The Gauge War by S C Green

Author:S C Green [Green, S. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-473-33415-4
Publisher: Grymm & Epic Publishing

I was to meet my driver outside the Engine Ward at 10 AM. When I arose, my back stiff from the awkward angle of the cot, I found Brigitte in the kitchen, cooking a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and tomatoes.

"Eat up," she said, her voice tight. "You'll need your strength for the road."

"How do you know what my decision is?" I asked, sliding into my place at the table. She placed my food in front of me and I dug in with gusto.

"I know you well, James, as does Nicholas. I knew you would consider it gravely, and ultimately decide to travel to Russia. Now, eat that up and there might even be seconds."

Nicholas' civilian boots clomped down the stairs. I could hear him muttering under his breath as he polished the stoker pin he wore on his waistcoat with his handkerchief. "Good morning, friend." He greeted me warmly as he entered the kitchen, although I could hear from his voice that he was deeply troubled. "Wish me luck, for today I return to Engine Ward to put my case before Isambard."

"May Great Conductor favour you," I replied.

"And may Mama Helios bless you with an uneventful voyage." He placed a hand on my shoulder before sitting down and accepting his own plate. "You'd better eat fast, James. It's almost time we left."

Once we were fed and washed and Brigitte had said her goodbyes, Nicholas hailed a cab. He helped me secure my luggage on the roof, and pressed a flask of brandy into my hand. "To ease your journey," he said. We squeezed in together, our shoulders hunched in the cramped space and our bodies slamming into each other as we clattered through the city. I could tell we were approaching the Ward when the streets around us became quiet, and the air grew thick with soot. I unfolded my handkerchief and held it over my nose.

"Engine Ward gates," the driver yelled. I jumped down and unloaded my bag while Nicholas paid the fare. A man came up and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Mr Holman, sir?"

"The one and only. Are you my driver?"

"Yessir. Cooper's the name. I'll get you where you need to go, no worries."

Nicholas guided me up into the carriage, his every movement tinged with concern. "You needn't worry so much," I scolded him. "This will not be my first, nor my final, journey of peril."

"It's not that, James. I fear for you." He whispered back. "All is not right in the Engine Ward, and I can't stand the thought of my dear friend caught up in the centre of it."

I squeezed his hand, wondering how dark and terrible his days on board the Great Britain must have been to change his mind so. He had always defended Brunel's actions and looked for logical explanations when the Lord Protector's decisions seemed callous. Even when others, such as Aaron, were convinced of his evil, Nicholas stood by the man who had given him so much. Now I could hear

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