The Nearly Notorious Nun

by Rie Sheridan Rose

  Still, adventure or not, Bridget’s problem must be dealt with. It was a quieter thing, but it still could ruin her. And she didn’t deserve that.

  Perhaps I should go and see Nettie. She did deserve to know what was going on. On the other hand, she was to be married soon. Did she need to know now?

  I needed advice—and I didn’t think Alistair was likely to offer it at the moment. So, when we returned to the boarding house, I was pleased to see an opportunity present itself to get some.

  Winifred Bond and Herbert Lattimer stood outside Ma’s, arguing as they gesticulated wildly. I leapt from the carriage almost before it stopped moving.

  “Fred!” I called, waving. “You’re here!”

  She turned and ran to meet me, giving me the hug I hadn’t received from Alistair.

  “I’m so glad to see you, Jo! Come and help me get settled.” She took my hand and led me toward the house. “That is a lovely outfit.”

  Herbert shouted, “Where do you think you are going, Winifred? We weren’t done discussing the matter!”

  “Finish it on your own, Herbert. It isn’t airship science!”

  He sputtered and opened his mouth to protest further, but we ran into the house, giggling like children all the way.

  Her things had already been delivered to the room across from mine. Our rooms were almost identical in size and shape, but hers was cluttered with boxes of books and mechanical apparatuses, mine with cots and kittens. I plopped down on the bed.

  “When did you get in?”

  “Well, I’m sure Alistair told you that Herbert and I took the Pearland most of my own things out to the warehouse this morning. It took us a while to get everything sorted, but we arrived back at the boarding house about an hour ago. We’ve been arguing ever since. The man is insufferable!”

  I laughed aloud. “You’ll get no argument from me there.”

  There was a knock on the frame of the open door, and Ella stepped tentatively into the room.

  “Miss Jo, I just wanted to tell you that the kittens are sleeping.”

  It wasn’t something that required her interruption, but I could see the hunger in her eyes, the need to be accepted, to be included.

  I held out my hand.

  “Thank you for letting me know, Ella. Come and meet my friend Fred.”

  “Fred…that’s a boy’s name.”

  “So is Jo,” I answered, “but we like them.” I winked at her.

  Ella giggled.

  Fred cocked her head.

  “Would you like to come and see my inventions?” she asked Ella. She pulled a large pocket watch from her skirt and consulted it with a speculative air. Turning to me, she continued, “We could get out to the warehouse and back before dark, if we hurry.”

  “What sort of inventions?” Ella asked breathlessly.

  “All kinds. I have a motorbike—that’s here in my room, so I can show it to you when we return—and I’m working on a new one. It’s a type of flying machine.”

  “Really? It will let you fly?”

  “Theoretically. Do you know what that means?”

  “It’s supposed to?” Ella replied tentatively.

  “That’s a good definition,” Fred nodded.

  Ella beamed. “Oh! Let me show you something!” She ran from the room, and I could hear her scrabbling through things across the hall.

  “What on earth?” Fred whispered.

  Ella ran back into the chamber, Hortensia tucked under one arm and her “invention” in her other hand.

  “See what I made?” she asked Fred.

  “That’s a good start! I might have some parts you can add to it at the warehouse.”

  The three of us hailed a cab and headed for Herbert’s workshop. I had a moment’s hesitation at leaving home without Roderick or Phaeton, but surely, Fred would be enough protection to ease Alistair’s mind. I was definitely happy for it to be just “us girls” on this outing.

  Ella asked Fred question after question as the horses drawing our conveyance clopped through the streets. Her queries were quite intelligent for a child her age. I could tell Fred was as impressed as I was. By the time we arrived at the warehouse, the two of them were fast friends. I was glad to see Ella so happy.

  Fred had been given a key, and she let us into the cavernous space. Ella’s eyes widened as the electric lights the gentlemen had installed winked on, row by row. It was an impressive sight, especially the first time one was exposed to it.

