The man's beautiful mouth tilted up in a small smile of greeting and he nodded in Ada’s direction.
“Next to him is our Mr. Hapgood.” She indicated the gray-haired gentleman who’d assisted her husband with the luggage. “He and his wife are indispensable."
"And more dangerous than they look." The beauty with the auburn curls chimed in. "I'm Briar. That great lump at your side is my brother."
Edison growled softly.
Though Meena's dress was lovely in its simplicity, Edison's sister was far more fashionably attired. On any other woman, Ada suspected the white satin bows and bold blue stripes would be over-the-top. Somehow, the busy dress only complemented the young woman's vast store of energy. The only awkward element was the very large black rucksack slung over her back.
Noting her interest, Briar swung the bag off of her shoulder. It fell to the ground with a distinct clunk. "I brought a great many weapons. There's no telling what sort of trouble we’ll run into."
The girl seemed inordinately pleased at the possibility.
Meena beamed at her cousin. “Briar is especially adept with swords and throwing knives."
The smallest of the lot, a fine boned girl, with straight hair the color of chestnuts, poked her head out between Meena’s husband and the older man. In contrast to Briar’s ruffles and bows, her dress was quite plain, almost severe in it’s lines. Just the sort of thing she herself would wear.
"I'm Nelly.” The girl dropped a lovely curtsy. "Nelly Tremaine. I'm what you might call the office girl."
"Delighted." Ada inclined her head in greeting. What an odd, intriguing group they were.
Edison had left her side to throw open the trunk. Brow furrowed, he stared down into it. "You got all of it?"
“We decided to leave the head at home.” His sister caught Ada’s eye and grinned.
Edison opened his mouth to protest, but slammed it shut when he saw his sister’s teasing grin. “Better not have done,” he muttered.
Curiosity got the better of her. Ada moved to look for herself. A jumble of brass gears and wires and something that looked like a metal arm filled the box.
"It's an automaton.” Nelly, the office girl explained.
Ada looked at Edison in surprise. "An automaton? Truly? But it’s so… large.”
"Life-sized," he acknowleged. “Been planning to design an automated manservant.”
Briar rolled her eyes. “Because everyone needs a metal butler to pour their tea.”
“Once I get things sorted out, it’s got a lot of possibilities.” Edison frowned down at the tangle of parts. “Like silence. A man could have silence with his tea. That alone is worth a fortune.”
Ada smiled down at the jumble of parts. Being an only child, she’d never had the chance to engage in the sort of playful banter that seemed so effortless for siblings like Edison and Briar. The kind of teasing one could engage in with a person one knew so very well there was no risk of offense.
A loved one.
Without warning, the brass parts sparkled behind a sheen of tears. Ada blinked them away. That kiss had knocked her every emotion askew.
Another reason it had been a very poor decision.
She set her hands on her hips, determined to regain her equilibrium. Scientists did not succumb to the vagaries of emotion. They used reason, testing—the scientific method—to make sense of things.
Though the painful lump in her throat remained, her eyes began to clear. The brass parts came back into sharp focus. “Speaking of tea, may I offer you some?”
Meena tossed a gear back into the trunk. “That would be delightful.”
Edison tilted his chin toward Ada. “Maybe you can get her to give up the battery,” he challenged his cousin. “She’s as stubborn as you are.”
Meena grinned at her. “You say that as if it were a bad thing.”
He sent Ada a piercing look. “Bad or not, in this instance, it’s a get-you-killed sort of thing.”
“Do stop badgering the poor dear.” Meena set her hands on her hips and glared at her cousin. “She's got a perfect right to be wary. Besides, it's not the device we need to guard." She studied Ada with sharp intelligence. "It's her."
“Me?" Ada squeaked.
“Most certainly,” Meena said. "Given time, someone very skilled could replicate your device, but the sorts of creatures after you are not known for their patience. Far easier to steal the inventor herself."
“But once it’s delivered—”
“Once the government has it, you’ll be a far less attractive target.” Meena stared down at the jumble of parts in Edison’s box. “You do have a manufacturer at the ready, do you not?”
Ada nodded.
“Once your battery is being produced, it’ll be too late to steal your ideas. But until then you, my dear, are a prize target.”
Realization hit like a bucket of icy water tossed over her head. Meena’s logic was impeccable. Until the Navy approved it for production, neither she, nor her household would be safe.
She would have to persevere for two more days.
Two more torturous days trying to ignore the man’s magnetism, his warm, wicked hands, his irresistible mouth. Two more days before she could begin erasing that kiss from her mind.
Because men like Edison didn’t dally with women like her.
And women like her—she learned—couldn’t handle the flames.
Chapter 6
“I told you coming south from Trafalgar Square would be faster.”
Edison’s tone, overflowing with uncalled for satisfaction, nudged Ada from frustration into anger. She glared at her self-proclaimed protector as he tried to wind his way through the tangle of supply wagons, construction barriers and crowds choking the street to the south of Whitehall. He had indeed said that—along with a very long list of other unnecessary directives—as they journeyed toward her meeting with the Director of Naval Construction.
Two days in his company had revealed that Mr. Edison Sweet possessed an extensive list of woulds and coulds and shoulds. Had they not been in such a great hurry, she would have taken the time to kick him in the shin.
He, however, remained blissfully ignorant of her violent intentions. His attention remained on the knotted mass of humanity milling about in front of them, shoving in and around each other like bees frantic to re-enter a hive.
“We’ll have to go around.” Edison cupped her elbow to guide her back the way they had come.
Ada jerked away, causing the very large, very silly hat Briar had insisted she borrow to slide sideways over one ear. She shoved it back in place, wincing as several long hatpins caught in her hair.
They were going to be late.