The Chemickal Marriage

Vandaariff’s massive carriage, pulling forward. Axewith waved his hat, an abject gesture. Chang had not expected Vandaariff to leave.
    ‘But you won’t escape,’ said Foison, ‘because you need to reach him, before the time. And without me you won’t.’
    ‘Then why this diversion?’
    Foison called to Bronque, returning with a cloth pressed to his face. ‘I have spoken to Cardinal Chang, Colonel. He will cooperate.’
    The soldier clearly wanted nothing more than to hack Chang’s head from his shoulders, but a man did not acquire so much gold brocade without learning to swallow his own desire.
    ‘Very well.’ Bronque sniffed wetly, to show he too was willing to begin anew. ‘We’ve spoken to a Michel Gorine. He described Mrs Kraft’s recovery.’
    ‘And where is Gorine now?’ Chang asked.
    ‘He knows nothing he didn’t say.’
    Chang grimaced. ‘Which probably means he said a lot of things he didn’t know.’
    ‘He had every motivation to confess.’ Bronque dabbed at his nose. ‘Under further questioning the story didn’t change. I’m not a fool. The cure was managed by Captain-Surgeon Abelard Svenson. I understand you are acquainted.’
    Mrs Kraft –
that
had been the Contessa’s secret errand: to attain her cure. Could every other victim be so restored? Could Robert Vandaariff himself? This changed everything.
    To Bronque, Chang only shrugged. ‘Where is Svenson now?’
    ‘Not with Mrs Kraft. They were separated in the fire. When Gorine met him, Svenson was caring for a child.’
    ‘What child?’ asked Foison sharply.
    Bronque glared at the interruption. ‘I don’t know – a girl. Dead in the fellow’s arms. Smoke, I believe.’
    ‘The child is
dead
?’
    ‘What can it matter? Do you know her?’
    But Foison had already crossed to his green-coated mercenaries. He spoke low and rapidly. One man broke for a tethered horse, leapt into the saddle and clattered off.
    ‘Is there a problem?’ called Bronque.
    ‘Continue.’
    Displeased at Foison’s evasion, Bronque snapped his fingers at an aide, who brought a map of the city. The soldier bent so the map could be spread across his back.
    ‘We need to know where she’d go to ground.’ Bronque traced a circle with his finger. ‘Now,
these
districts are presently inaccessible because of the fire …’
    Chang was astonished. The area was massive – a full quarter of the city. He tried to figure for wind, but Bronque was ahead of him, sketching the likely path of the blaze and filling in where the authorities – always before neighbourhoods of wealth – had entrenched their resources to prevent its spread.
    ‘She can’t have reached the river, and coach travel is all but impossible.They are thus probably on foot, heading north or east. My own guess would put them
here
.’ Bronque tapped on what Chang knew to be a nest of warehouses. ‘She has wealthy backers – how else does a half-caste operate a place like that? One might easily hide her on his premises –’
    ‘You’re wrong,’ said Chang.
    ‘It makes perfect sense.’
    ‘Only if she wants to hide.’
    ‘Why wouldn’t she?’
    ‘Because she’s been wronged. She’ll want revenge.’
    ‘Just her and a servant?’
    ‘He’s not her servant,’ said Chang. ‘He’s her son. And he could snap your spine like a baguette. No, the question isn’t where they’ve hidden; it’s where they will attack.’
    Bronque considered this, but shook his head. ‘I still can’t see it. I grant her intelligence, but how she can hope, even with this chaos –’
    ‘It depends on whom she blames, doesn’t it?’ Chang turned to Foison. ‘Assume she knows who formed the Cabal behind the blue glass. Any of those names could be a target.’
    Colonel Bronque nodded, again admitting his awareness of this secret history.
    ‘The Comte d’Orkancz is dead,’ observed Foison carefully.
    ‘And Crabbé, and Francis Xonck,’ added Chang. ‘Who else remains?’
    ‘The Italian woman.’
    ‘We don’t know where she is,’ said Bronque.
    But Bronque knew
who
the Contessa was. ‘Madelaine Kraft was invited to Harschmort along with a hundred other guests,’ said Chang. ‘That was where her mind was plundered.’
    ‘Invited by Robert Vandaariff.’ Bronque sighed. ‘If you are right, their destination will be Harschmort House. Which isn’t to say that reaching Harschmort won’t be extremely difficult.’ He peered at the map. ‘I can post men at these crossroads –’
    ‘Do