Ashes & Alchemy

by Cindy Spencer Pape

  Sebastian perked up like a hound on the scent. “Mr. Engle, the science master?”

  Ivy nodded. “He comes in on Wednesdays to show us things from nature, like plants and bugs and things. Once he brought pictures of giant turtles. Another time it was a nest with egg shells still in it.”

  “I believe Mr. Engle is something of a follower of Mr. Darwin’s theories,” Minnie said. “It sounds like he’s been showing them drawings from The Origin of Species.”

  “Yes.” Sebastian stroked his mustache.

  “Sometimes he brings us treats. His mum likes to bake, he says. Last week it was lemon squares,” Ivy added. “It was sooo good!”

  “Really?” Minnie tried to keep her voice calm while she exchanged a frantic look with Sebastian. “Well, that’s very kind of him.”

  “I’ll drop you off and collect Liam and Merrick to go round up Engle,” Sebastian whispered. “We won’t let him get away.”

  Minnie crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m coming with you.”

  “The hell you are.” Forgetting to whisper, Sebastian bellowed his last comment.

  “Mr. Brown said another bad word.” Ivy giggled. “Now he’ll have to sit in the corner when we get home.”

  “I’ll take my punishment later, I promise.” He gave Ivy a sincere look. “I should have spoken more carefully.” How did he always know exactly what to say?

  “I know these people, Inspector. I can speak their language. You’ll have them running before we hit the front door.” While all that was true, it wasn’t why she wasn’t going to let him go without her. Ivy was her daughter and she wanted to look her assailant in the eyes and see for herself that he was defeated. “I also know a few back alleys and passages around the church that you and your friends may not.”

  Sebastian grumbled a vague assent and looked away from her.

  They rode the rest of the way in silence. This time it was anything but comfortable.

  * * *

  Wink’s welcome was far warmer than Minnie could ever have imagined before she’d heard the woman’s story. She quickly whisked Minnie and Ivy into a comfortable sitting room, full of children of all ages and several clusters of adults, ranging from young twenties to silver-haired. If this was a small family gathering, Minnie would hate to be invited to a ball. She was already as overwhelmed as kitten in a dog-fighting ring.

  A lively game of charades included a selection of adults along with the children. Ivy was quickly whisked away to join the game, while a few other adults drifted over. Wink pulled Minnie from group to group making introductions and making Minnie’s head spin. In addition to Wink’s parents, the baron and baroness—who was younger than Minnie herself—there was a marquess and marchioness about Minnie’s age, with a son a bit younger than Ivy. Then, to Minnie’s absolute disbelief, she met the marquess’s parents, an actual duke and two duchesses, his wife and his mother. There were a few others present, but after that, Minnie’s mind went blank. She was at a party with an actual duke. Never, even in her Portsmouth days, would she have imagined such a thing. Strangest of all, they all greeted her with civility and even friendliness. Sebastian was treated as a valued friend. This was not, to her understanding, how the most elevated classes worked. They were supposed to look down their noses at peasants like her. It was how society operated and kept itself ordered.

  “Kendall, I’m glad you’re here.” Sebastian shook the hand of the marquess. “We think we know who the killer is. Grab Liam and Merrick. We can talk in the library.” Minnie lifted an eyebrow, suppressing a smile. He was even bossy to his friends and his superior.

  “We’ll go with you.” Wink caught Minnie’s hand in hers. “There’s more you need to know about the bacteria.”

  “I’ll stay here with the children.” Wink’s lovely blonde mother, with, yes, slightly pointed ears, was by Minnie’s shoulder. “Unless you think you’ll need my particular skills?”

  “I don’t believe so.” Wink shook her head. “I’d rather preserve his research and find someone who can build on it responsibly than destroy it.”

  Caro, as she’d asked to be called, smiled. “Understood. By the way, I think you’re right about Ivy. She definitely has some gifts similar to mine. But we can talk about that later.” She slipped across the room to watch the children.

  More confused than ever, Minnie followed Wink and the younger men into a large, comfortable library. Sebastian made short work of explaining the situation and their conclusions. “My fear is that if he’s suspected the authorities are involved, he’ll have bolted and then he’ll start again somewhere else.”

