The Empress of the World.
‘I admit that the dress is an improvement, Mrs Wooster,’ Hemming said.
Antonia favoured him with a smile across the table they were sharing with Charles and Moorbridge in the officer’s mess. ‘It is rather more comfortable than a blouse designed for a man.’ She had discovered that, while she had no appetite, she was still capable of eating solid food. And so far she had developed neither fangs nor a desire to sink them into someone’s neck. The beef they had been served actually tasted rather good.
‘Well, as you will have noticed, we are underway. I got my orders and they remain more or less unchanged. With Mister Moorbridge’s testimony to back your own, and the knowledge that Alfred Cooper was, in fact, alive, you are to be returned for confirmation after which the charges will be formally dropped.’
‘That is good to hear,’ Charles said.
‘As for the issue of the mine you’ve discovered, I was asked to tell you that some ministry or other would be contacting you regarding the matter.’
‘That sounds like it could be less good news. However, I shall reserve judgement until I hear what they have to say.’
‘Probably wise,’ Antonia said. ‘Kate should really be here for this.’
‘She needs rest. You saw her when she came out of the reactor. It will be a few days before she is back on her feet.’
Antonia nodded. She had never seen Kate looking so tired, or weak. The girl, who had such physical power and dynamism normally, had barely been able to stand though she had said that she felt better. ‘I hope it will be soon.’
~~~
Kate looked at the bowl of soup which had been placed before her, a sour expression on her face. It tasted quite good and she had managed half of it without too much difficulty, but now her body was telling her that she had had enough.
‘Nurse?’ The young man on duty looked up at her, giving her a smile. She was getting a lot of those and was not entirely sure whether it was indulgence, or the fact that she was an attractive young woman lying naked in a bed. She would take either at the moment. ‘I think I’ve had enough for now. Thank you.’
‘You should really try to eat some more,’ he said to her, but he lifted the tray from her lap anyway. ‘Your skin is looking a little reddened.’
‘It’s a bit sensitive. I must have…’ She trailed off as a wave of dizziness swept over her. ‘Oh… Uh, I don’t wish to alarm you… Perhaps you should get… I’m going to pass out now.’ Her head fell back onto the pillow and her eyes fluttered closed.
The nurse quickly checked her pulse and then bolted for the intercom.
~~~
‘Radiation burns compounded by the existing organ deterioration,’ the doctor said. He was talking to Charles and Antonia, but Moorbridge and Hemming were standing nearby. ‘Her condition is quite serious.’
Charles gave a nod, but he said, ‘Get her through the next twenty-four hours, Doctor, and she’ll recover faster than you would imagine.’
‘Frankly, sir, given her body mass and the amount of radiation she must have absorbed, she has already amazed me. I’ll keep her alive, but you are looking a little red yourself, Mrs Wooster. You didn’t take damage from the radiation, did you?’
Antonia waved the question away. ‘I was barely in the thing for two minutes and I had a suit on. Horrible contraption. I don’t know how you put up with it, Charles.’
‘It’s better than have parts dropping off,’ Charles replied.
‘There is that. No, this is simply sunburn. Pale-skinned and blonde are not a combination suitable for Africa, in truth. I’m usually more careful. I’d like to stay with her, if I may, until she wakes up.’
‘That could be morning,’ the doctor pointed out.
‘Well, this room is not short of beds if I wish to lie down.’ Which was true; the ship had four, five-bed infirmary units. The doctor gave a nod and walked off towards Hemming.
‘I have not noticed your skin burning so readily prior to this,’ Charles said in a low voice as they moved closer to Kate’s bed.
‘It seems that my skin reacts badly to direct sunlight much as my eyes do. A parasol was sufficient to keep it at bay, however. And I live in England so the sunlight should not be too much of an inconvenience.’
‘You make light of your circumstances, but this new state still worries me.’
‘I make light of it because I do not believe there is anything to be done about it. I shall learn to cope. I shall not attempt to stop you from finding some means of returning me to normal, however. I know that I could not do so even if I were to feel like trying.’
