10 January 1871, Tuesday
If it’s not one thing it’s another. This morning started off nearly routine. However, with so many wedding guests in the house the other ladies, Mr Salmalin and I had to take the horses to get away from the main house to ensure a modicum of privacy for defence practise. Inspector MacGregor indicated that he would come if we could do something for the pain in jaw. He has taken to writing all of his requests on a small slate that Graves found for him.
After practise we returned to the house in time for breakfast. Mrs Cuthbert took individuals aside and explained a dream she awoke from this morning. The first part was a vision of the Moriarty family tree, complete with separate entries for Wilhelmina and Edward. That in itself was a little odd.
She flustered me by confiding that both Salmalin and I appeared on the tree together. My own hopes notwithstanding, Mrs Cuthbert’s dreams are usually reliable. However, as we know from experience, they can be thwarted. The second of February is 22 days away. I have seen little of Mr Salmalin these past months and am still in a suspended state of anxiety about what form any potential conversation might take. I hope he does not take my attempts at reserve as a withdrawal of my interest. I am trying to keep my promise but would not want to succeed too well...
Unfortunately my own musings caused me to take only superficial note of the rest of Mrs Cuthbert’s conversation. There was something about a Spyglass Man who was surveying the wedding party from a tower and saying that not all bombs explode.
Before I could pull myself together to ask her to repeat the last part, Sir Cosmo summoned us to a first floor parlour. Mr Earwig is the coroner of Hornsea. The law requires him to convene the inquest into the death of Mr Jokking within four days of the death. That time has come and gone.
Sir Cosmo, Inspector MacGregor, Mr Frazer, Mrs Frazer, and Miss Wilhelmina have all been summoned to testify. I was relieved not to be called. However, if a separate inquest is called in the death of Mrs Earwig’s footman, there is a chance that Mrs Cuthbert and I would be called to testify.
The inquest is to be held at 2:00 p.m. Inspector MacGregor was excused from testifying once Mr Earwig realized the nature and extent of his injuries. Mr Frazer will provide both his own testimony and Inspector MacGregor’s report.
Once Mr Earwig had taken his leave, we met with Lady Ffolkes, Mr Weasley, Mr Moody, and Mrs Godwin to learn what they discovered at the sea house and Goxhill Grange. They found the mail bag along with dossiers on, among others, Mr Bland, Mr Jokking, and Mr Earwig– several people known to be on the outs with Sir Cosmo. The dossiers contained information that had been stolen from Our Employer.
Mr Weasley reported that at least one person in the Wroth household had his memories tampered with.
Mr Weasley advised me on dealing with magical tampering within the law. During our conversation he inadvertently gave me an idea for what I might do with myself during Sir Cosmo and Miss Chigwidgeon’s honeymoon. Assuming we bring the current difficulties to a satisfactory conclusion by Friday morning.
Given how distracted we all have been, it’s a good thing we have Miss Pinker to see to the mundane details of the wedding. Otherwise, nothing would be getting done!
Sir Cosmo wanted to take the opportunity to question Xanthus while we could. We met with Mrs Godwin and she brought out the crystalline sphere she used to contain Xanthus spirit. She called it an Orb of Thessala. She made Xanthus manifest to us and we questioned him. Most of the League squeezed into the room to hear the answers and put in a few questions of their own.
I took on the role of questioner since having more than one person asking questions seemed only to confuse the issue. My talking-to-crazy-people skills were called into use once more.
What follows is a summary of the information gleaned from the session:
Proctor Xanthus was working with Iota (dead), Major Grey (dead), Mr. Percival St. Simon (dead) and a man named Saratheen (presumably the formidable fighter the Frazer’s and Miss Bertilde encountered at the Sea House, likely dead).
Major Grey had a Mysterious Benefactor who provided access to information on the League and other people as necessary. This person was also behind the alterations to the files at Our Employer’s office.
