Brent had cursed to himself, he was soaking wet having given away his blankets and not looking great, as he spotted this wonderous red-head was approaching them. It seemed like she knew Liza, apparently everybody did. Brent had wondered how Liza came to be sitting with a Colonel but never bothered to ask. Brent began to explain to Liza the little he'd found out from the lower decks and that passengers onboard this ship had seen a Zepplin when Liza spotted Marianne. Green eyes, red-hair all thoughts of the Baroness disappeared in one instant.

'Marianne, it is a pleasure to meet you. And before we get to know each other any better, may I ask a favour? So long as this does not offend anyone you may be travelling with, I a currently freezing to death - may I use your room to shower and dry off, the sailors say they have located some dry clothes.' Brent hated to ask favours from anyone but firstly Liza and Marianne clearly wanted to chat and secondly he was very cold. Also, Brent might find out about Marianne's marital status.

"High praise, from Bertrilla Browne! You've made my entire trip, Liza," Marianne responded with a grin, delighted that an author of Liza's calibre thought well of her work.

"Colonel, Mrs. Davidson-Heartly, good to see you again, though one would have wished for better circumstances."

At Brent's rather unconventional request, Marianne was taken by surprise for a second, before amusement caught up with her as she wondered how suspect his motives were. His bedraggled state vouched for the legitimacy of his request, but a man who looked this good after being abandoned at sea was one to watch out for. It was a rule out of one of her own novels.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lockyer," she said politely, an amused smile on her face. "My sensibilities are not so easily offended, and I'm not so selfish that I would refuse to help in such circumstances. I would offer the use of my room to you, but," and here there was a definite twinkle in her eyes, "I have a feeling Carson would be most scandalized," she confided, looking around for the unflappable valet.

'I do apologies for imposing. I'll grab my much needed shower in the crew's quarters, and while I'm their try and find some real coffee or even better some whiskey!' It''ll allow tiime for and Liza to have a good chat,  I only wish that I didn't have to share her. I shall see you both later.' Brent was polite to a T. Smiling to both Liza and Marianne, a new found treasure, a nod to the Colonel and Brent was gone.

Brent was now on a duel mission, firstly to get warm. This involved following a sailor to the lower decks and grabbing a beautifully long hot shower, only cost him a small ammount of his slightly damp Francs. Secondly, Brent was determined to find out as much about the incident as possible. The Zepplin was intriguing and a bit to co-incidental. Now, if he could just find some whiskey... and Marianne. Was that twinkle aimed at him?

As Brent left in search of a shower, Marianne turned back to Liza with a smile. "Interesting man, Mr. Lockyer... And he's right. We've been poor hosts on board the Queen of Emerald Bay, letting you stand out in the cold. If there is any assistance I can offer, you must let me know!"

"What actually happened on your ship? I heard rumors of mutiny and abandonment, and constructed quite a gory tale in my mind."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:06, Mon 28 Feb 2005.

"Oh, thank goodness, Marianne, I didn't want to mention it in front of a man, but could I impose upon you for a change of clothes ?  I'm bloody well freezing, and this gown is done for.  Pity is, it's my favourite."  Liza said, lowering her voice conspiratorally to Marianne.  "As for the ship, this wretched German Baroness organised some kind of mutiny and killed the command crew, forced the rest of us onto the lifeboats.  Sounds dashing, but really, it was cold and frightening.  There were sharks.  And you're right - he's quite a charmer, is dear Brent."

The Colonel and his wife were taken up by a fellow officer from the Frontier, and waved a brief farewell.

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Meanwhile, Brent found a shower and got a change of clothes - very basic cloth trousers and shirt, but it was clean and dry.  The bar was open and in light of events, was being liberal with the drinks.  The place was packed, with survivors and with curious passengers, who were avidly listening to their tales.

"German...all Germans !"
"Bloody Huns !"  someone said in sympathy.
"Shot the Captain, just shot him, in cold blood.  Then this zeppelin came over, and we were sent to the boats...thrown in, if we didn't move fast enough !"
"That was The Hexe," came another voice, an old man at the end of the bar, an old scar wandering over a wrinkled cheek, his clothes suggesting money and respectability. "That was Harry Smith, a man who cannot be killed, an air pirate."
"Give over, old man !" there was laughter.
"Harry Smith isn't his real name," the old man insisted, at those who scoffed.  "It's just one he uses."

Brent didn't hear anything useful about the mutiny until the old man piped up from the end of the bar. Fortunately he was drowned out by the stories of the survivors allowing Brent to take up a seat next to him. Brent's wallet had dried quite well and the Francs seemed tohave survived. Brent offered the old man a drink and urged him to continue his story. What has the Zepplin's involvement? Was it picking people/something up or was it dropping off? Brent kept the questions coming, wanting to find out as much as he could

"Killed the command crew?! A german baroness, you say?" Marianne was shocked. "I thought that kind of thing only happened in novels... My novels, to be exact."

