“So, I am to believe that you put together these vague clues and assumptions, then took yourselves to Portsmouth to determine what else might be learned in the matter of Mr. Burke’s death?”
Brodie said nothing. I smiled.
“Do you take me for a fool? Am I to believe that the both of you possess such superior intelligence that you are able to discern something from scattered bits of information?”
I was tempted to respond to that, but did not.
“Mr. Brodie, Lady Forsythe, you are the beneficiaries of certain persons in very high places.”
I exchanged a glance with Brodie as Sir Avery threw down his ink pen in obvious frustration. Then picked up the flared end of a speaking tube on his desk, attached to a long copper line that connected through the wall to some distant point.
“Alex Sinclair,” a voice responded, garbled yet recognizable.
“Send in Admiral Williams.” Sir Avery tossed down the tube as I looked over at Brodie.
There as a faint sound from the hallway outside, and the door abruptly opened. The gentleman who had escorted us from Portsmouth, along with a sufficiently armed guard, entered the office.
“Please be seated, Admiral,” our host greeted him, then stood and rounded the desk. He shook his head as if deeply aggrieved.
“I have received specific instructions from His Royal Highness that all pending charges against Mr. Brodie and Lady Mikaela Forsythe are to be dismissed. They are further to be provided every accommodation in the pursuit of their inquiry into the death of Theodolphus Burke. Along with full cooperation by this agency until the matter is resolved.”
When the admiral would have objected, Sir Avery shook his head.
“Sir, I have my instructions. You, of course, may refuse to cooperate, in which case I suggest that you take your objections through proper channels and to HRH the Prince of Wales.”
“You have my full cooperation,” Admiral Williams replied, his expression quite taut.
“Now, Mr. Brodie,” Sir Avery turned to him. “How may we assist you in this?”
I caught the change in the expression on Brodie’s face, the frown that appeared. The slight against myself was not lost on him, that less than subtle omission that both of us were involved in this new case.
“Lady Forsythe has made an observation from our visit to Portsmouth that would seem to be important.”
“What would that be?” Sir Avery replied.
“She might be able to better explain.”
“By all means, Lady Forsythe,” Admiral Williams stiffly replied, obviously less than keen to indulge a woman. Not the first time I had encountered that, and undoubtedly not the last. However...
I retrieved the notebook from my bag and opened to a blank page. I then took out my pen and began to draw as I explained.
“I was quite young when I first saw the illustration in a book by Jules Verne in Lady Antonia Montgomery’s library. It was written in French, and it took me some time to get through it. But most fascinating.” I added more details to the drawing as I remembered it.
“The illustrations were by an artist, Alphonse de Neuville, and absolutely fascinating. You may be familiar with it?” I looked up and caught the change of expression on the admiral’s face.
“Even though the book was published over twenty years ago, the author did have a spirit for adventure and a fascinating imagination.” I added a finishing touch, then passed my notebook to Admiral Williams.
“It would seem, sir, that the Royal Navy is in the process of building a submarine.”
He stared down at my admittedly somewhat crude illustration, drawn from memory because of my fascination with the book. He eventually looked up and handed the notebook to Sir Avery.
“You are very observant, Lady Forsythe,” he eventually commented. He did not deny what Brodie and I had seen. There was another look exchanged with Sir Avery, who nodded as I retrieved my notebook and tucked it into my bag.
“The project was begun two years ago after much discussion with the Prince of Wales and others, in response to growing challenges to our colonies in the Far East and the Mediterranean.”
He appeared to measure what more he would tell us.
“With certain innovations and developments in steam-driven engines, it had become quite clear that the days of Her Majesty’s sailing ships were limited. In addition, recent confrontations supported that, and it was determined that the Royal Navy needed to pursue advancements in our ability to address those confrontations.
