by L. C. Mawson
Ruth felt a spike of irritation at that. She didn’t want to deal with men fawning over her. That would mean rejecting them, which could get messy.
Ruth had never cared for messy.
She smiled, despite the irritation. “Why, thank you.”
James, to Ruth’s relief, turned back to Thomas. “So, you didn’t bring The Owl with you?”
“No,” James said. “He dislikes having to leave his workshop. You know how inventors are.”
“I do, but Thomas... While his inventions are, without a doubt, the best, this is becoming a matter of security. If The Owl wishes to sell inventions to the Crown, I must at least meet him.”
Thomas nodded, though Ruth wanted to scream at him to come with an excuse or a lie. Something — anything — to delay that possibility.
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” Thomas said, deeply confusing Ruth.
“That would be much appreciated,” James told him.
Before Ruth could protest, a woman approached, with the same reddish-brown hair and grey eyes as James.
“Are you two boring poor Lady Chapelstone with your talk of business?” she asked in a no-nonsense manner.
James stiffened, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. “This is my sister, Anne.”
Anne moved over to Ruth, leading her away from the men. “Come on, dear, let’s leave those two to talk. I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
Any protest from Ruth died on her tongue, her words draining away with her terror at the prospect of meeting new people without her uncle.
Anne had not been joking when she had said everyone, Ruth learnt as she was escorted throughout the room in a whirlwind of new names and faces, none of which she remembered. It took her almost an hour to slip her new guide, pretending to need to relieve herself. Instead she found a quiet corner and allowed herself a brief respite. It took several moments of focusing on her breathing and the comforting way her corset hugged her for the room to stop spinning.
“Had to slip away?”
Ruth jumped at the intrusion, though it was barely noticeable, thanks to her lethargy. She had to put what little energy she had recovered into her smile as James approached, passing her a glass of wine.
“I don’t drink,” she told him, eventually remembering to add, “But thank you for the thought.”
He nodded in understanding. “Thomas mentioned that you weren’t much for crowds.”
Ruth didn’t have anything to say to that, so she simply nodded.
“I’m sorry, I thought having my sister introduce you around would make things easier for you.”
“It did,” Ruth managed. It wasn’t even a lie. Having Anne escort her had certainly been better than her standing mutely in a corner or constantly tailing Thomas as he talked with men, who would either look her over with unrestrained interest or ignore and condescend her.
“Anne is very nice.” Ruth had no idea if that particular point was true or not; she had been so carefully keeping her attention on getting her social niceties correct with all of the other girls Anne had introduced her to that she hadn’t had enough concentration to pay much attention to her guide. Definitely not enough to form an opinion on her. But she hadn’t been sure of what else to say, so she had fabricated the positive opinion in the hopes of keeping James happy so that he wouldn’t notice if she slipped.
James smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed her company, Lady Chapelstone.” He moved his mouth upwards at just one side in a way that Ruth couldn’t quite decipher. “Your name is a tad long, may I call you Ruth?”
“My name is but four syllables,” she pointed out, before realising that it was perhaps rude of her. She was unsure of how to decline without risking his ire, so she relented. “But, yes, you may call me Ruth.”
His smile widened to become even on both sides. “Thank you, Ruth.”
She nodded, curtly, wishing that she had something non-alcoholic to drink so that she could buy herself a little time before she was expected to speak once more.
Thankfully, Thomas chose that moment to find her.
“Are you having a nice time?” he asked.
“I am a little tired,” she said, as she always did to indicate that she wished to be extracted.
Thomas nodded in understanding before turning to James. “We should take our leave. It’s getting late, and Ruth requires her sleep.”
“Of course. It was nice to see you both. Thomas, I shall send correspondence about meeting with The Owl.”
“Of course,” Thomas replied as they took their leave.
As soon as they were outside, Ruth turned to her uncle. “He can’t meet The Owl.”
“No, he can’t, but it would be impolite to not at least seem to make the effort to arrange a meeting. I shall fob him off with excuses, and he shall eventually grow bored. If he wants the inventions, which he clearly does, he will forgo the meeting after a few failed attempts.”
Ruth gave a disgruntled hum. It seemed like courting trouble to her, but her uncle was much better with people than she was.
4
“I think I’ve done it!” Ruth called out, bouncing up and down a little with excitement. Having Thomas around to appreciate her work had always been nice, but he had always seen it as an opportunity. As Ivy quickly bounded over, Ruth found herself glad to have someone who appreciated her work in the same way that she did.
“Done what? Can I see?”
Ruth nodded, taking Ivy by the shoulders and moving her back from the contraption she had just finished tinkering with. As usual, when Ruth got close, Ivy seemed to get a tad fidgety, causing Ruth to assume that she was shy.
Ruth took the box from the counter, which was connected to the mechanism by a long, thick cable.
Ruth moved the toggle on the box, and in response, the metal spindles that were connected to the bottom of an oval, looking almost like an oddly shaped table, moved with a clicking sound, going from side to side.
“It’s like a spider!” Ivy exclaimed with fascination, taking a timid step towards the contraption.
