Chapter Thirteen
Dorothea was rather stunned at how comfortably she settled into Silas’s lap.
Yes, his thighs were hard and muscular, but even so, she seemed very comfortable, cushioned by her skirts and petticoat, grubby though they were.
She fidgeted. “I should change, Silas. I’m really filthy.”
“I’m used to it. You may have noticed I’m not the cleanest rag in the basket myself.”
She chuckled at his words. “Well, I suppose we’re indicative of a good solid day’s work in the Forge.”
“True.”
He settled his arm around her shoulder, and she found herself resting her head against him. “This is...nice.”
“Isn’t it?”
“And unexpected.” She sighed. “I never envisioned myself doing anything like this.”
“Sitting on a man’s lap or working in the Forge?”
“Both.”
“And how are you feeling now that you’ve done two brand new things in the space of one day?”
Dorothea laughed. “Tired.”
He chuckled too, his chest rumbling near her ear. “I haven’t asked, Thea. I hoped you might tell me. But it’s obvious that you have secrets, dear girl. One look at you and anyone can see you’re not Forge born and bred.”
“It’s that obvious?”
“Yes.”
She sighed. “Coggleblast it. And I was just starting to feel at home here.”
“I do not mean to toss you out on your ear, my sweet. I’m not that foolish. But I would be very honoured if you would consider sharing your secrets with me.” He paused. “I would dearly love to know how a Renslow arrived at my Forge in time to prevent a major disaster.”
Dorothea froze. “You...you know?”
“I know you’re a Renslow, darling girl. Only family members carry a steampass engraved with that particular seal.”
Her mind whirled. “That damn PCE... I never thought...”
She made to move, but he held her fast. “No way am I letting you go, Thea, so you can forget about running away from me. I will find you. I will always find you.”
“You will?”
Instead of answering, he slipped his free hand to her face, and pulled her near, kissing her gently at first, and then with more passion and heat than she could ever have imagined.
Finally, he drew back. “There. Does that answer your question?”
“I’ve forgotten what I asked...”
He laughed as she pulled him close. “Do that again??”
Some time passed as Dorothea explored the numerous wonderful sensations that could be experienced in the arms of a man who knew not only what he was doing but also how to do it extremely well.
Finally, she leaned back, catching her breath. “Silas,” she whispered. “Oh my word, Silas...”
He seemed equally affected, staring at her, stroking her face with his fingers. “Thea...what did I do to deserve you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. What did you do?”
He took a calming breath. “You first.”
Dreading this, Dorothea gathered her thoughts in order to be as logical as possible. “You are correct as to my family name,” she began, taking his free hand in hers. “I am Dorothea Langley, and my parents are the Duke and Duchess of Renslow.”
“I’m honoured to make your acquaintance, Lady Dorothea.” He kissed her quickly and grinned. “I don’t believe I’ve ever kissed the daughter of a Duke before. But do go on...”
“There’s not much to tell, Silas. My parents—well, I’m sure they love me.
In their way. My brother is the heir, of course, I’m simply the.
..prize, I suppose you could say, to be awarded to the most worthy suitor.
And by that I mean the man my parents will handpick for me.
They’ve paraded an incessant stream of coxcombs, idiots, and nitwits in front of me, hoping I’ll pick one.
All of them were financially suitable, of course. And I couldn’t stand any of them.”
“It’s not an unusual story, Thea,” said Silas reasonably.
“I know,” she nodded. “But they drove me to the edge and then announced that they were going to pick my future husband. I would be engaged at Christmas, married soon after, and sent away on some kind of fancy tour, during which I was supposed to get pregnant and return ready to bear the first Renslow grandchild.”
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “And that plan, cold-blooded, designed as carefully as a business proposition, is what pushed me out of Renslow House and into the tunnels. Until I ended up here.”
“I can understand that,” said Silas. “Of all the people to push into an arranged marriage, I cannot imagine anyone less likely to accept it than you.”
“I am so glad to hear you say that.” She stroked his cheek gently. “I am sure they’ve announced that I’m on holiday or something, and that when I return their plan will be ready to go into effect.”
“It’s possible,” he agreed.
“That’s if I return, of course. And right now, I’m seriously questioning whether I should even think about it, let alone consider such an action.”
“It’s been one amazing day for both of us, hasn’t it?” He held her close. “And you’ve done so much, probably more than you’ve done in weeks up above.”
“I’ve loved every single minute, Silas. And I wouldn’t have had any of it without you. You took a chance on me, you let me work on a very valuable machine without question...I’ve never had anyone put that kind of faith into my abilities. But you did.”
She leaned toward him, and once again their kisses were sweet and loving, and growing in passion.
Finally, Silas drew away and slid her off his lap. “You must get some sleep, Thea. It’s well past midnight now, and tomorrow we have to prepare for the Turning of the Green.”
She nodded. “You know I don’t want to leave you, don’t you?” Unafraid, she turned her face up to look directly at him.
