Mrs. Steers appeared on a deserted street in
Whitechapel. She prayed that Sam was
safe in St. James's Place with Rose to protect him.
"Don't fret, Lottie… He's fine." She repeated to herself, trying to comfort
her fears with her own words. She felt
terrible leaving Sam without telling him.
"Rose… Rose will watch him…" She pulled herself together and took several
deep breaths. Right now, Mrs. Steers had
a greater mission to complete. Walking along the street, she peered into
several alleys, hoping to find the right one.
Stopping under a flickering gas wall sconce, Mrs. Steers reread her
directions.
"Between Rup and Lam... Look for the bill with QVDJ..." She had deciphered the clues and knew where
to go and what to look for. Somewhere
between Rupert and Lambert Streets in the Whitechapel area was an alley with a
handbill about the Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
After much searching, Mrs. Steers spotted a weathered
handbill glued to a brick wall down an alley.
Studying the faded print, she read the words Join us in our Diamond
Jubilee. This was it, the bill with
QVDJ.
"Where is it?
It should be here. He told me to
meet him here. Just as the instructions
said." She glanced up and down the
dim street. The flickering pale glow of
the gas lamplights weren't much help.
As she stood in the dark street, a dimly lit store
front appeared on the brick wall behind her.
She whirled around to see oil lamps illuminating the stained-glass
windows. It was Rupert Jameson's
bookshop where she and Albert had gone many times since their first visit. Now, Jameson was a trusted friend.
As Mrs. Steers entered the shop, the bell hanging
above the door tinkled. The lamps glowed,
casting dancing shadows on the packed shelves. She crept towards the warm pot-belly
stove. There was no sign of Jameson.
She whispered. "Jameson! Are you here?"
"Lottie?
Is that you? Are you alone?"
From behind an immense pile of well-worn books, Jameson appeared. "Thank goodness. I thought you were one of them."
"Are you alright?
Have they caught up with you?" Mrs. Steers held his hands. "Don't worry, I'm alone. And you have your great veil keeping the
place well hidden. I thought I'd missed
you."
Jameson looked at her.
"They're on the move. I've
heard they're after the book. Somehow,
they know it's here. How about the boy?"
"Sam is with me.
Well, he's not here at this moment.
He's hiding somewhere in Whitechapel with Rose keeping an eye on him." Mrs. Steers wrung her hands. "I hope he's safe. He’s a bright boy. He can take care of himself.”
Jameson looked concerned. "He still knows little
of what is actually going on?"
"As far as I know he doesn’t, but this is not the
time to be concerned," said Mrs. Steers.
"He'll be fine. Do you have
it?"
"Yes. It is well hidden. Follow me." Jameson and Mrs. Steers moved to the back of
the store, standing behind the warm pot belly stove.
Picking up an oil lamp from the counter, Jameson led
the way down a narrow aisle filled with packed shelves of old leather-bound books,
boxes of various sizes and shapes, and dusty old bottles filled with unidentifiable
potions and mixtures. Jameson balanced
the lamp on a waist-high wooden crate.
“I have to unpack this,” said Jameson. “It’s in my
way.”
“What is it?” asked Mrs. Steers.
Jameson only said “A holy relic” as he slid a stack of
dusty old books to one side, exposing a box covered in green velvet. Its silver handle and closing clasp sparkled
in the lamp's light. He lifted the box
from its hiding place and held it in front of her.
"Open it," said Jameson.
After raising the lid, Mrs. Steers removed a
book-sized package wrapped in brown paper. "That makes four. You would
never guess where it was found. In a
village named Denhoff in an area of the United States called North Dakota. Are you familiar with it?"
"Well, not the town, but I know where North
Dakota is," said Mrs. Steers. "How
did it get there?"
"Apparently, a family migrating from Southern
Russia to this Denhoff had gotten the book in Odessa before they sailed. The details are rather sketchy," he
added indifferently.
"Interesting place for it turn up," said
Mrs. Steers.
"How are the others doing on their own tasks?" Just then, with a snapping poof, a piece of
paper flew out of nowhere. Jameson
grabbed it before it disappeared in the mess.
"Someone has used the messenger incantation,"
said Mrs. Steers taking the note from him. She read it aloud. "Whitechapel, now! Come and get Sam!"
"Oh no!
How could they have found out about him?" Mrs. Steers stashed the book
deep inside one of the interior pockets of her travel bag and raced to the
door. "Jameson, I have to go. I'll
contact you later, but now I must get Sam and get him safely back home. Not to mention the book." She patted her
travel bag.
"I'll be in touch," said Jameson.
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