The Private Diary of Elizabeth Quatermain, Vol. V: Tartan Holiday

by Lady Norbert

A/N: Now...summer is upon me and my duties elsewhere have finally slackened off sufficiently that I can WRITE THIS. Let's just see how many chapters I can bang out while I'm hot! On to Bohemia -- and thank you again for your patience.

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30 June 1900

The Sword of the Ocean left the docks of London this morning, as planned. Nemo has deemed it will be most expedient to follow the Channel up into the North Sea, around the northeastern edges of mainland Europe; we will enter the mainland through Hanover, which is ruled by one of Queen Victoria's relations through her elder half-brother Charles, in the region known as Bremen. It is not a great distance by an ordinary ship, and the Nautilus will make it shorter still. He estimates that we should reach the shores of Bremen sometime tomorrow evening. From there the expedition will move south and west past Brandenburg and Westphalia; the Weser River will carry the submersible down into Thuringia, where it is renamed the Werra, and from there we will travel overland into Bohemia proper. The King and Queen, as reported in some of the documents which Nemo received from Mr. Mycroft Holmes, have a small summer palace in the northern reaches of the realm, and this is where they can be found at the present time. They have been, according to Mr. Holmes, alerted to our imminent arrival and we may expect a cordial reception.

Little Jonathan will remain aboard the vessel, and there has been some discussion about who shall have charge of him in Henry and Mina's absence. It seems this will now be at the forefront of all of our planning as regarding our missions and expeditions, for we have heretofore never had anyone younger than myself to occupy our attention. Even Nemo has expressed concern over leaving the child in the care of his men; while they are good-hearted and true, and we should have no fears for Jonathan's safety as regards anyone attempting to bring harm to the boy, he says that few if any have any experience in the care of a small child, and they have enough of their own tasks to oversee without the added duty of watching him.

As it stands, we have sufficient work to occupy ourselves for at least part of the journey. Our trunks must be packed and ourselves ready to depart the ship at the moment we dock. The horse-drawn carriages Nemo had purchased for our trip to Scotland have been brought along, and once in Thuringia we will arrange to purchase some horses. With the curtains drawn we should be able to make our way through the country without attracting much attention, and to aid us in this we carry official documents, including a letter from King Wilhelm of Bohemia, identifying us as ambassadors of the English Queen.

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2 July 1900

We reached the shores of Hanover last night, as anticipated, though we did not surface for some time; there was a rather nasty storm in the area and it seemed wiser to remain below the water. Over dinner we continued our discussion of what is to be done with Jonathan, and I was much surprised by the decision.

"I mean to stay here," Mina informed us, "and look after him myself. I can't think you'll be in particular need of my talents on this portion of the adventure, whereas Jonathan will most certainly need me." A glance at Henry told us that he had been forewarned of his wife's intentions, and while it could hardly be said that he seemed pleased at the notion of leaving her behind, he did appear to agree that it was for the best. I am inclined to agree, though I daresay I shall miss Mina. For someone who initially impressed me as cold, forbidding, and not altogether kindly, she has secured a definite place in my affections.

We anticipate that it should take only perhaps two or three days more to journey downriver into Thuringia. Until we reach the river's end, our time aboard the ship will afford us the usual amusements. I must admit that when we are away from the Nautilus, I am like Nemo in one respect at least; I pine for her too, in my own way.

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5 July 1900

The carriages, I have just been informed, are standing ready and a pair of strong chestnuts have been purchased to pull each of them. The first shall carry Nemo and Henry, and most of our crewman escort; the second is for myself, Rodney, Tom, and Alexandra. Thank goodness there will be conversation to keep us entertained, and I daresay there is always the option of a card game or two. I am not prone to gambling, but a few hands of whist is never unacceptable for a lady. I am given to understand that Henry, amusingly, has procured a copy of A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson's first story of the exploits of the famous detective, and plans to read it aloud during the journey in order to keep Nemo and the men from growing too restless.

I must return this diary to my trunk and make ready to depart. I am uncertain as to when I shall next be able to write, but I think we will be spending nights in proper establishments, so there should be opportunities at least at the end of each day.

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9 July 1900

Well, it was my intention to write in the evenings of the journey, but truthfully, there has been little to report. Our passage is going well, as the weather has been of a thoroughly congenial sort, and the German countryside is very beautiful. There are so many mountains! And everything is so very green!

We are presently in the kingdom of Saxony, which is the immediate northern neighbor of Bohemia. Another three days of travel, Nemo says, should bring us to His Majesty's doorstep. I suspect Alex is in a nervous state about making an actual appearance at court; she has never done so. Of course I myself have only been at court once, for my formal presentation, but I recently learned that Alex never did have a debutante season.

"Mother didn't find it entirely...necessary," she said, in response to my gentle inquiry. "So I've never even seen a member of the royal family, except in parades and that sort of thing."

To be fair, I think we are all more than a little anxious about meeting the King, with the probable exception of Nemo who is, after all, a prince in his own right. Then again, Tom does not seem altogether ruffled by the notion either. I have been teasing him, delicately, that Americans are afraid of nothing; really, it is simply that they have no royalty of their own, and do not bend the knee to any other crowned head. Besides, Tom is a direct subordinate to the President of the United States, so he is rather accustomed to interacting with important personages.

Communication has been somewhat difficult, as none of us speak much German; ironically, Mina -- the one member of the League who is not here -- does understand a good deal of the language, thanks to her prior association with Professor Van Helsing. We know that the King and Queen speak very good English, if heavily accented, but the same cannot be said for all of their countrymen. With what reliable interpreters we have been able to meet, however, we have made some discreet inquiries about Mr. Sherlock Holmes. If what we are told is to be believed, no one matching his description has been seen in Thuringia. It may be so; according to what his brother told us about his planned itinerary, the younger Holmes meant to go directly west from Bohemia, then north through Belgium to the Netherlands, and board his ship back to England at Amsterdam. The question is, then, at what point in the journey did he divert from his intended path? And why?