05 May 1870, Thursday
<Later>
Today was wonderful but it had a rather puzzling conclusion.
Most of the day was spent with the other ladies of the house– we had quite a list of things that we wished to do during this quiet time between assignments. First we visited Lady Ottoline to determine the name of her dress and shoe maker. We are all in need of outfits more congenial to our new occupation. At least two of my day dresses and one of my finer evening dresses have been damaged in the process of sorting out the difficulties with the Ditteridge-Scarisbrick households. I really should send for some more of my belongings now that I know that I will be away from my mother’s house for an indefinite period. I did have time to leave word with Lady Ottoline that I would like to make an appointment to meet with her regarding Tattvik’s schooling.
Our next stop was to the dressmaker that Sir Cosmo had hired to produce suitable outfits for Miss Chigwidgeon. We came away with a good sense of her plans for the next set of evening and daywear as well as a collection of swatches to use at our next stop– the jeweller.
In addition to the ruby and amber pendant and earrings Sir Cosmo gifted to Miss Chigwidgeon, he had also arranged to have sets of jewellery made to match the remaining outfits he ordered. He had asked me to go with Miss Chigwidgeon to help her make the final choices. I drafted Miss Sinclair since she has more current information on the styles young ladies are wearing today, and my conversation with Mrs Cuthbert yesterday revealed that she also was in need of new dresses to accommodate her new lifestyle. So all of us ended up at the jeweller’s giving our advice to Miss Chigwidgeon. The jeweller had selected a few of the jewels based on Sir Cosmo’s generous purse and not on what was suitable for a woman of Miss Namaste’s delicacy or complexion. We convinced him that less was more in this case. Though I did encourage Miss Chigwideon to allow the designer to go forward with a scaled back tiara he suggested. I think that every woman should have a tiara once in her life. We settled on something that complemented her thick hair and delicate features. I think that Sir Cosmo will be pleased with the results.
Mrs Cuthbert surprised us all by offering to buy each of us something that we liked. I picked out a pair of dark ruby earrings– something I found beautiful, and I will be able to wear them at the end of my mourning period without raising too many eyebrows. I realized after I had made my selection that it was something I could never have justified buying for myself. My income is adequate for Tattvik and I in our current circumstances but I believe it would be difficult to live on if we had to find a place of our own. Of course, should I ever need a place to live I can always move out to Great-Aunt Hethalyn’s cottage. I do not know what Tattvik would think of such a strange home– but then she has adapted to our current circumstances with alacrity. I hardly see her now that she is studying with Lady Ottoline. Though from our brief conversation last night I gathered the impression that she is happy with the current arrangements. All this musing about money has reminded me that Our Employer mentioned that some remuneration would be provided to help defray the expenses of Our Service. Also Mrs Cuthbert, Miss Sinclair and I have been talking about asking for a clothing allowance as we are finding Our Service to be quite hard on our clothing.
This is part of the reason we were out and about today. Once we finished with the jewellers we made a brief but effective stop at a fabric shop. Then it was on to the dressmaker recommended by Lady Ottoline. She was most helpful and quite able to cope with all four of us at once. Miss Chigwidgeon needed some persuading that she might need additional clothing but much of what Sir Cosmo has arranged for her is primarily for formal occasions and would not be appropriate for our more strenuous adventures. My own wardrobe continues to be black as it will until at least August. However, I am quite excited by some of the designs suggested by the dressmaker. Miss Sinclair and I also bought enough fabric to allow us to work on our own clothes at home. The simpler versions of Turkish trousers are easy to make and will provide a good occupation in the evenings.
After a day of shopping we returned home to pick up Sir Cosmo, Edward and any other members of the household who wished to attend the watercolour exhibition planned for the evening. This is where we had our strange encounter.
We were making our way though the gallery when Miss Sinclair overheard a man talking to his colleagues about an odd visit he received from Sir Anthony. This attracted our interest and we worked together to learn more about his experience. Looking back on things, it might have been just as easy to ask Sir Anthony to brief us– however, it was a good exercise in gathering information. We learned that the man was Dr Crvan Siannaig a psychologist at Bethlehem Royal Hospital. Sir Anthony had come to talk with him about a patient– a man who seems to be the sole survivor of an expedition to Cape Verdi Islands off the west coast of Africa. The patient was confined to hospital because he is making wild claims that the world is going to end. Some of his imagery is religious and some does not seem to come from an easily identifiable source. It is all apocalyptic in nature and very disturbing.
Sir Cosmo acted as our distraction, since he is, not surprisingly, a supporter of the hospital’s work. He drew Dr Siannaig’s colleagues off to discuss future contributions while Miss Sinclair, Mrs Cuthbert, Miss Chigwidgeon, and I got as much information as we could. We also spent some time conversing on other topics to disguise our true interests. Sir Cosmo was able to turn his fund-raising discussion into an excuse to invite Dr Siannaig over for tea. Upon our return to the house we shared all that we had learned with Sir Cosmo. He was concerned enough that he felt that a consultation with Sir Anthony was in order.
Tomorrow the ladies of the house have been invited to accompany Miss Chigwidgeon to tea at Miss Pinker’s residence. I was very pleased to be included in the invitation. I find Miss Pinker’s company enjoyable and I would not mind helping her reforge family bonds with Sir Cosmo and his household.
06 May 1870, Friday
Today was quiet up until the sun set. Dr Wilson has gotten permission from his firm to allow Edward to test the sinkable boat in the giant water tank they have (they use it to testing their rocket designs). The confirmation came today after an unsuccessful test of one of Dr Wilson’s designs.
