Viridis - A Steampunk Romance (11 page)

She was just about to slip down the hallway to her
office when Lord Victor Fenwick’s voice cut through the din of the
club, freezing Phoebe to the spot. “Ah, there you are, my
dear.”

Her back stiffened, but she managed to force a
pleasant smile before turning to meet him. “Lord Fenwick, how nice
to see you here. I do trust you’re having yourself a pleasant
evening?”

His gaze shifted to mask his disappointment in her
clipped tone. “My dear, I thought by now we’d be past such
formalities and you’d be comfortable enough to address me by my
given name.” He took a step closer, taking Phoebe’s hand in his and
bringing it to his lips.

“Yes, Victor, of course.” Though her jaw clenched
with annoyance, her gut rolled with uneasiness.

Victor was the last person she wanted to deal with,
however, it would be a grave mistake to slight him in any way.
Spending so much time at the club, she heard the rumors, and saw
the wide berth and feared respect the other men gave him. He was
powerful enough to make anyone’s life miserable, and vindictive
enough to do it without a second thought.

“Though a formal invitation will be sent, I wanted
to ask you myself. Would you do me the great honor of attending the
gala I will be hosting at my home? It would not be the same without
your beauty gracing the event.” He brushed the back of his hand
down her cheek, and Phoebe felt a tide of heat rise to her face. He
had some audacity to take such liberties with her.

Phoebe took a step back, away from his touch.
“You’ll need to forgive me, but I’m afraid I’ll not be able to
attend. Things are rather busy here and I’m not able to get away
much.”

“Nonsense! I insist.” He took another step towards
her so that Phoebe was forced to take a step back, coming up
against the wall as he loomed over her.

Just then, Seth stepped up to her side, his eyes
gleaming with a barely contained fury, his hands clenched into
fists. “Phoebe, is there a problem here?”

“Mr. Elliott. How nice of you to join us.” Victor
spoke through clenched teeth and then turned back to Phoebe,
ignoring Seth altogether. “It will not be the same without you, my
dear. I insist upon your presence and will not take no for an
answer. It promises to be a truly splendid affair.”

Seth did not give her the opportunity to answer
Victor. “I believe the lady said she will not be attending and is
previously engaged. I did not think it a difficult thing to
understand. If you’ll excuse us.”

Victor stammered, his face going crimson. But before
he could put together a coherent sentence, Seth led Phoebe away
towards her office.

With the door securely locked, Phoebe tried to
contain the seed of dread that was rapidly growing into something
that threatened to consume her. “It was truly unwise to make him
look the fool. I fear you do not know what the man is capable
of.”

“Nor do I care. I will not have that brute
intimidating ye into relations, just as I’ll certainly not have ye
fearing him or what he may do if he’s angered or annoyed. Do ye
hear me, Phoebe? Whatever delusions Victor harbors about you, end
now.”

She shook her head in worry. “Though I appreciate
your concern, I would have handled matters myself. I’ve managed
just fine in the past and am not in need of constant rescue.”

Seth gave his head a shake. “Though I’d be tempted
to break every bone in the man’s hand for touching ye like he did,
this is not a case of simple jealousy, nor a case for whether or
not you can care for yourself— for ye certainly are capable. But
I’m a good judge of character, aye? And I’m telling ye, the man is
an evil bastard. I want him nowhere near ye.”

Taking her by the hand, he pulled her to him, and
she stepped into his embrace, not wanting to argue. She rested her
cheek over his heart, the tension she felt slowly melting as she
relaxed in his arms. She pulled away just enough to look up at him,
trying to set aside her worries. “Inspector Thomas is here and
would like to speak with you, if you have a moment. He’s waiting
for you in the theatre.”

“Is there no news of Lilly?”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Although he did
think she had left of her own accord.”

“I’ll go speak with him, though I cannot imagine how
I might be of help. Will you join me for dinner afterwards?”

