should walk back to the landing strip. Perhaps the carriage driver returned when he saw the explosion.” He grimaced as he imagined walking such a distance when his muscles were already starting to spasm and lock. “Either way, it seems the journey to Manchester is going to take longer than we anticipated.”
* * *
It was a little over an hour by the time they arrived at the same spot of open meadow where they’d boarded the airship. To Callie’s dismay, they found the poor driver lying unconscious in the grass by the side of the dirt road, but there was no sign of the carriage.
Jasper pressed his fingers to the man’s neck beneath his jaw. “He’s alive. But he has a decent-sized bump on his head and won’t be taking anyone anywhere for a few days—if he even had a carriage to drive.”
The driver started to moan and Callie held his hand as he slowly regained consciousness. Finally, he blinked and opened his eyes.
“My lord,” he mumbled, looking up at him. “So sorry. Was surprised. Didn’t expect—”
“It’s all right, Benjamin. Let’s just make sure you haven’t been seriously injured.” After checking him over, they helped the man to his feet. Patrick supported his weight by holding an arm over his shoulder, and they once again started to walk as a group.
“Did you recognize your assailant?”
He shook his head. “It happened so fast. I waited a while before leaving, wantin’ to pat down both the horses because Silver looked like he were goin’ to throw a shoe on me. When I started back for the manor, a man suddenly stepped out in front of the carriage and I had to haul back on the reins.” Benjamin rubbed his temple. “It were the lieutenant. The same one who was here waitin’ for you when we arrived. I didn’t remember seeing him disembark the airship. Before I knew what were happening, he’d come around, clubbed me in the head, and left me here while he stole the carriage.”
“Who is that horrible man?” she asked. Jasper didn’t answer, his forehead tense with lines of frustration and anger.
They didn’t walk far this time before the sound of carriage wheels rumbled toward them. Callie wasn’t extraordinarily surprised when the door swung open and she saw who had come to “rescue” them.
General Black.
“Get in.” He frowned at the lot of them as if their misfortune at being blown out of the sky had sorely inconvenienced him.
The short ride back to the manor was a silent one. Jasper glared out the window. Both the carriage driver and Patrick looked weary.
When they arrived, Jasper sent Benjamin inside with Patrick to have Mrs. Jenkins take a look at the bump on his head before turning to the general with a dark scowl.
“Just what the hell kind of ‘facial reconstruction’ did Dunsmoor have? That was him on that ship, wasn’t it? I’ve known the man for fifteen years, but I stood less than five paces away from him this morning and wouldn’t have recognized him if my life depended on it.”
“That lunatic was Captain Dunsmoor?” Callie looked between her husband and the general, feeling as if she’d missed some important piece of information. The man who was on that airship with them had looked much too young to be a seasoned officer. “How do you know it was him?”
“It fits. Dunsmoor is an explosives specialist. If anyone could have rigged something like that bomb on the airship, it’s him. And he called me ‘CC’—short for Colonel Carlisle. It didn’t register at the time, but only the soldiers I served with have ever called me that.”
She remembered that. She also remembered the assessing look the man had leveled on her, the way he’d smiled at Jasper rather smugly. In hindsight, it might have been the kind of smile one wore when he knew something everyone else did not.
The general shrugged and looked up at the house before answering. “Yes, it’s probably safe to assume that the man who set the bomb on the airship was Captain
* * *
It was a little over an hour by the time they arrived at the same spot of open meadow where they’d boarded the airship. To Callie’s dismay, they found the poor driver lying unconscious in the grass by the side of the dirt road, but there was no sign of the carriage.
Jasper pressed his fingers to the man’s neck beneath his jaw. “He’s alive. But he has a decent-sized bump on his head and won’t be taking anyone anywhere for a few days—if he even had a carriage to drive.”
The driver started to moan and Callie held his hand as he slowly regained consciousness. Finally, he blinked and opened his eyes.
“My lord,” he mumbled, looking up at him. “So sorry. Was surprised. Didn’t expect—”
“It’s all right, Benjamin. Let’s just make sure you haven’t been seriously injured.” After checking him over, they helped the man to his feet. Patrick supported his weight by holding an arm over his shoulder, and they once again started to walk as a group.
“Did you recognize your assailant?”
He shook his head. “It happened so fast. I waited a while before leaving, wantin’ to pat down both the horses because Silver looked like he were goin’ to throw a shoe on me. When I started back for the manor, a man suddenly stepped out in front of the carriage and I had to haul back on the reins.” Benjamin rubbed his temple. “It were the lieutenant. The same one who was here waitin’ for you when we arrived. I didn’t remember seeing him disembark the airship. Before I knew what were happening, he’d come around, clubbed me in the head, and left me here while he stole the carriage.”
“Who is that horrible man?” she asked. Jasper didn’t answer, his forehead tense with lines of frustration and anger.
They didn’t walk far this time before the sound of carriage wheels rumbled toward them. Callie wasn’t extraordinarily surprised when the door swung open and she saw who had come to “rescue” them.
General Black.
“Get in.” He frowned at the lot of them as if their misfortune at being blown out of the sky had sorely inconvenienced him.
The short ride back to the manor was a silent one. Jasper glared out the window. Both the carriage driver and Patrick looked weary.
When they arrived, Jasper sent Benjamin inside with Patrick to have Mrs. Jenkins take a look at the bump on his head before turning to the general with a dark scowl.
“Just what the hell kind of ‘facial reconstruction’ did Dunsmoor have? That was him on that ship, wasn’t it? I’ve known the man for fifteen years, but I stood less than five paces away from him this morning and wouldn’t have recognized him if my life depended on it.”
“That lunatic was Captain Dunsmoor?” Callie looked between her husband and the general, feeling as if she’d missed some important piece of information. The man who was on that airship with them had looked much too young to be a seasoned officer. “How do you know it was him?”
“It fits. Dunsmoor is an explosives specialist. If anyone could have rigged something like that bomb on the airship, it’s him. And he called me ‘CC’—short for Colonel Carlisle. It didn’t register at the time, but only the soldiers I served with have ever called me that.”
She remembered that. She also remembered the assessing look the man had leveled on her, the way he’d smiled at Jasper rather smugly. In hindsight, it might have been the kind of smile one wore when he knew something everyone else did not.
The general shrugged and looked up at the house before answering. “Yes, it’s probably safe to assume that the man who set the bomb on the airship was Captain
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