Mr Salmalin, Miss Chigwidgeon, and I arrived home this evening. Edward and Miss Bertilde met us at the station. Stuart accompanied us and helped Mr Salmalin transfer our trunks to the barouche.

Edward stopped first in front of the Cuthbert house and Stuart and Salmalin unloaded Miss Chigwidgeon’s trunks to allow Mrs Cuthbert’s new servants to settle Miss Chigwidgeon’s things into the house. I had forgotten that Miss Chigwidgeon was to move into the Cuthberts’ home upon our arrival.

Miss Chigwidgeon insisted on coming with me to Sir Cosmo’s house. I was glad of her company and for the extra time in the company of Mr Salmalin. It will be so strange to share their attentions with our other companions again. I do not even know if Mr Salmalin will stay with Sir Cosmo’s household, or if he will move over to the Cuthberts’ to keep watch over Miss Chigwidgeon. Not that I expect her to do more than sleep at the Cuthberts’ house. On Mother’s advice, and with Sir Cosmo’s consent, I will keep my rooms at Sir Cosmo’s house. In this way, I will allow Mrs Cuthbert room to see her own clients without interfering with her relationship with them. Also, I find that I have missed Ruth’s company these past weeks.

Miss Sinclair has been home some few days and has the look of someone with much News to tell. I hope we will get a chance to share our experiences with our individual families before the League is again swept up into adventure. It has been a quiet three weeks in that regard.

I have missed the last post of the day, but will spend the balance of the evening preparing notes to let Mrs Godwin, Mr Weasley, Mr Ramsay, Mr Haversham, and Our Employer know that I have returned to Town as scheduled.

I shall take my writing tools down to the music room and chaperone Miss Chigwidgeon and Sir Cosmo, allowing them to have as much time together as possible before Miss Chigwidgeon must retire for the night to her new rooms next door.

28 June 1870, Tuesday

I sent my notes out in the first post of the day. It looks to be quiet around the house as Dr. Wilson, Lt. Wooster, Mr. O'Flaherty, and others are leaving London for the coast to do some Rocket tests. Now that Lord Blackhall is not alive to interfere, perhaps they will get good results. I wish them a fine day for their experiments.

I shall stay in today and rest from my travels.

~Lunch~

Ruth and I had a pleasant conversation while Miss Chigwidgeon was settling in over at Mrs Cuthbert’s house and Edward was driving Sir Cosmo and Mr Balderstoke out on an errand. After some circumlocution we both confessed that we had had rather dreadful experiences returning home for our visits. I should not have been surprised by the similarities in our upbringing, given that we have both come to light in the same place, working for the same people. Her Father and mine would have had much in common, I presume. Our mothers too, seem cut from the same cloth, at the same time concerned that we make a good ‘match’ and critical when we do not follow the conventions of society. Miss Sinclair has been setting a bad example for her nieces while I was in Cheshire sending my family into an uproar.

Ruth also mentioned that she has decided to claim her work in as a Naturalist under her own name and stop publishing under that of her cousin. She has informed Mr Frazer and he seemed to take it in stride.

~Tea~

I took my tea in the Library this afternoon and caught up on the news. There were several things of interest. From a close reading of yesterday’s paper I learned that both houses of Parliament approved the appointment of Lord Granville, formerly Colonial Secretary, as the new Foreign Minister.

On almost the very last page of the paper I found the startling news that the rebels in Canada have imprisoned and executed several British army officers! I wonder if any of them were members of Our Employer’s organisation? I also wonder if these rebels are the same as the people who have let the Cannibal Spirits out into the world. The Duke of Cambridge, first cousin to the Queen and Commander in Chief of the Army, has been dispatched to Ottawa to confer with local authorities, the paper further reports.

The eighth chapter of "Murder and Brimstone - A New Kid Rocket Adventure" was published in the Weekly Companion today. I saw Nigel Graham reading a copy in the kitchen. Perhaps I will borrow it later, as I am quite curious to see how the story ends. Miss Sinclair would not approve of the direction my reading tastes have taken, I’m afraid.

Finally, the Evening Standard made quite a ruckus reporting that Her Majesty, the Queen, refused to sign an Order in Council certifying an Army Reform. It would make the Commander in Chief of the Army subordinate to the Minister of War. Given the fact that the Commander in Chief was just sent on a diplomatic mission to the Dominion of Canada it only seems to make sense to avoid changing horses in mid-stream. Do the people who write the paper ever read what is published?

I will admit, that, as this is the first time since the days of Queen Anne that the prerogative to refuse to sign an order has been used, it does at least qualify as news.

