Viridis - A Steampunk Romance (30 page)

He would already be too late to give Seth and Phoebe
any type of warning so as to prepare themselves, and if Nelson had
the previous arrest file, he would not only have Seth’s home
address, but Phoebe’s as well.

William hung his head and headed down the hallway,
his stride widened by his anger and frustration with the matter.
Turning the corner, he ran headfirst into another man.

William looked up at the man he’d run into and
mumbled his apologies
.
And in that instant, William’s luck
changed.

“Pardon me, sir.” The man he’d been looking for was
standing before him, and there could be no doubt: thick glasses,
thinning hair and a red mark on his neck the color of burgundy
wine. Seizing the opportunity, William said, “Can I help you? You
seem a little lost.”

“Yes. Thank you. I have only been here once before
and I always seem to get lost. I have a letter I need to deliver to
Chief Inspector Murdock.”

“I’m afraid he has likely gone home for the evening.
If this is pertaining to a certain case, perhaps I can help— I’m an
inspector here. It would seem rather important if your employer has
you running errands so late in the day.”

The man looked relieved. “I cannot thank you enough.
With the weather so cold, it was terribly difficult finding an
available hansom, and I risk losing my position if I do not get the
matter taken care.”

“My office is just around the corner. Come with me,
Mr.—I’m sorry. What is your name, sir?”

The man extended a hand. “Brown. Xavier Brown.”

William sat at his desk looking at Xavier Brown. One
thing was clear— the nervous man sitting in front of him was not
SS. Even more clear was Murdock would have William’s job and hide
if he found out about this. The only thing that would save him
would be to get Mr. Brown to confess to his part in the murder.

“How may I be of assistance?” William gave the man
what he hoped was a reassuring smile while glancing at the door to
make sure Murdock was nowhere to be seen. Brown fidgeted with the
handle of his case, his face going white, then blushing a brilliant
red, then back to white again.

“I have a letter that needed to go to Chief
Inspector Murdock regarding a case he is working on.”

“On behalf of your employer, correct?” William
waited for the confirmation. “Is it something that can wait until
the morning or should it be seen to immediately?”

“I could not say for sure what is in the letter, but
know the information was needed regarding an arrest that was
imminent.” Brown handed him the letter. “I do not know if it is a
matter that can wait until the morning, but I am glad to be rid of
it.”

William tapped the letter on his desk, his eyes
locked on Brown. He knew the longer he drew this out, the more
nervous Brown would likely get. And the more nervous he got, the
more likely he’d be to make a mistake.

“Tell me, Mr. Brown. Are you perhaps familiar with
Lord Niles Hawthorne?” William’s arrow hit its mark, as Brown
flushed and stuttered.

“Y-yes. I knew the man.” He stopped fidgeting with
the handle of his case and gripped it with white knuckles instead,
as if for support.

“A personal friend of yours? I do believe you were
seen with Lord Hawthorne on several occasions, including the night
of his murder.” William smiled at the man, disconcerting him
further.

“Lord Hawthorne was not a personal friend, and on
the occasions I was seen with him, I was conducting business for my
employer.” Brown managed a deep breath mustering a bit of
confidence with this little bit of information, though the words
were now tumbling out. “I assure you, I had nothing to do with his
murder.”

Lazily swiveling his chair back and forth, William
said, “Who would your employer be, sir? And was murder part of the
business conducted?”

The last question had exactly the effect William was
looking for. “Indeed it was not!” spat Brown. “I was only there as
a representative of Lord Fenwick, completing their business
transactions. Nothing more, I assure you!”

“Would this by chance have to do with the theft of
Lady Hughes’ formula for Viridis?”

“Oh, dear! I swear I had nothing to do with
that.”

Giving him a reassuring smile, William said, “I do
believe you’ve gotten yourself into a bit of a predicament here.
Perhaps we can come to some arrangement that will suit us
both.”

Chapter Fifty

“Poor Martha. She’s in a right state with Sarah
leaving.” Phoebe snuggled up against Seth as they sat by the fire,
trying to get warm. She felt chilled and hoped it wasn’t her fever
returning.

