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"I am a scientific woman, Mr Gladstone The most curious of creatures"

"Curiosity killed the cat That’s what they say, is it not?"

"Where I carain sack and a visit to the Thames"

His eyes softened, and he held out a hand to her "I think the world has been unnecessarily cruel to you," he said softly

She stared at his hand ait, unsure of what he wanted Would he pull her close for another kiss, perhaps hold her as if she were a frightened child?

Instead, he tugged her over to the worktable, saying only, "Work will soothe us both, I think"

The plans had been covered by a few casually strespapers He stacked the designs, each carefully labeled and drawn as if one could see straight through the objects in question The musical instruments onders of clockwork, the ile as the butterflies themselves These plans weren’t siift of rare beauty and i a drab and featureless woht This isn’t you It could be anyone And it doesn’t nearly do justice to your beauty"

She looked up at his

"These plans are a credit to yours," she said

10

After an afternoon spent discussing butterfly species and colors while he cut and filed bits of o How odd, that one could spend the day in a roo clocks and still utterly lose track of tion door, it was dark outside, and the caravan was in full swing, a riot of noise and light

Henry stood a little away, as if he didn’t want to be seen by anyone whobeyond his door

"So I’ll see you tomorrow after breakfast?" he said, and she nodded and said, "Of course"

But she paused, one hand on the door, uncertain The sound of a calliope danced on the brisk air, interlaced with laughter and bells and the merry burble of voices She could smell candy floss and s of the train and, nearer, of Henry The h in the sky, outshone by the lanterns strung around the periht divided the warm atmosphere of the show fro moors They’d been so busy that they had missed the dinner bell, and for whatever reason, Vil had not brought a tray, which Henry had said was his usual er, or so she told herself

"Do I justgo out?" she asked "Is it safe?"

Henry laughed and took a step closer to the door And to her "You’re a carnivallero now, dear lady Have you never been?"

"Never"

The longing was clear in her voice, and he took a deep breath and stared out the door as if a firing squad waited on the other side, crossbows poised

"I can’tI haven’tIt’s just been a very long tiers drulad pipes "You do not seem like a coward to me"

"Nor you to me, and yet here you stand, on this side of the door"

"Perhaps it is not fear of the carnival that keepssomeone’s coh

"What a strange, plain-speaking creature you are" His eyes seelow behind her "But I find that I share your curiosity It does sound very exciting out there, doesn’t it? I so rarely open my door when the show is on Bide a moment, and we’ll see what I can do"