She ushered Liza into her room and held up a pretty blue dress from her closet.
'What do you think? It'll be warm enough, and its just the color for you," she said with a smile.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:57, Sat 05 Mar 2005.

Brent went over to the old man, who was more saddened than angry at those who dismissed his words as fantasy.  He accepted the offer of a drink, and got another whiskey, neat, and hobbled with a cane, to a table with Brent.  "That was the Hexe...she has been a pirate vessel since the War ended,"  the old man said, then lowered his voice.  "My name is Fredrick Horscht, and I was a Sergeant in the German army - I was a translator, mostly, but also a spy. I retired after the Great War.  I knew Smith as Count von Schlacht, and also as Manfred Dracken, many years ago.  In 1860 we duelled and he gave me this scar - and I cut his throat.  He lived...no one thought he would...and he has not aged a day in over 60 years.  Whatever business the Hexe had with your previous ship - it could not have been good."

Horscht's English was very good indeed, to be sure, and the faded blue eyes were alert enough, though his gnarled hands had a tremor and he was clearly suffering maladies of age.  "I have seen a lot in my life, young man,"  the old man said. "I have kept a lot of secrets.  I see no reason to keep them anymore."

---------------------

Marianne took Liza to her quarters. "Oh, it's lovely,"  Liza enthused over the dress, and promptly got out of her wet gown, frowning at the distressed satin, and got into the fresh dress. "Much better," she declared, and tried to reassemble her hair-do at Marianne's mirror.  "You're so terribly kind to me, Marianne, and I must admit, it does sound like the plot of a book.  I shall have to write out some notes, I'm sure we can both get a plot out of it all.  Oh, it reminds me of when Davis was alive, and we were in Morocco - adventures all over the place.  Still, I admit, I'm not getting any younger !"

There was a knock on the door; a crewman had come up with an armload of poodle, wrapped in towels and happily yipping to see Liza.  "Mizz Waters, your cabin is ready," the crewman added.
"Oh, wonderful,"  Liza said, pulling a damp bill from her purse to tip him, and accepting the dog.  "Marianne, I shan't impose on you for a moment longer, but I insist we have breakfast and discuss the plots. Will you meet me, oh, say at 8 o'clock ?  Or do you fancy a cocktail now ?  I could do with a good belt of brandy.  I can put Dibbles in my room."

Brent was not a vindictive man, but if he had anyway to get back at the Baroness then he would. The most important thing was his gun - one of a kind - and no evil henchman in the world would be stupid enough the throw it away. This old man had infomation, some of which was useless but every so often a place or a person was mentioned and Brent noted it mentally. That Zepplin would be the first piece, find that and follow the trail.

"Nonsense, Liza. You aren't imposing. We authors have to stick together, you know. And a cocktail sounds lovely," Marianne replied enthusiastically.

Brent's companion seemed to be a man of many secrets.  "If you are looking for the Hexe, there is one place that he will go to, every 40 years.  The time draws near, now.  He is going there; it is in the Amazon jungle.  Look for a one-eyed man; he will know the way."
Brent spotted Liza and Marianne sitting at a table nearby, with drinks.

---------------------------

Marianne and Liza got into the bar at last, the elderly writer demanding to pay for the first two rounds.  She ordered a large brandy, neat, and displaced two men from their seats at a table merely by turning on the charm.  "Oh, what a bloody mess of a night. I can't tell you how vexing it is to be chucked into a boat; I shall be stiff as a board from the arthritis, tomorrow.  Oh, look, there's Brent !"  She waggled her fingers at him, in a happy little wave.  "Looks like he's found a fellow to chat with.  Old geezer; no prospects.  Well, then, Marianne, what are you onto ?  Or do you want to hear the details of the mutiny, such as I know ?"

Brent had seen Marianne and Liza enter and smiled politely, he'd join them once this old man finished telling his story. However, most of the tale, fasinating as it was, didn't help Brent - just the mention of a one-eyed man and the Amazon. Brent had a few francs left and seeing the ladies needed a top up Brent bought some drinks and invited himself to join them.

"I asked the barman what you were drinking! Hope i'm not interupting but it seems you've bullied your way onto  a table and my battered body is desperate to sit down. Brent pulled a chair over and listened to the ladies chat away, a one-eyed man....

"Bullied? You obviously haven't seen Liza in action. I should take notes," Marianne replied with a grin, and saluted Liza with her glass. "Well, what I'm onto is a new novel set in the Amazon. But we can talk about that later! Tell me more about the mutiny."

Brent left the strange old man, and when he glanced back, Horscht had gone.

