“The plan I propose to you is to follow me to Billawra where we can unlock the secrets of an ancient people together and witness living relics of a time long forgotten. Through science, we can systematically decipher what sets these people apart from us and understand what they have to offer. If you will join my cause, I know we can plan an expedition to rival all others. We will bring back not only new resources and technology that will repay your investments ten-fold, but we will go down in history,” Joshua proclaimed triumphantly as his gaze traveled over the riveted faces of the investors and scientists. “Now, I will open the floor to questions.”
Chapter Thirty-Six:
An Insurrection
Eilian tried to formulate a question to catch Joshua off guard while several gentlemen voiced their concerns about money, but nothing came. The man had an answer for everything. The other adventurers asked how soon they could depart while the scientists questioned if they could publish the papers under their own names without giving Sir Joshua credit. No opening was coming, and the urge to speak grew as Hadley’s eyes bored into his skull, waiting for him to say something.
“You say you are the only one left from the original expedition,” Hogarth began from the front of the assembly. “What happened to the others? Were they attacked by natives?”
Sir Joshua’s face darkened. His eyes exaggeratedly drooped at the corners. “No, they were tragically—”
“Betrayed and left in the desert to rot,” Eilian called from the last row, his voice echoing in the massive chamber.
His head whipped toward the audience, his eyes wide with rage. “Who said that?”
Eilian Sorrell stood up, rising to his full height as every head swiveled over the backs of their chairs. “I did.”
The archaeologist shook his head, a cocky smile playing on his lips. “Lord Sorrell, how nice of you to invite yourself to my little gathering. I am sure you are unhappy with me for not giving you first crack at joining my expedition, but that is no reason to resort to slander.”
“I’m not upset. After all, you knew better than to try to swindle me again, but I thought I should come and warn these nice gentlemen not to give their money to a charlatan.” Eilian chuckled grimly as he stepped into the aisle. “Why tell them we are dead, Joshua? I’m sure you didn’t want them asking about our first trip to Palestine, but your lie was worse than I anticipated.”
“You don’t even know what you are talking about,” Joshua sneered as his eyes trailed back to the podium. “No one is left from the expedition except me.”
“Oh, really? Who do you think had you removed from the airship in Jerusalem after you stole our tickets to make your getaway?”
He glared up at him, grinding his jaw in agitation. “Prove it!” he spat, the words echoing as the men in the audience looked between both archaeologists uncertainly. “Go ahead, Eilian. If you’re going to smear my name, then back it up with proof. It’s you against me.”
“What happened in Palestine, Lord Sorrell?” Hogarth asked, turning his back on Sir Joshua to lock eyes with his contemporary.
“We had been there for several months and found nothing of monetary value. Spurred by his new investor, Edmund Barrister, he turned to theft to escape the humiliation of returning to England empty-handed. He and Mr. Barrister raided my desk in the middle of the night, stealing the airship tickets I bought for myself and my companion as well as the notebooks we kept during our time there. They are the same notebooks he presented to you today. In the end, even his own cohort abandoned him.”
“This is all hearsay. Gentlemen, why are you listening to him? He’s only saying this because that dig did not make his father any money. How do we know this so-called companion even exists?”
“Because I’m right here,” Hadley replied as she popped up from her seat to stand beside Eilian. “I accompanied Lord Sorrell to Palestine.”
“There were no women in the camp! Would you be kind enough to leave before you make fools of yourselves? I have never seen this woman before.”
“That’s because I was dressed as a man.”
A murmur passed through the crowd as Hadley stepped forward, quietly making her way to the front of the assembly with her carpet bag slung dutifully over her arm. Joshua Peregrine seethed as she brushed past him and picked up the books from the podium and flipped to an early entry in the journal.
“I came to Palestine masquerading as Henry Fox to experience life at an archaeological dig as any man would. I am the author of this journal,” she explained as she tapped the cover, “as well as this sketch book. Lord Sorrell knew I was interested in archaeology, so he invited me to accompany him as his guest. I didn’t want to be handled with kid gloves or given a cleaned up version of camp life, and to do that, I became Mr. Fox.” She reached up and pulled the postiche from her hair, letting her short, henna locks fall around her face. “As you can see, my hair has not yet grown back. I know you won’t believe me without additional proof, Sir Joshua, but I will give it to you in due time.”
Eilian smiled proudly as Hadley pulled a piece of paper from her carpet bag and held it beside the open journal. She brought them to an older gentleman in the front row, which Lord Sorrell recognized as one of the museum’s curators.
“Sir, in your opinion, does the handwriting in this book match the letter?”
He placed a pair of pince-nez on his nose before nodding.
“Can you tell them what name is signed at the bottom of the letter?”
“Hadley Fenice.”
“And what name is written in the cover of the journal?”
“Henry Fox,” he murmured, sweat glistening on his high forehead as she then showed the papers to Sir Joshua.