29 June 1870, Wednesday

A note arrived from Mrs Godwin’s office in the early post. I am invited to call upon her at my earliest convenience. After consulting with Sir Cosmo regarding his and Miss Chigwidgeon’s schedule for the day, I determined that I could get the late afternoon free. I have sent a note off to Mrs Godwin suggesting that we meet then. Miss Chigwidgeon has her first fitting in the early afternoon and Miss Pinker, Mrs Cuthbert, and I will be in attendance.

~Later~

The fitting went very well. The dress provided by Miss Pinker is lovely and the seamstress is competent so all should go smoothly. The dress belonged to Sir Cosmo’s mother and Miss Chigwidgeon became very sentimental when she first saw it.

We have returned home in time for me to prepare for my meeting with Mrs Godwin. I will take a bit of refreshment and fix my hair, which always seems to work its way loose from its bindings. It is such a relief at night to let it down and braid it for the night. Tattvik often has to help me get the worst of the tangles out and when she is not available I do my own poor best to wrest it into shape.

~Evening~

I had an informative visit with Mrs Godwin. I shared with her all that I had learned from the Brown Man and the Dragon Spirit. She informed me that the Order of St. Jerome had received similar reports from several sources. It has taken a while for enough Watchers to find enough old spirits that knew something about what was going on. Unfortunately these efforts were not without cost. At least three Watchers, two in Canada, and one in the States perished trying to obtain information. Mrs Godwin indicated that there are other signs that demons, the undead, and worse creatures are proliferating in the States.

Further, Mrs. Godwin took pains to tell me that the Council has summoned the Slayer and her Watcher from their current assignment. If the information I and others have produced can be pieced together to indicate the source of these troubles, the Slayer and a team from the Order will be dispatched to deal with it as best they can.

During our conversation I brought up the possible imbalance created by Sentenza when he captured both the White Stallion of the Plains and the Black Devil Horse, Mrs. Godwin thinks that the White Stallion is probably of very little importance in these events. She thinks that both stallions are mythic creatures born from the belief of the inhabitants of the land. Since horses were unknown in North America before the Spaniards arrived, the spirit horses would be even younger than the river dragon I spoke with.

Once home I copied out the report that I gave to Mrs Godwin and sent the copies to Mr Weasley and Our Employer. I don’t know that they particularly want this information, but I feel better if more than one of them knows what I have learned thus far. I am only officially working for Our Employer but I seem to have more than enough people to report to none-the-less!

At this point, I do not seem to have much more to contribute to the Order’s activities. Though I would be interested in meeting the Slayer, should she come to London.

30 June 1870, Thursday

Last evening, Miss Sinclair, Mrs Cuthbert, Miss Chigwidgeon, Miss Bertilde, Mr Salmalin, and I met to create lesson plans for ourselves. We have been coming and going and, only now, are beginning to return to a semblance of a routine. I have asked Miss Bertilde if I could take extra lessons from her early in the morning when she meets with Miss Chigwidgeon. I need more practise my sword in addition the hand-to-hand training Mr Salmalin is providing us. She surprised me with her enthusiastic response. I don’t want to over-burden the young woman. She did ask if I would allow her the use of the blade that the Marquis gave me in trade for her time. That seemed an excellent bargain, so I agreed and made a note to myself to consult with the Marquis about finding a similar though, knowing Miss Bertilde’s taste and my budget, plainer blade for her personal use.

After lessons this morning, Miss Chigwidgeon and I met with Mr Salmalin to continue to practise the mantras and meditations we have been learning from him. After class, Miss Chigwidgeon and I used "Kid Rocket Meets Atlas O'Flaherty, part 2", by George Pennifeather, as a translation exercise. Miss Sinclair and Edward disappeared out into the carriage house. Miss Sinclair’s vacation seems to have helped the relationship between her and Edward. His grammar in French is just as execrable as in English. Why this would be so when Miss Wilhelmina’s diction and grammar are quite good, is a mystery. Maybe the young lady will put in more appearances around the house now that her grandfather is truly dead and many of those who would wish to harm her are either dead, insane (and confined), or imprisoned.

Dr Wilson seemed very excited when he left for work this morning. Apparently there is a major test scheduled this week for some of his Rocket Designs. I’m sure I could get the details from Lieutenant Wooster, but it is enough that Dr Wilson is in good spirits. I don’t need to know every last detail of his work.

