Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Keriah was heartily bored.
It felt indecorous to admit it, since they were in hiding.
Any moment, men on the Root or, perhaps even worse, ordinary, overzealous agents from the Ramparts could discover their location and capture them all.
She doubted the Ramparts would be quite as considerate when questioning her a second time, for they would be unlikely to so grossly underestimate her again.
She and everyone else had stayed with Phoebe’s cousin, Ruby, for two days now.
They had apparently removed Mrs. Coulton-Jones from her home just in time, for Keriah read in the papers about the riot that occurred at Carlton House later that same day.
The streets around Pall Mall had been so full of people that if they had waited only a few more hours before leaving the Coulton-Jones’s townhouse, they might have had difficulties escaping Mr. Norton’s men.
The day after they arrived, Mr. Drydale had not only explained the entirety of their situation to Ruby, but he also told everyone the whole of Isabella and Mr. Rosmont’s secret mission in Wittenden. Before, all Keriah had known was that they had been sent away on a separate assignment.
During the day, Mr. Drydale and Mr. Verling left to discreetly ask their various acquaintance about Mr. Felix Oaksley, the man whom Isabella had mentioned.
Lady Wynwood was unacquainted with the young man, but she gave the names of some of her friends with whom Mr. Drydale could speak about the Oaksley family.
The risk was deemed too great for Keriah and Lady Wynwood to leave the house, and Phoebe was tasked with guarding them.
Since the women had nothing to do, the majority of the time, they remained in the spare bedrooms or the attic, constantly vigilant lest Ruby’s protector arrive unexpectedly once more.
The man usually came in the evening, and they were all forced to remain hidden, as quiet as mice in the attic.
Keriah did not mind that quite so much, for she had no wish to overhear the activities in Ruby’s bedchamber.
Ruby was pleasant to Keriah, insisting that she call her by her first name, but at the same time she was slightly aloof. It was almost as if she had forgotten how to form friendships.
The cook and the maid, who did not live in and came to the house every day, were given a holiday, and so Keriah shared the household duties with Ruby’s lady’s maid, Jessica.
The meals were prepared, surprisingly, by Mr. Verling, who claimed to have been instructed in the culinary arts for a past mission. His food was simple but enjoyable.
Keriah had permission to use the kitchen, but she realized she could not craft more sedative paste.
A few herbs and roots remained from the last batch made at Mr. Thompson’s house, but she needed more.
She also wished to create a sedative paste which would not instantly kill a normal man, so that they might use it if the Ramparts pursued them.
She was going to ask Aya to return to the herb woman, Lady Nola, for more ingredients, but then she remembered a thought she had had several days ago, before the Ramparts had arrested her and Mr. Verling at Oliver Troy’s gentlemen’s club.
The problem was that Mr. Drydale would likely forbid her to go.
Keriah would have obeyed him if she had not been trapped in Ruby’s house for two days, hiding from the neighbors and especially Lord Treme. She was certain she would start crawling out the windows if she did not go outside for a walk soon.
And so, when Lady Wynwood and Mr. Drydale happened to be arguing about discussing matters in the attic, Keriah gripped Phoebe’s wrist and pulled her into the guest bedroom where they were sleeping, whispering to her, “Get your cloak and bonnet.”
Rather than complying, Phoebe straightened and put her hands on her hips, staring down at Keriah with a raised eyebrow and saying nothing.
Keriah tried to ignore her, retrieving both of their cloaks and bonnets, as well as their gloves, but soon the silence stretched too tautly, and she broke. “Oh, very well,” she finally said. “If you must know, I need your protection.”
“And where would you be going, that you would need my protection?”
“My only purpose is to be of use as an agent, I will have you know.”
“You are avoiding the answer, Keriah.”
“I need more ingredients from Lady Nola.”
“Then send Aya. Why must you go yourself?”
“Because I also wish to ask her about Oriental apothecaries.”
Phoebe looked at her curiously. “Oriental apothecaries? I seem to recall that you mentioned you wished to find them, for you suspected that the Goldensuit plant came from the Orient.”
“It is mere conjecture. I only thought of it when Mr. Drydale said the Citadel had coerced Mr. Allinton to obtain a Chinese box.” She bit back a growl.
“I cannot believe those foolish doctors at the Ramparts would have burned the contents without fully investigating what they were! Utter chuckle-heads!”