“Come here, love.” Seth pulled her close so she
could rest her head on his shoulder. “You’ve had a rough few days
of it. Why don’t you head up to bed and we’ll bring you up a bite
to eat? I’m sure Gavin and I can manage something without bothering
Martha.”

She pulled away to get a better look at him. “Do you
mean to tell me the two of you are actually going to attempt to
cook?” Her gaze shifted between Seth and Gavin. The two boys were
as smart as they came, but cooking was an art and not something
easily managed.

“We’ve managed to keep ourselves from starving all
these years,” Gavin protested.

Phoebe laughed at his comment. “Gavin, dear, the
only reason you’ve managed to not starve is because you know of
every tavern and pub between London and Inverness. Though, I do
imagine the two of you could probably manage to slice a bit of
bread and cheese without cutting off a finger.”

Seth pulled her back to him, planting a kiss on her
cheek. “Perhaps even a cup of tea.”

Gavin stood. “You two stay put, and I’ll get us all
a bite to eat. Prepare to be amazed.” He gave them a wink.

Phoebe sat up. “This I have to see, seeing as I’m
sure it’ll provide sufficient entertainment to lighten my
mood.”

Shaking his head, Gavin said, “Ye of little faith.
Come along then.”

It turned out, Gavin was quite competent in the
kitchen, once Phoebe was able to send Martha off for the night.
Seth, scowled, teasing his friend. “Another one of your talents, I
suppose.”

“Ye’ve met me ma, and ye ken as well as I that she
wouldna be raising any lay-abouts. Here ye are, me dear.” Gavin
placed a plate of steaming food in front of Phoebe, then turned
back to plate Seth’s and his own. They had decided to not bother
with the formalities of taking their dinner in the dining room and
were, instead, seated around the worn wooden table in the
kitchen.

“Thank you. It smells divine.” He’d taken some
roasted potatoes from the frost box, mashed them with some onion,
crunchy bacon and cabbage, and shaped them into patties, which he
fried in the bacon grease to a golden brown. Served alongside were
links of sausage, cooked in oil until the casings were crispy.
Tasting it, she suddenly realized exactly how hungry she was. “This
is delicious, Gavin.”

The conversation at the table was practically
non-existent while they ate, and by the time Phoebe finished, her
stays were fit to burst under the pressure.

“Can I get ye a bit more, love? Would do ye good to
keep your strength up so ye dinna fall ill again.” Gavin was
getting himself another helping— his third— as Seth worked on his
second.

“Thank you, but I couldn’t eat another bite.” It was
well into the evening, and Phoebe wouldn’t mind an early night and
a chance to rid herself of her corset. Perhaps she could even
convince Seth to join her. She then remembered Viridis and her
brother. “Did you speak to Gabriel about all that’s happened?”

“No, love. I’m afraid he was not home, but I did
slide a note under his door.”

“Pardon me, Mum.” Samuel peeked into the kitchen,
looking drawn and pale.

“What is it Samuel?”

“I’m sorry, Mum, but there’s an inspector and
constable ‘ere, looking for Mr. Elliott, and it ain’t the same
inspector come ‘round the other night, either.”

Chapter Fifty One

Gabriel struggled to stay conscious. The pain in his
shoulder was excruciating and his head felt like someone had
cleaved it in two with an axe. Desperately, he tried to keep
himself from sliding down the slippery slope into the inky darkness
of unconsciousness, knowing he may not be able to climb back out
this time. Already he’d lost all sense of time. He anchored his
thoughts on Phoebe, knowing she was his only hope for pulling
through this. And then it occurred to him that she too might be in
danger, and it would all be his fault.

He could feel the hard wooden floor beneath him, and
the warm stickiness of his own blood, the smell of iron pungent in
the air. He needed help— needed to make sure Phoebe was safe— but
when he breathed deep to try and call out, a deep, searing pain
shot through his body, and sent him plummeting into the abyss.

Chapter Fifty Two

Phoebe paced the hall at the police station, trying
to keep her panic from taking hold. Seth had been taken in for
interrogation with his solicitor and Inspector Nelson over two
hours ago. It was clear Victor had used his power to have the case
pursued on less lenient terms. Their only hope was William had
arrived a short while ago, and said he would do all he could.