Charles smiled. ‘I believe we are beginning to understand each other quite well, Mrs Wooster.’
‘Indeed. So if you don’t stop calling me that when propriety does not demand it, I shall become quite incensed.’
‘We would not want that, Antonia.’
She smiled and reached out to take Kate’s hand in hers. ‘Always a quick learner, Charles.’
5th September.
Kate regained her senses after little more than an hour, but complained of a headache and spent the remainder of the night drifting in and out of sleep. By morning she was looking healthier, but she was still weak and Antonia decided that she needed to be fed a bowl of cereal. For some reason, the nurse on duty found this quite fascinating.
‘I have not been fed like this since I was… a lot younger,’ Kate said before dutifully opening her mouth for a spoonful of milk and cereal.
‘Cooper actually fed you?’
Kate swallowed and nodded. ‘It was not for long; while my coordination was insufficient to manage it myself.’
‘I don’t believe I can truly imagine what your childhood was like.’
‘And I have nothing to compare it to. It was not all bad. For the first… Well, for some little time it was just me and him. He would take blood and a lot of measurements, but the experiments started later so that early time was not entirely unpleasant. It was only later that I learned that he thought so little of me.’
Antonia smiled and lifted another spoonful to Kate’s mouth. ‘The nursing staff seem very attentive.’ Her voice was low, and amused.
Kate bit her lips, straightened her face and swallowed. ‘I do not believe they see many women on their voyages. And now there are two in the same room.’
‘One of them dressed in naught but a sheet. I have procured a dress for you. When you are over your immediate affliction we should take a walk on deck. It will allow the rest of the crew to look just as lovesick as the nurse, improve your constitution, and… Well, the Empress is the pride of the fleet. It would be a shame not to see some of it.’
‘I’d like that. How is your wound healing?’
‘Quite well. In fact, it is almost entirely healed. I do not believe there will even be a scar. It feels… strange, however.’
‘How so?’
‘There is no itching or discomfort. The wound is not reddened. It appears almost as though the flesh is reconstructing itself as it was.’
Kate frowned. ‘I find myself hoping that Drafenberg somehow survived the explosion. I should like to explain to him, at some length, why it is impolite to experiment on people.’
‘I have entertained some most un-genteel thoughts about him myself. Involving a croquet mallet and his kneecaps.’
‘Croquet?’
‘An over-complicated game played on garden lawns. Pray that you never have to discover how to play it. And eat up. If we are to entertain the crew, we need you mobile.’
‘Yes’m,’ Kate said, managing a passable servant’s accent.
‘You are not too old to spank, young lady.’
For some reason the nurse dropped the tray he was carrying.
~~~
‘You had us worried, Kate,’ Charles said. The nurse was less keen to be around now that Antonia had been replaced by Kate’s guardian.
‘You should know better, Sharles. It takes longer than this without th
e radiation to put me in mortal danger. I know it does.’
‘Hmm… Well, you seem to be on the mend. The Captain has indicated that the charges against you are very likely to be dropped as soon as we get back.’
‘I owe Mister Moorbridge thanks for that. I am sure it would be harder to persuade the police without his testimony.’
‘Perhaps, but I believe getting him out of that prison should wipe clean any debt you may feel you owe him.’
Kate grinned. ‘There is that. I have been thinking, however. I should really find myself some form of employment when we return. I cannot live off you and Antonia forever.’
‘Well, I am exceedingly wealthy, my dear, so you could. I can understand you wishing to have some sense of purpose, however. We can discuss the matter when we are settled back at home.’
‘You know, Sharles, I feel that getting me out of my father’s clutches is sufficient to pay off any debt that you may feel you owe me. Indeed, I do not believe that you owe one. What my father did to me was not your fault and it should not be you who makes recompense.’
He smiled at her. ‘I know that, Kate. Intellectually I know that.’
‘But you do not yet believe it?’
‘That… is true.’
‘We will have to work on that, Sharles.’
‘I am quite sure we will.’
8th September.
