Page 23 of Her Whole Heart
“How long do you think it will be before we might all have electric light?” Elizabeth asked her sister eagerly. “I know it would take a great deal to make it practical for use in homes, but surely its improved safety cannot be denied.”
“No more threat of house fires from candles,” Jane replied. “Would that not be wonderful?”
Elizabeth heard boots on the floor from the left side of her, nearest the chair Amelia’s absence had left unclaimed. She glanced up—and up—and her heart sank. This could not be happening.
Mr. Darcy was bowing to Lady Carlisle, who greeted him placidly and waved him to Amelia’s chair. Elizabeth was going to have some very stern words for her young friend when they returned home.
Jane nudged her gently with her elbow. Elizabeth plastered a welcoming expression on her face and said, “Imagine meeting you here, Mr. Darcy. Are you as fascinated by the potential for flameless light as we are?”
“Indeed,” he said, his deep voice rather soothing. It was too bad that he was himself so brusque. “In fact, I attended the first lecture on the topic two years ago when I was in town.”
He had already heard this lecture. Then why was he here? Why was he so intent on breaking up her peace?
Apparently, Mr. Darcy had the same thought, for he added, “My cousins missed that presentation and wished to meet me here. Alas, I was behind my time, and the chairs nearest them are already occupied.”
He motioned towards the very front of the room, where she could indeed see Colonel Fitzwilliam and the Viscount Milton—the backs of their heads, at least. There was nothing for it. There was a seat next to her without an owner, and a man before her in need of it. She nodded at the chair, and he flipped his coattails out with a practiced flourish as he sat.
Jane threw her a sympathetic glance and then turned pointedly to the front of the room. Elizabeth’s eyes followed her sister’s, and she saw that Sir Humphrey Davy had arrived and was arranging his papers. She took a deep breath. She had waited a very long time to hear this man and see his work. Not even Mr. Darcy could spoil it for her.
On the table next to Sir Humphry’s lectern was one of the lamps, and after introducing himself and the topic of his lecture, the man had an assistant hold it up while he explained how it worked. “An arc,” he said, drawing his finger between the two ends of the lamp, “is a discharge thatoccurs when a gas is ionized. The current issue is in keeping the current and its light steady.”
“It makes a hissing sound as well that is quite distracting,” Mr. Darcy added quietly. “He shall have to work those problems out before it will be widely accepted.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said in hushed tones. “I believe we all apprehended as much.” She and Jane had read all about the Davy lamp before journeying to town and had engaged in long dialogues with Uncle and Aunt Gardiner about it on their last visit.
Mr. Darcy simply nodded.
“I will now switch on the light,” Sir Humphry was saying.
He did so, and Elizabeth could hear the hiss Mr. Darcy had mentioned.
“Observe that a small current is initiated from the starter and ignitor. This creates a magnetic field . . .”
Elizabeth listened as Sir Humphry talked through the progression of the current, but her attention was caught by the switch. Imagine only needing to flip it and wait a moment for illumination! She clasped her hands together in delight. There would be no more need for servants to light candles in the evening, nor snuff them out before bed, no need to set a lit candle near one’s bedside and anxiously hope that everyone else in the house had remembered to put their own out before falling asleep.
She was nearly over the worst of those fears, now. Nearly. But perhaps one day people would not need to concern themselves with such fears at all. Would not that be wonderful?
Mr. Darcy leaned over to her. “Once the lamp can sustain the arc—”
Elizabeth felt her irritation prickle. “Yes, Mr. Darcy. The ballast is used to limit the current to the minimum level required to operate the lamp.”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jane’s slight smile.
He did appear surprised for a moment, but he nodded. “Just so.”
“Shh,” said someone from behind them, and they settled back in their chairs. Elizabeth turned her face resolutely towards the front of the room. The man who had become her personal black cloud did the same.
Thus they sat until the end of the lecture. Elizabeth realised only when everyone began to stand at the end that her arms had been crossed over her chest. She sighed.
“It is like harnessing lightning,” Elizabeth said to Jane, but Mr. Darcy heard her and of course felt the need to comment.
“A romantic notion,” Mr. Darcy said, and though he did not sound disdainful, the words struck Elizabeth as dreadfully superior. She could not help but turn to him.
“The colour of the light changes, Mr. Darcy, did not you note it?”
“I did.”
His calm reply set her pulse racing. She knew she ought not reply, but she could not help it. “The electrical characteristics of the current change with temperature and time, sir. When the atmosphere is ionized, lightning behaves in the same way. Therefore, harnessed lightning. Simple.”
