by Gwynn White
Jimmy kept his head down, seeming to have some trouble getting the chain situated as he wanted.
“Mr. Grayson and I will bring up breakfast,” she said to fill the awkward silence. “Will you set up the table and call in Zach?”
“Aye, Captain.” Jimmy looked up. He blinked several times, but he was smiling. He thanked Grayson again, then hurried up the ladder.
“I told you that watch meant a lot to him,” she whispered to Grayson.
“You did.”
She returned to the table and picked up the silver pocket watch. An image of a dragon was carved into the cover. Like the image on the medallion, it was a perfect representation of Lock. Opening the cover, she exposed the silver face and moving hands. “He actually keeps time?”
“Yes.” Grayson stopped beside her. “This will probably become its favored form since you expressed an admiration for the object. Who knew it was such a flirt?”
“You insist that he is a thing, not to be named or assigned a gender, yet you attribute him with such a human expression.”
“Are you calling me a hypocrite, Miss Rose?”
“Yes, I am.” She slipped the silver watch into her pocket.
Grayson followed the motion, his expression more amused than offended.
“Help me carry up breakfast,” she said, trying to put some distance between them again. “Otherwise, the crew might mutiny.”
“Aye, Captain.” Grayson still grinned.
10
After breakfast, they locked through number thirty-three without a problem, then traveled the two miles between it and lock thirty-two, also known as Aqueduct Lock, so named because it would lift them the nine and a half feet to the Circleville Aqueduct to passed over the Scioto River.
“Wow.” Grayson stopped beside her, eyeing the approaching lock and the covered aqueduct beyond it.
Briar glanced over. “Are you impressed or poking fun?”
“I was admiring the engineering that went into designing this,” Grayson said. “Granted, by today’s standards, it’s a bit antiquated, but I recognize quality work when I see it.”
She glanced over, ready to protest his antiquated comment, but he wasn’t smirking at her as she expected. Instead, he was studying the structure they approached.
“At over four hundred feet long, it’s said to be longest aqueduct on the Ohio & Erie.” They had crossed other aqueducts on this trip, but this was by far the most impressive.
“Though I must admit,” Grayson continued, “I find it amusing that a bridge has been built to transport one waterway over another.”
“How else would we cross it?” she demanded. “Rivers have currents, and they rise and fall with the floods and droughts. Plus we need a towpath to—”
“Mr. Grayson?” Jimmy called from the bow, interrupting their argument. “Would you give me a hand on the balance beams?” Jimmy waved a hand toward the long wooden beams that projected from the top of the lock’s miter gates. One person on either side had to push their gate open using the beam. It seemed Jimmy had selected Mr. Grayson to be his helper.
“Certainly,” Grayson called, his tone cheerful and almost eager. He turned back to her. “Perhaps we can continue our conversation after we’ve…”—he consider his word choice—“locked through?”
“If you like.” She tried to hide her amusement. He might consider their system antiquated, but he was still eager to learn all he could.
She joined Eli on the tiller deck where they waited for the lock to lift them to the level of the aqueduct.
“I don’t like being at odds with you, Miss Briar,” Eli spoke up.
She sighed. “Nor I you.”
“I just don’t trust that Mr. Grayson,” he insisted.
“Why is that, Eli?”
He didn’t immediately answer, frowning at where Grayson and Jimmy were now manning the balance beams.
“Is it because he works for the railroad, or a ferromancer?”
“I should think either reason would do.”
“You don’t think we should judge the man on his own merit?” she asked.
“We don’t know what the merit is. He doesn’t show us his true self.”
She frowned, debating on how much to tell. “Dealing with that ferromancer’s minion in Chillicothe affected him. It made him…cold. I learned that he’d had a similar encounter shortly before he came aboard our boat.”
“A similar encounter? In Portsmouth?”
“Yes, so if your trouble with him stems from his varying personality, that’s why.”
Eli didn’t answer, once again turning his attention to Grayson, who was now pushing the gate open.
“Eli?”
“I don’t like that these ferromancers have come to our country, our hometown.”
“I’m not too happy about that, either, but that doesn’t make Mr. Grayson a bad person. He might not work for that ferromancer willingly.”
“And if he does?”
She didn’t have an answer for that.
Benji had reattached the towline to the mule team, and Grayson and Jimmy were returning to the boat. It was time to get underway.
“We can continue this discussion later,” she told Eli. “Prepare the rudder.” When locking through, the rudder was pulled closer to the boat to allow it to fit better in the lock.
“Aye, Captain.”
She left him to it and crossed the catwalk to the bow of the boat where Jimmy and Grayson were coiling the bow lines that had held the boat stationary while in the lock. She waved to Benji, signaling him to get the team moving.
Grayson straightened from coiling the rope, then looked up at the roof over their heads. “I assume the roof was built to protect the structure from the decaying effects of the weather?”
She had never stopped to wonder why the aqueduct had a roof. “That sounds like a reasonable assumption.”
Jimmy glanced up at the roof. His considering expression suggested that he’d never thought about it, either.