Phoebe gave her a look of commiseration.
“The connection to China made me wonder if the plant had originated there, since I’m fairly certain it is not native to anywhere in England.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I know of no other apothecary as knowledgeable as my aunt, and when I wrote to her, she had heard nothing about a plant such as this. She was certain that if the pollen caused aggressive behavior and eventually death, she would certainly have heard rumors or ancient stories about it. She also mentioned that the growing conditions we learned were most optimal for the Goldensuit do not quite match regions in England, although she admitted she was not fully versed in the climates of Scotland and Ireland.”
“And so you thought the Goldensuit came from China? Do you not feel that might be rather improbable?”
“When I was at Mrs. Haudenby’s house, while she had a very small library, she was fond of journals of travelers to far-off places.
Since I wondered if perhaps the Goldensuit could have come from China, I read two journals of two different gentlemen who traveled there.
The area in southern China that was described in the journal seems that it may perhaps be too warm, but there were areas in the north that might match the requirements for growing the plant. ”
Phoebe now looked thoughtful. “Very well, I agree it could be a possibility.”
“When I asked Dr. Shokes, he did not know of any Oriental apothecaries. But a hackney driver who overheard my question told me that if anyone might know of them, it would be Lady Nola.”
“Would she truly be knowledgeable about her rivals?”
“Oriental apothecaries would be far less reputable than someone like Dr. Shokes. Lady Nola would not necessarily view them as competitors, for I am sure she feels her skills are superior, but she is likely to have heard of one or two operating shops in the meaner quarters, or perhaps on the South Bank.”
Phoebe glanced out the window at the morning sunlight. “And so you wish for my assistance whilst you travel to a very dangerous area in order to speak to a disreputable woman who sells ineffective medicines.”
“They are not always ineffective … but yes, sometimes they are not quite up to scratch.”
Phoebe considered the matter, crossing her arms and tapping her finger against her elbow. But then her eyes flickered up toward the ceiling. “Aunt Laura and Uncle Sol are getting into quite a heated argument.”
“I’m sure their discussion is quite civil,” Keriah said with a straight face.
Phoebe sighed. “I have no wish to remain in this tiny house when Aunt Laura eventually comes storming downstairs. Very well. Let us leave quickly, as soon as I leave a note. I believe I saw a writing desk in the closet.” She pulled it out and muttered, “Uncle Sol is going to give us both a thumping.”
“Not if I am able to discover vital and important information,” Keriah said cheerfully.
They donned their cloaks and snuck downstairs to the half basement using the servants’ stair. They were dressed like maids, and at this hour of the morning, it was unlikely that any of Ruby’s neighbors would be awake to notice when they climbed out of the front area well of the house.
But they were forced to pass the kitchen on their way, and unfortunately, Mr. Verling was inside, already preparing for lunch. They attempted to sneak past as quietly as possible, but they had no sooner stepped close to the doorway when he called out, “And where would you two be going?”
He exited the kitchen, utterly unconcerned by the incongruity of appearing in shirtsleeves and waistcoat with an oversized apron tied about him. He glanced at their cloaks and bonnets. “Mr. Drydale will have your hides if you leave.”
“We need the ingredients for me to make more sedative,” Keriah insisted, “and there are things I must ask Lady Nola which cannot be conveyed through Aya.”
“Is there a reason why you could not inform Mr. Drydale, and why you must sneak out of the house like a schoolboy escaping from his Latin tutor?”
“That sounded strangely specific,” Phoebe said, her eyes narrowing.
Mr. Verling cleared his throat. “Answer the question, please.”
“If you must know, he and Lady Wynwood are in the midst of a rather … intent discussion in the attic, and I have no wish to disturb them.”
Mr. Verling sighed, sounding remarkably like Phoebe had done only moments earlier. “Very well. I shall accompany you instead.”
“There is no need,” Keriah said. “Mr. Drydale will notice that we are missing far sooner if you have also disappeared from the house.”
“Lady Nola lives in Rasken Hill,” Mr. Verling said. “Two women, wandering alone, would garner the sort of attention that you would probably wish to avoid. If I were to accompany you, we would hardly be noticed.”
Phoebe and Keriah looked at each other, and she could tell that Phoebe agreed with him. Keriah loosed an exasperated breath. “If you wish. But we must leave soon.”