Moonlight & Mechanicals

by Cindy Spencer Pape

  * * *

  Liam threw another flyer onto the stack on his desk. More anti-royal rhetoric. The damn things were everywhere, telling the people of England how mistreated and downtrodden they were. While some of the claims were true—automation had certainly put miners and millers out of work—others were completely off the mark. Liam wasn’t particularly enamored of the peerage himself, but they were on their way out as the ruling class anyway. Even he could see that it was the new industrialists who would come to rule the Empire, based on the simple fact that they would own most of it. Coal merchants and factory owners were buying up venerable estates left and right. Soon, the so-called working class would own more land and hold more power than the aristocrats, and it wasn’t going to take some student rebellion to trigger it. It was bound to be a subtle transfer of power, with the lords watching from the sidelines with port and cigars as their authority and prestige silently slipped away.

  A few of the old guard saw the trend and embraced it. Trowbridge had bought up factories and mines, instituting safe working conditions and fair pay. His workers loved him and his family’s fortunes would be fine. Merrick, too, had an eye to the future and would be another peer who would weather the change. As for Lord Bell, Liam’s father? Not a chance. The old bastard was in debt up to his eyeballs, and one of these days, his title alone wouldn’t be enough to buy him credit. Liam hoped he was around to see the humiliation.

  Meanwhile Bell’s prodigal younger son had invested heavily in steamships and automated textile mills. Liam smiled to himself. He might not show it in his clothing or habits, but he was wealthier by far than many who sat in the House of Lords. However things shook out, he’d be fine. The idiots writing these pamphlets, though? They needed to be stopped before they tried something stupid and someone got hurt. Riots in the streets of London—or at the Ascot races—wouldn’t be good for anyone. And Liam still had only the faintest supposition of who might be behind the movement. It was time to have a long chat with Lord Eustace and his friend Kersleigh. Plus, he needed to talk to Piers and see what was going on at Cambridge.

  “Message for you, Inspector.” A uniformed constable tapped at the open door and handed Liam a folded piece of paper before slipping back down the hallway.

  He scanned Wink’s report, which basically confirmed what his nose had already told him. The kidnapper had worn some kind of bronze suit of armor. The bit about tying into the nervous system was something of a surprise, but it might have accounted for the superhuman strength Lolly had mentioned. He wished he had more time to devote to the Miller case, but this Ascot business was consuming his time, even if his mind was still focused more on a certain copper-haired engineer than on either case he was supposed to be working.

  “Enough.” He slid the report into the Miller file and reached for his hat. Time to pay a visit to his clubs. Maybe chatting with Eustace and Kersleigh could take his mind off Wink for more than a minute. Kissing her last night had been the stupidest thing Liam had done in his life. All morning, he’d found himself thinking of her, remembering the softness of her lips and the enthusiasm of her response. Maybe instead of hunting up Eustace, he ought to go find a woman—one who wouldn’t expect a commitment, indeed, one who wouldn’t look for anything more than a few guineas for her services.

  No. The thought of hiring a prostitute left him cold. He had to get Wink married. Knowing she was completely out of bounds would be the only thing that would let him breathe easily again. Her wedding to Connor couldn’t happen soon enough.

  On foot, Liam made his way to one of the less ostentatious gentlemen’s clubs, where he thought he remembered meeting Eustace before. At the third club he visited, he actually found the man, this time without his chum Kersleigh. Liam ordered lunch for the pair of them and made sure the steward refilled Eustace’s glass. Liam sipped slowly at a snifter of brandy himself, just to keep Eustace comfortable. With his werewolf regeneration, it wouldn’t have any effect on his brain or body unless he seriously tied one on. He hadn’t even done that last night. However, by the time they’d eaten, Eustace was well-lubricated.

  “So, given any thought to creating a younger son’s society?” Liam asked, trying to sound as potted as his companion. “You, me, your friend Kersleigh? Bound to be others.”

  Eustace snorted. “Already got one.”

  Liam raised an eyebrow. “Really? How does a man join up?”

  “Gotta ask K-Kersleigh,” Eustace said. “It’s his little project. Gather all the dispossessed scions and show society what’s what. Shake up the powers that be a little bit.”