Ruth nodded. “They’re legs. Should someone lose their own, they could control these new ones with this box.”
“Should they not look more... human?”
Ruth blinked. “Why? This is far more efficient.”
Ivy shrugged. “I suppose, but I imagine many people would be attached to how their human legs look.”
Ruth hummed in thought before nodding. “Perhaps you’re right. This is what I enjoy about having you here, Ivy. You’re good at giving me a fresh perspective on my work.”
Ivy grinned as Ruth went back over to the spider legs to adjust one that was slightly out of sync with the others.
“What about your other project?” Ivy asked, moving over to the workbench.
“Oh, the mechanical brain? It’s progressing. I have it capable of simple arithmetic, but it’s a chore. I’m trying to build the system from the ground up, rather than basing it on the Fralsen system, which I believe to be inherently flawed.”
“Could you use some help with it?” Ivy asked, inching closer to the invention, though she didn’t dare touch it.
“I suppose some input wouldn’t go amiss.”
Before Ivy could respond, a loud knock echoed from below. Ruth froze at the unexpected noise, her fists clenching as she realised that it meant unexpected visitors.
“I’ll answer it,” Ivy said before rushing downstairs to greet their guest.
Ruth couldn’t cope with any more household staff than Ivy, but it would have been unseemly for either her or Thomas to answer. Ivy, thankfully, didn’t seem to mind helping them keep up appearances, though Ruth suspected that had to do with how well Thomas was paying her.
“Lord Holly,” Ivy said, loud enough for it to carry upstairs.
Ruth frowned, not recognising the name.
Thomas, who had been in his downstairs study, hurried out, and Ruth saw from her spot at the top of the stairs that he was inviting James inside, recognisi
ng him by his muttonchops.
“I’m dreadfully sorry for stopping by unannounced,” James said, though Ruth didn’t think that he sounded sorry at all. “I was nearby and thought that this may be an opportune time for me to meet The Owl.”
Ivy raced back upstairs as Thomas began to make excuses.
“Your clothes, Ma’am,” she hissed.
Ruth looked down to see that her plain dress, apron and gloves were covered in grease. James would know immediately that she had been the one in the workshop if he saw her.
“Quickly,” Ruth said, hurrying to her room and waving for Ivy to follow her. “Help me get changed. I will not be able to lace up quickly enough on my own.”
Ivy did as she was told, though she moved stiffly as she did so. Ruth wondered if the poor girl was ill, though she pushed the thought away. She didn’t need to be worrying about contracting anything from her assistant when she had so much else to be concerned with.
Ruth quickly stripped off her skirts as soon as the door shut behind her.
“Could you bring me a clean dress?” she asked Ivy, who hurried across the room to her wardrobe.
Ivy hesitated as she brought the blue dress back to Ruth, who had stripped down to her underskirts.
“What is it?” Ruth asked, impatiently placing her hands on her hips.
“I... Nothing,” Ivy squeaked, not quite looking at Ruth.
Ruth didn’t quite believe her, but took her word as Ivy helped her to scramble into the dress and lace up, though Ivy was noticeably hesitant as her fingers neared Ruth’s skin, putting Ruth a little on edge.
She wished Ivy wasn’t so damn shy.
As soon as Ruth was laced up properly, she raced out of her room, just as James was making his way up the stairs.
“The Owl doesn’t like to be disturbed while he’s working!” Thomas protested, following quickly behind James.
“Just a quick introduction, Thomas. Then this can all move along.”
Ruth stepped forward, drawing James’ attention.
“I’m afraid The Owl stepped out for a bit,” she said before James reached the door of the workshop.
“Stepped out?”
“He went for a walk to clear his head. He does that from time to time when he’s looking for inspiration.”
“How long do you think he will be gone?”
She shrugged. “Maybe an hour, maybe the rest of the night. You know how inventors are. It would most likely be a waste of your time to wait for him.”
James nodded. “I’m sorry for my intrusion, Ruth. I simply thought that it would be best to get my meeting The Owl out of the way. I suspect he may try to put me off forever, and I am a busy man.”
“He is quite shy. Perhaps you should forgo the meeting, given that Thomas can vouch for him.”
“I wish that I could, but there are strict protocols on the matter. If I cannot meet The Owl, the Crown cannot use his inventions.”
“That would be a pity.”
“Indeed,” James said before turning back to Thomas. “If you could let me know when you expect him to be home, I shall try to stop by. I know you want to protect your friend, but this is a necessity and putting it off will not help.”
Thomas nodded. “I shall redouble my efforts to arrange a meeting.”
“I would be most grateful,” James said, before turning back to Ruth. “And I would be most delighted to see you again.”
“Oh, if you drop by to see The Owl, I’m sure you will,” she said, her tone betraying nothing, though she meant her words as a subtle barb to her uncle. Not that he would pick up on it, but it made her feel better.
As soon as the front door closed behind James, Ruth glared at Thomas, her arms folded tightly across her chest.
“Your approach isn’t working.”
To her irritation, her uncle simply replied with a mild, “Apparently not.”
