Wednesday, 21 July 1870
Metz, Alsace-Lorraine, France

Dear Lady Ffolkes,

I have been remiss in writing to you to express my thanks for your kind words at Lord Greyminster's ball earlier this season. My duties as chaperone to Miss Chigwidgeon have taken me far afield these past few months and now I find myself in Metz with rumours of war flying faster than the telegraphers can send them. I do not know if we will venture to Paris or return to Belgium. Sir Cosmo's decision to come here was taken suddenly and, as Miss Chigwidgeon could not be convinced to leave his side, and as no one in the military has actually started shooting yet, what could Mrs Cuthbert and I do but follow?

Upon our arrival at Metz we were invited to stay with the Consul at the Palace de Guise. As you probably know, the secretary to the consul is Mrs Cuthbert's son-in-law, Mr Middleton, so we had the unlooked-for delight of meeting Mrs Cuthbert's grandchildren. Though with the drums of war pounding, and French troops massing nearby, I hope swift action is taken to remove the children and their mother from this situation should rumours of war become fact.

Today Sir Cosmo encouraged us to visit the city, but before we could depart, who should we hear had arrived in the city, but our old friend, Lieutenant Wooster! He had apparently arrived in dock after sailing up the Mosel River through Prussia, Luxembourg, and France and was unable to leave his ship due to some administrative difficulties. Miss Chigwidgeon and Mrs Cuthbert decided to take a suitable escort down to the docks and visit with now-Commander Wooster while the minor functionaries sorted out the necessary permissions.

Miss Sinclair indicated an interest in taking her charge, Edward, to tour Metz, before it was overrun by troops of any military stripe. Mr Cuthbert and Dr Wilson (and his bodyguard) offered to accompany us.

Oh, please forward our thanks to Lady Ottoline, as the young woman she recommended, Miss Bertilde, has done an admirable job of keeping up with young Edward. Emily, being quite a bit closer to Edward's age, than either Miss Sinclair's or mine, has been able to assist Miss Sinclair in ways we could never have imagined!

Speaking of Lady Ottoline, I had occasion to write to her upon the terrible news of the Brixton Horror. I do not know if either my letter or telegram will arrive in a timely manner, but the sincerity of my offer stands, regardless of its tardiness. I do not have much in the way of personal means. However, I think that something should be done to offer women in such terrible circumstances better options.

On to more pleasant, or at least more exciting, matters. Miss Sinclair, her charge, and I had a lovely time touring the city of Metz. We found ourselves the recipients of some rather strange looks and it took me a few moments to realise that most of them were directed at Mr O'Flaherty (the bodyguard mentioned above). I do not know if you have ever had the opportunity to see him in person. He is a giant of a man and one can see at a glance why he might be considered a suitable guard for a man like Dr. Wilson.

In addition to his considerable size and strength he dresses quite well and so cuts an astonishing figure in any company. He is a very polite man, though he does seem to enjoy twitting Dr Wilson by visiting local pubs in his few off hours. For, as you know, Dr Wilson is a ruthless campaigner for the cause of Temperance. Despite Mr O'Flaherty's appearance he is quite unobtrusive, and I had forgotten what a stir he could cause among those who do not know him.

For example, early this morning, when we arrived in Metz, Mr O'Flaherty was mistaken for a Mr Roy McThorne, and while that was being sorted out, Miss C talked the Marquis de Montmerial de Dragagulan, who is absolutely mad for the latest fads in photography, into taking a picture of her, Mr O'Flaherty and Mr McThorne. She got her picture, but not before she also recognized a Mr Jeffers "The Wizard of Ballistics," his daughter and a Mr Creed.

I must say I felt there was something unwholesome about the last gentleman even before Miss C commented on the fact that he had been portrayed as a villain in one of the stories she had read. He said that not every story that was printed was true, but then Dr Wilson contradicted Mr Creed by commenting that some stories were indeed true. He said it with a strange sense of menace, and I noticed that he never turned his back on the man, even as we moved off to join our party. As you can well imagine, I took quick action to ensure that Miss C returned to the full protection of our travelling companions as quickly as possible after that.

