Alice, are you running from a fire?” Lucy teased breathlessly as she tried to keep up.
“I’m sorry.” Alice forced herself to walk more slowly. “I don’t want to be late for the lecture.”
Lucy wiped a bead of perspiration from her forehead. “Why are you so excited about the telephone? People are already saying it could replace the telegraph one day.”
“Do you think I should ignore it and hope it goes away?” Alice smiled. “I say that’s all the more reason I should learn what I can. If my occupation is in jeopardy, I want to be informed of it.”
These things were all true, but the real reason Alice was in a hurry was to ensure she had time to meet up with Douglas before the lecture began. Getting to the Alexandra Palace grounds had taken longer than planned, and now they had to hurry to reach the lecture hall on time.
“Mr. B. wants to have a telephone installed at our house,” Lucy said. “He says it will be a mark of distinction to have one. But he also teases me that he worries I shall enjoy having a telephone far too much. He says I shall ruin him by running up exorbitant fees by constantly making calls to my friends!”
Alice took in little of her friend’s ramblings because her attention had been arrested by a surprising and unwelcome sight: Archie Clapper was standing outside the lecture hall. Alice got the impression he was looking for someone—and she didn’t want to guess who that person might be.
The knot in her stomach tightened when he caught sight of her. He gave a quick smooth to his hair, straightened his coat, and began walking toward her. “Why, good afternoon, Miss McNeil,” he said, taking advantage of a brief pause in Lucy’s stream of words. “What a surprise to see you here. Although I suppose it’s not such a surprise, is it?”
“No?” Alice said, at a loss.
“It was in the Telegraphic Journal. I couldn’t help noticing that the information about this lecture had been circled. In pencil,” he added, as though that point were somehow significant.
While Alice was still digesting this, Archie gave Lucy a little bow. “Good afternoon, madam.”
Lucy was as dumbfounded as Alice. Her surprise was probably a reaction to Archie’s greeting. Although Lucy had only seen him from a distance, she knew from Alice’s descriptions that his manner was not normally so polite.
Utter dismay took over Alice’s surprise when she grasped the meaning behind Archie’s words. He thought that by circling that information and then handing the paper to him, Alice had left him a hint. In other words, she’d unwittingly followed another key in the spinster book: “The method of communication is so easy and so unsuspect. You have only to put faint pencil marks against the passages and lend the volume to him, and he will respond.”
Archie stood looking at her expectantly. Was he waiting for some sign that he’d correctly deduced the meaning of the circled passage?
A few stragglers rushed by, intent on getting to the lecture hall.
“I believe the program is about to start,” Alice croaked.
She said this in some vain hope that she might find a way to break free, but unfortunately Archie took it as confirmation that he should join them. He nodded. “Yes, we should go in. We wouldn’t want to miss anything.”
When they reached the door, Archie opened it for them. As Alice passed him, she caught a distinctive smell. He’d put bear grease in his hair. To impress her. It was almost too much. The very last thing she needed was Archie’s attentions. She realized now that she preferred him when he was rude and distant. In fact, any kind of animosity short of attempted murder would have been preferable to this.
Lucy said nothing. Clearly, she was as stunned by these events as Alice was.
Alice was still desperately trying to think of a way to separate from Archie when she saw Douglas. He was standing at the end of a row of chairs near the front. He lifted a hand to get her attention, then frowned when he saw Archie. Archie didn’t look any happier to see him. Looking irritated, Douglas walked forward to meet them.
“Your attention, everyone!” bellowed a man standing at the lectern. “Please find your seats! We’ll begin in five minutes.”
At this announcement, many latecomers who’d been milling about began to scramble to find a place to sit. Now swimming upstream, Douglas skirted the crowd in order to reach them.
“I’ve got three seats saved in the second row,” he said. “My apologies, Clapper. I didn’t realize there would be a fourth person.”
Douglas didn’t sound the least bit sorry. The two men stared at one another, sizing each other up.
Archie’s face twisted into a sneer. “Don’t bother about me. I’ll just take a seat in the back.” He tossed a sour look at Alice. “It’s my fault for being too late.”
Douglas’s eyes narrowed as he caught the insinuation behind Archie’s words. Evidently deciding to let it go, he turned to Alice and Lucy. “Right. Let’s go, then.”
Alice breathed a sigh of relief as they moved away with Archie making no further objection. She knew she would pay for today’s events later, though. It wasn’t a happy prospect.
“It’s very kind of you, Mr. . . . ?” Lucy said as Douglas ushered them forward. She must have been confused as to why this man was saving them seats. They hadn’t been introduced, and Alice hadn’t told her he would be here. The smile on Lucy’s face indicated she was finding Douglas more than acceptable as company, however. Compared to the alternative of Archie, who wouldn’t? Even so, Lucy’s admiring gaze made Alice recall her own reaction upon meeting him. If she, who never paid attention to such things, had been bowled over by this handsome man, she had no doubt Lucy would be even more susceptible.
