Snowfall: Second Edition

By Tony Rattigan

A collected edition of the Christmas books: A Londum Yuletide, Quantum of Solstice and Winter Shorts.

From an alternate Victorian England called Albion, a collection of spooky stories set during the Yuletide season:

Pub Talk
While working on a case in the snowy village of Strapley-on-the-Wold during the Yuletide season, Rufus Cobb, private detective, has a casual conversation with a stranger in the village pub, the outcome of which may have dire consequences for the whole world.
What would you say to a disillusioned Father Yule (the man who delivers toys to all the children of the world) who is about to quit his job?

Trial by Gravity
Jim Darby, gentleman thief, is making his escape from a successful robbery, over a snowy rooftop when disaster strikes, leaving him dangling over a four-storey drop. Luckily, someone comes along who could rescue him; the only trouble is ... Jim has to convince him first, why he should.

Unfinished Business
Thornton Wells is visited by one of his trusted Secret Service contacts. A dangerous, foreign agent is about to leave the country with vital information, they must apprehend him immediately, without waiting for backup. The two of them set off at once, there is no time to lose, but is there more to this than meets the eye?

The Last Present
What’s so unusual about seeing a ghost at a spiritualist meeting? Nothing you might think, except Adele is the only one that can see him, not the medium. He wants Adele’s help to stop the man who murdered him, from doing the same to his family. Adele, Cobb and Won Lungh set out in a snowstorm to try and stop that from happening but it may well cost them their own lives, instead.

A Snowball in Hell’s Chance
Jim Darby comes across two young brothers trying to survive on the streets of Londum. He buys them some food but they refuse any further help and he doesn’t see them again. Or does he? Jim thinks that the shadowy figure he sees through the falling snow is one of them, but why is he throwing snowballs at him? And why does he want Jim to follow him?

Death on the Cards
Thornton Wells is drinking and reminiscing with an old friend, Sir Harold Ingleby, when Thornton tells him about what happened to him once, as a young man. ‘You’ll be the Death of me,’ ‘Facing your Death,’ ‘Look Death in the eye,’ those are just sayings ... aren’t they?

The One That Got Away
Rufus Cobb is called in by Caledonia Yard to consult on the puzzling murders of several renowned scientists. What connects these deaths to the mysterious figure in Professor Court’s workshop?

All That Glitters ...
Dr. Barnato’s orphanage is in financial trouble and appeals to Jim Darby for help. A large amount of money is needed to save them and it looks like Jim might have to resort to crime again to solve the problem. But then he finds an injured faerie and it occurs to him that if what they say about faeries is true, then she just might be the answer to everyone’s prayers.

Yuletide Spirit
It’s Solstice Eve in Strapley-on-the-Wold and time for the annual party at the manor. The weather is against them but Thornton Wells and Sir Harold Ingleby take special care to make sure that the village witch makes it to the party and has a good time. So why does she mysteriously disappear overnight?

And a bonus poem
‘Twas the Night Before Solstice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tony Rattigan
• Release date: Apr 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311121387

Tony Rattigan

After 22 years in the Royal Air Force, 5 years in the National Health Service and 10 years at one of the UK's largest charities, Tony decided he'd done enough for Queen and Country and he was about due some 'me' time. Consequently he took early retirement in 2010 to work on his writing. He lives in Oxfordshire UK with his Albatross and a pet monkey. (No, not really. That's just a vain attempt to sound interesting.) Rufus Cobb, Adele Curran and Jim Darby are the lead characters in a series of books – The Londum Series - written by Tony Rattigan. Set in an alternate Victorian Era, they recount the adventures of Rufus Cobb a private detective, his lady friend Adele Curran (who just happens to be a witch) and Jim Darby who is a jewel-thief and conman ... but whose crimes strangely only seem to benefit the poor. Cobb and his friends live in the city of Londum, in the country of Albion, the centre of the British Empire.

