Constantine Capers: The Pennington Perplexity Natalie Brianne (best summer reads of all time .txt) 📖

“Ah! We can’t have that then, no. I’ll see what I can do about it.”

He sprinted up second class towards the dining hall. As soon as he ran out of sight, she slid the bolt out of the lock and slipped across the gap between the cars. She tested the handle and found it locked. She sighed and pulled out two hairpins. Her hair fell around her shoulders. The simple lock was much easier to crack than the one at the smuggling hold, and as the pins slipped into place, the door handle turned.

It was quiet and private. The perfect place to change. That is, if she could find her suitcase. Unfortunately, her luggage looked very similar to everyone else’s. After looking through a couple of stacks, the train whistled, and the car lurched as the train began to move. The tower of baggage swayed in its restraints, and Mira lifted her hands to steady it. With the train moving, she had very little time to find her suitcase, change, and jump off the train before it hit full speed. After a few minutes, she found her suitcase and began to undress. She found it difficult to keep herself upright as the train continued to pick up speed, and her petticoats weren’t helping. After about ten minutes of wrestling with her clothing and corset, she managed to get dressed in her brother’s clothes. She found the trousers to be slightly too short after hemming, and the jacket still a bit too long, but overall everything seemed to fit adequately. She tied her hair up the best she could without a mirror, placed the pocket watch in her vest pocket, put on the hat, and buttoned her shoes. She put the pistol in one pocket and the envelope in the other. They made her pockets bulge, but if she kept her hands in her pockets, she hoped no one would notice.

She packed her own clothes into the suitcase and stacked it on the other luggage in the car. She didn’t need any extra baggage going into this, especially if she had to jump. She didn’t know how to get off the train, but logic dictated that the end of the train would be the best place to start. She made her way to the back of the baggage car, grateful that she didn’t have to worry about her petticoats getting stuck between the luggage stacks. She sped across the car and opened the door at the end. The ground passed beneath her like a river. The coupling swayed back and forth. One misstep and she would be pulled beneath the train. The train slowed, approaching a turn. She hesitated, took a breath, and then prayed that the next door would be unlocked. She hopped onto the coupling and grabbed a hold of the handle.

It opened with ease, and she slipped inside the last car. Windows lit the room and several bunks lined the walls on either side. A guard lay on one of the bunks. She froze before realizing that he was asleep. She let out a breath of relief, then tiptoed past. She opened the last door and stepped out. A wave of fresh air and light overcame her senses, and she smiled. She held onto the railing and looked out as trees moved past. The train slowed again, approaching a new curve, but she still didn’t like the prospect of jumping from a moving train. A mossy clearing between the trees appeared around the bend. Despite her reservations about jumping, this was her chance. It was foolish, but it could be her only opportunity. She took a deep breath, braced herself, and jumped from the train.

At first, she only felt exhilaration. The wind against her skin and filling her lungs. She felt the top hat fly off her head, and she pulled her arms up into her face as she hit the mossy ground and rolled, gasping for breath. For a few moments it was all grass and moss and dirt. Rolling over and over. She slowed to a stop and laughter bubbled out of her. She just jumped from a train! The adrenaline overpowered her. Then she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, and sharper pain near her hip.

She stopped laughing and tried to sit up. The pain in her hip dulled a bit. She landed on the pistol. She moved each of her limbs and found that they weren’t broken. Her shoulder landed on a rock which tore a good-sized hole into her jacket. She was covered in a thin layer of dirt and grass stains. She stood up, aching, but alive. She gathered the things she had lost in the tumble, her hands shaking. Soon enough, she found everything, including the top hat, and walked back towards the station.

She hurried through the station, ignoring the people staring at her, and made her way to where the carriages stood waiting for passengers. She paused to check the time on the train station clock. Seven-fifteen. She set her brother’s pocket watch to match, then approached a carriage.

“The Vale, South Kensington please.” She kept her voice low. The driver nodded, and she got inside. The carriage rumbled down the cobblestone street, and Mira relaxed and watched the city pass. Getting there was the easy part. Deciding what to do from there was much more difficult. How could Byron go in on his own? What would Circe do? Most likely they would talk for a good period. The Shadow mentioned that they wanted to offer them a chance. What kind of chance would that be? Was this a blackmailing situation?

She realized she still had two bulges within her pockets and pulled out the envelope.

“Driver! Pull over for a moment, if you would.” The carriage slowed to a stop. She got out, moved to a post box and slipped the precious parcel inside. Her own blackmail. Or rather, brightmail