Dawn of Steam: First Light Read online

  Quite ingenious, if I may say so myself sir, ensuring that they are beholden to us for food, lodging and other comfort while you settle their accounts through your own contacts and resources. This has allowed me to trust them perhaps some small part more. Likewise, in speaking with her further, I see why in your notes to Mr. Toomes you mentioned that Mr. Franzini alone was not worth the risk involved in the hiring, and agree now that had Miss Penn not come along, we should have left him to whatever fate he'd found himself in. For while Mr. Franzini is clearly skilled, connected in ways none of the rest of us can match, and traveled in regions which none other of our company have journeyed, she has proven to be everything you claimed. For while she dresses like an American showgirl and speaks in a manner that has caused both myself and Sir James to blush more than once, she is also quite the expert on occult matters.

  While belief in the supernatural is for children and people of no learning, the native populations of some of those regions we will be visiting certainly have beliefs based in savage tales, such as ghosts, voodoo, the fountain of youth, and mermaids, even after the manatee-mermaid link had been established. Even in our own home, there is ample population that yet believes in all manner of haunts and aspects of good and bad luck. I do not trust her, as no good man trusts the gypsies, and her blood is half Romany, but she seems quite content to travel with us and make herself useful as much as she might. Likely she suspects how little rope we are allowing both herself and Mr. Franzini, and that there will be those who hope they hang themselves on what rope is left to them.

  Speaking of Mr. Franzini, he has been most difficult to travel with already. You may have been made aware that he became faint near the end of the very day on which we hired him, and while he recovered, he has been quite slow to recover entirely, moving unsteadily, acting hesitantly and only after consideration, and his hands shake something terrible even today. I do not know if it is merely something to soothe his nerves, or if it is his custom on more normal days, but I also have not seen him take in any nourishment, only picking at his breakfast, though he will drink of any alcohol put before him. So far, Miss Penn assures us that when he has had a few days' travel behind him, he will be fine and a fair addition to our group.

  I also feel that though it is our trouble to deal with, it is fair to warn you that all is not particularly well in this troupe with all members assembled. In particular, Sir James seems to have taken an especially strong dislike to Mr. Franzini, a portion of which I am certain is national pride, and so recently having had no contact with Italians save as they appeared as enemies in the field. Additionally, I believe a good portion is their shared favored pastime, playing at cards. I would guess that the rumors of Mr. Franzini's questionable conduct while gambling has particularly disturbed the leader of our small company. Fortunately for Mr. Franzini, Sir James remains an even tempered and sociable man, continuing to act the perfect gentleman aside from making quite clear that Mr. Franzini is most unwelcome as concerns participation in the card games going on on the train to help pass the time as we travel.

  Much in contrast, young Mr. Bowe has made himself quite at home in our company, though he seems particularly well suited to exchanging tales and jokes suited solely for the gentleman's club behind closed doors. Even so, Mr. Bowe and Eddy seem to have become quite the fast friends, particularly in their shared love for hunting, on which they have spoken at length, and in such technical and occasionally gory detail as to often confuse those less initiated in the activity, and to cause Sir James to excuse himself for a short walk about the train while they spoke.

  Similarly, Miss Penn has been quite enthusiastic about trying to make up for her rough start with Mr. Bowe, seeking him out for conversation whenever possible and trying to draw him into discussion of what things they do share in common, or into more general casual talk. For some time, Mr. Bowe resisted this effort entirely, and spoke to her quite harshly, though I cannot imagine that as being too uncommon for a gypsy woman who dresses like a show girl and associates with thieves, though that latter trait is only what is to be expected from a gypsy. It was only when Miss Penn drew out her most strange set of cards and claimed to have some talent for prognostication that Mr. Bowe took some genuine interest. Despite Miss Penn's claims, I am thoroughly convinced that her so-called gift is like every other show person's trick. She has simply learned enough of her art as to make some reasonable reading of people and makes guesses or exploits common fool's dreams and insecurities. This makes her seem prescient enough to charge whatever small coin she normally does when performing this art for whatever show she has joined.

