Pulling her thoughts together as best she could, trying not to think about how the taste of his lips was still on hers, Victoria said, “I hope so, and thank you for believing me. What happened does sound unbelievable. I understand that.”
“It’s not unbelievable,” he replied as they started walking along the pathway. “It’s just difficult to prove.”
She nodded, because her thoughts were still on their kiss. How unbelievable that had been, while at the same time, nothing had felt more natural. Furthermore, she could imagine kissing him again. He was the only man in the world that she’d ever had such thoughts about.
Those thoughts continued as they made their way back to the house. Upon entering, she excused herself to prepare for lunch, and once in her bedroom, she sat down in the closest chair.
She was thinking too much about the kiss, and not enough about why it had happened. Not once had she considered kissing would be a part of their agreement. Therefore, she’d never needed to wonder how she would react to it.
A knock on the door interrupted any time that she might have had to think about it, because following the sound, Audrey entered the room.
“I have never, ever, had so much fun as bicycle riding!” Audrey exclaimed. “Have you?”
“It certainly was fun,” Victoria agreed.
Audrey walked over and checked her image in the mirror, twisting to check if her hair was still pinned in place. “I feel guilty, because I’d rather go bicycle riding again rather than go to Jake’s grandmother’s house for lunch.”
Victoria rose from the chair and stepped close enough to replace a pin in the back of her friend’s hair. “You’ll enjoy your lunch with her. You always enjoy visiting with her.”
“I know. I adore her, and Jake promised we’d take another bicycle ride this evening.” Audrey sighed. “I wish we had four bicycles so you and Linc could join us. I already feel bad leaving you alone all afternoon while we’re at Jake’s grandmother’s house.”
Victoria met Audrey’s gaze in the mirror. “Don’t feel bad. Lincoln and I are going to go see the bicycle that Ronald is putting a combustion engine on. I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
Audrey spun about. “You are?”
“Yes, we were talking about it after riding your bicycles and decided to go look at it.” Once again, memories of the kiss were strong enough to make her breath stall in her lungs. She’d truly never imagined anything could be so wonderful, so consuming that she hadn’t been able to think of anything else but him.
“That’s wonderful,” Audrey said. “I was worried that you’d be stuck with Mother all afternoon, listening to how terrible bicycles are, but I should have known Linc would have thought of something. You’ll have to tell me about it.”
“And you’ll have to tell me all about your visit with Jake’s grandmother,” Victoria replied, trying hard to not think about how Audrey would react if she knew about the kiss. Victoria would never tell her, even though that kiss would live with her forever.
Lincoln followed behind Victoria in the very crowded workshop that Ronald led them through, answering all of her questions about far more than his latest invention regarding the bicycle. Lincoln wasn’t sure who was more excited, her or Ronald. Her questions weren’t silly, either. They were intuitive and thoughtful.
Somewhat like his silent ones. It had been hours since they had been in the park, yet he couldn’t get his mind off kissing her.
Off doing it again.
A kiss had never lived inside him like this one was doing. From the moment his lips had touched hers, it was as if he’d found something he’d been longing for, which made no sense. He’d never longed for a woman in his life, yet he knew one thing. He could kiss a thousand women and never feel what he had while kissing her. It had been too unique, just like her.
He couldn’t concentrate on anything else. Not even the paperwork that had been delivered with the bicycles this morning. John Webster had sent along the contract that Lincoln had slipped him last night at the theater. The one that gave him permission to probate the will and therefore slow the sale of the department store while he continued to look for a way to completely stop the sale.
He’d glanced through the paperwork upon returning to the house from the park, but even that had led him straight back to her, and that kiss. He was convinced that Alderman Kelley was somehow behind the sale, which had made him think of Elwood, stealing money from her, and that had made him think of the kiss.
Why had he thought kissing her would be a good idea? Why hadn’t he scrutinized that thought more deeply? Why had the thought ever even occurred?
He didn’t have answers for any of those questions, because none of them made sense.
Victoria’s laughter brought his mind back to the moment at hand, and he glanced between her and Ronald, who was demonstrating one of his many inventions. It was a broom, with an electrical cord attached to it. She was laughing and waving a hand at the dust in the air.
Lincoln chuckled to himself. Like the magician, and horseback riding, and the theater and bicycle riding, she made visiting Ronald’s workshop enjoyable. The only conclusion he could draw out of that was that it was her. That the activity didn’t matter, she simply made life enjoyable. He’d never imagined that someone could do that.