  “Any plans to make a grand gesture?” Liam lit a cigar and handed one over to Eustace. “Sounds like that could be fun.”

  Eustace waggled a chubby finger back at Liam. “Can’t tell you that. Haven’t been initiated yet, have you?” Then he giggled like a six-year-old with a secret. “But it’s gonna be grand. Bet on it.”

  Ten minutes later, Eustace had all but passed out, so Liam made his way back to the Yard. It was time to do some serious digging into the life and finances of one Mr. Kersleigh.

  Chapter Seven

  “Thank you, again, Connor. The electrode gun worked beautifully—at least on hay bales.” Wink let Jamie help her out of Connor’s car on the street in front of Hadrian House. “I hate to test it out on some unfortunate animal, so I’ll have to trust that the manufacturer has been thorough. I wouldn’t want to kill someone by mistake.”

  “Or have them get back up if you meant them to stay down.” Jamie reached across the empty passenger side and shook Connor’s hand. “Thanks for the lift, old chap.” He waved Connor off, then all but dragged Wink into the house behind him.

  “What?” She barely had time to hand her coat to Mountjoy before her very grubby brother dragged her into the study. “If you learned something in Wapping, you could have said so in front of Connor. He’s practically family.”

  “Not as close to family as he’d like to be, and that’s the problem.” Jamie dropped into their father’s chair and poured himself a drink. After swallowing it in one gulp, he scrubbed at his head with his hands, until his hair stuck out in all directions.

  “What is it, Jamie?” She knew that look and dread pooled in her stomach. She sat on the desk and rested her hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong? Is everyone going to be all right?” Jamie’s visions were warnings, possible futures that could be avoided if acted upon. Ignoring them could prove fatal.

  “While you thought I was napping, I had a vision.” He looked up into her face so she could see his earnestness. “One I’m not sure you’ll want to hear about. How serious are things between you and Connor?”

  Wink grimaced. “Complicated. He’s asked me to marry him.”

  Jamie dropped his face into his hands. “I was afraid of that.”

  “Why? Nothing’s going to happen to Connor, is it? Something I could have prevented?” Wink gnawed on her lip. He wouldn’t do anything rash, would he? “I was going to let him down today, before you invited yourself along. I just can’t marry him. Please tell me that won’t get him killed.”

  “You’re turning him down?” Jamie sat up. “Oh. That’s all right then.” Without further explanation, he poured himself another drink and swallowed it.

  “Seamus McCann Hadrian, explain yourself.” Wink stood and crossed her arms.

  Jamie shrugged. “I saw Connor with a woman in his arms, and it sure as hell wasn’t platonic. She was dark-haired and had big… Well, anyway, she wasn’t anyone we know. I didn’t like the idea that he was two-timing you, that’s all. I was afraid you’d get hurt.”

  “Brother, dear, you’re an idiot.” Nell ducked into the room and took Jamie’s glass away from him. “And you smell like a sewer.”

  “Plainclothes work,” he said. “And why am I an idiot?”

  Nell wrapped her arm around Wink’s waist. “Because no matter how hard she tried to convince herself it was the right thing to do, Wink would never marry Connor when she’s in
love with someone else.”

  “Someone else?” Jamie blinked. “Who? You can’t mean Liam. Thought you got over that infatuation years ago.”

  “Enough.” Wink caught Jamie’s arm and pushed him toward the door. “Nell is right. You reek. Nell and I promised Aunt Dorothy we’d attend a dinner party at the Hendersons’ tonight. Are you coming along?”

  “Is Liam going to be there?” Jamie gave her a thoughtful look. “I wouldn’t mind talking to him for a bit.”

  “He is,” Wink said. “Part of a case he’s working involves him being seen as a fortune hunter in high society. He’s escorting us, along with Connor, so we can all compare notes. But Jamie—you’re not to breathe a word of what we said here, understand? I’ll not have you putting any pressure on Liam.”

  “Understood.” Jamie drew an X across his chest with a finger.

  Wink smiled. “Good. Now go soak your head, along with the rest of you, in a tub. Use soap. Lots of it. And no more drinking.”