“Iron trusses would remove the need for a roof,” Grayson continued, “but I guess timber was more plentiful when this was built.”
“The area was little more than a wilderness when it was built.”
He grunted, and she guessed the concept was foreign to him. She doubted there were any uncharted wildernesses where he came from.
“The more I think on it,” he said after a moment, “the more impressed I become. To construct such a structure, in the wilderness, with little more than shovels…” He stopped to shake his head. “It’s truly an engineering marvel.”
She had the distinct impression this was high praise coming from him. “We’ll make you a boatman yet.”
“I’m beginning to understand the appeal,” he answered.
Jimmy laughed and clapped Grayson on the shoulder. “Who needs the soot-belching railroad?” Still chuckling, he turned and walked off.
“But what if the train doesn’t belch soot?” Grayson asked her.
“I suppose that would be an improvement, but no train will ever surpass this.” She lifted her arms to encompass her boat and the canal they floated on.
“I do admire your passion.” He held her gaze for a moment, then turned and followed Jimmy.
She watched him go. Perhaps he wasn’t as enamored with the canal as he appeared to be.
They docked in Circleville, and after Briar located the owner of the appropriate warehouse, they began the slow process of unloading the bricks they’d picked up in Chillicothe.
Briar leaned against the rail, watching the workers transfer the brick to the waiting wagons. Nothing seemed amiss, but after her last two excursions, she couldn’t help but wonder if Solon would show up here, too.
Grayson stopped at the rail beside her. “Would I have time to visit the market?”
“The market?”
“I was going through our stores and planning the next meal. I could use some shallots and perhaps some tarragon.”
“Tara what?
”
“It’s an herb.”
“This is a canal boat, Mr. Grayson. You need to keep it simple. How are you with beans?”
“I’ll need some salt-pork.”
She straightened. “That should be easy to find. There are several pork-packing houses in town.”
“How about some leeks?”
She started for the gangplank. “Not on my boat.”
“I meant the vegetable.”
“Good luck finding that.” She led him down the gangplank, but stopped at the bottom. “Do you think Solon followed us here?”
“I can’t say, but you should really consider leaving the construct on the boat. The water and the complete lack of technology will insulate it.”
She laid a hand over her pocket and looked up.
“That wasn’t a criticism on the canal,” he hurried to add, “just a statement of fact.”
“I know. I was curious about your insulating comment. How does that work?”
“I believe we’ve escaped Solon’s notice because he wouldn’t expect us to travel by canal boat. He’ll be looking for a carriage or searching the train stations. He’ll be drawn to metal and more modern surroundings.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s a ferromancer’s nature.” Grayson shrugged. “He’d be uncomfortable on your boat.”
She smiled, liking the sound of that. “Good to know.”
Briar walked beside Grayson as they left the docks to walk up Canal Street. A heavily loaded wagon was blocking the road, backing up traffic. It had lost one of its rear wheels and wouldn’t be going anywhere soon. A group of men was busy unloading the wagon in an effort to lighten it enough to jack it up and replace the wheel.
Grayson stopped a moment, watching them.
“We’ll never get your herbs standing here,” she reminded him.
“Why aren’t they using an iron hub?” He waved a hand at the wagon. “They’re far superior to wood.”
“I’m sure they have a good reason.” She caught his sleeve and pulled him away from the wagon. “You’re easily distracted.”
“It’s frustrating to watch people struggle to accomplish something when there are better ways to complete the task.”
“Like the railroad?” she asked.
“I will refrain from comment since I do not wish to be tied to the deck once more.”
“That’s a cowardly attitude. After your recent escapades, I assumed you more courageous than that.”
“Against the soulless, certainly. Against a red-haired canal boat captain named for a thorn bush… Well, I’m not that courageous.”
“What does the red hair have to do with anything?”
“You fit the stereotype, my lady. If I touted the railroad’s advantages, I’m sure I would end up with a knee in a place where I would prefer not to have a knee.”
“I’m not that unstable.”
Grayson lifted a brow.
“And I wasn’t named after a thorn bush. I was named after a boat.”
“Another reason to avoid a debate on the pros and cons of one transportation method over another.”
“You really are an exceedingly annoying fellow,” she told him. “Maybe you should have been named for a thorn bush.”
“Hm. Perhaps.” He tapped his chin. “How about Hawthorn? It has a roguish air, don’t you think? Except, I believe it is technically a tree rather than a bush.”
She shook her head, unable to hide a smile. “You are in good spirits today, Mr. Grayson.”
“It’s Hawthorn, remember? I will need a cane and a top hat to wear at a jaunty angle.”
She laughed. “That doesn’t sound very roguish.”
“A top hat is to be worn vertically upon the top of the head and a cane is an affectation for someone my age.”
She glanced over. Was he just making this up on the fly or was he really quoting some upper-class etiquette she knew nothing about?
“Ah, I assume this is our destination?” He nodded at the building before them. General Store had been painted in large block letters across the front of the building beneath the second-story windows.
“It is,” she answered.
“A bit more expansive than I expected.” He pushed open the front door and held it for her. “Perhaps I can find some tarragon after all.”
