3 April 1871, Monday
Mr Salmalin and I passed a quiet night in our little cottage. No alarms came from Dearden House or from the Main House.
I did manage to ask Mr Salmalin if he would mind if I assigned him a birthday. I had given the matter much thought prior to making my suggestion and had settled on either the 7th or 8th of April, as one of those days marks the point in his life when he left Jerrold Moriarty’s service by choosing to save Sir Cosmo and Lady Cowperthwaite from ambush-- nearly dying in the attempt.
When I made the suggestion, he looked very thoughtful for a moment and then swept me up in his arms and kissed me. I decided to take his action for assent but never did get around to clarifying which date he felt was most appropriate. (The difficulty comes in due to the fact that our altercation with Mr Moriarty took place late at night and in all the excitement it did not occur to me to mark the exact moment the above-referenced events occurred).
Now that he has a birthday (or at least a smaller range of dates to be considered as his birthday) I have the problem of locating a suitable gift.
In the 18 days we have been married I have observed that my husband is a man of very simple tastes. He does not seem to need much in the way of material goods for either his work or personal life. His clothes are simple and of good quality and are either new or in good repair. He kept the cushion I made for him earlier this year and uses it for meditation. He has his small shrine to Kali, which I would not interfere with. He does read, but for the most part he reads books provided by Mr Graves that will further his understanding of his role in the household, Sir Cosmo’s place in society, or other improving works. From our brief courtship I know that he has either heard or read some of the same sentimental Hindustani poetry that I enjoy, but I have not seen a volume of such since coming home from India and would not know how to lay hands on one with such short notice. (Though it is perhaps an idea to hold in reserve for next year.) Perhaps I will consult with Mrs Frazer if the opportunity presents itself.
I must go or I will be late for the staff breakfast.
~Mid-morning~
After breakfast and defense practice with Lady Cowperthwaite, Tattvik, and Mr Salmalin, Lady Cowperthwaite and I took the mail into her study and worked our way through it. The only letter of note was one from Lord Greyminster accepting Lady Cowperthwaite’s invitation to come to visit at Easter. His speaking schedule will allow him to arrive Saturday and depart again Monday or Tuesday. He and Lord Shaftesbury are on a speaking tour to promote the Society for the Protection of Mothers and Infants and are canvassing Bury this week. I made a note that he will be speaking in Manchester on Wednesday and confirmed with Lady Cowperthwaite that she would like to attend the lecture.
Inspector MacGreggor came around to say that he was planning on visiting Dearden House after catching up on some of his own reports. I expressed a desire to visit Mrs Frazer, and Lady Cowperthwaite agreed that I was not needed for the afternoon. To my great relief, the Inspector and I managed to share a carriage in all civility with no reference to the events of yesterday.
Ruth and Miss Helen were busy in the conservatory upon my arrival. Mr Shorrock is still in a torpid state and not yet aware of the world around him. I sought out Mrs Cuthbert and suggested that she try to contact the spirit of Sean Malloy to try and determine if he was, indeed, dead. She readily agreed, having thought of the same thing herself but not having time to put thought to action.
We set up in the guest room the Shorrock sisters have given her for the duration of her stay. I always find it a bit odd when I assist Mrs Cuthbert with her spirit work in the middle of the day but the spirits don’t seem to care what time of day it is on our side of the veil. In this case the only spirit we made contact with was Mr I’m-still-waiting, the spirit who keeps asking if Rip Chigwidgeon is dead. There was no sign of Sean Malloy’s spirit.
It is one more piece of evidence that suggests that Sean Malloy may not be dead after all.
Inspector MacGreggor was closeted with the Shorrock sisters when Mrs Cuthbert and I emerged from her room so we were not able to pass on the information immediately. I found Ruth at loose ends so we went for a walk in the garden. She told me that Mrs Cuthbert has confirmed that she is carrying twins! I was very excited for her and nervous as well. She is such a tiny woman to carry so much. I did my best to be supportive, however, I cannot speak from experience as Mrs Cuthbert can, and while I do have a few healing spells, I would not want to try them out on my friend without good reason. We will just have to keep Mrs Cuthbert close.
