Page 9 (1/2)

Miss Holation

The next e frous & Fenrick&039;s, it said

Lilly Corteville home and in ill health Discovered in Whitechapel Come as soon as able

Aside fro proper subject/predicate grairlish pen flourishes As it was hardly dahen I received the note, I felt a detour hoood use of ti on the Cortevilles&039; doorstep at an unreasonable hour

I had attempted to convince Dylan to accompany me, but he elected to remain in the small dark chaoing to have to figure out a way to recharge it soon," he said, looking at low of the device "I only turn it on when I&039; low"

"Very well," I said, unsure of his precise ate

I orried about the young man On the one hand, I understood his need to return hoh tiet shunted back But on the other hand, I suspected that keeping hiuish Before I left hieon-like chamber, I shared this opinion in rather passionate tones He didn&039;t seem to care; instead, he continued to stare down at his illuminated device

I had no choice but to leave hi been locked away in the British Museue of scenery refreshing The sun had chosen to show herself today, and I felt the welco For a wildback the brim of my hat, just to feel the sun on my skin I&039;d already allowedits purpose of providing shade

Now, as I waited on the porch of the Corteville residence-an irand mansion in the elite area of St Jarove Terrace and Miss Stoker&039;s own Grantworth House-I became even more determined to help Dylan Not just to return to his time, but to help hiet him home

The door lurched open and instead of the butler I was expecting, I found myself face-to-face with Inspector Luckworth

Drat

"Miss Hol voice "Why should I not be surprised to see you here" It was clearly not a question

Patting my bonnet to ensure it was still in place, I stepped over the threshold and offeredit on a set of open roan eers closed over my accessory, then the Brolly-Keeper turned and slipped my parasol into a neat cubbyhole in the wall Several other s sticks

"Good e for breakfast I see," I said, noticing the remnants on his collar "Perhaps you should look into an adjust so sore And you should see to replacing the lamp to the left of your awked atthe sound of low voices They were co from the parlor, outside which stood the butler I&039;d expected earlier

"Miss Hol card "I&039;m expected"

He nodded and opened the door

I paused before entering, adjusting ain Why was I suddenly nervous? I was dressed and groomed appropriately

My skirt was a sunny yelloered polonaise, pulled back up into a bustle that exposed a cheerful gold, blue, and green ruffled underskirt The tight-fitting basque bodice I wore over it was pale blue, tri the enseolden-brown hair and hazel eyes I would never look as elegant or stylish as Miss Adler or Evaline Stoker (neither of them had to contend with a nose likethat befitted a visit to a home such as the Cortevilles&039; Viscount and Lady Fauntley were of the upper crust of Society, and the latter, as Miss Adler had told us, was an intimate friend of Princess Alexandra

When I stepped into the chalance

Miss Stoker sat on a chair nearby She was dressed in rattyi waves over her shoulders I noticed the bulge of a pistol as well as a variety of other i with dried es of her boots She appeared annoyed and restless, and when she sawto her feet

"Ah, you&039;ve arrived," she said, hurrying to h I&039;ll be off now" Before I could respond, she lad to be leaving

I turned back to the roo with torove-Pitt, and the other Lady Veness, the wife of another leading member of Parliament who&039;d more than once called onthe distraught hter was alive and safely home, I wasn&039;t entirely certain

Lilly Corteville was indeed ho soothed herself by none other than Inspector A tableau: Lilly half-reclined on a s had drawn up a chair so close it touched the upholstery of the chaise He leaned toward her, holding one of her hands in his, speaking earnestly

Tsk, I thought to loves, and if he were any closer to her, I do believe he would be sitting on her lap

I sniffed If the loorking-class Inspector Grayling iined he had a chance with the likes of Miss Lilly Corteville, daughter of a viscount, he would have a rude awakening

AlthoughMy attention slid to Lady Cosgrove-Pitt He was related by land Perhaps his chances weren&039;t utterly hopeless Lady Cosgrove-Pitt looked up at that nition

"Lady Fauntley," I said to Lilly&039;s mother, with a curtsey "I&039;m Miss Mina Holmes" Just hoas I to explain my presence here? After all, my involvement and that of Miss Stoker was meant to be clandestine and covert; I couldn&039;t announce to the room the purpose of my visit

"Miss HolYour presence reat deal to me and my family at this time Please, make yourself comfortable"

I blinked at this easy acceptance of my intrusion, but I realized Miss Stoker must have already made some sort of explanation for it Perhaps even Miss Adler or Princess Alexandra herself had apprised Lord and Lady Fauntley of our involveh we&039;d been warned to keep it a secret

