2 April 1871, Palm Sunday

Today has been full of moments both terrible and sublime.

The most amusing was Lady Cowperthwaite’s reaction to the deep curtsey Mrs Cake executed upon the former’s arrival at the Edenfield Parish Church.

The most helpful was the detailed dream Mrs Cuthbert had with revealed the manner in which the Hari Diamond came into the Shorrock family.

The most relaxing was defence practise. All the ladies and both of our instructors were in attendance. The exercise and company were invigorating.

The most vexing was the visit to Mr Frederick Shorrock with Inspector MacGreggor. Nothing out of the ordinary happened but Inspector MacGreggor and I were out of sorts with each other. I don’t know what came over me!

The most frightening occurred when I cast a history spell and learned that Dr O’Brien killed himself because he believed he was trapped.

The most nerve-wracking was when Ravvi descended into the darkness of the abandoned coal mine to do battle with Mr Nathan Shorrock’s kidnappers.

And now that I am home in my cottage and Ravvi is off doing his rounds, I should write up my notes regarding what the League discovered today.

It is difficult. I feel overwhelmed by events. My brief conversation with my husband didn’t really help. I want to be adrift in my own anxiety and he will not allow me to indulge myself. Normally I treasure his belief in me however, at this precise moment, it is aggravating.

Other aggravations are making themselves known now that the League is back in action. One of those is my lack of detailed knowledge regarding on the workings of magik.

I have not heard from Mr Ramsey in some time so I suspect he is deep in some project for the Order. I miss his knowledge and expertise. He did tend to go on a bit, but no matter how far he strayed from the point, he frequently had useful information to impart. I feel very unbalanced without his knowledge and expertise to draw upon. It does not help that I have not been to lessons with either Mr Ramsey or Mr Haversham since before the Cowperthwaite’s wedding.

Mrs Cuthbert is a comfort and very knowledgeable in her own area of expertise. She also unflappable and so very patient with both the dead and the living... However, I do not have a similar level of understanding of the complexities of my magik and there is no way for me to gain such knowledge without significant time devoted to my studies.

I am surrounded by people who have been honing their skills for many years now, some since childhood. Sir Cosmo, Sir Spencer, Inspector MacGreggor, Mr Ramsey, Mr Frazer, Mr O’Flaherty, Mrs Cuthbert, Miss Wilhelmina, Miss Bertilde, Edward, George, my own dear Mr Salmalin, even Lieutenant Wooster all have trained in their professions or callings for years now. How can I ever hope to be an equal partner in the League?

Ruth may have some insight into this problem, coming, as I do, from a more ordinary upbringing, and finding herself surrounded by the extraordinary people Sir Cosmo attracts to his side. Though even she has her studies in the physical sciences (in addition to her uncanny aim with a rock) to contribute whereas what little professional knowledge of chemistry I possess is been vastly outstripped by several of the League.

When I see what Ravvi has accomplished through training and discipline, I despair. I lack his attention to detail, his ability to focus, and his dedication to his training.

However, I will be honest with myself. The real reason for today’s feelings of inadequacy are rooted in the death of Dr O’Brien. I was apparently one factor in his decision to kill himself and condemn his soul. There are times to be humble and self-deprecating– now is not one of those times. If I deny my own power I deny responsibility for that power.

It does not matter that my only interest was in keeping the bodies of the six Ninjitsus from exploding after Ravvi, George, Edward, Sir Spencer, and Lieutenant Wooster killed or disabled them. I could feel the spell forming but had no way to predict how powerful an explosion they might create.

Ravvi, Mr O’Flaherty and Lieutenant Wooster managed to get all six out of the cavern before they ignited by the simple expedient of carrying them bodily out of the cave system. I could not argue with their decision as I was absorbed in my own chant trying to suppress the explosion and because Mr Shorrock was lying in his case not ten feet from the bodies of the Ninjitsus and there was no way we could move him in time.

Mrs Cuthbert thinks the Ninjitus may have used their souls to power the spell and that by containing at least three of the wild spells that rose up in their wake I may have done something to alert Dr O’Brien or even worse, I may have destroyed the souls all together. That, I devotedly pray, is beyond even my power. It is too chilling to contemplate.

I go into each assignment hoping that we may be able to save someone who has been seduced onto a dark path. Salmalin has spoiled me in more ways than one! To loose all seven of the people involved to suicide was shattering.

Compounding problem is that power and skill has grown over the year as new and diffreent enemies have confronted the League. With my friends protection I have lived to fight another day. Like my husband, I have left death and destruction in my wake– and at times have felt both joy and elation in being able to use my gifts to benefit the League.

Several of the spells I cast today were overpowering in their effect. I have gotten so used to mystical obstacles being put in my path that I thought nothing of raising enough power to put out a large fire merely to cast a simple history spell.
If I had mis-cast, or someone had hit me over the head with a frying pan (as Ruth did to Madame Z all those months ago) the spell would have gone wild very quickly and with potentially disastrous results.

I am solving the problem of my own lack of skill and finesse though the brute strength of my spells but each time I do so I put us all at risk. Sometimes for very little gain.

I find it most frustrating that there is no way for me to measure beforehand how much power a given spell will need. I suspect it is something like tuning an instrument– the more experience you have the more accurately you can gage how far out of tune it is.

I just keep banging on the keys hoping that it will sound if I play loudly enough.

I was barely of any help during the battle in the cavern. Ravvi, George, Sir Spencer, Inspector MacGregor, Edward, and Mr O’Flaherty put their lives at risk as they fought the Ninjitsu. It was their acts that Dr O’Brien sensed– filtered through the lens of my power as I tried, and failed, to stop their self-destructive spell.