“Allow me, to quote an entry, ‘On the thirtieth of September, Eilian and I were sent on the task of finding a new prospective site to dig as Joshua has found nothing in nearly a month. We came across pieces of a medieval manuscript in the middle of the desert. I chased the pieces until we came to a cave filled with a cache of antique books. A child appeared, and I pursued her through the cave system, thinking she was lost. Upon rounding a blind corner, I collided with the bedrock and awoke to the most miraculous of sights.’” She thumbed a few pages forward. “Ah, here it is. ‘For trying to act in a motherly fashion, I’m now left with a lovely knick in my forehead, half an inch above my left eyebrow.’” She lifted up the swath of red hair draped over her forehead to reveal a small scar, no larger than a pockmark. “Here is the physical proof of our trip to Palestine.”
Sir Joshua crossed his arms as he tried to break her hold on the audience by stepping between his investors and the lectern. “All this proves is you and Lord Sorrell have questionable morals. Despite what these people have to say, an expedition to Billawra will be worth the expense. Your money will come back to you ten-fold, and your name will be in every history book.”
“What proof has he shown that Billawra exists?” Eilian called as he joined his fiancée. “He would have us prove we were with him the first time, yet he offers you no proof of the Billawrati’s existence.”
The archaeologist roughly snatched the books from Hadley’s hands. “Here is the proof. It’s all in here.”
“The only thing these books prove is how good of a writer I am.” She turned back to the rows of gentlemen with soft eyes and an earnest smile. “The reason I wanted to research archaeological excavations is because I wanted to write a book. My moment of inspiration struck when I hit my head in the cave. I had mistakenly chased a young Bedouin who had lost one of her sheep in the cave. In the dream-like state my concussion caused, I pictured a world under the desert plateaus, and the Billawrati were born. The excavation site was so fruitless that I spent most of my time writing and drawing, which is how I filled up my books with ideas for my novel.”
“So they don’t exist?” Hogarth asked with his arms tightly folded across his chest.
“Sir, I think Joshua Peregrine’s ruse has been an insult to your intelligence. How c
ould a society so advanced exist without currency or trade? Electricity coming from water and knowledge stored in gems are devices constructed within my imagination. Sir Joshua has simply taken my plot and twisted it in order to swindle you out of your fortunes. I’m sorry to say that if you follow him to the desert, you will only find a collapsed cave and nothing more.”
A hush fell over the room as gentlemen’s’ eyes darted, silently asking the others in the herd what they should do. David Hogarth, the young archaeologist who had addressed Eilian earlier, was the first to glare at Sir Joshua Peregrine before storming out the doors of the Reading Room. By the time the great door shut, a dozen other men were already grabbing their hats and coats. Joshua’s brown eyes widened, wordlessly pleading with them as they sauntered out without giving the baron a second glance.
“You— you are leaving?” he stammered as he got in front of them but was promptly yet politely pushed aside. “Can’t you see they are lying?”
The moment the archaeologist stepped away from the podium, Hadley shoved the journal and pad into her carpet bag, causing it to balloon like a gluttonous tapestried tick. When the last man slipped from the nobleman’s grasp and out into the Grand Hall, he turned to them, fists balled at his sides and the vein on his neck throbbing. He drew in a tremulous breath and stepped toward Hadley, but Eilian positioned himself between them with his prosthetic arm lightly pushing his fiancée further back.
“It’s over, Joshua,” he whispered.
“How dare you humiliate me! You don’t know what you have done, Eilian. I will never—”
“Never what? Forgive me? Let me live it down? Work for me again? As I’m now the major shareholder and owner of the Falcon Shipping Company, I hereby terminate your contract.” Eilian took Hadley’s hand and resolutely strode toward the door. “Consider yourself blacklisted, Joshua. I will be sending David Hogarth a letter this afternoon offering him your spot as liaison to the East.” He paused at the threshold and looked back at his defeated old friend with a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry it had to end this way, Joshua.”
A smile spread across Hadley’s face as they pushed through the crowds in the marble halls. Adrenaline was still pumping through her veins, making her want to tear through the halls, sing an aria, and play in the snow all at the same time. Eilian laughed softly as he watched Hadley stroll beside him, holding onto his arm with a new swing in her step. She was proud of their actions, but he still wasn’t sure if he had done the right thing. In saving the Billawrati, he had destroyed the reputation of an old friend, and even if that friend did steal from him, he knew it was done in desperation. Despite the anger that hardened his heart and still lingered as a tightness in his chest, a part of him couldn’t forget the good years that preceded the mutiny. Idling near the corner of the British Museum was the cherry steamer with the white-haired butler refilling its water tank.
“Where to, sir?” Patrick asked as he opened the door for the couple.
He looked to Hadley, who still wore a cheeky grin. “Take us home. I think a victory feast is in order.”
***
She contently watched the Greenwich hills roll by as they left London far behind them. “Your mother and uncle still need to meet my family. Do you think they would mind going to my uncle’s house in Oxford for dinner? Eliza’s father has been a surrogate parent to me, so I don’t think he would say no to being our host. The thing is, he can be a little… eccentric, but he has a lovely home that isn’t covered in wood-shavings or dust. He even has a few servants. Do you think Lady Dorset would be willing to travel that far?”
