by Peter Bunzl
It felt a bit blunt, but Kid Wink didn’t seem to mind. “It was pecked out by a crazy crow that belonged to a witch,” she said.
“Really?” Robert asked.
“No.” Kid Wink chuckled. “Gullible, ain’t ya? Truth is, I lost it in a fight. The other kid was no good. Shot me with a catapult. Now I wear an eyepatch because I ain’t got the dough to buy a mechanical eye, nor even a glass one.” Kid Wink tapped her eyepatch with a finger. “Before I worked in this classy joint, I was always getting into brawls like that. Now I have to watch my back. If the super or the head housekeeper sees me, they’d chew me out for sure, and I’d lose my job. It was hard enough getting this gig in the first place, looking the way I do.”
She kneeled back down by the fireplace and began filling the grate with folded circles of paper. On top of this, she tipped out a handful of coal from her bucket.
Then she took something from her pocket – a tiny silver box that fitted in her palm. She flipped its lid open on a hinge. Inside was a miniature wheel of flint and a wick in a small steel basket.
“What is that?” Lily asked, intrigued. She had never seen such a thing before.
“You like it?” Kid Wink brightened. “I named it the Wonderlite. One day it’s gonna be bigger than Lucifer matches. The whole city’ll have one.”
“You invented it?” Robert asked, slightly flabbergasted.
“You got that right.”
“But how…?”
“Trial and error. Me and my buddies are rogue inventors. We collect junk from the street – stuff no one wants, from places no one goes – then work with it to make things.”
Kid Wink spun the wheel of the Wonderlite until sparks flew from it, igniting the wick into a glowing flame. She held the flame to a twist of paper in the fireplace and waited while the fire spread along its length, licking at the coal.
“Folks call us the railway children, but we call ourselves the Cloudscrapers,” she explained. “’Cause we live in an abandoned carriage on the IRT.”
“What’s the IRT?” Lily asked.
“The elevated railway – the Interborough Rapid Transit.” Kid Wink flipped the lid of her Wonderlite shut, extinguishing the flame, then put the silver box back in her pocket.
Robert thought of his father and the fire that had ravaged their house, as he did sometimes when he saw flames, and felt a sudden flood of sadness.
“Do you fix the fires in every room in this hotel?” Lily asked Kid Wink. She was thinking of what Robert had said earlier, about asking the hotel staff to help them learn more about Matilda Milksop and Dane.
“Only the rooms on this floor,” the girl replied.
“But that’s perfect,” Lily said. “We were wondering if you knew anything about a boy named Dane, or his aunt and her mechanical? They’re in room one hundred – next door. They arrived earlier today.”
“Ah,” Kid Wink said. “They’re strange ones.” She leaned in closer. “I tried to set their fire earlier, but they wouldn’t let me. Woman said her nephew was ill and no one was allowed in the room. I overheard her talking to the mechanical too, later in the hall. Something about a plan she had to fix an engine that she keeps in her wooden case.”
“The one with the ouroboros stamped on it?” Lily asked.
“The what?” Kid Wink said.
“The one with the circular snake stamped on the side.”
Kid Wink nodded. “Yeah, that’s the one. She kept looking at it while she was speaking.”
“So there’s an engine in it!” Lily felt delighted. At last she was learning more about the mystery. “I wonder what it does?”
“Wrangles snakes?” Malkin suggested.
Lily shook her head. “Seems unlikely.”
“It’ll be something more abstract represented by the symbol,” Robert said.
“Like what?” Lily asked.
“Something to do with creation and destruction. Life and death,” he suggested.
“So, an engine that creates and destroys?” she asked. “Brings things to life or kills them…?”
Robert nodded. “One of those, or all of them,” he said.
Lily frowned. Could a machine create life like that? Surely not? “No engine has that much power,” she said. “It would require too much energy.”
“Like the energy generated by a brand-new underwater base?” Malkin suggested.
