The Ingenious Mechanical Devices Box Set

by Kara Jorgensen

  “Nadir, I thought you had gone back to London,” she said.

  A wide smile crossed his lips, revealing a row of straight teeth. “Not quite yet. In a week or so, I will be packing up, but I would like to take in the sea air without worrying about palace intrigue or missed deadlines.” His eyes ran over her tweed riding jacket and breeches, watching the rain darkened her shoulders. “My apologies, please, do come in, Lady Dorset. Are you here to see Leona?”

  “Yes, I’m hoping to speak to her if she’s up to it.” Dropping her voice and wiping the moisture from her brow, she asked, “Is she well? I don’t want to intrude if she is trying to rest. I’m sure half of Folkesbury has come to visit.”

  “She’s nearly herself now, and I’m sure she would like to see you. She’s right through here.”

  Pulling back the curtain, Nadir stuck his head into the room to make sure Leona hadn’t snuck off when she heard the doorbell. His cousin sat with her sewing basket tucked behind her skirts and an embroidery hoop in her hands. She had already heard the countess’s voice and caught a glimpse of her trying to peer into the window. Even if she had slipped upstairs, the noblewoman would have known. If it had been anyone else, she would have had Nadir turn them away anyway, but Lady Dorset had been instrumental in getting her help, or so she had been told the next morning when she was finally coherent enough to understand her situation. It was only proper to see her. As her cousin ducked out, the henna-haired woman entered, the heels of her riding boots clicking on the floor. Her light eyes lingered on Leona’s face, taking in the signs of strain near her eyes and the slight pallor of her cheeks. She seemed to be more tired and drawn than before the party, but her eyes were brighter despite the fatigue.

  “Mrs. Rhodes, I am so pleased to see you look well. You gave us quite a fright at the party,” Lady Dorset said, taking the seat across from her. From the corner of her eye, she watched Nadir disappear down the hall out of sight. “I hope you are feeling better now.”

  “Much, thank you.” Ringing her bell, the butler appeared and she sent him off to fetch them a tray of tea. “Nadir told me I have you to thank for getting me a physician that night. I hope I didn’t ruin your party.”

  “Not at all. You merely added a bit of excitement to the night,” she replied with a measured smile. Despite their best efforts to maintain the atmosphere, most of the guests who had been in the greenhouse at the time of her collapse left soon after and were shortly followed by the rest of the townspeople. At least it hadn’t been her poor party-planning skills that drove them away. “I was more surprised that your husband and cousin had allowed you to come out in that state. Anyone with eyes could see that you were in pain.”

  “You can’t blame Argus for it. I hid it from him, and Nadir tried to convince me to stay home. I didn’t listen. I didn’t realize how bad off I was until we were halfway to the party. Then, it seemed too late to turn back. It wasn’t my intention to pass-out in the middle of your party. I hope you can forgive my behavior. It was uncharacteristically reckless.”

  The countess’s eyes hardened even as her mouth curled into a smile and she bowed her head in a graceful nod. As Barnes brought in the tea and placed it before them, her gaze never left the dark-haired woman’s face. Leona swallowed hard and kept her head down as she tended to their tea. The woman hadn’t come merely to check on her. Of that she was certain. Something in the way she looked at her said she knew more than she let on. She was waiting. For what, Leona couldn’t be sure.

  “So,” she began, clearing her throat, “you road your bicycle all the way from Brasshurst in the rain? I thought your steamer was fixed.”

  “It is, but I chose to go by velocipede. It helps clear my mind and burn up some excess energy. On warm days I don’t think I could stand to sit in a cab anymore unless I had to.” Hadley watched as Mrs. Rhodes nodded with a tight smile and took a sip of her tea. There was so much she wanted to ask, but did she dare? Hadley Fenice would never be so imprudent, but Lady Dorset would expect answers. Taking a sip, she added stiffly, “You seem happier than you were last time we spoke, Mrs. Rhodes.”

  “Do I?”

