When a Rake Falls (20 page)

Mr. Harrison introduced him.

When the secretary finished, Boyce assumed his position at the center of the table. He took a deep breath; his mind cleared. “Thank you, Mr. Harrison, members of the institute, and assembled guests.” He paused to focus on Eve again. “I would like to thank the members of the institute who reviewed our paper and presented me with the honor and the privilege to speak before you.” His voice cracked on the last word; he needed to get this over with. “We have a bit of luck today. My fellow aeronaut in our balloon journey is here in the audience. This dedicated aeronaut has vast expertise in the discovery and description of atmospheric science.”

One glance at the startled expression on his father's face, and Boyce almost collapsed. He swallowed and clenched his fists.
I
must
do this. “Please allow me the privilege of introducing this seasoned aeronaut, so she can enlighten us all.” He strode to Eve in the second row, then held out his hand. “Please, you must speak.”

Her eyes widened; she failed to move.

Her father spoke close to her ear. “You wouldn't dare. You'll embarrass us all.”

Boyce nodded and smiled at her. “You know this by heart. You can do this. Come with me.”

In a perfunctory manner, she took his hand and followed him to the lecture table.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “please welcome and allow me the honor to present the aeronaut E. Mountfloy. We are fortunate that she is in the audience today, since she is the first person to discover the sun dogs. Since we are all citizens of science, we value logic and experience, so she should present the data.” He stepped behind her, slightly to the side. “I'll stand right here in case you need my assistance,” he whispered.

She turned to look at him, her eyes wide.

With his brightest smile to give her courage, he nodded. “Time for you to sing.”

Eve focused on Parker's warm hand, a tangible anchor of support. To her amazement, her legs functioned, and she found herself standing. He gently led her all the way to the speakers' platform, probably unaware his warm hand fed her ravenous courage. She grabbed the edge of the speaker's table's and surveyed the crowd before her. Her racing brain remembered him say the words, “You can do this.”

She
could
do this; that was a fact. She had helped Parker practice, and she knew all the details by heart. Now he gifted her with the delivery of her dream, the chance to prove herself and contribute to knowledge—in hopes that, one day, it would benefit others. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I—”

“Your lordship,” Mr. Harrison stood and addressed Parker. “Ladies have never spoken before an audience. This is highly unusual.”

Two older gentlemen stood and spoke in agreement that no women should be allowed to address the audience. After all, they did not pay their subscription monies to listen to female twaddle.

After these pronouncements, everyone in the audience voiced their opinion to the person next to them or shouted directly at her. In the confusion, everyone seemed to speak at the same time.

Eve heard mixed opinions. Some accused her of scandalous behavior and demanded she instantly step down. Several others, including many women, voiced their support, although not quite as loudly as the objectors. A few even endorsed any decision made by Lord Boyce, because he must have a good reason to bring her forward.

Amongst all this confusion, Eve didn't know what to say or do. She stood frozen, her palms annoyingly damp, watching the secretary for instructions to step away and take her seat.

The marquess stood and moved to address Parker, but she did not hear what he had to say.

She did notice Parker's frozen expression, but then she heard her father in the second row. “We must show charity and forgive females from their natural arrogance gained by the acquisition of knowledge.”

Maybe with all of the noise she heard her father's comment wrong, because it made no sense.

Parker stepped near her, then the crowd became eerily silent.

She spun to face the crowd, many of whom were now sitting. Standing in the center, directly in front of the audience, was a lecturer at the Royal Institute Eve recognized as Mr. Michael Faraday.

