The Spiritglass Charade (Stoker & Holmes 2)

“Surely you heard Miss Ashton comment that she, her aunt, and her cousin had been invited to attend the grand opening with Miss Norton and her brother, along with Mr. Treadwell. It’s the perfect opportunity to better observe three of our suspects, particularly in Willa’s presence.”

“Three of our suspects? How many do we have?”

“At least four. Perhaps five. But tonight we will be able to observe Miss Norton—whose brother happens to be a doctor, although I suspect the significance of that fact might be lost on you—as well as Cousin Herrell. Mr. Treadwell might as well be counted a suspect as well, since, if he were to marry Willa, he would take control of her money. But there’s no point in driving her lunatic to do so. Yet he has been in the house through the front door and thus he cannot be eliminated from consideration. I managed to determine what time the group was meeting, and where. We can accidentally encounter them, and I’m certain we’ll be invited to join their group.”

“Mina, I’m surprised at you. I didn’t think you enjoyed social gatherings.”

“I don’t. But in this case, it will be a necessity.”

A necessity to wander through the brand-new, most modern pleasure garden ever designed? I couldn’t think of anything more exciting . . . and I was certain if there were any vampires in the vicinity, they’d agree, too.

The original Vauxhall Gardens had been a popular place for casual afternoon and evening entertainment through the early part of the century. But the park closed in 1854 and pieces of the land had been sold off to different buyers.

Five years ago, Mr. Oligary bought up some of the parcels again. He claimed he wanted to recreate the pleasure gardens in a more modern setting, as a way to thank the City of London for supporting his industry. My brother Bram snidely remarked that it was no more than a way for Oligary to compete with the popular Crystal Palace area in the south of London.

Honestly, I didn’t care why or how they were reopening. Despite the fact that I’m more of a handmaker than a cognog like Mina, I can enjoy the pleasures of modern technology when it comes to entertainment.

The original gardens were known for pleasant walkways, dimly lit and convenient for young men and women to dally . . . as well as pickpockets. And surely vampires, too. There had been mimes and street jugglers, organ grinders and acrobats, as well as food vendors and even circus acts. I could only imagine what Mr. Oligary might have designed for what he called the Most Modern Pleasure Park of Our Time.

Mina and Dylan, who’d been happy to act as our escort, met me a street away from the Gardens. Even from a distance, the lights and sounds of celebration filled the air.

When I noticed Mina’s dress, I stared in surprised envy. Who helped her put that together? The tall, gawky girl usually wore neat, understated, but otherwise unremarkable clothing. But tonight she had somehow put together an ensemble worthy of a second look.

An external black corset, laced tightly in the front and back, covered a sheer, fitted black bodice that buttoned up the front into a high collar. It resembled a close-fitting man’s shirt; I’d never seen anything so striking. Neither lace nor ruffles trimmed the sleeves, collar, or bodice hem of the shirt. Instead, small copper cogs and grommets had been sewn into holes in the sheer fabric along the edges, giving the hems a glinting appearance. Her black skirt fell in a straight, graceful line from her hips to the tops of her shoes. A dark green lace overskirt billowed out over the narrow lines of the underskirt, giving it an ethereal look and changing the entire shape of the gown. The bustle at the base of her spine was an interesting combination of forest-green lace, black satin, and shimmering copper chains.

Mina’s hair was pinned up in place, and covered by a small top hat decorated with slender black feathers and a green and white polka-dotted ribbon. A scrap of black netting from the hat brim hung rakishly over one side of her face. She wore short green fingerless gloves with laces threaded through metal grommets and cogs from forefinger to wrist. I craned my head to see if I could tell what sort of shoes she was wearing with such an amazing outfit. Boots—or daisies, as Pix had called them—would be wondrous.

I was definitely going to have to let Florence force me to go shopping. Soon.

“What on earth are you staring at, Evaline?” Mina asked after we’d strolled along a number of steps.

“I was admiring your ensemble.” I smoothed my own frock. Mine happened to be a split skirt, but even so, it was still much fuller than hers. To help me blend with the shadows, it was midnight blue trimmed with unexciting black rickrack. I had feathers, as well as a bit of lace and ruffles, but nothing as unique as my partner’s. “I didn’t realize you were such an admirer of Street-Fashion.”

“On occasion, I find it worth the time and effort to patronize the shop in a particular alley off Pall Mall.” I heard the satisfaction in her voice.

“What, don’t you like my clothes too?” Dylan teased. He was walking between the two of us, one on each arm, and seemed to be enjoying himself. “I picked them out all by myself.”

“They’re very nice,” Mina told him. “Now, Willa indicated she and her cousin were to meet Miss Norton and her brother at half-past eight near the entrance. We must hurry if we’re to accidentally encounter them. Ah, there she is. Oh! And her aunt is with her—number four in our list of suspects. How fortuitous.”

My companion quickened her pace just enough that we crossed in front of Willa, Aunt Geraldine Kluger, and the young man helping them down from a carriage.

“Why, Miss Ashton! How pleasant to meet up with you.”

“Evaline! And Mina!” Willa seemed just as delighted to see us as my companion was pretending to be. “Herrell, darling, these are my two friends. Aunt Gerry, you’ve already met them, I believe.” She introduced us and Mina did the same with Dylan.

Mr. Herrell Ashton was about the same height as Mina, and had neat sandy-brown hair. He wore long sideburns and a trim mustache. The man beamed and bowed during the introductions. “How wonderful to meet you. Willa has been chattering on about her new friends quite often over the last days, and her auntie and I are pleased she’s at last having some social engagements. It’s been a difficult month. And here are the Nortons. And Treadwell is with them!”

“We’ll make a party of it. Do say you’ll come with us!” Willa looked hopefully at Mina and me.

“Of course. Mr. Treadwell, Miss Norton, it’s a pleasure to see you again as well.” Mina gave a brief curtsy and I followed suit.