The Doll Maker: Sword and Steampunk (The Viper and the Urchin Book 4) by Celine Jeanjean

Author:Celine Jeanjean [Jeanjean, Celine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lotus Press
Published: 2019-04-27T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 23

By the time Cruikshank faced the Marchioness and everyone outside, she had found renewed determination. Spaindel’s office would be searched, and she’d decided to stay and help.

She watched as a team of Varanguards, led by Rafe, began a meticulously organised search among the chaos of papers and spider specimens. A few of them had to duck their heads to avoid the long screws of sticky flypaper.

“Call out if you find anything not related to spiders,” Rafe said. “Anything about Egremont, Jermyn, about a weapon—in fact, anything that catches your attention.”

“I will be going through the paperwork,” Cruikshank said, “but please let me know the moment you see anything of interest.”

“I’ll help you.” Longinus came to stand next to her. “How are you feeling?” he asked in a low voice.

“I can’t feel anything below my neck, but it’s starting to tingle.”

Longinus nodded. “You’ll probably need the antidote soon. I’m being cautious, and you’d probably be fine until the end of the day, but I’d rather not take the risk. That means the pain will return.”

Cruikshank nodded, her head feeling like a balloon disconnected from the rest of her body. “Be careful when you handle the spiders,” she called, wincing as a woman shook some of Spaindel’s dried spiders out of their jar. They tumbled out onto the shelf, looking alive for that brief moment.

The woman gave Cruikshank an odd look before continuing to empty the jar. Once she had determined there was nothing of interest there, she returned the spiders to their resting place.

Cruikshank knew the Varanguards wouldn't understand her desire not to damage anything in the office. Yes, Spaindel was responsible for a violent attack on her, and he was linked to the creation of a lethal weapon that had killed an innocent student, but Cruikshank was a scientist with a workshop of her own, and the thought of strangers going through her things like this made her distinctly uneasy. No matter the crime that Spaindel had committed, she still felt he deserved that little bit of dignity.

“Just be particularly careful with the dried spiders,” Cruikshank said, wheeling her wheelchair towards the desk. “Their legs can break easily.”

Longinus grabbed a chair on the other side of the desk, and he and Cruikshank began thumbing through the many, many notes and notebooks that papered it.

The endless parade of notes and sketches, all about spiders, made Cruikshank sad. It wasn’t just a reaction to all that work and research coming to an abrupt end—one of her longest friendships was ending as well. She and Spaindel hadn’t been amazingly close, but she had known him longer than almost anyone.

They worked in silence, Cruikshank glancing around the office every so often. Someone tripped on one of the microscopes, sending it clattering across the floor.

“Careful!” she hissed.

Allowing the office to be ransacked was an admission that Spaindel would never again work there—and Cruikshank wasn’t quite ready for that yet.

“Cruikshank,” Longinus said. She looked up just as he was pushing a vial across the desk. “I think it’s time you take the antidote.

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