Xanthus provided the MB with money, quantities of opium, metals (including less than one ton each brass and copper), black powder, and laudanum. Most of these materials came from Xanthus’s North African organization.
When I asked who he thought MB might be, given the nature of the information that was received, he said that his short list consisted of: Our Employer, the Earl of Dovercourt, Mr Willoughby, Sir Phillip, and Sir Robert Mannering.
He confirmed that Claude Smith had died in prison. He claimed not to know where Thomas Dower was now. He had been on a boat off of Hornsea but was now in the custody of MB.
Xanthus also confirmed that the ‘widow’ disguise had been used by both him and Mr St. Simon at various times during their stay in Goxhill.
Goxhill Grange was chosen as a base of operations as it was suggested by both MB and St. Simon given Sir Charles’s reclusive nature, its relative proximity to Goxhill Manor, and Sir Charles’s experimental inventory (specifically quantities of the Tanna plant).
The Tanna plant was used by St. Simon to make a potion that allowed Master Tandu to leave his body and possess others (as we witnessed on several occasions).
Someone in the group thought to ask Xanthus what his contingency plan was should he be captured. He said his lover would rescue him. When prompted, Xanthus gave a much-too-detailed description of certain parts of this persons anatomy. Given that Xanthus also claimed his lover is a master of disguise, perhaps that is the only thing he can recognize of the person. In theory this person is around five and a half feet tall with hazel-brown eyes and coffee-with-cream skin.
When, to my great relief, the questioning ended and Xanthus was returned to the Orb, Mrs Godwin requested that Xanthus be returned to his body. Nanny Chigwidgeon had inserted herself into our company and it was suggested that we change Xanthus appearance to look more like that of Sir Cosmo. I consulted with Mr Moody and Mr Weasley, and seeing that they had no objection, and as Nanny had a spell that would serve, we set up our circle.
I put Xanthus back in his body and Nanny cast her spell. Xanthus is still an albino but now his facial features are otherwise a near match for Sir Cosmo. It is quite an unsettling transformation.
Mrs Cuthbert and I still had some unfinished business. We wished to lay to rest the spirits of Master Tandu, Mr. Percival St. Simon, Major Grey, and Iota. We were just packing our supplies for a trip out to Goxhill Grange when Mrs Cuthbert had a vision of Mrs Earwig down at the morgue laying the spirits to rest. That took care of the humans– all that was remained was poor Iota. We borrowed the bag of ashes and bone fragments that Sir Spencer has been carrying around and used it as the focus of our ritual. The spell seemed to go smoothly– though Mrs Cuthbert got rather a head-full of nonsense from Iota before he finally passed from this world.
Of all of the villains we have encountered I feel the most sympathy for him. He had no choice in what Baron Scarisbrick made him into. He was given powers that would be difficult for a human to use wisely and he was only a monkey, tortured and mistreated even before birth. I wish I don’t know what we could have done for him but I do feel for him.
I was very disturbed to find out that, of all people, he wanted to switch bodies with me. I would not make a very good monkey. It gives me chills to think what he would have done to my friends and family. I am just starting to rebuild a relationship with John that I thought was lost with the death of our father. I would not want to lose that.
Mr and Mrs Frazer plan to go into town and finish questioning witnesses before the inquest. It is past time for me to meet them at the carriage.
~Later~
The afternoon quickly turned into evening. We are home from the inquest and I have a few moments to gather my thoughts and update this record before I must dress for dinner.
Mr Frazer had an ambitious list of people to
interview before the 2:30 deadline for the inquest.
We interviewed a Mr McFail, Mr Dodd, Mr Jimmy Bromley, Mr Neligan,
Mr Emsworth, Mrs Neason, and Mrs Nesbitt. While Mr Frazer asked
his questions I observed each person’s aura– all of
the men except Mr Neligan had a strange knot in their auras. It
did not seem to be of a magical nature and my one attempt to unravel
it had no effect.