While we were walking, and once the business with the twins was out of the way, Ruth mentioned that Mr Frazer’s birthday is coming up on 5 April and she has no suitable gift for him. I confessed that I was in a similar predicament with my husband and we decided to go into Manchester this afternoon and attempt to remedy our mutual problem. We invited Henri, as he seems to have a genius for shopping.
Ruth went in search of Mr Frazer to tell him of her plan. Inspector MacGreggor came out into the hall with Miss Helen. As I watched him with her I realized that not all of the mis-understandings between us over the past six months have been my fault. He was very carefully assuring her of his concern for her safety and completely missing all of the signals she was sending indicating that the door was open for return visits. I will have to talk to Ruth if this keeps up. I don’t want the Inspector raising Miss Helen’s hopes accidentally, as it were. There has been enough of that already. It was all I could do to keep from speaking to him directly on the matter. But his personal life is most unequivocally none of my concern.
I went to alert the coachman to our imminent return to Edenfield Court instead of biting through my tongue.
Ruth came out a few minutes later looking mildly exasperated. It appears that our shopping expedition has been hijacked by Inspector MacGreggor’s case. He is sending Mr Frazer into Manchester to retrieve Mr Algie Timson. Undaunted we returned to the house to arrange our trip into town. Alerted to our Plan, Sir Cosmo suggested that he and Lady Cowperthwaite should visit with the Shorrock sisters while we were away. He also suggested that Mr Salmalin accompany us and arrange for our transportation once in Manchester. Fortunately, when he is on duty Mr Salmalin does not expect to be able to accompany me on my errands.
I must go now, or I will make us late for the train.
~Evening~
Mr Frazer took rather longer in town than expected. It took several hours for him to apply to the court for Mr Timson’s release in to his custody. Ruth, Henri, and I had plenty of time for our shopping. Henri steered us to a bookseller that had a copy of the latest of Darwin’s work, so Ruth found her gift for Mr Frazer. I was completely stymied on an appropriate gift for Mr Salmalin.. Ruth suggested socks, a very prosaic and sensible gift. Most of his clothes are in good condition but socks wear quickly given the amount of walking that he does.
Having no better ideas of my own I allowed Henri to steer us to a store of finely-made knit goods. I bought three pair finely knit socks. They are certainly better than anything I could make and I do hope he will like them.
4 April 1871, Tuesday
It’s all over but the report writing.
Mrs Cuthbert, Ruth, and Miss Bertilde captured Sean Malloy last night. He broke in into the Shorrock’s house and ran smack into Mrs Cuthbert’s fireplace poker. Mr Timson has positively identified Mr Frederick Shorrock’s valet “Sullivan” as Sean Malloy and the brigand is in the Edenfield gaol for the time being.
I received a telegram from Mr Haversham confirming
that Inspector Bradstreet was not suffering from a magikally induced
illness. I sent a reply thanking him for his effort on my behalf.
I had suspected that would be the case after I had a chance to
examine the diamond directly, however, I sent the telegram requesting
the information prior to that event. It is satisfying to have
that loose end tied up and I hope Inspector Bradstreet recovers
from his inconvenient illness.
~Mid-morning~
Lady Cowperthwaite and I are in a bit of a flutter. She received a letter from Lady Ffolkes instructing my mistress that Lady Ffolkes had been notified by Her Majesty the Queen’s private secretary that the Queen wished him to schedule Lady Cowperthwaite’s Presentation for one of the days when the Queen herself would be presiding. Lady Ffolkes also indicated that she would be willing to be Lady Cowperthwaite’s sponsor. This is an honour that neither Lady Cowperthwaite nor I expected– Lady Cowperthwaite because she did not know any better and I because of the odd composition of our household.
It seems Her Majesty feels like making a point to someone. I wonder who Her Target is.
Regardless, I have instructed Lady Cowperthwaite in how to answer the letter, and left her to it as my presence seemed to be making her even more nervous. I have composed a telegram to our seamstress in London asking that she procure appropriate material for the Required Dress. We will be returning to London in the next week and will be able to consult in more detail at that time.