She gave him a knowing smile. They had been apart
too long, and both wanted to make up for time lost now that they
had mended their relationship. “I have some business to attend to,
but will meet up with you when I have the chance.” He leaned in for
a final kiss before turning to go.

Phoebe pulled out her ledgers and sat down at her
desk. Her reading glasses—which she abhorred— sat at the end of her
nose, as she ran through last night’s sales figures.

She had not been more than twenty minutes into her
work when there was a knock at the door. She looked up to find Seth
had popped his head into the room. “I hope you do not mind, my
love, but Inspector Thomas has something he wants me to look at,
and he thought it best to do so in private. I thought it unwise to
disturb your customers by occupying a private room.”

She waved Seth and William in, standing to greet
them. Seth’s attention was already focused on William and the
leather case he held, her own curiosity now piqued.

Seth turned to William now that they were behind
closed doors. “I must say I was a bit surprised to hear you were
looking for me.”

“To be honest, you were the first person I thought
of. You see, I’ve come across a unique tinkering, but I’m not
terribly familiar with its workings and have had a hard time
garnering help from the appropriate sources. I’m afraid it could be
key to my investigation.”

“I would be happy to aid your investigation in any
way I can. May I see the item?”

Phoebe went to her desk and quickly closed her books
and ledgers, clearing a spot for the tinkering. “You may work here
at my desk, if you like.” She watched in anticipation as William
reached into his case, and pulled out a fair sized rectangular
object.

“Thank you, Lady Hughes.” William placed it on
Phoebe’s desk, and then removed the protective cloth to expose a
square brass case about a foot long. He stepped aside and Seth
immediately sat in the chair, his eyes wide with excitement and his
focus on the tinkering complete. Unable to resist, Phoebe sidled up
behind him for a better look, her manners forgotten as she hovered
over his shoulder.

Truly, it was a thing of beauty, its technology a
tinkerer’s delight. The exterior casing was of polished brass
etched in beautiful and intricate detail, a design inspired by a
scene of the hunt. However, the true beauty lay not within these
details, but within the casing itself.

Lifting the top half of the casing, it cracked open
on a well-oiled hinge to reveal an interior of extraordinary
ingenuity. Numbers and letters sat aligned on small circular keys,
covering the bottom half. The top half was made of a smooth glass
panel, which reflected the light from Phoebe’s fireplace. Finding
the winding knob, Seth pulled it out and cranked it rapidly for a
few minutes, before finally pressing a shiny enameled red button.
What had been a dark piece of glass now came to life with light.
“Just amazing, aye? This is a little different to the ones I have
seen in the past, but the concept should be similar. ‘Tis a device
for storing information, not too different to a library with books
of information. By using a code, information can be locked away and
hidden from view.”

“Fascinating.” William also hovered at Seth’s side
to get a better look.

Phoebe watched as Seth tapped away on the keys
trying to access the information within, but with him shaking his
head every few minutes, it was clear he was finding it
difficult.

Seth looked over his shoulder at William. “Whoever
put this device together knew what they were doing. Its design is
unique and I do not think it was made by any of the tinkerers I’m
familiar with— makes me think it’s likely a tinkerer working for
the Secret Service. The information has been protected to prevent
access without the proper codes.”

“You cannot access it then?” Disappointment crept
into William’s voice.

Seth smiled. “I did not say that, did I?” He turned
back and started tapping away again. “It may take a little time,
but I do not think it an impossible task— just a bit of a
challenge.”

Phoebe rested her hand on his shoulder, leaning in
for a better look. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It
really is something.”

Though she really wasn’t a tinkerer herself, she had
a keen appreciation of all that had gone into creating such a
device. She knew Seth dreamed of a day when tinkerings would be
commonplace, not only for the privileged but also for the common
man, with the hope of improving people’s lives. So much could
change with the proper technological advances— food and proper
housing for the poor, an education for the uneducated, safe work
conditions— the possibilities were limitless.

Seth spent the next half hour tapping at the
keyboard, his brows knitted in concentration as Phoebe and William
looked on. Finally, Seth let out a frustrated sigh. “The
protections on the device are quite advanced, and I’m afraid this
will take some time to access.”