I took a break from my studies to read the newspapers. It is very nice to have a selection to choose from. Graves and the household staff do a very nice job of keeping the library up to date and orderly. The Times reported that Mr Cardell, the Minister of War, withdrew his bill changing the responsibilities and duties of the Commander in Chief, "as it would be inadvisable, during the crisis in the Dominion of Canada, to pursue such radical reform." Just what I thought! And just yesterday the Standard had a nearly hysterical editorial denouncing Her Majesty’s actions as if she were manifesting the spirit of a monarch of two hundred years ago instead of making a sensible decision based on the current situation.

In the evening post I received a rather astounding letter from my brother John. I shall transcribe it here:

My dearest Victoria.

I hope that your return to London was a more pleasant welcome than you had received here. I am still mortified about the whole train station affair. I wish I had been paying better attention that morning. I hope you can forgive me.

It wasn't until I was riding back home today, after seeing your train vanish into the distance, that I thought of something I should have said to you before you left. You know that I have never been as clever as either you or Father, so please forgive me that my wit is a bit slower.

You indicated a belief that you are not successful at meeting the expectations of men. I believe you phrased that incorrectly: you do sometimes confound ordinary men, such as myself, but it is not because you fail to live up to our expectations. I think, rather, it is because we fail to deserve yours.

You never failed to exceed Father's expectations. I know he told you how proud he was of you several times, but you should know that he told other people, too. Father was an extraordinary man who set a difficult standard to live up to. Of us all, you are the one who has come closest to doing so.

I will never be the thinker that Father was, but I hope to do honour to his memory by being a better son, husband, and brother than I have been, thus far.

Remember, this is your home.

Your loving brother,
John

I am not quite sure what to think of it, or how best to respond. I have found myself crying as I copied this letter over into my diary and have left a tremendous blot upon the page. I shall set it aside for now and return to the subject when my thoughts are clearer.

1 July 1870, Friday

The ladies, Mr Salmalin, and I met over at Mrs Cuthbert’s house for our ‘school.’
Her new cook made a lovely breakfast, which we were all very hungry for after Mr Salmalin and Miss Bertilde put us through our paces. Miss Bertilde commented that she could see that I had been practising while away from Town. I hope that was a compliment and that I had not made things worse while away from her supervision.

The rest of the day was quiet. I spent some time reorganising my belongings and ensuring that all of my magikal supplies were accounted for. Also, while I was home I packed more of my belongings and Mother will see that they are shipped to me soon. My Father’s portable Chemistry lab arrived safely while I was away from town and I must find a place to put it. Perhaps I will consult with Sir Cosmo and see if there is any space in the house that I can have, apart from my bedroom, for Chemical and Magikal Experimentation.

~Later~

Sir Cosmo suggested that I consult with Graves about a space for my supplies and Graves found me a small stone room in the basement. It is rather lacking in good lighting but Graves says that he will have that attended to. I am very pleased, as will the maids be when they no longer have to clean around various, odd smelling trunks.

I am becoming quite the news-hound. It is in part fuelled by our adventures in the Cape Verdi Islands and by my knowledge of some of what might be loose in the Americas. I am curious to see what the paper reports on. Today it was more on France. Napoleon III has appointed his cousin, Prince Lucian Murat, Minister of War. The Editorials (to which I sometimes pay no mind) speculate that this may be a precursor to a change in the official order of Succession of the Imperial Crown. Napoleon III has already had eighteen years in power when no one, but our Queen thought he would last a year. Her Majesty has always said that getting rid of him will prove much more difficult than imagined.

~Evening~

My trunks from home came today. My wardrobe has greatly expanded, and Tattvick can stop shaking her head over the state of my petticoats. Miss Chigwidgeon came to my room to give Sir Cosmo a chance to meet privately with his business partner and school chum from many years ago. Apparently they call each other by childhood nicknames when they are together. Of the two, I think ‘Cozy’ got the better of the deal, it is certainly better than ‘Icky’, which must have given Mr Balderstoke’s schoolmates hours of entertainment, poor man.

While Tattvick and Miss Chigwidgeon where helping me sort through my trunks we came across the sari that Tattvick’s mother gave me while I was still in India. It has a warm rust brown choli and a light-brown, almost-golden sari. I commented on how nice it was to be reminded that there are colours other than black in my wardrobe, even if I cannot wear them. Tattvick commented how very tired she is of wearing ‘English’ clothes and Miss Chigwidgeon got a very mischievous look in her eye. One thing led to another and, as tomorrow is Saturday, and we have no appointments outside of the house, nor expected visitors inside the house (at least no visitors for whom we must put up a good front) we have declared tomorrow Sari Day and all three of us will wear our saris around the house for the day.

