Trixie slammed the book she had been reading closed with a little more force than she’d intended. Why was it taking Nathaniel so long? Had he been arrested for going someplace he shouldn’t have? He acted as if he would be allowed to enter the local intelligence office. What if he had been wrong?
She wasn’t certain how much time had passed since he left but it had to have been several hours. After all, she’d explored five different boutiques, a bookstore, and now she’d consumed most of a pot of tea. Even the lure of her new book couldn’t distract her from worrying about Nathaniel and whether something had happened to him.
She absently drummed her finger on the table as she stared out the window. What were her options for action?
Naturally, she could choose to wait indefinitely for him. Waiting only made her anxious. She could give up, return to her airship, and forget the entire plan. Her stomach turned just thinking about leaving Nathaniel without knowing what happened to him much less if he had found anything about father or Peter’s disappearance. She could march up to the door of the building Nathaniel had described and demand to be let in. She grimaced. That would only call attention to herself and invite trouble.
“Have you been waiting long?”
Trixie startled at the question. She quelled her impulse to launch herself into Nathaniel’s arms and demand he never leave her behind like that again. . “Of course not.” With a heavy dose of false calm, she gestured to the empty seat across from her. “Tea?”
“Please. And biscuits too, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” She signaled for the waitress. As soon as the young lady left to fill their request, she asked him, “Did you learn anything?”
“Afraid not.”
She blinked, uncomprehending. Surely he jested. “Well—”
“How was your shopping?”
“Boring, actually.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
She started to question him more but her cut her off.
“Did you try the bookseller on the corner?”
“Of course. It was the most interesting place on the block.”
“Is that a new book then?” He pointed to the one she had left on the table.
“Yes, it is. Are you sure you didn’t learn anything?”
“Quite. What is your new book about?” His abrupt dismissal of her question made her grit her teeth.
“It’s a novel about an inspector and his colleague who are hunting for a missing mummy. If you didn’t learn anything then what took you so long?”
“Just chatting with some of the men in the club.” He pointed to her book. “It looks as if you’ve started reading it. Do you like the book so far?”
She narrowed her gaze at him. Why was he acting so strange? Perhaps he didn’t want to share what he found out. “No, actually, I’m not enjoying the book. I’ve been quite disappointed in the inspector. He’s been behaving quite oddly.”
“That’s a shame. Perhaps it will be better later on. You shouldn’t give up on a book after only a few chapters.”
“Hmmm.” She stared at him and tried to figure out what was going on in his head.
The waitress returned with the things they had requested. As soon as she left again, Nathaniel began a long diatribe about the benefits of tea on the body. Despite consuming several biscuits and two cups of tea, he somehow managed to keep up his monologue and effectively blocked her every time she started to ask a question.
Had they been in a less public place she would have given him an earful. Instead, she forced a smile and silently prayed he would choke on a bite so she could get a word in.
He paid for their food and once again offered her his arm. She debated refusing it but finally relented. When they reached the end of the block he leaned closer. “We’re being watched. Ask no questions about your father. I’ll share what I learned when we return to the ship.”
She stiffened her spine. They were being watched? By whom?
She assumed the role of chatty companion and told him in excruciating detail every one of the scarves she found in the boutiques until Nathaniel hailed a hackney for their return to port. He handed her up into the carriage then waited for a sign from him that it was safe.
Once they set off he took her hand into his and began to draw on her palm with his finger. It took a moment but she quickly realized he was drawing letters trying to tell her something.
N-O-T-S-A-F-E.
She nodded she understood and remained silent for the rest of their ride.
They exited the carriage in a new part of town instead of the port.
“Come, dear.” Nathaniel held his hand out to help her down. “Perhaps we’ll be able to find that scarf you wanted here.”
Playing along with his charade, she batted her eyes at him. “But I thought you said I’d spent my allowance already?”
“Consider it my way of making up to you after leaving you alone for so long while I chatted with my friends.”
She took his arm. “I’m afraid it may take more than a scarf to accomplish that, dear.”
“Now, now.”
In her ear he whispered, “We’ll duck into a shop a try to find a way out the back.”
She nodded once to let him know she’d heard. He led her into one of the larger shops and paid one of the workers to show them another way out.
When they stepped into the back alley, he pulled her quickly to the end, then around the corner and into another shop. There he pulled her into a darkened corner and gestured for her to riffle through whatever was on the table. Finally he tugged on her elbow and urged her to leave. They went the other direction on the street and boarded a hackney they found waiting at the corner. This one he directed to the port.
“I believe we lost them but I won’t know for certain until we reach the port,” he told her in a low tone.
“Who was following us?”
“I’m not certain.” He took her hand in his. “How long will it take you to ready the ship to leave?”
“Not long. I left an order to have fuel delivered to the dock. It should be waiting when we return. It would only be a matter of getting permission and a departure time from the port master. My size ship usually doesn’t take long.”
He nodded. “Try to secure one for as quickly as possible.”
“To return to London?”
“Must you declare your return location for departure?”
“Yes.” She shrugged. “But I can always correct my records in London to show what I want.”
“Good. I am not sure I want to return directly to London with this.” He pulled a book from his coat pocket and handed it to her.
She gasped. “You found Father’s journal.”