  Minnie nodded her agreement. “And from what Ivy overheard, the headmaster is likely involved as well. He’ll know you talked to the teachers and vicar. You’re a good policeman, Sebastian, but the truth is, you smell like copper from a mile off.”

  There were more nods all around, while Sebastian scowled. “I can manage undercover work.”

  “Of course you can, but some of them have seen your face. Plus you’re not the only one who might be recognized, after last spring’s debacle at Ascot.” Liam frowned. “My photograph was in too many papers, as was yours, Wink.”

  Minnie’s eyes bugged out. Here were some of the heroes who had saved the Queen and everyone else at the Derby? From the automaton-men? Meeting them was even more impressive than being kissed on the cheek by a dowager duchess.

  “What if he was approached by a member of the Royal Society, looking to support his research?” Wink’s father, Merrick, said with a twinkle in his dark eyes. He was maybe ten years Minnie’s senior, making the generations sort of a blur. Minnie gave up trying. She’d likely never see any of them again after today anyway, and she could certainly never tell anyone, even Ivy, of their secrets.

  “I’ve got a better idea.” All heads turned to Minnie when she spoke. “I’ll go to him and ask about special tutoring for my daughter while she’s ill. He won’t be able to resist that lure.”

  “No.”

  Wink rolled her eyes at Sebastian’s automatic denial. “They’re all like that until we train them.”

  Train them? Whatever did that mean?

  “It’s a sound idea,” the marquess, Kendall Lake, said. Lake as in Lancelot du Lac? Another wave of awe washed over her, but she forced it away. That wasn’t important right now. “What if my father went with her? He could be her father, looking to help out.”

  The others nodded, but Minnie snorted. “A duke pretending to be the father of a seamstress. Forgive me, but he’d stick out like a goldfish in a birdcage.”

  “You haven’t seen the Knights in action,” Sebastian said. He looked Minnie in the eyes and must have seen her determination. He sighed. “Very well. If his grace agrees, he’ll look exactly as he should. He’s still an active Knight. We’ll be within sight, of course, ready to rush in.”

  “Well, then, I’ll go get my father and we’ll run home to change,” Kendall said. “Minnie, you’ll want to do the same.”

  “I can lend you something if you want to speed things up,” Wink said. “One of the housemaids is about your size. And Kendall, you know Liam has everything you need here. Including armaments. By the way, Minnie, have you ever handled a weapon?”

  “Just this.” Minnie reached under her skirt to draw the dagger she’d stolen from her father’s library so many years ago. “I never go anywhere without it.”

  Sebastian’s intake of breath was minimal, but she heard it. He knew she’d used it before. He cast her a dark glance. “All you’re to do is get the man to the door. Once he’s out in the open and we close in, just run.”

  She nodded, not bothering to be offended by his ordering her about. He was more experienced than she at this kind of work. It really wasn’t her plan to get herself killed. Then she’d have no chance at a future with Sebastian. Now she had only a whisper of one, but that was enough to keep her hoping.

  “All right, then, everyone.” Liam clapped his hands. “We know our positions. Let�
�s move.”

  * * *

  Seb tried once again to talk Minnie out of going as the duke’s big carriage rumbled across town. He understood her refusal, but Christ, what would Ivy do if anything ever happened to Minnie?

  Liam caught Seb’s eye. “It kills you,” Liam whispered in a voice so low only those with supernatural hearing would pick it up. “But you can’t wrap our kind of women in cotton wool. You have to let them live.” He glanced at Wink, who like Minnie was dressed in servant’s clothing. “If anything happens, Ivy will be taken care of. My word on that.”

  “And mine,” the duke added from next to Liam. Merrick and Kendall each nodded briefly.

  Our kind of woman, Liam had said. It was as if his friends already knew he’d decided to keep Minerva and Ivy in his life. Looking over at her alongside Wink, though, he couldn’t help but see a resemblance—not in appearance, but in strength of spirit. Minerva would fit beautifully into his world.