I was able to signal Mr Frazer when I noticed the affected people and he was, by skilful questioning, able to untangle their memories and they were each able to give much clearer accounts of what they had observed on the day Mr Jokking was murdered. The striking part of their testimony is that they saw an adult and child-sized person, both dressed as in deep mourning, enter the offices of the Hornsea Post (rather than Sir Cosmo as several of them had claimed previously.
During our various interviews, Deputy Chief Constable Bland arrived and tried to prevent Mr Frazer from completing his investigation. Mr Frazer was able to convince Mr Bland to allow us to complete our interviews by being agreeable but simultaneously unshakeable from his position that he must complete Inspector MacGregor’s report before the inquest.
While Frazer was sorting out the Deputy Chief Constable, I noticed Nanny Chigwidgeon and Old Mother Hempseed riding through town in the latter’s wagon. I also noticed a spell wash over the area. It seemed to be a sort of general ‘undo’ spell, removing any magikal influence in the area. I thought I saw Nanny nod knowingly at me as she and Mrs Hempseed rounded the bend toward the building where the inquest was to be held.
We completed our rounds just in time to make our way to the inquest. It took a while for Mr Earwig to select the panel that would hear the evidence. I saw Mr Frazer take some of that time to update his notes. Mrs Frazer ate two order’s of Mr McNeil’s chips. Sir Cosmo arrived with a barrister. There was some wrangle over whether that was allowed but it was eventually settled in Sir Cosmo’s, or rather Lord Greyminster’s, favour– as it was he who had insisted on the barrister.
Once the panel had been selected the formal inquest was underway.
Mr Boles was called to testify to how the body was found and who was interviewed. He explained how Mr Frazer and Inspector MacGregor were brought into the case.
Mr Ansen, the assistant to Mr Jokking was called to give evidence that he had been sent home early so that Mr Jokking could meet privately with someone. Mr Ansen did not know who the person in question was.
The bereaved Miss Farnsworth was then called. Her evidence primarily consisted of Mr Jokking’s state of mind. He had become agitated upon the announcement of Sir Cosmo’s engagement and had frequently worked himself into a fury. He did not want Sir Cosmo’s happiness to cause people to lose sight of the train explosion that had claimed so many lives– including that of his own father. Miss Farnsworth again expressed the opinion that this agitation was unhealthful. Poor girl. There had apparently been some Understanding between her and Mr Jokking but nothing as formal as an engagement had been announced.
Mr Earwig gave the panel a few minutes to recover from Miss Farnsworth’s affecting testimony before calling Mr Dodd to the stand. Mr Dodd’s bakery is near the Press offices. Mr Dodd testified that, on the afternoon in question, an unmarked carriage pulled up to the offices of the Post and a person dressed in widow’s weeds with a full veil got out and went into the office.
Several different townspeople were then interviewed but the next testimony of significance was from the town drunk, Mr Neligan. He testified that he had been hiding in the building that housed the Press offices and could down into the office through a small grate. His attention was caught when he heard someone in the office say the word ‘murder.’ He saw Mr Jokking and two visitors– a widow in a black dress and veil, and what he called a ‘miniature widow’ dressed in the same manner. The conversation seemed to be about someone who may have committed murder. There was an argument over whether a story should be published in the paper.
Mr Jokking and the widows agreed to disagree. Then the miniature widow lifted her veil, revealing red curls and an ‘angelic’ face. She pulled out a gun-like object and shot Mr Jokking. Mr Neligan said that he held very still at that point, afraid they would hear him. There was a conversation between the two widows. They set up the press. Once it was up and running Mr Neligan took advantage of the noise to run away. When asked if he had seen either of the ‘widows’ since that day, he pointed to Wilhelmina and claimed that hers was the ‘angelic’ face he had seen when the miniature widow shot Jokking. He admitted during his testimony that he drank quite a lot that day. Later that evening he went out to the tinker camp (with most of the male population of Hornsea) to see the fight between Mr O’Flaherty and One Punch O’Neill. He was arrested later that evening, drunk on his winnings from the fight.