"Thank you, hter has arrived home at last" I turned to Lady Veness and was introduced, and finally I faced Lady Cosgrove-Pitt "Iyour leave last week I intended to say good-bye, but you were engaged at the time, and I didn&039;t wish to interrupt"

The truth was, after returning fro experience with the Society of Sekhmet, I&039;d wanted to make a quick exit before anyone noticed my hair was in disarray and my skirt hems were a mess I had seen Lady Isabella, but she&039;d been in an intense conversation with another wo the ballroorayish eyes sparkling ar available to bid you farewell I do hope you enjoyed the ball and that Lord Cosgrove-Pitt and I will see you at more functions"

"I did enjoy myself Thank you Now, if you&039;ll excuse me, I&039;ll say hello to Lilly"

As I approached the reclining girl and her co looked up "Miss Hol the urge to coreeta cra over as you are Hello, Miss Corteville I&039;m Miss Mina Holmes I&039;m very relieved you&039;re hoirl, I could hardly keep fro, in fact-was reen eyes were veiled with pain and shock Someone had obviously helped her wash up and brushed and braided her hair, but aside from that superficial attention, it was obvious she was still distraught over her experience

"Thank you," she said in a low voice, and gestured to an empty chair that wasn&039;t as close to the chaise as the other occupied one

As I took a seat, I noticed Grayling had released her hand from his and eased back I hesitated I needed to speak with Miss Corteville about the Society of Sekhmet, but I didn&039;t want to do so in his presence, and I didn&039;t want the other ladies in the room to hear me

But toInspector Grayling what happened"

"Pray continue," I said "I&039;d like to listen"

"Miss Corteville was explaining that she was in a hired hack on the way towhere was it, Miss Corteville?" Grayling asked He reached into the pocket of his wool coat, which had been brushed and the buttons all tightened He withdrew a s pen

I made quick observations:

Very close shave, no nicks, no leftover shaving soap-a newly sharpened razor blade

The ticket stub frorease on his boot and staining his s public transportation, likely because his stea to attend a lecture A salon," she said My interest perked up, and I felt a sizzle of expectation, for the Ankh had referred to the Society of Sekh of its salon

"What was the topic of the salon?" I asked "And, pray re of?"

"It was the twenty-fifth of April, and the salon was an evening gathering of friends We enjoy discussing aspects of Egyptian culture I hired a cab because I didn&039;t wantout To be honest, I sneaked out of the house while she was at the theater" Lilly shifted on the chaise, her hands fluttering over the blanket as she glanced toward Lady Fauntley "But I never arrived at the salon The wheel on e stone or fell in a pothole and split Either way, the wheel needed to be repaired, and I was required to alight fro ie bubble-like reservoir of ink at the top, scratched busily in his journal

"I decided to walk for a short distance and take soh I left the cab on Fleet-street, and there was a quaint little lace shop just closing up for the night I wanted to stop in before I found another cab But that&039;s where it all rong"

Looking down at her fingers, which twisted in the crocheted blanket, Lilly continued, "Soht, and I kept walking, trying to find one I kept hearing the footsteps behind , and I lost track of where I was The next thing I kneent past St Paul&039;s and I alking down Trinity, when I waved at several cabs, but they didn&039;t stop The ht there in front of ht Then all at once, they were there Three of theers no longer played with the blanket, but instead treave me to that man B-Bad Louie I don&039;t knohere he tookII don&039;t want to talk about what happenedthere" Her words trailed off, and I could tell she was reliving the horror of her captivity I could only deduce what sorts of pain and activities had been visited upon her, and my practical insides softened with sympathy as she continued "He kept me there For weeks and weeks"

I sat back in enerated a variety of questions and emotions, many of which I wasn&039;t prepared to share at the

Grayling&039;s pen was poised above a page of his journal, and when she finished speaking, he paused, then rested it on his knee "You&039;ve had a harrowing experience, Miss Corteville," he said in the kindest voice I&039;d heard froht like to rest for a while We can speak with you again when you&039;re feeling better" The "we" in this last sentence clearly included me, and I stiffened at his presumption

I was about to correct hi the young woman, I would certainly do so), when the door to the parlor opened

Inspector Luckworth appeared and gestured to his partner Grayling nodded, then looked atMiss Corteville earing when she was abducted Perhaps you wish to examine it, Miss Holmes?"

"Yes, I do" An exa about much of her experience I was also aware of the real benefit to Grayling: I would not be left alone with Miss Corteville to continue the questioning without hi ation for any other reason