To London, With Love: Royal Intelligence, #2

To London,

With Love

A Royal Intelligence Novella

By

Dena Garson

To London, With Love

Copyright © 2018 Dena Garson

Edited by Heather Long

Cover art by Desiree DeOrto – Dark Queen Designs

All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-1-945075-11-7 (ebook)

DEDICATION

As always, for my boys.

1

"AND that is why I rarely bother letting mother know when I come back to Carlisle," Colin Stanbury grumbled as he hurried back to the shipping docks. After spending more than an hour listening to endless suggestions about how to find a suitable wife, his mother had proceeded to review her list of possible candidates. Out of all of the ladies she listed, the one name he gave a damn about still didn’t make the cut.

Margaret Ingleton.

Even though Margaret was daughter of one of his mother’s closest friends, Baroness Ingleton, it had never been deemed a good match. He might be the third son to a Viscount, but that didn’t mean he was worthy.

But that was old news.

At least he’d managed to hear how the rest of the family fared before the boring part started.

He glanced at his watch again. He needed to get back to his airship quickly if he was to make his next delivery on time. Unfortunately, his bum knee bothered him today and he hadn’t taken the time to properly lubricate the gears in his mechanical brace before leaving London. His limp was even more pronounced as he hurried back to the docks.

Being a pilot for Panhurst Air Company might seem like menial work but he loved it. It involved very little physical labor since dockworkers managed the on and off loading of goods. Not that he minded getting his hands dirty. Sometimes he pitched in when they were shorthanded. His genteel upbringing and his friendship with Peter, one of the company owners, put him in a position to deliver valuable, easily stolen items like jewels or important documents.

The frequent travel satisfied his wanderlust and his need to get away from his mother’s constant interference. How either of his older brothers remained at Rockcliffe, the family estate, and stayed sane, he’d never know.

When he finally reached the docks, he checked in with the dock master to ensure everything had been prepared while he’d been away.

Aye. Williams and Sons picked up the shipment about quarter after. The dock master reported. "We refueled The Windsail and checked her lines. Everything reported in satisfactory condition. You’re good to go. Just check in with the office for a launch time."

Will do. Colin tipped his hat. Thanks.

Oh, one more thing, the dock master’s shout stopped him short. There was a young lady looking for you.

A young lady? Colin frowned. Did she give a name?

No. Right proper thing. I sent her to the office to keep her off the docks.

Colin gestured that he’d heard and headed toward the office. Who would come looking for him here? Only Panhurst and his mother knew he would be in town.

He checked in at the desk and asked about the lady, but they indicated no one had come looking for him. Shrugging it off as a mistake, he obtained his launch time then headed to The Windsail.

He completed his usual checks of the ship then settled in his chair to wait.

Despite his efforts to block it out, his mother’s voice echoed in his head. He was wasting his life flying around in a balloon. He wasn’t getting any younger. He needed to settle down, marry, and provide them with grandchildren to dote on.

Why was she harping on him? He had two older brothers for that.

He’d come to the conclusion long ago that any woman who satisfied his mother’s requirements as a wife would never make him happy. So why bother? Besides, what woman would want a man who was half crippled?

He checked his pocket watch. Five minutes until launch. He flipped the switch on the engine to heat the air in the balloon. The rope net encasing the balloon creaked as the gray fabric stretched. According to Peter, the increased temperature enabled the ship to rise.

He and Peter Wadeworth had been at university together. The science behind airship travel had always fascinated Peter. So much that he designed two of the company’s newest ships, including The Windsail. Colin preferred the mechanical aspects of the ship engines. He also liked being able to make repairs when things went awry without waiting for help.

When he received his signal from the dock master, Colin adjusted the dials and levers on the control desk and slowly navigated The Windsail up and away.

Take off was always a moment of tension and exhilaration. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of things that could go wrong with a launch. But you couldn’t beat the view of the city shrinking away below.

As soon as he reached the height he wanted, he leveled out the ship and checked his compass against his maps. Normally it would take a couple of hours to reach