  The remains of the Pearl lay in one corner. It was sad to see it so when I remembered it floating like a soap bubble in the same place.

  “Alistair is claiming that corner,” Fred said, pointing to the far side of the warehouse across from the airship. “He says he’s outgrown his space at the boarding house. He will move the laboratory out here and—this should amuse you, Jo—use the space at the boarding house for a sitting room.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “And here is my area,” Fred said proudly. “I have quite a way to go with organizing it all, but it is far more space than I had at home.” She searched through a box beside her workbench and lifted out a small machine. “This is a motor you can use to make your machine move,” she told Ella, handing it to the child with a smile.

  Ella’s face glowed. “Really? I can have it?”

  “We female inventors have to stick together,” Fred whispered with a wink. “I’ll show you how to connect it when we go back to the boarding house.” She dusted her hands and looked around. “Here’s the flying machine,” she said, pointing at a machine reminiscent of the mechano-velocipede, but with a tail fin, and a pair of wings bolted on behind the seat. “I have a bit of a problem with the balance, at the moment,” she admitted. “I think the wings may be too far back…”

  She pulled a number of small machines from various boxes and began putting them away on a set of shelves behind her counter space.

  “It feels so good to have room enough for everything. At home, I just had a tiny workbench in the carriage house out back, and no storage at all.”

  “Can I come help with your inventing?” Ella asked hopefully.

  “Every inventor needs a good assistant,” Fred replied. “That’s why Miss Jo helps Professor Alistair. You can help me any time.”

  We helped Fred unload her boxes and put things away. It was so good to have her here. It was going to be a lot more fun in the laboratory from now on, especially if we were all going to be working here at the warehouse.

  On the trip back to the boarding house, I wracked my brains for something to do with Ella tomorrow that would be as memorable and exciting to her as this trip to the warehouse had been. I admit to being a little jealous of Fred’s rapport with her. Of course, I was usually a bit jealous of someone. It was apparently part of my nature.

  Then I thought of something.

  As she was getting into her nightdress after dinner, I asked Ella. “You like the kittens, don’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “I bet you like all animals.”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “How would you like to go to the Central Park Menagerie tomorrow?”

  “Can we really?” Her whole face lit up.

  “We certainly can. Now, though, it’s time for you and Hortensia to go to bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

  Once we had her settled, Fred and I talked late into the night, catching up on all the news since we had seen each other last.

  ~*~

  Which made it very difficult to keep my promise the next morning, but Ella was bouncing on my bed at the crack of dawn. Priss took it very badly and went off in a huff to the kittens.

  “It’s too early,” I moaned. “Go back to sleep, Ella.”

  “But you said we could go to the park today, to see the animals.”

  “They won’t even be open yet.”

  “Please…”

  I sighed and threw back the coverlet.

  “Let me up, and I’ll get dressed. But we will still hav
e a wait before the menagerie is open.”

  She bounded across the room and began to pull on her clothing. Shaking my head at her enthusiasm, I got up and dressed. At least the menagerie would be a break from the tedium and tension of this week. And get my mind off Bridget’s dilemma for a few hours.

  We collected Fred, who was already up and fiddling with bits of her machinery, and went downstairs to one of Ma’s extensive breakfasts. I don’t know how she does it. It was barely light out, and she’d obviously been cooking for hours.

  The menagerie would open about ten. It was a lovely day outside, so the three of us decided to walk to the park. Maybe do some window shopping along the way—although, considering the state of Ella’s things, perhaps a little real shopping was still in order. What I had done earlier had not been a full wardrobe purchase.

  Ella was chattering busily to Hortensia about all the animals they would see today as we made our way down the front steps. Alistair was coming in for breakfast as the three of us were leaving.

  “Where are you going, Jo?” he asked, bewilderment clouding his features.

  I froze, realizing I had completely forgotten I had a job, and might be expected to do it today.

  “We…we were going to the menagerie.”

