Rebel Magisters (Rebel Mechanics #2)(50)
Coming from Flora, that was like her announcing that she didn’t much care for fashion, and both Henry and I turned to gape at her. Oblivious, she began walking forward, forcing us to hurry to catch up with her.
Henry took both our arms once more. If it was a madhouse in the ballroom, it was even worse outside. The street was clogged with carriages jockeying for position. Ball attendees and their servants milled about on the sidewalk in front of the mansion, searching for their carriages. Across the street, barely visible in gaps between the carriages, a crowd of people stood, watching the spectacle.
I couldn’t tell in all the chaos who that crowd might be, until a voice rose in song. “Yankee Doodle went to town, riding a steam pony.” More joined in on the Rebel Mechanics’ theme song. They didn’t seem to be doing any more than standing there and singing, but their presence was obvious.
Henry tugged at us, pulling us down the street and away from the scene, but Flora hung back. “What is that?” she asked.
“I believe it’s the Rebel Mechanics, and you can be sure they’re up to no good,” Henry said. “Now, come on, we should go before they start causing trouble.”
She began walking again, but she looked back over her shoulder. “They’re just singing. So, there are magisters rebelling and there are these Mechanics who also want to start a revolution. I don’t think people like the government much.”
We were silent for the rest of the walk home. Flora still seemed to be lost in thought, and Henry and I didn’t dare talk in front of her. The trip really was quite short, and I was sure we were home in less time than it would have taken to find our carriage. When we made it inside, I asked Flora, “Do you need any help?”
“I can ring for a maid myself,” she snapped before stalking up the stairs.
Henry normally would have scolded her, but he was preoccupied. He sighed as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know what they were thinking,” he murmured. “Now the governor knows for certain that there are rebels within the magister world. That will make my job more difficult.”
“Surely this isn’t the first time magisters have expressed dissent.”
“Never quite this blatantly. Between this and the tea, which the authorities seem to be blaming on magisters, we will no longer be above suspicion, which eliminates our advantage among the rebels.”
I glanced around, making sure we were still quite alone, but even the butler had gone away. “Speaking of which, do you know a Baron Pierce?”
“I know of him. Why?”
“When the message appeared, he said something a lot like what you just said, that this would make things more difficult, and I think he was singing along with the rebel song. Is it possible that there are dissenters higher up in the ranks, not just among young people?”
“I’ve hoped it was the case, but I’ve never seen any evidence. I expected it to be more among the middle-class magisters, the ones who are doing most of the work and providing the magical power without having the titles and privilege, but I suppose people with titles might also get involved at that level.”
“You did,” I reminded him. “Someone doesn’t have to be young to see a need for change.”
“The question is, how do I approach him? It’s not as though I can just start talking about revolution. What if he meant something different when you heard him?”
“I was the one talking to him, so I could bring it up without you putting yourself at risk.”
“But then you’d be putting yourself out there.”
“He was already sympathetic to me as a chaperone, so he might not think anything of me being curious about his political views, even if I was mistaken. But you can’t reveal your role. The real problem is, how do we even speak to him again? Is he someone you could call upon?”
“Not really. The rules are rather touchy about who can do what. If he called upon the governor and didn’t leave a card for me, then I can’t call on him directly.” Noticing my skeptical look, he smiled and said, “See, this is why some of us are rebelling. All these silly rules will be swept away in our new nation if I have anything to do with it.”
“It’s a pity we can’t manage to just bump into him,” I said. “Is there someplace in Boston that everyone goes?”
He grinned. “There’s church on Sunday, and all the nobility will likely attend the same one in this neighborhood. We’re sure to pass him before or afterward, and you could greet him. We’ll just have to find a way to be away from the governor and the children when you do so.”
“That sounds like a rather vague plan.”
Chapter Thirteen
In Which
I Engage in
Eavesdropping
Not that I was able to come up with anything better. We loaded up two carriages for the short trip to the church, where the governor made a grand entrance before taking his place in a reserved pew. I wasn’t sure whether I was more relieved or insulted when I learned that I wasn’t expected to sit on the family pew. It was nice to be away from the governor and my duties, but I felt very alone sitting at the back of the church.
However, my position allowed me to watch most of the congregation. I spotted the baron a few rows back from the family and wished I had a way to point him out to Henry. It was difficult to concentrate on the sermon when I was trying to come up with excuses to talk to the baron without the governor noticing anything. Normally, my position in that household made me ideally situated as an operative, but too much proximity to the governor hampered me when it came to taking action.