Book preview

Snowfall

Yuletide Tales of Londum

SECOND EDITION

Tony Rattigan

Now includes Winter Shorts

Snowfall: Second Edition

Tony Rattigan

Published by Tony Rattigan at Smashwords

Copyright 2015 Antony Rattigan

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to the other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

From an alternate Victorian England called Albion, a collection of spooky stories set during the Yuletide season, taken from the books A Londum Yuletide, Quantum of Solstice and Winter Shorts.

A Londum Yuletide, to prove that ‘There are more things in Heaven and Earth, than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio Hornblower!’

Pub Talk

While working on a case in the snowy village of Strapley-on-the-Wold during the Yuletide season, Rufus Cobb, private detective, has a casual conversation with a stranger in the village pub, the outcome of which may have dire consequences for the whole world.

What would you say to a disillusioned Father Yule (the man who delivers toys to all the children of the world) who is about to quit his job?

Trial by Gravity

Jim Darby, gentleman thief, is making his escape from a successful robbery, over a snowy rooftop when disaster strikes, leaving him dangling over a four-storey drop. Luckily, someone comes along who could rescue him; the only trouble is … Jim has to convince him first, why he should.

Unfinished Business

Thornton Wells is visited by one of his trusted Secret Service contacts. A dangerous, foreign agent is about to leave the country with vital information, they must apprehend him immediately, without waiting for backup. The two of them set off at once, there is no time to lose, but is there more to this than meets the eye?

The Last Present

What’s so unusual about seeing a ghost at a spiritualist meeting? Nothing you might think, except Adele is the only one that can see him, not the medium. He wants Adele’s help to stop the man who murdered him, from doing the same to his family. Adele, Cobb and Won Lungh set out in a snowstorm to try and stop that from happening but it may well cost them their own lives, instead.

A Snowball in Hell’s Chance

Jim Darby comes across two young brothers trying to survive on the streets of Londum. He buys them some food but they refuse any further help and he doesn’t see them again. Or does he? Jim thinks that the shadowy figure he sees through the falling snow is one of them, but why is he throwing snowballs at him? And why does he want Jim to follow him?

Death on the Cards

Thornton Wells is drinking and reminiscing with an old friend, Sir Harold Ingleby, when Thornton tells him about what happened to him once, as a young man. ‘You’ll be the Death of me,’ ‘Facing your Death,’ ‘Look Death in the eye,’ those are just sayings ... aren’t they?

The One That Got Away

Rufus Cobb is called in by Caledonia Yard to consult on the puzzling murders of several renowned scientists. What connects these deaths to the mysterious figure in Professor Court’s workshop?

All That Glitters ...

Dr. Barnato’s orphanage is in financial trouble and appeals to Jim Darby for help. A large amount of money is needed to save them and it looks like Jim might have to resort to crime again to solve the problem. But then he finds an injured faerie and it occurs to him that if what they say about faeries is true, then she just might be the answer to everyone’s prayers.

Yuletide Spirit

It’s Solstice Eve in Strapley-on-the-Wold and time for the annual party at the manor. The weather is against them but Thornton Wells and Sir Harold Ingleby take special care to make sure that the village witch makes it to the party and has a good time. So why does she mysteriously disappear overnight?

And a bonus poem

‘Twas the Night Before Solstice.

Contents

A Londum Yuletide

Pub Talk

Trial by Gravity

Unfinished Business

Quantum of Solstice

The Last Present

A Snowball in Hell’s Chance

Death on the Cards

Winter Shorts

The One That Got Away

All That Glitters ...

Yuletide Spirit

‘Twas the Night Before Solstice

Other books in The Londum Series

About the Author

A Londum Yuletide

The Victorian Albion that Rufus Cobb lived in was a multi-cultural society with one of the most important tenets being religious freedom. Anyone could worship anything they wished to (as long as it didn’t involve ritual sacrifice). Albion, due to the Italian occupation earlier in its history, had worshipped mainly Italian Gods, but once they left Briton, all the old Pagan, Wiccan and Scandinavian style Gods had crept back in to popularity as well. Fortunately, they tended to celebrate the same types of things that the Italians had celebrated, Spring, Summer, the harvests, Winter, the rebirth of a new year, all the times of the year that were really important to an agricultural society, which they both had been. So eventually, all the national celebrations had merged together and were now holidays for everyone, regardless of religion.

