Dorothea Hall Mysteries

Chess Duel

I sent a message to Mr. Walker that I had found the genius behind the new chess automaton and another asking Miss Collins to join us for tea at the house. Mr. Walker arrived first.

"What have you discovered? I am eager to hear it," he said.

"There is someone I wish for you to speak with." The front bell rang. "There she is now. I'm going to ask you to keep an open mind."

"I always do."

Freddy had gone to get the door and she led Miss Collins into the drawing room. The young woman was dressed in a light green day dress. She curtsied to Mr. Walker and sat in the chair I indicated. Freddy brought the small table she and Emory used for playing chess in the evening. She opened up the board and started setting up the pieces. Mr. Walker cocked his head at me.

"What is all this about?" he asked.

"You wanted to know what was going on with the chess automaton. This young woman is behind it with her brother. He built the machine and she is the one playing chess inside it," I said. "Mr. Walker meet Miss Leona Collins."

He studied her. "Is this true, young lady? Do you play chess?"

Miss Collins smiled. "Yes, I play chess very well. My brother and I heard about the mechanical Turk coming to London and we decided to create our own. Are you going to expose us? We were just trying to make a living with our God-given talents."

"Before you answer," I said. "I have a proposal. I suggest that you play chess with Miss Collins and see how good she is for yourself. Are you two willing to play a match right now?"

Miss Collins said, "I'm always ready to play. Surely you're not afraid of a girl's challenge?"

It was Mr. Walker's turn to smile. "I wouldn't count on my going easy on you. If you are challenging people through a machine, I will assume you have some skill."

Freddy and I watched as the two played a fairly well-matched chess game. I knew rough to see Mr. Walker was the better player, which made sense as he was the one who wrote books teaching people how to play, but Miss Collins was no push over. They each seemed to enjoy the challenge. I could tell Miss Collins loved playing chess as much as Freddy did. She smiled the whole time being beaten by the chess master. Mr. Walker looked thoughtful as he played her and almost got caught in the traps she laid with her pieces. I thought my plan might just work. After a half hour of play Mr. Walker managed to checkmate his opponent.

"Thank you for the game." He offered Miss Collins his hand.

"Thank you, sir." She shook.

"What is this proposal you spoke of?" Mr. Walker asked.

"I think Miss Collins might be willing to work for you. She could be the face of your campaign to bring an international chess tournament to London, or at least one of them," I said.