Evie's Adventures in Africa

Danger and a stolen secret drive Evie into the heart of Africa. a 2016 Quill Award winner.

Prologue

Bombay, India. 1856

Evie slipped out of the back entrance of the Colonel's quarters, and with a quiet snick of the latch, the door closed. Her father would never know that she had gone out.

She raced across the compound in her bare feet, kicking up the brown dust that so many boots had ground into a fine powder. It made her already tanned skin look even darker.

She headed for the coolness and comfort of the nearby sandalwood trees, where she could spend time with the rhesus monkeys that she had grown so fond of ever since she first learned of their presence.

The monkeys, as was their custom, greeted her by showering her with leaves and pelting her with twigs from the trees. She giggled and laughed as she spun around and around with her arms held out at her sides. When she had become completely dizzy, she stopped. Her curly, ebony hair looked as if someone had draped a veil over her head.

Evie collapsed on her favorite fallen log and picked the leaves and twigs out of her hair.

"I am certainly glad to see all of you, too," she said in a merry voice. "I have not been away that long, you know. It was only yesterday." In response, a young male she had affectionately named Teddy began jumping up and down on the branch he was standing on. A new shower of leaves and twigs fell on her. She named the monkey after her brother because he reminded her of him and his playful nature.

"Teddy, stop doing that! Now, look at what you have done. I am completely covered in leaves, again." Teddy put on his happiest, wide-mouthed grin and rolled back and forth across the branch.

"Well, now, if you keep showing off, I might not come by tomorrow." The monkey stopped in mid-roll as if he understood her. "I thought as much," Evie chided.

There was one rhesus monkey that looked exactly like her father's Staff Sergeant—right down to his khaki-colored uniform. Even the large male's demeanor reminded her of the sergeant.

"Hello, Staff Sergeant," she called out to the primate. Chattering loudly, the monkey dressed down a young male by poking at him with a small branch that he had stripped of leaves. For every step the younger monkey took backward, the Staff Sergeant took two towards him. Soon, he was hovering over the ill-fated "private."

"Well done, Staff Sergeant. Well done, indeed," she laughed. "My father would wholeheartedly approve."

In the smartest military manner, the Staff Sergeant tucked the branch under his arm and marched off looking for another hapless victim. When Evie saw that, she fell off her log, laughing uncontrollably.

When she finally caught her breath and wiped the tears from her eyes, she gasped, "I am certainly glad my father cannot see me in the state I am in. I shudder to think what he would say."

"He might say that you should conduct yourself in a manner befitting a Colonel's daughter," a very ominous, male voice said.

Evie jumped to her feet, spun around, and tried to brush off the leaves and twigs from her hair. It was a look that was not befitting a Colonel's daughter. Evie was quite sure it was not befitting even a private's daughter, let alone the commanding officer's daughter.

"Father, I was, um... Well, no, I cannot explain my behavior. All I can say is—"

Just then, several sandalwood nuts pinged off her father's pith helmet. When she saw her father's raised eyebrow and stern look, she swallowed the giggle that had been building in her throat.

He took out his pocket watch, opened it, and noted the time. "I believe it is tea time, and I would appreciate your company, Evangeline. Please, make yourself presentable and meet me back at our quarters."

Performing a smart about-face, he left Evie trying to catch up.

Chapter 1

Middlesex, England. 1864

"Have a pleasant day, Sir," the rider sang out.

Theodore McKnight waved absently in reply. The gravel crunched under his feet, but he was too busy to notice. He was absorbed in looking over the mail the post rider had brought from London.

A scowl crossed his face as he sorted through the letters. It was from the newly formed British Secret Intelligence Service.

His pace slowed until, at last, he came to a stop altogether. The flap on his coat made his fingers itch as he moved it out of the way to stuff the bundle of mail into the pocket. Bits of red wax lodged under his fingernail as he picked at the seal that held the envelope closed. Then, he withdrew the letter and began reading. His frown deepened the more he read.

As if shocked back into action, his feet resumed their journey to the laboratory. Deep in thought, he shuffled on, the forgotten letter still in his hand.