The holiday highpoint of winter was the Yuletide season, culminating in the day of the Winter Solstice, which marked the rebirth of the Sun God and time to honour the Great Mother Goddess. (Not that Cobb believed in any of that.) But it also meant it was the shortest day of the year, every day after that would be getting longer and nearer to spring, which was the real point of the celebration.

This was the day when friends and families got together, celebrated and gave each other presents but most of all … the night before; Father Yule flew around the world with his reindeer and gave presents to all the children of the world, on Solstice Eve.

Cobb, Adele Curran and their manservant/butler/cook/bodyguard, etc. Won Lungh, had enjoyed a fine Winter Solstice Day’s Dinner together. (Although strictly speaking Won Lungh was staff, he had been around to help raise Adele since she was a little girl, so she considered him more like family. There was no way she was going to allow him to serve them dinner and then go and sit on his own in the kitchen while they ate it. He ate with them, end of story!)

The big midday/afternoon meal was traditionally for family and then later in the day, people were in the habit of calling on their friends and having another, lighter meal with them.

So it was that Winter Solstice evening, Cobb and Adele had been joined by first Thornton Wells, Cobb’s (ex) Father-in-law and Jim Darby, a friend of Cobb’s. Thornton had taken the midday meal with one of his female acquaintances (of which there were many) and when her daughters had come to visit her, Thornton had taken the opportunity to escape by visiting Cobb and Adele.

Jim meanwhile had done his usual thing of hosting a Solstice Day meal at the Golden Gryphon (a Londum East End pub that he owned) for the many poor people that lived around that area. (Don’t ask why, he did things like that.)

So the four of them sat around picking at the food on their plates and chatting about how they had spent their day. Won Lungh flitted about in the background, cleaning plates away and replenishing the ‘nibbles’. Once he’d done that he poured himself a drink and sat quietly in the corner.

When they’d finished eating, although Cobb and Adele were non-smokers they cracked open the window and allowed Jim and Thornton to light up, as they relaxed with their drinks. After all, with a coal fire and several gas lamps it couldn’t make it any hotter or smokier.

‘A fine spread Adele, you are to be congratulated,’ said Thornton.

‘Yes, marvellous,’ agreed Jim. ‘I shall have to get you to do the catering at the Golden Gryphon next year.’

‘Oh, it was Won Lungh that did all the work, I assure you. I just floated around issuing commands that he promptly ignored,’ she replied.

Won Lungh stood up, made a small bow and then raised his glass in a toast to the room.

Cobb picked up the brandy bottle and replenished everyone’s glass. When he sat down again Thornton asked him, ‘So Cobb, been off on any more of your crazy adventures lately?’

‘Crazy adventures?’ asked Jim. ‘What sort of crazy adventures?’

‘I haven’t told Jim about my adventures as you call them, he’d just think I was mad,’ Cobb told Thornton. ‘I’d have to know someone really well before I tell them anything like that, otherwise they’d just think I’m making it up or I’ve gone crazy.’

‘Cobb, you’re the most honest man I know and I’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with you and battled werewolves, it doesn’t get much stranger than that! I think you can trust me to believe anything you tell me,’ Jim assured him.

‘Very well, I’ll bear that in mind in the future. What Thornton was referring to is that strange things have a habit of happening to me from time to time,’ Cobb told him.

‘For example?’ asked Jim.

‘Well, I haven’t been on any adventures lately but something damned strange happened to me the other day. I haven’t been able to explain it but I promise you it happened.’

‘Go on, tell them about what happened when you were away on that case, the other day,’ Adele said.

‘Yes, go on!’ the other two urged him.

‘Well, it all started when Thornton asked me to go down to the country to help a friend of his …’

Pub Talk

Rufus Cobb, private detective, trudged through the ankle deep snow as he headed for his accommodation at the village pub ‘The Laughing Cow’, in the village of Strapley-on-the-Wold. The cold wind clawed at his face and neck as he made his way back from the Manor house of Sir Harold Ingleby.