Briar rolled her eyes.
Grayson was a thorough shopper, browsing through the various foodstuffs and spices with a critical eye. She finally had to tell him to make his selections so they could get back to the boat before too much of the day was wasted.
“You’ll thank me when you taste dinner.” He laid his selections on the counter, but the shopkeeper didn’t pick up a pen and paper to calculate what was owed him. Instead, he began depressing a series of buttons on a large metal box.
“Might I inquire as to what you’re doing?” Grayson asked.
The shopkeeper glanced up with a smile. “I’m totaling the sale.” He pulled a lever, and with the ding of an unseen bell, a drawer at the base of the machine slid open.
“It’s a cash register,” the shopkeeper continued. “A friend of mine in Dayton designs them.”
“A cash register?” Grayson laid a hand atop the contraption.
“It totals the sale, stores the money, and alerts the shop owner when a clerk is completing a transaction.”
“Ingenious,” Grayson said. “Would you allow me to take a closer look?”
“Of course.” The shopkeeper stepped aside, inviting Grayson to join him behind the counter.
Briar watched the exchange with amusement. Grayson was like a kid with a new toy, and the shopkeeper, the proud papa showing off his mechanical wonder. Though with a few presses and a closer examination of the gadget, Grayson was soon asking questions the shopkeeper couldn’t answer. After watching Grayson repair Jimmy’s watch, Briar wasn’t surprised.
“Allow me to give you my friend’s card,” the shopkeeper said when Grayson mentioned that he wished for a screwdriver to take a closer look.
“Perhaps you’re interested in purchasing one yourself to take back to England? My friend would love to introduce his invention to a foreign market.”
“To England?” a woman inquired, setting a bottle of scented water on the counter. She gave Grayson an inquiring look. “Might you be a countryman, sir?” Her accent sounded much like Grayson’s, and she was certainly dressed as well as he was.
“I might be,” Grayson answered with an easy smile. He stepped back around the counter to face her. Briar thought he would offer to shake hands, but he gave her an elegant bow instead. “Jonathan Grayson, at your service.”
“A pleasure.” She held out her hand, and he took it. “Miranda Kendrick.”
“Of the London Kendricks?” Grayson asked, still holding her hand.
“My late husband’s family. I hail from Oxfordshire.”
“Lovely countryside.”
“You’ve been there?” She looked delighted. “My father is a professor at Oxford.” She continued on, naming people and places completely foreign to Briar, though Grayson seemed to have no trouble following her.
Briar had always considered herself worldly. Growing up on the canal, she had always been on the move and frequently exposed to new people. She’d been educated on the boat by her uncle and could read, write, and perform arithmetic as well as anyone, but she was feeling decidedly out of her element when Grayson and his new acquaintance discussed the wider world.
Briar stepped past them to settle her bill with the shopkeeper. Grayson was still deep in conversation when she finished.
“The boat will be leaving shortly, Mr. Grayson,” she cut in.
“Indulge me a moment, Captain?” he asked. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard word of home.”
The woman’s gaze fell on her, and her delicate brows rose. “You’re a woman.” She stared at Briar in open astonishment.
“What gave it away?” Briar demanded.
The woman didn’
t answer, perhaps taken aback by Briar’s sharp tone.
“I’ve booked passage on her boat,” Grayson spoke up.
“One of those canal boats?” The woman looked appalled.
“I wished to see the countryside at a more leisurely pace. I assume you are traveling by rail?”
“Of course. It’s a bit more rustic than I anticipated, but nothing like you must be enduring.”
Briar opened her mouth, but Grayson stepped in front of her.
“Are you staying at a local hotel?” he asked the woman. “Perhaps you would allow me to walk you to it?”
“I would like to continue our conversation,” she agreed.
“Mr. Grayson—” Briar didn’t get to finish as he abruptly faced her.
“Might I have a word, while Mrs. Kendrick settles her bill?” He gripped her elbow and not giving her a chance to respond, turned her toward the door.
“We don’t have time for you to chat up some English tart,” Briar told him as he walked her to the door.
“She came by train,” he said, keeping his words soft. “Perhaps the same train our friend was on. She would certainly notice another Englishman and would know if and where he disembarked.”
“Solon,” Briar concluded, feeling a bit foolish. That was what Grayson was doing? She glanced back at the counter where Mrs. Kendrick was paying for her scented water.
“Yes,” Grayson answered, following her gaze. “Not that I’m opposed to chatting with a pretty woman.”
“She’s at least ten years your senior.” Though it wasn’t all that obvious with that dark hair and alabaster skin. No freckles marred the bridge of her nose—unlike Briar’s.
“That just makes her more interesting, but all that is a moot point since you are so anxious to leave. I will constrain my conversation to talk of her travel companions.”
Briar wanted to point out that she hadn’t agreed to this scheme, but the woman in question had paid for her purchase and walked over to them.
“Mr. Grayson?” She stopped beside him. “Do you have leave to escort me?”
“Captain?” Grayson gave Briar an inquiring look.
“You have a quarter of an hour, then we depart—with or without you.”