Mina Wentworth and the Invisible City Read Online Free PDF

Foley planned to install automatons that threatened to displace his laborers. But though Redditch had spoken of Foley, the viscount hadn’t said anything of an upcoming meeting.
    “Did you expect Mr. Foley tonight or was it an impromptu arrangement?”
    “We expected him, ma’am. He accepted his lordship’s invitation almost two weeks ago.”
    “When did he arrive?”
    “At seven o’ clock.”
    “And when did he leave?”
    “Only a few minutes before his lordship took his walk in the garden.”
    “He left at seven-thirty, after only a half hour in this house? That’s hardly enough time for dinner.” When the butler hesitated again, Mina pressed, “Did they argue?”
    “I shouldn’t say—”
    “You should, Mr. Prescott, so that I may find who killed your employer.”
    “They didn’t argue. Not loudly enough to be heard, at any rate. But Mr. Foley appeared unhappy when he left the library, where they’d been speaking. He refused to stay for dinner, and made the excuse of a meeting with his solicitor.”
    “And after he left, what did his lordship do?”
    “He remained in the library for a few more minutes. Then he went to the gardens.”
    “Will you show us the gardens, Mr. Prescott?” When he nodded, she gestured for him to precede her down the hall. “Does he often walk outside in the evening?”
    “Almost every night after dinner or after his guests left.”
    “And you used the opportunity to take your dinner before making certain the rooms were in order, yes?” When the butler nodded, she asked, “How much time passed between your last seeing his lordship and when you saw the brass wheel from the window?”
    “Forty-five minutes, perhaps. I was standing beside the desk when I saw the wheel roll past. No, no—that is not accurate.” A frown creased his narrow face. “I heard it first, a loud clicking, though I didn’t know what it was. I recall looking up, trying to place the sound, and that was why I faced the window.”
    He showed them into the library, where more paintings than books filled the walls. Heavy green drapes framed the window behind a large desk. Through the reflection in the glass, Rhys saw grass and shrubs lit by gas lamps. A set of double doors led outside.
    Mina moved to the window and looked out. “And the wheel was clicking?”
    “Or a machine shaped like a wheel. It was large—as tall as man, perhaps, and made of brass or copper. I saw only the side of it. The part facing me was flat, but the body of it was round and solid, rolling over the ground.”
    Mina glanced at Rhys and he shook his head. He’d never heard of such a thing. She turned to the butler again. “Were there any markings?”
    “There were lines on the side that came together in the center—like a tart cut into pieces. Not like spokes. I couldn’t see through it.” He shook his head again. “I didn’t see more than that; it rolled past too quickly. And I was standing there, still perplexed by the sight of it when I heard the footman come into the house, shouting that he’d just found his lordship’s body.”
    Mina nodded and started for the double doors. “Thank you, Mr. Prescott. Wait here for now, please. When the footman returns, make certain he doesn’t speak with any of the others until I have an opportunity to interview him. My assistant, Constable Newberry, should be arriving soon, as well. Please show him through to the gardens immediately.”
    “Of course, ma’am.”
    Rhys followed her outside. She paused on the slate tiles that formed a path through the enclosed garden. Tall stone walls separated Redditch’s lot from those beside him. At the center, a marble cherub spit water into a fountain. Only recently planted, the garden itself was sparse, with a few young trees, low shrubbery, and grass to justify its name. The space had been laid out with the obvious plan of cultivating more. Perhaps that had been Redditch’s intention for the next spring. A damn shame that he