Ronald disconnected the cord from the socket, which turned the broom off. “It doesn’t work as I’d imagined.”
“It is a good idea, though,” she said.
“I think so, too,” Ronald said, putting the broom back on the workbench. “The bristles going back and forth send the dirt into the air rather than into a pile, and I have yet to figure out a way to change that.” He held up a finger. “But step over here, and I’ll show you something that does work.”
Lincoln nodded at the question in her eyes when she looked at him, and then he followed the two of them to yet another long workbench.
“This,” Ronald began, “is a bread toaster.” It, too, was electric, and Ronald inserted the end of the cord into a socket, then he pointed to a small metal rack. “If I had a piece of bread, I’d show you, but I don’t, so I’ll just explain it. You put a piece of bread on this rack, and the coil beneath it heats up, toasting the bread, then you flip the bread over and toast the other side. If you put your hand over here, just not too close, you can feel the heat.”
Victoria held her hand over the rack for a moment. “I can feel the heat. That’s a very interesting invention.”
“Thank you,” Ronald said, with a mini bow after he’d unplugged the toaster. “Lincoln has submitted a patent on it for me.”
“What will happen then?” Victoria asked.
Because both she and Ronald were looking at him, Lincoln replied, “Basically no one else will be able to copy Ronald’s invention. He’ll be able to determine what happens concerning additional toasters being built, distributed, sold, and used.”
“So you could make several of them and sell them at places like Webster’s Department Store?” she asked Ronald.
“If I wanted to, or I could have someone else build them for me, and I could keep working on other inventions. Like this one.” Ronald moved further down the workbench. “An electric kite.”
Lincoln cringed at the idea and laid a hand on Victoria’s arm, slowing her footsteps as she followed Ronald. He knew a kite was behind the discovery of electricity, but also had additional reasons to be cautious when it came to some of Ronald’s inventions. “What would the purpose of an electric kite be?” he asked.
“I imagined it would release the string, so you could fly a kite out of a window,” Ronald explained, holding up a large spool of string with an electrical cord attached to it. “But even on windy days, the kite couldn’t catch air out the window. You’d still have to run to get it going.”
“You would need a long cord,” Lincoln pointed out.
Ronald nodded. “I know, that’s why I gave up on it. However, it works wonderfully when it comes to winding the string back up on the spool.”
Victoria was staring at the spool of string. “May I see that?”
“Sure.”
Lincoln intercepted the exchange of the spool by grasping Ronald’s arm. “Is it plugged in?”
Ronald laughed. “No.” Then he told Victoria, “He’s helped me with a few inventions, and may have gotten an electrical shock once or twice.”
Lincoln had, and always asked if things in the workshop were plugged in before touching them. He released his hold on Ronald’s arm and watched Victoria’s thoughtful expression as she examined the spool. Her beauty shone through no matter what she was doing and it never failed to have a profound effect on him. His blood warmed, pounded faster in his veins, and desires formed throughout his body.
“You know, Ronald,” she said, with a frown demonstrating her deep thoughts, “if your broom bristles were on a spool like this, it could sweep the dirt slowly into a dustpan rather than just spewing it into the air.”
Ronald frowned for a moment, then his eyes grew wide. “I’d never thought of that, and you’re right, that could work!” With enthusiasm, Ronald hurried past them and back to the broom, while saying, “And I could attach a dustpan to the broom to catch the dirt. Oh, this is fantastic!”
“Very ingenious thinking,” Lincoln told Victoria.
“Ronald is the ingenious one. He has so many wonderful inventions,” she said. “I’m in awe over several of them.”
Lincoln was in awe over her. He couldn’t imagine very many women finding all these inventions and gadgets interesting. In his experience, they were more interested in fashion and social events.
“Victoria, come here,” Ronald said. “I need your help for a moment.”
“Don’t touch anything,” Lincoln whispered as they walked towards Ronald.
“You warned me about that before we’d entered the room,” she whispered in return. “Remember?”
“Yes.”
“Have I touched anything yet, without asking?”
“No,” he replied.
She grinned at him and stepped up beside Ronald. “I don’t know how I could be of any help.”
Ronald was sketching something on a piece of paper. “I need your opinion. I’m thinking something like this, with a roller attached to the handle with a frame similar to a rake, with the bristles coming out of the roller.”
Lincoln had seen plenty of Ronald’s haphazard drawings, and was more set on watching her as she watched Ronald draw, wondering if she was going to be able to make out hide or hair. He never could.