The Doctor was called next. He testified to the condition of Mr Jokking’s body, including his conclusion that Mr Jokking showed all the signs of having been struck by lightening. He could offer no suggestion as to how someone might be so struck while inside a building.
Mr Frazer was called next. He presented a very detailed report starting with the constable’s request for his help after the body of Mr Jokking was discovered and going on to discuss the physical evidence found at the scene most of which I have covered in other parts of this record. Two key pieces of evidence were the discovery of fabric fibres that matched the dark dress and grey veil described by other witnesses and the staging of Mr Jokking’s body with the proof sheet. Mr Frazer reviewed in great detail the various drying times of ink and the status of the press when he came on the scene. Because he was giving both his own testimony and that of Inspector MacGregor, the questioning went on for some time.
Mrs Frazer’s testimony followed that of her husband. Much of what she was asked had to do more with corroborating Mr Frazer’s statement than giving original evidence. I was surprised that she was not asked any questions to establish Miss Wilhelmina’s place in the household. She was asked some questions about how long she had been in Sir Cosmo’s employ and other background information. When she was asked if anyone matched the description given by Mr Neligan, she answered reluctantly but, when pressed, did identify Miss Wilhelmina ‘except for the angelic part.’ She was very calm and composed on the stand and managed to answer each question clearly and firmly.
Deputy Chief Constable Bland then took his turn. He was quite vexed that many of the witnesses he had interviewed had, to his mind, changed their stories. He insisted that they all be recalled to the stand so he could clear things up.
Mr Earwig reluctantly agreed and all of the witnesses who had originally said that they had seen Sir Cosmo entering the Post on the day in question were recalled and questioned about the discrepancy between the statements given to Bland and the statements they had given under oath today. All of them confirmed that the testimony they had given today was accurate and true and in some cases they insisted that the interviewing constable must have mis-heard or asked about the wrong day.
The afternoon was wearing on by this point but Mr Earwig decided to continue on rather than adjourn for the day.
Sir Cosmo and the barrister were called up to the bench. There was a quietly heated discussion regarding the necessity of Miss Wilhelmina’s testimony. Mr Earwig ruled that she must take the stand.
Miss Wilhelmina was very demure and well behaved on the stand. She claimed to have been in classes at Lady Ottoline’s when Jokking was killed. I’m concerned that her fear of discovery by her grandfather’s agents is skewing her judgement on the whole Edward/Wilhelmina situation. Hopefully the dramatic developments of the later afternoon will make her testimony moot.
Sir Cosmo was called to the stand. He was asked some very straightforward questions about his whereabouts on the day Mr Jokking was killed and his relationship to the decedent. He was asked if he knew or could speculate on who might have killed Mr Jokking. There was some discussion as to if this was a proper question, but it eventually was allowed under the cross-examination rules stated earlier in the day. Sir Cosmo said that he knew who had done it because the man had confessed to him earlier in the day.
Mr Moody took this moment to appear in the back of the courtroom with Proctor Xanthus in chains. This created quite the satisfactory stir and it took Mr Earwig several minutes to restore order to the room.
Mr Moody was then sworn in under the imposing title: Deputy Superintendent Guardsman of the Tower. He testified that Mr Xanthus was wanted on several outstanding warrants, the most critical being for the kidnapping and injury of two of the Duke of Balmoral’s sons nearly twenty years ago. Sir Cosmo had been instrumental in rescuing the boys, foiling Xanthus’s plot and forcing him to leave England.
Xanthus was then brought forward to testify. At first he tried to lie about his involvement but Nanny Chigwidgeon bumped into him. I could see power flow from her into him and he started telling the truth in response to the questions. He was horrified to hear the words coming out of his mouth. By the end of his time on the stand, he was so angry that he was foaming at the mouth.
It was very nearly an anti-climax when the inquest panel returned a verdict of willful murder and recommended that both the case and Xanthus be forwarded to London for prosecution.
