Rebel Magisters (Rebel Mechanics #2)(61)

“We’re in the wrong part of the city,” Rollo replied.

Very soon, we’d reached the airstrip and settled down to the mooring mast. The governor bid us farewell and sent the children and me directly home, saying he had business to attend to right away. The baggage would be delivered later.

I was surprised by just how much like home the Lyndon mansion looked when we pulled up in front of it. Not too long ago, it had seemed as remote and imposing as a European castle to me. I never would have imagined then that I would look at it with the warm affection of home. Mrs. Talbot, the housekeeper, met us in the foyer. “Welcome home! Luncheon will be served in an hour.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I hope our early return wasn’t too great an inconvenience.”

“Nonsense. We’re glad to see you back. The governor sent us a message, so we had time to prepare. I do hope Lord Henry isn’t too terribly ill. Matthews went off in such a rush.”

“He’s already on the mend. The concern was that the rigor of travel might hamper his recovery. It’s best for him to get his strength back before making that journey.”

“That is so good to hear.”

I sent the children up to their rooms and went to my own room, eager to move my incriminating evidence to a safer hiding place. With Henry’s help, I’d created a false bottom in my desk drawer for hiding articles and documents, and I wasted no time sliding the governor’s letter, still in its disguise as a romantic missive, into that spot. It was in a place that would incriminate me if it were found, but it was far less likely to be found there, even accidentally.

I’d need more time to study the letter before I could write an article, but I didn’t dare do that while the children were awake. It would be disastrous if Olive came looking for me while I was working. As impatient as I was to get this news out, I had to do this properly and take no chances.





Chapter Sixteen


In Which

I Make Headlines




Only after the children were in bed and sound asleep that night did I sneak the letter out of its hiding place to study it. Henry and I had skimmed it the night he stole it, but I hadn’t picked up or retained many details. I took notes on the most important and incriminating facts as I read. When I was sure I had it all straight, I hid the letter again. Working from my notes, I drafted an article, then edited it to make it sound like it came from some other pen than that of Liberty Jones.

When I was done, I wished that the Lyndon home had fireplaces in the bedrooms because that would have made it easier to destroy my notes and drafts. Then again, why should I worry about the notes and drafts when I had the letter itself, which was far worse? I hoped that once Henry came home, he would think of a better place to hide it. He’d told me to hold on to it, but I wondered if it might be wiser to send it to the Mechanics who were outside the city. I wasn’t sure what place would be safe once this news hit print. I just knew I preferred it not to be in my bedroom.

My next task was to find a way to hand the article over to my contacts. This time, I needed to observe all precautions and give no one any reason to believe that I was meeting with anyone connected with any radical group. That would be difficult while I had sole charge of the children until Henry returned home.

Much to Rollo’s dismay, I insisted on him going to school the next day, even though we were home sooner than we’d planned. “You can tell all your friends about riding in an airship,” I reminded him at breakfast.

“And I got a tour,” he said, perking up somewhat. Olive joined us for the walk to school, and she was the one to suggest walking home on the street with all the shops. I’d hoped to find Nat there selling newspapers, and I’d even practiced what to say to indicate I needed to arrange a meeting, but he was nowhere in sight.

The art and music teachers hadn’t been scheduled since we’d returned early, so I didn’t have that excuse to get away in the afternoon. It was so maddening that I was sharper than normal with the children. Even Flora noticed. “You must still be tired from the journey, Miss Newton,” she said from the piano as I supervised Rollo’s homework that afternoon. “You’re not usually this short-tempered. Or are you worried about Henry?”

“I’m worried he’ll leave me alone with you three for much longer,” I retorted. “I hadn’t realized how much easier his presence makes my job.”

“I’m being good,” Olive said.

“And I thank you for it,” I replied, patting her on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, Rollo, if I sounded snappish. I will try to be more patient.”

It was raining, so I couldn’t even take an afternoon stroll in the park and hope to run into someone. What I really needed was an excuse to head downtown to meet with any of my usual contacts.

Henry himself provided it. The next day at lunch, Mrs. Talbot came into the dining room to announce that she’d received a message from Henry, who had departed that morning on a passenger airship. “He should be home by tomorrow morning,” she said.

“We should get some flowers for his room!” Olive declared.

I couldn’t hold back a grin. “Yes, Olive, that’s an excellent idea. We should go this afternoon to buy some. I know just the place.”

I considered bringing the article with me, for I trusted the girl at the flower shop, but I wanted to be able to talk about it, and I couldn’t do that with Olive present. Instead, I wrote a short note requesting an in-person meeting.