31 May, 1870
~later~
There has been so much to do!
In my haste to record the visits from the respective family members, I omitted several important developments. The ladies of the household had an appointment today with Lady Ottoline. I was given to understand that it was to consult about attire appropriate for social settings in which weapons and other impliments could be concealed. One thing led to another and someone hit upon the idea that Miss Bertilde, the school's weapons instructor, would be an ideal bodyguard for members of the household, including Edward.
Lady Ottoline brought Miss Bertilde to the house to discuss matters with the master. The ladies had proceeded to their dress fitting, meanwhile. The master asked Miss Bertilde to fence with Mr. Salmalin. Her technique, speed, and skill seemed more than adequate to the jo, though her exceeding shyness around strangers might prove troublesome. Lady Ottoline assures us that in threatening situations, the shyness vanishes and Miss Bertilde becomes a Fury. The master agreed that she would be an excellent addition to the house, and offered her employment on the spot.
Being Tuesday, there was a new edition of the Weekly Companion available, and Miss Chigwidgeon lost no time reading the new chapter in the serial adventure concerning Kid Rocket. She asked Dr. Wilson several questions concerning events in the story. Later, as the household was retiring, I noticed Dr. Wilson slipping the periodical into his pocket. I do hope he finds it amusing.
There was an extended and heated conversation between Edward and Miss Sinclair regarding his sleeping arrangements. While I sympathise with Miss Sinclair's position, I am painfully aware that Edward is more than capable and fleeing our household and seeking shelter elsewhere, where he would be in more danger than under Mr. Salmalin's vigilant eye.
I am in an awkward position. Neither Governess nor Tutor is normally considered part of the household staff, and it would be out of place for me to offer advice to Miss Sinclair. Even contemplating such a thing is quite above my station. While Edward's conduct as a coachman is well within my perview, his unique position as one of the master's heirs complicates affairs. His relationship with Miss Sinclair is as foster child to Tutor, and should be handled solely by the master of the household. Unfortunately, the master is distracted and I fear he is unaware of how things are deteriorating.
Then again, perhaps he is completely aware of the difficulty, but thinks that in light of the groups of assassins plotting against us, its resolution will have to wait until the more dire threat is dealt with.
It is quite late, and there is much to do tomorrow. I can spent no further time worrying about it today.
1 June 1870
Tempers were moderately less tense this morning. I can not describe anyone's mood, except the master's and Miss Chigwidgeon's, as completely cheerful, however. The front page of every morning paper proclaimed the untimely death of Lord Clarendon, the Foreign Minister. There was more than one hint in the accounts that his death was suspicious, though his advanced age has also mentioned. It says he was found in his office, literally fallen on his desk, at about 7:00pm the previous evening.
Both the Morning Post and the Daily News published glowing tributes to the late Clarendon, perhaps the first time in this century that those two papers have agreed upon anything. It should not surprise since Clarendon has served with distinction in both Liberal and Conservative governments, and surely none have forgotten how his steady hand held the alliance together through the Crimean War and his unprecedented decision to negotiate the Treaty of Paris in person, rather than through an envoy. I'm afraid this death will be a terrible blow to Lord Greyminster.
The master was quite concerned, and sent off for instructions for A's office, in case the League's expertise might be of service.
The day proceeded more or less as planned. Mr. Caine had some slight difficulty getting Lt. Wooster ready for a day's business today. Apparently the lieutenant has been ordered to attend dinner and the concert with his sister's family. I am given to understand that his sister being in charge of things is Wooster's worst nightmare, so any time he his summoned to her presence he becomes a bundle of nerves. He kept talking about an admiral friend. I wasn't certain what it was about. Eventually he left with Dr. Wilson for another grueling day of watching Wilson's term design rockets.
The ladies of the househould would have to pick up their dresses for the evening. We also needed to find something appropriate for Miss Bertilde to wear. She wanted to dress as a common maid. Miss Chigwidgeon and Miss Whitnell would hear none of it.
Edward accompanied Mr. Cuthbert after the latter met the agent to receive the keys to his new house. Edward showed Mr. Cuthbert all of the pranks and traps he had placed in the house after the incident in January.
Today's post included a letter which appeared, to my eye, to have been address by Mr. Frazer. Miss Sinclair became quite happy while reading her mail, and later informed the others that Mr. Frazer has returned to the city yesterday, but immediately became involved in the investigation into Lord Clarendon's death.
Mr. MacGregor, who is now an Inspector with the Metropolitan Police, stopped by for early tea. He is one of the investigator's looking into the Clarendon incident, and brought disturbing news about some of the evidence found at the office.
Mrs. Cuthbert, Miss Whitnell, and Miss Chigwidgeon had a seance upstairs. I gather they hoped to learn something about Lord Clarendon's death, but things did not go well. They received some sort of message from the beyond that "he was taken by the left hand." This prompted them to ask Mr. Salmalin for a lesson concerning Kali's left hand.
The master was out of the house for a good part of the day. When he came home he seemed very pleased about something. At tea he presented Miss Chigwidgeon with an engagement present: a pendant of Indian design called a "happy fish" which, I am given to understand, is a traditional gift of a husband to a wife on the Sub-continent. This particular one was gold inlaid with emerald, and decorated with emerald bead and freshwater pearls. The necklace is a string of more emerald beads and freshwater pearls. It is a very pretty present, and I daresay I say tears in the corners of Miss Chigwidgeon's eyes. I think, perhaps, that the master understands now what Miss Whitnell was trying to tell him earlier about jewellry not having to be large and elaborate to be precious.
