Page 5 of A Queen's Match
“Father dragged Eddy along,” Maud explained after a beat. “Said that if he had to deal with these freakish scientific types all afternoon, then Eddy did, too. I think he was surprised that I wanted to come,” Maud added, “though I’m glad you suggested it.”
May craned her neck. Sure enough, the Prince of Wales stood a few steps behind his son, his features glazed with boredom. Or perhaps he was simply nursing a hangover.
Through wordless agreement, she and Maud started toward the man at the elevator.
“Of course, powered hoists have been around for years, used to lift building materials in construction,” the man with the mustache called out. “The elevator is something different! Imagine how high buildings might soar if we were no longer limited to staircases.” He grinned. “Now, who is willing to test this marvelous invention?”
A crowd of several dozen people stood around the elevator in a loose semicircle. Men in morning suits glanced at one other with amused expressions, as if daring their friends to complete the challenge; women gasped in shock and held tight to their parasols or their children’s hands.
“I’ll do it.” Prince Eddy stepped forward.
The crowd roared in approval. May wondered how many of them recognized the young man before them, in his lightweight gray coat with a checked vest beneath, as their future king. It wasn’t as if the newspapers printed his photograph with any regularity.
“Thank you, sir!” The elevator man beamed. Thatsir, instead of the customaryYour Royal Highness, revealed his total cluelessness about Eddy’s identity.
But Eddy didn’t flinch. He smiled slightly, as if the lack of title didn’t bother him—as if he was almost pleased by it.
“Anyone else?” the man asked, scanning the crowds once more.
Before May could quite think it through, she lifted a hand into the air. “I volunteer as well.”
“May!” Maud grabbed at her wrist. “What are you doing? You aren’t acting like yourself!”
Shewasn’tacting like herself, truth be told. And perhaps that was a good thing. If she wanted to get Eddy’s attention, May needed to stop acting like herself and start acting like Hélène.
There was no doubt in May’s mind that the French princess would have climbed up there without hesitation.
She met Eddy’s gaze, and was gratified to see that she’d surprised him.
“Welcome aboard.” The man held out a hand, helping her to step up next to Eddy on the enclosed platform.
They heard the hissing sound of a steam engine. Then the gears overhead turned, lifting the elevator box off the ground.
May had never believed in magic; she’d always rolled her eyes at children’s stories about fairies and mermaids. But rising into the air like this made her think, uncharacteristically, of a magic carpet.
“We’re flying,” she whispered.
“You aren’t frightened?” Eddy must have been talking to May, though his eyes were fixed on the distance.
“Not really.” There were plenty of things in this world to be frightened of. An elevator machine simply wasn’t one of them.
Eddy turned. “Is that why you volunteered to come up, then? Because you wanted to fly?”
I’m here because it gives me an otherwise-impossible opportunity to be alone with you.
“I came for the same reason you did,” she declared. “I wascurious.”
Eddy gave a huff of what might have been amusement. “You give me more credit than I deserve. I volunteered to ride the elevator because I wanted to get away from my father.”
They were at least fifteen feet above the ground now. May could see the tops of the gentlemen’s hats, little gleaming black circles when viewed from above, a stark contrast to the women’s bonnets with their curling pastel ribbons.
“Why are you avoiding your father?”
It was a bold question. But something about this situation—looking down on the crowds from the vantage point of birds—made it feel less intrusive than normal.
“He’s been rather hard to deal with lately. He and Grandmother are trying to pin me down on the subject of…” Eddy hesitated. “My future.”
May knew what that meant. They were pushing him to marry.
