Chapter 38
“Oiy, oiy!” Peregrine raced down the stairs to the drawing room. “A pigeon just arrived from Aunt Alison’s residence. She and Eddy are on their way!”
Hawk snapped shut his sketchbook and scrambled to his feet. “We need to move quickly! Does everyone remember their appointed task—”
“Yes, lad,” drawled Sheffield. “You’ve repeated our assignments at least a dozen times during the last hour.”
“We just want everything to go exactly as planned,” said Raven. He, too, had shot up from his seat. “Hawk and I need to go join Peregrine on the roof. Be sure you don’t miss lighting any of—”
“Go!” Wrexford punctuated the order by striking a flint against steel, setting off a flash of tiny sparks. “We passed Hawk’s last drill with flying colors. We won’t let the three of you down.”
Charlotte and the rest of their family and inner circle quickly chorused their agreement.
The boys had designed a special birthday surprise for Eddy.
There were a number of intricate steps to choreograph, but so far, the first few moves had gone smoothly.
A quiet breakfast with a presentation of presents for Eddy had been followed by an invitation from the dowager to come for afternoon tea and cakes.
With Eddy out of the townhouse, the surprise festivity was set to spring into motion.
McClellan, who was leading the refreshment brigade, waved for Tyler and Henning to follow her down to the kitchen, while Wrexford and Charlotte teamed up with Sheffield and Cordelia for the main task at hand.
The four of them hurried up the central curved staircase to the next floor, where a pair of thick candles, each set within a tall glass globe painted with decorative images, sat on every tread as the stairs continued upward.
Wrexford crouched down and lit the first wick with his flint and steel, drawing a delighted gasp from Cordelia as the candle flamed to life.
“Why, that’s magical!” she exclaimed, watching the light shimmer around the fanciful black winged horses that Hawk had painted on glass.
“Indeed,” said Charlotte. “But let us get to work—there are a great many candles to light—before we stop to admire the effect. You two take the right side and Wrex and I will take the left.”
Snick, snick. Sparks glittered in the semi-darkness—the wall sconces would be extinguished once all the candles were lit—as the four of them worked their way to the upper floor.
“Now to the attic stairwell,” called the earl, gesturing to the right. A smaller set of stairs, equally adorned with candle lanterns, continued the climb up to the rooftop.
“Good heavens! I feel as if we’ve been transported to some ethereal fairy kingdom!” said Cordelia, after taking in the scene.
A large tent constructed of brightly colored silk had been erected beside the dovecote, its inside alight with a honey-gold glow created by the greenhouse stoves filled with brightly burning coals to ward off the night’s chill.
“Do you like it?” asked Hawk, as he finished hanging a bunch of silver-colored glass balls at the top of the center tent pole and shimmied back down to the stone tiles.
“It’s beautiful.”
Raven and Peregrine were busy tinkering with a large mechanical device set on a carved oak pedestal.
“Is that—” began Sheffield.
“A flying horse?” finished Raven. “Yes!” A tiny hesitation. “That is, in a manner of speaking.”
“It does rise a few inches for several seconds,” piped up Peregrine. “If I can just tighten the wing screws it may stay up …”
“Quiet, everyone!”
McClellan hustled out from the stairwell balancing a cake decorated with spun-sugar icing and marzipan flowers on a platter, followed by Tyler and Henning, each of whom were carrying an assortment of other fancy pastries.
Champagne and cider, along with elegant crystal wine flutes were already arranged on the side table.
“They’re about to enter the townhouse!”
Eddy stopped abruptly, suddenly aware of the utter silence drifting into the entrance hall from the rest of the house. “Where is everyone?”
“Hmmph.” Alison frowned, appearing equally mystified. “Let us go see.” A tentative tap-tap of her cane sounded on the marble tiles. “Kindly take my arm. I’m feeling a trifle fatigued.”
Her face pinching in concern, Eddy quickly offered her support. “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have asked to stroll down Bond Street to view the new riding habits on display in Madame Francoise’s shop window.”