Sir Cosmo and the League returned home.
Now it is past time to dress for dinner. Perhaps Lieutenant Wooster will have another of his diverting waistcoats on display for us tonight.
11 January 1871, Wednesday
Today was quite uneventful. We certainly needed a quiet day after all the excitement of the inquest yesterday.
Mother and my sister Betty arrived with our Graves today. I have caught hints of a running battle between Mother and Betty over the latter’s exclusion from the dinner table.
All the ladies in the party, including Emily, have been pressed into service to stand at Miss Chigwidgeon’s side on her wedding day. As a consequence we had the final fittings for our dresses this afternoon. Mrs Frazer gave the dressmaker, Mrs Nesbitt, a good talking to about the importance of one’s dressmaker keeping in confidence the details of a lady’s dress. Mrs Nesbitt had been on the witness list– she was to testify to the dress that was made for Miss Wilhelmina to our specifications.
The one bit of work I managed to do was send a coded telegram to Our Employer asking him to track down information regarding the dress that Mrs Cuthbert had Edward’s mother wearing in one of her visions. We tried to track both Miss Brody and the dress magikally but got nothing more specific than ‘Yorkshire’ in our attempt at divination.
We also managed to ride out early and complete our exercises before most of the guests had risen for breakfast. I added my own wedding gift of matching pillows to the pile amassing in the first floor parlour. The legend I worked in needlepoint is sappily sentimental, but it is in Hindustani, so only a few will be able to read it. One of the footmen made a note on his list as I set them in amongst the other gifts in the parlour.
This evening is another formal dinner at Goxhill
Hall. Betty is not out in society yet, and unlike our informal
household in Town, there will be far too many unmarried men at
table. The Graveses have made arrangements for Betty to dine with
Lady Clara St. Simon in one of the parlours. However, I can hear
the complaints from here– neither girl appreciates that they
are not being made to dine with the children in the nursery. I
think I will have a word with her before I go down– something
on the subject of they types of behaviour that might win entry
into adult society– and those that definitely will not. Perhaps
I can talk Mrs Frazer into strategic use of her Governess Eyebrow.
12 January 1871, Thursday
Upon our return home from exercises this morning, Edward presented Miss Chigwidgeon with the Sinkable Namaste. She was delighted. Mrs Cuthbert and I were planning to go in to town to cast a history spell on the footprint left in the ink at the Hornsea Post. Miss Chigwidgeon had expressed an interest in participating, so we delayed our departure while Edward showed Miss Chigwidgeon how to operate the Sinkable Namaste. It is more like a walking sinkable boat than the diving suits we saw during the salvage operation in the Cape Verde Islands.
Apparently Ruth helped Edward with the underwater tests. Now I know why she was so keen to learn how to swim. I did hear Ruth and Edward have a final wrangle over the decorations– he took them from a book on Kali Temple art. They are a bit more than Mrs Frazer is used to. I think they are very well executed. Edward has a fine eye for detail and had polished the brasswork to a high shine.
Once the Sinkable Namaste had been examined and admired we headed in to town. Our party consisted of Sir Spencer, Mr and Mrs Frazer, Mrs Cuthbert, Miss Chigwidgeon, and me.
Our first stop was Thorpe House where we hoped to secure Mrs Earwig’s permission to enter the premises of the Hornsea Post. Her husband owns the building and more importantly, we wanted to do magik in her territory. Mrs Cuthbert was less than thrilled at having to interact with Mrs Earwig so I offered to do the asking. When we were shown in to her parlor and given a chance to explain our errand she was quite willing to let us have access to the building– inviting herself along in the process. Mrs Cuthbert did roll her eyes at that, however she was standing behind Mrs Earwig at the time.
We all went into town. The journalist, Mr Oliphant was lurking about. Mr and Mrs Frazer went off to talk to him and hopefully distract him from our activities.