“That could work,” she said, “but I think the bristles need to be shorter and softer, more flexible.” She held a hand out. “May I draw something?”
“Of course.” Ronald handed her the pencil.
Lincoln stepped closer, watching over her shoulder as she drew. All the while smelling the subtle flower scent of her perfume. It made his desires grow, yet he couldn’t step back.
In the end, she’d created a picture similar to Ronald’s, but much neater and far more recognizable.
Ronald was clearly thrilled. “Yes, that’s it! Exactly what I was thinking.” Pointing to the picture, he went on the explain where he imagined the dustpan being attached, and soon the two of them were discussing the number of rows of bristles, and how it might work better if the rows were further apart, but angled.
Lincoln soon found himself pulled into their idea and the design, and began offering opinions as well. He also told Ronald if he was to ever ask for another patent filing, Victoria should be the one to draw it.
Ronald agreed wholeheartedly.
They were still working on the broom, taking measurements for Victoria to write on paper, when a knock sounded on the workshop door.
“Come in,” Ronald replied.
Edwin, the Woodroofs’ aging butler, opened the door. “Forgive the interference, sir, but I am to inform you that dinner will be served in half an hour.”
“Thank you,” Ronald replied. “I will be there.”
“I’m also to inform Mr. Dryer and Miss Biggs that it has been arranged for them to join the family for dinner. The Dryer household has been informed.”
Lincoln had dined with the Woodroofs many times over the years, and looked at Victoria, awaiting her approval. When she gave a slight shrug, followed by a nod, he said, “Thank you, Edwin, we’re honored.”
“Thank you, sir,” Edwin replied. “Would you like me to show Miss Biggs where she can freshen up?”
Ronald set down the measuring tape. “We might as well all go and freshen up. I have all the measurements that I need.”
Victoria handed him the paper and pencil. “You’ll let us know when you start working on the broom?”
“I’ll start on it tomorrow,” Ronald replied. “And I will let you know when I have a model completed.”
Lincoln retrieved his suit jacket from a chair and shrugged into it, smiling as she looked at him with a frown. He knew what she was thinking and what Ronald’s answer would be.
She then turned back to Ronald. “What about the bicycle you’re working on?”
“I always work on more than one project at a time,” Ronald answered as he held the door and waited for them to leave the workshop. “Otherwise, I get bored.”
“I would never get bored,” she said. With an adorable grimace, she added, “But I would make a terrible inventor. All those electrical wires scare me.”
“You get used to getting shocked,” Ronald said.
“No, you don’t,” Lincoln disagreed.
They continued to debate that and laughed as they crossed the manicured backyard of the Woodroofs’ residence and in through the back door, where Edwin invited Victoria to precede him.
Lincoln used a water closet off the hallway, and then made his way to the front parlor, where he greeted Ronald’s mother, Doris, and his father, Darwin, and made small talk until Victoria entered, upon which he promptly introduced her to the Woodroofs. The pride he felt at that moment was distinct, and it stayed with him throughout the evening. Here, too, there was nothing about Victoria that was inept. She easily participated in conversations that covered a variety of subjects and her good-natured humor was enjoyed by all. He could tell that Doris was impressed by her, even before they prepared to make their exit long after night had fallen.
“Do come again, Lincoln,” Doris said. “And you, too, Victoria. We’ve enjoyed your company very much.”
“Thank you,” Victoria replied. “It was a lovely evening, and a wonderful meal.” She glanced his way before saying, “I do hope to return. I’m anxious to see Ronald’s broom invention once it’s completed.”
“There you have it,” Lincoln said to Doris. “We will be back.”
“Oh, good!” Doris kissed his cheek and Victoria’s. “I’m already looking forward to it.”
“As am I,” Darwin said, shaking his hand in farewell. The man leaned closer, and whispered, “You’ve done well there, Lincoln. Don’t let her get away.”
Lincoln felt a lump in his stomach. Their pretend courtship was to fool people, but he didn’t like fooling people he liked and had respected his entire life.
Victoria sat beside Lincoln in the open carriage as he drove through the streets, which were the quietest she’d seen them. Normally, when she rode about at night, it was inside an enclosed carriage, with a driver, giving her no opportunity to notice the quietness.
She normally didn’t notice the happiness simmering inside her, either. It was there now. Had been all day. “Thank you, for a wonderful day,” she said. “I enjoyed seeing Ronald’s inventions very much.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he replied. “Ronald was very happy for your help with his broom idea.”
“That is a remarkable idea. It’s not anything I would ever have thought of, but I can see people buying them, using them. Can’t you?”
