Charmed Vengeance Part 15

Jeff's eyes bore into her. "My word, what did they do to you?"

She looked away, shame consuming her.

And this is why I don't think about unpleasant things, the sprite retorted.

Jeff's hand grazed her cheek and for a moment he reminded her so much of their father her heart ached.

"There's grease on your cheek," he told her, wiping it off with his fingers.

"Hazards of the job." She flashed him a weak grin.

He held up a gear shaft. "Let's get this engine put back together. Then I'll take you off ship. What would you like to do?"

"I want to go to a park." The words slipped out, but she wanted to see trees, feel the bark under her hands, play in the dirt. Her roses were nice but not enough. "We could go on a picnic," she added, trying to cover her odd request. "Like we used to with Mama." Before their father had disappeared they'd gone on a picnic in the park nearly every Sunday the weather was pleasant. Actually, it sounded like a good idea.

"Noli, we're in Denver and it's winter. There's snow on the ground. But," he gave her a gentle smile, eyes still br.i.m.m.i.n.g with concern. "I understand wanting to go outside. It can be a little much being cooped up-especially at first. I never thought ask if you wanted me to take you up top-sorry."

"It's all right." She smiled back, then held up a wrench. "Now, let's see how much you remember."

Having changed into the blue bustle dress she's worn to the pier, Noli positioned her derby hat, the one with the bird on it, on her head, smoothing her hair to cover the points of her ears in the process. The engine had been rea.s.sembled, the pink ribbons put away. The paint, however, didn't seem to want to come off. Excitement at being off the ship and back among the plants and trees bubbled inside her as she pulled on her cape and gloves. Perhaps she could find a clip for the watch chain while they were out. Progress was slow, but the pattern was turning out beautifully.

Voices came from the bridge as she approached, looking for Jeff. Did they realize exactly how far their voices carried? The small ship was quiet, everyone but Vix and Jeff off ship.

"I don't know if I like this," Vix said. "But I trust you.

Everything will be fine," Jeff replied.

"I hope so. So, do I even want to know what happened back there in the engine room?" Vix's tone made Noli squirm in her dainty black boots.

"No, you don't," Jeff replied. "But we got everything put together and cleaned up, mostly."

"Is this going to become a problem? Yes, she's your sister and I understand that she's been through who knows what. Still, I must maintain order aboard my ship and if she's going to put us in danger-"

"Give her a chance. I'm her older brother; it's my job to take care of her. You know exactly what will happen if we send her to Boston," Jeff retorted, frustration tingeing his voice.

"She wants to go to the university, perhaps we should help her with that sooner than later." It sounded as if Vix paced the small bridge. Again.

"Not yet. If something happens, who's going to take care of her? They hurt her at that school, and it's a place for ladies of gentle breeding. I can't stomach the idea of someone sending her to someplace even worse. "

"This is an airship, not a finishing school," Vix snapped.

A finishing school for air pirates. What a notion! She swallowed her laugh, not wanting them to think she was spying. Again.

Jeff sighed. "Let's take this one day at a time. She truly is an ace engineer."

"Perhaps. But what if we need her? Not only is her job important, but it's creepy when she's just ... gone like that," Vix replied.

It was even creepier when it happened to you. The fact Vix noticed made fear swirl inside her. All the captain needed to do was make it an order and Noli would be gone-even if Jeff didn't wish it. Where would she go?

Wait. She wasn't some sniveling society girl. If it came down to it, she could return to the Otherworld and wait at the big house for V to finish his quest. Yes, that would be a splendid backup plan. She could get there by herself ... most likely.

"If she's going to stay aboard, someone should teach her to defend herself, if not fight and shoot," Vix added. "For her own personal protection. Though the idea of her with a pistol frightens me."

"My sister is a lady, ladies don't shoot pistols or fight," Jeff grumbled.

Vix made a rude noise. Noli made a production of b.u.mping into the table in the galley in order to alert them to her presence.

"That sounds like my cue," Jeff replied.

Noli arrived in the doorway just in time to see Jeff plant a kiss on Vix's cheek.

"Sorry," Noli muttered. It was the first time she'd seen them be outright affectionate and heat rose to her cheeks.

Jeff laughed. He didn't wear his usual pirate gear, but a gentleman's suit and hat. "Noli, let's get off this tub."

