‘Well, she does want to find her brother, and running into us was a stroke of luck, but she definitely has feelings for George.’
‘Feelings? Like that one you get when you put your keys down and can’t quite remember where?’
‘You know what I mean.’
‘I do.’
‘And you can stop projecting this onto anyone else’s situation.’
‘Are you thinking of anyone in particular?’
‘Yes.’
‘I see.’ He nudged this around for a moment. ‘Heavy-duty valve, this, wouldn’t you say?’
‘I’d say that you know a heavy-duty steam valve when you see one.’ She looked at him and he tried not to show that he was aware of her scrutiny. He instantly felt awkward, as he always did when she studied him. Mainly it was because when she did, he immediately tried to make every movement impressive – or at least acceptable – to her, resulting in self-consciousness. He started to monitor every gesture, every facial expression, every word, and ending up being critical about himself because he wasn’t better than he was.
It was a shortcut to complete madness. He was glad when she spoke. ‘Have you worked out what this machine does?’
He stood and wiped his hands together. ‘You’ve noticed that it’s different from the one we captured?’
‘I’ve noticed enough to know it’s different, but not how.’
‘I have some idea, but we may have to see it in action before I can work it out fully.’
‘Hmm.’
‘You obviously haven’t found Dr Tremaine. Or Sophie’s brother.’
‘Théo? It’s proved a little more difficult than we imagined.’
‘We could have helped, you know. If you’d waited.’
‘I thought you wouldn’t. Not part of the mission.’
‘Some missions don’t always go as planned.’ He winced as he remembered another mission that had definitely gone awry.
‘So if I had waited, you would have come with us?’
‘Was there any real doubt?’
Caroline stiffened. ‘I’ve jeopardised our mission.’
‘Let’s just say you showed extraordinary initiative. I’m sure that’s what’s going in the report.’
‘But I didn’t pay any attention. I was headstrong, with him so close, or so I thought, I had to do something, after what he did to my father, I couldn’t...’
‘Caroline?’
‘Yes?’
‘You’re babbling.’
Her eyes widening, she put a hand to her mouth. ‘Oh.’
‘Never mind. It happens to the best of us.’ Aubrey turned away.
Caroline was eminently sensible, which was one of the many things Aubrey loved about her. Of course, she was eminently non-sensible at times and he loved that too. And her stubborn, contrary, froward ways.
His jaw dropped. When did I start using the ‘love’ word?
‘Did I say something, Aubrey? You look as if you’re getting ready to swallow a pumpkin.’
He shook his head mutely.
She held up a hand. ‘I think George and Sophie have had enough time for their reconciliation. Then we can see what we can do about our triple objectives.’
‘Triple?’
‘Finding Dr Tremaine. Finding Théo. Going home.’
George was looking rather pleased with himself, and he seemed a few inches taller as well. Aubrey had the notion that his friend was probably bulletproof, at least for a while. Sophie was made of energy, taking notes as George described the controls of one of the golem machines.
‘I haven’t seen any golems around here, old man,’ George said when Aubrey and Caroline appeared from behind the machine block.
‘They could have been shopped out,’ Sophie said. ‘Shipped out. They may be building more.’
Noises from the entrance end of the factory could only mean one thing. Aubrey gazed at the machines with longing. He would love to have a few days, a few weeks to plumb their intricacies, but...
‘We have to go.’
‘We cannot,’ Sophie said, distressed. ‘Not without Théo.’
Caroline took her arm. ‘We won’t leave without finding him.’
‘But where?’ George asked. ‘We’ve been looking, and so have you...’
Caroline caught Aubrey’s eye. ‘We need to share our findings.’
‘Excellent idea,’ Aubrey said. ‘Superb. I’ll just ask these Holmland gentlemen who are approaching for a place we can use for a plenary session.’
Caroline smiled. ‘We found somewhere, Aubrey. This way.’
Which is how Aubrey found himself with his friends, safe and secure in the belly of a giant concrete elephant.
Twenty-seven
Exiting the factory was a matter of careful slinking. This was assisted by the arguing going on in the ranks of first Holmlanders to re-enter. Accusations accompanied finger-pointing among Holmland officers and Aubrey was relieved to hear that the argument centred about the way the fire alarms were unreliable and subject to misuse.
Caroline and Sophie flitted from pillar to press to stamping machine, neatly avoiding the soldiers and white coats who were generally relaxed, giving every sign of having enjoyed the break. Aubrey and George followed as best as they could.
The giant concrete animals were in the garden behind the original building. Aubrey imagined that in the past they’d been brightly painted and impressive, but neglect had left them weather-beaten and sad, despite their monumental size. Once upon a time, these beasts were marvelled at, gazed at in awe, but they had come upon hard times. Paint flaked from a lion the size of a small bungalow. The giraffe could peer into the third story of the buildings around it, but the only colour it had left was a patch of yellow on its rump. The zebra, the crocodile, the elephant and the rest of the stony menagerie stood in their grey loneliness, doing their best to be dignified.
They were huge, and the – artist, sculptor, construction engineer? – had gone to some pains to make them as jolly as possible. All of the animals had seen better days, but Aubrey could see how they once would have charmed children. The elephant was enormous, twice the size of a real beast, but the small skull-cap (once crimson) gave it a jaunty rather than a formidable air. The other animals had similar embellishments, which removed any hint of danger and replaced it with jollity.
Some effort had been given to the maintenance of the gardens. The lawn was well kept, the flower beds sported mature rose bushes, and waist-high box hedges divided the area into distinct regions, with benches so weary strollers could rest and admire the preposterous concrete animals.
They used the hedges for cover until they reached the tree trunk legs of the elephant. ‘This way,’ Caroline said.
Without hesitating, she jumped straight up and seized an iron rung that was set in the leg, a few feet over their heads. Aubrey gaped as she climbed ten feet before clinging by one arm and using a slim tool to open the locked trapdoor in the belly of the elephant.
Sophie looked at George. ‘Please?’
He smiled, then took her by the waist and lifted her to the first rung.
Soon, they were gathered inside the concrete elephant, trap door shut, the only light coming through the glass panels that were its eyes.
‘Has anyone anything to eat?’ George asked.
The interior of the elephant was capacious, as large as a room. Aubrey could stand upright, and even George had headroom. It wasn’t, however, cosy. The concrete was bare, uncomfortable to sit on and smelled of mildew – but it did provide them with a good view down the length of the garden and out over the parade ground toward the barracks.