Page 80 of Disturbing the Dead
I understand Gray’s concern, and I do wish he could join us. With that being impossible, I appreciate that he promises he won’t try to sneak after us… or ask Simon to do it for him. In the past, he has sent Simon to secretly watch Isla’s back and mine. It’s the “secretly” part that’s the problem. We have agreed that he will instead make his concerns known and, if he strongly disagrees with my assessment of danger, he can insist on sending Simon or coming himself. It’s a difficult line to tread for a Victorian man, and I appreciate his restraint.
Queen Mab wants to meet near the entrance to the vaults. To understand Edinburgh’s “underground,” one needs to understand how the city was constructed. For centuries, with the Flodden Wall around it, the only way to build was up. There are areas where new buildings were just constructed over old ones. Literally over them. Edinburgh being a city of hills makes that easier. What is considered underground actually lies above ground level. It’s just underneath the city.
The vaults mostly come from another bit of historical reconstruction. The Old Town is, well, old. And mostly impoverished. If you’re traveling from the New Town and you want to get past the Old Town to the wealthier areas on the other side, you don’t want to actually have to go into the slums, right? Yuck. All that filth and poverty and reminders that some people are living in homes you wouldn’t consider fit for your livestock. No, what you need is a road that goes over those icky parts. Thus the South Bridge was built.
Under that bridge there are vaults. Mazes of rooms and corridors that eventually proved unfit for storing goods, but perfectly fine for storing people, namely those desperate for free shelter. The vaults are also a place for black-market trade, and so it’s not surprising that the underground market will be there.
Simon takes the coach over the bridge and then down to where we’re to meet Queen Mab. It’s a dark street where I wouldn’t walk by myself at this time of night. Hell, I might not even walk it with Gray. It’s both too empty and not empty enough. Too empty to make a mugger think twice, and yet in every dark shadow, I catch the movement that tells me people are there, people who don’t want to be seen.
When Gray raps on the coach roof, Simon only slows Folly, as if he’s not sure he really wants to stop. He finally does and calls back, “Are you certain this is the place, sir?”
“It is,” says a voice from the shadows.
Through the window, I see Queen Mab step out. She’s making no effort to disguise herself in shabby clothing. Quite the opposite. She’s wearing a gorgeous scarlet wool cape with black embroidery and silken tassels along the hem. Underneath, I can see a green and gold dress. She has a boy with her, of no more than thirteen. We’ve seen him before. I don’t know his name, though we suspect he is a relative, maybe grandson or great-nephew. I peer into the shadowed alley, but there’s no one else with her. Just the boy.
Simon hops down to open the door, but Gray is already swinging it wide.
“I am not staying,” Gray says to Queen Mab as he alights first. “Though if you have changed your mind on that, I would happily do so. You do not seem to have a proper guard.”
The boy bristles, and Queen Mab’s hand lands on his arm.
“I meant no offense,” Gray says to the boy. “Only that I expected multiple guards.”
“To bring a guard would suggest I need one,” Queen Mab says. “As if I cannot trust my reputation to keep me safe. Gustav here is quite capable of fighting, should the need arise, and I have heard Miss Mallory is as well. We—”
She stops as Mrs. Wallace gets out the coach, Gray helping her down.
“Well, hello, Paulina,” Queen Mab says. “I did not expect you. You are part of Dr. Gray’s household?”
“His housekeeper.”
“Really? I have wondered where you ended up. I should not be surprised.”
“I will be joining you,” Mrs. Wallace says. “I do not trust Mallory in this. Or in anything.”
Queen Mab’s brows shoot up. Then she laughs softly. “You always did say what you think.”
“It’s easier.”
Gray sighs. “I respect Mrs. Wallace’s opinions, but I assure you that I trust Mallory implicitly. I do not know how much you understand of Mallory’s past…”
“That she used to be a demon with an angel’s face?” Queen Mab says. “A ruthless thief who double-crossed everyone she met?”
Simon makes a small noise. He’d been Catriona’s friend, and—as far as I can tell—the one person she’d never betrayed.
Queen Mab continues, “Then there was an incident, a near-death experience during which the girl struck her head, and now we have Miss Mallory instead, who is neither angel nor demon, but something far more interesting. An enigma.”
“Wrapped in a mystery,” I say. “If Mrs. Wallace can join us, I’m fine with it. I understand that she doesn’t trust me, and I accept that, as Catriona, I gave her reason for that.”
I think I’m being reasonable, but Mrs. Wallace’s hard look says she hears only mealymouthed platitudes, and she isn’t falling for them.
I let Gray help me out of the coach. Once I’m in Simon’s lantern light, Queen Mab says, “Oh, my. Now that is a bit of clever costuming.”
“Do I look a delightful confection?” I say with a half twirl of my skirts.
“You look like a fairy changeling, ready to shed her colorful skin and play the role of a sweet human child. Clever indeed. Also appropriate, in light of your transformation. I commend your ingenuity and your sense of humor.”
“It was Mrs. Wallace’s idea.”