I have also spent some time rummaging through my trunks to find my own presentation gown. Once hemmed and taken in a bit it should work quite well as a practice dress for my mistress.
5 April 1871, Wednesday
Today is a quiet one around the house. After our regular defense practice, Lady Cowperthwaite and I retired to her rooms to review her schedule and address her correspondence. Tonight is Lord Greyminster and Lord Shaftesbury’s speech in Bury. Lord and Lady Cowperthwaite are planning to attend. The word has spread around the household and it sounds like most of the guests are planning to attend the presentation.
I plan to go riding in the early afternoon.
We will be returning to town in a few days, leaving the horses
behind. One of the most enjoyable activities in the country is
horseback riding and with all of the excitement over the past
few days I haven’t had as much time for riding. I’ve
made some real friends amoung Sir Cosmo’s horses and will
miss them when we return to London for the opening of the Season.
~Afternoon~
I took advantage of time alone with Lady Cowperthwaite to ask her advice regarding a gift for Mr Salmalin. I explained about the socks and their limitations as a suitable gift for someone I care for so dearly. She seemed to understand my dilemma.
She thought for a few minutes and then disappeared
into her rooms, reappearing a few minutes later with a very small
package. She explained that it was the native costume she had
acquired on Kor and that it had provoked a noticeable reaction
in Salmalin. I’m certain I blushed to the roots of my hair
when I realized what she was suggesting. However, while I am uncertain
that my wearing the garments will have the same effect (I have,
after all, a good ten years on my mistress) I understand the intent.
Mr Salmalin doesn’t need things. He has simple tastes and
no taste for extravagance. All I can give him is a reminder of
my deep and persistent feelings for him. I am unsure if I can
carry it off and do worry that he will think that I am trying
to make myself over into Namaste but in all I think it is worth
the risk.
~Evening~
The Lords’ speech was very gratifying, Mother would be very pleased. Next time I write to her I shall include a summary. The audience response was also satisfying, though Mrs Frazer had to sit on Miss Bertilde a few times, as the latter did not completely follow the rhetoric used and there was brief concern that she might take what was being said in entirely the wrong way. She is very protective of her ‘girls’. Mrs Frazer and I talked a bit on the way home– she is interested in seeing if there is anything more that can be done for either Miss Bertilde’s girls or Edward’s gang.
One of the highlights of the evening for me was riding in one of the carriages driven by my husband. Even though he is working when driving it is pleasant to be in his company.
6 April 1871, Maundy Thursday
Inspector MacGreggor and George have left for
London to escort Sean Malloy to face charges there for the Kennington
Road burglaries. The house is quiet. I requested the evening off
to attend services and was granted permission. Lady Cowperthwaite
seems to have recovered from the shock of Tuesday’s letter
from Lady Ffolkes. I finished altering my presentation dress to
approximate a fit for Lady Cowperthwaite and we have begun our
practice for the Event.
~Evening~
I found some time this afternoon to visit Edward in his shop. I wanted to thank him for his clever (and legal) solution to acquiring something a personal nature from Sean Malloy for my history spell. Even though it transpired that the item was not needed, as the person himself was soon in our custody, it was very thoughtful of Edward and something I would like to encourage. He asked for some help with one of his projects so I changed into a dress that is already soot stained from a previous adventure and worked with him until time to clean up and leave for the Maundy Thursday service.
Mrs Cake seemed disappointed that Lady Cowperthwaite did not attend but continued in her efforts to recruit me for the altar guild. I gave her a pamphlet on the Women and Infants organization instead.
7 April 1871, Good Friday
I gave Mr Salmalin his socks at breakfast. He seemed very surprised to receive them.
8 April 1871, Holy Saturday
Lady Cowperthwaite’s suggestion for an
alternate present for Mr Salmalin was very well received. I was
terribly embarrassed and nervous. It is one thing to imagine doing
something and quite another thing entirely to put it into practice.
Proceed to Family Trouble
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