Chapter 13 #3
He smiled. “And as we’ll make straight for the exhibition hall, there’ll be no later chance for anyone to tamper with it.
The organizers of the exhibition are well aware of the potential threats—they know their reputation depends on them keeping all the inventions safe overnight and through the exhibition. They’ll have guards everywhere.”
“So once we place the steam carriage on the exhibition floor—essentially, placing it into the organizers’ hands—we can be assured it will remain safe?”
He pulled an equivocal face. “Theoretically, yes. But the exhibition itself is liable to be crowded, so we’ll have our own guards in place as well, to ensure the engine remains safe throughout, but until the exhibition ends and we take the steam carriage out of the hall, its safety remains the responsibility of the organizers.
Once it leaves the hall, it becomes our responsibility again, but as the presentation of the invention will have been accomplished, I can’t see anyone bothering to make an attempt at sabotage then. There would be no point.”
“Ah. I see.” She smothered a yawn.
He settled her more comfortably against him. Within seconds, he felt her limbs relaxing, growing that telltale touch heavier. He brushed his lips across her temple. “Did you enjoy your driving lesson?”
He felt her lips curve.
“Yes. It was…exhilarating. I can understand why William John is so in alt.”
Rand smiled to himself as her words trailed away and her limbs grew heavier yet. Seconds later, she was asleep.
Still smiling, he closed his eyes and sensed a satisfaction that glowed bone deep, deep enough to wreathe about his soul.
He, too, was in alt, but his contentment owed nothing to any invention.
He owed his state to the woman in his arms and to the emotion that had prompted him to set aside his prejudice against clever ladies and understand all she was, and all she meant and would mean to him.
Feeling her weight soft and safe and secure in his arms, still inwardly smiling, he surrendered to sleep.
Although, the following day, their party set out with every member infected by heightened alertness, as Rand had predicted, the journey from Banbury to Birmingham passed without incident.
They maintained their vigilant cavalcade into the bustle of the busy town, passing along Digbeth and around the famous Bull Ring marketplace, around St. Martin’s Circus, then puttering and clattering all the way up New Street to Victoria Square and the Town Hall, in which the exhibition was to be held.
The Town Hall was a memorable building. They pulled up outside, and Rand alighted from the steam carriage.
After one glance at the organizers waiting with their lists before the steps, he went to the traveling coach, reaching it in time to hand Felicia down.
He noted her survey of the building and murmured, “It was designed by the inventor of the Hansom Cab—Joseph Hansom. He modeled it on the Temple of Castor and Pollux in Rome.”
Standing beside Ryder and Mary, who had joined her on the pavement, Felicia studied the colonnaded facade with a critical eye, while Rand went with William John to speak with the organizers.
A ramp had been erected over one side of the steps leading into the building.
After registering their arrival and receiving instructions, Rand and William John returned, and with the help of all the men, pushed the Throgmorton Steam-Powered Horseless Carriage up the ramp and into the foyer of the exhibition hall.
More organizers were waiting there to take charge of each invention.
They had a small army of porters, some of whom were directed to take the steam carriage away.
A small man, swathed in a gray dustcoat and with round spectacles perched on his button nose, directed six porters.
“Down the aisle to the space reserved for it—number twenty-four.”
The porters nodded and took charge, carefully pushing the steam carriage on through the foyer and into the exhibition hall.
Although the hall’s double doors stood open, from where the Throgmorton party had been halted behind a cordon, they couldn’t see into the space.
William John stared after the disappearing steam carriage, a pained expression on his face.
Felicia put a hand on his sleeve. “All the porters are wearing gloves—did you notice?”
“They are?” William John blinked, looked around to confirm that, then reluctantly conceded, “I suppose they have to take the best of care.”
“Indeed.” Felicia linked her arm with his and drew him inexorably away.
They returned to the horses and traveling coach. Rand and William John joined Felicia and Mary inside the coach, and their now-much-less-impressive party headed back into the town, retracing their route to the Old Crown Inn.