I will not completely abandon my mourning clothes. Tattvick was able to convince me to join in by finding a the large mourning veil I had worn to Father’s funeral and I will wear that over my hair.

I do no know whether to warn Miss Sinclair or spring it on her first thing tomorrow morning. On one hand, she will probably try to talk us out of our plan if we tell her in advance. On the other hand, she might be more willing to go along with our folly if she has some time to get used to the idea.

2 July 1870, Saturday

Today was rather strange. I did decide to warn Ruth of our plan last night. After attempting to talk myself, at least, out of such foolishness she remained adamant that we would not get her into such an ensemble.
Sir Cosmo, Mr Salmalin, and I then walked Miss Chigwidgeon back over to Mrs Cuthbert’s house. Miss Chigwidgeon apparently prevailed on Mrs Cuthbert to experiment with her clothes as well for the two of them joined us at Sir Cosmo’s house for self-defence lessons this morning. Tattvick helped me dress before I came down for our lessons and insisted that I leave my hair down and loose for the best effect. My own hair is longer that I remember. That sounds strange, even as I write it, but my hair is so often back in braids at night or up in an appropriate coiffure and under a hat during the day that it feels strange to let it hang down its full length.

I heard at least one of the household staff gasp we gathered in the yard for practise. Salmalin’s only comment on the matter was to say that it was good to practice in different types of clothing, since we never know when we will be called upon to exercise our skills. It was certainly very different moving in a sari than a crinoline and corset. No one came to any harm, and Mr Salmalin showed us a technique that can take advantage of the sari’s voluminous folds.

We passed the rest of the day in relative ease. Our Hindi lesson went well, Miss Bertilde has surprised me by memorizing all of the words I left her with. Now she can talk about nearly every weapon I can name. After lunch, Miss Sinclair took Edward off to the school room for some work on his French grammar. Mrs Cuthbert joined me in keeping a covert eye on Miss Chigwidgeon and Sir Cosmo as they spent some time together out in the small garden behind the house. I saw Mr Chadwick come out from the house to ask Sir Cosmo a question, when he caught sight of Mrs Cuthbert in her sari he gasped, turned an unbecoming shade of pink, and retreated back in the house. Mrs Cuthbert seemed quite satisfied with her effect. She and Miss Chigwidgeon had made up a choli last evening. The underskirt and sari itself are very flexible and can be worn by different sized women easily, but the choli is very closely fitted.

When we all assembled for class this morning, we presented a riot of colour, golden-brown, green, yellow, and orange, very different from our usual array of black, grey, and green.

After dinner Miss Chigwidgeon lingered in the library with Sir Cosmo until nearly midnight. Only my, involuntary, yawn made her note the time. We talked as Mr Salmalin walked us to Mrs Cuthbert’s house. Then Mr Salmalin escorted me home, returning to the Cuthberts’ to watch over Miss Chigwidgeon.

I never did have to use my alibi. I had planned that, if any strangers came to the house, I would excuse our strange clothing by saying that we were experimenting with an idea for a Costume Ball for the end of the Season.

I am returning to my old self now, dressed as I am in my dowdy nightdress with my hair braided back for the night. It was in rather a mess of tangles by the end of the day. Tomorrow I resume my mourning clothes. I hope my Father’s spirit will not have felt neglected this day. I thought of him all the more today, as I would catch sight of myself in the hall mirror and wonder who that woman was, so used am I to my black reflection.

4 July 1870, Monday

A quiet day. At this rate I will have nothing to include in this journal. My ‘classmates’ and I have determined to alternate which house we meet at, thus sharing the inconvenience of returning home and cleaning up before breakfast.

Today’s news was very interesting and disturbing. The throne of Spain has been offered to Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a relative of King Wilhelm I of Prussia. There was some type of error in the Spanish Cortes– although the crown had been offered and most members of the Cortes believed the deal was settled, through an oversight they adjourned on Saturday before a final vote was taken. France protests, while other leaders in Europe have greet the proposal with reluctance. It seems that the ugly history between France and Spain may rear its head again, dragging England along with it.

5 July 1870, Tuesday

Practise went well this morning. The extra work with Miss Bertilde is certainly helping. I feel much more confident in my ability to handle my sword. Miss Chigwidgeon is making great strides in her specialised defence. Though it does require Salmalin to sit off to the side during some lessons while one limb or another recovers. He will not allow her to practise on anyone but himself or George at the present time, and seeing what she did to my family’s dining room table during our visit, I am not at all disappointed.