“Whatever it is, this engine sounds dangerous.” Kid Wink picked up her coal scuttle. “I’d best be off. Been shooting my mouth off too long. I still got a ton of fires to light on this floor.”
“Thanks for your help,” Lily said. “If you find out anything else about Dane and his aunt, or her engine…”
“I know,” Kid Wink said. “I’ll be in touch. Catch you later.” She bobbed them a brief curtsey. Robert could see there was a studied casualness to it. “So long and good night. See you on the flip side!” And, with that, she stepped out the door.
When she was gone, Robert and Lily brushed their teeth together at the bathroom sink. Then Malkin went with Lily to her room, and Robert bade them both goodnight and retired to his bed as well.
It had been a long day, what with arriving on the airship and travelling across New York, before stumbling upon this new mystery right next-door in the hotel. Suddenly, Robert felt more weary than he had in a long time.
He climbed beneath the covers, sank his head onto his pillow and shut his eyes. The mattress felt extraordinarily comfortable, but he could not sleep. Not yet. He kept thinking about Dane’s missing parents and the thought made him circle round to his own da, who had died last Christmas. Oh, how he missed him!
Still, his ma and Caddy would be here tomorrow afternoon. He fiddled with the Moonlocket around his neck as he thought of them.
Perhaps Caddy could speak with the spirits about Dane and find out what was going on with him and his aunt and the engine? It was worth a try at least. She knew about those kinds of things, after all. And so did his ma. That was what they had been doing, travelling around the States – seances and the like. Robert knew his relationship with his ma and sister was new. Sometimes he felt like he was the moon to their sun, and at other times he was the sun to their moon. Either way, they were forever orbiting around each other, forever travelling in opposite directions. Barely fated to meet.
Would they have anything to say to each other now, after another six months apart? Or would the thread between them have broken, like last time?
So many things to worry on. But, thought Robert, as he snuggled deep beneath the warm covers, the thing about worry was that entertaining too much of it got you nowhere. What would happen would happen. And most of your worst fears never came to pass. This past year, Robert had learned that it was the mammoth random things that crashed across your life like tidal waves that made a difference and those were torments no amount of worry could predict.
As he was fond of saying to Lily: all you could do was enjoy life and, when needs must, try to be brave in those treacherous moments.
Gradually, with that last comforting thought in his head, Robert drifted off to sleep.
Even with all there was to do in New York the next morning, Robert found the wait for his ma and Caddy to arrive interminable.
After an early breakfast in the dining room, where the Milksops were not present, he, John and Lily put on their hats, scarves, gloves and coats and left the hotel, along with Malkin in his green jacket (who was relieved to be let out of Lily’s basket once they were outside), and took a brisk promenade through Murray Hill.
It was a smart neighbourhood of grand houses and sidewalks still heavy with snow. Up above, a cold winter sun was shining.
While they walked, Robert, Lily and Malkin tried to catch a moment to discuss what they’d learned yesterday about Dane’s family and the engine in his aunt’s wooden suitcase. But this turned out to be impossible, for John was always close by, keenly interrupting their conversation to point out landmarks, like a tour guide, or shepherding
them across a busy road. And though they needed to talk urgently, they couldn’t risk him overhearing what they had to say.
Two blocks west of the hotel, they took Sixth Avenue, arriving eventually at Central Park, an immense white eiderdown of a space that was dotted with snow-capped trees.
They skirted an enormous frozen pond, where local people were ice skating, and walked back along Fifth Avenue, stopping for a lunch of breaded mutton and peas at a local diner, before returning to the hotel at two to meet Selena and Caddy.
Robert took a seat on a red leather settee in the lobby that was partly hidden by the Christmas tree, beside a grand stone fireplace with a roaring fire.
Lily and John joined him. Lily was holding her basket on her lap with Malkin once again hidden in it.
Then they waited.
Robert removed his cap and clutched it in his lap, turning it round and round and fiddling with its brim. He was so nervous he would jump to his feet whenever someone came through the door.