The Empress of the World really was a very impressive vessel. Displacing some thirty thousand tons, she was quite a broad ship to accommodate the central deck which was designed to launch up to six, three-hundred-ton Defiant-class dirigibles. Compared to the vast bulk of the thing von Auttenberg had had built, the Defiant-class was a midget, but the carrier capability allowed the ship to project its power, very respectably, well inland. With the airships in their below-deck cradles, however, the flight deck made an excellent place for Kate and Antonia to take a morning constitutional.
Kate had awoken feeling much better and decidedly restless. The doctor had pronounced her ‘not out of the woods yet, but well enough to be allowed out,’ by which he meant that she could leave the infirmary now. He looked a little disappointed. The nurse had appeared more so.
Dressed in her new high-collared gown, with the corset quite loosely tied, and with Antonia hiding beneath a parasol and wearing gloves, Kate had taken her friend’s arm and they had proceeded out onto the deck.
‘We have an audience,’ Kate said under her breath.
‘An audience who is trying to appear not to be watching. I can see some of them.’
‘The glasses are not helping?’
‘Oh, they help. I should be almost blind without them, but even these dark lenses leave me with some glare, especially facing the sun. They are not too dark for you?’
‘Just perfect. Thank you for thinking of me. There seem to be a lot of guns on this ship.’ Along both sides were ranks of turrets, five large and fifteen smaller on each side.
‘There are. Charles could tell you the details. I recall that the two main turrets, fore and aft, fire eleven-inch shells and can fire Vulcanite rounds. These smaller turrets around us are meant for air-defence and are among the fastest-firing weapons currently in use. She also has nineteen-inch torpedo tubes below the waterline which can dispatch terribly powerful missiles should the guns be insufficient.’
Kate looked forward, but the big gun in its armoured turret was obscured by a large, raised bridge which gave an excellent view of the way ahead and the flight deck. To the rear she could see the back of the turret and it looked very big indeed.
‘What did they do with the airship we borrowed?’
‘They were going to make running repairs to the engines where possible and then fly it back to England under its own power. I have no doubt that there will be some political issues with that. The Germans are likely to be uppity.’
‘My experience of Germans thus far suggests that they always are, but I admit that the ones I have met may well be an exception.’
‘I’ve met some fine members of the nation in Africa. They generally seem to be not that different from the British, but without the sense of humour. Or any sense of humour, actually.’
‘Von Auttenberg seemed to laugh quite a lot.’
‘Yes, dear, but not at the right things. Are we still the object of everyone’s attention?’
‘More or less.’
‘Once more around the deck then. After that we will go below and let them get on with their work.’
9th September.
You could tell that they were in the English Channel because the weather had gone from bright, clear skies to heavy cloud.
‘Ah, British weather,’ Moorbridge stated as the four passengers stood on the deck. ‘I can’t believe that I have actually missed this.’
‘Travel always makes coming home all the sweeter, Mister Moorbridge,’ Antonia told him. ‘Unfortunately, for those like me who have a restless spirit, eventually we are forced to travel once more.’
‘In this case, immediately,’ Charles added. ‘We are still over an hour from home. I shall procure train tickets when we arrive. You are welcome to join us, Mister Moorbridge.’
‘Then I shall accept, Doctor, for I have no idea of the state of my affairs and no money.’
It took over an hour to get the huge ship into dock at Portsmouth, and then they had to wait because Hemming was expecting someone aboard who needed to speak with them before they left. He had not been told who, just that they should wait. It came as something of a surprise when they discovered that they were waiting for Chief Inspector Longford and two constables from the Met.
Charles took command of the situation. ‘Chief Inspector. We were not expecting you here.’
‘I’ve been ordered to escort you back to London, Doctor.’ Longford did not seem especially happy with the arrangement. ‘Formally you are under arrest, but you will not be detained. We will require you to attend Scotland Yard tomorrow morning to make statements and, assuming that proceeds without issue, you will be cleared of all charges then.’