“Nonsense! I can usually run circles around you. I simply feel a twinge in my knee today.” A rueful sigh. “When you get to be my age, the joints don’t always behave as they should. However, you will need a great deal more birthdays on your plate before you know what I mean.”
Eddy discreetly slowed her pace. “Well, I have at least reached a number that ends in ‘teen,’ which feels like a baby step out of childhood.”
“Don’t be in such a hurry to grow up,” counseled the dowager. “Adulthood isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.”
That made Eddy grin, but before she could respond, they passed into the foyer and she stopped dead in her tracks.
“W-What’s that?” she stammered, once she found her tongue.
Alison squinted at the roll of fancy paper tied with a scarlet silk ribbon that was lying at the foot of the grand staircase. “I daresay it’s a message.” Her lips twitched. “And unless my eyes are deceiving me, I think it’s addressed to you.”
Eddy raised her brows. “You can’t possibly read the writing from this distance.”
“Don’t be impertinent.” The dowager gave her companion a nudge with her cane. “Well, don’t just stand there—let’s go open it.”
As they approached, it became evident another silk ribbon— this one a shimmering hue of cerulean blue—was tied to the newel post and snaked upward along the banister into the gloom.
The paper unrolled with a whispery sigh. Eddy read it over quickly and then started to laugh.
“What does it say?” demanded Alison.
“You know very well what it says!” retorted Eddy. Nonetheless, she read the words aloud.
You must close your eyes and follow the ribbon up to the next landing. Only then may you open them.
A pause.
And don’t cheat! Aunt Alison will be watching and you really don’t want to provoke the Dragon into wielding her cane.
“Hmmph.” The snort turned into a chuckle. “If I were you, I would take the warning to heart.”
Eddy squeezed her eyes shut and took hold of the ribbon. “Onward and upward we go.”
They slowly made their way to the next floor, and the dowager then guided Eddy to the foot of the next flight of stairs.
“What’s that fluttery sound? It’s almost as if …” Eddy’s face scrunched in thought. “As if a flock of birds were flapping their wings.”
“You may now open your eyes,” responded the dowager.
“Ooh!” Eddy blinked in wonder as she took in the dancing flames and flickering images of horses and birds in flight.
“There’s another note,” said Alison. But on seeing that Eddy was too mesmerized to move, she took it upon herself to read it aloud.
You are almost there. The moon and the stars are waiting to wish you a happy birthday.
The words seemed to spark Eddy out of her trance. A smile lit up her face as she grabbed Alison’s hand and hurried up to the next floor.
A third note directed them to the attic stairwell … and then a glimmer of pearly moonlight greeted them as they passed through yet another set of candle lanterns and reached the open rooftop door.
“Happy birthday!” chorused her family and friends.
Eddy took in the scene—the smiling faces, the shimmering silks of the tent, the black velvet sky dotted with diamond-bright stars—and swallowed hard to dislodge the lump in her throat. “W-What ethereal magic have you used to create this special enchantment?”
“It’s not magic,” answered Wrexford. “It’s Love.”
“Aye, lassie,” added Henning. “And it won’t disappear with a wave of a wand.” He made a wry face. “I ought to know— with this group, you are stuck with their love for life, even when you least deserve it.”
“Love doesn’t keep a ledger of our strengths and vulnerabilities,” said Charlotte. “It is what’s in our hearts that matters.”
Eddy blinked a tear—of joy, hoped the earl—from her lashes. “I am lucky beyond measure to have made my way here.”
“I wouldn’t call it Luck. I would have found you if Destiny hadn’t delivered you to our door.” Wrexford stepped forward and gathered her in his arms. “You are exactly where you should be—with all of us.”
Then, before they all became too emotional, he spun her around. “Come, you still have another gift to receive.”
“It was Raven’s idea,” explained Hawk as Sheffield and Tyler muscled the large pedestal to the center of the tent. The object on its top was now shrouded with a sheet of black silk. “I helped him sketch out the plans and Peregrine designed the mechanics.”
The candlelight caught the faint flush of red that rose to Raven’s cheeks.
“It’s just something silly,” he mumbled.
“Go ahead and open it,” urged Peregrine.
