Saturday, 5 August, 1871
(continued)
The household has gone to Kent, to observe an Education Exhibition of the Art of Pugilism, in theory under the auspices of the Kent Sporting Society. After such a contentious day, the quiet is a welcome respite.
Many were out-of-sorts much of the day. There was quite a row between Mrs Salmalin, Mrs Cuthbert, Mrs Frazer, and Edward concerning the artifact (which Mrs Salmalin refers to as the Crown of Abydos) which had been locked in the Unsafe. Edward had determined that the gemstones in the crown were similar in composition to the crystalline components in the swan boat and the etheric dynamo, and had attempted to test the crown's electric properties.
This quite upset the ladies, as the crown had had such a deliterious effect on Sir Matthew. When their attempts to reason with Edward came to naught, they enlisted her ladyship. After questioning Edward, her ladyship was inclined to dismiss the experiment as harmless. Mrs Frazer made the mistake of referring to her ladyship as "my Lady" and the situation did not improve.
Eventually Mrs Cuthbert determined that Edward had not been harmed in the same way as Sir Matthew. Edward and Mrs Cuthbert have since determined that the crown is actually a kind of record. The memories of the priests of Abydos who wore the crown over many generations have been inscribed, someone, into the crystals. A person wearing the crown is able to learn from these memories, to consult the wisdom of one's predecessors, as it were. During his experiments Edward inadvertantly inscribed his own memories into the library, which may be quite a surprise for some sorcerer who tries to consult the ancient priests in the future.
But I get ahead of myself.
Mr. O'Flaherty's troubles with the more unsavory denizens of London do not seem to be put to rest. Her received a letter reminding him of the fight, which he said was couched in threatening tones. Mrs Salmalin and Mrs Frazer persuaded him to let them examine the letter, and after a consultation with Mr Frazer, concluded that the letter had been written by a person known as The Actuary. This person was evidently the accountant of Mr. Jerrold Moriarty, and appears to be keeping Mr Moriarty's illegal businesses running in his absence.
After another quick trip to the dressmaker, Mrs Salmalin and Mrs Cuthbert conducted a spiritual investigation of the letter--or more specifically the author of the letter.
Meanwhile, Mr Salmalin was engaged in a new sort of lesson with Miss Bertilde and Mr O'Flaherty in the garden. It is difficult to describe the exercise. It seemed to consisted of standing in odd positions, balancing on one foot, while moving very slowly. I am certain it must serve some purpose.
This lesson was briefly interrupted by the ladies with questions for Mr Salmalin about the physical appearance of The Actuary. They had succeed in having a vision of the author of the letter, and had reason to believe similar letters had been sent to Mr Maws and Miss Wilhelmina. When Mrs Salmalin went searching for Wilhelmina to ask about the letter, she discovered Edward experimenting with the Crown, which is when the protracted row commenced.
Her ladyship has continued to occasionally substitute words none of us recognize into her conversation. She is unaware of this until it is brought to her attention, at which point she is as puzzled as we are. This appears to be a symptom of her arrangement with the Oracle of Abydos. I truly hope that the mystics are able to resolve this situation soon.
Miss Wilhelmina had received a note from this Actuary person. It was very short, simply stating that the fight would occur under the auspices of the Kent Sporting Association, and hoping that this met with her approval. She insisted that she has had no communication with this Actuary person before. Understandably, we are all concerned about this development.
After that was sorted out, Wilhelmina was allowed to question the Oracle as to its knowledge of the swan boat, the dynamo, and other devices. Mrs Frazer assisted with the note taking.
The master had only intermittently awakened during the day (Mrs Cuthbert had said this was normal, given the seriousness of his injuries). Her ladyship determined that the rest of the League should attend the exhibition fight, in case there were further troubles, and that George, myself, and Stuart would remain to guard the two houses. She left a letter for the master explaining this decision.
Not an hour after they left, I was called to the master's bedside. He had roused enough to read the letter and was quite upset. He was afraid the others had gone into danger and insisted that he had to go find them himself. He agreed to allow George to accompany him.
Some hours later the household arrived home, all safe. Though Mr O'Flaherty is certainly the worse for the wear. They tell me he won the fight. I find it hard to believe, and shudder to think how Mr Maws must look.
George tells me that the master seemed somewhat surprised to find the household simply watching the exhibition, and not engaged in a battle to the death with criminals or anarchists. He fell asleep watching the match.
Sunday, August 6
We placed Mr O'Flaherty in one of the guest rooms. Whenever one of us looked in on him, he awakened just long enough to ask who had won the fight. I told him that he had, which seemed to satisfy him, as he would fall back into unconciousness.
The day proceeded quietly enough, so many of the League are wounded in one way or another. Inspector MacGreggor stopped in to look in on everyone who is convalescing, and to consult with Mr Frazer on their unending reports.
And then the Marquis de Montmerial de Dragagulan arrived. He has been searching for the Comte de Montelimar. He had reason to believe that the Comte was hiding out in Gravesend, and hoped some members of the League would be well enough to accompany him. The Inspector, of course, wanted to go immediately, as did several of the others. There was a small disagreement as to the wisdom of taking the newborns on such a long trip. Mrs Frazer was clearly quite preturbed to be left behind while her husband and friends investigated this flimsey clue.
Edward was actually happy to remain behind and work on some projects, which meant that Miss Bertilde would remain to keep a watchful eye on him.
This quiet afternoon was not to be, however. A message arrived from A's office. The swan boat is to be returned to the Prussians. A would like Edward to finish his drawings of the mechanisms if at all possible before this happens.
Mrs Frazer attempted to organize a quiet outing, but Mrs Sinclair overheard some of the arrangements and so had to be allowed to go to the shipyard. Mrs Frazer explained it as some sort of business concerned the master's business. They took Violet and the babies with them.
George was a bit nervous about letting them go, though Miss Bertilde appears to be in much better condition, at the moment, than he, and thus quite capable of guarding them. Both Edward and Mrs Frazer thought it important that George watch over the master (who again had slept through most of the day).
It has been quiet since they left, discounting the arrival of Lt Wooster and Mr Caine. When they learned Mrs Frazer, Edward, and Miss Bertilde were at the shipyard, the lieutenant decided to check up on them to be sure all was well. I hope he does not cause any trouble.
And now I hear the carriage returning. I should alert Mrs Murphy to put the kettle on.
Proceed to Unravelling
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