5
Ruth felt discomforted by her lack of corset. She had always liked the constant pressure around her middle, and she greatly missed it. But wearing one would ruin the illusion she was going for.
The fabric around her chest, binding it down, wasn’t the same. In fact, it felt uncomfortable around her rather generous bosom.
“How do I look?” Ruth asked Ivy, as she twirled around in Thomas’ clothes.
“I think you look rather dashing.”
Ruth smiled as she placed a hat over her pinned up hair, pulling it down over her eyes so that she wouldn’t be recognised.
She paused as she heard the front door open. Ivy hurried out of the room to double check that it was Thomas, before coming back and giving a nod of affirmation.
Ruth grinned, rushing out of the room and downstairs as her uncle was still taking off his coat.
“Ruth?” Thomas asked as he saw her.
Her heart sank in disappointment at being recognised, before realising that no one else would likely be in the house. And Thomas had known her all her life; just because he recognised her didn’t mean that others would.
“No,” she said, forcing her voice low. “I’m The Owl.”
Thomas rolled his eyes. “Ruth, you’re never going to fool anyone with that disguise.”
“I might,” she said, forgetting about making her voice low.
“Ruth, your face is too soft, and you’re quite recognisable. Especially to someone like James who knows how to pay attention.”
“Ivy thought it was a good disguise,” she countered, folding her arms.
Ivy cleared her throat before speaking up. “Well, no. I said you looked dashing, not that you would fool anyone.”
Ruth sighed. “Well, we have to do something.”
“No, we don’t,” Thomas said, shaking his head a little. “James will let it slide eventually. We just have to have patience.”
“If he’s so willing to let it slide, why was he here in the middle of the night?”
Thomas did a poor job of holding back a smirk. “Well, to start, it wasn’t that late. The Londoners tend to stay up a little later than we do back home. And is it not obvious why he was here?”
“To see The Owl.”
“No, to see you, Ruth. If he wasn’t so smitten with you, he most likely wouldn’t have stopped by.”
“Smitten?”
“You hadn’t noticed? James has every intention of courting you.”
“Oh,” Ruth said with a frown, the unexpected information causing her brain to freeze. “But I don’t want that.”
“Then reject him. Perhaps you should wait until after the contract has been signed, though. Just in case.”
Ruth’s frown deepened, despite Thomas’ reassurance that rejecting James was an option. “Would he really do such a thing? Be so petty?”
“I was joking,” Thomas clarified. “Mostly.”
Ruth huffed as she finally removed her hat; it was getting in the way of her vision.
“Though you may want to reconsider his offer. James is good man, and he will be only the first of many. You will have to start considering the prospect of marriage soon.”
“Why?”
“Why? Well, because you’ll have to marry eventually and you’re hardly getting any younger.”
“Neither are you,” Ruth countered with a pout. “And you’re the one who has to carry on the family name.”
“Let me worry about that.”
“Then let me worry about my own future. I don’t want to get married. I have no interest in it.”
“You’re only saying that because no one has caught your interest.”
“Perhaps, but at this point, I doubt anyone ever will. And I’m not upset by that. The only thing about it I don’t like is that everyone else thinks I should be perturbed by my lack of romantic attraction.”
Thomas nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed. If you don’t want to marry, no one should force you to.”
“Thank you.”
Thomas smiled. “Perhaps you should change out of that outfit
and into something more appropriate. Believe me, we shall find a solution to this that is a little less theatrical.”
Ruth nodded before heading back upstairs with Ivy trailing behind her.
“Ruth?” Ivy asked as Ruth focused on the buttons of her waistcoat.
“Hmm?”
“Did you mean what you said to Thomas? About never wanting to get married?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it. Why?”
“Nothing, I just... Do you really never feel attracted to anyone? Never get giddy at the thought of simply holding their hand?”
“No,” Ruth said, a little shortly. “And I don’t see how that’s a problem. I’m not needed to continue the family name, and romance just seems more trouble than it’s worth beyond that. I have Thomas and I have you. Friends and family. What more could I need?”
“You truly think of me as a friend?”
“Well, I suppose so, yes. Why?”
“I just- I... It’s nothing. I’m grateful.”
Ruth frowned. “Grateful? Why?”
“Well, it’s just, you’re... You’re you. You’re The Owl and I’m just some kid...”
Ruth’s frown deepened. “I don’t understand. Are you saying a friendship between us is unlikely because of our age difference?”
“No. Well, yes, a little. And our difference in social status.” Ruth, oblivious as always, missed the way that Ivy waved to her face when she spoke, indicating that she was talking about more than just her class.
“Huh. I suppose I never really gave that any thought.”
“And you’re so...”
“So...?”
Ivy shook her head, seemingly unable to finish that sentence.
“I enjoy having someone to talk about my inventions with,” Ruth reasoned, as a way of explaining. “And other things as well, I suppose.”
“Then I am happy to be your friend,” Ivy said, finally settling Ruth’s unease at the strange conversation.
6
Explosions weren’t Ruth’s preferred method of breaking her focus so that she would remember to eat, but she had to admit, as she and Ivy struggled to cough away the plume of smoke that had engulfed them, it worked about as well as anything else.