They disembarked and Noli wrapped her cape around her, cold biting through the wool and ribbons. Snow crunched under their feet on the wood docks and her breath came out in frozen puffs. It didn't get this cold in Los Angeles.

Jeff led her into the pa.s.senger terminal where they stopped at a small shop that made takeaway meals for people to bring on their journeys. They also had a blanket to sit on so they could have a proper picnic.

Noli swung the sack as she skipped down the street, following Jeff. Skipping kept her warm. Also, she couldn't contain her joy at being off ship. Autos puffed down the street, a few hoverboards streaked the skies, and airships took off and landed in the background.

"Have you heard from Mama, is she well?" Noli asked. "Should we send word to her?"

"I sent her an aethergraph when we first arrived. She's in Boston and quite happy. She's worried about you." Jeff squeezed her arm. "I a.s.sured her that you were safe here with me."

Noli squirmed. "Did I dishonor our good family name?"

Jeff made an ungentlemanly sound. "No, and you know grandfather has probably engineered some story- you're off on a well-chaperoned tour of the United States with a group of young ladies of good breeding or some other ridiculousness."

"I...I'm trying hard, truly, I am," she whispered, remembering his conversation with Vix. "I appreciate you defending me."

He pulled her a little closer, body warm against the cold chill. "You're my little sister. Please, keep trying as hard as you can. I can only do so much."

Noli gulped. "I ... I promise." Got that? she scolded the sprite.

I want to go back to the Otherworld. You said this would be fun, the sprite pouted.

"Noli?" Jeff brought her out of her inner conversation. He touched her face. "You've got to stop this. Vix has noticed your strange behavior-especially when you're just ... gone. It can't become an issue."

Vix had a point. What if the sprite took over in the middle of something important?

Jeff led her to a public garden. The sign on the wrought iron gate read closed.

"Oh, it's closed." Noli didn't hide her disappointment.

"This way." With a sly grin, Jeff led her along the fence until they came to an out-of-the-way place near a greenhouse. "Up you go."

"Wait-we're breaking into the gardens?" Noli grinned, the idea dangerous yet appealing, something she, James, and V might have done. Once.

He boosted her up and then hopped over the fence himself. Noli looked around the frozen garden that was probably breathtaking in summertime.

"This way." He led her to an unlocked greenhouse and they walked inside. "How's this?" Jeff gestured to the little greenhouse. Seedlings and blooms filled the gla.s.s and metal structure, the air fragrant with perfume.

"It's perfect." It felt naughty, yet at the same time the need to be among the plants pressed on her with such weight tears p.r.i.c.ked her eyes.

He spread a blanket on the floor of the greenhouse, right between rows of exotic blooms. Noli removed their picnic. They took a seat on the blanket and ate the hearty sandwiches they'd purchased along with dainty scones, which, in Noli's opinion were twenty times better than anything made by blasted Missy Sa.s.safras.

"Noli, what happened back there? Will you tell me? Please? If I understand I may be able to help you better." Jeff laid a hand on her arm, grease under his nails.

"I ... I don't want to talk about it." The bite of sandwich stuck in her throat and she took a sip of lemonade to clear it. The thought of the sprite taking over like that still made her tremble. This could be problematic.

"Noli. You're safe on our ship. No one will hurt you and I'm going to do whatever I can to protect you," he soothed.

She nodded, wishing V were here. They had to find a way to stop this. They just had to-and if V couldn't, well, she'd do it herself. Somehow.

"I know they hurt you at the school," he murmured. "I know Mother has no idea what that school was or that you went missing. But what I don't know is what happened to you while you were gone. Did you run away? Were you kidnapped?"

Noli sat up, startled, straightening her hat as it went askew. How did she explain this? "I ... I went missing."

"We know that." Jeff's voice gentled, forehead furrowed with worry. "Were you kidnapped? You're a pretty girl and of a very good age for ... things ... and there's that opium den and bawdy house next door ... "

"What?" She tried to make sense of his vague words.

"Vix calls it human trafficking, girls and boys who are kidnapped, lured, or tricked, then forced into working in factories or unseemly places." Jeff grimaced at if the words tasted bitter.

Unseemly places. Her hand went to her mouth in horror. "You mean the girls in those places are there against their will? How could anyone let such atrocities happen in this day and age? It's the twentieth century."