The weather in Londum had been cold, it was winter after all, but the heat generated from all those coal fires created a crucible of trapped heat and the tall buildings of the city tended to act as wind-breaks and stop the wind howling through the streets as much as it would have done if they were not there. Out here in the countryside though, it was a different matter. The sparse housing and open fields let nature run its course, unchecked.

When Cobb had left Londum, he had forgotten to pack his scarf as he hadn’t needed it there but now he was regretting his mistake. The day he had arrived in Strapley-on-the-Wold it had begun to snow and it had snowed every day since, on and off, and now as he made his way around the village, the icy wind just cut through him. Thankfully he was wearing his winter long-johns under his clothing so it was only his face and neck that suffered from the exposure.

It was only a quarter of a mile from the Manor house back to the centre of the village so he had told his host not to bother getting the carriage out, he would walk, but he was beginning to regret his decision. The snow was blowing wildly and his moustache and side whiskers were starting to develop icicles on them. What could he do? I know, he thought and pulled out his spare handkerchief.

‘A gentleman should always carry two handkerchiefs, in case you need to offer one to a lady,’ someone had once told him. One to blow your nose on and a clean one in case you came across a lady in need. If you found a lady crying, it didn’t do to offer her a handkerchief covered in snot. Anyway, Cobb might need it to wipe his face or his hands, so he made a point of having two fresh hankies in his pockets every day.

He took out the spare hankie and after folding it in half, into a triangle; he stretched it across his mouth and nose and tied the two ends together behind his head. Then he tucked the lower edge of the hankie into his shirt collar. That was better, and as a bonus, the hankie trapped his warm breath and distributed over his face.

Anyway, cold or not, he was in a good mood. He had come down here at the request of his Father-in-law, Thornton Wells, to solve a crime and he had done just that. He had not only saved an innocent man from jail but revealed the real culprit as well, so he had good reason to feel pleased with himself.

Sir Harold Ingleby, the local squire of Strapley-on-the-Wold, had noticed the disappearance of various household items such as silver cutlery, various small but expensive knick-knacks, some books, etc. At first he thought he was imagining it but then one day, he had seen some of the items for sale in an antiques shop in a neighbouring town.

Being a careful man, Sir Harold hadn’t over-reacted and had visited several other towns nearby, only to find several other of his belongings for sale. That did it! He sent his butler, Griggs, out to fetch the local policeman.

The constable, at Sir Harold’s insistence, had carried out a search of the Manor house and found a silver milk-jug hidden in the room of the scullery maid, Sally Mavin. As the constable was about to arrest her, the footman, William Porter, had stepped forward and claimed responsibility for all the thefts. When asked why they had found the milk-jug in Sally’s room, young Porter had told them he had planted it there to throw suspicion on her and away from himself.

The constable then asked Porter why he was now owning up after he had successfully implicated Sally and would have gotten away free, but he declined to answer any further questions and was taken into custody, while the police carried out their investigation.

Sir Harold had known William Porter literally all his life, he was the gamekeeper’s son, and he knew that there wasn’t a dishonest bone in his body. However, no amount of begging from him, or the young man’s father would persuade Porter to come clean and explain what was really going on.

Not wishing to see a miscarriage of justice, Sir Harold had telegraphed his old friend Thornton Wells to see if he could persuade Cobb to come down and investigate the case, which Cobb did.

After investigating the matter, checking a few dates and having a word with the shop owners who were selling the stolen items, Cobb had proven to Sir Harold and the local constabulary that the thief wasn’t William Porter, he was positively seen at the Manor on the dates that the items were sold to the shop owners, so he couldn’t have been in the neighbouring towns. Nor did he match the description of the man selling them.

In fact the guilty party was Griggs the butler, he did match the description. Once Sir Harold had told him to alert the police, he had panicked and hidden the milk-jug in Sally Mavin’s room to throw suspicion on