Saturday, 28 May, 1870
(morning)

We docked at Harwich in the wee hours of the morning. The party was mostly ready to go, all our belongings packed. We had a last breakfast aboard, said our farewells, and disembarked.

Now we are on the train to London. I must say, our return Home has not had the settling effect I had hoped for. I should know better than to think anything will go simply for our League. We had scarcely set foot on English soil when trouble started...

As we were disembarking from the Griffin, and I was coaxing Edward into one of the Carriages, I heard a sudden beating of wings, followed by the harsh blast of one of Dr Wilson's Rockets.

As I dropped to the ground, trying to shield the squirming Edward, I heard (faintly--past the ringing in my ears) a greater sound of wings-- as if a whole flock of birds had taken flight.

Others in the party described what they'd seen in different ways. All who witnessed agreed that Dr Wilson was the focus of the occurrence. Miss Whitnell described a change in the "aura" of the ground, radiating from the point of Dr Wilson's first step.

Lt Wooster and Dr Wilson himself said that they had seen a large raven emerge directly out of the ground at Dr Wilson's feet, leaving no mark of its passage. Dr Wilson, typically, shot the bird with his rocket gun.

The Raven, when struck by the rocket, exploded into a flock of flying ravens. They wheeled away with a sound of wings, but strangely voiceless.

Miss Whitnell, Mrs Cuthbert, and Mr Ramsay rode in the same carriage to the Harwich station so they could work some protective charm for Dr Wilson.

The Carriage ride, thankfully, was uneventful, and the train ride has been also, so far. We shall see if anything untoward awaits us at Victoria Station.

In the meantime, I have little to do but muse. Edward is too wound up to study, and I don't blame him. I cannot work on the next paper, until I do more field research.

I have been feeling rather strange since leaving the Griffin...almost melancholy. I was so accustomed the the ship's motion that at first I felt the ground was rolling under me. Now that we are back in Town, I am sorry to leave the freedom of the crow's nest, the deference of the crew, even the fickle sailors. I will have to return to full-length skirts for street wear. I will have to become inconspicuous again.

Saturday, 28 May continued
(midday)
We have arrived in Mayfair, and are settling in.

Graves met us at Victoria Station, along with two new footmen (more about them in a moment).

Also meeting us:
1) Sir Phillip Bond, offering the regrets of Sir Anthony (who was in conference with the Foreign Minister this morning). Sir Cosmo went with him in his carriage to report.
2) Mr George Travers, of the Order of St Jerome. Mr Ramsay and Mr Andrew Pryce and Mr Rupert Pryce went with him to see Mrs Godwin.

Mr Cuthbert and Mrs Cuthbert took a carriage of their own, and they will rejoin us later, after a stop at Mr Cuthbert's brother's house.

When we arrived at the House, Graves presented the new House Staff:
2 Footmen: Stuart and David
1 Cook: Mrs. Murphy
2 Housemaids: Molly and Helen
and Patsy is now Parlourmaid.

I can only hope that these persons have sufficient fortitude for the disordered comings and goings of the League. I am sure Graves has chosen very carefully.

Now I must devote my thoughts to the post Its volume is terrifying, and much of its content is as well.

Sir Cosmo received a great deal of correspondence from the tenants of Goxhill...Apparently, Lord Greyminster's brief illness turned their attention toward the heir, so they are directing all sorts of petitions to him. I have a suspicion that Lord Greyminster is encouraging this.

Miss Chigwidgeon received a number of letters from young Nigel Graham, and the play of emotions across her face suggest to me that she is now uncertain of her regard for him. This might confirm some of the suspicions I developed on our journey.

However, part of the interest generated by these letters was that young Nigel reported several dreams he had during our absence, and these correspond very directly with some of our outlandish experiences. Miss Whitnell determined that we should direct Mrs. Godwin's attention to him, in case he needs magical training.

