Free Summer of the Moon Flower (The de Vargas Family) by Annie Seaton Page B

airship for the short journey across the English
Channel to the manor house in Cornwall.
    The old man held her arms and looked at her
closely. “As usual you are working too hard. You have shadow under your eyes,
Sofia.”
    “The season has been very busy and business
from the colonies is growing,” she replied with a smile. The Grimoults had
looked out for both her and Indio after their father had been murdered in the
Amazon jungle.
    “And the other business?” he asked softly.
    “There has been a problem,” she answered.
“I believe the information sent from Captain Thoreau was a set-up. We are
obviously being watched so I have taken the utmost care. Ernst is working at
the laboratory alone and we have stopped all shipments for the time being.”
    “And I am sure there is a reason for your
holiday to Schladming with the boys…apart from being a loving aunt?”
    Sofia reached down and handed her carpet
bag to Mr. Grimoult. “Yes, we are going to have some walks in the alpine summer
and who knows we may even come across some botanicals. It will be a good experience
for the boys.”
    Mr. Grimoult rolled his eyes. “Those
scallywags. Quite honestly, their behavior has been appalling and they need to
be taken in hand. Captain Thoreau and madam are both so strong-willed, they can
never agree on a suitable consequence for the two lads and they are becoming
wilder by the day.” He put out his hand and assisted Sofia up the steps of the
dirigible. “A week with the calm influence of their aunt will do them no end of
good.”
    “I am looking forward to it.” Sofia smiled.
“As I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with my dear sister…and
Captain Thoreau of course.”
    She settled into her seat and closed her
eyes as Mr. Grimoult prepared the airship for ascent. Thoughts of Dougal
flitted through her mind and she wondered if he would write to her as he had
promised when he had come to bid her farewell two days ago. He had been quite
withdrawn and although her heart had raced when he took her hand and kissed it
farewell, she doubted she would hear from him again. Although it had been very
kind of him to visit her, he had been distant. The mistruth he had told her
about having being married to the strange woman they had fitted in the salon,
had been peculiar and she could still see no reason for it.
    A strange interlude, a pleasant kiss and
she would not see him again.
    There was much to do and much to plan and
she would put the handsome earl out of her thoughts.
    The journey was pleasant and the sky was
clear as they approached the manor house. The dirigible passed over Castle
Lorcathian, the home of her sister’s arch enemy, Duke Lorca. It would not be
surprising to her if he had somehow been involved in the conveying in the
recent misinformation conveyed to Captain Thoreau in his capacity as Sheriff of
Cornwall.
    Sofia stood and looked down at the sloping
green grass at the cliff top. She smiled—Indigo’s holiday biomes were in the
distance and there was a welcoming party gathered on the lawn. Although perhaps
gathered was not the correct term. The four boys raced around and Indigo’s voice
floated up to her as she called the boys back from the edge of the cliff.
    To no avail.
    Sofia watched with mounting horror as a toy
dirigible inflated at the edge of the cliff and Ruan, the youngest, egged on by
his older brothers, grabbed the trailing ladder as it ascended. His little feet
left the ground and his screams of delight reached their airship as he climbed
higher and higher above the cliffs.
    “You bring your brother down immediately,
Jago Thoreau.” Indigo’s cross voice carried up to Sofia. “Right this instant.”
    Sofia craned forward and followed the
direction in which Mr. Grimoult was pointing. Jago held some sort of device in
his hand and was pointing it at the toy dirigible. As he lifted it, the small airship
rose and when it was lowered, Ruan’s feet almost touched the ground.
    “Last