  “Very much so, if not more nervous. I’m sorry if it’s callous of me to say, but it seems odd for a woman who just lost her baby.” When the woman’s byzantine eyes widened and her hand stopped halfway to her mouth, Hadley whispered, “I know it’s a rumor, but I know what I saw that night. That was much more than... a certain time.”

  Leona swallowed hard and wiped her tongue over her teeth, the moisture suddenly evaporating from her mouth. Panic rose in her breast, speeding her heart and raising a cold sweat across her flesh as the other woman stared back at her with calculated impassivity.

  Her voice cracked as she replied, “I don’t know what you are talking about, Lady Dorset, but if you are going to berate me, then you should—”

  “I know you took the silphium.”

  “How?” The word escaped her lips before she could stop herself.

  Hadley refilled the cups and repeated what Mrs. Rhodes had done on her own tea. “We should probably discuss this somewhere away from prying ears. Shall we go into the study?”

  Nodding, Leona hesitantly stood and led her into the next room. Her hands shook and her abdomen cramped with a spasm as she crossed the threshold. The noose was tightening around her neck, but instead of Nash at the other end, it was Lady Dorset. She should have known it was coming. Noblewomen waltzed but business women pounced. As the door shut behind them, she turned, ready to face the woman with one last stand of strength, and found the redhead leisurely taking in the bookshelves and display cabinet. She snapped to attention as Leona released a stifled groan and sank into the desk chair.

  “How— how did you know?” she asked, releasing a slow breath as it passed.

  “Mrs. Rhodes, I was not trying to upset—”

  “It’s too late for that. Just tell me how you found out. Did Nadir tell you?”

  Hadley watched as the other woman’s eyes burned bitterly with betrayal. Despite her tight lips and hard gaze, her breast rapidly rose and fell against her will. She stepped forward and gave Leona’s hand a squeeze. Her gaze traveled between the noblewoman’s face and hand as if trying to discern her intentions. Why would Lady Dorset expose her and then comfort her?

  Hadley Sorrell kept her voice low and calm as she explained, “No one told me anything. I haven’t even spoken to Nadir since the party.”

  “Then, how did you find out?”

  Hadley rested against the edge of the coffee table. “It was fairly easy to put together once I read the rest of Eilian’s notes on silphium. A plant that ‘promotes menstruation’ goes missing days before you have a miscarriage. He had no idea what that truly entailed, but I do, and I don’t believe that is a coincidence.”

  “We can pay for the broken window... over time.”

  “I don’t care about that. It has already been repaired.”

  Leona Rhodes sat very still, her body locking against her will. If Lady Dorset wasn’t after damages, then she had to want something more. “Are you saying you are going to turn me in?”

  “No, and I’m not going to tell your husband or Nadir either. I’m sure you had your reasons, but I would have rather you came to me and asked for a piece of silphium. You could have certainly thought up some pretext for getting it instead of breaking in like a common burglar. Do I really seem so unreasonable that you couldn’t speak to me?”

  “I didn’t want anyone to find out what I was doing.” Locking eyes with the countess, she straightened and hesitantly asked, “If you don’t want us to pay for the window and you aren’t pressing charges, then why are you here? If there is anything else you want, trust me when I tell you we have nothing left you can take.”

  “It isn’t something monetary that I want. Remember when we first met and I said that my cause was helping women? That I wanted to form an artisan guild just for them? You must understand that I’m not a noblewoman, I’m working class, bu
t I was lucky enough to have crossed paths with Eilian in my business dealings. Unlike most men, he lets me do as I please and continue to work on my projects and company without restriction. Not every woman is able to do that after they are married. What I want to know from you is what worked. How did you use the silphium to achieve the desired result?”

  She swallowed hard, seeing the blood again in her mind’s eye as her body went into labor. “It’s immoral to do what I did.”