"Some of them, not all. There's more of a demand for joy-girls than a supply of willing ones." His cheeks pinked as if the subject embarra.s.sed him. "Vix can tell you all about it. She's quite against it. It might be illegal, but it occurs often enough-even in 1901-and no one really does anything to prevent it."

"That's ... that's horrible." Revulsion made her throw up a little in her mouth. "That didn't happen to me."

No, they just wanted to kill her.

His eyes met hers. "What happened?"

Her mind raced to compose a suitable story. "I was taken away from the school. They wouldn't let me return to Los Angeles. But V rescued me and together we found a way home."

There. No Otherworld. No faeries. No sacrifice. No mention of her no longer being mortal.

Jeff's eyebrows arched. "How did Steven know you were missing and where to go?"

"I don't want to talk about this," Noli sighed. The pain of the memories p.r.i.c.ked her like pins in one of her mother's unfinished dresses. "No one hurt me, promise."

Well, except for the high queen.

He nodded slowly. "When you're ready to talk, I'm here. I'm so worried-especially today. Walking in on you was frightening ... it was as if you were someone else entirely." Pain filled his eyes. "Like someone else was inside you, using your body like something out of a penny dreadful or a moving picture."

That's exactly what had happened. She scrunched her nose. "Do they actually have moving pictures about those sorts of things?"

Jeff laughed. "Well, perhaps not. But it would make a good one, don't you think? Now, why don't we finish our lunch? I still have someplace to show you."

"We're going to a museum?" Noli gazed at stone building in front of them which said Museum of Art. "Since when do you like museums?" She didn't mind going to museums, but they weren't generally at the top of her list of things to see in a new place. Jeff had never been fond of museums because they frowned on touching the exhibits.

He gave her a lopsided smile as he held open the door. "I have grown up a little."

"No, I don't see it," she teased as she walked inside, warm air greeting her and wrapping around her like a blanket.

They hung up their wraps and walked inside the small, still new museum. Noli took in the opening exhibit of Rubens. The museum wasn't empty, but it wasn't packed.

"Fat naked women were never a subject I found interesting," Jeff whispered, taking her arm and leading her out of the room just as a group of uniformed schoolgirls came through with their portly, faded teacher, listening boredly to the dowdy old schoolmarm prattle on about the virtues of Rubens.

Noli laughed softly, yes, he was still her Jeff. Still, curiosity as to what was so extraordinary that he'd brought her here bubbled inside her.

The next room held a collection by Dutch artists. Noli strolled along the paintings, taking them in, trying to remember which artists were featured so she could tell V about it. Most of the paintings displayed were scenes portraying everyday life-V's favorite.

This is boring, the sprite huffed. I want to go back to the greenhouse.

Me, too. Though it's not that boring. Besides, Jeff wants to show us something.

Oh, I wonder what it is, she perked. These are dumb. My flowers are better.

Noli ignored the comment and continued perusing. When Jeff made impatient noises she slowed down in order to annoy him.

"Are you enjoying the paintings, dear?" An older man in a plaid vest and polka-dot bow tie toddled over to her. "I'm Mr. Jenkins, the museum curator."

Noli turned to him and nodded. "Pleased to meet you, sir. Your collection of Dutch paintings is splendid. Do you have any by Jan Steen?"

"You are a fan of Dutch painters?" Mr. Jenkins eyebrows were like two wooly caterpillars and they leapt in surprise. "No, we don't have of Mr. Steen's work here. But they're quite lovely, aren't they? My favorite of his works is The Feast of Saint Nicholas."

She tried to remember if she'd ever seen that one in V's book. "I like The Dancing Lesson because of it's a playful celebration of childhood."

Actually, that was V's favorite. When it came to Dutch painters Noli preferred woodland scenes. Not that a painting of children teaching a cat to dance wasn't amusing.

Jeff cleared his throat. "Noli, we don't have much time."

"Sorry, my brother's being impatient," Noli told the curator. "I'm still not sure what he wants me to see so badly."

"If you only have a short time, you absolutely must see the antiquities room," Mr. Jenkins replied. "We just got a few new additions."

"Oh, that sounds lovely." Not really. Antiquities? She'd rather see something interesting, like tools-she loved examining tools used throughout the ages.

His brown eyes went alight through his spectacles. "Why don't I show you?"

Noli glanced to Jeff. Allowing him would be the polite thing to do.

"Trying to avoid the school group?" Jeff laughed.

Mr. Jenkins looked around and lowered his voice. "Their instructor, actually."