Miss Whitnell received letters from her sister and her mother, which sent her off to have a private conference with Sir Cosmo. She told me that her mother and her sister had been having trouble with her territorial sister-in-law, and that Sir Cosmo, attempting a generous gift, had unwittingly enflamed the situation. It just goes to show that Sir Cosmo is often unaware of certain social nuances, particularly in regard to ladies. His unpretentious behaviour can spark no end of turmoil, and he has no idea.

As for my own correspondence...all of it was strange in one regard or another.

First, I received a note from Miss Wihelmina Brody. She asked for an appointment to speak about Edward's future. I was perplexed, and I wondered why it was addressed to me and not to Sir Cosmo. However, young Miss Brody indicated that discretion was required, so I started to arrange the appointment without telling the others. I wouldn't want to breach her trust before I'd even heard her out. So, per her instructions, I plan to take Edward to the Museum on Monday next.

My next letter came enclosed in a kind note from Mr Willoughby, and was from Mr Frazer. He send such fervent apologies for being delayed in his business. He is no longer in Portugal, rather he is more central on the Continent. I was rather astonished that he seemed so concerned of my good opinion. As if he, on the urgent business of Her Majesty, had nothing better to worry about than my impatience! I shall have to write to him promptly, so he knows that I attach no blame to him for his absence. I can only hope that he is safe.

The most dreadful item... I received a letter purporting to be from my Cousin Peter! I don't quite know what to make of it. He wrote of his "fellow Naturalists" in Vienna, and of coming to London shortly. I nearly fainted.

To Compound matters, the letter I received from Mother spoke of him, that cousin Douglas Sinclair had met up with him in Vienna.

I can think of two basic Scenarios to account for all this, and both are bad.

1) Some Impostor is trying to get close to my family or to me. Since Mr Douglas Sinclair is a minor diplomatic functionary in Vienna, he could be the target. Some unknown person could have latched onto the name of our long-lost black sheep, and could now be using all that is known of him (including the natural history essays) to make himself a place.

This scenario has more ramifications to my family and to the Empire, but perhaps less to me personally.

2) My Cousin Peter has been rattling about unknown parts all these years, and has in one way or another discovered that someone is using his name to publish essays. It wouldn't be hard, given how many Naturalists I have corresponded with "on Peter's behalf" for him to discover my whereabouts. What could his motives be for pretending, as in his letter, that he really is a naturalist? No one in my family has heard anything from him since he left Somerset under a cloud of infamy. I was very young at the time, but even then I knew him for an unreliable rake. The fact that he is continuing the Naturalist charade tells me that he still is. Could he be planning to blackmail me?

If the possible consequences were only to me, I might keep this situation under my hat a little longer. However, the potential danger to the League or to the Empire if it is an impostor (or if Cousin Peter has gone from bad to worse and is now a spy or some such) has required me to divulge this situation to Sir Cosmo. Miss Whitnell actually heard of it first, as she was beside me as I read the letter and saw me nearly overcome.

She was unsurprised when I confessed to being the author of all "my Cousin's" works. She simply offered to do some mystical tracing to try to learn about whomever had written the letter. She shortly reported that she "saw" three young men, one of whom bore some resemblance to me. They were laughing, and seemed to be in a Natural History exhibit or library of some kind. This sounds as if my cousin will shortly be making a mess of my career as a Naturalist.

When I told Sir Cosmo about the situation, he, too, seemed unsurprised. I suppose I have been sloppy in maintaining the illusion of corresponding with my Cousin. In all my previous Situations, I could rely on the Employers to assume that there must be a gentleman writing all the essays, because a woman couldn't do it. That and an overall disinterest in my personal pusuits.

What will I do now? I have a few thoughts...
1) Uncover all at once, and deprive my cousin of any opportunity to pressure me. I could put as bold a face on it as possible. This might discredit all my work so far, and obscure my future works with scandal.

2) I could feign innocence, that I had been corresponding with some unknown impostor, who had been writing the essays. This might clear my name, but at the expense of making me look like a complete idiot.