  “I disagree, but I don’t care about your reasons and don’t want to know them. I only want to know the mechanism that achieved the result. You must understand, we have so few options that work and don’t cause grave harm. From what I read in Eilian’s notes, the Romans used it faithfully and they were able to regulate their population. Imagine how that would work in London and other cities where the only option is to risk your life in some back alley or commit worse atrocities later. With something like silphium, there would be less poverty and fewer orphans within a decade. Women would be able to even support themselves if they were able to control how many children they had without neglecting other areas of their marriages. I want every woman to have access to a natural method that actually works, and this is obviously effective.”

  “What’s the point? They will say it’s unnatural, and put a stop to it. Besides, it’s gone now. I used up the useful parts testing it and burned the rest.”

  Hadley winced at the thought of the ancient plant being eaten by flames. “Eilian is growing another one. Luckily, he collected some seeds before you stole it. How could anyone deny that we were meant to have it when it has been provided for us to find? The Romans used it, and they are in fashion right now with scholars.” Hadley leaned closer and met Leona’s tired gaze. “All it takes is the right women finding out and spreading it to others. We could be a force for change with the right information and resources.”

  Drawing in an unsteady breath, Leona replied, “I will tell you, but you must promise never to tell anyone what I did.”

  ***

  Nadir watched from the dining room as Barnes passed into the curtained parlor with a tray of tea before ducking out and disappearing up the stairs. A wry smile crossed his lips. The kitchen was unguarded. Slipping down the steps, he hoped the butler wouldn’t interrupt him or make a snide comment on how much money he was costing Argus by purloining bits of cheese or leftovers, but as he crossed the last few steps, he froze and met a set of grey eyes gazing up at him from below. The thin shadow of a woman stood behind the table with her chapped hands resting on an envelope as crisp and white as the starched collar of her uniform. When she realized Nadir was the same man she met before, the edge of raw fear left her eyes.

  “And what are you doing here? Another message, I see.”

  Her light eyes darted over the steps and over her shoulder toward the door before coming to rest on his rich, velvet jacket. “Yes. I— I have a letter for Mrs. Rhodes, sir. Is she at home?”

  “Did Barnes let you in?” he asked with feigned disinterest.

  On the final step, he dropped his foot with a thunk, letting it echo in the gloomy kitchen. Rain pattered down from the open door, casting undulating shadows on the cobbled floor. They split and flickered, merging with the edge of the maid’s slight form. Pilcrow stepped back, unconsciously moving toward the door at the question. She should have waited outside.

  “No, sir, the door was unlocked. My master said the letter was important, and I didn’t want the ink to run, sir. I would get in trouble for that.”

  “You would get in trouble for trespassing, too.” With a sardonic sigh, he held out his hand. “Give it here. Mrs. Rhodes is busy with Lady Dorset, but I can take it up when she’s done.”

  Her mouth worked against the words that caught in her throat as she tightened her grip on the missive. “I can wait.”

  Nadir pursed his lips. For her size and station, she was a stubborn one. He had expected a woman who followed orders all day to give in. Languidly gliding across the cobbles, Nadir edged closer. The maid matched him step for step in reverse, her eyes never leaving his face. As her back collided with the wall, her face blanched to china white, but the hesitant resolve hardened in her gaze. Her heart pulsed against her ribs at the proximity of his breath and the brush of his hair against her forehead as he towered over her.

  “Why not give it to me? Your master will never have to know,” he whispered, his voice sweet and warm.

  “But I will know.”

  His hand flashed forward, reaching for the corner of the letter, but she had seen him coming. The monochromatic woman spun away from him, facing the wall and twisting against his grip. Instead, his fingers caught the edge of her thin coat. The seam tore at the sudden motion, revealing her dull uniform beneath it. Pilcrow and Nadir stopped mid-step. Their wide eyes met in horror as he released her and took a step back. Still holding the letter tightly in her grasp, she checked her coat. Her mouth contorted into a grimace as she looked from the hole to the almond-skinned gentleman.

  “I will pay for that.”

  Pilcrow’s face sputtered and twisted until finally she yelled in a voice just loud enough to have an edge, “It doesn’t matter. I’ll still be the one mending it!”

