Chapter 31 #2
“I would like nothing more,” returned Xavier with a lopsided grin that had more than a dash of devil-may-care roguishness about it. Then his smile turned teasing. “Just promise me that we won’t end up on the roof.”
Emmeline grimaced. “I suppose now is not the time to tell you that I once ended up in the Thames.”
“Oh, good Lord,” muttered Xavier. “You know I can’t stand the feel of wet clothing.” Nevertheless, he kept pace with Emmeline as they sped back along the second-floor hallway hand in hand. She needed a door to open up a leyline portal and she had the perfect room in mind—the nearby library.
Once she’d tumbled the library door’s lock with the leyport key, she quickly detected the glimmer of the leylight in the fireplace; it beckoned her into the darkened room like an old friend.
“Are you ready?” she asked Xavier, wrapping him in a tight embrace.
Even though his face was veiled by shadow, she heard the smile in his voice. “As I’ll ever be. I trust you completely, my love.”
Emmeline’s heart squeezed with fierce joy. Then she drew a fortifying breath and focused her entire attention on the leylight.
“ Vortexio, ” she whispered while she created a vivid picture of the park in the center of Belgrave Square in her mind.
Before she even had time to blink, there was an enormous breath-stealing whoosh of wind and a swirling flash of blinding white light and then in the next instant, she and Xavier were both outside in the cool night air.
A great wave of relief washed over Emmeline. They weren’t in the Thames or on the roof of St Lawrence House. She and Xavier were safe and whole and in each other’s arms and standing on the very edge of Belgrave Square beneath the branches of the cherry trees.
It seemed a London pea-souper had rolled in.
Even so, Emmeline could see that the fire brigade had arrived, and a sizable crowd had gathered in the square—no doubt to watch the spectacle of St Lawrence House burning.
As she’d predicted, there seemed to be quite a lot of head-scratching and a general air of bamboozlement now that the fire had apparently been extinguished.
She quickly whispered to Xavier that they should put out a story suggesting that all the chimneys had simply been blocked, and the house had filled with smoke, so there really hadn’t been a fire.
Or something like that. She’d worry about the finer details when the time came to speak with Mrs. Temple about what had transpired.
As Emmeline scanned the silhouettes milling about in the fog, she detected Woodley and Babcock and Mrs. Lambton and Mrs. Punchbowl in their night things. A knot of maids and footmen too. Even the resident bobby, Constable Thurstwhistle, was “sticky-beaking,” as Horatio would say.
At that moment, the raven lit on the park fence near his master. He gave a soft caw then spoke directly to Emmeline. I say, Nanny Chase, I was beginning to worry that you’d both perished in the fire.
It was a close call , admitted Emmeline. Have you by any chance seen Lord Nevergrin’s son, Algernon, hanging about?
Why, yes, I have, replied the raven. The berk is just over there, at the back of the crowd. And he’s with another smarmy-looking fellow. The one who insulted you in Hyde Park and His Grace called worm’s meat.
Emmeline’s pulse leapt as she looked in the direction Horatio had indicated. Sure enough, only a few yards away, were two men in greatcoats. Or rather, a pair of despicable rodents in greatcoats.
Sir Randolph and Algernon Mason.
She tugged on Xavier’s sleeve, but he’d already noticed the scoundrels. In the light from a nearby gas lamp, she could see that a muscle ticked in his lean cheek.
“I have an idea about how we can apprehend Sir Bottom and Algie without coming to blows,” she murmured to Xavier. “We have the advantage because their backs are to us and they don’t know we’re here.” She slid her hand into her pocket to retrieve her befuddling potion, but Xavier shook his head.
“A reasonable man would agree with you, my darling. But considering the heinous acts they’ve committed tonight, and over the course of Lord knows how many months, I’m feeling anything but reasonable.
” He drew her close and pressed a swift kiss to her temple.
“Forgive me for behaving like a troglodyte. I rather think blows are very much in order.”
Then before Emmeline could draw breath to say she couldn’t blame him for feeling that way, Xavier crossed the cobblestones and cracked Sir Randolph’s and Algernon’s heads together like a pair of conkers. Almost immediately, the two men crumpled to the cobblestones, but no one seemed to notice.
Xavier knelt on the ground, flipped open Sir Randolph’s coat, and retrieved his stolen clock plans.
“As soon as I’ve relieved these curs of their pistols, I’ll summon Constable Thurstwhistle,” he said as he thrust Sir Randolph’s weapon into the back of his trousers.
“I’d like these two locked up in the stone police box before they come to. ”
“A capital idea,” said Emmeline before she added, “You know, I’m sure there’s a paragraph in the Parasol Academy Handbook that mentions it’s perfectly acceptable to behave like a troglodyte on certain occasions.”
“You’re joking,” said Xavier. He retrieved Algernon’s pistol, passed it to Emmeline, then got to his feet.
“Well, our Academy motto is, ‘We’re prim, proper, and prepared for anything,’?” she said as she pocketed the gun. “So I rather think that last part covers any incidents requiring troglodytism. One must defend one’s charges, and by extension, their guardian, by whatever means necessary.”
Xavier grinned. “And you have done so ably. What would I do without you, Emmeline Chase?”
Emmeline stood on tiptoes and gave him a swift kiss. “With any luck, you’ll never have to find out.”
After Xavier summoned Constable Thurstwhistle and explained Sir Randolph and Algernon had been the scoundrels behind the attempted kidnapping of Master Gareth Mason, the somewhat groggy and pleasantly befuddled pair were locked up in the stone police box to await the arrival of Scotland Yard.
(Emmeline couldn’t resist using the befuddling potion to “revive” Randy and Algie to ensure they were compliant when being arrested.) Xavier then dismissed the fire brigade too.
“A false alarm, I’m afraid,” he declared to the head fireman. He exchanged a speaking glance with Emmeline. “It was nothing but a lot of hot smoke. I must get my chimneys professionally cleaned.”
Of course, the firemen all looked skeptical, and the staff of St Lawrence House all looked suspicious of their master’s account of the “fire-that-never-was” too.
But it was cold and foggy and everyone was weary and grateful that the whole or-deal was all over…
and quite obviously, one does not argue with a duke.
By the time everyone had drifted away, and Belgrave Square was empty except for Emmeline and Xavier, dawn was beginning to lighten the sky.
Above the gray veil of fog, the clouds were streaked with pink and amethyst and soft lavender.
Perhaps they even shimmered a little with a haze of silvery dust.
Xavier gathered Emmeline into his arms in front of St Lawrence House.
His light blue eyes were as clear as the sea-glass Gareth had collected on the shore of Kingsgate Beach.
“Shall we go inside, my darling duchess-to-be? I think we should snatch a few hours’ rest before we head to Kent to collect Harry, Bartholomew, and Gareth.
I can’t wait to share our news that we are to be married. ”
“That sounds utterly perfect,” murmured Emmeline. She was entirely exhausted, but her heart was brimming with so much love and elation, it didn’t matter.
For once, everything was right with the world and she was certain that the future she’d share with Xavier and his darling wards would be brighter than the rising sun.