William straightened himself upright. “I do not want
to interrupt your evening, however the module is not something I
can leave with you. I do hope you understand. Would it be possible
to meet one day soon, to give you another look? Your help in the
matter would truly be appreciated.”

“Yes, of course. I’m sure time is of the essence.
Would you like to meet me tomorrow?” Seth pressed the red button
located above the enameled keys, and the glowing glass once again
went dark. He then lowered the top half of the case, latching it
closed.

“Thank you so much for your time. It is truly
appreciated.” William took the module Seth held up to him.

“Here is my address,” Seth said, scribbling it down
on a piece of paper. “You appear to be a man of honor, so I ask you
keep this in confidence. I’m sure you understand, given the work I
do. Not only is it my home but also my workshop and where I house
my tinkerings and my designs. It’s not that no one knows where I
live, but the fewer the better.”

“Yes, of course. You have my word. Lady Hughes, I
will be sure to let you know if I hear anything else regarding
Lily’s whereabouts. A good evening to you both.”

***

Phoebe had barely closed the door behind William
when Seth took her by the hand and pulled her into his arms. She
could not help but smile at him. “Shall we watch the show and have
a bite to eat?” She tried to ignore the skip in her heartbeat as
their bodies touched, her hands resting on his chest.

He leaned in and gave her a tease of a kiss. “I had
a bit of Viridis earlier with William, and it’s doing a magnificent
job. We could skip dinner and the show altogether, as far as I’m
concerned.”

“There will be plenty of time for that later,” she
smiled. Then without waiting for an answer, she took his hand and
led him to the theater.

She headed for the circular booths located against
the far wall. The lighting was dim, intimate, and the high curved
back of the booth allowed one to still watch the show, but kept
prying eyes from getting a good look at the occupants.

Phoebe pressed a button on the side of the booth,
and had the pleasure of watching Seth’s eyebrows shoot up in
surprise as the table slid out and to the side. She couldn’t help
but laugh. “I guess all that time together must have rubbed off
just a little.”

“It certainly appears to be the case.” He helped her
into the booth, taking a seat next to her, as the table slid back
into place with a small hiss of steam. The table legs were equipped
with casters for ease of movement along a track, the pulley system
powered by steam. This allowed the table to be moved in and out of
position with just a touch of the button. Phoebe found there was
nothing more infuriating than trying to slide in and out of a booth
in the bustled gowns currently in fashion. Her design had remedied
that problem.

With the seclusion of the booth to protect them,
Seth pressed his body against hers, his warmth radiating through
her gown. She couldn’t help but lean up against him, her stomach
fluttering in response.

Phoebe ordered them food and drink and then gave
Seth a sideways glance. “You have not told me what you think of
this place. I’d be curious to know.” There was currently a risqué
dance number up on the stage, and she couldn’t help but notice him
glance up once and then quickly turn his attention back to her.

“Och, well—,” his accent had slipped with his
embarrassment. “’Tis not something I’m quite used to seeing,
especially out in the open, aye?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you telling me you
don’t approve, my love?” She took his hand in hers and gave it a
squeeze.

“No, no. ‘Tis not that I don’t approve; only that
I’m not quite used to seeing it in such a manner, though it looks
like I’m probably the only one here that hasn’t quite adjusted,
aye?” He gave her a quick smile, before continuing. “You’ve a keen
business sense, I’ll tell ye, and the place is gorgeous. ‘Tis only
that I worry ‘bout the attention it must put on ye.”

The waitress arrived, pouring them each a glass of
Viridis and leaving the bottle on the table before slipping away.
Phoebe took a sip of the herbal before addressing Seth’s concerns.
“Attention? Nothing too extreme, I assure you, and it’ll all die
down soon enough. It’s only that this is still fairly new.”

He took a sip from his own glass, and then watched
as the viscous green liquid slowly slipped back down the side of
the glass, a frown marring his countenance.