Malkin was overexcited too. He was constantly popping his head out of the basket to tell them how much he was looking forward to seeing Caddy again. Lily had to push him back down on multiple occasions so he wouldn’t be discovered.
Two-thirty rolled around and his ma and sister still hadn’t shown up.
Robert stood up and paced the floor, disturbed. Perhaps some disaster had happened to their ship? Or perhaps they simply weren’t coming?
So many possibilities churned around in his mind.
Then, all of a sudden, he caught a glimpse of his ma and Caddy stepping through the swing doors at the far end of the hotel lobby, and his heart soared.
They had yet to see him and they glanced anxiously about, walking towards the reception desk.
Lily and John hung back beside the fire to give Robert time alone to greet them.
Robert took a few small steps forward, but for some reason didn’t wave just yet. Instead, he stood and took them both in, trying to fix them in his mind like a photograph. It was a habit he had when he thought a moment might not ever happen again.
His ma had on a long blue velvet coat dotted with glass beads that twinkled in the light. It was reminiscent of the starry stage costume she’d worn when she and Robert had first met at the Theatre of Curiosities in London. A waist-length black woollen winter cape was thrown over her shoulders, and atop her head was a large felt hat trimmed with feathers. A few locks of her black hair trailed down beneath the hat brim, framing her face. They reminded Robert of a trail of ink.
Caddy sported a stylish black velvet jacket with green glass buttons, matching green walking gloves, a scarf and a bonnet trimmed with red Christmas ribbons. She looked a lot smarter than the last time he’d seen her. But she hadn’t changed completely, for her hair, which always used to have a tendency to tangle, hung down beneath the bonnet like a bundle of twigs.
The pair finally saw Robert. His ma’s hazel eyes shone and she broke into a bright smile, waving her gloves and rushing at him.
Caddy waved too. Her grin was so big it made dimples appear in her apple cheeks. “Robert!” she called out across the lobby.
“Hiya, Ma! Hi, Caddy!” Robert cried as the pair of them hurried over. “Merry Christmas! Can we still say that now that it’s passed?” He was gabbling. The nervous twinge in his belly fluttered like a hothouse full of butterflies.
“Of course we can.” His ma pulled him into a huge hug, kissing him on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, darling. I’m looking forward to seeing in the New Year with you! Sorry we’re late. I hope you got our telegram? We would’ve been with you last night, only our arrival was put back a day. Then I had to look up the hotel’s address because we didn’t know where it was…” She stared around nervously. “We’ve never stayed in such a smart place before!”
She was babbling too. Perhaps Robert wasn’t the only one nervous about their meeting?
“Hello, Selena, Caddy,” Lily said, stepping in quietly beside Robert.
“Hello, Lily!” they both said in unison.
Selena shook Lily’s hand while Caddy gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Malkin poked his head out from Lily’s basket and licked both their hands.
“Feel free to ignore me,” he chirruped. “I’m disguised as the contents of a picnic basket.”
“So you are!” Caddy ruffled his ears.
“Mrs Townsend. Miss Townsend. I’m delighted you made it finally.” John lifted his hat to both Selena and Caddy as he joined the group.
“Pleased to meet you again, Professor Hartman,” Selena said, with a slight bow. “Call me Selena. I think you did before.”
“And you may call me John.” Papa beamed at them. “How are you both?” he asked, while Lily tucked Malkin away again, peering at the lobby staff and guests to check none of them had seen him.
“Better now we’ve finally arrived,” Selena said. Then she turned properly to her son. “Now, Robert, let’s get a good look at you…” she said, grasping him by the shoulders. “I swear, you look more and more like your father each time I see you! Doesn’t he, John?”
“Thanks.” Robert shrugged her away. He didn’t like it when she brought up Da. It was so long since the pair of them had been together. She hadn’t even been there at the end, when Thaddeus had died.
He turned to Caddy instead and looked her up and down. “All right, sprout?” he said. “I think you’ve sprouted too!”
