The Unpleasantness at Baskerville Hall (Reeves & Worcester Steampunk Mysteries Book 4) by Chris Dolley Page A

‘eaten’ do you mean eaten ?” said Stapleford.
    “I think I do,” I said.
    “I don’t understand,” said Ida, looking puzzled. “Why’s everyone talking about eating?”
    “He kills like a cat, Ida,” said Emmeline. “He leaves bodies on his master’s lawn. Sometimes ... not all of the body.”
    “Oh,” said Ida, looking not a little rattled. Indeed the entire company fell into a sombre, reflective mood.
    I thought it timely to mention the good news again. “But he did have a good meal before he escaped. Pretty stuffed, I’d say, from what the constable said. I expect he’ll be sleeping it off for hours yet. Probably curled up in a sunny spot miles from here.”
    “What does this Selden look like?” asked Henry. “Is he like one of your promethean creations?”
    “He’s not a true promethean,” said Morrow. “He’s never been dead. He’s more of an augmented human. Most of the time he could pass for a man if he’s wearing a hat and loose-fitting trousers.”
    “I don’t understand,” said Sir Robert. “How did you become involved with this individual in the first place?”
    “It’s a long story,” said Morrow. “I read Vivisection at Oxford and was a member of the Young Alchemists Society. There I met Professor Jekyll and was much taken with the work he did with potions. I thought I could combine vivisection and potions to produce a human hybrid. A hybrid that would have all the best attributes of humans and animals. But I was young and foolish. I never once considered the ethics of what I was undertaking. I never considered the consequences, only the science.”
    “And Selden?” asked Sir Robert. “Was he one of these Young Alchemists?”
    “No. He was a patient at the Clerkenwell Asylum. Poor Selden. He had so many plans. He wanted to be a fashion designer, you know? Foundation garments. But his main obsession was with cats. He wanted to be one. When I met him he told me he felt like a cat trapped in a man’s body. He was desperate, and I ... I thought I could help him. Though, looking back, I think perhaps I was fooling myself — whatever I told myself, it was the science I was more interested in, not the patient. I took risks that no man should ever have taken.”
    “Surely you blame yourself too much, Morrow?” said Sir Robert. “I have observed you these past six months and you have always taken the greatest care of our promethean actors. You treat them no different from the servants.”
    “I try to make amends for my youthful failings, Robert.”
    “What did you do to him?” asked Ida. “You didn’t give him a cat’s head, did you?”
    “No, I gave him the ears of a lynx and the tail of a panther. He was very taken with them. As I said, most of the time he could pass for human as long as he covers them up.”
    “You say ‘most of the time,’” said Stapleford. “What exactly does that mean?”
    “Ah,” said Morrow looking down at his feet — probably searching for another mot juste . “The potions I gave him affected his metabolism. It’s mainly at night but, if he becomes distressed, it can happen at any time.”
    “What can happen at any time?” asked Henry.
    “He changes into a beast — physically — half man, half giant tabby. He’s not evil. You must understand that. He just ... thinks differently. Like a cat.”
    “We must return to the Hall,” said Sir Robert. “We have enough guns to arm the footmen. We can mount a guard there until this Selden is apprehended.”
    “Let’s not be hasty,” said Henry. “It seems a shame to waste a sunny day like this. If Selden thinks he’s a cat, he’s going to wait until night to hunt. And Roderick says the man’s already stuffed to the gills. You’ll stay, won’t you, Lily? I have a corker of an idea for a new scene.”
    “I’ll stay,” said Ida. “I’m not frightened at all.”
    “Are you sure, Ida?” asked her father. “This Selden is a killer.”
    “I have every confidence in Henry,