“The Royal Institute,” Mr. Faraday said, with the practiced ease of a popular lecturer, “is unique among learned institutions because we believe every person, regardless of gender or class, can employ the gifts of intellect for the betterment of mankind. I am thankful that you have graced me—an ironsmith's son—with the opportunity to put before you the marvels to be found in chemical research. I might point out that ladies are not excluded in our charter. Indeed, hundreds of ladies make up our institute's subscribers, and we are grateful for your patronage.” He gracefully bowed to the audience. “Females have also stood here before, answering our questions about certain medical symptoms. Females can also contribute in other ways, of course. The author Mrs. Marcet has provided many of us, myself included, the desire to make the study of chemistry our lifelong aspiration. I've spoken to Lord Boyce Parker, and I believe his lordship must have good reasons for his action. May I suggest a compromise? Miss Mountfloy will report her observations, followed by his lordship's additional observations. I sincerely hope all of you are as excited as I am and eagerly join me in anticipating the chance to learn new information about the wonders of our natural world.” Mr. Faraday bowed and returned to his seat.

Most of the crowd applauded Mr. Faraday's words, and everyone took their seat.

She knew Parker resumed his position behind her and to the side, because he was the last person to stop clapping.

A feeling of immense strength welled up inside her. She thanked Mr. Faraday, the members of the audience, and began her speech. After Lady Buxton's response to Parker's recital, Eve understood the benefits of presenting the significant data interlarded with a few amusing details. She began with a question to hook her audience's minds into immediate focus. “When and where, and under what circumstances, do we witness the possible variations in the sky above us?”

She began to describe the majesty of the heavens, intertwined with information about the parhelia. As she spoke, she felt her feet firmly on the ground, her intellect the sharpest it had ever been, and her spirit soar above the crowd. “The parhelia, or two mock suns, were observed at half past seven in the evening, set in the middle of an immense halo. The halo's two giant arcs of light spread vertical in relation to the real sun. The arcs were measured with a sextant and discovered to be just shy of twenty-four degrees. The halo arcs were red on the side closest to the real sun and blue-green on the farthest side. In the center of each arc shone a mock sun. The two mock suns appeared within cirrostratus clouds, ninety degrees from the biggest sun. They were almost round, and bright orange in color. The altitude of the real sun was twenty-two degrees. During the appearance of the parhelia, the barometer read thirty inches, the thermometer declined from sixty-two degrees to fifty-six degrees, and De Luc's whalebone hygrometer rose from sixty degrees to sixty-five degrees. The current hypothesis is that the causes of the parhelia are similar to those of a rainbow, refraction, and consequent reflection of the sun's rays.” She turned and smiled at Parker. “The parhelia lasted forty minutes before fading away into an extremely delightful evening.”

At the end of her speech, several lecturers put forth detailed questions, which she was able to answer with ease. She also provided observations made by others to support her interpretation of the findings. “Only two suns were observed—not four, as previously seen by Hevelius at Dantzic in February 1661. Are there any additional questions?”

Some of the audience glanced at each other; no further questions were tendered.

“Please allow me to thank the Royal Institute for allowing me to speak, and to all of you for your generosity and attention. Thank you.”

The room erupted in applause—perhaps more vigorous from the general public up in the balcony than the aristocrats sitting in the front rows. But most important to her, many scientific members of the Royal Institute seemed pleased and enthusiastically clapped.

Then several gentlemen and ladies stepped forward to surround her at the table. Some had additional questions, while all offered their congratulations. It was the greatest moment of her life. She was treated like a colleague and spent the next few minutes in blissful discussion of atmospheric science. But her greatest triumph was recognition that she had been given the chance to contribute to mankind.

As the people milling on the floor started to thin, she noticed Parker standing off to the side. How could she ever thank him? Then she saw the marquess move to speak to his son. Parker's face became ashen, and he left the room before the marquess could reach him.

She started after him and stopped at the door, not knowing what to say if she caught him.

When she returned to the table, Charles Henry stood front and center. He seemed to be answering all of the questions, even the ones addressed to her father. As she approached, Charles Henry said, “You've had your say. Let the experts handle the questions from here. His lordship was wrong to let you speak, but we won't say any more about that.”

Unwilling to create a scene, Eve did not press the matter and stood beside her father. She saw Lydia approach, stepping through a slight gap between the scientific gentlemen. Wearing a gold overcoat trimmed with fox fur, a turban ornamented with white ostrich feathers, and a white opera muff, she reminded Eve not of a confection, but of a pampered pet. “Lydia, I'm so pleased to see you and Mr. Buxton here this afternoon. Thank you for coming.”