  His black brows knit and his eyes brightened at the thought. “If you give me the letter, I will give you twenty pounds. Then, you can buy a new coat.”

  Twenty pounds. She turned the figure over in her mind. That would be a year’s worth of wages if the Nashes actually paid her what they promised. A whole year’s salary for simply handing over an envelope that might fall into his hands the moment Mrs. Rhodes laid it down. She could buy a new coat and still have money left or she could save it until she could collect enough to leave and start over, but if Mrs. Nash found it when she rummaged through her room, she would confiscate it and interrogate her about where she got it. The horrid woman would call her a thief and toss her out without pay or references. As the hope drained from her mind, her grip loosened on the thin paper.

  Before she could break from her thoughts, a hand clamped down on the other side. Her fingers tightened at the last second as Nadir pulled her forward, trying to tug it from her iron grasp. Even if he ripped it, she would rather have that happen than have him get it in one piece. He yanked her onto her tiptoes as he raised the letter high above her head. Beads of sweat collected on her forehead and the breath caught in her chest as she held it in. If she released it, she would let go. A cry escaped her lips as her fingers slid off and she collided hard with the wooden stool behind her.

  Nadir stared triumphantly down at the letter. The envelope bore no name or markings. The back had been sealed with cheap glue and nothing more. Ignoring the maid as she rose on trembling legs and touched the blood seeping from the back of her hand where it scraped the stool, he held the papers up to the light. The few rows of neat script inside were barely visible through the dense paper, and where they could be seen, they overlapped incomprehensibly. With a satisfied smile, he stuffed it into his breast pocket out of sight.

  “Give it back! It’s not yours,” the maid demanded.

  Bright red blood dripped down her hand as she pointed a finger at him. Color rose in her cheeks, bringing out the russet sheen in her hair that a second earlier had been black. The shadows had condensed to fill-out the specter until her body became whole.

  Her grey eyes glowed with rage. “Give it back!”

  “My apologies, but it’s mine now,” he replied with a wide smile as he cocked his head and backed toward the steps. “I’m sure you can see yourself out.”

  Her hand dropped as he turned and trotted up the steps without looking back. She stood stunned. What could she do? The color drained from her face, landing in a tiny puddle of red at her side. Should she have chased him up into the house and taken it back? It would have surprised him—and her—but it was too late now. She knocked her fist against her forehead.

  “Stupid. Stupid,” she repeated as she righted the stool with her other han
d. How could she have been so stupid? She should have known the man would have gotten it from her one way or another, and now, Mr. or Mrs. Nash would find out. Then, she would pay dearly for her idiocy and her coat. They would surely make her pay for that, too.

  ***

  Nadir sprinted up the stairs, slamming and locking the basement door when he reached the top. The letter crinkled in his pocket as he passed the empty parlor. He paused at the threshold, but when he heard women’s voices drifting from the study, he continued on. Pretend that nothing is out of the ordinary, he reminded himself as he walked up the creaky, crooked steps with a slow, measured gate. He couldn’t let Barnes see him too pleased with himself unless he wanted Leona to know. The butler was worse than a bloody parrot.

  “Mr. Talbot.”

  Nadir stopped at the firm, plummy voice that brought him back to his school days of being brought before the headmaster. He turned to find the butler coming out of his bedroom. Spying probably. “Yes, Barnes?”

  “Do you still want your shoes polished, sir? I was unsure which pair you meant. You brought so many.”

  “All of them,” he replied with a smile as he slithered past and shut the door behind him.

  Retreating to his desk, he rearranged his stacks of books and papers to block an unwanted visitor from seeing what he was doing. He shut the curtains before carefully tearing the letter open. If it was something benign, at least he could reseal it and slip it in with the post. As he pulled it halfway out, he hesitated. This was Leona’s business. The letter was meant for her, and he had stolen it without a pang of guilt. There was still time to replace it before Lady Dorset left, but he had to know. Something was going on with her, something he didn’t like.