“I can’t say that I’ve ever thought much about brooms, but yes, I can imagine people buying them.” He glanced at her. “If they work. That’s yet to be determined.”
“Oh, it’ll work, and I can’t wait to see it.” She laughed at her own thoughts. “I can’t wait to see the bicycle with the engine attached, too.”
“How about the electric kite, do you want to see that one, too?”
She giggled, because to her, that had been a silly idea. “Tell me about some of the inventions you helped him with.”
“You mean the ones where I got an electrical shock, don’t you?”
She bit her bottom lip before saying, “I’m sorry you got shocked, but yes, tell me about them.”
He didn’t just tell her about the inventions, he told her about many failed attempts and about being shocked in such a comical way that they laughed all the way home. Were still laughing when they walked into the house.
Audrey and Jake, as well as Roseanne, were in the front drawing room, and Victoria happily told them all about Ronald’s inventions. Except for the bicycle, she purposefully left out that invention, even though she was excited to see it when Ronald had finished it.
That didn’t slip past Lincoln. His grin said as much. He also leaned closer from where they sat side by side on the sofa and whispered, “Aren’t you going to mention Ronald’s bicycle?”
“No,” she whispered in return. “I’m leaving that for you.”
He chuckled, and leaned forward to pick both his and her empty glasses off the table. “Would anyone else care for a refill?” he asked aloud.
Victoria bit her lips together in amusement at how he was pretending they’d been whispering about beverages.
“No, thank you,” Jake said. “I must be heading home.”
“I’m afraid it’s time for me to retire,” Roseanne said. “It was a lovely day.”
Victoria couldn’t agree more. She’d enjoyed every moment of the day and wished she kept a diary, so she could write things down. Yet she knew that wasn’t necessary. This was a day she would never forget.
Audrey followed Jake out of the room, to say goodbye to him at the door, and Roseanne left as well. Victoria had risen from the sofa and stood beside Lincoln as they bid the others good-night, and now, still standing beside him, she wasn’t sure what to say.
Lincoln looked at her, and all at once, she felt a rush of heat throughout her body, poignant enough that she had to plant her feet firmly against the floor. She also had to lick her lips, which had started to tingle.
He didn’t say anything, just continued to look at her.
Her heart rate increased by the second, and she could feel the heat rushing through her rising up, into her cheeks. She knew why, too. Because of her thoughts. Of kissing him again. She was wondering what it would be like to be Audrey at this moment, free to kiss, hold hands, hug Jake whenever the urge struck.
Victoria knew she wasn’t Audrey and Lincoln wasn’t Jake. Whatever there was between the two of them was pretend. To fool others. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. There were no others here right now, and nothing happening inside her felt pretend.
“Well, I guess it’s time to say good-night,” Lincoln said, but didn’t move.
She nodded and swallowed again in an attempt to collect her nerves. “Yes, it is. Thank you for taking me to Ronald’s today. I enjoyed that very much.”
“You’re welcome.”
He still made no effort to move, at least none that she could see. “And thank you for teaching me to ride a bicycle,” she said. “That was also very fun.”
“It was.”
His gaze moved to her lips and she wondered if what happened at that moment was what an electrical shock felt like, because something so strong and powerful it stole her breath zipped through her like nothing ever had.
He reached up and touched the tip of her nose with a single finger. “Good night, Victoria.”
She was proud of herself for finding the wherewithal to say, “Good night, Lincoln,” and for being able to stand still as he walked from the room. Then the air gushed from her lungs and she sank onto the sofa that was still luckily right behind her. Her knees were trembling and it took several deep breaths before she didn’t need to concentrate on pulling air in and out of her lungs.
What was happening to her?
Not wanting to be caught sitting, doing nothing but breathing and thinking thoughts that she shouldn’t be thinking, she stood and collected the empty glasses from each of the tables and set them on the credenza for a servant to retrieve and wash, before she left the room.
Aware that falling asleep in her current condition was unlikely, she went to her room, collected her nightclothes then proceeded down the hall to the water closet. With its mahogany wainscoting and the wooden cabinetry enclosing the tub and sink, the closet was as luxurious as the rest of the house, and she soon sank deep into the warm bathwater, scented by her personal bottle of lilac-infused oil.
She’d barely had time for her body to relax, let alone her mind, when the door opened and Audrey walked into the room.
“I thought I’d find you here when you weren’t in your room,” Audrey said, sitting down on the stool in front of the mirrored dressing table. The two of them often shared the room while getting ready, and Audrey began unpinning her hair. “Did you see Ronald’s bicycle?”
