Story Note:
Without explicitly stating it, I have in my mind that the story is set around late 1800′s. I should know, but I can never remember dates accurately given Dr. Roseweitz more recently experiments at bringing items into his laboratory from other time periods. He could just be making things up of course – I can’t believe some of the things he convinces me are real. After all, who would believe that a device about an inch square could play all the works of Chopin on command?
- the Black Crane. 1874. I think.
The Ventnor Club, London
Commander Franklin relaxed back into his black leather armchair, angled at precisely the correct direction to enable him to have a perfect view of the entrance to the smoking room and yet capture the warmth from the open fireplace. His favourite drink (40 year old Tobermory whisky, with a small splash of Highland water) had been poured and sat to his right hand in his cut-crystal glass. He drew on his pipe and allowed the cherry smoke to linger on his palate before he gently breathed it out into the club room. It had been a long day, but a successful one as Lady Millicent had once more been caught and captured and was at this moment sitting in the holding cell of Scotland Yard. The Commander felt some pride at the capture of this most elusive of modern-day pirates and he was sure that the report that he had given to the news reported would appear somewhere on the front page of the Times tomorrow morning.
There was a polite cough behind him and he turned to the right to see a waiter holding a silver tray. Upon the tray was a folded card, with the handwritten words “For the attention of Commander Franklin” drawn upon it. Franklin took the card and politely thanked the waiter. He then opened the card.
LADY MILLICENT HAS ESCAPED.
Franklin inhaled sharply – and a deep wealth of tobacco smoke entered his lungs, causing him to splutter. As he calmed himself – and quickly took a sharp drink of his whisky – he quickly apologised to the other gentlemen in the club room, all of which were looking somewhat disturbed at the intrusion to the general quiet of the club room.
“Gentlemen, I do apologise for my intrusion to your quiet. I have just been passed some information of an alarming nature and it took me quite by surprise. Good day to each of you.”
Franklin stood up, and started to walk towards the club door. The waiter was standing politely to one side with Franklin’s coat, hat and stick. He assisted Franklin to dress and as Franklin left the club doors, the Hackney Cab drew up to the door. Franklin got in and called to the driver. The driver jerked the horse’s reigns and the cab sped towards the police station.
<> – - – <>
New Scotland Yard, London
“Can someone please explain to me how Lady Millicent escaped from our cells, when I asked for a round-the-clock watch on her cell and put her at the furthest end of the cells?” Commander Franklin shouted at the assembled policemen. Each of the policemen were standing in a straight line along the corridor outside of the cells, backs ramrod straight and looking forward. This was an embarrassment that they could not explain at all.
“Take me through what happened, Sergeant, from the start. I’m interested to hear how someone manages to escape from a locked cell, past three guards, through a locked door and then steal herself away without being seen at all. She can’t just vanish – she’s not Houdini”
Sergeant Kimble coughed and started to explain….
<> – - – <>
St. Katherine’s Dock, London, earlier that night
“Will you please stop roughly handling me officer, I will not run from you – and besides, I am a Lady!” Lady Millicent’s voice was in control of the circumstances, but with a small measure of frustration at having been caught in such an unfortunate circumstance.
“Commander Franklin, I implore you. Please ask your officers to undertake their duties with some degree of decorum. I have offered you a promise that I will not run from you – and actually, if you look at my shoe, you will see that with the state of this heel I would not get very far at all”
At this point, Lady Millicent pulled up her skirt. All the policemen stopped to look at her beautifully slim leg and the patent leather boot at the bottom, all surrounded by (what was at one point) white lace. Each officer felt their hearts start to race – with the apparent exception of Commander Franklin who focused his attention on the broken heel of the boot. Lady Millicent looked up caught sight of the policemen’s eyes and giggled a little. So easy!
“Hmm” (cough) “Well Lady Millicent, as you have given me your word, the officer will release his grip. However, this is not the first time you have endeavoured to escape from us, so please excuse our reluctance to treat the incident so loosely. Before we ask you to get into the carriage to escort you to Scotland Yard, would you mind handing over the item that you stole from the Tower?”
Lady Millicent smiled and opened her purse. She reached in and drew out the diamond. All the policemen gasped as she handed the crystal – about 2 inches across – to Commander Franklin.
“I just love the sparkle of the diamond, don’t you, Commander?”