‘I see. Well, it saves on train fares. Thank you, Chief Inspector.’
Longford nodded and turned to Moorbridge. ‘Mister William Peter Moorbridge? You will be coming with us. A statement is required, but we also need to prove you are who you say you are, and there will be a lot of paperwork. I’m told that people are pushing that through as fast as possible, but…’
‘I quite understand, Chief Inspector,’ Moorbridge replied. ‘I am pleased that the process is already underway. I’m just a mechanic, really. No one of import.’
‘His Majesty’s Government takes the kidnapping of British nationals by foreign agents rather seriously, sir. Someone official will want to talk to you, I’m sure, but the story has managed to find its way into the newspapers. The public are outraged.’
‘As only the British public can be I’m sure,’ Antonia said. ‘Shall we go, Chief Inspector? I am anxious to be home and into some fresh clothes.’
Richmond, London.
It was evening before they finally got back to Antonia’s home and could relax. Little opened the door with a relieved smile on her face as they walked up the short flight of steps.
‘We got a message from Inspector Franklin that you were returning, ma’am,’ the maid said, ‘but not exactly when. Mrs Bridger has made some food, just cold, but it’s ready when you are and the boiler’s stoked for baths.’
‘A bath,’ Antonia said, ‘sounds like an excellent idea. Is that Chastity I see peeking out from the kitchen?’
‘Yes, ma’am. With you gone there seemed no hurry in her leaving and she’s safe here. She’s been helping me with the cleaning and such.’
Antonia nodded. ‘We shall discuss her future once things have settled down.’
‘Didn’t you have more luggage when you left, ma’am?’ Kate was carrying everything they had in a carpet bag, aside from her sword and rifle which were slung over her shoulders.
‘Tales of our exploit
s can wait. Indeed, I’ll need to explain some things to everyone once I’ve had that bath.’
‘After we’ve both bathed,’ Kate said. ‘I’m not having anything missed and I need to be clean.’
‘Very well, Little, run a bath. Kate can catch up on lost meals and then follow me.’
Kate’s stomach chose that moment to growl. ‘I’ll eat in the kitchen, less time between me and the food.’
~~~
‘I am, for want of a more accurate term, dead,’ Antonia said to the assembled staff and Chastity. It was not a sentence which she expected to produce laughter and hilarity, and what she got were bemused smiles and looks of shock. She had explained already how her circumstances had been changed so drastically, so there was just the matter of what it meant. ‘I realise that I am walking, talking, and taking baths, but I am not breathing and my heart does not beat. My new conditions will require some adjusting to… and under the circumstances I will not fault any of you should you wish to seek employment elsewhere.’
Mister and Mrs Bridger looked at each other. ‘Will you be requiring our blood on a regular basis, ma’am?’ Mister Bridger asked.
‘While I appear to be oversensitive to sunlight, hence these glasses indoors, I do not appear to have developed other vampiric tendencies. Nor do I appear to be decaying into a withered husk.’
‘In which case, I believe we can make any adjustments required. If God, in his infinite wisdom, continues to believe that you should be here with us on Earth, who are we to do otherwise?’
‘Thank you,’ Antonia said. ‘Little?’
‘You shouldn’t have t’ ask, ma’am. You took me out o’ the gutter. I’d stick with you if we had t’ walk through Hell with the Devil himself. An’ pardon me for lettin’ me accent slip, but I’m a little emotional.’
‘Not that I count,’ Chastity said, ‘but I’m with Madge. An’ I’ll not breathe a word o’ this outside these doors.’
‘Very well. Thank you all for your loyalty, and the slip is quite acceptable, Margery. I find myself a little emotional as well. On to specifics. I require fluids as normal, it seems, but not solid food. And that did have me worried for a while, Mister Bridger, but there are still no signs of blood cravings. I do like food, but we can cut back on the purchase of comestibles. I believe that this allows for us to take on a maid for Kate if she will put some small part of her allowance towards the pay. Do you want a job, Chastity?’
Unobtainium 1: Kate on a Hot Tin Roof Page 24