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“All of you? Really?” asked a chortling Shar. The rebellious groom was in the woods with Elisander, who was learning to fire a rifle.
“Indeed. Miss Collins proposed to all of my brothers,” Elisander said as he raised his gun. “Joseph was her first choice. I was her second choice, apparently. Poor Kier was the last to get a proposal. But in the end, she asked us all to marry her. Is that not the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard?”
“To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of gossip... but that is truly priceless.” Shar lifted Elisander's arm, encouraging him to aim higher. “So she must be desperate to find a husband?”
“Apparently.” When Elisander finally fired a shot, he hit the center of Shar's specified target. “According to my mother, Catherine de Bourgh is the one who's pressing her to find a husband.”
“Lady Catherine de Bourgh?” As he reloaded his rifle, Shar raised an eyebrow. “Founder of the First Flight Academy for—”
“For Young Ladies... yes,” Elisander finished with a sigh. “Apparently, my cousin is well connected.”
It was Shar's turn to fire the rifle, and it he made it look easy. In a matter of seconds, he perfected his aim and shattered his target.
“Imagine if such a thing existed for young men as well,” Elisander mused. “You and I could be flying airships instead of dreaming of them.”
“And we wouldn't have to hide in the woods to practice our shooting.” With a wink, Shar added, “I need no practice, since I'm already an expert. Of course, it never hurts to brush up on one's skills.”
Grinning devilishly, Elisander suddenly suggested, “Perhaps you should marry Wilhelmina Collins?”
“As if the lady would marry a stable boy who is uncomfortably close to thirty!” Shar chuckled at the thought. “I hope you weren't serious?”
Elisander's grin broadened. “Maybe I was?”
“Well, you're mad.” Shar tossed the rifle to Elisander, who looked a bit panicked when the muzzle almost slipped through his fingers. “If I ever marry—which is doubtful—it would not be to anyone of note.”
Behind him, a female voice replied to his remark. “Perhaps I would marry you.”
When Shar spun around, he was shocked to see Georgette Wickham standing behind him. Her reddish-brown hair was pulled into a tight bun, a pair of gold goggles were dangling from her neck, and she was smoking a long cigar.
In an instant, Shar's pistol was out of its holster and pointed between her eyes. “Oh? And why would a pirate captain want to marry me?”
“Well, you're handsome, for one. You're both handsome. You're two of the handsomest lads I've ever seen,” Georgette said. Smoky chuckles escaped from her throat when Elisander raised his rifle and aimed at her. “The boy's grip on the rifle could be better.” Georgette brought the cigar to her burgundy lips as she criticized them.
“I happen to think his grip looks fine,” Shar objected.
“And I happen to think you're wrong.” As she tapped the ashes from her cigar, Georgette wore a grin. “You're the one who's been teaching the boy, yes? You need to work harder with him, or he'll be useless in a battle.”
“Battle?” Shar threw back his head and laughed. “And who would send men into a battle?”
“Me. Why not? If you can fire a gun, you'd be useful enough to me.” Georgette took a few steps in Shar's direction, closing the distance between them. “Oh, and you don't have to keep aiming your guns at me, loves. I mean you no harm.”
“Why are you here?” Elisander asked. In the corner of his eye, he saw Shar lowering his pistol, but he kept his rifle raised.
“To bother you,” Georgette answered with a wink. “Honestly, I'm fascinated by the idea of boys with guns. Most young men seem content to dillydally in a ballroom... but you? You two have gumption. I like that.” When Georgette was standing directly in front of Shar, she craned her neck to see his face. “You're a tall one, aren't you?”
“I am.”
“Tall, handsome, and you can use a gun. I like you.” Georgette filled her lungs with smoke and expelled it upward, toward Shar's face. As the smoke billowed around his chin, she asked, “Did I ever get your name?”
“I'm Shar Lucas.” He gently pried the cigar from Georgette's fingers and raised it to his mouth.
“And now you've stolen my cigar!” Georgette exclaimed. “You stole it right out of my hand! Who is the pirate here? Is it me or you?”
“You. Although I envy you,” Shar confessed. “I don't think I'd mind being a pirate.”
Surprise widened her eyes. “Really?”
“Indeed. You have a lot of freedom, I imagine. And you get to spend your days on an airship. I can think of nothing better.”
“Your affinity for airships is... cute.” As she spoke, Georgette swaggered closer to Elisander. “Perhaps I could give you a tour of my airship. I extend the invitation to both of you. The next time I'm feeling bored or I have time to waste, I'll take you on a little flight.”
Suddenly, they heard a loud, static hiss. Georgette pulled a small, black box from the pocket of her greatcoat and held it to her lips.
“This is.... gggzzzt... Gladys,” a muffled voice rose from the box. “Repairs on the... ssssst... dder have been finished. You can... zzsssshhhrrz... anytime.”
Georgette replied in a clear voice, “Alright, Gladys. I'll return in a moment. I just need to say farewell to the boys.”
“Boys?” Gladys replied. “What zzzzrt... oys.”
Georgette removed her finger from the bright red button that enabled their long distance communication. Elisander and Shar were equally stunned, so the pirate quickly explained, “It's a teletalk. It's cutting edge technology, invented by my very own Gladys. She's amazing, honestly. She can knock these together in her sleep, I swear.” Georgette held out the teletalk to Elisander, but all he could do was stare, slack-jawed, at the odd device. “Would you like to try it?”
Elisander's lips failed to form words. When he didn't reply, Georgette forced the device into his hand. “Here, take it. Hell... you can even keep it, if you'd like. As I said, Gladys makes a lot of these.”
Elisander gaped at the teletalk. “How do I use it?”
“When you want to speak to someone, push the red button,” Georgette instructed him. “Anyone in possession of a teletalk will hear your voice come through... well... anyone within a certain distance, I suppose. I doubt I would hear you if you were all the way in Asia.”
“This is the strangest thing I've ever seen,” Elisander said.
“I've only been using it for the last few months, so it's still unusual to me as well. However... it's only the second strangest thing I've ever seen.” When she turned her attention to Shar, he was quietly smoking her cigar.
“And what's the strangest?” Elisander asked.
“You are the strangest thing I've ever seen!” With a smile, Georgette reclaimed her cigar from Shar's long fingers. “There's nothing more odd than boys with guns. Now I swear I've seen it all.”