by Lexi Ostrow
The communication lines, of course, ran from room to room, there was also the machine he utilized to do his wash, one that sat next to the drying invention the steam guild had invented long before the world had gone to hell. The lights in his home were near as bright as the ones fastened to the wall in the Electric Guild, and he had a device in his room that somehow transported and magnified the Daily Telegraph onto a nearby wall.
She had been rightly captivated as she’d strolled around, but she had found herself growing bitter. She knew not of what destroyed the relationship between the guilds, yet she knew life would have been a far cry more livable had they continued to work together. Her father had left her a broken community and had it not been for the urging of the board. There was no telling what they would continue to miss out on.
Then there was the man himself that drew her fancy on all levels. There were occasional few moments alone in his presence, yet each time, he had made her smile. Even after the hell she had lived through, and the guilt that weighed her down anytime she closed her eyes and thought of her men, he brought her comfort. He had been called away shortly after showing her the marvels machine that washed dishes in the scullery of his guild. He’d left her with her thoughts of him, and she’d been unable to tear him from her mind. When she’d tried to learn more of who he was, all the guild members, even the acolytes, turned quiet. Christopher was so charismatic and enchanting, and Raven could not understand why none would speak. It was curious, but it simply meant she would learn him the way all partners did, from time together.
She had sought his guild out to help make a better world for everyone, yet if their incredibly short time in each other’s company was any indication, she was quite excited by the premise of working side-by-side with such an intriguing man. Raven could not remember the last time a man caught her fancy, though she knew it was before the brutal death of her family. She hadn’t known how dead her heart had grown in three short years. She was well past acceptable marrying age, even when the world was turned asunder. Raven had accepted she would live and die alone because she was not interested in marrying just any man who came calling, but Christopher awakened something in her.
Something that made her flush at the mere thought of his name.
“Raven?” Christopher dabbed at the corner of his mouth and set the linen down. “Are you feeling any ill effects from your injuries?”
Shaking her head from the clouds, she looked at the man across the table from her. Concern etched deeply in his oddly blue-green hazel eyes. His hair was tied back, revealing his cheekbones and showcasing the thin line of his lips pursed with annoyance.
“My apologies. I fear I have let the labor of the past day or so weigh me down. This truly is a lovely meal, and I’m thankful you opened up your residence to me while we work to a solution for our situation. I fear admitting it will make me weak, but I do not wish to travel through the city anywhere near the eve at the moment.” She hadn’t realized her fears until she vocalized them.
“You are safe here.” He pushed up from the seat and walked until he was right before her. “I have never rescued anyone before, not even my little sister from being teased by a bloke when she was schooled.” He looked into her eyes and paused for half a beat. “What I’m trying to state is that I’m not sure how ordinary this is, but I’m rather taken with your safety.” He knelt down as he spoke, bringing his gaze even more in sync with hers.
The flush she experienced when she first woke from her attack returned. Christopher Abbott should unquestionably campaign for a royal council seat if the world ever returned to conventional.
“I am rather glad of it as I find myself indebted to you, and rather fond of the moment we shared previously.”
His chuckle sent a shiver of delight through her. “It would not be proper for me to admit I have thought on it since it occurred.” His hand gently lay down on her knee. “I’ve thought much about it.”
The gentle motion nearly sent her jolting from the chair. “Christopher! You’re bloody brilliant.”
His head was cocked back, one eyebrow lifted, and he remained where he’d kneeled before her. “I am not one to turn down a compliment, but I am not certain it is earned.”
“It was, I assure you.” She lowered herself back into the grand dining chair. “We’ve expressed mutual interest in one another, and I assume, if we were different people we could tumble into bed together.”
“I’ve never been a fan of a woman who liked to poke fun at the man, but I am rather intrigued at where you are heading with this logic.”
She smirked, finding it far too easy to be open with a practical stranger. “Should I have not liked your affections? What would have occurred after you kissed me then?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Then, I suppose you would lay a hand on me.”
“Precisely. Yet, with the diseased beasts our fists do nothing, their nerves are dead, and their bodies are made strong by their feedings. A musket or rifle would be terribly difficult to carry and slow to load. A blade might be of use, but oftentimes a slice and a stab are not enough to stop a villain as it stalks its prey. The coppers often speak to that.” She’d had her mind set on such a device for some time, and it was only logical to partner with him on it.
“A weapon? You want to come up with a device a simple as that?”
Scoffing, she quickly wiped the corners of her mouth with the linen napkin and returned it to the table. “No, you daft man. I want to create a weapon that deploys quickly and attacks with lethal force.”
He still looked at her as if she were off one’s chump. “How do you propose we do that?”
“By combining what I do best, with what you do best. If we combine the power of a steam powered engine with the blast of electrical current that could rival that of your generator chambers, well, I dare say a vampire would fall.”
The smile that spread across Christopher’s lips with his comprehension was a glorious sight. The way it reached his eyes was all the affirmation she needed, he agreed.