Dr Wilson is, in general, a pleasant and inoffensive man, so what he could have passed between him and Mr Creed in their home country to create such an awkward situation is beyond my understanding.

This letter is running rather long, I hope you find it entertaining rather than tedious. For some reason I feel inclined to write home and share our adventures, but I would rather not worry my mother with the details.

So on with the tale. As mentioned above, after we had slept and breakfasted we divided into two parties, one to visit Lieutenant Wooster on his ship and one to tour the city of Metz. Did you know that there are thirty-seven churches within the boundaries of Metz proper? We visited nearly every one of them!

Dr Wilson has a keen interest in architecture, when he is not building rockets, and Miss Sinclair took the opportunity to Educate young Edward in the variations in church architecture throughout the centuries. By the time we reached the last church, my feet were quite tired. Edward and Emily were still quite energetic. Fortunately, the final church in our tour was no longer in use and the two youngsters could run around a bit more than would be proper in a functioning house of worship.

Little did we know how close to ruin this building was! While we were exploring, several of the men of our party thought they saw some movement in the bell tower of the church. They went off to investigate. I found a quiet place to rest and prepare for their return. The next thing I know, I hear the unmistakable sound of gunshots in the Tower!

Miss Sinclair immediately went to Edward and I found a concealed place for Miss Bertilde and I to await help. The shots seemed so loud that the police must come at any moment. There was the sound of more gunfire, and the distinctive and unforgettable sound of a rocket being fired.

The bells in the tower (for they were still in place) started carolling no tune ever intended for such sacred instruments! Then they somehow broke loose and fell the full height of the tower. The shock and noise of their landing rattled my teeth and shook the stones of the church, and it was as if the building had been waiting for just such an event, for at that moment, with no further provocation, the building fell in on itself leaving the bell tower to stand alone.

It seemed to take forever for the police to arrive.

In point of fact, our friends who had been visiting the docks found us before the police did and stayed to help put out the fires caused by some stray rockets. By some miracle, no one in our party was seriously injured. However, we were all questioned about what we had seen, once the police finally consented to make an appearance. Thankfully I missed the excitement, but it does seem that Mr McThorne and Mr Creed were involved in something up in the bell tower- all I know is that they are believed to have been killed when the church collapsed. Everyone who was up in the tower when the shots were fired is being quite tight-lipped, however, I gather that Mr O'Flaherty earned his pay today.

I did find out that at least one man survived thanks to the heroic efforts of Mr Cuthbert, but the man has been taken into custody, so whatever they were doing, it could not have been good. Things are rather tense here in the city as a result of our unforseen adventure, so we have returned to the consulate to visit with Mrs Cuthbert's family. Her granddaughter is very charming and precocious. Her grandson looks to give his governess some trouble in that special way that boys can but, as he is only two, the governess is holding her own, so far.

We took our evening meal with Mrs Middleton and then were given use of a private room to visit amongst ourselves and recover from the excitement of the day. It seems that Sir Cosmo still has business in Metz, so we will remain at least one more day. I do not know where Sir Cosmo's next whim will take us. But as Miss Chigwidgeon has shown no sign of strain or nervous excitement as a result of the day's stimulation, it would not surprise me if Sir Cosmo took even more opportunity to travel once he and Miss Chigwidgeon have been joined by the bonds of marriage.

It is hard for me to believe that the vital and interesting man that I have come to know and respect was so withdrawn from society for so many years. I am very grateful that he has found room for me in his household, as the death of my father put me at rather loose ends. I think of my father often and wish I had not spent so many years away from him, but that is a woman's lot in life, to leave her family for a husband, should she be lucky enough to find a good one in these troubled times.

I have stayed up rather late with these pages and must conclude so that I may be ready to face whatever challenges come our way tomorrow.

Though, after today's unexpected excitement, Sir Cosmo has asked that we keep to the grounds of the consulate while he finishes his business matters on the morrow. They have some lovely gardens here. Miss Sinclair and Edward have already made a plan to go sketching after breakfast. I may join them. A morning spent in quite contemplation sounds most refreshing.

I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health.

Sincerely,

Miss Victoria H. Whitnell

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