by Annie Seaton
Dougal lowered his head into her hair and breathed in the exotic fragrance. She was so small, he thought. Delicate shoulders barely reached the middle of his chest, her waist beneath the flowing cloak was tiny— he could almost have spanned it with his hands. Without giving it more thought, he gathered her even closer and a soft sigh settled in the air. She fitted against him so well, almost as though she had been tailor-made to fit into his body. He inhaled the fragrance of her hair once more as he stroked the tension from her shoulders. Guilt overcame him as he understood how much the chase at the station must have frightened her. But despite her fragile appearance, he knew she was brave and determined.
Would she be so brave if she knew she was beneath the watch of the Knights Templar?
An overwhelming desire to protect her consumed him and he vowed to himself he would protect her. Before he knew what he was doing, his mouth lowered to hers and it took his breath away. Her soft lips opened under his and her sweet breath mingled with his. His knees trembled and his mind cleared of any thought apart from the delight of her lips. She returned his kiss and the sensation ran through his blood.
“Dougal,” she murmured his name against his mouth as she lifted her hands to caress his neck.
The soft gasp of his name brought him back to reality and he pulled back and blinked to clear his head.
Dear Lord, what was he doing?
He was here to protect her, not molest her. He could ill afford for her to get into his blood. Look how much one simple kiss had distracted him. He had a mission to accomplish although he had no idea what he was going to do about it.
“I’m sorry, Sofia.” He lowered his hands and put his arms by his side, away from temptation. Her wide green eyes looked up at him and the flickering light from the lamplight reflected in the four small brass studs in her delicate ear lobe.
“Don’t be,” she replied softly. She turned to the door and ran her hand in front of a square brass plate. A sharp snap was followed by the slow opening of the door as the cogs freed the lock. She looked up into his face, which he knew was full of curiosity; he had never seen a door open with a simple touch of the hand. Most of the doorways in his castle did not even have a door to lock...and that would be problematic if the plan formulating in his head came to fruition.
“A recognition device embedded in the cogs,” she explained with a laugh. He sensed she was trying to lower the emotional tension lodged between them like a solid door. At the moment, he had no wish to pass through that doorway, although if all went to plan...
He gathered his thoughts and harrumphed before taking his leave. Taking her small hand between his, he lowered his lips gently to the inside of her wrist and pleasure shot through his body as she shivered at his touch.
“May I call on you again before I depart for the Alps?” he asked.
Sofia nodded without speaking and stepped through the doorway. She turned and smiled up at him.
“Thank you for a pleasant evening, Dougal.”
Before returning to their lodgings in Mariahilfer Strasse, Dougal called into the Café Schwarzenberg to collect Edward. The young man was still sitting in the entry flirting with the cashier.
“There is no doubt, Edward. We are a fine pair. Too long in the wilds of Scotland and the first pretty face brings us both to become a quivering mess.” Edward followed Dougal to the street and flushed when Dougal slapped him jovially on the back.
“Enough of that. We have some serious planning to do.” Dougal lowered his voice as they retraced almost the same route he had taken with Sofia, less than an hour ago. The streets were now busy with carriages, both horse-drawn and steam-powered as the city came alive after the end of the evening’s music recitals.
They entered their lodgings at the end of the street and Dougal looked across at Westbahnof, just across the road from their building. Much had happened since he had chased Sofia along the departure platform and he smiled grimly as the sight of the railway station reminded him of the journey ahead.
“Tomorrow we shall book out our tickets to Salzburg. I would not feel safe travelling through the Alps in our airship. And if the quality of the mechanicals in the ship is anything like those in dear Celestine, I would prefer to be on the ground.”“How we will travel from Salzburg to Schladming?” Edward asked.
“It all depends how quickly we want to get there and when we wish to arrive.” Dougal laughed at the expression on the younger man’s face as he tried to decipher the cryptic reply. He crossed the room to his travelling bag and removed a velvet pouch.
“It will all depend on how long Madame de Vargas takes to return from Cornwall with her nephews.” If the interlude with Sofia in the Kaffeehäuse had not been pleasant enough, he had also gleaned information from her about her forthcoming trip to Schladming and the fact she would have her nephews with her.
He reached into the pouch and slowly withdrew an elaborate inclinometer from the bag.
“What is that?” Edward asked curiously.
“This, my dear man, is an Astrolaberors which will get us to our destination. As long as we can plot against the sunrise or sunset, it will allow us to navigate through time. We shall arrive at Schladming before we leave Salzburg if we so desire.
The young man’s eyes were huge in his face. “So we dinna need the airship after all?”
“Yes, we needed to bring the automaton. However, now she is no longer functioning, we may send her back to England on the airship. We will use the Astrolaberors for our return journey when the time comes. An inclinator of this size can transport three people with little worry.
Dougal smiled as understanding dawned on Edward’s face.
Chapter 7
Sofia passed the first two days of her journey in Paris taking delight in visiting three couturier houses. At the end of the second day, she was met by Mr. Grimoult, her sister Indigo’s manservant, who conveyed her to Indigo’s airship for the short journey across the English Channel to the manor house in Cornwall.