The ninth chapter of "Murder and Brimstone - A new Kid Rocket adventure" was published in the Weekly Companion, so Miss Chigwidgeon and I have more grist for our translation, and entertainment, mill.

6 July 1870, Wednesday

This afternoon was completely taken up by dress fittings. Miss Chigwidgeon had a second fitting for her wedding dress. Emily was dragged, protesting, to the seamstress. She complains that dresses she is being fit for are being made of far too expensive material.

Even the even-tempered Miss Sinclair rolled her eyes at Miss Bertilde’s complaints. If she is to be an effective bodyguard she must be able to move between worlds, dressing like a servant when necessary, and dressing ‘above her station’ so as to blend in at more formal events. The material that we choose is appropriate for her duties, as Miss Sinclair will attest to. I did offer to give her some advise on comporting herself while wearing the, admittedly, more cumbersome formal dress.

After tea I read the day’s papers and learned that the French foreign minister, the Duc de Gramont, delivered what was termed a ‘spirited speech’ to the Chamber of Deputies, threatening war with Prussia if that government does not withdraw Prince Leopold's candidacy for the Spanish throne. Her Majesty cannot be pleased at the news, seeing as how Wilhelm of Prussia is her own son-in-law. I wonder if the recent changes to the French Emperor’s staff have anything to do with this announcement?

~Later~

I received a pleasant surprise in this evening’s post, a letter from my younger brother, James. It was very entertaining, as his rare letters frequently are. I will copy it here for my future amusement. From his letter, it sounds as if he has heard some variation of the tale of my visit from everyone who was there.

My dearest sister, Victoria,

Such things I hear about your latest visit! I am now entirely disgusted with myself for having remained at school rather than come home to see the excitement first hand.

The things I have heard about this visit are so astounding, one can scarce credit them. I have tried, through subtle inquiries, to sort our fact from fiction, to sift the truth from the fantastic, but have thus far been unsuccessful.

I certainly have no trouble believing that Emily behaved so rudely, first failing to send a carriage to meet you at the station, and then to say such things at dinner. She certainly must have had a lax governess, indeed. Miss Connor would have been appalled!

But what is all of this talk about the dining table in decay? I remember times as children (and not just when we were small) that we raced and jumped upon that dining table, until Stibbons or one of the footmen chased us out. The Tower of London has nothing in the way of sturdiness on that table. Why, then, does everyone preface their account of Sir Cosmo's fiancee breaking it in two while pounding the table in frustration with a comment on the table's frailty. Why can't they just admit that the girl was enraged and stronger than she looks?

And what is all this about the mysterious footman? I've heard the most astounding things: he sleeps standing up, he could hear someone mention your name or the young Miss C's name (could you be ever so good as to tell me how to spell her name? I feel a need to send her my personal thanks for putting the fear of Mother into Emily, and would be humiliated if I spelt her name wrong on the envelope!) from four rooms away? I hear from everyone that she is quite pretty, by the way. Sir Cosmo, it seems, is a very lucky fellow. Provided he never does anything to provoke her wrath, that is. But then, that is true of every husband, really, I begin to suspect.

Where was I? Oh, yes, the footman with the amazing powers. He made friends with Mrs. Grant and old Croft! I've never known of anyone who could get on with one and not provoke the other. I have also heard that more than one of the maids think he is quite handsome and would make any woman a fine catch. I certainly hope Sir Cosmo doesn't start a fashion of importing exotic footman from the east, we poor English boys will never be able to compete for the attention of the ladies, if even half of them cause a stir as this one did.

Also heard you'd somehow gotten into some sort of trouble with some lunatics who think themselves ghuls or some such. I certainly hope none of them come nosing around here. They might become confused by some of our lecturers, who, frankly, resemble walking corpses more than living men at times. Anyway, I got an anxious note from one of the maids listing precautions I should take. I think the hawthorne sprigs actually look rather nice in the window, though the petals have already started to fall off. Still, it drives some of the must from the room. And tempting as it may sometimes seem to have some murderous fiend come in here and put me out of my misery in the middle of revising for exams, I've become rather found of breathing and eating, so I shall try to keep the loonies away.

I'm not going to be making it to town at all this season, so I won't be able to call on you to learn the truth behind these thrilling tales myself. I may be able to get away for a bit toward the end of August. Will you be in the City, or does Sir Cosmo go off to Scotland or some else to hunt pheasant (or is it grouse in August- I can never recall)?

I have so many questions that I can't put on paper. Some of the things I have heard are simply incredible. I hope we can have a private talk about them, soon.

