Persuasion in the Pantry [Maid for More #1]

Chapter 42 Part 1: Locked Doors

Mina waited in the shade of the trees until the crowds cleared and dusk crept solemnly over them. Dark tendrils of night curled up from the horizon, bringing with them a sense of calm after the chaos of the afternoon and Dra'gaan finally nodded in answer to Mina's persistent request to leave.

"Wait, take it slowly," Dra'gaan hissed as Mina marched hastily across the road and in the direction of the Royal Carriage.

"Aren't you tired of waiting? We should have been doing something!" Mina barked angrily. They had lingered in the safety of Green Park despite her insistence that they help in more proactive ways.

"You are not ready for combat," her mentor stated calmly as he caught up with her brisk strides and seized her forearm.

"Well, neither was Verushka. But my friend has been working to stop the assassin for weeks now and I'll bet any money that she was probably down there fighting to save the Queen's life while I had a picnic in a park."

"Your friend was not ready either. And, it was your choice to eat those biscuits in your pockets while you waited."

"You are missing the point. I want to be able to contribute, otherwise what am I here for?" Mina sighed exasperated.

"I am glad you asked." Dra'gaan smiled in that quiet manner of his before continuing. "Our job is to learn more from this situation than meets the eye. Soldiers are a dime a dozen, but we must pull back the covers and find out what truly happened here. What have I taught you?"

Mina frowned as she tried to remember the pertinent lessons and was taken back to her first one near the breweries on the south bank of the Thames. "To pay attention to the detail. Listen, Smell, Watch."

"Exactly. Now survey the scene of the crime and tell me what you determine."

Mina let her eyes track the path that Queen Victoria's carriage's had rolled until its sudden jerked stop. Mina's view of the events after that point had become practically non-existent due to the amassed crowds and Dra'gaans obsession t remain hidden. Her feet drew inexplicably to the spot where the scuffle with the assassin had occurred and thick congealing blood still filled the grooves between the cobblestones. She bent close to the ground and found two brass shell casings from the shots fired earlier. Mina closed her eyes and inhaled. There was the metallic scent of blood, the lingering hint of gunpowder and a musky perfume that was unmistakable. She leaned in closer, trying to ignore the way the blood made her want to heave the contents of her stomach.

Mina breathed deeply, focusing and filtering the wafting scents until her mind unlocked the memory. "I know that perfume. It belongs to a woman, a woman who I think died here- Lady Bianca Rinehart."

Dra'gaan nodded. "I saw them remove a woman's body. What makes you so sure that it is hers?"

Mina rose solemnly. "I trailed her often enough to recognise the smell of her personalised French perfume."

A cold breeze picked up and Mina looked around at the empty streets. Soon the lamplighters would be around to illuminate the street but an Agents task was best conducted in the interim of darkness. "What now?"

"We continue on. There has been a high degree of traffic on the streets but there are always clues if you pay attention. This assassin did not act alone, and we are here to find the remnants of their mark on today."

Mina and Dra'gaan continued to sweep over the streets with a handful of other Agents until they came upon Green Park Arch. Mina recognised the deeply embedded hoof prints of a stopping horse next to a rifle shell casing. Marco had clearly been presiding over the event and it made her smile to think that at least one of them got to take part in the action.