Commander Franklin held the diamond to the light. Even through the gaslight he could see it was a perfectly cut work of art, with no blemishes or flaws anywhere. There was little surprise that this was a thief’s dream, such exquisite beauty that would be sold on to very rich patrons who would show this to a very small, restricted group. This would not be an item that would be tawdrily broken into smaller pieces and then sold off wholesale.
“But what would you have done with this?”
“Ah, now that I can’t tell you. My, err, patron had a specific need for it and I was not party to understand its purpose. Not that I would be able to understand the man anyway.”
“Lady Millicent, as you won’t tell me, I’ll take this item from you and it will be returned to the Tower. You, on the other hand, will be taken to Scotland Yard and will be tried in the morning. Officers, take her away.”
<> – - – <>
Lady Millicent sat in the cell, looking at the white washed brickwork with the heavy iron door facing her. This looked like quite a pickle and for a moment she thought that escape would not be possible. But that odour was just too much – trying to escape via the kitchen rubbish chute was probably the only option she had to escape, but the grease, onions and fish oils that had been smeared onto the walls as the rubbish had been deposited over the years had certainly transferred some of their smell onto her clothing. She wondered if she would last the evening – not the incarceration, but from not being unwell from that pungent smell.
“Excuse me, guards” she called out. She listened for the clang as the small hatch in the door opened up.
“Yes, M’Lady”
“I don’t mean to be a bother, but I wonder if you could help me? You see, I smell quite badly and I really would not want any of you to have to clear up the cell if I’m sick. Additionally, if I’m to be tried tomorrow, I would like the opportunity to at least present myself in a better state than I do now. Could you ask your sergeant to contact my house and have them send a fresh change of clothes? I would also appreciate a bath to try and remove this horrid smell – could I also request that the house sends my Blueberry vanity case along with the clothes. If it’s not possible, could you please let me know?”
“Yes, M’Lady”.
A couple of hours passed, before the small hatch opened again.
“Excuse me M’Lady, but could you please stand up against the back wall?”
Lady Millicent stood and did as instructed. The door opened and two policemen brought in a large tin bath which they set down in the middle of the cell floor. Two large jugs of hot water were then produced and tipped into the bath. The policemen retired before Audrey came in, carrying a pile of clothes – and the Blueberry vanity case on top.
“All is present as instructed, m’am” said Audrey and nodded. She backed out from the cell. The police sergeant remained standing in the doorway.
“All is hopefully as you instructed, Lady Millicent. We will close the door – and the hatch – so you can undertake your washing. Your maid will be waiting in the corridor so she can retrieve your clothes and your vanity case when you have finished. I’m sorry though, but we had to check all the items for anything that could aid your escape.”
Lady Millicent shuddered at the thought of those grubby policemen fingering their way through her under things, but politely said
“Thank you Sergeant – you have been most generous”
Once the door closed and she was comfortable that she was now on her own, she set to removing the items of clothing which she had been wearing. It also seemed a shame to waste the hot water that had been prepared and so she spent some time having a comfortable, leisurely bath, using some of the products that she had within the vanity case.
About half an hour later, Lady Millicent prepared to dress. She held up the brand new dress and folding it on the cell bed, she undid the seam around the back of the dress – and pulled out a pair of tweed trousers which she pulled on quickly. She quickly undid further seams to the top of the dress and pulled away a linen shirt which she pulled on and tucked into her trousers. As she pulled on her Chelsea boots she thought to herself that it was a good job that as they checked the material for hidden items, they didn’t think to check the way that Audrey had stitched the dress – no-one could have worn it in that state, even old Lady Matilda!
Finally clothed, she opened up the bottom of the vanity case and pulled out an unusually shaped small pistol and a spray bottle. She stuffed the pistol into her trouser pockets and then stood to one side of the cell door and knocked on the door four times.
“I’m finished here now officer – you can take it away now”
Lady Millicent heard the lock on the door clunk open and the door swung open. As the policeman stepped forward, she sprayed the face of the officer twice. The mist quickly dispersed and the policeman’s face softened. Audrey stepped forward to catch the policemen and steady him.
“Oh, Officer, you do look faint. Officers – officers!” Cried Millicent.