  Despite the fact that I am well aware of how these things are done, and Sir James has stated he is quite in agreement, and wishes nothing to do with the arcane cards, Eddy seems somewhat curious, and has considered having his future read, or some such, more than once. Mr. Bowe has been extremely curious as to the nature of the cards and the gypsies, which has finally begun to warm relations, if only slightly, between the two of them.

  In the meanwhile, Mr. Bowe shows no animosity towards Mr. Franzini, for which I am most grateful after the experiences of their first meeting. Instead, he just shows him absolute disregard, and the two attempts Mr. Franzini has made to communicate with Mr. Bowe have resulted in the showman struggling to find his tongue amidst stuttering and twitching. It would be most amusing indeed, were it not for the fact that they will sooner or later have to work together. For now, Mr. Bowe either ignores him entirely, or just stares coolly until such time as the Italian leaves to huddle back into his uncomfortable seat.

  We are now headed back for New England. Until then, I hope this will satisfy your curiosity as to how those you have put such expenditure into are progressing with the tasks assigned them.

  Yours,

  Gregory Conan Watts

  June 5th, 1815

  39º48'N 088º35'W

  My Dearest Cordelia,

  I write in part to keep you up to date upon our progress, though we have hardly yet begun, and in part to clear my own thoughts on varying matters, for though you are not here, you were always ready with good advice. Indeed, when we were but small children, I was always the doubter, while you told me consistently to believe and wonder. And today is such a day where I find myself very much in doubt.

  We have added some most unusual new blood to our company. Firstly, young Mr. Bowe seems to me to be quintessentially an American. His dress is rough, made of thick weaves and leathers for durability. Though these layers do far more to hide his form than display it, he seems very much a straight line in build. A straight brown line, from those odd pointed toe riding boots which he wears at all times, to the dark wide-brimmed hat, such as I have seen men of the local frontier sporting in great numbers, which do a good deal to hide their features. His features, what can be made out easily, are fresh and youthful, with no evidence of his frontier living beyond a deep tan.

  Indeed, I wonder at his age, wavering between some fifteen and seventeen summers most often. For this he is reasonably tall, though not so much as myself, let alone Eddy. Despite the hidden features, he has a way of looking a man in the eye when speaking to him. Judging by those eyes, I always waver to my older estimates, for I have never seen so determined and self-sure a youth. When Sir James speaks, you want to believe him for the infectious charisma of the man, and his every word spreads its fervor to the room beyond him, whereas Sam Bowe is very much his own man, and seemingly uncaring of what anyone else does or believes, but it is hard to imagine him failing.

  Though I have gotten little idea of his build due to his very frontiersman fashion of dress, he cannot possibly be as slight as he might first appear in his height, for he goes about every physical task put to him with such an ease. While he had very few belongings to pack, he moved right to helping the railway men with our bags, and then on to the rest of its carriage, slightly to our own embarrassment. After all, what are such men for if not to tend to the physical laboring so gentlemen do not ne
ed dirty their hands? But when he took up such tasks, he almost seemed to casually toss even full crates well into the cars, and lifted a steamer trunk belonging to some part of the show we had recently attended, and now it seemed had broken up, on his own, hefting the trunk and depositing it into the car at his chest level. Eddy could quite certainly handle such a feat, I am certain, but he is a large and muscular man given to such things, and even he seems somewhat perplexed at our new companion, though the two get on famously, and have done so from the time Sam joined our company.

  Even for the frontier, he is an oddity. For I did overhear some part of a conversation between Eddy and Mr. Bowe, in which Eddy inquired after Mr. Bowe's lack of a gun at his hip. A decoration which is nigh unto universal here, every man west of St. Louis and many of those in it go about armed with at least one flintlock pistol, oftentimes two, and there is no law about such things. As I have noted, America is quite the unusual and often savage-seeming place, and we have not even reached those lands they consider untamed. This habit is one Eddy in particular seems quite taken with, for as you are well aware, his love of firearms knows few bounds. In addition to his usual rifle, Eddy has taken to carrying two pistols on his person most of the time. He has also been quite excited over news that some American has invented an advance beyond the flintlock mechanism, making his guns much more efficient as an instrument for bird hunting. Many locals are curious as to how this development works and waiting for the wonder to spread.