Did you hear the dreadful news? The real reason I stayed at school over the summer? When I was home for Easter Holiday, Emily had invited that dreadful cousin of hers, Delphine, to stay, and it soon became dreadfully obvious that she was rather hoping I might propose to her. She is a miniature Emily! Why ever would I want to tie such a millstone around my neck? I would much rather find a girl who is willing to overlook my many faults and love me for my wit and character. Of course, since my wit is not grand, nor my character entirely proper, I will have to find a very rare girl, indeed. Delphine clearly looks upon my charming eccentricities as imperfections that should be burnished off by the sandpaper of a good strong woman. (I would bet a pound that Delphine and Emily's grandmother is the sort of woman who refers to men in terms of how malleable they appear to being moulded into a proper husband. The very idea gives me the shudders!)

Seriously, I am terribly sorry I missed your visit. I hope that the whole affair hasn't put you off the entire family. Let me know how you are doing, and please enlighten me on the questions referenced above.

Until then, I remain your loving, if sometimes irratic, brother,
James

That reminds me, I must pen an answer to John’s letter before much more time slips away from me.

7 July 1870, Thursday

I sat up last night and wrote letters to both James and John. I gave them to Graves this morning and they will be set out for the next post.

We are closing on the end of a very quiet week. The most excitement we have had was dragging Miss Bertilde to be fitted for her travelling dresses. Miss Chigwidgeon is holding up very well. She spends most of the day at Sir Cosmo’s house, making my role much simpler. Mrs Cuthbert seems to be enjoying her new house and staff. Having them next door has certainly eased the pressure on Sir Cosmo’s staff, and has given Miss Chigwidgeon a convenient place to reside during the engagement.

Continuing my scour of the news papers, I discovered that Count Otto von Bismarck (the minister-president of Prussia) was disclaiming any knowledge of the Spanish throne situation, saying that the succession is a, so-called, ‘family matter’.

Miss Chigwidgeon and I sat out in the warm afternoon sun and read "Kid Rocket Meets Atlas O'Flaherty,” from the London Illustrated Weekly. We did not even pretend to be studying, so interested were we in reading the finale.

8 July 1870, Friday

After our morning classes, I spent some time moving my equipment into the room Graves had found for me. He has solved the lighting problem, and now I have a desk, bookshelf and lab table with which to experiment. I have asked Edward if he is still interested in working together on Chemistry. I am certainly interested in maintaining my skills, as magik can not solve all of the difficulties that the League runs into. I would not be surprised if Edward knows more Chemistry than I do, now. I will have to see if I can find out what is going on in this branch of the sciences. In the past I had access to my Father’s journals and academic papers. Now, perhaps Sir Cosmo can assist me.

Mr Frazer has been coming over most evenings, and I have been sitting in on Miss Sinclair’s German lessons. My own grasp of the language is improving rapidly and I am enjoying both Miss Sinclair and Mr Frazer’s company. Though at times I must prompt them to return to the conversation at hand. They have a very familiar tendency to stop talking and stare at their hands, feet, what-have-you.

12 July 1870, Monday

Lord Granville is an idiot! I have no idea what possessed someone to appoint him to this post. Lord Clarendon’s death is a tragedy two times over. This man addressed the House of Lords and when questioned about the situation between France and Prussia, had the nerve to dismiss it as a minor disagreement. Which, he had the temerity to say, would be resolved shortly. He concluded by saying that he had "never known so great a lull in continental affairs." Of course he has not! Prussia and France are on the brink of war! What is he thinking? That this will all just go away on it’s own? Hasn’t he read any History?

The House of Lords is just lax! They spent more time discussing with Lord Kimberly, the recent troubles in the Dominion of Canada, than they did on the Franco-Prussian situation. At least he expressed appropriate concern given the news we have had from Canada in the past month.

Miss Chigwidgeon has come to remind me that we have another round of fittings for their gowns for the engagement party. We have been spending some time each day (when not reading the latest adventures of ‘Kid Rocket’) working on her deportment and manners so that she may be less nervous and possibly even enjoy some of her engagement dinner.

~Later~

Miss Chigwidgeon accompanied me as I needed to consult with Mr Ramsey. I am interested in acquiring rings or other inconspicious items that might also protect various of our League against supernatural forces that may ally against us. I know that Iron is called for when dealing with Faerie but beyond that, I have very little idea as to what metals, together or singly, might be effective against an assortment of evil creatures. We tracked him down at his office in the Museum and had a pleasant conversation.