  “Look.” Jamie lingered in the doorway. “You know I only want to help, right? It isn’t as if I see the future on purpose.”

  “I know.” Wink moved closer while Nell put away the brandy. “It’s all right, Jamie. I’m glad you had your vision and I’m glad you told me about it. You’ve reassured me that turning Connor down really is the right thing to do, and you’ve no idea the weight that takes off my mind. I genuinely hope the woman you saw is someone who can love him with her whole heart, the way I never could.”

  “I’m glad too, then. I just wish I could solve my own problems as easily.” He slapped her on the shoulder. “No harm done, then. Right?”

  “None at all.” She swept her eyes over his face and saw the earnestness and a hint of maturity behind his carefree façade. “Jamie, I’ve been thinking and I may have something of a solution for you, if you can bear more schooling. Have you asked Mum and Papa about attending a military academy? It seems like the logical compromise. Perhaps if you succeed there for a year or two, it will give them the confidence to buy you a commission?” She hated to think of him in the army, but if it was what he needed to do, she’d understand. So, eventually, would their parents. If she could help with that, she owed it to all of them.

  “That’s bloody brilliant.” A sweet smile dawned slowly on his face, making him look like a little boy again for just a moment. “Why did I never think of that? You’re a genius.”

  “I’ll make you a bargain,” she said. “Keep out of trouble while we sort out this mess with Mrs. Miller, and I’ll bring it up to them and do my best to talk them into it. That’s a promise.”

  He threw his arms around her neck and hugged her. “Thank you!”

  Wink smiled. It was good to have him here, along with Nell. Now they only needed Tom and Piers for it to be like old times. Not that she’d go back if she could. She wouldn’t trade their new, larger family for the world.

  “That really is a brilliant idea.” Nell pushed them toward the door. “If you like, Jamie, I’ll do my bit to convince the parents as well, and you know they listen to me. I’m the sensible one. Now you both need baths, however, so get moving. We don’t want to keep Mrs. Henderson waiting.” The Hendersons were old friends of the Hadrian and MacKay families. Mrs. Henderson’s father having been a Knight, they were privy to knowledge of the Order, though not to the details of active cases.

  Jamie laughed. “Or I’ll be stuck in the nursery with their grandchildren.” With a whoop, he ran up the stairs.

  * * *

  Liam watched as Wink and Nell entered the parlor where he waited with Connor and the irrepressible Jamie. Having the boy turn up was a surprise, though it shouldn’t have been. With the Hadrians, anything was possible. For just a moment, though, Liam couldn’t focus on anything but the picture made by the two young women, both lovely, but such a study in contrasts. Dainty and sweet, Nell’s exotic good looks were emphasized by the softness of her pale pink gown, trimmed with yards of ruffles and lace. Her serenity masked a well of fierce loyalty and protectiveness, and Liam knew he wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of a sword or gun if he ever hurt anyone she loved. Wink, on the other hand, was magnificent, a Celtic warrior princess with no trace of softness in her manner. She wore a simple gown of gold-colored satin, unadorned except for a pair of amber earrings, almost the same shade as her hair. With all that amber and gold on, her eyes took on the same shade, glowing with warmth. She was so striking it nearly hurt to look at her, but he forced himself to offer each of the sisters a precisely equal bow.

  Miss Dorothy Hadrian, in a purple dress even more severely cut than Wink’s, cleared her throat. “Well, since we’re all here, what’s the progress on our two cases?”

  Liam didn’t even bother to correct her. If one Hadrian was involved, they all were, and Dorothy was a formidable ally. One by one, everyone related what they had learned or surmised over the last few days. The only one with nothing to add was Nell, who took everything in and nodded thoughtfully.

  “I can’t help thinking,” Nell said when they’d all finished their reports. “That there’s a reason two such confounding problems are occurring at the same time. Do you think they’re connected? Is this army someone is collecting part of the plot against the Queen?”

  All heads turned to Nell. Liam made sure his own mouth wasn’t hanging open like some of the others.

  Jamie nodded. “Makes sense to me. Simplest possible solution, isn’t it? Occam’s razor and all that.”

  Dorothy patted Nell’s shoulder. “You might be onto something there. Sometimes it’s easier to see a situation clearly when you’re not so closely involved.”