  In any case, Mr. Bowe, who goes about only with a number of survival knives about his person, simply stated that he does not begrudge men who need their firearms, but he has a personal distaste for them for reasons he has not enumerated upon. Despite which, he seems to know how they work, and has discussed the subject at some length with Eddy. The pair also share a passion for hunting, and discuss the subject at length at every opportunity. Apparently their methods somewhat differ, as I would imagine they would have to, given Mr. Bowe's lack of firearms. Precisely how I am not certain, as I lack enough knowledge of such sport to fully keep up with them.

  Sir James, an accomplished rider and hunter himself, has tried to enter these conversations some few times now, but always seems to end up quite at odds with the talk, one of the few times I have ever seen the man at a loss. It seems that the process of hunting from necessity and in preparation for work as a hunter's guide so differs from the gentleman's sport as to be nearly unrecognizable to participants in the latter. I have no experience with either, and so either find other matters to question Sir James about, for he remains quite the conversationalist and wit, or simply listen and try to absorb some kind of detail.

  Though we had to go all the way to St. Louis to find them, the other two new members of our party are Europeans. We found the two traveling as show people with a circus. In particular, they put on a magic act as The Great Franzini and his lovely assistant. They also, I will note, supplemented their income somewhat with playing at cards after the show.

  Giovanni Franzini is a small, thin, dark-haired man. He has been a part of a traveling carnival show for quite some time, and dressed and acted the part. Now that we have been away from show business for a time he has ceased waxing his beard and mustache, and wears his dark hair more free. In the process, now, he is somewhat more approachable. Certainly he has a showman's charm, quick with a joke, clever, definitely observant. He has dozens of stories of his travels and shares them readily. Despite his name, he claims no loyalty to the European alliance. Admittedly, neither does he claim any loyalty to England, but insists that he will do what he is paid to do. Apparently, Lord Donovan felt that someone so well traveled through many civilized areas and familiar with non-English European colonies about the world might be helpful to us. At the very least, he helps pass the time while we travel by train.

  The last is Giovanni's companion, a half-gypsy woman who goes by the name Julietta Penn. Describing her in a way fit for a young woman to read of is quite difficult. To say that she comes across as a woman of low virtues is not quite correct. Indeed, when she wishes to, she has proven she is capable of picture perfect European manners. She can walk and talk like a lady, eat delicately, and is surprisingly well read. However, even her traveling clothes are as revealing as her showgirl outfits, and when she does not feel pressed to be polite, she has a most unladylike sense of humor and a biting wit.

  So far, Sir James and myself are most often at a loss for dealing with her. Sam Bowe and Eddy, on the other hand, have shared more than a few drinks with her. She and Sam had a difficult first meeting, but at least they seem to be warming to one another somewhat. In contrast, having had a similarly difficult beginning, Sam and Giovanni do not seem to have warmed to one another at all, with Sam now primarily ignoring Mr. Franzini, who makes ignoring him easy by avoiding Sam whenever reasonably possible. Indeed, I suspect that part of Miss Penn's pleasure in Sam's company is the discomfort it brings to her traveling companion.

  I likewise know you have an appetite for details of romance and intrigue, dear Cordelia, so at the risk of sounding scandalous, I shall finish this letter with an observation that Miss Penn seems extremely taken with young Mr. Bowe, no matter how much her employer, Mr. Franzini, tries to steer them as far apart as possible. I will report, lest I give the wrong impression, that there are no flirtations involved, and no fans waving nor events for dancing and talk between the sexes. Indeed, the interest is most certainly not shared, for Mr. Bowe has only engaged her in conversation over the aforementioned drinks in company, and seems to have almost as much distaste for her manner of carrying herself as a loose woman as do I, though Mr. Bowe so often departs from civilized ways that I cannot imagine our motivations are the same.