Victoria leaned her head back against the edge of the bathtub and closed her eyes. “Yes. I didn’t want to mention it in front of your mother.”
“I figured as much. I’m going to write an article about bicycle riding for the newspaper society page.”
That didn’t surprise Victoria, but what did surprise her was something that had never happened. She felt a sense of jealousy towards her friend. Audrey not only had found the love of her life, she had something else she loved, writing. Victoria didn’t have any of that, nor would she. She’d already determined that she’d be happy being an old maid. Why was that?
Not needing something else to think about, she said, “I’m sure people will be interested in reading that. Have you ever seen Ronald’s inventions?”
“No, Mother would never allow me to. She said it was too dangerous, but Linc’s told me about some of them. Was it dangerous?”
Victoria didn’t open her eyes as she contemplated how to answer. Some of the inventions could be dangerous if one wasn’t careful, but Lincoln had warned her in advance. Furthermore, with Lincoln at her side, she hadn’t been afraid. “His workshop is very cluttered and you had to watch were you stepped, but I wouldn’t call it dangerous.” Actually, now that she thought about it, what she should find dangerous was Lincoln, because of the way he made her feel.
“But you enjoyed it?” Audrey asked.
“Yes.” Victoria knew one thing for certain. She wouldn’t have enjoyed seeing the inventions without Lincoln. It didn’t matter what she did with him, he made it fun by just being there. Needing time to contemplate what that meant, she changed the subject. “How was your lunch with Jake’s grandmother?”
“Wonderful. She gave me a lovely embroidered handkerchief that she carried on her wedding day for my ‘something old’.”
“That’s special.”
“It is. I really like it. She is a real sweetheart and wanted to know every last detail about the wedding. When we returned from there, Jake and I took another bicycle ride through the park. I asked Jake to leave his bicycle here, so you and I could take a ride tomorrow, and he did, but he said he’d prefer that we not ride alone.”
Victoria was only half listening, because her mind kept loitering on Lincoln. “Oh, why is that?” she asked, wanting it to sound like she was interested.
“Well, it was actually kind of strange. There was a man in the hedges across the street from our house. Almost like he’d been watching the house or something. He scurried out of the bushes when we crossed the road, and tried to act like he’d just been walking along the pathway, but both Jake and I had seen him, and he’d been in the bushes, not walking past. Jake recognized him. Said he was Alderman Kelley’s son.”
Victoria’s eyes snapped open and she sat up so fast the water splashed over the edge of the tub. “Elwood Kelley?”
Audrey set down the hair brush she’d been using and turned about on the bench. “Yes. Jake said Elwood is one of his father’s henchmen.”
“What do you mean henchmen?”
“Alderman Kelley represents the poorest districts in the city, and keeps getting elected because he uses mobsters to scare the men in his districts into voting for him. If they try to protest against him or campaign for someone else, things happen to them. Bad things. Jake had a reporter working on a story about Kelley who ended up missing last year. They still haven’t found him. Or his body, which Jake believes was dumped in the ocean. He can’t prove it. He can’t even print an article about it in the paper, because we can’t print something without facts to back it up.”
Despite the warm water surrounding her, Victoria shivered. Lincoln had mentioned that Elwood’s family weren’t the kind of people to be associated with, but she’d never imagined anything like that. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to pursue the theft. She was glad she hadn’t told Audrey anything about it, and was now greatly worried that Elwood had been looking for her. She hadn’t been rude to him when he’d been at dinner, nor had she told him that she’d be out of town. She’d simply declined his request to see her again, stating her calendar was full and would be for some time. Her mind was filling with questions about him, but Audrey wasn’t the person she could ask. That would have to be Lincoln.
Audrey turned around and picked up the pins she’d removed from her hair. “I told him we wouldn’t ride in the park unless he or Linc were with us.”
Although her mind was on Elwood, she didn’t want Audrey to know that. Victoria stood and lifted a towel off the shelf above the tub before stepping out of the water. “There are some lovely ladies’ skirts created just for bicycle riding at Webster’s you might like to see before writing your article,” she said.
Audrey stood. “We could go look at them tomorrow, after our dress fitting.”
“Sure.” Victoria slipped her nightgown over her head, wondering when she’d have time to talk to Lincoln.
“I didn’t mean to cut your bath time short,” Audrey said.
“You didn’t,” Victoria said. It would take a lot more than a hot bath to get her thinking in order.