3) Allow my cousin to claim the credit for all my previous works. He would eventually give himself away, since I expect he knows nothing of the topics. This would also most likely discredit those works. Perhaps if I simply offer him the contents of the bank account I established for income and expenses of publishing, which is in his name anyway. It's not a lot of money, but it could be reasonable for "renting" his name. I could suggest that he "retire" from naturalist studies.

4) If Cousin Peter is as flighty and cowardly as I recall, I might convince him to go back into exile and leave everything status quo. He surely thinks me helpless prey to his pressure, and he might give up quickly when he finds otherwise. That would not really solve anything for the future, though.

5) In any case, any future works will have to be more-or-less under my own name, at least "R.E. Sinclair" Why I didn't just do this to begin with, I don't know...Live and Learn. I suppose I was simply angry at the condescending rejection of the "Survey of Rabbit Behaviour"

4) I must also write to Mr Silas Scuddamore immediately, and ask him not to read the Moth Paper as yet. I would not want him tainted by the scandal which is almost certain to erupt shortly.

I must remember that my present company is very enlightened and will surely not turn away from me because of this absurd circumstance.

Still, I can't help but fear that it may damage Sir Cosmo's reputation. What if he were forced to distance himself from me to protect the activities of the League? If I lose this Situation, (especially due to such a scandal) I should have a very difficult time finding a new Governess post, even with my elaborate new references.

And would I want a new Governess post? Maybe I could teach at Lady Ottoline's. She would probably like to have a lady on her staff who fooled the Naturalist community for eleven years.

Well, if my cousin thinks I'll cave in to a scrawny pathetic blackmail attempt, he should think again. I have personally kicked the head of a Sixteen-Thousand-year-old evil priest. My cousin is pretty small potatoes to that!

I'd better stop sulking and write to Mr Scuddamore, and Mother, and of course Mr Frazer.

Saturday, 28 May, 1870
(teatime)
The League's Penchant for Synchronised Chaos is coming into play once again.

All of us scattered in the early afternoon to attend to our various interests.

Miss Gordon was anxious to go to the British Museum Reading Room. I had wanted to go there as well. I saw some news articles about some peculiar murders in Stepney, two of which happened last night, and two on different nights previous. I wanted to read the articles about the ones that occurred while we were away.

Edward drove the Clockwork carriage, and dropped us off there, then continued on with Miss Whitnell, Miss Chigwidgeon, and Salmalin. They were all on their way to see Miss Chigwidgeon's fearsome father, to ask why he had come by Sir Cosmo's house looking for her during our absence.

When we arrived, we met up with Mr Ramsay, who was investigating the same articles. A St Jerome's colleague of his was asking him about a relic which had been stolen, which might have a bearing on the case.

We prepared to go and investigate the Church, St Eglantine's in Stepney, where the relic usually resides. Lo and behold, Mrs Cuthbert and Mr Cuthbert were on their way into the Library, apparently looking for Mr Ramsay.

We all proceeded to St Eglantine's, exchanging information along the way...

The relic we are researching is a bronze sword once used in pre-Christian Saxon king-sacrifice rituals. It was, according to Mr Ramsay's colleague, associated with Saint Eglantine. Legend has it that she had broken up a King-Sacrifice ritual with a mob of freshly converted Christians. The king was killed in the scuffle. She then tied the bloody sword to a pole and paraded it, as a cross, around the village of Stepney, curing an outbreak of Plague.

The location of the recent murders, the fact that the series commenced right after the theft of the relic, and the grisly mutilation of the bodies suggested a possible relationship.

When we all arrived at the Church, we had a lengthy conversation with the Sexton. He kindly led Miss Gordon and myself all around the church, pointing out elements of architecture and artworks, giving us a great deal of historical information.

Meanwhile, Mr Ramsay and Mrs Cuthbert were working some sort of vision, trying to see who had taken the sword.
Miss Gordon and I kept away and kept the Sexton distracted while they worked, and I returned to the area only after my colleagues looked up and gave me the sign.

I was then able to examine the reliquary. It was not very informative. It wasn't terribly sturdy, and had been jimmied open with a thin blade. I did not observe anything distinctive.

