The Policeman of Secrets

Chapter 17 Part 2

Lord Stone was waiting.

Entering the castle had been simple enough given his station, and it was easy to mingle from guestroom to guestroom among the throng of people that either worked at Balmoral or were here on state business or in some other capacity. Broadstairs, the spymaster whose array of contacts had proved invaluable, was loitering nearby and giving Stone subtle signals to indicate who among these minor nobles, ambassadors, and varied minions was in the thrall of the Assembly. It was, Stone was delighted to see, a very large proportion. Those he recognized received a non-committal nod but there were others at whose identity he could only guess. A few, judging by their features or complexion, were clearly ambassadors from foreign powers and were almost certainly yet to read any of the many books coded with the words of the Assembly. It was those, he hoped, who would be most impressed by what he was about to achieve.

Stone withdrew his pocket watch and gave it a cursory glance. A moment before nine o’clock. Colonel Wolf had assured him that squads of Arcanum-trained troops would be on station shortly, using a flurry of forged orders and barked commands to replace all those currently on duty and dismiss them to barracks far away in the castle grounds. Most of the Queen’s guards would undoubtedly already be victims of the Assembly—Stone had always been impressed by the cursed words’ rapid spread throughout the lower orders—but he would take no chances. If there were even a few officers of strong temperament who had managed to withstand the Assembly, at the first sign of any threat to the Royal Family hordes of eager soldiers would be sent against the Arcanum, and any combat within these tight and unforgiving granite corridors would be an awkward and bloody affair. No, let the colonel do as he promised and it might be possible to seize control of Balmoral without a shot being fired.

He exchanged meaningless small talk with Lady Margaret, the widowed wife of the Duke of Norfolk. A poltroon who owned one of England’s greatest libraries, the duke had been one of the first nobles to fall under the Arcanum’s spell. As an experiment, Lord Stone had sent Norfolk a letter, marked with the headless eagle, demanding that he begin a series of highly visible affairs with servants, barmaids, and low women of every stripe. The overpowered duke, who was once renowned for his virtue and love for his beautiful wife, had been only too quick to obey. Stone had laughed uproariously at the Times’ report of Norfolk’s death in a Whitechapel inn at the hands of a thieving pimp.

As he responded with witticisms at the widow’s banal comments, his mind savored the picture of her husband being brought so low in his final days. But his attention was always focused on the satchel he had been carrying ever since he and the others departed from the airship anchored among the many at the mooring stations surrounding the castle. Made of the finest leather and fixed with locked brass clasps, its contents were clearly heavy. The first servant who offered to take it had received a look of such unmitigated fury that he quailed in fear. Ever since, Stone had been left to carry the case.

He glanced away to see Elizabeta and Broadstairs, the only minions he trusted to attend this final mission, mingling through the crowd of those awaiting an audience.

Elizabeta did look especially attractive this evening, thought Stone. Her dress of finest red silk showed as much of her breasts as the most daring fashion allowed while creating a shadowed valley from her cleavage that attracted every man’s gaze. Narrow at the waist, the cloth hugged her hips provocatively, and her swinging walk only emphasized the curves of her backside. Carefully-applied makeup softened her features in just the right places while drawing attention to her vivid, bold eyes. When she returned Stone’s stare and her full lips widened briefly into a smile, he felt himself become almost painfully erect.

For her part, Elizabeta knew the reactions she was causing, and reveled in them once again. She saw the manhoods standing proud in tightening trousers in tribute to her beauty. She heard the whispered reprimands from jealous wives, and felt every gaze from lustful eyes that passed so slowly over the flesh she had so artfully displayed. Every iota of attention was ammunition for her, and another step towards the power and wealth she craved so dearly. Pausing in her steady, seductive movement around the room, she gave Stone the briefest of smiles and laughed inwardly at the man’s obvious desire. Look, you fool, at what you shall not have. I will take all the rewards I deserve, which you will offer so gladly, and we shall not meet again. I have done enough for men like you. What I do from tonight on shall be only for me and my daughter.