“That’s bloody brilliant, Raven. Absolutely astoundingly brilliant.” He rose and took her hands in his. “One day, if this all plays out, I should think there is much more I would care to do with you, properly, of course.”
She blushed and nearly snorted in her embarrassment. “Though improper, there is no one to speak for me, so I will do it myself. Should we end a nearly decade old feud, I would very much like for you to court me properly so I can get to know the gentleman who saved me from the brink of death and who fascinates me with his charm and perseverance.”
“I should like to kiss you if the lady permits.”
She didn’t speak, merely tilted her head up to him and pressed her lips against his. It was a chaste moment, far unlike anything she had given into in his laboratory space, and still,, the press of his lips to her set tingles through her being.
“Thank you,” his words were a soft whisper as his lips left hers. “I’ve been nothing but forward, but courtships have been started on much less. Let us bring down the scourge upon London, and then we will turn to forging a fairly different alliance betwixt our guilds.”
“I should enjoy that. The past is forgotten by us, mayhap it was your act of heroism, or perhaps we are merely like-minded enough that we fit. Perhaps it will be simple to mend a rift we know nothing about.”
He blinked rapidly, and for a moment, she wondered if she’d been too forward. He spoke before she could apologize for assuming their attraction to one another could restore dozens of people to a time long forgotten.
“We should rest this night. The sun will set in just two hours, and despite the short journey thanks to your guild’s invention, I’d rather not tempt fate. While I would prefer to work in the secret locale of my humble abode, we will not have the supplies we need here now that we have come up with our idea.”
The words were a comfort to her, and she could appreciate the change in their location. “I shall retire and make a list of the
items we will need from my guild. If we begin at first light, perchance, we could stop there before we start on our endeavors?”
“You will need to gather certain tools. I believe I shall journey to my guild independently. We will make better time, and the sooner we may begin, the better off we will be.”
Once more, she was impressed by his thoughtfulness, but couldn’t help but wonder why he was so insistent on working in secret. Her guild had likely been informed of the decision to seek out an alliance, and her family had always been open with the members to ensure loyalty.
“Thank you, Christopher. You’ve not only saved me, but you’ve given thought to something I never dreamed possible. My family would never have made peace with you and your guild if the situation had been different. Errors of the past haunted my father and brothers. I am glad they did not haunt you.” Placing a kiss on his cheek, she smiled and walked from the room.
She was taken with Lord Christopher Abbott, and if she did not leave the chamber, she would have done something foolhardy and jeopardized their mission.
Chapter Eight
Benjamin couldn’t focus during the carriage ride to the guild. Knowing Raven had been mere doorways down had kept him from a proper night’s sleep. He’d concentrated on her health, on their task at hand, but primarily on fantasies that were best left unspoken. They had taken an interest in one another the way a flame takes to a candle wick, and he did not believe such occurrences to be normal in a world where only a decade ago, marriages were based purely on political arrangements and not desires of the heart.
“Which is hardly the point. You fancy one another because you’re both pleasant to look upon, well to do, and brilliant.” The carriage hit a bump, and he hissed. “And one of you is a lying fiend.”
“Master Abbott?” Parland Rhimes, his coachman, spoke through the small holes that connected front to back portions of the mobile. “I have not heard you rant so much on a drive in quite some time. Are you well?”
Scrubbing his hand across his face, he let out a sigh as his gaze shifted out the window. “I am at a loss of sorts. Have you ever begun a relationship on a falsehood?”
“No, Sir. I cannot say, I have. Not in business with your family, or when I courted my beautiful wife. I did not have much to offer on either occasion, but a lie would have been pointless.”
“And what if it had a point?” he cleared his throat as the vehicle turned onto the same street as the Electric Guild. “That is to say, what if the lie curried favor, or allowed something otherwise impossible to transpire?”
Parland chortled. “Sir, why would you have to lie about your parentage to anyone?”
Grumbling, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Because I was not born, my cousin.”
“Does this have to do at all with the visitor you brought home yesterday that I escorted to none other than the Steam Guild less than an hour's time ago?”
“As I am the one who engaged this manner of speaking, yes, it does. She is Lady Raven Nightingale, leader of the Steam Guild. She sought my cousin out to propose an alliance. I worried if she’d learned of his passing, she would rescind the offer, and I have long since thought merging with them would allow us to invent great things. So, I stepped into Christopher’s place so that we might stand a chance at creating such devices – devices that would help us eradicate the monsters we created.”
“Pardon my saying so, Sir, but we did not create the disease.”
He shook his head, and upon seeing where they were on the road, snatched his mask and goggles from the bench to put them on. “No, but we created the madness amongst the sick. Had we simply put them down – they would never have known to take our blood to live.”
The words were bitter as they left his mouth, but he would not take them back. Science led them down a dark path, and once society learned there was no cure, they had tried to rid the world of the sick. That is why the vampiric creatures had risen up and put the world in its current predicament.