  Wink slanted the men a suspicious glance but pointedly ignored them. “Minnie, how long have you been in London?”

  “Since I was seventeen,” she said. “’Tis home now. I have no interest in ever going back to Portsmouth.”

  “I understand,” Wink said. “A lot of people don’t realize that sometimes family has nothing to do with blood. You do, I think. Your love for Ivy proves that.”

  Minnie nodded. Of course Sebastian had told the others. After all, he’d shared their secrets with Minnie. “Cathleen and Jane were my family, then Jane and Ivy. Not the people who brought me into this world.” Her sister Diana was a different case. She’d fought to let Minnie stay, but had been locked in her room. Minnie still missed her sister. She would love to know how Diana fared, but her letters to Portsmouth had gone unanswered and she’d never had the money to hire an investigator. There was also the fact that she’d always been too ashamed, afraid Diana would turn away. Minnie would rather keep her imaginary sister in her heart than lose her real one again.

  “I wonder,” Minnie said softly to Wink. “Once this is all over, does anyone in your circle need a seamstress? Or a maidservant? Perhaps even a laundress? I’ll take any honest work as long as I’m allowed to keep Ivy with me.”

  Sebastian glared. “There’s no reason for you to worry about that. We’ll discuss things later.”

  Minnie rolled her eyes at Wink. “He doesn’t understand. I can’t just live on charity forever.”

  “You’d be surprised how many people could,” the younger woman said. “But no, I can see your issues with it. We’ll sort something out. Mum will have an idea, and if she doesn’t, one of the duchesses will. I suspect you’d be a rousing success at any occupation you chose, so don’t let it worry you. You’re part of our circle now, and we take care of our own.”

  One of their own. Minnie mulled over that as the carriage rumbled on. She was grateful beyond belief that Wink had all but promised to find her a place. That was a gift beyond measure. But to be considered one of this remarkable group? That brought a lump to Minnie’s throat.

  They reached the point where Minnie and the duke were to exit the carriage and walk the few blocks to Engle’s residence, in a flat above a bookstore, supposedly with his mother, who liked to bake treats for the children. The space wasn’t very large from the outside. He must have a laboratory somewhere else, perhaps in the basement of the building. The duke, dressed as humbly as any denizen of this neighborhood, took Minnie’s arm. “Don’t worry, dear. We’ll make sure no more children are harmed.”

  “Yes, your grace.” She bobbed her head since she couldn’t curtsy.

  “It’s Father, now, remember. From this point forward, I’m Elmer Fletcher, your beloved papa, ready to pay a little of my pension for my granddaughter’s education.” He patted her hand. In the neat but extremely worn gray jacket and blue duck trousers, he looked just like a denizen of Minnie’s sphere. Even his posture was different, more stooped, and he walked with a shuffle. He looked nothing like the fit man in his fifties that she’d met at the party. The same was true of all the others, even Sebastian. He’d proved her wrong on that count. He didn’t look anything like a copper now, wearing corduroys and a tool belt, with several teeth blackened out.

  “Right, Father.” She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

  “All in a day’s work, dear. All in a day’s work.”

  They reached Engle’s door and the duke nodded. “They’re in place,” he whispered.

  Minnie had no idea how he knew that, but she followed the duke up the stairs behind the shop. That was her task—to talk Mr. Engle into coming down the stairs so the others could take him, preferably without a fight. She knocked on the door at the top of the stairs, then squeaked as it opened under her hand.

  “Damn it.” The duke pushed Minnie away from the door. “Go downstairs and call the others.”

  She hesitated. “What is it?”

  He sighed. “There’s someone dead in there—for a day or so, unless I miss my guess. Now, go.”

  Minnie ran. When she reached the alley, Sebastian stepped out from behind a broken fence. “What is it?”

  “Someone dead, he says. For a day or so.” She panted for breath as the men and Wink ran past her, then she followed them up the stairs.

  “It’s Engle,” she said when she saw the corpse, covered in soot, just like Ivy had been at the end of her illness. “Perhaps he dosed himself by accident.”

  “Or, maybe he had a partner who did him in,” Wink offered.

