Monday, 6 June , 1870
(morning)
I spent most of yesterday in my room, brought low by the headache and a very bad case of my usual stomach complaint.
The morning started badly. When I went down to breakfast, I discovered that while Edward was out with Lt Pellew last night (they stayed out continuing to watch for Xanthus), they had made a side trip to Pellew's Town residence. Pellew had allowed Edward to handle a ring bequeathed by J Moriarty. Not surprisingly, Edward came home with the mystical ring firmly stuck on his finger.
As is usual at breakfast these days, everyone had a dream to relate. The new twist was that I had had one too. My dream had enough points of similarity to the others' that I was compelled to report it, in case it was significant. I still think it is utter nonsense, but it proved to relate to the events of the morning.
If J Moriarty's spirit is really drifting about trying to communicate with us, he is talking to the wrong woman! I have no interest in helping him, I don't trust him, and he ought to know better than to send me messages wrapped up with images from that stupid book by Lewis Carroll!
Our retinue continues to expand. Not only has young Nigel joined our household as Dr Wilson's secretary, Dr Wilson has also acquired a bodyguard. This fellow should fit right in with the League...he apparently comes from the Circus. He has the all-too-appropriate name of "Atlas" O'Flaherty. He is unlucky enough to be saddled with Dr Wilson, which is almost as bad as the weight of the world. He is astoundingly tall and broad, no doubt due to his American upbringing. The man has been hired by the Stein company to protect their investment in Dr Wilson's ideas.
Another potential ally made our acquaintance that morning: Mr Weasley, who works for the office of the Lord High Warlock. This is, I am told, the office which maintains law and order among the Magical persons of the Realm. I had begun to suppose that there must be such a thing. They could do with a less grandiose title, but what can one expect from such people?
Mr Frazer came for our German lesson, which we tried to conduct despite the general uproar. I had a bit of a headache, but I hoped that a little mental exercise would pull me out of my foul mood. Mr Frazer was very patient, but I'm afraid the horrible noises of the German language continue to elude me. By the time we had finished our lesson, my headache was worse and my stomach was beginning to pain me.
Thus it was that I stayed behind as most of the League and numerous of our allies went out to retrieve Wilhelmina's mother, whom I think of as Madam Brody. This is considered necessary in order to thwart Lady Miranda's attempt to reincarnate J Moriarty (recalling that the reincarnation ritual also requires the grisly deaths of several of us). By the time everyone was loaded into various carriages (all this to retrieve one woman!), I felt so terrible that I could barely make my way upstairs to lie down.
When the party came home from that errand, I didn't quite manage to come downstairs to hear their report before they went out again.
So, it was quite late, and I was feeling much recovered, by the time the League returned again, The reek of smoke and blood filled me with foreboding Fortunately, all of our company seemed to be more-or-less whole.
I sat up with Miss Whitnell and learned from her all the day's events.
The afternoon's errand of "rescuing" Madam Brody had had an unexpected twist: She was not being held against her will. Rather, she was being kept in her idea of style by the self-appointed male head of the Molloy clan. She didn't want to leave. The stupid woman had no idea that she was to be sacrificed by the "Widows," and in fact resisted being rescued until our Mystics hypnotised her.
I have had the horrible (if inevitable) realisation that if Madam Brody is really Wilhelmina's mother (which I find hard to believe given their respective intellectual qualities), that would mean that Lt Pellew has not been entirely the honorable gentleman I had thought him. I can only hope that he has improved over the past nine or so years, at least in taste if not in morals.
Fortunately, it was not necessary to bring the odious woman to Mayfair. She was delivered into the custody of the Lord High Warlock. Unbeknownst to the general populace, the Tower of London is routinely used to incarcerate magical enemies of the Realm.
The League then went off to retrieve the second dagger, which involved visiting a magical shop. During this excursion, it was revealed that J Moriarty's spirit has been hanging about Edward for this last while. Someone (i.e. Lady Miranda) attempted to call this spirit to herself, and Mrs Cuthbert prevented it. She was then able to communicate with it, more clearly than through the dream messages. I still fail to see why we should trust this spirit, but the Mystics seem to consider it an ally at this point.
When I heard them return home in the afternoon, they were greeted by Mr Weasley, who had brought information about the whereabouts of Baron Blackhall and Lady Miranda. Off they went!
They found the Baron and Lady Miranda in the company of some half-dozen Hindu women (apparently the "Widows"), with a phalanx of Thuggees on guard. They were all engaged in a ritual to recall J Moriarty, though without any of the accoutrements we have been so industriously keeping from them. The only item they had there for sacrifice was a case of mistaken identity--Miss Chigwidgeon's brother, in his Music-Hall costume.
A pitched battle ensued, and all our team gave a good account of themselves, even when Master Tandu appeared with a large train of his own Thuggees. Master Tandu was quite put out that Lady Miranda was attempting the ritual--he had been betrayed as I suspected. That did not stop him from trying to kill everyone. Mr Salmalin apparently took to brunt of these Thuggees' attentions, and delivered rather a brunt of his own.
Edward was apparently possessed by Moriarty, via the ring, and Moriarty helped defeat the Baron and Lady Miranda. Everyone did whatever mayhem comes naturally to them, including rifles and rocket parasols and candelabra.
To cap off the evening, one of Dr Wilson's rockets ignited the coal gas in the tunnels beneath the building. Miss Whitnell and the other Mystics were able to contain and eventually douse the fire.
The Enemies are accounted as follows:
Baron Blackhall: apprehended and awaiting trial by the Lord High Warlock
Lady Miranda: Also apprehended, but apparently now out of her senses as a result a spell set on her by Miss Whitnell (Miss Whitnell is rather distressed by this I think, but the woman was obviously insane to start with)
the Widows: apparently all apprehended.
Master Tandu: fled into the flaming tunnels, possibly dead.
The Molloys and the Billinghams are still about, but I think the regular police will be able to handle them now.
As for our allies, everyone made it home. I understand that Mr Salmalin was rather the worse for his evening, and Mr Cuthbert was shot in the shoulder.
Fong Chigwidgeon stayed the night, and had a heated, brief discussion, with young Nigel. It would appear that they have met before. Oh, Dear.
Proceed to Murder and Singing
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