I asked the Sexton about the theft. He told me about the Vicar's showing the relic to a visitor on Thursday and the relic being found missing at the Vicar's routine inspection on Saturday morning. The Guest Book showed that the visitor had signed "M. Gabriel, New Mexico, U.S.A." The Sexton had not seen the man, and the Vicar wasn't in, so I couldn't get a description. The Sexton said, however, that the Vicar had given a description to the Police, so we might get the information from them.

On the way back to Mayfair, Mr Ramsay and Mrs Cuthbert described their vision. They told me that the block of wood which had held the relic was very strongly magical, and they had seen a very long history of the sword including the last King slain by it and the curse he had created. This King's ghost, they said, appears if the sword is removed from its place, and this ghost goes about being "God's Executioner of unrepentant, sinful women."

Mrs Cuthbert and Mr Ramsay described a man in American West clothing and a broad-brimmed hat taking the sword. Another form then materialised: a man in black with a tall top hat and a cloak or a carrick coat. These two figures went separate ways.

We arrived in time for Tea, and so did the rest of the company. I was not terribly surprised to learn that all of them had converged during the afternoon, and that they were all working on the Stepney Murders case as well.

Lt Wooster, Mr Caine, and Dr Wilson had gone to Dr Wilson's Laboratory and had discovered that one of the BF & C Stein employees had been the sole male murder victim, killed last night alongside a prostitute.

They proceeded to the Murder Scene to investigate, and found a witness who had already been interrogated once by none other than Rip Chigwidgeon. This man described seeing a black-clad man in a top hat, who used two swords or long knives to hack at his victims. The killer had then sheathed his knives in a distinctive criss-cross fashion.

The witness said that Rip Chigwidgeon had gone off to a penny circus to search out a knife-thrower, and the gentlemen of the League followed.

As they approached the Circus, they were joined by Mr Salmalin and Miss Whitnell and Miss Chigwidgeon, who were looking to find Rip Chigwidgeon to congratulate him on his recent marriage (they had met the new Mrs Chigwidgeon, and so discovered what news Rip had been trying to deliver when he visited Mayfair).

The Dr Wilson group and the Miss Chigwidgeon group (including Edward) went together to the penny circus, where they met up with Rip Chigwidgeon. Mr Chigwidgeon is apparently investigating the murders as well, and Miss Whitnell reports that he appears to be doing so for reasons of Justice.

Together with Mr Chigwidgeon, this combined party proceeded to look for a leatherworker recommended by the knife-thrower. This Artisan might have been called on to make the unusual sheathes required for the killer's criss-cross manouever.

When they arrived, alas, the artisan's shop was quite on fire. Witnesses said they had seen a rocket fly into the building and explode.

Miss Whitnell used some sort of mystical effort to help extinguish the fire, and then went in to examine the scene. She found the body of the unfortunate artisan, tied to a chair. She also found several empty kerosene bottles.

A police officer, Inspector Bradstreet, came along and attempted to arrest "Kid Rocket" for starting the fire. He was impervious to Miss Whitnell's attempts to present evidence and testimony to exonerate our colleague.

Just before Dr Wilson was taken away, a gentleman stepped forward and verified to the Inspector that Dr Wilson was innocent. This man, a Simon MacGregor, is apparently a consulting detective of some sort, and he also has been pursuing the Stepney Killer. He had been pursuing his suspect, and that suspect appeared to be following Dr Wilson. Therefore, Mr MacGregor had kept Dr Wilson in view most of the day. Mr MacGregor had enough reputation with Inspector Bradstreet that his testimony was accepted and Dr Wilson was allowed to go free.

Meanwhile, Edward had climbed to the roof of a neighbouring building, whence the rocket was reported to have come. He found the stub of a safety match. He told Miss Whitnell about it, and she went up to view it in situ. She worked with it and saw a vision of the man in the broad felt hat, lighting his pipe and then the fuse of a fireworks rocket.

Mr MacGregor showed an interest in sharing information, so Miss Whitnell invited him to tea. He should be along at any moment.