  “I see.” He looked thoughtful. “Phaeton and I were going to do some capability tests today, and I was hoping you would record the results… considering that is what I pay you for.”

  “Yes, Alistair…of course.” I turned toward Ella, and her face fell.

  “We can’t go, can we? It’s all right…”

  I turned back to Alistair, my hands on her shoulders.

  “Alistair…”

  He sighed. “Just go.”

  Impulsively, I hugged him tight. I felt him stiffen…and then his arms came up and hugged me back. It was most satisfying.

  “But tomorrow we have work to do,” he stated firmly, ruining the moment. “And no excuses.”

  “Of course, Alistair.”

  The three of us turned to leave. Suddenly, a thought struck me.

  “Why don’t you come with us? After all, you just said you can’t run your tests without my assistance.”

  Ella reached out and took his hand.

  “It would be very nice if you could come, Mister Alistair.”

  He smiled down at the child.

  “Oh, all right. Shall I bring my special friend?” he asked, gesturing toward the workshop.

  My eyes widened. “Really, Alistair? Are you ready to officially take Phaeton out in public?”

  “Why not? After Ohio, he isn’t much of a secret anymore, and it isn’t as if he hasn’t been wandering the streets quite a bit on his own lately.” He looked at me pointedly over the top of his spectacles. “Besides, I might be able gather some performance data after all, so that the day isn’t entirely wasted. You wait right here,” he told Ella. “And close your eyes.”

  She blinked then did as he requested. Alistair hurried back down his steps and into the laboratory.

  Ella stood still as a statue, her eyes tightly shut. Her body fairly radiated anticipation.

  Alistair and Phaeton came to stand before her. Somewhere along the way—perhaps as a nod to his new position as my bodyguard—Phaeton had acquired a morning coat and trousers. He looked faintly ridiculous, but at least he would appear decent in public. He was still nine feet tall and bronze, so it hardly mattered, but I supposed it made Alistair happy.

  “You can open your eyes now,” Alistair told Ella.

  She did, and gasped.

  “What is he?”

  “This is my friend, Phaeton,” he replied, going down on one knee beside her. “I made him.”

  “You did?” Her eyes were wide as saucers.

  “With a little help from Miss Jo.”

  It warmed my heart he would admit that.

  “How do you do?” Phaeton asked Ella gravely.

  “He talks!” she squealed.

  “He does a great many of things,” I answered, wanting to hurry this along. “Now, if we are going to the menagerie, we had best be going.”

  Ella slipped her hand into Phaeton’s and we were off.

  I hadn’t been to the menagerie in some time and was looking forward to it almost as much as Ella was. She looked darling in the sailor suit I had purchased for her on my quick shopping spree. I would never admit this to a living person, but I enjoyed dressing Ella; it was like having a breathing doll. Hortensia wore a tiny sailor suit of her own, and they were adorable together.

  Fred and I were a little worse for wear after our late evening talking. Still, dressed for an outing, parasol unfurled, I felt stylish and smart. Alistair appeared suitably impressed, at least. His clothing actually coordinated for once, and Phaeton was polished to a high gleam beneath his ridiculous livery. We made rather a handsome party as we strolled to the park.

  It would have been useless to take a conveyance with Phaeton joining us, because he could not fit in cab or carriage. At some point, we would have to custom design some means of travel with him, I supposed, but on a lovely summer day, walking well suited us.

  Parasol shading us both—no easy feat given our height difference—I walked arm-in-arm with Alistair as Ella kept up an animated discussion with Fred and Phaeton. I couldn’t make out most of the words, but it didn’t mar the enjoyment I had watching them.

  We arrived in good time at the menagerie entrance, and Alistair bought us all tickets. Phaeton caused a moment’s consternation for the poor girl dispensing them.

  “What is that?” she asked, pointing at our marvelous mechanical companion.

  “He’s—” began Alistair.

  “—the nanny,” I concluded, forestalling need for further explanation.