He told us some interesting and gruesome stories about the ways in which silver can be used to protect against the undead. He mentioned that one way to spot Watcher or other people who have had a close call with a Vampire, is that they will frequently wear large bracelets of silver on both wrists and conspicuous silver necklaces. He then recommended that we visit with Mr Haversham, my alchemy tutor, as he has made a more methodical study of the way in which various metals interact with the undead and the Fair Folk.

Mr Ramsay then rather startled me by warning me against carrying too much iron on my person, as my ability to do magic comes from the small amount of fey blood that has come down to me through the Haywood side of the family– which doesn’t make a lot of scene, since great-aunt Hethalyn would have had the same last name as Father until her marriage, wouldn’t she. Mr Ramsay said these things were often complicated and that witches naming conventions were anything but conventional. I will have to track down Great Aunt’s cousin, Mrs Maggie McKinnon, neé Haywood, and ask her to explain it all to me. As I write this I realise that I had been thinking that Great-Aunt Hethalyn was related to Father’s father’s family, rather than Father’s mother’s side of the family. It is so very confusing. Regardless, I should send a note to Mrs McKinnon and see how the reconstruction of her boarding house proceeds. I have not heard from her since after Dr Wilson and Mr Hammersley accidentally exploded the room that Paulo and Iota the evil monkey had been staying at, in her boarding house.

During our tea and conversation with Mr Ramsey, he sent a note round to the Chapter House and found that Mr Haversham was in and had time to see us. Miss Chigwidgeon and I took our leave and Salmalin drove us the short way to the Chapter House from the Museum. It was very nice to be in his company again.

Mr Haversham was very attentive to our questions and had quite a lot to say on the subject of various metals. I will try to summarize it here:

Silver works against many types of undead and certain lycanthropes. Vampires burn (or at least welt up) at the touch of silver. Mr Haversham told a gruesome if instructional story about a chemist who worked for the Order and defended himself against a vampire by hurling a jar full of a solution of silver nitrate into its face, burning the creature's skin, causing a great deal of pain, and blinding him (the vampire, not the chemist). Werewolves shy away from silver, but Mr Haversham is uncertain whether the mere contact with the skin actually causes them harm, or if the silver has to come into contact with the werewolf's ‘internal fluids’.

Iron is good for warding off faeries, but it also has a dampening effect on some magic (like my own). Large enough quantities of it seem to act as a sort of energy sink, siphoning power from a spell. In the case of faeries, minor faeries seem to experience pain when forced to touch iron. Some faery enchantments fade when brought into contact with iron. However, more powerful faeries, and their magiks, seem less bothered. The leading theory is that, since the faeries life force seems to depend on magik energy, the "energy sink effect" makes things more difficult for the powerful ones, but not impossible.

Steel seems to make faeries just as uncomfortable as iron, though not always. Mr. Haversham believes that the energy sink property my be related to the magnetic properties of iron, which means that some alloys that contain iron, since they are more difficult to magnetize, would not be as efficacious as others. Lodestones seem to bothers faeries more than cold iron, but Mr. Haversham said he doesn't know of anyone who has successfully experimented with magnetized nickel alloys. It would be a difficult experiment to do if your life depended on the outcome, which it frequently seems to when faeries are called into the world, at least according to my Great-Aunt’s book.

He went on to say that lead has a dampening effect on some magic, similar to iron, though it doesn't seem to bother faeries in the same way that it hampers human sorcerers and sorceresses.

Apparently all the typical jewellery metals: gold, silver, copper, bronze, seem to take simple enchantments with ease. Equally apparently I have a lot to learn from this man. Fortunately I had not gone so far as to call off our lessons yet. They were scheduled to resume this Thursday. Perhaps I will see if I can find my talismans between now and then and bring them to my lessons for further guidance on how best to make them effective. Mr Haversham also mentioned that many of the blessing spells that I already know, can be cast on an object that can then be set aside to retain its properties until actually given to or worn by a person. That could save me a great deal of worry in the future.

I just realized that the engagement dinner is this Thursday. I have sent a note round to Mr Haversham to see if we could meet Wednesday instead.

13 July 1870, Tuesday

The Engagement Dinner is looming large, at least for Miss Chigwidgeon and me. Our party dresses are nearly finished and hers will be quite lovely. Mine is black. Miss Chigwidgeon did give me a pair of very subdued hair combs with jet inlay. They will look very nice against my red hair and are most appropriate for my current mourning state. It was a very thoughtful gift. I found myself unexpectedly moved to tears when I opened them.

