By Maurice Merchant, Editor-in-Chief

14/7- We have some more details today on why exactly Pixie Sinclaire was taken to see Berclay Ancroft, the governor of New Crowndon, upon her arrival in the colonies several weeks ago.

It has been rumored for some time now that a certain element in the world of colonial/imperial politics isn’t happy with Ancroft’s policies, nor the fact that he is the first colonial born man to hold the office. While he has proven popular with the majority of the populace, this fringe element would see him removed.

Colonial authorities uncovered plans for an attempt on Ancroft’s life, and upon hearing of Sinclaire’s arrival, and given the notoriety of her actions in service of the Nor Eastern Subterfuge Society during the war with Crowndon, they enlisted her services to help root out the assassination plot.

While details are scarce, we know that the operation involved sending Miss Sinclaire ahead of Ancroft’s entourage on his campaign trail through the southern towns and villages of his province. The area is known for its traditionalist base and staunch loyalty to the Triumvirate, and the citizens have been most vocal in their protest of a colonial occupying the governor’s office for nearly a decade.

Miss Sinclaire is said to have gone undercover in the role of a distant cousin to one of the region’s most affluent families, and from there, became a part of the protest movement. Within days she was able to work her way into the most extreme circles of this movement, though exactly how she accomplished this is being kept off the official records.

Miss Sinclaire quickly gathered intelligence on the plot and worked, along with an unnamed accomplice, to sabotage and deconstruct the movement from within. By the time the governor passed through the small town where the attempt was to take place, only a few of the conspirators remained in a position to take up arms. These men were dealt with easily enough by Ancroft’s guards.

“I am very grateful to Miss Sinclaire for her efforts to ensure my safety on the campaign trail,” Ancroft wrote in an official statement. “If not for her experience and talents in the arts of espionage, I fear the attempt would have succeeded. We found ourselves completely unprepared for the possibility of such a conspiracy, and we have consulted with Miss Sinclaire on how to prepare for another such event in the future.”

Pixie Sinclaire has since left the Governor’s employ, presumably to continue her search for the missing archaeologist Veronica Trenum and the Gazette’s own Adella Chatelaine. As a personal friend of Miss Chatelaine myself, I bid Miss Sinclaire the best of luck in the endeavour.

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Real World Influences: This story was inspired in part by that of Kate Warne, credited as the first female detective in the history of the United States, who worked for the Pinkerton Agency during the Civil War and helped to thwart an assassination attempt on President Lincoln.

And don’t forget, you can read more about Pixie Sinclaire in the first full length Blackwood Empire novel, Where, No One Knows, now available in paperback and e-formats.