“I think my mother would like that very much. She won’t admit it, but she loves a ride in the country.” Eilian reached up to brush the melting flakes of snow from his jacket when he felt the lump of the ring box in his pocket. “I— I keep forgetting about this part,” he replied nervously as he held it out for her. “It isn’t the prettiest thing, but I— I do hope you like it.”
Hadley looked into his grey eyes with a pang of anxiety creeping through her stomach as she held the little velvet box. She cautiously opened it as if the ring would leap out at her. Sitting amongst the crush blue fabric was a Flanders cut quartz crystal entrapped in a gold setting with a little sapphire at each corner. Eilian took it from the box and placed it on her finger, holding his breath as he waited for her reaction. As she held the ring up in the light, she noticed tiny, black tendrils reaching up from its apex. A bright smile finally crossed his countenance as she raised her hand to her temple.
She relaxed her mind and heard it whisper to her in his warm, sweet voice, I love you, Hadley.
Chapter Thirty-Seven:
Adventures to Come
Hadley Fenice smiled contently as she watched Lady Dorset converse effortlessly with her uncle. Much like his daughter, Elijah Martin knew a little bit about everything, including affairs concerning weddings. The grey-haired professor with frizzled muttonchops and a naked crown was no stranger to speaking with the aristocracy. After all, his comparative anatomy research was one of the most funded projects at Oxford, and over the years, he had made speaking with those who held the purse strings a fine art. She had worried Professor Martin’s extensive collection of specimens and taxidermy creatures would scare the countess away, but Eilian’s mother didn’t seem to notice the octopus above the door of the parlor, who glared down at visitors, or the fox sitting like a dutiful pet near his favorite wingback chair. Lady Dorset had even eyed a few of the more colorful stuffed birds with interest rather than disgust.
Her concern then turned to the size of his flat since they were a party of seven in a house where normally he was the sole inhabitant save for his housekeeper and valet. Despite his dining room being significantly smaller than the one at Grosvenor Square, somehow Lady Dorset, Lord Newcastle, Professor Martin, the Hawthornes, Eilian, and Hadley were all able to fit comfortably around the sturdy oak table without bumping elbows. As she watched Eilian take a portion of chicken and potatoes, her eyes couldn’t help but fall on the eighth chair, which stood empty near the hearth. It had been over a week since she dared to question Adam about his preferences, but his avoidance tactics were becoming the norm for her. She missed him and wanted him back in her life even if he was being unduly churlish. Before he left to go out for the day, she awoke early just to scrawl out an invitation to dinner in Oxford and stick it under his door. All day she foolishly hoped he would be in that seat to support her. Warm fingers squeezing her hand brought her back as Eilian gave her a sympathetic smile.
“I thought I was seeing double,” Elijah Martin began in his gravelly voice as his spectacled eyes ran from Eilian Sorrell to Malcolm Holland. “There is an uncanny likeness, isn’t there, Lady Dorset? At least Hadley will know what her future husband will look like in twenty years.”
“Yes, my son and my brother are remarkably similar and not just in looks,” Millicent Sorrell replied as she turned to both men, who looked up in unison from devouring their dinners. “Professor Martin, I have been meaning to ask, what do you teach at Oxford?”
He took a sip of wine, remembering how his daughter insisted he not get into an argument about evolution’s validity. “I’m an anatomist. I’m currently researching comparative anatomy and, based on Darwin’s theories, determining how species are morphologically similar and dissimilar.”
“Papa, how is your research coming along? Do you have any promising students this year?” Eliza asked from the other end of the table.
“Not nearly as promising as you and James were. Most are sent to Oxford by their parents and have absolutely no interest in anything except carousing and playing sports. I had one very promising young man helping me.” He sighed, his shoulders sagging as he shook his balding head. “He came from Germany to study here, and he was my best assistant. One night he was helping me finish articulating a skeleton for the museum, and the next day, he was gone without a trace, left everything behind too.”
“Do you suspect foul play?” Eilian blurted
through a mouthful of food as his mother shot him a look.
“It has crossed my mind, but there was never enough evidence either way. Maybe he was called home to Germany due to a family matter or because he was homesick. It has been months, but he is still on my mind. It’s quite disconcerting to be bantering with a promising young mind over a walrus skeleton one day and reporting him missing to the constabulary the next. I only wish he said something before he left.” He shook his head and turned to his son-in-law. “James, I’m so sorry to hear about your sister and niece.”
“What happened?” Hadley asked as she noticed the doctor’s brows sag.
He swallowed hard, but his voice didn’t waver. “They perished in a fire last month a few miles from here.”
“I’m so sorry. Why did you not tell me?”
“I didn’t want to overshadow the happy occasion.”
The table lapsed back into silence as the additional servants Elijah Martin borrowed from his fellow professors to take the burden off his small staff swept away the empty plates and brought out the desserts. Upon seeing the puddings and cakes being doled out, Eilian finally relaxed. They had made it all the way through dinner without his mother scowling in disapproval. Lady Dorset hadn’t even noticed when Hadley’s uncle slipped and mentioned his only daughter was a doctor. Maybe she is just happy to see me settled, he thought with a smile as the old professor inquired about Grosvenor Square and the happenings of London.
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