Qi picked up the glass. “Is there something wrong, Mrs Ruane?”
“Call me Kathleen.”
Qi traced her way through the room and stood beside her host, looking out into the night-shrouded garden.
“How important is wallpaper, Captain Qi?” Kathleen’s voice broke as if she were crying again.
Qi blinked in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
“Never mind.”
There was a further period of silence.
“You saw that I received a letter.”
“It did not contain pleasing news.”
“It did not,” agreed Mrs Ruane. “Someone I care about is being held for ransom by the bandits.”
“I see.”
“Captain, may I ask that you transport me to pay the ransom and recover my friend?”
Qi hesitated.
“I will pay for your repairs and a sum equal to the ransom if you can return my friend to me.”
Qi still hesitated, as she did not wish to put her crew in harm’s way—but even so she inquired. “How much is the ransom?”
“Five hundred pounds.”
xiii
“Well, Monsieur Darras?”
Remy adjusted a valve on his torch and the bright flame reduced to a small blue light. He pushed up his goggles with his gauntleted hand. He was the most untidy she had ever seen him.
“Two hours to get the new piping in place, Capitaine.”
“And the balloon envelope?”
Remy nodded to where Beatrice, Fanning and Ichiro were working on the cloth, replacing an area that had been burnt away by the lightning strike. “Perhaps a similar time. Then we must attach it and test it.”
“Very good.”
Qi walked across the top deck to the railing and looked down over the side. Captain Reynolds was there with a dozen of his men. Mrs Ruane stood apart from them, dressed in travelling clothes and staring out across the valley.
“I do not think Mrs Ruane has come to see us off,” said Dingbang at her side. She had not noticed him arrive.
“No, she is coming with us.”
“Into Kerala? To the Fortress?”
“We have a side job.” Dingbang was silent so Qi continued. “It’s five hundred pounds.”
“That is a great deal of money.”
“That’s why I agreed.”
“And what must we do for this money?”
“Rescue a woman from the bandits.”
“We are traders, not fighters.”
“We fight when we must, and besides,” she said, “they will be the ones doing the fighting. We carry them to the rendezvous, show superior fire power and they get the woman back.”
“I do not think this is wise, little one.”
“Think of the money.”
“I am thinking of your father.”
Qi felt a burst of anger. “I am the captain.”
Dingbang gave her a bow just on the wrong side of politeness and headed for the hatch. She frowned at his back.
* * * * *
The bridge was crowded. The expected crew were there, along with Beatrice, Fanning, Mrs Ruane, Captain Reynolds and one of his men to act as runner if he needed to communicate with the rest of his men in the cargo hold.
Steam pressure was up and the generators were running smoothly. Qi sounded the klaxon for the one-minute alert to engaging the Faraday. She caught herself stroking the helm and quickly looked to see if anyone had noticed. There were so many people around her, yet she had almost forgotten about them, so strong was the pleasure of being in command of the Beauty once more.
The chronometer clicked through another minute. It seemed as if the people on the bridge held their collective breath until she reached out and engaged the Faraday.
The lightness washed through her. She could feel Beauty straining to be aloft. She checked the wind gauge; there was a breeze running down the valley but that was no risk. It would only push them out across the valley, which was entirely acceptable. Using the communication pipe she gave Remy the order to complete inflating the envelopes. “Make your height 1000 feet, Monsieur Darras.”
“Aye, Capitaine,” came his tinny reply.
If they had been at an official air-dock the envelopes would have been tied down until given the command to release. But in this situation they would simply lift when the buoyancy exceeded their Faraday weight.
The stern lifted a fraction and the Beauty slid sedately across the river bed. The bow hit a boulder, and the ship turned. The view through the bridge viewing ports angled round until they were looking up the valley.
Qi smiled to herself. Almost as if it were planned. She sent the order to engage the main propeller and felt the familiar vibration as it spun up to speed. The river bed dropped away from them at an increasing rate.
“Oh my goodness,” breathed Mrs Ruane from where she stood to the side of the window. She took a step backwards and grabbed at a pipe in the wall for balance.
Qi held back on the forward thrust to maintain their position against the breeze and allowed the ship to drift backwards until they could see where the river fell over the drop-off into the fields below.
“Course please, Herr Kröne.”
“North by northwest, Captain,” he shouted. “Along the valley.”
The captain applied half thrust and moments later felt the Beauty push ahead, reaching perhaps fifteen knots against the headwind. Qi unhooked the communication tube again and whistled to Remy.
“Oui, Capitaine?”
“How are the repairs?”
“All good, Capitaine, but I would not wish to apply excessive pressure at this time.”
“I’ll keep things easy until you’re happy.”
“Merci.”
Mrs Ruane turned from the bird’s-eye view of the valley and took the few short steps to the helm.
“You have an excellent crew, Captain.”
“I am very proud of them.”
“Can we go up on top?” the older woman asked.
“Would you go with her, Dingbang?” He nodded. She returned her gaze to Mrs Ruane. “You must stay out of the way of Monsieur Darras, and follow the orders of my first mate.”
Mrs Ruane raised an eyebrow. “His orders?”
