Arcadia Snips and the Steamwork Consortium by Robert Rodgers Page A

into submission. I am far more worried over Count Orwick's interference."
    "Count Orwick will be dealt with," the jackal said, and there was an edge to his tone that gave Mr. Eddington the chills.
    "Concern yourself only with fulfilling your end of our bargain."
    "We'll have the rest of Aberwick's bank accounts loaded into the engine by tonight," Mr. Eddington said. "And then—"
    "And then I will do as promised. So long as you abide by my instructions, everything shall go according to plan."
    Mr. Eddington gave a slight start.
    "Is something wrong, Mr. Eddington?"

    "Merely a sense of déjà vu ," Mr. Eddington muttered. "I assume you can show yourself out," he added, turning to leave.
    ~*~

CHAPTER 9: IN WHICH WE ONCE AGAIN RETURN TO THE PAST TO INVESTIGATE ONGOING MATTERS CONCERNING SECRET SOCIETIES AND THE RECKLESS APPLICATION OF MATHEMATICS
    ~*~
    "My apologies, Nigel. Abigail couldn’t make it; there’s a bit of trouble back at the Steamwork—"
    "You don’t need to apologize on her behalf," Nigel told him. "I am well aware that she would prefer not to venture into our little ‘clubhouse’."
    "It’s just a little disorienting for her, is all," Jeremiah said.
    "I mean, you’ve plunged so deep into it, and only in two years—"
    "Do not worry. I more than understand her discomfort."
    The pair ventured past the Society chapter-house's thriving garden grounds where cicadas thrummed among the birches and pines, making their way to the brightly lit conservatory. Its framework was built of light oak with bronzed roof panels that flashed in the light offered from a hanging lamp of glass and tin.
    Jeremiah made himself comfortable on a padded wicker cot; Nigel sat in an inlaid armchair with a rich foliage motif and lush cushions dyed an imperial shade of blue. They remained in silence until Jeremiah caught sight of someone stirring among the shadows in a corridor behind Nigel.
    He sighed. "Nigel, Abigail and I—we're worried. About you."
    "Whatever for?"
    "We think you're getting too involved in this whole affair,"
    Jeremiah said. "The secrets, the ritualistic trappings, the deceptions
    —you've cloaked yourself in a cloud of mystery. We're worried you are taking it far too seriously."
    "Trust me," Nigel said. "I find it just as absurd as Abigail no doubt does. It is merely a tool to reach our ends."
    "Still, one cannot maintain lies of this sort for so long without letting them seep into their life," Jeremiah said. "We just want you to be careful, Nigel. Don't let your means become your ends."
    "Wise counsel, yes, yes," Nigel said. "But we can talk of this later."
    "If you wish."
    "Did you bring the new numbers?"
    "Of course." Jeremiah drew the folded papers out from his coat, handing them over to Nigel. The dark-haired naturalist unfolded them, removing a pair of spectacles from his front coat pocket and perusing the mathematical formulas scrawled over its surface.
    "I must admit," Nigel said, perusing over the equations,
    "Your recent work has been magnificent. Some of the predictions your last set of equations made exceeded even my initiates'
    superstitious expectations."
    "Only a few of the equations are actually mine," Jeremiah said. "Abigail is responsible for the bulk of them."
    "She has proven to be a far greater asset than I had originally thought," Nigel said.
    "She's brilliant," Jeremiah said, and left it at that. "Shall we input the numbers...?"
    "Yes, yes," Nigel said. "Let's." He rose from his chair, gesturing for Jeremiah to follow as he moved deeper into his home.
    Jeremiah stepped inside the dimly lit interior of the chapter-house.
    The chapter-house's drawing room was decorated with resplendent textiles; crimson curtains trimmed with gold lining smothered what little light entered through its windows, casting a filtered glow upon the furniture within. The shadows here had grown so thick that they seemed to possess a substance all of their own; Jeremiah could easily imagine that, given the right