by Gwynn White
“Which is why I know you will help me again.”
His words startled me. I opened my eyes and looked at him. A million words left unspoken flowed between us in that single glance. William looked away. I steeled my heart then stepped back. I turned to Jack who’d been standing a discreet distance away.
“Do you have the pocket watch?”
He glanced at William who nodded.
Reaching into his coat, Jack pulled out Lord Dodgson’s watch and handed it to me.
I slipped it into my pocket then turned back to William.
“And where were you when I needed you?” I finally shot back. “Where were you this winter when Bess nearly died? In your big house, that’s where. It was Henry who looked after us. Where were you?”
He opened his mouth to reply but didn’t say anything. Whatever answer he might have given, it wouldn’t have been enough.
I glared at William. “I’ll help you…for Henry. Henry may be a mad fool, but he would do anything for my sister, risk anything, give up anything. That’s what love is. Something you know nothing about,” I said then turned and walked away.
“Alice,” William called.
I didn’t look back.
“I saved your hatter. He still has his fingers because of me.”
“It’s not enough,” I replied, walking away. My heart thundered as I moved back into the crowd. After all this time, he’d found a way to drag me back into the mess. Why now? Why did he really want that diamond? That wasn’t his style. He rarely risked so big. Something didn’t make sense, and before I fell any further into the hole Rabbit dug for me, I needed to figure out what was going on.
5
Six Impossible Things
Lord Dodgson stared down at the pocket watch, his eyes brimming with tears of appreciation.
“Impossible. How did you manage it?” he asked with a shake of the head.
“It was nothing, sir.”
He shook his head. “I owe you something special for this, dear Alice,” he said, stroking his finger across the glass face of the watch. “What would you like?”
I smiled. “Might I beg your patience to ask for the rest of the week off?”
“The rest of the week off?”
“Yes, Your Grace. With pay.”
He laughed. “And with pay.”
“It was your grandfather’s watch, wasn’t it, Your Grace?”
Lord Dodgson smiled. “It was. All right. Of course. Time it is. That’s what matters most, right?” he asked with a laugh, looking at the watch.
“Indeed.”
“In fact, take the rest of the day off. Time is a gift best given at once.”
And a gift that can’t be taken back, I considered, but did not say so. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
He nodded and smiled at the pocket watch.
Taking my cue to leave, I curtsied nicely then headed toward the door. Now I needed to get to Twickenham and back before dark. As it was, Bess was going to be upset once she got a look at Henry. I didn’t want her worrying about me too. There was only one way to get anywhere quickly. Sighing, reluctant to bump into yet another old friend, I turned and headed toward the airship towers.
“Alice Lewis?” Winston asked as he adjusted the optical devices on his goggles to look at me more closely. “What are you doing here?”
The wind blew harshly on the loading platform outside the small airship. Grabbing a handful of cloth, I held my skirt down. The ship’s balloon shifted overhead in the breeze. Metal clattered gently from somewhere amongst the ropes of the rigging. Winston leaned against the rail, his pipe dangling from his mouth as he considered me. He’d grown a long mustache since I saw him last. It trailed off his chin like a walrus’s tusks. Like me, Winston had left the life. Now he ran fares in his small airship. It was an honest life but not a rich one. Something I understood well.
“I just need a quick lift.”
“Do you?” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. In its wake was a smear of grease.
“Yes,” I replied with a grin.
“As much as I love you, no one rides for free.”
I nodded, dipped into my pocket, then tossed him two coins. “Just a quick trip. That should cover it.”
“To where?”
“Twickenham.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Twickenham?”
“Yes.”
“To her?”
“Is there anything else in Twickenham?”
“Pub there serves a good kidney pie.”
“I didn’t know there was such a thing.”
“Such a thing?”
“As good kidney pie.”
Grinning, he asked, “You’re not back in the life are you, Alice?”
“I hope not.”
He raised a questioning eyebrow at me but didn’t ask anything more. “Rufus,” he called into the gear galley. “Wake up. Quick run up the river.”
“Why’d you wake me? I was dreaming of that black-eyed girl at the tavern. She was just about to—“
“Shut it. Lady passenger on board,” Winston called. “And an observant one at that.”
Rufus, Winston’s gear galleyman, looked out. “Miss,” he said with a nod. His mop of hair, twisted into a massive pile of dreadlocks, bobbed along with him. He headed below. Soon, I heard gears grind as he readied the airship for departure.
“Get comfortable,” Winston said, pointing to a bench. He climbed the ropes into the balloon basket and set the flame alight. A moment later he climbed back down and unmoored the vessel. It began to lift slowly, the heat in the balloon causing the ship to rise. At the back of the airship, the propeller began to turn as Winston took the wheel and guided the airship toward the Thames. I rose and joined him, looking over the rail of the ship at the river and city streets below which grew smaller as we lifted.
“Now why would Alice Lewis be going to see the Countess?” Winston mused as he relit his pipe.
I shook my head. “I wouldn’t have believed it myself if you’d asked me this morning. How many impossible things can happen each day?”
Winston laughed. “At least six.”
“At least.”
“Have you seen him lately?”