“That’s because I’m nearly ten,” Caddy said, beaming. “Practically grown. My birthday’s in fifty-nine days!”
“How long exactly have you and Caddy been in America?” John asked Selena.
“Almost six months,” Selena said breezily. “Virtually from the moment we left Brackenbridge. We were in Manchester and I saw an advertisement for cheap fares to America, so I thought why not try our luck in the theatres over here? We’ve done almost fifty spiritualist shows since we arrived – all the way down the East Coast – including some personal seances.”
John gave a grumble of disapproval. “Perhaps it’s time you thought of a more sensible career? One less onerous to a young girl.”
Selena ignored this remark, or at least pretended to. Lily thought she had become rather frosty all of a sudden.
“Ma can’t do that,” Caddy said in reply. “Not now we’ve got new cards printed up. Look, she put my name on them, see?” She took a calling card from her pocket and showed it around to everyone.
“Very nice,” said Robert after he’d read it.
“You can keep that,” Caddy said proudly. “We’ve got loads of them. Ma hands them out in whatever boarding house we’re staying at. We’ve been right around the States with them.”
“Thank you.” Robert kissed his sister’s forehead. Then in a sudden fit of elation, he picked her up and twirled her around the lobby.
When he stopped he felt dizzy with happiness. His family were all together again!
“Well,” said Selena, when they arrived at the suite. “I think I might just freshen up. It’s been rather a long journey.”
“And I shall catch up on some reading,” John said, settling himself in one of the living-room chairs, with his big book on Shakespeare.
Lily and Malkin started moving Robert’s things into their room so that Selena and Caddy could have the third bedroom to themselves. Robert tried to pack his clothes into his case for the move, but Malkin grizzled half of them away from him and insisted on carrying them in his mouth instead.
Caddy immediately set to helping as well. All the way up the stairs she had barely left Robert’s side – she seemed to want to spend as much time with him as possible and that made his heart sing.
As soon as the four of them finished moving Robert’s things, Robert shut the door of the nursery, so they wouldn’t be overheard by John or Selena. “Lily,” he said, “are we going to tell Caddy about Dane now?”
“Who’s that?” Caddy asked.
“The boy next door,” Lily said, flopping down on one bed. “
He sent us a secret note at dinner last night, asking for our help.”
“How did he do that?” Caddy furrowed her brow.
“By post-mouse,” Malkin explained.
Lily got out the note and showed it to her.
“It does sound like he’s in trouble,” Caddy said when she’d finished reading it. “Do you know anything more about him?”
They produced the newspaper article, which she studied as well.
“Dane’s aunt is a professor of electricity,” Lily said. “She has a wooden case that she keeps with her the whole time, handcuffed to her wrist. Very odd. It has a snake drawn on the side.”
“An ouroboros snake,” Robert added.
“Which means life and death,” Malkin said, settling himself on the bed beside Lily.
“But where are his parents and why can’t he remember anything?” Caddy asked.
“That,” said Lily, brandishing her magnifying glass, “is what we intend to uncover with our detective work.”
“We’re going to see him today,” Robert said, “and tell him what we’ve discovered so far. Perhaps it will jog his memory, and he’ll remember more of his past and how it connects to all this.”
“When?” Caddy asked.
“As soon as possible,” Lily said. “We just need to wait until his aunt and that mechanical nursemaid Miss Buckle are out. Then we need to find an excuse to get away from Papa and your ma, and knock on his door, like he asked.”
“It’s a simple plan,” Malkin said, sarcastically. “What could possibly go wrong?”
“So, do you want to help us?” Robert asked.
“It sounds the most exciting mystery! Just like my penny dreadfuls, and I love those. So, yes, I would love to help!” Caddy handed the note and article back to Lily. “Perhaps we can use my second sight to see into Dane’s past and recover his forgotten memories?” she suggested. “Or maybe even read his future – that might help too.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Robert said.
“There’s something else.” Lily leaned forward on her bed. “It would be better if you stayed in this room with us. That way we could make our plans together.”