  “The headmaster.” Sebastian and Minnie spoke at once.

  “Because I really don’t see this man as the mastermind.” Wink was searching Engle’s desk and the shelf behind it. “His books all look to be on biology, but predominantly natural history, not microbiology or medicine. I don’t see any of the tools or texts that would indicate he knew anything at all about bacteria.”

  “Those could be somewhere else,” Kendall said.

  “Or with his partner,” Merrick added.

  “What about his mother?” Minnie looked around the kitchen and found no evidence of baking supplies. “I don’t see any sign of a woman living here.”

  “No.” Sebastian frowned. “There was only the one bedroom, and only one man’s clothes. Maybe the treats came from a lady friend, or his partner or wherever his laboratory is.”

  “Well, this chap isn’t going anywhere,” Liam said. “I’ll lock the door on our way out and call it in after we have our hands on Mr. Billings.”

  “This time I’m just going to the front door,” Sebastian growled. “No masquerades. The rest of you can wait in the street.”

  Liam shook his head. “I’ll tag along as your superior officer.”

  “Fine.”

  Billings, it seemed, lived in a ground-floor flat about halfway between the church and where Sebastian lived. It was a safe part of town, but not particularly comfortable. Minnie wondered if he spent all his pay on his dastardly research. “I never did find out who his wealthy patron was,” Sebastian said. “We need to find that out if we can. He may be involved in the other as well.”

  While Liam and Sebastian went to the front door, some of the others slipped around to the garden in case their quarry ran out the back. Minnie and Wink were to walk about the corner, just two workmen’s wives, out for a stroll.

  Sebastian knocked, to no avail. Even calling out Billings’ name proved futile. Finally he turned to Liam. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  Liam nodded. “Wink, you’re needed.”

  Wink and Minnie strolled to the door and the men moved behind them, shading Wink’s action’s from the street. Wink pulled a small metal object from her sleeve, and within seconds, the door popped open.

  Liam’s nostril’s flared. “Dead.”

  Sebastian nodded. “About the same time as Engle, I’d guess.”

  Once again, they all trooped inside. Minnie identified Mr. Billings, who, like Engle, was covered in black, just like Billings and the other victims of the strange d
isease. Liam snarled. “More and more, I’m thinking there was a senior partner, someone above these two.”

  “The vicar said there was a benefactor who paid the rent and the teachers’ salaries.” Sebastian said. “Let’s go see if he has any records about who it was.”

  On the way to the church, they stopped at the local police precinct, where Liam reported the two dead bodies. School was out by the time they arrived at the church. Reverend Hacker was nowhere in sight, so they went to the vicarage at the back of the building. They found him alone, peacefully eating his dinner and reading a newspaper.

  “Have a scone.”

  “We’d like to talk to you about some of the teachers, if we may.” Sebastian introduced the others as they trooped into the small space. “Please, go ahead and finish your meal.”

  Hacker grunted and returned to his seat. He patted the chair next to his. “Mrs. Shaw, please come tell me. How’s little Ivy doing?”

  Minnie sat beside the kindly man and smiled. “Wonderfully well. She’s made a complete recovery.”

  “Marvelous, marvelous.” Joy lit up his face. “You’ll have to bring her back to school right away. I can’t wait to see her again.” He patted her hand and picked up his spoon, still smiling.

  “First we need to speak. We have reason to believe the black sickness is not natural in origin,” the duke said. “Who is the benefactor that provides for the school?”

  Hacker’s bushy eyebrows drew together. “Why—I don’t quite know. Mr. Billings always handled that—and the parish committee, of course.”

  “We’d like to look through the parish records, then.” Liam stood, alert, by the door. “Are those up here, or down in the school’s office?”

  The vicar tipped his head. “Well...”

  “By the way, this baking of yours...” Sebastian pointed at the scones and then at the pan drying in a rack. You wouldn’t happen to be the source of the treats Mr. Engle gives the children, would you?”

  He shrugged. “It didn’t seem appropriate for them to come from me. Must maintain my dignity, you know. I’m their spiritual leader, after all.”