"That'll teach them not to mess with Lady Sally Rudston-Chichester," Lady Sally proclaimed, triumphant at their daring escape. "And to think all my uncle wanted was to lure me to Potsdam to capture my airship. We showed him, didn't we captain?"
"We certainly did, madam," replied the captain, exhausted now the adrenalin rush from the high-speed flight had passed.
The airship zoomed ahead at top speed. They had avoided any imminent risk of capture, but would not be safe from reprisals from the Prussian military until they crossed the border into the Russian Empire, which was always intended as Lady Sally's next destination.
She prised open the crate of weaponry they'd stolen from under the nose of Archduke Hardonberg. Inside, the box was full of the latest model of blunderbuss from the Krapp manufactory, the foremost munitions factory of the age.
The butt of the weapon was polished wood, but the barrel, muzzle, trigger, and eyesight were moulded in brass. Lady Sally admired the ingenuity of the springs and sprockets of its mechanism and was curious about the brass dials on its barrel.
"Where are the chambers for the bullets?" she enquired of the captain.
"There are none. It's a lightning gun. It uses lumiferous aether to project an electric current. See, it has various settings from stun to kill, right up to explosion," he replied pointing to the dial on its barrel.
"Oh no, not more lightning," groaned Victoria.
Captain Wyndham and Lady Sally peered into the wide, conical muzzle of the rifle at the circuits and wires of its inner workings.
"It's the latest technology, and quite deadly," the captain explained. "The Prussian Empire's army will be a formidable force if it's armed with these."
"Well, in my opinion it's a splendid weapon, and beautifully designed," said Lady Sally, raising the shiny barrel to line the sight up to her eye, taking aim at an imaginary target outside.
When she slung the blunderbuss's leather strap over her shoulder, along with the uniform of the Rutshire Fusiliers, she felt quite the infantry-woman. Lady Sally was delighted with her new acquisition and, given how her adventures were developing, it looked as though the blunderbusses might prove useful.
She made a mental note to telegraph Rudston Hall to block any further export of brass from her Zanzibar mine to the Prussian Empire.
In the excitement, she had forgotten about the other crew and passengers who must have wondered what on earth was happening.
Lady Sally was reminded of this by the appearance of cook in the control room, with a face like thunder, her apron covered in strawberry jelly and a bowl of whipped cream on top of her head.
"This is the last straw, milady. I'm trying to make mi trifles, and we shoot off like the wind, then I get turned this way and that. Now look at me!"
The captain and Victoria spluttered, trying, unsuccessfully, to restrain from laughing, though Lady Sally was the picture of calmness and restraint.
"I'm terribly sorry cook, but we simply had to make a quick getaway. I will make sure we stock up on fresh supplies of jelly when we make our next stop. In the meantime, I'd love a nice cup of tea."