Ruth later told me that Mr Oliphant acted as if he knew a great deal about our business. He made two suggestions to her: that we ‘follow the money’ and that we find out what Mr Hawkesworth’s original last name was, as apparently Hawkesworth is the name of his step-father.
While Mrs Frazer was conversing with Mr Oliphant. Mrs Cuthbert, Mrs Earwig, Miss Chigwidgeon and I were setting up our circle around the footprint that was just a bit too large to be Edward’s.
I have been practicing the History spell ritual and it went much more smoothly than previously. We were able to see events that transpired both before and after the foot print was left. It was a bit confusing seeing time roll backward so I will present events in the order in which the occurred rather than in the order we witnessed them.
The Edward Doppelganger woke in a nest he had set up in, what appeared to be, the same warehouse that Mrs Cuthbert had seen in her visions. He awoke before Clockwork Man (the man we presume to be Thomas Dower) and conducted some very familiar rituals. It looked very much like he was praying to Kali as both Miss Chigwidgeon and Mr Salmalin do.
He then consulted some journals. We could see into them. I was startled to see that they were detailed observations of the League of the Golden Clematis. He has apparently been following Edward and George for months now without being detected. After making some notes in the journals he had a conversation with Clockwork Man. He then went on a thieving spree around town before meeting with Spyglass Man at a house. Neither Mrs Cuthbert nor I got the impression that the house was a usual meeting place.
The Edward Doppelganger was still dressed as a boy at this time. At the meeting the Spyglass Man handed ED a weapon that looked a great deal like an Etheric Pulse Gun. ED concealed the Gun and departed the city of York on a train heading for Hornsea. He changed trains at Hull– stowing away in one of the freight cars. He got off the train as it slowed to enter Hornsea proper and made his way to Goxhill Grange. There he met with Xanthus, both of them dressed as widows, and took an unmarked carriage into Hornsea to meet with Jokking. Xanthus spoke with Jokking, there was an argument and ED shot Jokking with the EPG. Xanthus and ED set the type for the page found with Jokking’s body, ran the press, waited for the ink to dry and slid the proof under the body. ED dipped his foot in ink and left the very clear foot print we later found.
After the scene was set to their satisfaction ED returned to York and gave the EPG back to Spyglass Man. He then returned to the warehouse to load up what looked like an analytic engine. Clockwork Man and the machine went one way while ED and Spyglass Man went off in another by carriage. They met up with Miss Brody and a mage. The mage cast some sort of spell, probably a veil, and the vision ended.
We decided to return to Goxhill Manor to share this information with the rest of the League and see if a plan could be formulated. Xanthus was on his way to the Tower but Spyglass Man and ED were still on the loose. Not to mention the trouble Miss Brody might be party to.
We were nearly to the manor when we passed a carriage driven at a furious pace by Edward. We turned to follow.
ED had attacked George and Humphrey and had tried to take Edward’s place. Edward, with the help of Mr Salmalin, managed to fight the older boy off. The boy’s name is Natesh and he was bound hand and foot and in Mr Salmalin’s custody when we arrived at the Grange. Humphrey was in great need of medical attention. We were sent back to the Manor to guard the house guests and watch for other trouble.
On the way back to the manor I tried a spell to locate the cannon Mrs Cuthbert claimed to have seen in her visions. To my great embarrassment the spell went terribly awry allowing machinery around the parish to take on a life of its own. Fortunately other magik users in the area were able to help me rein in the wild spell before too much havoc was wreaked.
I could feel Mr Ramsey’s power in the mix and was reminded that he was coming down today. I am not looking forward to his critique of my loss of control. I should not have acted so precipitously– but so often of late we have been attacked on multiple fronts and I wanted to be prepared.
Miss Chigwidgeon and I made the rounds meeting and greeting guests while ensuring the manor was secure. Mr Templeton gave me an arch look but mercifully refrained from commenting aloud.
