“The office of Clock Mechanics Affairs.”
“Let’s see.” He tampered with the telegraph and nodded. “What’s the message?”
Danny curled his hand into a damp fist, then loosened it. “Christopher’s son is alive and well.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Danny left the tent in a daze. It was only by luck that he managed to stumble upon Akash.
“Anything?” Akash asked.
“I found out where Lytton’s camp is. And I sent a wire to Agra for Dryden.”
Akash looked impressed, and also a little scared. “What did you say?”
“That we need assistance here, if they understand the message.”
“And if they don’t? What do we do then?”
“Then we’ll need to figure this out ourselves.”
“Oh, good,” Akash mumbled. “And here I thought it would be something difficult.”
Daphne was thinking about her mother. It had been painful spending Christmas here, in spite of the soldiers’ quaint festivities (mostly drunken caroling). She knew her mother would be disappointed that she hadn’t come to visit. Or at least, it was her selfish hope that her mother had even noticed her absence.
But a messenger from Dryden drove all thoughts of guilt from her mind.
She hurried to the counsel building. Meena and Crosby were already there. The major paced, scowling at the floor. Daphne skidded to a stop, grabbing the back of a chair.
“What happened?” she asked them.
“There’s been a wire from Delhi,” Dryden said, pointing to a piece of paper on the table. Daphne snatched it up and read it.
“But what does it mean?” She read it again. “D.H. is Danny Hart.”
“That is what we believe, yes,” Dryden said gravely.
“And V. L.? Who or what is that?”
“We think it stands for Viceroy Lytton.”
Daphne frowned. “Viceroy Lytton? Why would the viceroy require Danny’s service?” Where the hell has he been? Why didn’t he come back to Agra? Is Akash with him?
Crosby plucked the message from her fingers. “That is what we are undecided on. I still say it’s a false message. A trap of some sort.”
“A trap for who, Lieutenant?”
Daphne looked at Meena, who was tugging on her braid and staring at the letter still in Crosby’s hand. As the men argued, she calmly cleared her throat.
“‘God save the Queen’ could mean that Danny is in the durbar itself, rather than the city,” Meena said.
The other three fell silent, considering the possibility.
“It’s far more likely he’s at the clock tower,” Dryden said.
“Then we must go there,” Meena said. “Either way, we have to find him.”
“Indeed. Crosby, I want you to gather a small search party and head up to Delhi. Join the clock tower guard.”
“Sir, tomorrow’s New Year. The coronation.”
“Yes, and everyone will have their eyes elsewhere,” Dryden said, “so we can smuggle Mr. Hart out without fuss.”
“But what’s he even doing there?” Daphne demanded. “This isn’t like him. Major, please let me go. I need to speak with Danny and find out what’s going on.”
“Miss Richards, I’m sure that once he’s back here, he’ll be able to tell us exactly what’s happened.”
“Sir, please.”
Crosby gave the major a look that plainly said he was tired of this nonsense, and Dryden sighed.
“I’m sorry, but after what happened in Meerut”—he nodded to Meena—“I will not risk the lives of any more clock mechanics in this camp. Not even for the Delhi tower.”
Fuming, Daphne turned and stalked out, Meena on her heels.
“Akash might be there, too,” Meena whispered. “Do you think he’s with Danny?”
“I hope so. Even if he is, I have to go. Something’s not right. The way Danny worded his message, it’s as though there’s something else he couldn’t say.”
She didn’t realize they were walking toward Colton’s room until they were right in front of it. Daphne took a deep breath and unlocked the door.
Colton stood as they entered. In one hand, he held the picture of Danny.
“There’s been news,” Daphne said. “We think Danny is in Delhi.”
“Are we going to find him?”
“The major says I can’t go, but I’ll find a way. Don’t worry, Colton. I’ll bring him back.”
Colton stuffed the picture into his pack. “You have to take me with you.”
Daphne glanced at Meena. “Colton—”
“You have to.” He put his hands on her shoulders, the most interaction they’d ever had. It felt strange, like the air around them shifted slightly to acknowledge her. “Daphne, please. I know he’s in danger. I have to help him.”
“You’re in danger, too, if you haven’t forgotten.”
Colton stubbornly set his jaw. “If you leave me here, I’ll reveal myself. If people are looking for me, I’ll let them find me.”
Daphne swore and rubbed her hands over her face. “You’re just as bad as he is.”
Yet life had been breathed back into Colton. His amber eyes, ominously vacant until now, were suddenly lit with determination like the pop and flare of a bonfire. Hoping she wouldn’t regret it, Daphne gestured toward the door.
“Come on, then.”
Wearing the cog holder on his back, Colton grabbed his pack and followed Daphne and Meena into the deep evening blues outside. Meena looked nervous walking around with a clock spirit, but no one else could feel the pull coming off of Colton’s body. To the soldiers, he was just a boy who may or may not have been lost.
Daphne’s plan was to find an auto and drive to Delhi, but when she shared her idea with Meena, the girl stopped her short.
“We can’t,” she whispered. “The autos are locked and the keys are all hanging in the major’s rooms. He’ll know we’ve taken one within minutes.”
So much for doing this on her own.
Then a new thought took hold. “The officers have their own keys, don’t they?”
“Yes.”
There was only one officer she trusted in this cantonment.
They found Captain Harris packing an auto with Partha. Daphne breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’ve heard, then.”
Harris turned around, startled. Partha looked between him and the girls, frowning.
“Heard?” Harris repeated blankly.
“About Danny.”
“Oh—yes. Mr. Hart’s wire.”
Daphne squared her shoulders. “The major is sending you and Crosby to Delhi, but we want to go, too. I’m asking you to take us.”
“I … what?” Harris frowned at Colton. “And who’s this?”
“Captain, Danny might be in trouble. We have to go.”
Harris rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think this is a good idea. It’s better for you to stay here, where it’s safe.”
“We’re not safe anywhere, apparently!”
“Miss Richards, please—”
“Captain,” Meena said softly, uncertainly, “if you do not take us to Delhi, then I will be forced to tell the major your secret.”
The blood drained from Harris’s face, and Partha’s head shot up, eyes wide with horror. Meena winced at their reactions, but didn’t lower her gaze. The men looked at each other as though they’d both been sentenced to the gallows.
“Secret?” Daphne repeated. “What secret?”