch, pressing
the point of the blade in until he felt it puncture skin. “Do I
make myself clear or do you need an example?”

Victor’s eyes started to roll back in his head, but
Seth gave him quick shake bringing him back from the edge. Through
gritted teeth, he repeated his question. Victor nodded in
affirmation.

“Well then, since we understand each other, let me
make one more thing clear. If anything happens to Phoebe, if
anything happens to me, I’ve left instructions guaranteeing you
will
die a slow and horrible death. Is
that
clear?”

“Yes.” Even by lamplight, Victor looked pale as a
sheet. Seth obliged him by removing his blade from its resting
place. He then knocked on the carriage wall to let Gavin know they
had concluded their business.

A quick glance out the window of the coach told Seth
that Gavin must have thought it a good idea for Victor to
familiarize himself with the less affluent areas of London. When
the carriage slowed to a near stop, Seth tossed Victor out onto the
road before continuing several more blocks, stopping to free the
coachman from the rear compartment.

A few roads over, they hailed themselves a coach to
Viridis— to Phoebe and a stiff drink.

Chapter Twenty One

William looked over the notes he’d taken, one more
time. He’d spent hours going through the books of information on
the module, and hours more trying to figure out what it all meant.
He knew this could be what he needed to solve the murder, but there
were still far too many names and too much intelligence to sort
through.