They paused at the row where Douglas had saved them seats, and Alice quickly made the introductions.
Lucy gave a nod of recognition when she heard his name. “So nice to meet you, Mr. Shaw. Alice has told me about you, although she didn’t mention that you were so—” She paused, catching herself just in time, and started again. “That you were so, er, interested in telephones.”
Alice was grateful that Lucy refrained from what she’d evidently wanted to say, but it didn’t stop her cheeks from burning in embarrassment. She ought to have prepared Lucy a little better. “We’d better find our seats,” she reminded them.
They made their way to the chairs Douglas had saved, which were in the center of the row. Alice ended up seated between Douglas and Lucy.
“Clapper didn’t come here with you, did he?” Douglas said once they were settled.
“Of course not!” Alice answered vehemently. “We happened to meet on the way in.” She wasn’t ready to admit her unintended role in bringing about the meeting.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Thank you for saving us,” Lucy said. “My heavens, it appears all the employees from Henley and Company have come to this lecture today.” She caught Alice’s eye, and her expression transmitted loud and clear how impressed she was with this particular employee.
“Was Clapper being rude to you?” Douglas asked with concern.
“No,” said Alice. “He was being nice—which was far worse.”
This statement brought a gleam of amusement to Douglas’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth moved as he seemed to suppress a smile. Alice returned the look, pleased he’d understood her so perfectly.
There was no time to say anything more. The director returned to the lectern and began to introduce the speaker, giving a long list of the man’s qualifications. Alice heard, rather than saw this, as she was still looking into Douglas’s eyes. They were filled with friendly good humor that was so inviting. . . .
Lucy tugged at Alice’s sleeve.
Dragging her gaze from Douglas, Alice turned and said, “Yes?”
“I can already tell from the introduction that this is going to be terribly technical,” Lucy whispered. “I’m sure I’ll need to ask you for clarification.” As she spoke, she sent a brief glance toward Douglas that conveyed—to Alice’s surprise—a hint of worry. But that made no sense, given Lucy’s initial pleasure at meeting him. Alice decided she must be mistaken.
Over the next hour, the speaker presented a breathtaking vision of what the future with telephones would be like. Perhaps she ought to be worried for her job after all. In a world where people could speak directly with each other, even over long distances, there would be no need for the telegraph operator as an intermediary.
However, that reality was still a long way off. It paled in comparison to her current problem. Even as she listened intently to this lecture, Alice could not forget that Archie was seated somewhere behind them. She imagined him watching them, making assumptions about why they had obviously decided to meet here today. As if there could be any other reason than that they were colleagues with a mutual interest in the newest forms of electrical communication.
Lucy’s actions disturbed her focus as well. She kept finding reasons to whisper comments to Alice, and her gaze frequently moved between Alice and Douglas as though assessing a doubtful situation. Something was going on in her friend’s mind. Whatever it was, Alice knew she would have to address it later.
After a lively question-and-answer session, the program came to a close. As everyone stood, Alice turned to see if she could find Archie in the crowd, wanting to know if he was watching them.
He was. He gave her a long, cold look that actually made her shiver. Then he turned and walked out of the hall.
Since they were near the front, it took a while to exit due to the crowd. By the time they made it outside, there was no sign of Archie.
Alice saw many people making their way down the path that led to the park. She would have loved to go there, too, but she hesitated to suggest it since they were with Douglas. She was unsure of the protocol of this situation. So they all stood where they were.
Douglas appeared to have forgotten about Archie. He was smiling. “That was an excellent presentation, wasn’t it?” he said to Alice. “He really knows what he’s talking about. What did you think of his explanation regarding the possibility of a transatlantic telephone cable? It seems almost too fantastic to contemplate, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, but the way he explained it, I believe it will happen one day. After all, it’s only been about fifteen years since we succeeded with the transatlantic telegraph cable. Many people thought that would be impossible, too.” Alice quickly became swept up in Douglas’s enthusiasm as they imagined what it would be like to actually talk to a client who was on the other side of the ocean and how it would impact business.
They’d talked for perhaps ten minutes when it became evident that Lucy was not saying anything. This was not surprising, as they were speaking of things outside her friend’s knowledge and interest. Although Alice felt guilty about this, she also hoped it truly was the reason Lucy had grown quiet, and that it wasn’t because she worried about this time they were spending with Douglas. Was she harboring the idea that it was somehow wrong for Alice to spend leisure time with someone from work—and someone who was technically her overseer? Perhaps she worried there might be negative consequences for such fraternization.
Alice decided she could not be responsible for whether a person attended a public lecture. After all, Archie had been there as well.
The thought of Archie sent another chill down her back, despite the heat. She was glad he hadn’t tried to press his company on them. And yet, was that really a good thing? Archie had sent hate-filled glares at her before today. Plenty of times. But that was before the pencil incident. And she’d never seen the stark malevolence he’d shown today just before he walked away. So much for any ground she might have won by being nice to him. It was all gone now—and then some.