The inn was crowded; it was fortunate that Rand had sent Shields days before to reserve rooms for them. As Shields had used Ryder’s title, the rooms they were shown to were among the best the inn had to offer, well-appointed and comfortable.
Their party gathered for dinner in a private dining room. Ryder had ensured that all the men had been summoned to join them.
At Rand’s suggestion, they applied themselves to the tasty meal served by their hosts; only when the plates had been emptied and jugs of ale had done the rounds of the long table did he and Ryder turn to the task of organizing the watches on the steam carriage during the exhibition and on leaving the hall at the end of the event.
Seated beside Mary, the pair of them flanked by Rand and Ryder, Felicia listened as Rand, Ryder, and William John discussed the potential weaknesses in the organizers’ arrangements.
“The official guards will be there until the end of the day, but there are only so many of them, and exhibitions such as this are always crowded,” Rand said.
“There’ll be streams of people—not just inventors and investors, but all sorts of interested members of the public, even children—passing up and down the room and milling around the inventions. ”
William John, seated opposite Felicia, frowned. “Not in the morning, though.” He screwed up his face in concentration. “I can’t remember.” He looked at Rand. “Is that right?”
Rand nodded. His expression serious, he glanced around the table at all the men.
“Although it’s the organizers’ responsibility to keep the hall and all the inventions in it secure until the end of the exhibition, once the doors open to the public at one o’clock, I strongly suspect the organizers’ guards will be overwhelmed.
However, I believe we can place our faith in the organizers and their guards until one o’clock.
In addition, the exhibitors—in our case, William John and me—must report to the hall at ten o’clock.
Between ten and twelve, the organizers and their team of assessors examine the inventions, and William John and I need to be present throughout that time. ”
“But you don’t need extra guards through those hours.” Ryder looked at Rand for confirmation.
“No, we don’t. We’ll both be there, beside the steam carriage, waiting to show the assessors around it and demonstrate how it operates, and while some of the other inventors might leave their exhibits and mill around, there won’t be so many that, between us, we won’t be able to keep an eye on them all.
” Rand glanced at William John. “Between twelve and one o’clock, William John and I will remain with the steam carriage, just to be sure. ”
Sober and serious, William John nodded.
Rand turned to survey Ryder’s men. “After that, however, immediately the doors open to the public at one o’clock, we will need you—about five or even six at a time—to stand guard around the steam carriage.”
Shields glanced at the other guards. “Right, then.” He looked at Rand. “We’ve enough of us to stand six at a time. We’ll rotate so that we each get a chance to take a gander at the other machines on show, if that’ll suit?”
Rand inclined his head. “Indeed.”
“So,” Shields went on, “we’re to keep all the punters away from the steam engine?”
“They can look,” William John said, “but you’ll need to keep them sufficiently far back that they can’t touch.”
“Either William John or I will be there throughout the exhibition,” Rand said, “standing before the steam carriage to answer any questions.” He paused, then went on, “Even though, prior to the public viewing, the steam carriage will have been examined by the assessors and demonstrated to them, establishing that it works, the most critical point at which our invention must shine is when we have our chance to present it to Prince Albert—so tampering or sabotage remains a real threat until the steam carriage is successfully presented to the Prince.” Rand glanced around at the men.
“Albert is scheduled to arrive at half past two. After the usual welcome speeches, he’ll start examining the exhibits, commencing from the first exhibit on the left and progressing down that side of the hall to the end, before returning along the other side. ”
Rand looked at William John. “We’re number twenty-four, and I believe there are fifty exhibits in all.
” Looking at the men, he said, “I managed to get a glimpse of the plan of the exhibits. The hall is a long rectangle, and the exhibits are arranged against the two long sides, leaving a wide central aisle. The steam engine’s spot is almost at the end of the hall on the left side. ”
The men all frowned, envisaging the hall in their minds’ eyes.
Ryder asked, “Are there any side halls or annexes opening from the main hall?”
“None that were marked on the organizers’ plan.” Rand frowned faintly, then offered, “I’ve been in the hall before, and as far as I recall, it’s just one large rectangular hall. There may be doors here and there, but no other spaces open from it.”