Gavin stepped in her direct path, halting her
progress. “Sit down, love. Ye’ll run yerself ragged and fall ill
again.”

“Why’s Samuel taking so long to fetch Gabriel? He
should either be at Viridis or his living quarters.”

“He’ll be here soon enough, aye?” He took her by the
hand and led her to a nearby seat, taking the one next to her. “Ye
really think Gabriel will ken someone who may have some sway
here?”

She sighed, sinking into a chair. “It’s quite
possible. We get quite a few important people coming through
Viridis, and Gabriel has become friendly with a number of them.
It’s not as though we have many other options.” Speaking the words
made the reality of their situation seem all the more dire, her
composure starting to crack. “I just want my brother here.”

Though she had always been the one to care for them
when they were younger, she had grown rather dependant on Gabriel
since Imogene’s death. She got up to pace the hall again. But when
Samuel returned alone, a cold dread gripped her heart and squeezed
until it felt as though she could not breathe.

“He weren’t there, Mum,” Samuel said. “Not at
Viridis, and no one answered at the apartment above. Worst of it
is, one of the girls at the club tells me he didn’t show up for
work last night either. No one’s seen him, Mum.”

Each word felt like a punch to the gut. “I do not
understand.”

Even if he had business that would prevent him from
working, he would have let the employees at Viridis know that he’d
not be coming in. Her world was spiraling out of control. What more
could possibly go wrong? She barely felt the hands steering her
into the chair.

Gavin crouched before her, and tried to reassure
her. “I’ll head over to Viridis and see if anyone at all has seen
him, aye? Is there anyone there that would have a key to his living
quarters?”

Phoebe nodded, feeling numb, the words she spoke
echoing in her head as if not her own. “There should be a set of
keys in my office.”

“Dinna go worrying yerself, love. It’ll all be all
right, aye? Stay put and I’ll be right back. I promise, I willna be
long.” Gavin stood, then leaned over, cupping the back of her neck
and kissed the top of her head. He then righted himself, and spun
on his heel sending his kilt swinging as he dashed out the
door.

Chapter Fifty Three

Seth watched as William and the new inspector on the
case argued in hushed tones, their backs turned to him. From where
he sat with his solicitor, he could only catch bits of
conversation.

“… attempted murder is not a matter easily…”

“… assaulted his betrothed. Surely…”

“It’s a matter for the courts… must be taken
seriously…”

His solicitor raised his eyebrows in question, but
said nothing. Finally, Nelson approached. “Despite the lack of
evidence, there is enough to hold you on the charge of attempted
murder while we investigate the matter further. I do understand
there were extenuating circumstances involving a theft and an
assault of your betrothed, however those are separate cases and
will be dealt with independently. I do assure you if Lord Fenwick
is guilty of those charges, justice will be sought. However, your
actions are your own and it is that with which I am currently
concerned.”

John protested, and pleaded Seth’s case, but Nelson
would not be swayed. Seth resigned himself to the fact that he
would be spending quite a bit of time in a cell until the matter
was either resolved, or the case went before a court and jury of
Victor’s peers.

“May I have a moment to speak to my betrothed? She’s
here, waiting in the hall.” Seth needed to speak to Phoebe one last
time before they took him away.

Nelson nodded. “Yes, of course.” He motioned to the
constable, but William stepped forward to deal with the matter
himself.

It was not long before William escorted Phoebe into
the room. The others in the room discreetly moved to a corner, to
give them what little privacy they were able.

She would not look at him, her lashes wet with
tears. Without saying a word, he put his arm around her waist and
pulled her close, as Phoebe stepped into his embrace. He held her
tight to him, breathing in the scent of her. He then tilted her
chin up and kissed her as if it would be their last, before finally
pulling away. Cupping her face, he brushed her tears away, and
looked into eyes that shimmered like a pond during a spring rain.
“I love you, Phoebe.”

“And I you.”

Chapter Fifty Four

William watched as Phoebe mustered all her courage,
stepping to the side to let Nelson escort Seth away. He wished she
did not have to go through it, but for now there was no other
option.