Him. There was only one person he could have been referring to. “No,” I lied.
Winston grinned knowingly. “Suit yourself. And how is Bess doing?”
“The winter was very hard, but we’re past it now.”
“I was in love with your sister for at least a year.”
I smiled. “I never knew that.”
“You’re not the only one who’s good at keeping secrets,” he said with a wink.
I stared out at the horizon as the airship glided upriver. The scent of the air blowing off the Thames filled my nose. At this height above the city, much of the foul smell died away. There was a softness to the air, and I could smell flowers and the freshness of late spring in the early May air. Each season had its own smells. Winter smelled of snow and chimney smoke, summer smelled of dust and sweat, and fall smelled of fallen leaves and the oncoming winter. But the scent of spring was always my favorite. Its sweet perfume roused my memories. Once more, I was fifteen years old, William seventeen, and we ran down the streets of London.
“This way,” William called in a harsh whisper as we raced down Westminster Bridge toward the airship platforms. Overhead, the massive aether machines moved in and out of port. The chimes on Tinker’s Tower bonged out. It was eleven thirty.
In the distance behind us, I could hear the constables’ whistles, but they were following the wrong trail. William’s crafty idea to throw a pack into the river had done its job. They thought we’d jumped.
Grinning, I held the box against my chest as I raced behind William. The fog on the bridge was thick, but it was filled with that same sweet spring air. Lying just under the scent of the city was the smell of new grass and flowers, of melted snow and new leaves. I breathed in the misty air. Since it was late at night, there were
only a few carriages and riders passing. The fog was too dense for them to make out with any clarity two teenagers racing away from the scene of a crime.
“We’re going to make it,” William told me, grinning wildly.
He grabbed my hand, and we rushed forward.
When we reached the end of the bridge, I paused and put the box into my satchel. I pulled my blonde hair into a bun and pulled on my hooded cloak. William slipped on his cap, keeping it low on his brow, and we slowed to a casual pace as we moved toward the airship towers.
The place was quiet save the few airship jockeys and their crews milling about their ships. I glanced upward. The towers were nearly ten stories in height. All manner of airships were docked overhead. I eyed the ensigns on the balloons, spotting the ship I was after.
“There. The Aphrodite,” I whispered, pointing to a ship with a swan on it.
As we approached the lift, a tower guard eyed us closely.
“You booking passage?” the gruff old man asked.
“No, sir,” William replied, putting on a false Scots accent. “Just have a message for one of the captains.”
“Ship?”
“The Aphrodite.”
The guard raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He waved us into the lift. Entering behind us, he secured the doors then pulled a massive lever. The gears on the lift pulled us upward. When we reached the third level, he stopped.
“Fifth berth,” he said.
We exited. Without another word, the man worked the levers once more and lowered the lift back down.
“Alice,” William whispered in my ear. “How did you ever figure out how to open the chest?”
“It was a cryptix. The note we got from the buyer had a riddle in it. The answer to the riddle unlocked the cryptix.”
“Riddle? What riddle?”
“How can you tell a raven from a writing desk?”
“What’s the answer?”
I grinned at him. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Only to you,” he replied with a laugh.
We slowed as we approached the airship, stopping at the docking ramp. There was only one lantern burning on the ship. A woman was sitting in the shadows. She was smoking rolled tobacco. The red of the ember cast orange shadows across her face, but I couldn’t make out her features clearly.
“Well?” she asked.
“Are you the contac—”
“I’m her. Let’s have it.”
I pulled the box out of my pack.
The airship captain lowered her cap, shadowing her face. In the dim light, I could see the cap had an unusual pendant on it, but I didn’t inspect it closer. Whoever she was, it was clear she didn’t want to be identified. She came to the side of the ship. Reaching out, she took the package from us. She opened the lid and examined the contents. Satisfied, she closed the lid then handed me a leather pouch.
“For your boss,” she said then turned back. She climbed up the rope ladder to the balloon basket where she clicked on the burner. Without another word, she unmoored her ship and started steering it out of the dock.
Wide-eyed, William watched her. He opened his mouth to question the mysterious figure, but I pinched his arm.
“Remember your manners. Never question the customers. Just do your job,” I said then pulled him away before his curiosity got him in trouble.
I slid the envelope into my bag and headed toward the steps. We headed downstairs. On the second platform, William and I stopped and looked out over the Thames. It was still foggy, the gas lamps casting soft orange blobs of light in the darkness.
Overhead, the Aphrodite lifted out of port and flew north.
“I love this city,” William whispered, staring out at the expanse. “One day, I’ll be rich enough to book us passage on any airship we please. I want to see the world. Let’s go to Barbados. Or to America. Or to the Orient. I want to see everything. I love the image of it. And you, Alice Lewis, I love you most of all,” he said, pulling me close.
I met his eyes and reached out to touch his face. He cradled my hand in his, pressing his cheek into my touch.
He sighed contentedly, then leaned in and kissed me softly. The sensation sent chills to my toes. The kiss was soft and sweet. I caught the familiar scent of jasmine-scented soap on his skin.
When we were done, I leaned back. The kiss had made me dizzy. I saw black spots before my eyes.
