Evermore (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy #3)(76)
Beyond him, Aunt Winnie shook her head emphatically. “We’ll tell you nothing.”
“Then let me guess,” said the Captain without looking at Winnie. “You’re not a seer, you’re a hellhag and this chronometer is your talisman to find me. And you have something else in your possession that will lead you to the Oriental as well as the man I seek. Correct?”
Aunt Winnie’s face drained of color and Tilda felt the heavy air wrap around her like a stifling blanket. The two women drew instinctively closer together.
“I’m not a hellhag,” she whispered.
“But you mustn’t tell anyone about this,” Winnie added.
He shrugged. “Honor our transaction and I will keep your secret.” He dropped the chronometer in the inside pocket of his long black leather coat. “But if you use your powers to help the authorities find me, I won’t be able to keep that promise. Understand?”
“Agreed.”
He nodded. “Now, let’s discuss terms. Everything on the Adrienne other than your Oriental is mine.”
“I thought you didn’t want financial payment.”
“Not for me, my crew. If I don’t give them some incentive I’ll have a mutiny on my hands.”
“You can’t command your own men?” Aunt Winnie snorted.
“Madam, my crew’s loyalty is not something I want to test up there.” He nodded skyward where one of the airships moored to an iron ring on the ground nudged the propeller of a dirigible next to it.
“I agree to your terms,” Tilda said. “I only want the Oriental.”
“I sail at first light. I’ll have an agreement drawn up by then for you to sign.”
“A little formal for a pirate, don’t you think?”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t trust anyone. Especially little chicks and their mother hens who can find anyone anywhere.” A devil-may-care wickedness tugged at the corners of his lips and eyes. “Don’t worry, it will merely stipulate that I’ll hunt you down and gut you like a fish if you double-cross me.”
Aunt Winnie swooned and Tilda caught her before she hit the ground. Fortunately the big woman recovered quickly because Tilda didn’t have the strength to hold her for long and Knight didn’t make any attempt to help.
“I won’t double-cross you if you keep your word,” Tilda said, unperturbed. She had every intention of keeping her end of the bargain.
“Then you’ll have no problem signing the articles. You can do it before I sail in the morning. Be early. My airship is the three-mast brigantine flying the German flag.”
“German?”
He nodded. “Under the patronage of an obscure merchant from that country.”
“So obscure that no one has heard of him? Including other German merchants?” She couldn’t hide her smile. Tilda admired the devil’s ingenuity. She had wondered how the pirate could dock undetected by the authorities while he restocked and repaired. “I’ll be there,” she said.
“You can wave us goodbye from the sky pier. My men always appreciate a pretty face.”
“But Tilda--”
Tilda shot her aunt a warning glare. “Come along, Aunt. We must get home. It's tea time.” She hooked her arm through Winifred’s and the two women turned their back on the pirate, leaving him and the dismal lane behind.
***
Sir Magnus Grimshaw's servant watched the fair beauty and the woman with a face like a comfortable old boot until they were out of sight. He was sure he hadn't been seen, hidden as he was in the shadowy eaves of a disused warehouse. He’d been following them for two weeks and finally they were doing something interesting. Very, very interesting.
When he turned back to look for Knight, the lane was empty. He had gone. Willy raised his eyes to the ships above in silent thanks to God beyond, although he wasn’t an overly pious man. He was grateful he’d carried out his errand without attracting the attention of Knight. He did not want to become an enemy of Black Jack's.
But then, he already was—by association. His master was the black-hearted pirate's enemy and that meant Willy, as his servant, was too.
Sir Magnus would be intrigued by this new development in his plans. His history with the Barons of Ironside was long and troubled, and the lady's association with the pirate was cause for concern.
The servant skirted the dirty industrial heart of London on his way back to the palace, but still the sooty air cloyed at his throat. These days the entire city seemed to be teeming with activity. There was no escaping the noise of the big digging machines used for clearing out the foundations of the old buildings and of the pounding of hammers and the hiss of temporary forges where new ones were being built. The constant tremor beneath his feet told of the burrowing as tunnels were dug out for the new underground railway. He felt a surge of pride knowing his master had had a hand in the creation of the excavation machines.
Everywhere people moved, on foot, on two-wheeled bimotors and in the carriages and carts pulled by mech horses. They were a new invention and not nearly as graceful as real horses, but at least they didn't shit all over the roads.
The endless noise of the city made him nervous. It would be easy for Knight to hide amidst the throng and the hubbub if he wanted to stalk Willy. The servant started every time someone drew too close or a horse backfired. When he reached his destination he wiped his sweating brow and sighed heavily. Safe. The guards gave a blink of recognition and pulled a lever tucked into the side of the brick wall. In a breath of steam, the magnificent iron gates swung open.