Monday, 4 April, 1870
I had been anticipating this day with great excitement, as we were to have houseguests. Miss Victoria Whitnell and her companion were to visit for a week. Miss Whitnell, recently returned from the subcontinent and fluent in one of the languages thereof, could be a good influence upon Miss Namaste, who has only the master, the wild child, and myself as her regular social contacts.
Unfortunately, a week-long holiday was not to be. Early on the morning of the expected arrival of Miss Whitnell & company, there was an extraordinary incident in the main laboratory. Edward had, the night previous, gathered fresh larva for the feeding of the master's salamanders. Resting there between the jars containing the child's nocturnal harvest was an unusual cigarette case. The case was made of black japanned metal, with a pewter emblem of a skull and crossed bones upon one side. The master speculated that this insignia might be an homage to the posthumous medal of bravery which was awarded to the Light Brigade.
Miss Namaste dropped the case, shortly after discovering it, revealing a hidden compartment. Within it were two large sheets of onion skin; one covered in a rather crabbed handwriting in french–enough text to cover six ordinary sheets of paper. The other contained engineering diagrams for some object which Edward dubbed ‘a sinkable boat.' The master noted that the plans were incomplete. The master asked Edward where he had found the cigarette case.
Edward told an extraordinary tale of having been given the case by ‘the glowy skull faced man' just before the man was murdered by two other gentleman; one a yellow-haired man wielding a ball-shaped gun which has quite captured the child's imagination, the other a street thug known to the child from his earlier residence in the city, one Mr. McGroaty formerly employed by a criminal known as ‘the Young Cobb' who was deceased sometime in Edward's early childhood.
The master, deeply disturbed by this news, had Edward take Miss Namaste to the location of this incident he had witnessed, to obtain the address and determine whether a murder had actually taken place. While they were away, the master instructed me to verify that the precautions we had previously instituted to protect the house and those within were still in place and functioning. As I did so, the master retired with the sheets of paper to his private study.
Before Miss Namaste and Edward had returned with the required information, who should arrive at our front door but the aforementioned Miss Whitnell, complete with baggage and her companion and assistant, Miss Mary. I could not help but notice that Miss Whitnell seemed to be agitated about something, which I took to be more recent than the unfortunate death of her father this February last. Having settled them in the sitting room, I informed the master of their arrival and went to retrieve appropriate refreshments.
I had scarcely returned with the refreshments when our bell once again rang. At the door I met a woman whom, by her dress and demeanor, I took to be a governess. She introduced herself as Miss Ruth Sinclair, cousin and corresponding secretary for Mr. Peter Sinclair, a naturalist of some small renown among the master's colleagues. She indicated a need to speak with the master on a matter of some urgency. The master's hearing being rather acute, he called for me to bring the woman in right away. While he handled introductions, I returned to the kitchen for more tea. Miss Namaste and Edward returned while I was still gathering the refreshments. She appeared very excited, which I took to indicate that her investigation had been fruitful.
Once all were settled and introductions had been made once more, it transpired that there had been a number of ghastly and disturbing coincidences. Miss Sinclair had that morning called upon Mr. Clive St. John on appointment, only to discover that he had died mysteriously the night before. While giving her condolences, she discovered a suspicious letter which Mr. St. John had received the day before. The letter was coated with a poisonous substance familiar to Miss Sinclair. Furthermore, upon leaving, she encountered the undertakers, who behaved in a most suspicious manner, leaving Miss Sinclair fearing for the safety of others in the Sinclair household.
Meanwhile, Miss Whitnell had stopped at the lodgings of Mr. Lionel Milford, also of the master's acquaintance, only to discover that Mr. Milford had been murdered the night before, under unusual circumstances. Miss Whitnell had been interviewed by the police, and overheard them discussing some unusual aspects of the case.
The master was understandably disturbed by this news, and more so once he discovered that the address at which Edward had claimed to witness a murder was the same as the home of Mr. Milford.
After further discussion, it was agreed that Miss Whitnell, Miss Sinclair, and Miss Namaste would investigate the mortician's establishment, while the master would call upon the St. John household. Afterward, all would return to the house to share information and decide how to proceed. As the master feared the murderers might be drawn to the house, it was decided that we would ask if Miss Mary might stay the night at Lady Ottoline Cornwall's school.
Before leaving the residence, the master entrusted me with several letters to be posted right away, and confirmed that I was prepared to put into motion certain plans we had discussed previously for the defence of the house.
When all had returned in the early evening, the conviction that the deaths were related had deepened in all concerned. At Graham & Sons, the morticians, Miss Namaste had befriended the grandson of the original founder, learning that a strange alliance existed between one of his uncles and a nearby shopkeeper, Madame Zephyrine. Zephyrine's son had accompanied the uncle on the call to the St. John house, performing a job normally left to the grandson. Miss Namaste had also discovered a one-way mirror by which one could look from a storeroom of the morticians into the shop of Mdm. Zephyrine.