The old man held her arms and looked at her closely. “As usual you are working too hard. You have shadow under your eyes, Sofia.”
“The season has been very busy and business from the colonies is growing,” she replied with a smile. The Grimoults had looked out for both her and Indio after their father had been murdered in the Amazon jungle.
“And the other business?” he asked softly.
“There has been a problem,” she answered. “I believe the information sent from Captain Thoreau was a set-up. We are obviously being watched so I have taken the utmost care. Ernst is working at the laboratory alone and we have stopped all shipments for the time being.”
“And I am sure there is a reason for your holiday to Schladming with the boys...apart from being a loving aunt?”
Sofia reached down and handed her carpet bag to Mr. Grimoult. “Yes, we are going to have some walks in the alpine summer and who knows we may even come across some botanicals. It will be a good experience for the boys.”
Mr. Grimoult rolled his eyes. “Those scallywags. Quite honestly, their behavior has been appalling and they need to be taken in hand. Captain Thoreau and madam are both so strong-willed, they can never agree on a suitable consequence for the two lads and they are becoming wilder by the day.” He put out his hand and assisted Sofia up the steps of the dirigible. “A week with the calm influence of their aunt will do them no end of good.”
“I am looking forward to it.” Sofia smiled. “As I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with my dear sister...and Captain Thoreau of course.”
She settled into her seat and closed her eyes as Mr. Grimoult prepared the airship for ascent. Thoughts of Dougal flitted through her mind and she wondered if he would write to her as he had promised when he had come to bid her farewell two days ago. He had been quite withdrawn and although her heart had raced when he took her hand and kissed it farewell, she doubted she would hear from him again. Although it had been very kind of him to visit her, he had been dista
nt. The mistruth he had told her about having being married to the strange woman they had fitted in the salon, had been peculiar and she could still see no reason for it.
A strange interlude, a pleasant kiss and she would not see him again.
There was much to do and much to plan and she would put the handsome earl out of her thoughts.
The journey was pleasant and the sky was clear as they approached the manor house. The dirigible passed over Castle Lorcathian, the home of her sister’s arch enemy, Duke Lorca. It would not be surprising to her if he had somehow been involved in the conveying in the recent misinformation conveyed to Captain Thoreau in his capacity as Sheriff of Cornwall.
Sofia stood and looked down at the sloping green grass at the cliff top. She smiled—Indigo’s holiday biomes were in the distance and there was a welcoming party gathered on the lawn. Although perhaps gathered was not the correct term. The four boys raced around and Indigo’s voice floated up to her as she called the boys back from the edge of the cliff.
To no avail.
Sofia watched with mounting horror as a toy dirigible inflated at the edge of the cliff and Ruan, the youngest, egged on by his older brothers, grabbed the trailing ladder as it ascended. His little feet left the ground and his screams of delight reached their airship as he climbed higher and higher above the cliffs.
“You bring your brother down immediately, Jago Thoreau.” Indigo’s cross voice carried up to Sofia. “Right this instant.”
Sofia craned forward and followed the direction in which Mr. Grimoult was pointing. Jago held some sort of device in his hand and was pointing it at the toy dirigible. As he lifted it, the small airship rose and when it was lowered, Ruan’s feet almost touched the ground.
“Last chance, young man. Bring him down or you will not be going to Austria with your Aunt Sofia.”
“Oh, Mama.” The shrill young voices floated in the air as the small toy plummeted to the ground. “You spoil all our fun.”
Mr. Grimoult chuckled. “Young Jago and Jory built that airship and the device which allows it to be controlled from the ground. They have inherited the scientific mind of their mother, their aunt and their grandfather. God rest his soul.”
“And the other two boys?” Sofia asked.
“Kit and Ruan do play with their older brothers, but much to their father’s delight they are far less adventurous and prefer their studies to creating chaos,” he replied.
With a final whoosh of steam, Mr. Grimoult maneuvered the airship onto the landing pad. When it was secured, Sofia descended the ladder to the ground and into her sister’s waiting arms.
“Oh, look how elegant you are,” Indigo exclaimed. “You make me look like a country matron.”
Her husband, Zane stepped across and kissed Sofia on both cheeks. “You are a country matron, my dear.” He laughed when Indigo glared at him. The four boys lined up to receive a kiss from their aunt and managed to contain their excitement for a few moments. Indigo looped her arm through Sofia’s. “Come, Mrs. Grimoult has prepared your favorite refreshments. We have much to discuss.”
Much later that evening, Indigo, Zane and Sofia retired to the viewing room on the top level of the manor. Sofia placed her hands on top of the ear muffs as they rode up in the directional perambulator. The squeaks, grinds and the humming of the perambulator as it ascended were not masked by the ear muffs.
“God’s truth, Indigo. You need to maintain your equipment. There is no need for that noise.”
Indigo smirked as she gestured for her sister to enter the viewing room. At first, Sofia’s attention was taken by the spectacular view through the glass walls of the circular room. The sun was setting over the Celtic Sea and the sky was shot with all hues of gold and purple. Indigo cleared her throat and her impatience was conveyed to her sister. Sofia turned and gasped as she surveyed the new equipment in the room.