  “Well, Lord Eustace certainly wouldn’t have the mechanical knowledge to build powered suits for his army,” Wink said. “But his oily little friend…well, perhaps. Kersleigh knows something. I can’t help but feel he’s got some secret joke he’s playing on society. This would certainly qualify.”

  “I spent some time this afternoon investigating the honorable Mr. Victor Kersleigh. He does have several patents to his name,” Liam said. “His teachers at university all praised his brilliance but deplored his ethics. What he doesn’t have is funding.”

  “But perhaps his collection of younger sons is providing that,” Connor said. “It bears further investigation.”

  “Agreed.” Liam nodded. “I’ll get on that first thing in the morning.”

  “I’ll print out any records the Order has and get those to you in the morning,” Wink said. “Anything we have on Eustace, as well. Kendall and his father have already left for Windsor to open up their house there for race week. Any of us who need to go down for the races can use it as a base of operations.” Since the Order’s ties to the Crown went back over a thousand years, it was no great surprise that the leader of the Knights happened to own property quite near each of the royal residences.

  “They’re not taking Amy and the baby into a potentially dangerous situation, are they?” Nell’s voice quivered.

  “No, Amy and Ned have already left for Kent with the two duchesses,” Connor said. Both Kendall’s mother and grandmother doted on his Canadian wife, and the Trowbridge’s primary seat was in Kent.

  Wink nodded. “Mum and Papa had planned to come down for the week, but I telephoned and asked them not to. If things are going to go south, I’d as soon they and the little ones were safely home in Northumberland.”

  “Good thinking.” Liam wondered if he should warn the others about his own father’s plans to attend. Not just yet. It wasn’t relevant. One thing Liam did know in the old man’s favor was that Lord Bell was a staunch royalist. He wasn’t part of the plot, and he wasn’t a young child to be kept safely away. Therefore he wasn’t a factor to be considered, an opinion the earl had maintained for all of Liam’s adult life.

  Their conference finished, they sorted out who would ride in which carriage and made their way to the Henderson home, off Grosvenor Square. It would have taken Liam only a few minutes to walk, but that just was
n’t done with ladies in ball gowns; breathing masks would muss their hair and street dirt would stain their hems. Liam found himself in the Hadrian landau with Dorothy, Nell and Jamie, while Connor escorted Wink in his steam car.

  “So,” Jamie said, apropos of nothing. “Did Wink tell you I had a vision today?”

  Dorothy snorted. “Really? Did it involve you matriculating at university? I’d find that future difficult to believe.”

  Jamie grinned. “Me too, but I think Wink has my future sorted out. No, this vision was about Connor.”

  Liam caught himself from leaning forward in his seat. Jamie was enjoying this too much for the vision to have been foreboding.

  “Jamie, be quiet.” Nell slapped her brother’s thigh with her fan. “It’s none of your business—or ours.”

  “No, let the boy speak.” Dorothy’s lips twitched. “What about Connor?”

  “He’s going to find the love of his life,” Jamie said smugly. “In the next year or so, I think. And it isn’t Wink.”

  “No?” Liam kept his voice steady.

  “No. She’s dark, but not as dark as Nell. Maybe a gypsy. And she’s built like…” Jamie darted a nervous glance at his great-aunt and coughed. “She has a very, um…generous figure.”

  “Nicely phrased.” Dorothy laughed. “In other words, someone totally different from Wink.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with Wink’s shape.” Nell glared at Jamie. “She’s willowy, that’s all. Slender.”

  “Exactly.” Jamie leaned back and sighed. “And the woman in my vision was anything but. So it’s a good thing Wink plans to cut Connor loose tonight. If she married him, they’d both end up miserable.”

  Oh, hell. Now what was Liam supposed to do?

  That thought continued to ring in his head throughout the meal. He’d been seated between Wink and Nell, and felt like a rabbit caught in a snare. Since he was supposed to be playing fortune hunter, he had to dance attendance on both of them. Wink treated him with a studied indifference that might have stung if he hadn’t known her well enough to tell it was feigned. Nell’s kindness bordered on pity and he wondered, not for the first time, just how much this quietest Hadrian saw or understood.