Page 12 of Inventing Vivian

Vivian hadn’t given much thought to when she would actually do the repairs. She could easily be finished building the pump by tomorrow, but she had plans to stop by Sophie’s fledgling newspaper company, theIllustrated Police News, to pay a visit. And, of course, the day following was James Clerk Maxwell’s lecture at the Assembly Hall. She made a note to discover whether Baron Harrington would be in attendance. She could possibly repair the fountain the day following, but she was inclined to wait a few days more. Perhaps even a week. Truthfully, Vivian planned to avoid Lord Benedict altogether, and the idea of going to his house was something she hoped to put off for as long as possible.

Based on what she’d learned yesterday, the man meditated in his garden in the mornings, so she couldn’t go then. She laughed to herself at the thought of sneaking into the garden next door in the dead of night and fixing the fountain by lantern light.

Perhaps she would go in the evening. It was the Season, after all. Lord Benedict would very likely be away from home every night until September.

“Please, Vivian?” Chester said.

She’d forgotten he was awaiting her answer. “If you are available when I go, you may accompany me.”

The answer seemed to satisfy the boy. He nodded. “And I can help.”

“I would expect nothing less,” she said, ruffling his hair. “Now, go along. Miss Pearson will be looking for you to help change your clothes for dinner.”

“You need to change your clothes for dinner too,” Chester said, hopping down. “Your dress is all dusty, and your sleeve has grease on it.”

Vivian looked down at her clothes. The boy was right. Barnaby’s Mudlark Emporium was not a place to visit if one planned to keep her clothes clean. She put her hands on her hips and gave a teasing smile. “You are very observant for a person who crashes into neighbors’ fountains.” She made a shooing motion. “Now, run along.”

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