Quickly looking at each other, the policemen ran the length of the corridor to the aid of their comrade. Without thinking, they ran into the cell. The last officer paused briefly and turned, realising what was happening. Audrey smiled at policeman and held up the jail keys. The officer then turned to Lady Millicent who smiled, then sprayed the face of the officer, before gently pushing him into the cell. She quickly grabbed the cell door and closed it. It closed with a clunk.
Audrey was already at the end of the corridor – and the keys were already in the cell door. She swung the barred door open and they walked through quickly. Audrey then closed the door and locked it, before leaving the keys on the desk. As the ladies got to the door of the cell room, Audrey passed a tweed coat and flat cap to Lady Millicent, who quickly slipped them on and they walked out the door.
As the door shut behind the two ladies, the door opposite opened and Sergeant Kimble stepped through, folding his copy of the Daily Standard. As he laid it on his desk, he looked round and thought – it’s a little quiet round here. His eyes rested on the jail keys on the desk and a cold shudder of fear went through him as he recognised what may just have happened. He walked across to the table and as he picked up the keys, he heard the insistent banging on the door at the end of the corridor….
<> – - – <>
The Ventnor Club, London
Commander Franklin sat back in his chair, a lot less relaxed than he had been earlier that evening. Fortunately the waiters at the club were very experienced at picking up on their member’s moods and had prepared his drink and withdrew quickly to enable him to contemplate what he was going to do next. He already knew that word would have reached the Times and that even though the presses were rolling there would still be an opportunity to add another chapter to the tale – and that for the weekend Commander Franklin would once again be the subject of much discussion at dinner parties. Worse still, he knew that when he attended the party that Tailors had invited him to he would be asked to recount all the salacious information, reliving the experience of dealing with that most elusive of characters.
“Excuse me, Commander Franklin; do you have a moment I could take?”
Franklin turned and looked at the smartly turned out officer. Although the young man had obviously leant forward to speak to him, already he had moved away from the chair and straightened a little so as not to cause concern.
“I do apologise young man, but this not a period of time that I would like to discuss anything with anyone I do not know. If you will excuse me, I need to contemplate something of national importance.”
The young man stood calmly, before swiftly moving forward and perching on the edge of the chair facing the commander.
“Sir, I appreciate that you have matters which require your most urgent attention. However, I feel that my specific services will be of use in resolving that most complex of situations that have left you vexed and concerned.”
“What do you know of my concerns?” enquired the Commander, curious to the enthusiasms of the young man.
“Sir, I know that earlier this evening you captured the notorious celebrity pirate Lady Millicent and not three hours later she affected a daring escape from Scotland Yard. Whilst you were able to retrieve the Queen’s diamond that she stole from the Tower of London – a bold theft in itself – you have not been able to deduce why she would decide to risk her life and credibility by affecting such a theft.”
“And pray tell me young man, how would you know all that?”
“Simple, sir. Given Lady Millicent’s notoriety, I have taken the opportunity to be at all necessary places all this week in a variety of disguises. I have been your butler at the club when you have arrived at the end of the working day, so I could observe your routines; once lady Millicent was at the Scotland Yard I affected the disguise of policeman and witnessed her escape before changing into my correct uniform to present myself here to you.”
“So why did you not prevent Lady Millicent’s escape?”
“Two reasons sir; firstly for me to prevent the Lady’s escape it would mean revealing myself both to her and to your officers – and Sergeant Kimble would have no problems with claiming that he prevented the escape AND caught someone who was obviously trying to free Lady Millicent. Secondly – and possibly more importantly for me – Lady Millicent still had the container which she used to control the two officers. She would have escaped and I would have ended up talking to you under very difficult circumstances.”
“Before I consider asking you to assist me – and please note, I am still considering whether or not to ask you to leave a private member’s club – answer me this; who are you and who do you work for? I do not recognise the uniform at all.”
“Sir, my name is Charles de Grue. The uniform is unimportant at this time as I am a member of several organisations now, having assisted them in some way over the last few years. My card, sir. Contact me when you are ready.”
Charles de Grue presented the Commander with a small card. The card was handwritten in a careful, deliberate style.
Commander Franklin looked up from the card and straight into the eyes of a waiter.
“Sir, the young man thanks you for your interest and has bought you this drink.”
Commander Franklin then looked at the glass.
“He suggests that you try the Tobermory with slightly less spring water; it will allow the more delicate flavours to be released.”
Commander Franklin took a small sip. That boy was right, he thought.