Miss Sinclair had independently been drawn to the establishment of Madame Zephyrine, a seller of jewellry and whatnots because the perfume she wore was similar to that which Miss Sinclair had detected in the mortician's wagon. Miss Sinclair noticed much suspicious behavior from Mdm, who also claimed to be a spiritualist.
Meanwhile, the master had made his call upon Mrs. St. John, learning that Mr. St. John had been sleeping most unsettled for several nights before his death and had complained of bad dreams. A locket, containing more of the poison Miss Sinclair had detected earlier, had been recovered by the master in the room where the body had been laid out. While all of this news continued to arouse suspicion, there was still inadequate material to take to the police. Though that did not stop the police from visiting us. A clerk from the detective department stopped by to inform Miss Whitnell that there had been a case of mistaken identity. Mr. Lionel Milford had not been murdered the night before. Rather, his brother Arthur was the victim of foul play, and Lionel was now in protective custody. We delivered Miss Mary to Lady Ottoline Cornwall's. Miss Namaste kept an assignnation she had made with young Graham (under the watchful eyes of Miss Whitnell and the master).
The household eventually retired to a much deserved sleep. It is my sincere hope that one of the master's letters shall be answered positively in the morning, so that this entire unfortunate business can be turned over to trustworthy authorities.
Tuesday, 5 April, 1870
Alas, I was not to sleep the night through undisturbed. In the wee small hours of the morning, I was awakened by a frantic Miss Namaste. It seemed that most of the household had been troubled by disturbingly similar nightmares, involving attending ones own funeral, being attacked by wolves, while being menaced by witches. Although I had not suffered the same nocturnal visitation, the visage of the master and our guests left me convinced that something extraordinary had occurred. It was determined that Miss Sinclair, who had returned to the home of her employer, might also be a victim of this strange phenomenon, so the master, Miss Namaste, Miss Whitnell and Edward went to discreetly look in on her. Miss Sinclair was unharmed, and had only a sleepless night to report.
By breakfast time the mystery had not been solved. The morning paper including an article suggesting that Mr. Jebediah Wilson, also known as Kid Rocket, in those dreadful periodicals Miss Namaste reads, might be a suspect in the murder of Arthur Milford. The master and Miss Whitnell became determined to make Mr. Wilson's acquaintance and see if he could shed any light on this confusing business.
They were gone for several hours, which gave me some much-needed time to catch up on some household chores. In the early evening, they returned home, with Mr. Wilson as our dinner guest. The master was discussing rocket design when I brought to his attention the days mail. Unfortunately, one of the letters was a message from Miss Sinclair, who had received a poison-soaked letter identical to the one received at the St. John house. Not wishing to alarm her own household, she had posted the note to the master, including an itinerary of her expected shopping calls she was making with the two young ladies she looked after. The master was quite upset. He loaded everyone into the barouche, leaving me to look after the house. He was trying mightily to project an air of being merely concerned, but I knew he was frightened for Miss Sinclair's safety when he told Edward to move aside and took the controls of the carriage himself.
Seeing the look of determination on the master's face as he drove away brought back vivid recollections of the night he and I rode madly through the streets of London in pursuit of a killer. I prayed that this night's errand would prove as victorious as that previous, without the unpleasant aftermath.
All remained quiet at the house for over two hours. Though I meant to await their return, I suddenly became fatigued, as if some miasma had sapped my strength, and I fell into a deep, but troubled sleep. I experienced quite vivid nightmares, which ended abruptly, and I came fully to my senses in the chair where I had been keeping vigil at a window. I had a strong and unshakable feeling that the master, Miss Namaste, young Edward, and the others had triumphed over whatever menace had imperiled Miss Sinclair. I can not say the source of my conviction, and perhaps it was nothing more than my own hopes coloring my thoughts.
When the master returned, it was in the company of none other than Sir Anthony Blakeney, the son of the dear, departed Sir Robert. Sir Anthony had an impressive entourage of constables and naval officers, and also dear old Henry Willoughby, Sir Robert's personal secretary. It seems that Sir Anthony has taken over his father's old job at the Foreign Office. As the master suspected, these murders are related to one another, and are all the result of the machinations of foreign agents seeking the secrets of Captain Nemo's fantastic underwater warship.
Sir Anthony has offered the master, along with Miss Namaste, Miss Whitnell, Miss Sinclair, Edward, and Mr. Wilson, a type of employment with department he heads within the Foreign Office. They have accepted. We have been assigned a pair of military liaisons. Petty Officer Caine seems level-headed and stout-hearted, but Lieutenant Wooster possesses the emotional maturity of a blueberry scone.
I'm sure life will be much busier and more challenging than of late. I must admit that I'm pleased with this development. The master needs something to get him outside of the house more often. After Sir Galen and Lady Constance died, it was only natural that he should grieve, but this reclusive behavior has gone on far too long.
Proceed to '2. A Battle in the Borough'
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