Evie watched her brother cross the drive, kicking up stones as he shuffled along. Her brows knit. I wonder, what is the matter? Before she could contemplate further, he started walking with greater purpose with each stride he took.
When he reached the laboratory, he took the mail from his pocket and handed it to her. "Here, take these. They are letters from family and friends in London."

"Brother, I can see that for myself. Who sent you the one you are still holding in your other hand?" she asked, smiling.

"Oh, that one..." He paused to remove his coat. "I have been summoned to appear before the Service," he said, folding the letter neatly into thirds. "Apparently, it is a matter of some urgency."

"Did they say what it was about, Teddy?"

"Not directly. Although they did say that there were some questions that needed immediate answers," he said, donning his leather laboratory apron.

"That is, without a doubt, vague. Do you suppose the questions they have pertain to the Marconi Project?"

Teddy shook out the knee-length leather coat that he had neatly folded and slipped it back on. "I do not know. The only thing I do know is that this summons has come at a damn inconvenient time."

She watched her brother in disbelief. She shook her head. "Teddy Dear, you may want to remove your laboratory apron before you finish buttoning the coat, its entire length." Evie laughed and helped her brother remove his coat. "Here, give me the coat. I will hold it for you while you shed the apron."

He handed her the coat and took off the apron. When it looked as though he was going to leave it draped over the workbench, Evie gave out with a gentle cough. "Not there... Hang it up where it belongs, or you will never find it when you return."

"You will make someone a good wife and mother someday—"

"Watch your tongue. You know I have no interest in such things. Besides, I have my hands full with you all day. Where do you suppose you would be if I quit looking after you, hmm?"

"A damn sight happier, I would imagine," he groused.

Evie raised an eyebrow at the comment.

Teddy quickly added, "But, a damn sight more disorganized, as well."

"I do believe that that was the nicest thing you have said to me in quite a while."

"It was not."

"Oh, what was, then?"

"I do not have time for this, Evie. I have to leave."

She smiled at him and said, "Go on, dear brother, we will finish this conversation after you return."

He ignored her comment and held out his hand for the coat she was still holding. "I will take the steam buggy. I can make the trip to London and back much faster in it, and I might be able to finish the prototype on schedule for a change."

"That would be nice."

"While I am away, I will need you to watch over the laboratory and workshop. No one is to touch a thing. I have everything where I need it. Understood?"

"Of course, I understand. I am not a simpleton. Go so that you can return with all due haste. I will watch over the workshop and laboratory."

Teddy kissed his sister on the forehead and hugged her. "I will return directly."

"See that you do."

And with that, Teddy was gone, again. She watched him make his way over to the old stables where he kept his steam-powered vehicles. Evie could just make out the shape of her brother stoking the buggy's boiler, fiddling with the valves and gauges, and then, finally, when the steam had built up enough pressure in the boiler, the vehicle began to roll out of the stall. Great billows of black smoke poured out of the smokestack as the drive piston chugged back and forth.

The buggy built up speed as it crossed the property and then into the lane. Teddy sounded the steam whistle a few times in farewell and she strained her arm over her head and waved, hoping that he would see her before he rounded the bend in the lane.

Evie strode over to the old stable and shut the double door. He always left that for her to do. It seemed to her that her dear older brother could not function without her there to pick up after him and keep him focused.

Even though she complained to him about his sloppy, forgetful ways, she loved taking care of her older brother. It paid off in other ways. She was the official tester of his inventions. That, she loved more than anything else.

Her brother allowed her to be the free spirit that she needed to be. In polite company, she was well-mannered and always acted appropriately for the occasion. When she was in the laboratory or out testing her inventions, she truly felt free to be herself. She had a wonderful life.

Before she left the wooden structure, she checked to make sure no stray sparks from the boiler or from the smokestack had found their way into the woodpile or into the kindling bin. Once, she had missed an ember, and the ensuing fire had nearly destroyed the stable. Fortunately, they were able to extinguish the fire before it destroyed the entire stable.

Repairs were made, and the area was returned to full use, but after that experience, Evie did not take chances. There were no errant embers today.

***

When Evie walked into the workshop, her feet stopped moving as she searched for the movement she had caught out of the corner of her eye when she entered. The door leading to the laboratory was open.