We both laughed softly.
“I like your dream,” I said, leaning into him. I liked it more than he knew. While my employment kept a roof over mine and my sister’s head, I hated the life. The thieving, the dark deeds, didn’t agree with my spirit. I couldn’t wait for the day that I was released from the terrible bond that tied me to a life so unseeming.
“I’m saving every coin I make. One day, I’ll be rich and powerful enough to take care of us both,” William whispered.
“Why do we need to be rich and powerful?” I asked.
“Who doesn’t want that?”
I was puzzled by his question. “I just want to be content. Let’s move to Barbados. We’ll eat tropical fruits and lie on the beach. The warm weather will clear Bess’s lungs, and we’ll all be perfectly happy.”
“Content is easy to come by. I want something more.”
“Then I’ll buy you a monkey.”
William laughed. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know, but I have to disagree. I think content is the most difficult thing to come by. To be content is to be in perfect bliss, to have everything just as you like it. Even if you are rich and powerful, there is no guarantee you will be content.”
William wrapped his arms tight around me. “Wealth and power can buy comfort. Look at Jabberwocky. He is the picture of contentment.” Jabberwocky, our employer and mine and Bess’s semi-adoptive father, did have many luxuries. We lived in a grand house. We had nice clothing and things. But from what I could see, he was not a happy person. He was good to me and Bess, good to his own aging mother whom Bess looked after, and when he spent time with the Countess, I saw moments of brightness in his face. But aside from that, he looked far from content to me.
I frowned. I wasn’t so sure.
“I have something for you,” he said. “That, I hope, will bring you toward that perfect bliss you’re after, Alice Lewis.”
“Something for me?”
“I spent half the job worrying I was going to drop it,” he said with a laugh. “Or that if we got arrested, it would end up confiscated.”
“Of course, don’t worry about actually getting arrested,” I said with a laugh. “You need to get your priorities straight, love.”
“Love,” he replied, then reached out to touch my chin again. He then reached inside his vest. From therein, he pulled out a package. “I had her made for you.” He handed the package to me.
I untied the bindings on the bundle and opened it to find a dagger inside. It had a long, slim blade. The pommel was made of ivory and carved like the white queen from a chess board. But even better, she also looked quite like Queen Victoria.
“William,” I whispered.
“All great thieves have a special blade.”
“I love her. The queen…she looks a bit like Her Majesty.”
“Such a nationalist,” William said with a grin. “You’d almost believe I had it made in Victoria’s image on purpose. It’s a curious gift for a lady, I know. But my lady is special. She’s my queen,” he said, reaching out to touch my lower lip.
I moved the dagger aside then leaned in for a kiss once more.
“Thank you. I love her. Curious things certainly make the best gifts.”
William knew me well. I didn’t care for jewels or fancy baubles. I had no use for them. A dagger, however, was quite another matter. It was perfect. I slid the dagger back into the leather sheath then slipped her into the top of my boot. It took a minute to adjust to the feel of the blade, but she was secure there.
I looked up at Tinker’s Tower. It was already twenty
after twelve. “Jabberwocky will be expecting us. I hope he’ll be pleased.”
“We did just loot a crate full of cargo meant for the British Museum on behalf of his mysterious client,” William said, looking upward once more in the direction which the Aphrodite had flown. “Alice, how can you tell a raven from a writing desk?”
Giggling, I pulled him into a kiss once more.
“That’s the best answer yet,” William whispered when I let him go. “Come on,” he said, taking my hand. We turned and headed back into the city.
Winston rang a bell alerting the galleyman we’d arrived at our destination. I glanced at the small airship tower situated along the river not far from the small village of Twickenham. It was a rickety looking thing, but the port was surprisingly busy. Winston docked his ship just as another airship took off.
I took a deep breath then readied myself. Despite everything, I was, as Winston had suggested, in the mess again.
Winston looked me over, his expression pensive. “You want me to stay a bit? We can run you back.”
I shook my head then set my hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, old friend. No. I’ll be all right.”
“I hope so,” he said, nodding solemnly. “Be careful, Alice.”
“Thank you.”
He smiled. “Tell lovely Bess I said hello.”
I grinned. “I will.”
“She ever get married?”
“Not yet. But she has a fellow.”
“Decent chap or should I come calling?”
I considered the question. “Decent to her. She loves him.”
Winston laughed. “No luck with the Lewis girls. They’re always taken. Be well, Alice.”
“You too,” I said, then headed down the platform. His remark puzzled me. While Bess was certainly on her way to the wedding altar, I was unattached. Well, at least I thought I was. By Winston’s assessment, it seemed that the whole world knew what I could barely allow myself to admit. My heart still belonged to William.
6
The Countess
I walked from the airship towers to Strawberry Hill House, the little castle where the Countess lived. Lady Waldegrave was fashionable, fun, and very popular amongst the Liberal establishment. I doubted whether any of her high acquaintances, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, knew how colorful her interests actually were. Surely they must have suspected, but Lady Waldegrave, who had an appetite for exotic everything, always seemed to know how to make everyone feel comfortable in her presence.