from the machine and now covered the tile floor in large pools.
‘He’d kill us, feed us to the seagulls at least – sack us if we were lucky,’ Mariah moaned as he pulled her through the tiny door and into the shade of the tropical palms, quietly closing the door behind him and looking out across the spa from the cover of the undergrowth.
Quickly and quietly they crawled through the palms that lined the side of the spa, keeping to the shadows in the hope that they would not be discovered. Within the minute they had reached the large wooden doors that opened out on to the long corridor leading back to the staircase. Mariah panted, regretting he had ever said yes to her requests to come and see the Galvanised Bathing Machine. He looked at her, his lips thin and eyes tight, hoping she would see his irritation. Sacha smiled back with her bright eyes, a wicked smile breaking the side of her mouth.
‘Was it fun?’ she asked in her brogue.
Mariah was about to reply when the door swung slowly open. A thin white hand clawed across the wood and a head covered in long greasy hair peered into the room. In two paces a man stepped into the spa dressed in a long white bathrobethat trailed along the floor. He walked cautiously across the tiles, his bare feet squeaking with each step as he inspected every inch of the wall as if he looked for something hidden.
Together they watched as he stopped, looked around and waited, then turned away. Mariah and Sacha cowered deeper into the undergrowth, not wanting to be discovered and hoping that the man would not hear the sound of the Galvanised Bathing Machine groaning in the bathroom beyond the door.
It was then that Mariah saw his face. ‘ Isambard Black! ’ he gasped under his breath, the sound escaping his lips like a short squeal.
Black jerked his head as he heard the sound. Then he dived to a chaise longue by the side of the pool and sprawled upon it as if he had been there for some time. As he did so, he slyly slipped the white towel from the back of the sofa and put it over his head. He began to grunt like a pig, as if feigning sleep.
Mariah seized the moment, grabbing Sacha by the arm and dragging her from the cover of the palms. He pulled the door open and pushed her through into the passage. He looked back; Isambard Black snatched the towel from his face and sat bolt upright as the door to the spa swung shut.
‘Quickly,’ Mariah pleaded. ‘We mustn’t be caught …’
Together they set off at a pace towards the staircase, running along the crown-encrusted carpet as fast as they could. Mariah knew that Black would be close behind; they had to reach the stairway before they were discovered. It was then that a dark thought flashed into his wits. Mariah knew there was something more to Black than taking the waters; he had seen it in his eyes on the train and now in the spa.
They raced to the door, Sacha grabbing the handle and diving into the darkness of the stairwell. Mariah carefully and slowly allowed the door to almost close, keeping a finger’s breadth open through which to peek into the long passageway.
Isambard Black peered out of the spa door. He looked back and forth to see who had escaped, his eyes devouring all that he saw as his withered lips twisted into a foul grin.
[ 5 ]
The Importunate Otto Luger
O TTO Luger sat like a smouldering old crow in his large office, clad in gold leaf, on the ground floor of the Prince Regent. In his hand he rolled an old quill pen as he attempted to perch his monocular spectacle in his left eye. The gold-rimmed glass was held precariously in place by a sagging wrinkle, squashing his eye so that it resembled the deep fold of a bull elephant’s skin. His breath seethed in and out through his fine white teeth, which were tipped in several obvious places with gold caps. The whiskers of his thick and unnaturally black moustache twitched angrily as he began to roll the bald tip of the once elegant writing tool inside his
‘He’d kill us, feed us to the seagulls at least – sack us if we were lucky,’ Mariah moaned as he pulled her through the tiny door and into the shade of the tropical palms, quietly closing the door behind him and looking out across the spa from the cover of the undergrowth.
Quickly and quietly they crawled through the palms that lined the side of the spa, keeping to the shadows in the hope that they would not be discovered. Within the minute they had reached the large wooden doors that opened out on to the long corridor leading back to the staircase. Mariah panted, regretting he had ever said yes to her requests to come and see the Galvanised Bathing Machine. He looked at her, his lips thin and eyes tight, hoping she would see his irritation. Sacha smiled back with her bright eyes, a wicked smile breaking the side of her mouth.
‘Was it fun?’ she asked in her brogue.
Mariah was about to reply when the door swung slowly open. A thin white hand clawed across the wood and a head covered in long greasy hair peered into the room. In two paces a man stepped into the spa dressed in a long white bathrobethat trailed along the floor. He walked cautiously across the tiles, his bare feet squeaking with each step as he inspected every inch of the wall as if he looked for something hidden.
Together they watched as he stopped, looked around and waited, then turned away. Mariah and Sacha cowered deeper into the undergrowth, not wanting to be discovered and hoping that the man would not hear the sound of the Galvanised Bathing Machine groaning in the bathroom beyond the door.
It was then that Mariah saw his face. ‘ Isambard Black! ’ he gasped under his breath, the sound escaping his lips like a short squeal.
Black jerked his head as he heard the sound. Then he dived to a chaise longue by the side of the pool and sprawled upon it as if he had been there for some time. As he did so, he slyly slipped the white towel from the back of the sofa and put it over his head. He began to grunt like a pig, as if feigning sleep.
Mariah seized the moment, grabbing Sacha by the arm and dragging her from the cover of the palms. He pulled the door open and pushed her through into the passage. He looked back; Isambard Black snatched the towel from his face and sat bolt upright as the door to the spa swung shut.
‘Quickly,’ Mariah pleaded. ‘We mustn’t be caught …’
Together they set off at a pace towards the staircase, running along the crown-encrusted carpet as fast as they could. Mariah knew that Black would be close behind; they had to reach the stairway before they were discovered. It was then that a dark thought flashed into his wits. Mariah knew there was something more to Black than taking the waters; he had seen it in his eyes on the train and now in the spa.
They raced to the door, Sacha grabbing the handle and diving into the darkness of the stairwell. Mariah carefully and slowly allowed the door to almost close, keeping a finger’s breadth open through which to peek into the long passageway.
Isambard Black peered out of the spa door. He looked back and forth to see who had escaped, his eyes devouring all that he saw as his withered lips twisted into a foul grin.
[ 5 ]
The Importunate Otto Luger
O TTO Luger sat like a smouldering old crow in his large office, clad in gold leaf, on the ground floor of the Prince Regent. In his hand he rolled an old quill pen as he attempted to perch his monocular spectacle in his left eye. The gold-rimmed glass was held precariously in place by a sagging wrinkle, squashing his eye so that it resembled the deep fold of a bull elephant’s skin. His breath seethed in and out through his fine white teeth, which were tipped in several obvious places with gold caps. The whiskers of his thick and unnaturally black moustache twitched angrily as he began to roll the bald tip of the once elegant writing tool inside his
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