Our Employer had arrived while we were out. He told me that His Office had found a seamstress that made a dress matching the one Miss Brody had in Mrs Cuthbert’s vision. That lead was a dead end. The purchaser had paid cash and was not known to the seamstress.
Edward returned home with Sir Cosmo, Sir Charles, Humphrey, Mr Salmalin and Natesh. Natesh was questioned but would only say that he worked for ‘Mr Jones’ and that ‘Mr Jones’ runs the ‘organization.’ For some reason he was quite insistent that he was Edward. He was quite vexing to talk with. Edward is vexing to talk with at times, but he is generally well meaning and can even be quite sweet and thoughtful.
In order that we might more easily tell the two children apart, I trimmed Natesh’s hair very short. This should distinguish him from Edward without making any permanent changes to his appearance, or hurting anything but his pride.
Trimming the child’s hair was not terribly easy. Children naturally squirm when one is waving scissors near their face and, at first Natesh was like a normal child, moving his head to try to see what I was doing. It would have been easier if we could have washed his hair first but I did the best I could with a basin of water and a wet comb. Miraculously, after living rough for so long, he did not have lice.
I have noticed that Edward is rather fastidious– he frequently looks dirtier than he is. It may be that Natesh, observing Edward, had mimicked his idol’s bathing habits. Though that argues for a level of observation that I would prefer not to dwell on.
The wet comb made Natesh’s hair a shade darker. I was a bit nervous on picking up the scissors. Natesh was still bound, but Edward is very clever about wriggling loose from such bindings. I was very glad to have Salmalin nearby. I am always glad of his presence, but in this case he seemed to have a way of speaking to Natesh that the boy would obey. I could tell that Natesh had received training similar to that of Salmalin and George, for when Salmalin finally commanded the child to sit still and submit to my attentions, Natesh held perfectly still until I had finished. Accustomed as I am to Salmalin and George, it was still disturbing to see. Not the least because I was unsure if he would remain still or leap out at me.
My hands were shaking more by the end than when I had begun. Though I did manage to make his hair look as if it had been trimmed rather than cut with hedge clippers (something my sister Mary did to James long ago, much to our governess’s chagrin).
By the time we got him settled it was nearly time for the wedding rehearsal. Mr Salmalin, Mr Cuthbert and I walked to the church and spent some time checking for physical and mystical traps. We found no sign of any.
It was during the rehearsal that the dastardly plan was revealed. Mrs Cuthbert was standing quietly and listening to the priest’s instructions when she suddenly cried out. She said something about how we must stop them at once. It took a bit of asking, but she eventually revealed that she’d had a vision of the wedding. When the priest asked if there was any reason the marriage should not take place, Miss Brody, in her new blue dress entered the back of the church and claimed that Sir Cosmo could not marry Miss Chigwidgeon because he was already married to Miss Brody.
Now this is all patently false, but would have to be sorted by higher authorities than the Reverend Pottle should the claim be made.
We determined that it would not get that far.
Edward shrewdly guessed that his mother would be staying in the nicest possible Inn in Hornsea but Nanny cast a form of divination spell to be certain. The spell pointed to the Victoria Arms– an establishment owned by the Earwigs. I went off to get Mrs Earwig and we all met up in front of the hotel. With Mrs Earwig’s permission and keys, we were able to break into Miss Brody’s room easily. She and a Mr Mannering a.k.a. Spyglass Man were involved in something quite intimate and were unprepared for our arrival. We separated them. Nanny touched the screeching Miss Brody and she fell into a deep sleep. At nearly the same moment Mr Mannering went into convulsions.
I yelled for Mrs Cuthbert who was waiting below and began what first aid I could while Nanny tried to counteract what turned out to be a very nasty spell. For all our efforts only Mr Mannering’s body was saved.
We have transported him back to the Manor. I managed to get a chemise and petticoat on to Miss Brody while she was unconscious– she too has been removed from the Inn.
Tomorrow is the wedding.
Hopefully nothing else will go wrong.
Proceed to No one fainted
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