Page 67 of The Girl Out of Time
“Bellerophon,” Theo finished. “Mythological hero, son of Poseidon.”
“And what’s this:before you tie the knot…” Her stomach churned. “A wedding? Is she saying that before my wedding, I have to do something? Or that I shouldn’t …”
“May I?” Theo pointed to the note, and she handed it to him.
They walked for a bit, him frowning over the paper, Emmeline repeating the last two lines in her head. Cleanse the rot before she got married? What on Earth was Lady Scarlet trying to tell her?
“It’s a ship,” Theo exclaimed. “The knot and the rot. She means the cleaning of the barnacles off a ship’s bottom. They make the ship drag and can even cause corrosion. The knot, I assume, is a general reference to support the ship clue—sailor’s knots, and all that.”
“But why would that point to a ship?”
“Becauseshehas slain the chimera.” Theo lifted his gaze to her. “HMSBellerophon. The pride of the British Navy.”
That name sounded familiar. “How do you know it?”
Theo scratched the back of his neck. “It’s the ship that sank ours.”
Emmeline formed an ‘O’ with her mouth.
“We encountered it in the Channel, during the storm. She must’ve been running a blockade.”
Emmeline jumped as the memory came back to her. “Louisa!”
“I’m sorry?”
“Louisa told me—HMSBellerophonis the ship that picked up Bonaparte after Waterloo. Before they exiled him, they took him to Plymouth. The ship was docked there for several days, with him on board. Louisa tried her best to convince the duchess to let her go see it. To no avail, of course.”
“I’d call a seaside town a ‘fair view.’” Theo stroked his chin. “Lady Scarlet might want us to go there.”
“But that’s at least a day away.”
“Two, probably, and back.”
Emmeline swallowed. “I don’t have the time. The duchess …”
“I understand.”
“And theBellerophonisn’t even there anymore. It sailed weeks ago. I could attempt to send us back in time to when it was there—”
“She says we don’t need to do any more time travel. TheBellerophonmight be just a hint to the location. Plymouth. But we’re actually looking for a ship that’s being careened there, or dry docked, in order to clear off the barnacles.”
Emmeline could only stare at him. “You’re brilliant.”
A slight blush rose on his cheeks. “You helped, a lot.”
“So we go to Plymouth,” she said before she could process her own words.
When? She was getting married in five days. There was no way the duchess would let her leave, and no good way to explain it, either. And afterward …
Afterward, she’d be a married woman. What was she going to do—ask Daniel to accompany her and her fake servant to a treasure hunt?
“I’ll go,” Theo said. “Lady Scarlet knows us both. I can do this. I’ll tell her you couldn’t make it and, if she wants to, arrange for another meeting you can attend. You have things to do.”
Her stomach tied into knots. “Are you sure?”
“You’re still my employer,” he said. “All you have to do is send me on an errand.”
She slumped her shoulders. It was the most prudent thing to do. “All right. I’ll ask if they can prepare a carriage for you.”