Edward had to wait because there was the possibility that the Rocket would damage the tank and make it unusable for Edward’s test. Fortunately that did not happen. Unfortunately, Edward is in such a state of excitement that he cannot sleep– he is working feverishly on the boat. The banging coming from the carriage house is quite extraordinary. Hopefully the neighbours are away for the weekend.
I am having some trouble concentrating with all the noise. I find that I am also excited on Edward’s behalf. I do so hope the test goes well tomorrow. Dr Wilson was not very pleasant company at table this evening– he was quite preoccupied with the mis-fire of his rocket.
Lieutenant Wooster came home soaked to the skin but in a surprisingly good mood given that he was rather nearer to the explosion that was necessarily safe. I am glad to see him returning to his normal good spirits. I am afraid that I judged him too harshly when I first met him. He has certain, unfortunate likenesses to my former husband and I fear I let that influence me.
The tea with Miss Pinker went quite well. She took time to reassure Miss Chigwidgeon that the loss of the Earl’s bust at the ball was of no consequence. I see much of Sir Cosmo in his cousin. They both have an ease of manner about them that I find comforting and comfortable. It is unfortunate that neither of them have children to be raised up under such wonderful examples.
In the morning, I met with Mrs Cuthbert and Mr Ramsey for further instruction. It is very interesting to see the differences in style between the two of them. I can see that it will be very helpful to learn what each of them has to teach me. We reviewed wards and then spent some time going over the contents of my trunk of supplies. It was a very helpful session– though it did reinforce with me how much there is to learn before I can be truly effective.
I think I shall try to get some sleep. Perhaps the pounding will seem soothing after a while.
07 May 1870, Saturday
Today was a triumph for Edward. His sinkable boat performed just as he had expected. The clockwork mechanism propelled it through the water and it rose and sank at Edward’s command. Truly a remarkable achievement.
Dr Wilson was still rather irritable this morning– by afternoon he had mellowed considerably and he and Edward had a very productive conversation contrasting the different test results.
I spent the later afternoon resting in my rooms. As I feared, I did not get much sleep last night. Tomorrow Sir Cosmo, myself, and Miss Chigwidgeon are invited to a luncheon at the Graham Household. I am looking forward to seeing Young Graham in his native environment. I also hope that our visit will help curtail any future difficulties Graham might have with his family regarding his relationship with Miss Chigwidgeon. He seems a nice young man and he has stood by Miss Chigwidgeon in some very trying circumstances.
Tattvik and I had a nice chat just before tea. She has today and tomorrow off from her studies but is planning to help Patsy catch up on some chores around the house. Sir Cosmo and Graves are still searching for a suitable Cook for our strange and growing household. In the absence of one, Patsy and Graves have shared out those duties but with our return from Liverpool there is rather a lot to keep up with. I have not heard back from Lady Ottoline regarding an appointment– I must follow up next week. I do so want to hear from an objective source how Tattvik is doing in her studies. Not that I doubt Tattvik’s account of things in the least. I just wish I knew if there were things I could be doing to support her in her studies.
The house is settling down for the night. After last night’s Ringing of the Sinkable Boat the neighbourhood seems very hushed. I have said my goodnights and now I will turn in for the night.
08 May 1870, Sunday
I am just back from early services. I wanted to have plenty of time to change for the Graham’s. I hear the clicks of the carriage and must be off.
<Later>
Our Lunch went quite well. Miss Chigwidgeon was quite graceful and charming. Most of what I hoped from our visit was accomplished by her demeanor and grace throughout the meal.
It was clear that the entire family had put on their best effort to host our party. As lunch broke up, and I worked the room full of Graham relatives I over heard several comments about Miss Namaste– however even the rowdy ones were confessing bafflement in what such a beautiful woman saw in their cousin. This is a vast improvement over matters of a few weeks ago. Sir Cosmo was charming without being overwhelming and, once I realized how well things were going, I tried to remain in the background as much as possible. I am very pleased with the meeting and hope that things continue to go well for Miss Chigwidgeon and Mr Graham.
Mrs Cuthbert was called away for a consultation while we were out. The note she left with Graves is rather rushed and cryptic. I can’t help but wonder if it might be a sign of another adventure on our horizon.
<Later>
I have only a few moments to update this record as I am in the midst of packing for an ocean voyage. Late this afternoon several streams of information came together and now we are swept along in the flood! The consultation that Mrs Cuthbert was called in on involved a Watcher Case where a man had disappeared. A Mr Price, had been having dreams of his brother, Andrew, in terrible danger. The Watchers had been trying to locate him through Mystic means but had so far failed. Mrs Cuthbert was to attempt to locate Andrew amongst the spirits. What she found was very disturbing. Andrew was able to speak to her but his spirit seemed to be trapped in some way.
What he said did not make much sense but much of it was identical to the ravings reported by Dr Siannaig in our conversation at the watercolour exhibit. Mrs Cuthbert reported to the League while Mr Ramsey updated the Watchers. Sir Cosmo immediately made for Our Employer’s office and, upon his return to the house, was able to confirm the connection between the two cases. He also alerted us that we would be leaving tomorrow for Cape Verde Island. We will be traveling undercover– using the maiden voyage of one of the new ironclad steamships designed by Sir Cosmo as our excuse to leave London.
I must return to my packing as time is short
and there is much to do.
Proceed to We are underway
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