  Rather, it is simply that she speaks to him as she speaks to none of the rest of us, both in tone, and how often she tries to engage his interest. More to the point, there is the way she looks at him, with such intensity and longing. Though she is a woman of no virtues I can name, beyond being well spoken when she chooses to be and surprisingly well educated for her station, she does not look on him as a prostitute looks at a man with a full purse either, else her attention should settle naturally on Sir James.

  No matter how often she is so casually spurned, her gaze does not waver. I am quite positive the woman, who does not have the good grace to hide such a thing, is quite smitten with Mr. Bowe. I am equally certain that Mr. Franzini, whom she treats with the respect due an employer, but no greater fondness, has noticed as well, and is quite jealous of the fact. I can but hope this does not lead to greater trouble, though I am half-certain it will.

  Alas, in my meandering, I almost entirely left my original curiosity. While traveling by railway, there is a great deal of time to pass. In this time, I did approach Mr. Bowe with the certainty he could clear up the matter of his father's travels, surely. While I am now absolutely certain that Dr. Bowe did, indeed, travel to America, as some few of his writings suggested, the rest must surely remain works of fancy. This approach seemed to most perturb young Mr. Bowe, however, who assured me with no room for equivocation that his father is precisely the explorer that he claims to be in his writings.

  The chance to prove this, in fact, seems to be part of what Mr. Toomes offered him in their negotiations at the bar some few days past. While the money may come in useful, he was truly motivated by the possibility of proving beyond any doubt that Dr. Bowe's works are not fiction. I still privately doubt, of course. The boy claims not to have seen his father in some time. Since Dr. Bowe retired from active exploration, in fact, however long ago that may be. Given Sam Bowe's youth, he cannot have gone far with the man even if they journeyed together. I can now imagine that the stories which have so firmly grasped the imaginations of the civilized world about the places still dark upon the map were the bedtime yarns spun for Sam Bowe as a small child, and surely he is just cleaving to them as truth as a piece of his memories of his father, of whom he is quite fond. I admit I have some trouble believing that anyone could so
favor a parent who left them alone at a vulnerable age on so dirty and savage a place as the American frontier, however capable that youth might be, but such seems to be the case.

  Nonetheless, Sam, who would seem the best authority we are likely to get on the matter, is entirely insistent that his father's letters are the literal truth. He states this with such conviction that between Mr. Bowe and Sir James, who continues to seem to believe that if our efforts are sufficient, he can make fiction into fact by sheer act of will, I begin, in my weaker moments, to believe our mission might meet with some success yet. Then I catch myself at such idle dreaming and begin to wonder instead if this place is beginning to drive me quite mad to entertain these notions.

  One other note of Miss Penn that I feel I should report to you. I know you are familiar with a few stories of gypsies and their purported gift for divination through reading of cards. Miss Penn is quite skilled in this carnival trick, and has been offering to do readings for everyone. So far I have, of course, refused. Sam and Eddy seem quite taken by this brand of trickery though. Though there is nothing but training and an ability to read people behind it, I do have to be fair and report she is one of the better I have seen at such tricks, a very capable dramatist to be sure. Given your love of wild tales and mysterious stories, and as much as I would probably once again get in some trouble with your maids and doctors for encouraging such a fancy, I thought I would be remiss if I did not tell you we had a gypsy fortune teller in our midst now.

  Regardless, my love, I am yet optimistic not so much that we will succeed in the manner our employer intends it, but rather with such men as those I travel with, excepting Mr. Franzini, I am certain we will learn a great deal of the unknown parts of the land, and in so doing gain some measure of fame and fortune such that your father will surely agree that I should make him a fine son in law. The next few years cannot pass quickly enough, and you are in my thoughts, always, dear Cordelia.