I finally had a moment to talk to the Marquis. I found out the name of the shop he bought my sword at. As I suspected, the blade he gifted me with is out of my reach financially. However, that same shop has several blades of varying ornamentation and I found that one of the plainer ones was quite manageable. I had asked the Marquis to accompany me, as he had made such a fine selection on my behalf. Before I knew what he was doing, he had purchased a blade twin to my own and given it to me to give to Miss Bertilde. He is generous to a fault, and as he had accomplished his transaction while I was conferring with one of the sales clerks, it was fiat accompli. I still purchased the simpler blade. I will give it to Tattvik as a gift, seeing as she has been so diligent in her studies.

More news in the papers, the Duc de Gramont, in yet another speech to the Chamber of Deputies, announced that Count Benedetti has been dispatched to appeal directly to King Wilhelm to "end this outrage." The Standard reprinted the entire text of the speech. They must be spending a fortune on the telegraph to print the news so quickly. I wish I had a French paper so I could check the translation, sometimes the Standard does not have the most reliable of translators.

Miss Chigwidgeon and I read the tenth chapter of "Murder and Brimstone - A new Kid Rocket adventure," which featured a surprise appearance by Atlas O'Flaherty, to calm her nerves this evening.

14 July 1870, Wednesday

I had my meeting with Mr Haversham today. Now that we have a topic to concentrate my studies upon, things are going much more smoothly. On Tuesday I bought several pure Silver and pure Iron rings from the same store that the Marquis and I went to too purchase Emily’s gift. They are something of a Watcher Supply Store and had all manner of items that could be of use to me. I bought a sturdy hat-pin made of iron for Miss Sinclair. I know that she has some natural resistance to magik and it seems that she is handy with a hat-pin in a fight. I don’t know how she will take it but it seemed oddly well thought out.

I set up four silver rings as charms: two Curse Mirrors, one Veil, and one with a Warrior’s Blessing. Mr Haversham gave me a very nice box to keep them in. It is small and lined with blue silk. The charms took several hours to make, as I had a difficult time concentrating today. I don’t know if it was due to Mr Haversham’s presence, all though I did feel a bit like I was being Evaluated for Proficiency, or if it is simply due to lack of practise. Never-the-less, Mr Haversham was very patient and allowed me to work through my errors. Fortunately, nothing went so far wrong as to need his intervention.

Ruth just brought me the latest post. We both received notes, from Mr Frazer and Inspector MacGregor respectively, saying that they have been dispatched out of the city on short notice. I have not seen much of Inspector MacGregor these past few days, though Mr Frazer has been visiting Miss Sinclair to continue her German Lessons most evenings this week.

~Later~

We had our final fittings for our party gowns. They fit nicely and are safely home with us, ready for tomorrow evening’s gala event.

There has been more talk of invasion in the papers. Paris and Berlin are raving at each other, name calling, never a good sign, has reached new lows. King Wilhelm has gone on vacation to Ems, our Foreign Minister isn’t paying much mind, and Gramont is raving at Bismark.

Lieutenant Wooster and Petty Officer Caine stopped by this evening to Consult with Sir Cosmo and pick up a few of Wooster’s personal things. Apparently the Navy is sending them out on assignment. It is really too bad that they will miss the party tomorrow night, but they have orders to leave tonight. I wonder if the Navy is beginning to make preparations should France and Prussia go to war over the throne of Spain.

Not to be outdone, the problems in Canada have surged into the press as a full-fledged rebellion. Depending on the paper one reads, it is either the ‘half-breed’ rebellion or the ‘Red River Rebellion’. So much for Lord Granville’s ‘great lull’.

15 July 1870, Thursday

Sir Cosmo was gone for part of the day while we were preparing for the dinner. I should have known that our quiet time would not last much longer. It would have been nice if Our Employer, the Navy, and sundry others could have held off a day or two longer and allowed us to enjoy each other’s company during this festive time.

I must finish dressing and make my way over to Mrs Cuthbert’s house to ensure that Miss Chigwidgeon does not become too anxious.

I will stop by Ruth’s room to give her her gift before leaving the house. The iron hair-pin has a very decorative end piece and should go with most day and evening outfits. I hope it suits her.

I asked Graves secretly to wrap Miss Bertilde’s gift, knowing that she protests even the most minor of items, I plan to present it to her once we are gathered for the drive to Lord Greyminster’s. I hope she enjoys the gift, I know that it is entirely too extravagant but her skills certainly merit a blade of such quality, and the extra features should be very helpful, given that we are called to close with more than the common criminal.

I hope this evening’s program comes off well. The winds of change are blowing and I feel that we are about to be swept up in a new adventure.

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