Nearby, an ices vendor stood next to his cart, calling out, “Ices! Ices! Raspberry! Strawberry! Lemon! Halfpenny only! Halfpenny only!” He wore a bowler hat, a red kerchief around his neck, and spoke in a thick Italian accent. “You there! Signore!” he called out to Douglas. “You buy nice ices for the ladies, yes? Don’t leave them suffering in the heat when they could be cooled down with a sweet treat!”
“Would you like one?” Douglas asked them.
“We couldn’t ask you to buy us anything,” Alice protested.
“It’s but a trifle. I insist.” He tilted his head and studied Alice. “You look like a lemon, I think.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever been told that before,” she replied with a laugh.
“I meant to say that you look like the sort of person who enjoys lemon-flavored ices,” he clarified with a smile. “Because they are tart on the tongue. Am I right?”
She wanted to say no, just to tease him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She was too amazed that he’d read her that well. “How did you guess?”
“It’s a talent. It cannot be learned.” He turned to Lucy. “You are strawberry, I think.”
“Right you are, Mr. Shaw.”
“Perhaps you missed your calling,” Alice joked. “Being so good at divination, you might have gotten a job at a carnival.”
“Och, no, me lassie. I’m thinkin’ higher than that.” Douglas slipped into his Scottish brogue, perhaps to add a touch of levity to his words. “I intend to use it to succeed in business, for you see, ’tis a skill that can be used to win over customers as well.” His eyes lit up with pride. “Mark my words: if I’m not the owner of Henley and Company someday, it’ll be because I own somethin’ bigger.”
Alice heard the ring of conviction beneath his lighthearted delivery. Once more she reflected that, despite a measure of hubris, there was something impressive about his unwavering intention to rise in the world. She hadn’t heard him use the brogue so heavily before. For some reason, it did fluttery things to her stomach. But then, she did have Scottish ancestry. Perhaps he was connecting with some deeper part of her. . . .
“You certainly are ambitious, Mr. Shaw,” Lucy observed.
Her statement pulled Alice from the reverie she’d almost slipped into. “Humble too,” she added, trying to bring him down a notch—and settle her skittering thoughts.
Douglas grinned. Dropping the brogue, he said, “Wait here, ladies.”
They waited in the shade of the building’s portico while Douglas went to acquire the ices.
“Mr. Shaw seems very personable,” Lucy said.
“Yes, he is. As he said, he uses it to good advantage in business.”
“I see.”
Having no idea how to respond to that cryptic remark, Alice said nothing.
Douglas was on his way back when Lucy said, “Oh, Alice, I nearly forgot!” She pulled a small envelope from her reticule. “I got a letter from Fred yesterday. He’s reached Bombay. He sends his kind regards—and he enclosed this note for you in his letter.”
Lucy said this precisely as Douglas came within earshot. The way his eyebrows lifted slightly told Alice he’d heard. Mortified, she took the note and thrust it into her bag. “Thank you. I’ll read it later.”
Lucy gave a sniff of irritation at Alice’s hasty dismissal.
“This Fred seems to be a world traveler,” Douglas remarked as he handed them their ices.
“He’s my brother,” Lucy said. “Oh, and Alice, he also mentioned that he bought you a little present. He’s eagerly anticipating his return so he can give it to you.”
Douglas looked at Alice as if seeing her in a whole new light. “You seem to have many admirers, Miss McNeil.”
Did he think she was dangling after men—or worse, that she had a beau? Although he spoke with ironic amusement, she thought he seemed disappointed, too. Perhaps he thought she hadn’t been serious about her goal of remaining single and pursuing a career. Perhaps he thought she’d lied to him. That bothered her most of all.
Lucy ate a bite of her strawberry ice and smiled with satisfaction. “Thank you, Mr. Shaw. This is delicious.”
Then Alice understood. Lucy saw Douglas as a rival to Fred! She had chosen that exact moment to bring out Fred’s letter in order to ensure Douglas didn’t try to court Alice. The whole idea would be laughable except that it was too unsettling. In too many ways.
Honestly, the entire situation was impossible to fathom. With Archie, Fred, and Douglas showing interest in her, she suddenly felt like Lewis Carroll’s Alice, finding herself in a topsy-turvy world.
“I . . . that is . . .” Alice sputtered, trying to find words. “Fred is merely a friend, you see. We’ve known each other since we were children, and—”
“Shaw! Is that you?” A man’s voice interrupted Alice’s ramblings.
Alice immediately recognized the man approaching them. It was one of Douglas’s friends, the one named Hal. He was escorting a vivacious-looking young woman in a brightly colored gown.
Douglas’s reaction was not what Alice would have expected. Instead of looking pleased, he closed his eyes, deflating the way a man did when he heard very bad news, and turned to face the newcomers.