Liza beamed at Brent, apparently the widow was irrepressible.  "Oh, it was cleverly done, it seems.  The Baroness, if she really was one, had gotten a lot of her men on board as sailors.  They started bumping off the command crew...the first mate went missing sometime during the day, I know that, I overheard some of the crew talking about it.  My Spanish is good enough for that.  Her lackeys started running about with weapons, ordering us to go to the deck and to the lifeboats; then she shot the captain."

Brent winced inside as he remembered the shooting of the Captain, he had time between seeing the dumping of the dead body over-board to warn the Captain but chose not to. That had been a bad decision and Brent took it heart, that man's death was on his shoulders. Bretn listened as Liza revealed all she knew of the mutiny, something she might think as trivial could prove important - especially in finding the Zepplin.

"You say they spoke Spanish, I overheard some sailors talking German - but if you're certain I'll speak to the Captain and find out if any ports in Spain have heard anything off schedule." Brent was keen to keep track of the Baroness, finding where they land would be the first and most important piece to the chase.

"Oh, no, Brent dear, I meant the crew of the ship, the real crew of the ship, the officers.  They spoke Spanish, most of them, and some of them Portugee.  Her sailors, they were the ones speaking German."  Liza sipped her brandy, with a happy smile. "Why, Brent, are you planning on chasing her down for the villain that she is ?"  The ageing lady's eyes sparkled; this was a plot for a bestseller, to be sure.

"There's me jumping to conclusions, I might speak to the Captain anyway, the Zepplin must go over land at some point and there not exactly quiet!"" Bernt was intending to track down the Baroness, unsure why he felt the need to. If anything Bernt should be thankful to be alive and get on with his life but ask that unfortunate cat, curiosity was getting the better of Brent.

"You know, I heard stories of a German with a Zeppelin, an air pirate,"  Liza said, happily finishing off her brandy and ordering another.  "Can you imagine how dashing that is, and what a good plot for a book.  Handsome Hun, swashbuckling, aeroplanes...wonderful good stuff."

"Tell me all you know of this air-pirate, rumours usually start with a little truth and at the moment I really need an angle to get me started."

Brent enjoyed talking to Liza so even if the story of this pirate came to nothing at least he could kill some time with these two ladies.

"Oh, there's supposed to be some German who's got a Zeppelin after the Great War, and he's gone along as an air pirate,"  Liza said.  "Having seen that zeppelin tonight, I think we can say it's a true enough tale.  Supposed to be a nobleman, rather dashing fellow, war hero, great fighter, handsome of course, just the thing for a great novel !"  She giggled, somewhat tipsily.

Marianne grinned to see the best selling novelist and her personal idol giggling tipsily. "Yes, it would make a great story. Maybe I'll write about it when I'm done with the hundred or so ideas I've got already..."

Brent was finally relaxing in the company of these two ladies, given all that had happened today that it was a surprise to even get a few minutes to gather thoughts but here they were chatting away almost as if nothing had happened. Brent should have probably left these two authors to brew a bestseller but where would he have gone to and in all honesty, this was an effective way to forget the horrors of the  evening.

Brent was actually receiving some envious looks, possessing a table where two ladies - even if one of them was solidly middle-aged - were so cheerfully in his company.  "Oh, yes, a bestseller indeed, don't you think ?"  chortled Liza.  "We shall have to have Brent in it too, he's a dark and handsome sort; he went slinking off after dinner, smart move too cos she went and shot the poor captain.  Where DID you go, Brent ?"

'I went for a breath of fresh air and saw something quite disturbing. Two sailors throwing a dead body overboard, wrapped in a a carpet. I rushed back to my room to collect my revolver and then pusued the men below deck.  It was there I managed to get myself caught, I almost wish that I had stowed away onboard but then Marianne I would never have met you, most definately a silver-lining on such a cloudy day!'

Brent had avoided telling the two ladies that if he had acted quick enough the Captain could have been warned, saying that the Baroness had many men answering to her, if she wanted the Captain dead, Brent suspected, she would have found a way.

'Do excuse me ladies, it is getting late and I must speak with the Captain and find out if there is anyway we can track that Zepplin. Hopefully other ships and ports in the area have recorded her location. I shouldn't be long but don't wait up for me!'

With that Brent smiled, it would be good to allow these two to chat away - if Marianne said anything about him Liza seemed the type to pass that infomation on! Brent waved as he left the room and headed straight towards the bridge. With all the commotion of the night it was likely the Captain would be awake, if not Brent could easily use the keen abilities of younger officers.

After he left, Marianne remarked to Liza with a chuckle, "You know, I could really see  Mr. Lockyer as the hero in my next novel. Very smooth, quite charming, and the dark looks don't hurt at all."

She studied Liza with a grin. "And you are in exceptional good looks tonight. Adventure must agree with you. I know someone who would love to meet you. He's the sweetest, most adorable man ever! We'll be breakfasting together tomorrow if you'll join us."