After a slight hesitation, Eddy moved to the pedestal. Taking a deep breath, she took hold of the cloth and yanked it off!
Caught in the night breeze blowing in from the back gardens, it fluttered to the stone tiles.
“A horse,” she whispered.
“A flying horse,” amended Raven, as he gestured for Peregrine to help him wind up the mechanical spring that had replaced the volatile steam engine idea.
“At least it is in theory.” A grunt sounded as he gave the spring’s rachet one last turn.
“And there’s an old adage that it’s the thought that counts. ” With that, he released the spring.
The metal horse’s wings whirred, going faster and faster …
And then suddenly it rose from the wooden base and for a long moment hovered in the air.
Eddy let out a shriek of delight. “How clever of you! Oh, would that I could ride it through the heavens.”
“We would have to make a number of new scientific discoveries to make that happen,” said Raven. “Perhaps in the future—”
“Never mind the future. The present is perfect.” She pulled Raven into a fierce hug and kissed his cheek.
Before he could react, Eddy turned and embraced both Hawk and Peregrine.
“Wait! We’re not quite finished!” said Hawk, once he recovered his composure from being kissed by his fellow Weasel.
He quickly handed her a thin rectangular package and stepped back as she undid the wrapping paper to reveal a book of hand-colored etchings.
“Wrex took us to Hatchards, as we heard they had received a shipment of books from Paris, including one on your favorite daredevil aeronaut, Sophie Blanchard—”
“Sophie Blanchard!” Eddy hugged the book on the famous French balloonist to her chest. “I’m tempted to kiss you all again!”
“S’all right,” drawled Raven. “How about you let us have a look at it with you instead?”
“There’s a special cake,” called McClellan.
“Later,” replied Hawk as he followed the other three to the table and chairs that had been brought up to the roof.
“They must be ill,” she quipped.
“Sweets can’t hold a candle to a daredevil aeronaut,” said Henning. “Like moths attracted to a flame, they seem inexorably drawn to pursuits that involve danger.”
McClellan laughed. “That’s rather like the pot calling the kettle black.”
“I’ll drink to that,” replied Henning as Tyler ambled over to join them. “I’ll fetch us some champagne while you cut three slices of that sinfully decadent cake.”
Seeing that everyone was deep into the convivial spirit of celebration, Charlotte drifted out to the parapet wall and leaned up against the stone. The breeze ruffled through her hair, and despite its coolness, she felt enveloped in a mellow warmth.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Wrexford came up behind her and placed his palms on her shoulders.
“Please, no talk of money.”
“Fair enough.” He chuckled and turned her around to face him. “Let us not mull on the past or the future but simply enjoy this present moment.”
“Indeed.” Charlotte’s gaze moved to the Weasels, who were engaged in an animated discussion which involved much laughter and flapping of hands. “They are growing up too fast as it is.”
From somewhere nearby in the darkness came the hoot of an owl.
“Eddy dreams of flying through the heavens.” Charlotte’s expression turned pensive. “Which I suppose is a metaphor for wanting to spread her wings.”
“It’s only natural for the young to be inquisitive and wish to explore outside the boundaries of childhood,” said Wrexford.
“Curiosity is a good thing.” She hesitated. “But I sometimes worry that we’ve allowed our Weasels to see a bit too much of Life’s dark side. I fear …”
He waited for her to go on.
“I fear …”
“Don’t dwell on fear.” Wrexford took her hands in his. “Think of your own childhood. You dared to defy every rule in the book by refusing to live within a gilded cage. You experienced adventure—and adversity. It made you who you are.”
He smiled. “Our children will be fine. They have not only their own moral compasses and good hearts, but they have us, and our love, to guide them through any rough stretches in their life’s journey.”
Charlotte drew him into a hug. “You are always the voice of reason.”
“I am wrong about a great many things, but not this.”
They stood for an interlude in companionable silence, listening to the murmurs of laughter and good cheer from their extended family.
“More challenges will rise up soon enough,” he mused. “Come spring, we will have to start thinking about Eddy and the complicated issues concerning her official position in Society.”
A sigh. “But for now, let us simply savor the moment and not fret about what tomorrow might bring.”