“What man?” he asked.
“He said he was a PRESS agent,” the clerk told Beth as if Devon was merely her mouthpiece. “Black suit, mustache, briefcase. He said the caladrius was counting on me.Me.”
“Gosh,” Beth responded obligingly.
“Horse theft is a significant crime,” Devon pointed out.
“Not when you’re doing it to save a bird!”
At that, Devon’s scowl eased slightly. “What’s your name?”
“Bastard!”
They all jolted at the sudden shout. Gladstone’s footman was pelting down the road toward them, followed by the Fotheringham sisters skimming above the road with the aid of helicopter parasols that were sparking and beginning to smoke. Farther back came a hansom cab carrying Herr Oberhufter. Hippolyta Quirm stood in its rear driver’s seat, looking like the warrior queen Boudicca, albeit with more orange lace. She whipped the horses into a speed that made Herr Oberhufter’s hat bob atop his head. Last of all, following at a respectful distance, were three carriages full of assorted servants and luggage.
“Go!” the clerk urged, flapping his hand. Immediately Beth handed the birdcage to Devon and mounted the horse with an efficiency that rejected another romantic moment. Devon passed her up the cage, then hoisted himself into the saddle, wrapping one arm around her waist as he grasped the reins in his other. There was only enough time for her to call out thanks to the clerk before they galloped off down the road, followed by roars from their pursuers.
“Halt!”Oberhufter demanded.
“Get out of my way, fools!”Hippolyta shouted at the Fotheringham sisters.
“Never!”they hollered in reply.
Crash!
Devon glanced back to see the hansom cab tilted sideways against a bush on the verge, the Fotheringham sisters tumbled in Oberhufter’s lap, and his hat rolling away down the road.
“Oh no!” Beth gasped. “Is everyone all right?”
Hippolyta’s furious“damn you, Oberhufter!”provided an answer. Beth slumped back with relief against Devon, and he held her tight, racing toward the hope of some safe, private place where he could embrace her properly, in peace.
Fifteen minutes later, the horse began limping, but almost immediately thereafter they came upon the Sir William coaching inn, in what could have been considered a miracle were they not scientists and, furthermore, this not England, land of hope, glory, and some hundred thousand public houses. They rode into the stable yard and dismounted.
“We’ll have to leave the horse here and continue on foot,” Devon said.
“Where are we even going?” Beth asked.
He squinted at the sun-bleached horizon. “Sheffield? And catch a train to Dover from there?”
“Good idea.” She peeked beneath the cage cover. “Feathers fluffed up, breathing unsteady,” she said as she assessed the caladrius’s condition. “But beak closed and eyes clear. The seed debris on the cage floor is sprouting, which suggests thaumaturgic activity.”
Lowering the cover, she bit her thumbnail, then grimaced at the taste of the dusty glove. Devon tried not to smile in sheer adoration, or for that matter to remove the glove and kiss her thumb, her hand, all the way along her arm to—
“I’m concerned,” she said, and he shook his head to restorefocus. “Obviously Gladstone has been provoking the bird to use its power, but a caladrius that’s been drawing illness into itself must cleanse it by flying high into the sunlight. How long can a juvenile survive without doing so?”
“I don’t know,” Devon admitted. “So much of the available information about the bird is mythology.”
Beth sighed, her expression sobering. “Why did I not think about its possible fate before I entered the competition?”
“I didn’t either,” Devon admitted. “I trusted IOS’s professional integrity.”
“So did I. Obviously I should have been more cynical.”
He took her hand before she could attack the thumb again. “Don’t think like that. They should have been more trustworthy. Anyway, we’re here now, and it’s our decisions from this point on that matter. I suggest we take the bird to a sanctuary.”
“Which one?”
“L’Abri à Bergerac,” he said. “It’s where I sent the deathwhistler, and I know it to be reputable. They’ll protect the caladrius even if the entire IOS executive committee comes knocking on their door.”