“I know. And I feel the same. But before we can explore this...this whatever is happening between us, there are business matters we must settle. Once they’re done? You and I will spend a great deal more time together, and discuss what lies ahead.”
“I would like that very much.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Goodnight, Silas. And thank you for everything.”
*~~*~~*
The rest of the night passed much too quickly for Silas’s liking, and it involved far too much thinking about Thea, and not enough sleep.
But he managed to stumble out of bed at his usual early hour, only to find Nelson waiting with his customary cup of hot tea.
“Blessings upon you, Nelson.” He patted the tickerkin between his ears, knowing it irritated him.
“Thank you, sir,” he replied. “It’s always a pleasure to serve you, as you know.”
“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, lad.”
“But it’s so much easier than trying to be pleasant,” quipped Nelson in his turn. “And now that our morning badinage has been exchanged, I should tell you that there are messages awaiting your response.”
“Oh?” Silas turned away from the sink where he was washing his face. “From who?”
“Whom, sir. Whom.”
“Nelson...”
“From the top, sir. Arcvale’s Council of Wardens.”
“Good heavens. What the coggleblast do they want?”
“As to that, sir, I have no idea whatsoever. Perhaps, should you finish your ablutions shortly, you might come into the dining room and discover for yourself when you open the message.”
“Is Thea up and about yet?”
“I believe she is presently dressing, sir.”
“So we shall be able to breakfast together, at least...”
“One would assume so, yes, sir. I have already taken the liberty of laying places for four, in case Mrs Sinclair and Miss Gen would like to break their fast with you both.”
“Always ahead of me, Nelson. You are truly a miracle.”
“Thank you, sir. Would you like me to lay out your clothes for the day?”
“I don’t think so. Not today.” Silas sighed. “This is going to be an eventful day for us, Nelson.”
“It is?”
“Yes, it is. But fear not, we shall endeavour to maintain our current situation.”
“That is reassuring, sir. However, the fact that you needed to mention it negates most of the aforementioned reassurance.”
“You, my lad, are too sharp for your rivets.” He tapped his tickerkin sharply on the head with his knuckles.
“Since you created me, sir, you must hold yourself to blame for that. Not me.” And with that, Nelson huffed himself out of the room.
Silas chuckled and walked to his cupboard, opening it and surveying his wardrobe choices.
Today was indeed going to be eventful. He’d not been higher than the fourth level in years. By choice. And he wasn’t looking forward to ascending to the Turning of the Green, in any way, shape, or form. But he knew that this time he couldn’t avoid it.
And Thea would be there with him. Probably. Unless the Renslows swooped down en masse and whisked her off to somewhere they could keep her under their control. He snorted. As if that could happen.
So, with all that in mind, Silas selected garments from the darkest recesses of his cupboard before he went to wash up for the day, and prayed they still fit.
The beautifully cut breeches did indeed fit, although a little more snugly around the thighs than he remembered. Still, five years working at the Forge would certainly develop muscles, so it was not surprising his fine linen shirt betrayed his biceps more fully as well.
His waistcoat brought back memories. Delicately embroidered silk in blue and green, it still slid over his shoulders like a whispered sigh, and as he secured his matching cravat, he caught a glimpse of himself in his mirror.
Pulling his hair back and securing it, he stared at his reflection, wondering how different he looked now than he had more than five years or so ago, when he’d arrived at the Forge.
He’d never left. Until today.
Noises from outside distracted his attention, and he picked up his jacket, ready to venture out and meet the day. What he really wanted to do was to go down to the Forge and put in a solid day’s work. But he knew that was impossible, especially today of all days.
“Great coggles,” Hiram breathed as Silas came out into the hall. “I’ll be damned, my friend. You clean up very nicely.”
Feeling a bit self-conscious, he merely shrugged. “To what do we owe the honour of such an early visit?”
“Well, since we’ll all be going up top soon, I thought it would be nice if I could escort the ladies.”
“You mean Lyra and Gen,” Silas raised his eyebrow.
“Uh...yes.” Hiram took a breath. “I want them, Silas.”
“What?”
“I mean...” The big man blushed. “I can’t stop thinking about them. About maybe making a family with them. It’s as if the empty place in my life just kicked me up the shaft and pointed to them, telling me they could fill it for me.”
“Picturesquely put,” blinked Silas. “But you probably should talk to them about it first.”
“Well, of course I will,” he blustered. “But I just thought you should know before I do.”
Slapping his friend on the shoulder, Silas grinned. “I think it is a wonderful idea, Hiram. I really do. You’ve been a different man since they arrived, and I’ve seen you smile more in the last couple of days than in more months than I can count.”
“They make me happy,” Hiram touched his chest. “Something in here feels like...like it’s awakening.”
“That’s as it should be. But before you start drawing hearts and flowers on my walls, how about we talk about the day’s plans over breakfast?”
“Good idea,” said Hiram, happily slapping his friend on the back and nearly knocking him into the large clock hanging nearby.
Silas sighed. It looked like it was going to be a long day.