“The world would be a much brighter place if we merely had to wear masks and goggles when venturing outside, wouldn’t you say?”
He saw Parland’s head bob, but his employee offered no personal opinion on the matter.
“To return to my initial query, I find myself perplexed at masquerading as my cousin. I am more intrigued than I ought to be by Lady Nightingale, and she shares my sentiments. However, she is under the impression I am my cousin.”
The transport settled to a stop, and he waited for the glass partition to rise and seal off the space between the carriages, which Parland always did before driving off. Confident he would not harm his employee, he pushed open the steel door and effortlessly hoped down and out.
“Well, I’ll be if it isn’t Christopher Abbott.”
He froze at his sister’s voice and turned to meet her gaze as best as he could under his goggles. A fiery stare met his, and he wondered if her lips would be quirked up in amusement or drawn together in anger.
“Don’t start,” He pulled the handle, holding the door open for his younger sister to step into the holding chamber before following suit.
The timer clicked on the very instant Stella began to chide him.
“Seriously, Brother, what do you hope to gain from this? How long can this charade last? How are you certain she has even fallen for it, and where is the famous Lady Raven Nightingale?”
“Good God, sister, care to take a breath? You asked so much of me the timer has nearly finished its run, and you’ve only just stopped your barrage.” With that, the beep rang through the space, and the inner door opened on a steam powered whoosh.
Stella yanked her gear off and placed it in the appropriate cubby as he did the same.
“Well, which will you answer?”
Sighing, he nodded towards the lift. “Come with me to gather what I need, and we can surely discuss along the way.” Her expression didn’t change, but she did begin to follow the moment he started walking. “Now, let’s see if I can answer these and not skip any.” The door slid closed, and he pressed the fourth level’s button – the storages. “I hope to gain an alliance that will usher us into a new age. I hope to break free from the disease that holds the entire world hostage. I know not how long it can last, nor how long it should last, merely that it has to until she is convinced we can work together.”
“You missed some,” Stella snorted as she stepped past him and started aimlessly pacing in the hall as he stepped out. “Do not think I also did not hear you make mention of how you wish to bed her or the fact of how ridiculous this game of yours is given she came to us seeking help, and you could have been you.”
He froze, uncertain how his sister could know such a thing and concerned about what she would think of it. Clearing his throat, he pointed down the hall to the two large doors. “I am not going to answer that. We are a free society, and should I wish to bed an attractive, personable female whose reputation speaks to her brilliant mind, then it is my business. As to the latter, she came looking for a leader. I gave her one.”
Stella had the gall to snicker as she helped him input the security code into the small steam powered panel simultaneously, as it required two guild leaders to access. “Very well, brother. I am still waiting for my other two answers.”
Shaking his head, Benjamin tugged the door closed behind him and turned to look her in the eyes. “She believes it. Much to my dismay, she well and truly believes I am the well to do and charming leader of the Electric Guild. She has not failed to utter our late cousin’s name at the most inopportune times.”
“You have bedded her then!” The exclamation rung out and echoed through the shelved rows of goods. His sister was beaming from ear to ear.
“I have not. We have engaged in a few . . . improper . . . moments and I tell you I’ve never been more interested in bedding a woman, but I have not. She believes I am Christopher, and so long as she never sees a picture of him, I believe we can continue this for some time.” Because the moment yo
u tell her who you are, she might retain business relations, but never the other kind.
“And what of her location? It does not sound as if she has abandoned you.”
“Lady Raven has returned to her guild to acquire some necessary items. I have journeyed here to do the same. We are to work together on an invention to test out the capabilities of a partnership.”
“Does she know how the Electric Guild came to create more than static sparks one could use for parlor tricks?”
“No. If Raven knows, she is holding her cards close, and I intend to do the same. We only have three gifts left to receive, and we only gain them if we can prove we have a design ready. I believe with the Great Guilds working together once again, and we can create something worthy.”
“Very well, then, what do you need?”
Stella went from inquisitive to helpful in quick time, and he was not surprised. She might be impetuous and free-spirited, but his sister was gravely loyal and a hard worker when she was inclined to be.
“We need current boxes, copper wiring, aluminum wiring, a switch or two for good measure, and a volt box.”
“You’ve gone daft.”
“No, I assure you I have not.” He started toward the wiring rows and quickly grabbed two spools of what he needed. “I know the items of mention are rather larger. However, I am hoping if we can create the device correctly, we can put find ways to bypass the need for the volt and current boxes. I am merely seeking to bring one of each to demonstrate how I believe something should work – I know it is impossible to run anything save for houses and businesses of such large items.”
He strolled, all the while tuning out the racket Stella made. Standing before the six extra volt boxes, he slipped the spools of wire into his pockets and took a volt box from the shelf, securing it under his arm.
“As you have offered to help, might you grab the current box and meet me in my space? I wish to set it all in a box and the return home to work with Lady Raven as we’ve agreed to do so privately – mostly so as not to have any slipups. She’s brilliant and has nearly called out my rouse twice.”