For a moment Qi considered modifying her statement but caught the frown in Dingbang’s face. “His orders, Kathleen. This is not a cruise ship. It is not designed for safety or, indeed, any passengers.”
Mrs Ruane hesitated and then acknowledged with a nod of her head. “His orders.”
“Would you like accompany them, Captain Reynolds?” Qi asked, hoping she could get all the passengers off her bridge.
“How long to the rendezvous?”
“Two hours I believe.” She looked across to Otto.
“Two hours and twelve minutes under current conditions, Captain.”
Qi turned to Captain Reynolds, who nodded. “Then I will accompany Mrs Ruane.”
As the group left the bridge, Qi heaved a sigh of relief. She did not like strangers on her ship.
xiv
“We will not be going in with all your guns blazing, Captain Reynolds,” said Qi.
“No indeed, Captain,” said Mrs Ruane. “I do not want Miss Chabak harmed.”
“She will not be harmed, as well you know, Mrs Ruane,” muttered Captain Reynolds.
The three of them were hunched round the table in the small mess. Mrs Cameron had put together a light luncheon of sandwiches and coffee—which Qi found strangely incongruous considering the nature of their conversation. However, the captain’s last remark piqued her interest.
“How is it we know they will not harm this woman?” she asked.
Mrs Ruane looked awkward. The captain stared at her pointedly.
“Because Dhavni Chabak is the sister of Kehar Chabak.”
“And who is Kehar Chabak?”
“The bandit leader.”
“He has kidnapped his own sister? That does not seem usual,” said Qi. “What else
have you not told me?”
Captain Reynolds gave Mrs Ruane another hard stare and rose to his feet. “If you would excuse me? I must see how my men are doing. Ladies.” He pulled open the door as far as it would go and squeezed through the gap.
Qi looked expectantly at Mrs Ruane who, once more, seemed discomfited. After staring for a short time at her own hands clasped on the table, Qi took a drink from her glass of water.
“What is it that you are not telling me?” she asked again, as an afterthought in the hope it might get a better response. “Kathleen.”
Mrs Ruane smiled humourlessly. “We had an argument.”
For a moment Qi thought she might mean with the captain, but that did not make any sense. “You and this...Dhavni?”
“We are”—Mrs Ruane searched for the words—“romantically entwined.”
Qi sighed. That explained some of Kathleen’s behaviour. She looked up to see tears in the other woman’s eyes. Qi did not carry a kerchief, nor was there anything suitable to hand. Kathleen sniffed.
“She did not like the wallpaper I had picked out for her room.”
* * * * *
Back on the bridge, with the firm certainty of the Beauty’s helm in her grasp, Qi stared ahead at the mountains that loomed on either side of them. The valley they had been following was long gone, and they had crossed more than one ridge. If they had not had the charts they would be completely lost. The British Army’s Ordnance Survey had mapped almost every inch of the sub-continent with the help of their flying machines.
“I am completely opposed to handing over money to this bandit,” said Captain Reynolds. “It is contrary to the welfare of His Majesty’s Empire and of its citizens.”
They were not alone on the bridge but Dingbang was doing an excellent impression of a statue, staring through the window ahead, keeping an eye out for landmarks. Otto had the maps spread across the desk and was consulting his notes while pretending not to listen. The last Qi knew, Fanning and Beatrice were talking to Mrs Ruane on the upper deck.
“The welfare you are duty-bound to uphold.”
“Of course.”
“But Mrs Ruane wants her ... companion returned to her.”
“The desires of one woman do not outweigh the security of the Empire.”
“I do not think the Empire will suffer much if one bandit gets five hundred pounds for his sister.”
“It depends on what he plans to do with it.”
Qi glanced at the captain. “I have no desire to take my crew into a firefight. We are traders, not soldiers.”
“Your Mr Montgomery most certainly is.”
“Was. He is a Buddhist now, he will not fight.”
“And yet he captured the bandits who attacked your ship.”
“I did not say he was not clever,” she said. “And Ichiro helped.”
Captain Reynolds fell silent but Qi could not let it rest. “I need to know what you’re planning.”
“The ship will be under the scrutiny of the bandits so I would like you to drop down early so my men and I can disembark while you make the rendezvous.”
“All right,” she said, grateful for the opportunity to get the soldiers off her ship. “Otto, how long to the rendezvous point?”
“Twenty minutes, Captain.”
“Good,” said Reynolds. “I will notify the men.”
He strode away and headed through the door that led to the cargo bay. The door thudded shut behind him. Dingbang looked over at her and nodded. She thought she could see a slight smile creasing his face.
“Was that correct, Captain?” asked Otto with a slight uncertainty in his voice.
“That was perfect. Do you have a place where we can drop him off?”
“I found a location a few miles from the meeting point.”
Dingbang looked round. “He has horses.”
It was Otto’s turn to smile. “Yes, but there is a ridge one thousand feet high that he must cross.”
* * * * *
Qi leaned against the side of the cargo hold entrance, her arms crossed. Captain Reynolds and his men had spent a few minutes settling their horses after the ship had landed. The animals seemed none the worse for their period in low gravity.
