When Pascale Auber is forced out of the airship of the evil Dr. Simpelstur, she finds herself rescued by a handsome Ruritanian diplomat, Theo von Hentzau. Pascale soon realizes that Theo is hiding something - something to do with the evil doctor, th...
The Ruritanian insignia on the wings of the little flyer made my heart pound again. My eyes flitted to the young man's face, but he was looking at me with an innocent and predictable mixture of concern and interest.
"Are you injured?" He asked again, slowly.
I shook my head. "Slightly rattled, but nothing worse than that."
I smoothed my skirts, surreptitiously confirming that none of the devices secreted in various hidden pockets were damaged, and that all remained invisible to a casual glance. I glanced again at the flivver's wings. The insignia was large; it would be visible to anyone viewing the craft, even at a distance. I concluded that meant I was safe, more-or-less. An insignia that obvious meant the pilot probably had nothing to hide. He probably worked with the embassy representing the Ruritanian government. So he probably supported Ruritania's King and not the Archduke's interest in his throne. Probably. I let out a long, slow breath.
The young man nodded. "As you are uninjured, might I have the honour of helping you down?"
It wasn't as though I was likely to throw myself out of a functional airship for the second time in as many minutes. I struck a sunny smile. With a deep breath, I mustered the strength to sound cheerful, almost frivolous. "Yes, please! I appreciate the assistance - your timing was excellent."
"At your service, Miss," he said, striking a comic-opera bow before returning both hands to the controls.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
As he guided the little machine down, the man kept throwing curious glances in my direction. Finally, he ventured another question. "How did you fall?" He asked, eyes scanning the heavens.
Dr. Simpelstur's aerostat had already steamed off to the west, a mere dot amongst the many craft plying the air above the Metropolis. I was not sure how much the Ruritanian had seen, so an outright lie was inadvisable. "I fell from an airship, of course. There was a gentleman who thought his deck would look more attractive without my presence."