  Alistair drew back in confusion, but paid another admission fee when prompted.

  As we entered the main gates, the path split in three directions. Ella stopped dead in the center of the walkway and spun in a circle, trying to decide where to begin, I suppose.

  “There!” she cried, pointing toward the aviary.

  The entrance way was a great golden arch, topped by the steam-powered automated figure of a peacock, opening and closing the fan of its tail and raising and lowering its head. It was exquisite work, but even more compelling was watching Phaeton watch it.

  He stood stock-still in the center of the path, mouth agape, and stared at the automaton. I almost expected him to speak to it, but he seemed to understand it was merely a clockwork, not self-aware as he was. There was something poignant in the moment—until Ella grabbed his hand and pulled him through the gateway into the enclosure, chattering like a little monkey.

  We followed them through the arch at a more sedate pace.

  The aviary was a huge glass dome filled with lush greenery and wrought ironwork cages. Small brightly-colored birds flitted freely from branch to branch, while the cages contained larger, more predatory avian creatures such as hawks and eagles. In the center of the dome was a large pond with aquatic species like ducks and swans that could be fed with food purchased for a penny.

  Ella was over the moon as a swan deigned to nibble from her hand the food she had wheedled out of Alistair. I was worried she might lose a finger or two, but no harm befell her.

  Peafowl strutted among the visitors like royalty, and a parrot fastened to a post by a silver chain recited poetry, to the delight of the visitors. It was most enchanting.

  After Ella had her fill of birds, she dragged Phaeton toward the second branch of the path. This archway was topped by a bronze lion that roared and lashed its tail. The path ran between parallel rows of cages containing everything from large cats to a pair of elephants. If it had four feet, this appeared to be its place.

  As we stood before the tiger cage—Alistair, Ella and I, Fred and Phaeton having wandered a bit ahead—a woman touched my arm.

  “What a lovely family you have, my dear! Your daughter is the spitting image of you.” She was beaming at me.

&nb
sp; I opened my mouth to correct her misconception, but blurted instead, “Why, thank you!”

  I haven’t a clue what possessed me, but for that moment, I pretended it was all true. Of course, I would have to have given birth at fifteen to be Ella’s mother, but she was small for her age and looked younger than she was. The three of us made a plausible family…

  “You do realize this is all pretense?” Alistair asked me softly. His eyes were clouded with worry.

  Obviously, he didn’t share the notion.

  “Of course,” I replied loftily. “I just didn’t want to be rude.”

  “Good.” His smile was a little less tremulous, but I lost a little of my interest in this expedition.

  Still, as we continued our stroll, Alistair and I continued arm-in-arm, and I soon regained my optimism. I’d never felt happier. It was almost like having a real sweetheart…

  “Oh, look! Snow cones!” Ella pointed to a confectioner’s stall. “Can we get some? I’ve never had one.”

  “Why not?” I dispatched Alistair to obtain treats all around.

  As we were waiting for him to return, I noticed the same shabby man I had glimpsed on our street. Was he following me? I resolved to confront him…

  But not today. Today, we were having a pleasant outing, and I wasn’t about to let him spoil it.

  I found myself distracted by my thoughts as we turned onto the final pathway. Above this gate, a large silver gorilla rose to its feet and pounded its chest before subsiding into a resting state once more. The cycle repeated after a brief pause. This area held the primate cages, and Ella was much taken with the monkeys.

  However, our little group was garnering almost as much attention as the residents. A group of schoolchildren were present, and when they saw Phaeton, they flocked to him as if drawn by a magnet. Circling him, they began touching his shining exterior.

  “What is he?” one little girl asked.

  “Some kind of armor suit under those clothes,” proclaimed one of the boys loftily.

  “It’s a costume, I bet,” said another. “Take it off.” He grabbed Phaeton’s arm and pulled.

  Phaeton’s instinctive reaction was to jerk away. The movement caused the boy to fly across the path and fall to the ground. He cried out in pain.