TIME MACHINE CHAPTER TWENTY
Ben awoke next morning, hugged Dylan close, then called softly into the next room:
"Lucius?"
No reply.
"He'll be worn out" Dylan said easily.
"I'll get him up, I thought he might like a walk in Regent's Park, there might be a band playing."
Dylan pulled a face; he hated Victorian music especially the 'jolly' bits.
Ben was gone a few moments then came rushing back, his face panic-stricken.
"He's gone, Dylan, I've looked in every room."
"Hey, calm down, crazy man, he'll be in the garden playing with that kitten he's taken a shine to. Little tabby b*st*rd that it is" Dylan added hastily in case Ben thought he'd gone soft.
But when they reached the garden, the kitten was playing alone.
They held a conference in Miss Seabrook's parlour.
"Did you say anything to upset the little lad? Kiddies are so predictable", Miss Seabrook suggested.
"No, we were all in a good mood, especially me and Jess because of our news" Ethan refuted that idea.
Ben suddenly went white and said:
"Oh God…"
Miss Seabrook was too concerned about Lucius to reprimand Ben for blaspheming.
"You might have noticed, Miss Seabrook, that Lucius has a fondness for Ancient Roman history. He… he mentioned once that unwanted babies were taken into the mountains to die, and he must have thought… he'll have run away to save your baby, Jess."
There was no hatred in Ben's voice, he was just wearily stating a fact.
Dylan put his head in his hands, and then his hands in his pockets. He felt the card from yesterday.
"Miss Seabrook, could I possibly use your telephone?"
"Ben. Don't go mad… yesterday I was approached by a man when we were all split up for a while. He… er…liked me and gave me his card."
Ben wondered if Dylan was confessing to an affair, but he couldn't care less right now.
"I just called him; he's putting a posse of friends together to help search for Lucius."
Ben looked at him sadly.
"Whatever it takes."
Evelyn turned up in a short while with his friend the earl of Crabtree.
"We should split up for a better search; Ben, you and Dylan should come with us. Caleb, Ethan, Jessica, do the West End area, we'll do the East End. Constance and Rita, would you mind staying here so that there's somebody to greet Lucius if he's found?"
Nobody had ever told Connie to stay home before, but this was an emergency. She did, however, suggest:
"With Jess's condition, maybe she should stay here with Rita?"
"Okay." It was no time to be quibbling.
Lucius hoped he could find somewhere to sleep before nightfall. He was scared.
He saw a boy wandering along eating an apple.
"Hey, kid? You hungry?"
"I'm fine now thank you, but do you know where I could get a job? I need to earn my living."
"It just so happens I do" the sly-looking boy said, "Follow me. And don't let Mr Self or Lenny know you're scared of them."
Lucius trotted innocently after the boy.
Lucius climbed down the steps that led to the cellar. At the bottom of the stairs were a group of boys who stared rudely at him, and sitting in the corner, a rough-looking man and an older one.
"You're a small boy. Are you used to hard work?"
"Oh yes Sir!"
"I'm looking for a clever boy. What's your name?"
"Lucius."
The other boys began to jeer and catcall.
"Hoo! LOO-shus!"
"Shut up before I take my strap to all of you. You're a little runt, aren't you, kid?"
"I can work, I tell you!" Lucius burst out, annoyed that Self was staring at him.
A blow sent him sprawling.
"Lenny" a girl's voice cut in, "He's new. He's scared."
Kind brown eyes looked into his.
"I'm Sam – Samantha, that is. Do you like sausage?"
Lucius did.
"How about a sausage and some nice bread and butter, and a mug of tea?"
"Yes please."
Up to now the West End posse hadn't had much luck. Then Cal remembered the theatre and the melodrama.
"Wait for me, I want to talk to the leading lady."
"You're always accusing me of thinking about my gut, but now you're thinking about your…" Ethan was outraged.
But there was method in Cal's madness.
Five minutes later he came running out with the lady who played Velicia.
She stood outside the theatre and declaimed:
"Ladies and gentlemen, a small boy is lost. He's seven years old and his name is Lucius. Seven years old and lost in London! He's small, has dark hair and blue eyes. His guardians are grieving for him! Mothers – fathers – I appeal to you. Please help these good people find their sweet little boy!"
By the time she'd finished talking, at least two more hansom cabs had joined in the search.
"Now, let's show Lucius how we play our little game."
Guy Self's voice was oily.
The boys re-enacted a scene where an innocent passer- by is waylaid and robbed.
Lucius could stand no more.
"You're thieves! You train boys to steal, don't you?"
He'd seen enough of that in ancient Rome. And how the boys who were caught had been strung up without a trial.
Guy Self's fist came towards his face. Samantha stood between them and was knocked unconscious. Slowly, Guy saw sense.
"You're not cut out for this, are you, lad? Never mind. Lenny will take you back to the river so you can find somebody else to work for."
Much later, Lenny guided Lucius through the streets. The brick in his bag would make sure the small boy didn't blab about the gang.
Meanwhile, the East End posse had a stroke of luck in their search. A sad-faced but attractive man was walking aimlessly through the streets. Since he'd lost Mary Kelly, Frederick Abberline had little to live for.
He wandered into the road without thinking, and heard somebody shout:
"Oh Sir, look out!"
"Sorry, Sir, my fault entirely. I should know better as a policeman" he explained to Ben.
"A policeman? Oh Sir, please can you help us; our ward has run away and we need to get him back…"
Ben explained the situation, omitting the part about the time travel and he and Dylan being gay. Not that Abberline would have judged them.
"If you have room for one more in the cab, Sirs, I'll gladly help your search. Oh, not to frighten you, but I usually travel with this."
He showed a small pistol. Far from being frightened, the other occupants in the cab were vastly relieved.
Abberline's gently probing questions soon uncovered a strong lead. On being asked where Lucius liked to go most in London, the Thames was mentioned. Cal and Ethan's posse had the same idea and headed in that direction.
Lenny kept cracking jokes as he walked, to ease Lucius's mind. Not that Lenny cared too much about the state of the kid's mind, to him kids were either good gang members or a waste of space.
"We'll have a little walk by the river."
"Oh I love the Thames" Lucius enthused.
Good, you'll soon be in it with your skull smashed, thought Lenny.
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