“Oh, I could not possibly stay away. Someone I know, giving a speech, and then it turned out to be the first speech by a female too. I'm pleased I told dear Buxton we had to attend.” Lydia grabbed Eve's hand. “I must say how much I admire you so, dear Eve. The presence of mind you showed stepping forward like that. I'm afraid my delicate nature would never allow me do something so courageous.”

Eve squeezed Lydia's hand and smiled. “I know you well enough to say that, under any circumstances, your courage would never fail. Regardless of what you believe, I know you will always arise victorious.”

Lydia slapped her fan open to hide a giggle. “That is so very kind of you, very forgiving. Let me apologize now for my—let's be generous and say—poor behavior at the priory. Fearing the loss of the affection of my dear Buxton and desperate for good company, I behaved rather badly. I am grateful you can overlook my ill nature at the time.”

“Dear Lydia, what I remember most about you is your kindness.”

She tilted her head and appeared weepy. “Ah, thank you.”

Mr. Buxton joined his wife in front of the table and gave her a brief, one-armed hug. Whatever difficulties the couple experienced were behind them now. They resembled the perfect picture of connubial felicity. His features softened whenever he glanced in Lydia's direction. “Congratulations are in order, Miss Mountfloy. I am very impressed. However, I am concerned about some of the older members of the audience. They might not be as accepting of a female giving a speech. If you experience any difficulties in this direction, don't hesitate to inform me. I have some influence with the newspapers, you understand.”

Eve reached out and grabbed a hand of each Buxton. “Thank you again, both of you. I think you are wrong, however. One or two gentlemen seemed miffed, but I doubt they will remain that way long enough to create a scene.”

“Let's hope so.” He took his wife's arm. “And, remember, you have a standing invitation to return to the priory soon. Lady Buxton's health kept her from traveling up to London at this time of year, but I know she will want to hear all about your victorious speech from your own lips.”

“Yes, I will visit her as soon as I can. In my many years assisting my father, there is no place we have landed that has shown us such excellent hospitality under awkward circumstances.” She chuckled. “Many people on the ground chase aeronauts away with pitch forks, fearing they are monsters from the skies. Lord Boyce and I were fortunate, indeed, to land near such a hospitable household.”

Mr. Buxton stared lovingly at his wife. “I have learned from my mother that, during your visit, Lydia did everything within her means to make you comfortable and was an excellent hostess.”

Lydia beamed and squeezed his arm. “Oh, thank you. Your praise means the world to me.” She turned to Eve. “Such happy times. We all look forward to your return.”

When the couple finished with their felicitations and started for the door, more people stepped forward from the audience to offer their congratulations. Many of these stayed long enough to engage her in scientific discussion, even, to her amazement, members of the Royal Institute.

Her father joined her in some of these conversations, and he too spent the remainder of the afternoon in the pleasant exchange of scientific ideas with serious, knowledgeable gentlemen.

By the time they stepped outside onto Albemarle Street, all of her father's previous misgivings about her presentation had flown. He had gained the promise of monetary support from a number of the institute's subscribers. Moreover, several ladies and gentlemen had congratulated him as a progressive man for educating his daughter. As a result, a great number of the institute's female patrons thanked him personally, and he may have earned even more promises of research funds from the ladies than the gentlemen. His earlier reasons for opposing her speech, and his harsh words, he now seemed to have forgotten entirely.

Up ahead, they spied the Buxtons waiting for their carriage to be brought around.

As they approached the couple, Eve's father and Lydia exchanged pleasantries for the first time.

Mr. Buxton leaned toward Eve and spoke in a low voice, close to her ear. “Remember my offer in regard to the press. Any hint of trouble over your presentation must be nipped in the bud immediately. Otherwise, it could quickly become blown out of proportion and your name sullied. Please, do not hesitate to seek my assistance. Promise me?”