the Thermidorian Reaction

Chapter 26

"Dr Innocent?" Aerin stuttered, shaking her head as though trying to clear her mind. She felt like she was hallucinating, the traumas of a dramatic night coming to haunt her in the most bewildering way.

The older woman was quick to wave a dismissive hand.

"Don't bother with formality here, my dear," she said, folding her hands in front of her. "Please call me Jude."

"But-I don't understand."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Dr Innocent smiled. "But we will explain. Please sit," she urged, extending her hands to the open seats along the table.

Aerin watched as the rest of her party took the seats offered, while Grey pulled her along in his wake. She felt completely lost, her mind too tired, too weary to catch up as her eyes remained locked on the woman at the head of the table.

Once seated, Dr Innocent addressed the group.

"It is good to have you all here safe," she began. "I was expecting to send a group to meet you at the fence, David."

"We're sorry for the hasty appearance, Jude, but to say it was necessary would be an understatement. We had to leave quickly, as Windsor guards were looking for Miss Windsor, and would no doubt eliminate any of us found with her. We were able to escape through the forest, and over the fence, before they caught up to us."

"How did you not get shocked?" a voice called out. "That voltage should have blasted you all the way to York.

"The young Miss took them off us before we left," Richard explained, casting a smile to Aerin. "Good thing she thought of it, otherwise you'd be picking our charred bodies off the ground."

"You were quite lucky," a voice added.

"Not all of us," David smirked, glancing towards Samuel. "Sammy here got shot in the leg,"

As eyes widened in Samuels direction, he shrugged in response. "Better than the arse. Besides, the young Miss fixed me up fair to get me here. I wouldn't have made the trip if she hadn't."

Aerin felt the stares of countless eyes fall on her, her own averting away quickly.

"We will have one of the doctors take a look at you," Dr Innocent commented. "Your leg, not your backside."

There was a ripple of snickers through the group, as the corner of Dr Innocents lip turned upwards.

"Care to explain what happened?"

"The Miss here discovered some files of Christian Windsor," David said, his eyes glancing toward Aerin. "She learned of his involvement in her fathers death, and went looking for proof."

"How did she,"

All eyes turned to Grey, who at least had the decency to look abashed, before quickly defending himself. "She had visited Camberwell, Madam," he said quickly. "Met with Thomas Lingerfeld, who told her...the story."

"Did he?" Dr Innocent replied, raising a delicate eyebrow. "So she knows,"

"He told her of the boy," Grey interrupted quickly, his voice urgent. "Gabriel, who was framed to take the fall for her fathers death in favor of using fear to suppress Timeless revolt. When she came to me afterwards asking for more, I simply filled in a few gaps."

The expression Dr Innocent was giving Grey caused Aerin's forehead to crease, her own eyes flickering between the two. It seemed that there was a silent conversation going on between them, before the Dr spoke again, this time to her.