Meanwhile, Mr Cuthbert has informed us all that he has undertaken to purchase the house next door to Sir Cosmo's, as his sister in law is proving unwilling to tolerate his growing collection of big game trophies. Won't that be convenient!

Saturday 28 May, 1870
(continued, slightly later)

I have now met Mr MacGregor. He seems a fine gentleman, and seems not at all shocked by our rather outr‚ company. We have told him all we know about the Stepney Murders, and he has told us a great deal about the man in the Broad Hat.

He says that the man is an American bounty hunter. Since Dr Wilson does indeed have a price on his head, this explains his pursuit.

Mr MacGregor went on to say that:
1) This man has been known as "S. Gabriel, " "Michael Gabriel," "Mr Black," "Mr Angel," "Sentenza" and "Angel Eyes."
2) He has been believed dead for some while.
3) He has been staying at the Eagle Commercial Hotel. His habits there have been unusual.
-He has ordered no food in, and has not been seen to eat anything.
-He has ordered in a quantity of raw meat.
-He has had a large barrel of pickling brine delivered to his room.
4) He apparently has a very fast-moving black horse which disappears into shadows and comes at his whistle.

I asked Mr Macgregor to use his police contacts to learn about the description of the Vicar's guest at St Eglantine's, and see if it matches "Sentenza."

Thursday, 28 May, 1870
(later evening)

Things have gotten even more bizarre in the past hour or two.

Mr MacGregor came back to us after a bit. He was rather the worse for drink, but managed to convey as he came into the house, that a shadowy figure on horseback was watching the house from quite nearby. He had noted it because it smelled strongly of pickle brine. We were just about to investigate when I heard a crash and a flapping sound from the back of the house. Knowing that Edward was out in the stable working on the boat (and so exposed to danger) I made my way to the back door to bring him to safety.

Out in the yard I could see Mr Salmalin struggling with a figure in the same garb as he wore when first we met him. A Thuggee! a new twist. And yet, this Thuggee was shouting (in Hindi--I suppose those lessons are of use after all), "No, look, over there, a (something unrecognisable)." Contrary to good sense, both Mr Salmalin and myself glanced in the direction indicated. There Was Something There! a strange oversize owl-raven creature was fluttering down from the roof. It seemed to be changing its shape as it flew.

Now both Salmalin and this other fellow were facing it, braced for battle, and it turned to flee over the fence. I threw a rock at it, and it screeched, feathers flew, and it fell to the ground on the other side of the fence. The two men vaulted the fence.
By now, Mr Cuthbert and Mr Ramsay had come into the yard. They went round by the gate. When Mr Cuthbert and Mr Ramsay caught the bird thing, it fell apart into a pile of bones.

I followed the strange thuggee and Salmalin into the stable, still trying to retrieve Edward. I was just in time to hear the stranger ask Edward if he was alright, then to hear Salmalin ask Edward which way the other had gone. They ran off into the night. Edward was unharmed.

Miss Whitnell and Mrs Cuthbert were already attempting a ritual to exorcise the bones left by the bird-thing. When they had finished. the bones had whirled away into nothing, but the ladies weren't entirely certain of their success.

Mr Salmalin came back from his pursuit empty-handed. Both he and Edward say they recognised this man as a former employee of Jerrold Moriarty's organisation. We asked Salmalin about his purpose here. Salmalin was reluctant to discuss it, but I persevered, and he eventually told us that the stranger had said he was watching and protecting Wilhelmina.

Miss Whitnell looked very severely at Edward, and took him off for a private conference. When she returned some time later, she had a young girl with her, whom she introduced as Miss Wilhelmina Brody. I haven't time here to detail my thoughts or my conversation with Miss Brody. I did take her back to the stable so she could change again, as we are about to set out for the next portion of today's adventure.

Mr MacGregor is now nearly recovered from his time at the pub, and he is going to lead us to "Sentenza's" hotel, where we hope to catch him asleep in his pickle barrel.

Proceed to Some Excerpts from the Correspondence of Miss Ruth Sinclair

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