Sunday, 7 April 1872
(continued)
The entire household was a flurry of packing all night. We saw them off this morning. The inspector, Mr Frazer, Mrs MacGreggor, and Mr & Mrs Salmalin took the milk train. The rest of the League followed an hour and a half later on the mail train. I pray that none of them come to harm.
I proceeded per the Master's instructions, first consulting with Mr Shorrock as to any equipment or material needs for the care of Col. Dunbar. Orders were telegraphed to appropriate companies to purchase the materials for immediate shipment to Edenfield.
I met the Hon. Miss Eleanor Carringford--Col. Dunbar's fiancee, and sister of Lord Walbine--at the train station and conducted her and her maid to the Shorrocks' home. She was initially disturbed at the nature of the colonel's treatment, but after asking Mr Shorrock a number of question, accepted the situation. Further, she asked to be shown the workings of the apparatus so that she might assist in his care.
That having been settled, I returned to Edenfield Court to sort out the remaining details before taking the evening train to London. Lady Ottoline was good enough to meet me at the train station in London, as my mission was to assist her in the search for the missing girl, Miss Evie Botley. Lady Ottoline's girls have the matter as well in hand as is feasible.
I will try to contact young Mr Walsh at his place of employment in the morning to learn if the Radicals have made any progress in the same search.
Monday, 8 April
I had no difficulty meeting with young Mr Walsh. Unfortunately, the news he had was not terribly informative. No sign of a young lady matching Miss Botley's description has yet been seen.
Tuesday, 9 April
An urgent telegraph arrived quite early this morning from the master. The League was coming to London. Their train from Snodbury was already on its way when the telegraph arrived. I alerted the servants both at the townhouse and Sir Spencer's home, and we were able to meet them at the station with four carriages.
They were in a state. The master and her ladyship both made comments, in passing, about fights both magic and physical. Unearthly creatures (resembling spiders) who worked in opposition to the other unnatural beings (which resemble angels) responsible for Colonel Dunbar's position. I was urged to be more on the alert than usual.
The household split into several parties. Mrs Frazer, Mrs Wooster, and Wilhelmina went into the City to consult with contacts various contacts. Insp. MacGreggor and Mr Frazer went first to the Detective Department, and then to follow leads elsewhere. Mrs Salmalin and Mr Salmalin went to the Tower to drop off something with Mr Moody. Mrs Cuthbert, accompanied by her Uncle, Mrs Earwig, and eventually Insp MacGreggor, went to Bethleham Hospital to examine the victims of the winged beings and render what aid they could. The master, her Ladyship, Lt. Wooster, and Mr O'Flaherty visited the home of Mr Laurence Oliphant.
There were many comings and goings. Occasionally one member or another of one of the households would doze off briefly while waiting for the others to return from their errand. I picked up bits and pieces over the day to learn that Sir Robert had been involved in a cult obsessed with the 15th Century heretic and inventor, Milo Rambaldi. One of Rambaldi's inventions had served as a prison for the mind or soul of one of the winged beings. It had been held prisoner for centuries before Sir Robert inadvertantly set it free. At which point it fled, apparently in the company of the orphaned girl, Miss Evie Botley, who had recently been in the care of Dr. Kenyon.
The brethren of this being have only recently come to investigate and rescue it. Their method of interrogation seems to be to extract the mind of the person whom they suspect may have information, without regard as to what effect the extraction will have on the health of the person in question. They do not always put back what they take, if I understand Mrs Cuthbert's explanation. Even when they do, the person's mind does not always survive the encounter unharmed.
The spider creatures are intent on capturing the winged being with Miss Botley. They recruit human agents, granting them extraordinary abilities in the process. The agents seem to be enslaved after that, and are sent into dangerous situations with little thought.
The winged beings claim to the angels and refer to the spiders as "The Shadow" with demonic implications. I can't say that either being sounds terribly appealing. However, one of the winged beings has earned a modicum of trust of the league and has offered assistance. In order to do this he has made some sort of connection with Mr O'Flaherty's mind.
The various parties searched the city, occasionally meeting each other, or as I mentioned, stopping in at the house for refreshment and to regroup. Their searches led several of them to the park adjacent to Bunhill Cemetary and the Old Artillery Ground, where they found evidence that the woman known as Old Mad Hettie has been leading the winged beings astray, by creating decoys which give off the same mystical scent as the missing creature. From this the League has deduced the Hettie is hiding Miss Botley somewhere.
Another set of clues led some of the members of the League to Bishop's Observatory in Regents Park, where they met up with the Comte and Comtess des Brabant (who, I am told, were helpful with some of the investigation in Snodbury). Unfortunately the artifact which they had hoped to find had already been stolen, apparently by Mr Oliphant (who seems to be in league with the shadows).
Currently, Sir Spencer, Lt Wooster, Mrs Wooster, Mr O'Flaherty, and Edward are searching for Mad Hettie. The rest of the League returned to the houses to regroup before pursuing other leads. Except that many of the ladies and gentleman have fallen asleep amidst their preparations. Mr Salmalin tucked a blanket and pillows around his wife asleep in an easy chair. Mr Frazer has fallen curled up on the floor beside the chair where Mrs Frazer drifted off with one of the babies. The master went to lie down "just for a few moments" and I can hear both he and Her Ladyship sleeping peacefully.
Perhaps the rest will do everyone some good.
Proceed to Disturbance Diabolic
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