Florentia’s merry brown eyes met Sybil’s. “And…now,” she whispered.
Nothing happened.
Florentia frowned. The reading circle exchanged concerned glances.
“It’s fine,” Tommy murmured. “Probably.”
Florentia counted down from five with her hand, then whispered, “And…now?”
Screams rent the air.
Thunderous footsteps clattered overhead, punctuated by overlapping shrieks. Within seconds, the footfalls reached the top of the stairway. The stampede clattered down the steps in a rush as the entire day crew of sewing girls spilled into the already crowded reception area.
“Bats!” they gasped. “Bats, everywhere!”
The fleeing girls raced past the reading circle and out into the night, taking Anne with them.
Only one of the sewing girls paused with a confused expression to ask, “Who are you?”
“The night crew!” Sybil chirped brightly.
“Better you than me,” the girl muttered. “I won’t be back until daylight.”
She hurried out the door after the others.
“Was that the last of them?” Gracie asked in a low voice.
“I’ll check.” Sybil started toward the stairs.
Elizabeth’s sword stick rose up to block her. “Armed soldiers at the front of the line.”
She hurried up the stairs before anyone could stop her. Not that anyone would. There were bats up there.
Within minutes, Elizabeth’s head poked back at the top of the stairs. She propped the door open with a large gray rock and made a come-hither motion with her sword hand.
“I closed the windows.”
Sybil hurried up to join her, followed by the rest of the reading circle, each carrying their odd-shaped wooden trays loaded with pin cushions and spools of white cotton thread.
Great-Aunt and Great-Uncle Wynchester remained on the ground floor to act as barrier and distraction, should any of the day crew chance to return.
“Hurry,” Sybil called out once everyone reached the first floor. “Damaris and Lady Eunice will hold Mlle. LaChapelle for as long as they can, but if she becomes suspicious or desperate, there’s no stopping her from flagging a hackney straight back here.”
The reading circle nodded their understanding.
“Remember what I taught you.” Sybil had consulted her extensive charts, then assigned positions and tasks to each bluestocking based on their personality and talents.
Sybil lifted the lid to her basket. Each of her friends tipped the contents of their wooden trays inside, then set their odd-shaped planks atop an ever-growing pile.
As soon as every hand was free, each of the women dispersed to search every nook and cranny of the work area.
“Where are the bats?” Gracie whispered with trepidation.
“Gone,” Elizabeth answered.
“They vanished?” Gracie looked even more startled at this news. “How?”
“Jacob,” Elizabeth replied fondly, smiling at her brother. “He could train an elephant to pirouette on a tightrope if he wished.”
