Mission: Improper: London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy Read Free Page B

for the pair of you to join us?"
    They staggered apart with a start of surprise. The Duke of Malloryn stood in the doorway, both hands holding the doors wide open, and from the look on Byrnes's face she hadn't been the only one taken unawares.
    Which was almost unforgivable, considering the two of them had the greatest hunting senses of anyone in the house.
    "Of course." Ingrid recovered smoothly. "After you, your Grace."
    Malloryn's icy gaze raked over the pair of them, “This had better not become a problem.”
    “Of course not,” Ingrid replied.
    “Because if it does….” Malloryn didn’t need to add anything else as he turned to head back to the library.
    And she needed this job too much to disobey.
    "Revenge is going to be very sweet," Byrnes whispered in her ear as he brushed past.
    She followed him, feeling that little thrill tingling through her blood, unable to stop herself from whispering, "Just remember: two can play at that game."
    Malloryn shot them both a cool glance as they entered the library, but Ingrid merely smiled and took a seat next to a young woman with blond curls, who looked at Byrnes, and then at her with a slightly shocked expression.
    "Ladies," Malloryn called, taking the center of the room. "Gentlemen. May we begin?"
----
    " A s you all know ," Malloryn said, standing with easy authority by the wall, "three years ago the prince consort was overthrown by his queen and society went through quite an upheaval. Humans and mechs had their rights restored"—this with a tip of the head to the burly Kincaid—"and Echelon society was changed forever."
    "Aye," said Kincaid. "Bluebirds fuckin' sang, and everybody lived happily ever after. 'Til the Packenham Riots, and the burnings in Manchester, and the disappearances in Begby Square."
    Malloryn smiled. It wasn't friendly at all. "Like I said, everything has changed. Some changes have been well received. Some have not. The queen and the ruling Council of Dukes would like to think that Britain is on its way to greatness but others seem not to hold that same opinion. That's why this team has been called together.
    "Someone in particular means to cause trouble for the monarchy and they're using the populace to do so. The Packenham Riots weren't just circumstance. Someone murdered that poor young mech and before her blood had even cooled, there were pamphlets being circulated in the streets, which makes me think it was planned. I want to get to the bottom of who is stirring trouble before another riot breaks loose. And that's where all of you come in."
    "I had friends as died in the Packenham Riots," Kincaid said. "Why should I help you? Your Echelon used your Cyclops war machines to mow down half the mob that day."
    "A mistake, in hindsight," Malloryn admitted. "And you're not helping me . I don't even particularly want you on this team. You're a hothead and I don't entirely trust you, but you came highly recommended by my friend the Duchess of Casavian, and I need someone with a particular skill set that's hard to find. You fit that description."
    "And what’s in it for me?" Kincaid demanded.
    "For you? A comfortable wage and the help of one of my best inventors for that project you've been working upon,” Malloryn replied. "Someone who has recently passed his Bio-mech examinations with the Royal Mechanics Society.”
    Kincaid reeled back as if struck and Byrnes sipped his blud-wein. Bio-mechanics dealt directly with the application of mechanical limbs and organs that were fused directly to a man or woman’s flesh as if they were one. Oh, there were cruder mech limbs in circulation, but only those within the Royal Society knew how to deal with the process called fusion.
    Which meant that Kincaid needed some sort of limb or organ that crude mechwork couldn’t cover, and was shocked to realize that Malloryn knew of it. For himself though? Or someone he knew?
    Bio-mech was ridiculously expensive. If Malloryn could gift that so negligently, then what