I cannot say that is my fault that Dr O’Brien killed himself, and Mrs Cuthbert reports, is now burning in some manifestation of hell.

Dr O’Brien’s last act was to teach me not to rely solely on my own power or to interpret events only through the lens of mysticism. He might have made a different choice had he seen only myself and Lady Cowperthwaite blocking his path rather than a Sorceress and Kali. Of course, if he had waited until he could see me in person, the rest of the League might have been able to capture and subdue him.

In news that is actually relevant to Inspector MacGreggor’s case, I will note the following:

When Inspector MacGreggor, Mr and Mrs Frazer, and Mr O’Flaherty called upon the Shorrocks this afternoon they learned that Mr Nathan Shorrock had been stolen from his resting place in the Shorrock Ice House.

Mrs Cuthbert and I were sent for. We determined that Mr Shorrock had been stolen by six thuggees (we later learned they were Ninjitus) on the orders of Dr O’Brien. Mr Shorrock had been removed by someone with a good understanding of the equipment he was hooked up. He and his hibernation box were being stored in an abandoned coal mine. This information was obtained through a history spell and confirmed by observations made by the Frazers of the ground around the ice house.

I returned to the house to alert the rest of the League that their services would soon be needed. Mr Salmalin, George, and Edward readied the carriages while Sir Cosmo questioned me closely on the details of the vision and recommended possible locations based on that information and on the fact that Mr Shorrock had been missing for approximately 12 hours. Armed with detailed maps and a note from Sir Cosmo granting us permission to search the mines (most of which are owned by either him or Lord Greyminster) I mounted my horse and joined the League.
Sir Cosmo and Lady Cowperthwaite, along with Miss Bertilde, took a separate carriage to beard Dr O’Brien in his den, and hopefully prevent his escape or interference in our search.

The rest of us arrived at the entrance to the mines. The third entrance we tried matched the vision given Mrs Cuthbert and me by the history spell. I cast a veil on our actions and Mr Salmalin and George led the way into the dark. They had no light with them. Edward had his chemical light and I was prepared to cast a magelight but waited for Mr Salmalin’s signal.

We soon heard scuffling in the darkness. Edward, Sir Spencer, Mr O’Flaherty and Lieutenant Wooster joined the fray. I heard Mr Salmalin call out ‘definitely NOT clear’ and cast my light. I could not see around the corner but heard several gunshots and various crunching noises and the dull thunk of blades meeting flesh. I could not help but flinch at each sound.

Foolishly, I had thought it would be easier once we were wed. I was wrong. It is much more difficult.

I love Ravvi more fiercely than ever and want to protect him from harm. But I cannot protect someone whose calling in life is to protect others. I can merely do my own work and let him get on with his. That does not stop my heart from aching with every blow landed. It is perhaps for the best that I did not see the fight. By the time I rounded the corner it was over.

As mentioned above, as a result of our battle, all six ninjitsu burned up from within (thankfully without exploding) and Dr O’Brien killed himself rather than face us. One thing of import that I saw in my vision of his death, was that his coachman (another Ninjitsu by the look of it) did not die with him as planned, but rather rode off on a surviving horse. He had some way of making himself unnoticeable as neither Sir Cosmo nor Lady Cowperthwaite saw him ride off when they witnessed the explosion.

Mr Shorrock was safely transported back to Dearden House and Miss Helen was satisfied that no damage had been done to her hibernating father. She had been on hand during the battle in the mine and was able to supervise her father’s removal to the house. She did not lose her composure in the least. I am certain it helped that Mrs Frazer took particular pains to escort her and keep hold of her during the more disturbing parts of the rescue.

I miss spending time with Mrs Frazer. Now that she and I are both married we spend time (as it should be) with our respective husbands but that leaves little time for our former easy comradeship.

While Miss Helen and the naturalists among us were fussing with Mr Shorrock and his hibernation chamber, Inspector MacGreggor finally got around to questioning Miss Shorrock and Miss Agatha regarding the loss of the Hari diamond some 20 years previously. After his conversation with them he asked Mrs Cuthbert and I to see what we could find out using our methods. He ushered us into Mr Shorrock’s study. We set up our spell circle and learned that, while Mr Shorrock’s younger brother Horace had indeed taken the diamond, he had only hidden it elsewhere in the house, leaving a letter behind for his brother to find. The letter (with the power of hindsight) offered several clues to the whereabouts of the diamond but did not state explicitly what had been done with it. I suspect that Horace feared that it would fall into the hands of Mr Sean ‘the shark’ Malloy if he left it in the lockbox at the house.

Mrs Cuthbert and I have yet to try to speak to the shade of Mr Malloy. I must remember to ask her if she is willing to pursue that the next time we are together.

Now the sisters have the diamond. We left, with their permission, Mr and Mrs Frazer, Miss Bertilde and Mrs Cuthbert at Dearden House to watch over the sisters (and the diamond).

Inspector MacGreggor and I visited Mr Frederick Shorrock at Oakgrove Cottage. As at church, I confirmed that neither he nor his manservant had any sign of magik about them. Though I certainly would not trust his manservant out of my sight.

We did not learn anything of use from Mr Frederick, save that he suspected that something had happened to his Uncle and wished to report it. We gave him vague reassurances and left him after a quick cup of tea. Then the Inspector and I argued in the carriage on the way home to Edenfield Court. Poor Miss Bertilde was with us at the time and had to put up with both of us exhibiting poor manners. To top it all off, I could tell from the Inspector’s comments that the shade of his father was pestering while I was trying to speak to him.

I should have realized that it was too soon for the two of us to collaborate in any meaningful way without the armouring presence of the rest of the League around us.

I will try to be more circumspect in future.

Proceed to All over but the report writing

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