Free Ether & Elephants by Cindy Spencer Pape

Wink waved her hand at the machine, then patted the top of the brass input board with its gleaming black keys. “I upgraded this beauty just yesterday. She’s got way more power than any ordinary engine.”
    “And?” Nell gazed into her sister’s hazel eyes. They glinted with excitement. Wink had found something.
    “Aaand,” Wink said, “four of those five involve women whose given names begin with the letter P . One is Polly, one Pauline, a Paulette and a Penelope. All four men, including Tom, have their occupation listed as Student.”
    Nell set down the handset of the telephone and swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “That’s an awful coincidence. Surnames?”
    Wink sighed. “Barclay, which we knew. Burlington, Bourne and Barker.”
    All the same initials. Nell’s head spun. “Do we know if the same vicar performed the ceremonies?”
    Wink snorted. “Not from here. The thing is, the special licenses have only just been added to our engine databases. England has a long history and a lot of records. It will be years before they’re all available to search by machine, even though we do have typewriting clerks working on it all over the country.”
    Nell’s fingers shook, so she clenched them in her lap. “And the birth records?”
    “Not yet. The machine is searching. There are dozens of parishes close enough to Cambridge that he needn’t have been christened in the same one where the marriage was held—assuming he was christened, or his birth at least recorded by a doctor or midwife. I’m looking for a Charles, any last name, born within a year to either side of Charlie’s estimated birthday. There are a lot, so we’ll have to sort through those results by hand. I’m thinking we can narrow it down to mothers with the initials P. and B.”
    “Can I help?”
    The two women swirled to see Roger standing in the doorway. How had he snuck up on them without Nell hearing? And how much had he heard?
    “I feel rather superfluous, since the men all left without me this morning. Even Sir Fergus appears to have gone along on the search.”
    Neither woman wanted to mention that Melody’s father was still an active Knight, despite being in his fifties. Instead, Wink beamed. “As soon as the machine prints out the list, you certainly can. A good analytical mind shouldn’t be wasted. I was wishing our brother Piers was here to pitch in.” She turned to Nell. “I’ll start looking for the marriage records for those four licenses. I’d like to see if the same vicar was involved.”
    Nell smiled weakly as Roger took a seat at Melody’s workbench and tucked a pencil behind his ear. “Do you think it’s a coincidence that while we’re out looking for a lost boy, two others should turn up missing? Although I don’t see how they could possibly be connected.” His brow furrowed.
    “Coincidences do happen,” Wink said, her fingers moving on the keys. “After all, you turned up here on the very day the house is full of useful people.”
    Nell snorted. “Yes, but I did know about the party, plus Tom and I both knew that Melody and Victor could at least contact headquarters and the rest of you. I don’t think I trust this other coincidence. Papa is working on something in London that also involves missing children. He wondered if Charlie’s disappearance could be related.” That much, Roger already knew. She wasn’t giving away Order secrets.
    “And isn’t it a coincidence that so many members of your family and the MacKays apparently work for the same branch of the Home Office?” Roger lifted a brow behind his spectacles.
    “Not exactly,” Nell said. “They tend to recruit from within. Later, I’ll have Papa give you the full explanation. For now, just trust us, if you can.”
    He smiled softly. “For you, darling, anything.” He accepted the printout Wink handed over and took his pencil from behind his ear. “Now, what am I looking for?”
    So far, Roger had seemed perfectly at ease with her