The men mounted up. Qi walked down the ramp and up to the captain’s horse, which jostled left and right looking as if it were keen to be on the move. Around them the mountains reared up.
“The meeting place is three miles distant,” said Qi, pointing at where the river-cut valley turned up into a higher one. “We saw a trail running alongside the river, so you should be able to make good time.”
“Keep them busy for as long as you can,” said the captain. “We should be with you in under an hour.” He urged his horse forwards. The others fell in behind, and they moved off at a walk which turned into a slow trot.
Qi gave him a wave when he looked back, then turned on her heel and marched back inside. Ichiro grabbed the winding handle and the clattering of the ratchet accompanied the closing of the hatch.
Terry was standing just inside the hold. Qi paused as she approached. “They did just as you said they would. Thank you.” He nodded and headed back towards the engine room.
Back on the bridge Qi engaged the Faraday and the Beauty floated upwards.
The instructions she had given the captain were not inaccurate; he would certainly have been suspicious if the Beauty did not fly past them and head up the valley itself. She watched as the horses grew closer and then disappeared behind.
“Make our height one thousand, Monsieur Darras,” she said into the tube.
“Oui, Capitaine.”
The ship approached the ridge that rose up like a wall in front of them. Qi noted that the trail did cross the ridge, but it looked as if it would barely allow a man let alone a horse to travel it. They would have to dismount and lead their horses.
As they drew closer she killed their forward motion and guided the Beauty in towards the mountainside. It was delicate work as random gusts buffeted the ship. The last thing they needed was to tear the envelope again. Remy had been very unhappy about this part of the plan.
There was no way for Qi to see what was happening to the side of the ship, but Dingbang was at the portside portholes while Qi fought the winds to keep the ship as close to the cliff as possible, and above the trail.
“He is ready,” announced Dingbang. Qi adjusted the thrusters to take them towards the mountain. The ship shuddered as the hull crashed into the rock. “He’s away.”
Gratefully Qi gunned the thrusters and pulled away, none too soon as a vicious down-draught cost them fifty feet of altitude in half a second. Qi took the ship directly away from the cliff face as she ordered Remy to give them two thousand feet of altitude. He swore down the line in French as the Beauty bounded skywards.
Qi brought the ship round in a full turn and saw Terry waving from the path. She estimated he had about two hundred feet to make the top of the ridge plus whatever it took to get down the other side. Unlike the captain and his men, Terry would be inconspicuous.
She reduced the engine power as they slipped over the ridge. The sun shone on them until she gave instructions for the descent and they dropped into shadow.
“The meeting place is here, Captain,” said Otto.
She looked forward. The ridge fell away less precipitously on this side. There was a lake; a few scrawny trees lived on its banks along with a scattering of stubby bushes.
“There,” said Dingbang. There was a line of smoke from a fire that looked to be at the far end of the lake. Near to the smoke were several horses.
xv
Qi brought the Beauty low across the lake, following the shoreline, but carefully steered away from the trees and bushes from which the smoke emerged. The horses were, in fact, sturdy, long-haired ponies, saddled and ready to go.
She wasted time heading along the river and then back in a wide arc, finally setting down a good half mile from the fire. Once again she did not want to risk
a bullet hole in the envelope. They could probably manage to fly with just a hole or two, since the ship could easily heat more air to fill the balloons, but they couldn’t afford to suffer too many hits.
Better to keep the ship out of harm’s way.
“Do you have the money?” Qi asked Mrs Ruane as they buckled on their coats. Qi felt awkward putting on her father’s tatty old over-sized coat while her passenger donned her expensive and elegant attire. It was not a feeling that Qi experienced when with just her crew.
Mrs Ruane pulled a fat envelope from her large reticule—which by itself was probably worth ten pounds—and then replaced it.
Qi held out her hand for the envelope. “You should stay here.”
“No, I am coming,” said Mrs Ruane as she snapped the clasp on her bag.
“It won’t be safe.”
Mrs Ruane looked at Otto, Dingbang and Ichiro who were also getting ready. Only Ichiro was not armed, but he looked as if he could stop a charging bear. Fanning had complained about being left behind until Qi had pointed out that she needed someone who was willing to use force to protect Beatrice. At that Terry had raised an eyebrow but made no comment.
“I’ll be safe,” said Mrs Ruane.
“If it goes wrong, there will be shooting.”
“Why would there be shooting? He has not kidnapped her, she went willingly.”
“And now there is a ransom demand.”
“It’s her brother.”
“Who is a bandit.”
“Blood is thicker than water, Captain.”
Qi pursed her lips but made no further argument. There was clearly something odd about this arrangement. If this Dhavni Chabak was willing to come home, why had she not simply done so? If she was going along with the ransom plan, did she really want to return to Kathleen? Qi shook her head. She was not planning on getting shot, and if that meant getting in her retribution first, so be it.
Mrs Ruane shivered as a cold wind cut through her coat when she stepped onto the valley floor. For Qi it was nothing compared to the temperatures they tolerated when cutting ice, so she barely noticed.
Ladies' Day Page 5