"Teddy, is that you?" she asked tentatively. "Did you forget some—"

A foreigner in a fez spun around with a revolver in his hand, "No, Miss McKnight, I am not your brother. My name is of no importance, so kindly do not ask for it."

What in the world... My God, he has a gun... Stalling, Evie said, "My brother will return directly. I suggest that you leave while you are still able."

"Miss McKnight, you are in no position to threaten anyone. I am the one with the loaded gun; you, on the other hand, have none. As for your brother returning anytime soon? That would be highly unlikely. You see, I was the one who sent the letter that summoned him. So, you see, we are quite alone and will be for the foreseeable future."

"You are very well-spoken," she continued, vying for more time. For what, she did not know.

"Thank you, I should be, I attended Oxford University. Now, I must insist that you sit down in that chair over there." He pointed to a chair that had been pushed aside to make room at the workbench.

She sat. She did not have a choice. As he said, he had the gun.

"May I assume you are from the Middle East?"

"You may assume anything you wish, but I am Egyptian. Now, do not speak unless I ask you a question, and I only have one question. Where are the plans for the Marconi Project?"

Evie sat up straighter in the chair, pulled her shoulders back, and stared the intruder in the eye. "I do not know where the--" The sound of the two distinct 'clicks' of a hammer being pulled back stopped her from finishing the sentence.

A bead of sweat ran down back sending shivers up and down her spine. Another from her forehead ran to the corner of her eye and threatened to temporarily blind her in that eye.

"That was not a correct answer, Miss McKnight. You must answer me correctly, because you will not have a third chance. Do you understand what I am saying? Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes, you have." Evie's eyes darted involuntarily toward the roll-top desk where Teddy hid the plans.

"Oh, the plans are inside a drawer of the desk, are they? Where, precisely, are they?" The Egyptian pressed the barrel of the gun against her temple, "Now. Tell me, now!"

"It is in the top drawer under the roll top...on the left."

"Was that so hard to do?" he asked. "Once I collect the plans, I will leave. I will not kill you unless you try to stop me from leaving."

"I will not follow you," she lied. If you take those plans, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth if I have to.

In no time, he found the plans, folded them, and tucked them neatly inside his jacket. "Goodbye, Miss McKnight. It has been my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I wish I could say the same about making your acquaintance," she mumbled.

The Egyptian slipped out the door, and Evie went to the window to watch him make his escape. As he ran, his fez fell off his head. He looked back but kept running. Once he rounded the bend in the lane, she bolted out the door after him.

Playing the role of a meek little mouse when someone had a gun pointed at you was one thing, but acting like one when the danger had passed was quite another thing altogether. Cautiously, she followed the thief. As she passed the fez lying on the ground, she picked it up and took it with her.

Evie rounded the bend, and her feet almost slid out from under her when she saw a horse-drawn carriage with a crest on the black lacquered door. Regaining her footing, she hid behind a tree to watch as the man entered the carriage and gave instructions to the driver.

She had seen the crest before... Where? Then, it came to her. It had been a long time since. The crest was not the crest of the nobility or of the landed gentry. No, it was a country's crest.

When she had lived in India with her father, she knew some Egyptian girls whose parents worked at the Egyptian Consulate in Bombay. That was where she had seen the crest before. It was on the door of the carriage that picked them up to take them home.

Evie began examining the hat to see if there was any identification that might help her identify the man who had stolen the plans. The carriage started down the lane, leaving a great cloud of dust behind it. Evie watched it until it left her estate.

The thief apparently worked for the Egyptian Embassy in London, so she decided to confront the man at the embassy.

When she returned to the laboratory, she retrieved the latest prototype handgun from its hiding place, holstered it in her custom-made shoulder harness, and donned her leather jacket over it. The last time she encountered the thief, she was unarmed. That would not happen again. She was through being nice. Evie smiled at the idea. As she buttoned up the jacket, she formulated a plan.

Well, I will simply have to go to the embassy and return his fez. After all, it would be the proper thing to do. Some plan Evie, she thought. In any case, I shall have to use it. This would work. It had to. My brother's reputation and honor were at stake.


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