Mrs. Sherard tipped her head to the side in a familiar way. “You said that he recently discovered my son’s occupation. That could explain the change in approach. Byron is a visible threat to his success, but also a possible chance for relief. If the renowned detective is on the case, surely he will find the documents and save Hoddle from the wrath of Circe. But only ifhe can find a way of convincing Byron to hand them over.”
Mira frowned. She hadn’t told Mrs. Sherard about Circe or its aims, and she didn’t remember Byron mentioning it. And yet, his mother wasn’t asking any questions about it.
“Did Byron tell you about Circe?”
Mrs. Sherard shook her head. “I was the one who told him.”
Mira blinked, disoriented, as if the world had tilted on its side. “What... how?” Panic surfaced as the notion of the Sherards being part of Circe crossed through her mind.
Mrs. Sherard chuckled. “When I was a girl my father was a sea captain who traveled frequently to Jamaica. He’d tell me stories of pirates who sailed under the flag of Circe, the enchantress. Swashbuckling tales of adventure, of which he was always the hero.”
She sighed. “My father died when I was still young and it was many years later that I went through his trunks and papers. In his old journals I found that he had documented little things in the mercantile industry that didn’t make sense. Cargo disappearing. Ships that could enter port without documentation. Payments for goods that didn’t exist. Each and every one of them led back to an organization called Circe. There was nothing I could do, so I tucked them away.
“When I had my own children, I told them the same stories of their grandfather and his daring exploits. And when Byron was older, he found my father’s papers too. Shortly afterwards, he started working as a detective, using the information in the journals as a starting place. So you see,Iwas the one to tellhim.” She looked out the window, her shoulders sagging.
Mira sat back, the new information swirling in her mind. Was this why Mrs. Sherard disliked Byron’s choice in occupation? Was it guilt?
“Did you—” She cleared her throat. “Do you ever regret not destroying your father’s papers?”
“Never.”
The carriage rumbled beneath them, rushing towards the common goal of this tenuous new alliance. Perhaps they were seeing each other clearly for the first time.
***
Their investigation at the post office yieldednothing. No man matching Hoddle’s description had mailed anything that day. Mira wasn’t particularly surprised. If she were wanting to send a ransom note, she would have hired a boy off the street. They asked every carriage driver they could find whether they had driven a man like Hoddle or a woman like Mary in the past day. None of them could tell them anything.
After two hours of investigation, they stepped into a tea house to warm up and regroup. Mira blew over the top of her cup, urging the tea to cool down so she could drink it faster.
“If this man really is part of Circe,” Mrs. Sherard said, “he is not unconnected. They create a web of deceit, one strand leading to another. If we can only find one connection, we might be able to find him.”
“Yes, but like a web, touching any part alerts the spider,” Mira took a sip and winced as it scalded her tongue.
Mrs. Sherard hummed. “There must be someone we can talk to.”
Mira gasped. “There is! Sibyl Hand.”
“And who is that?” Mrs. Sherard frowned.
“The man who died was not Silas Treadway, but a thief named Enoch Hand. His wife, Sibyl, might know something. She’s the one who told us about the documents in the first place.”
“Will she warn the spider, do you think?”
Mira sat back, the warmth of the teacup radiating into her hands. “I don’t think so.”
“Well then,” Mrs. Sherard set down her cup. “Where can we find her?”
***
They ate a light supper in thetea house while they waited for the cover of night. Mira led the way from the Abbey, through the streets, to the tunnel within the alleyway. The same man, Adams, stood guard.
“What is your business here?”
“We’re here to see Sibyl,” Mira said.
Adams puffed out his chest a little. “She’s not here. Not yet. Do you know where the chamber is?”
Mira nodded.