“No wonder you cannot afford to replace your perambulator,” she said as she walked around touching the analytical engines filling one entire wall.
“And look at this.” Indigo’s excitement was contagious and Sofia smiled. “We now have a new communication device which allows us to speak to you anywhere in the world...and in any time.” She handed her sister a small brass device. “If you place this within your clothing as you walk the Alps with the boys, you will be able to contact us at any time.”
“Amazing,” Sofia replied. “It may come in very useful. Where did you source that?”
Zane smiled. “Mr. Grimoult and I developed it. When we were in the Amazon, ten years ago, the chronometer which allowed us to stay in touch with the submarine gave me an idea. It has taken a long time, however it is now refined and can be used with little trouble and with little knowledge. We have a device for you to travel with to—”
Indigo grabbed her arm and interrupted her husband. “We have had some worrying news and wish to stay in touch with you at all times when you are sourcing the moon flowers.”
Sofia looked from her sister to her brother-in-law. “What sort of news?”
“It has come to our attention the information which we conveyed to you, about the passenger on the train coming into Westbahnof, was given to my man by a colleague of Duke Lorca. We traced the message and it emanated from Scotland. A small town called Kilmarnock.”
Sofia narrowed her gaze. “Scotland, you say? How coincidental.”
“And the worrying thing is, there is a chapter there in Castle Dean who have links to the Knights Templar,” Zane continued. “So it is essential you take the utmost care in the Alps. You are being observed.”
“Would you rather I travel alone?” Sofia asked. “And leave the boys here?”
“We have considered that, but it will be a good cover for you and they are looking forward to it. As a precaution, Mr. Grimoult will travel with you.” Indigo held her gaze. “I expect you will have more bother from the boy’s high jinks than—”
“Sofia, what did you mean by the Scottish coincidence.” Zane interrupted his wife, concern lacing his voice.
“No...it is nothing. I recently had a Scottish client in the salon. Not long after the incident at the station.”
“And you don’t think it was related?” Indigo moved across to the analytical engine.”What was her name?”
Sofia shook her head. “No matter. It was purely coincidental. This was an earl from the Little Rothmore...and an acquaintance.”
Indigo quickly tapped a few keys and pulled up a map.”Hmm. Little Rothmore is only thirty miles distant from Kilmarnock.”
“No, Indigo. It was purely a coincidence.”
“Sofia, you are way too trusting. There is no such thing as coincidence.”
Sofia’s temper began to rise and warmth suffused her face. She knew her older sister had little time for her couturier business and undervalued her intelligence. She bit back the retort on her tongue and decided not to mention there was chance she may hear from Dougal again, or perhaps even cross paths with him in the Alps.
“Come, I am in need of an early night. I am quite exhausted from my time in Paris,” she said, keeping her voice light. “You must tell me all about your holiday biomes and about any interesting guests you have had.”
Indigo looked back at her and obviously thought it better not to pursue her questioning. Sofia groaned and reached for the ear muffs as they headed toward the perambulator.
Chapter 8
“Aunt Sofia!” The shrill, combined voices of her nephews rang out over the whistle of the steam train as it pulled into Salzburg station. “We’re almost there. Is this the mountains? Where’s the snow?”
Mr. Grimoult smiled at her and reached across to grab the shirts of the two boys who were leaning out the train window before they fell out.
“We have a short trip in a steam carriage and then we will be at the mountains,” Sofia replied patiently. “Although we will not see much snow until we walk the alpine paths.” She reached up and adjusted the light gold chain around her neck and tuck
ed the black jewel inside her blouse. Zane had embedded the device onto the back of a black stone and it resembled an elegant piece of jewelry rather than a chronometric communication device. She had already used it to transmit news of their safe arrival to Indigo.
“Come, we have arrived.” With a flurry of leg and arms, Sofia managed to catch the hands of the two boys while Mr. Grimoult struggled along behind them with the luggage. She was enjoying the company of her two nephews and had delighted in their intelligent conversations with her on the train journey. They had a far deeper understanding of the world than she would have expected at their age.
The steam carriage Mr. Grimoult had booked to convey them to Schladming was waiting for them on the paved road outside the station. The boys laughed with delight as the driver took their luggage from Mr. Grimoult. The carriage was painted with cow bells and when it started, the musical sound of bells rang across the still morning air covering the hissing of the steam.
Sofia nodded with satisfaction; they certainly looked like a family on holiday and she was glad the boys were accompanying her.
The owners of the Schladming Inn welcomed Sofia with affection. She was a regular visitor and had been staying there for many years. It had been several months since her last visit and Herr Schwandt fussed around her.
“ As you haf the children, we haf given you the large cabin.” He assisted Mr. Grimoult with their bags and Sofia grabbed the collars of the two boys as they went flying down the path past her.
“Just one moment, you pair,” she cautioned. “We need to have a little discussion.”
She tucked her arms through theirs, one child on either side and walked up the grassy incline behind their cabin. As they crested the hill, a panoramic view met them. Snow capped mountains rose from the low fields where cattle grazed and the ever present tinkle of cow bells drifted across to them. In the distance, two small figures walked out of the narrow green valley that passed between the two highest peaks.