Once tea and a light supper were finished, those members of the household who were attending the concert were off in the barouche and in Mr. Cuthbert's coach. Mr. Salmalin and Owen will be looking after Edward during the concert, while Miss Bertilde will accompany the party. Dr. Wilson, as always, was also well-armed, though I daresay that an operatic concert performed by the rather mature Madame Ducarrielle is hardly the place one is likely to need weapons.
Now that the household have departed, I hope to take advantage of the quiet and get a few things done.
2 June 1870
I scarcely know where to begin! After the master and the others left for the concert, I worked on the household accounts and some other small chores, while the rest of the staff finished cleaning for the night. Mrs. Murphy wished to speak with me. We discussed a few matters of conern, then had a lovely chat over tea about old times. She retired and I, taking note of the time, went on my evening patrol of the house. Given that there was a reception to follow the concert, I did not expect the master and the household home until well after midnight.
I took a nap and awoke at a quarter of one. There was no sign of the master or the others. I tried not to worry.
They returned at a quarter after two. Salmalin, Lt. Wooster, Miss Bertilde, and Dr. Wilson were a frightful sight. They were wounded and dirty and disheveled. I roused the rest of the staff and we helped everyone clean up and get into bed. I heard bits and pieces of the tale throughout the process, enough to know that at least two of the factions of Moriarty's former gang have taken action against the League which culminated in a fight against Mr. Salmalin's former teacher and a band of thuggees.
Mr. Salmalin's wounds are quite serious.
"Cousin George" had assisted the League in this fight, and had been invited to stay with us since he will no longer be welcome with his former compatriots.
As if being wounded after chasing miscreants halfway across London and back were not enough of a challenge for everyone, Miss Sinclair and Edward got into an even worse argument about Edward's sleeping arrangements than the previous evening. Meanwhile Miss Whitnell seemed to be quite cross with Salmalin because he risked his life in some way which she did not approve. I managed to get Edward settled in one of the spare bedrooms with some of his equipment from the carriage house. Later, after most of the rest of the household had gone to sleep, the master had a talk with Edward which seemed to soothe some of his hurt feelings.
As I and the staff were preparing breakfasts, Mr. Caine came in to help, and told me a bit more about what had happened, though he missed much of the excitement himself. Caine got Wooster to the Gregson's promptly on time, and at first the lieutenant greeted his nephew, home from university, warmly and was looking forward to a pleasant evening's conversation with Admiral Swabey. The Admiral is rather fond of Wooster, in no small part because Wooster helped him win an important bet many years ago concerning a darts tournament.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Gregson had ulterior motives to inviting the Admiral. The Admiral's sister, Mrs. Dalrymple, is widowed, and it seemed that Mrs. Gregson and the Admiral had some slight hope of pairing Wooster and the widow. Unfortunately, she and Wooster have nothing in common, except an overdeveloped fondness for ardent spirits. By the time the Gregson party had reached the Criterion Theatre, both Wooster and Mrs. Dalrymple were completely squiffed. And their condition becam more pronounced by the time they had reached the reception. There was a tense moment when Wooster met up with Miss Glossop, for whom he is still pining. She was apparently attending in the company of one of her relatives.
Meanwhile, a number of the attendees wished to congratulate the master on his engagement, while others used the pretext of such congratulations to either make condescending remarks, or to attempt to discuss some business arrangement with the master. Caine was particularly troubled by the fact that Baron Blackhall was attending the party in the company of Count Lukasha Orlov, agent of the Russian Empire, and Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Gower--Gower being the Deputy Undersecretary for Commercial Affairs at our own foreign office. The Baron's unsavory reputation was well known to me. The Count, I am informed, has a reputation for ruthlessness and is considered a force to be reckoned with within the Russian foreign service. Mr. Gower has no such reputation, one can scarcely imagine what either the Baron's or the Count's ulterior motives might be.
There was also apparently on odd conversation involving Lady Miranda Derwent, the daughter of Viscount Lennox. Lady Miranda was most anxious to speak with Miss Chigwidgeon, but her comments were nonsensical, at least to Mr. Caine. I reminded Mr. Caine about Lady Miranda's tragic history - that she had been engaged to a Moldavian prince or nobleman, I forget which, but that just a few days before the wedding a bloody revolution broke out in Moldavia. Lady Miranda's fiance was one of the nobles killed by the assassins, and it is said that Lady Miranda has never recovered from the mental shock.
And then a message arrived from the Order of St. Jerome that someone had broken into the Chapterhouse and liberated the body of Sentenza, the bounty hunter. The League made haste to leave. Unfortunately, Lt. Wooster was in no condition to participate in a chase or a find. Caine had earlier exchanged pleasantries with the Marquis de Montmerial de Dragagulan. The Marquis is a grandson of one of the French nobles forced to flee France during their revolution. He also happens to be another agent of A and an able companion in a fight. Caine convinced the Marquis to accompany the League while Caine extricated Wooster and attempted to sober him up a bit.
And so it was that the Marquis's rather swift gig and matched pair sped through the city, carrying Miss Whitnell and Mr. Ramsay to the Chapterhouse, with the rest of the League following behind. Caine and Wooster arrived at the Chapterhouse after the League had assessed what clues to be found there and proceeded toward the east end. Caine did not catch up with them until after the horrific fight had occurred, so he was unable to give me any further details. It is just as well, I believe my imagination has filled in too many details already, having assisted with changing the dressings on the wounds.
By morning Edward's experiment had filled the upper floors of the house with a most disagreeable odor, and I sensed a new round of trouble was one our way when...
Proceed to A New Round of Trouble
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