Page 72 of Inventing Vivian

“How do I know you speak the truth?” Lord Hargreave asked.

“You think I arranged all o’ this just to get a look at a pair o’ costly ponies?” Barnaby snorted.

“You may intend to steal them.”

Devon folded his arms, taking a step closer.

Lord Hargreave’s man did the same.

“I’d be sent to my maker before I even reached the street. Ye didn’t come here wi’ just this one bloke, not when ye’ve something o’ such value to protect.”

“You’re right about that.”

Vivian met Lord Benedict’s gaze and widened her eyes. There were more of Lord Hargreave’s men somewhere close. She shivered.

Lord Benedict squeezed her hand.

Lord Hargreave set the case on the mummy crate. From the noise it made, Vivian could tell it was heavy.

She took the glass plate from the solution, covering it with a dark panel that she could remove to capture the image. With steady hands she brought it from the portable darkroom. She raised herself up carefully and slid the plate into the camera, keeping hold of the panel.

From this angle, she couldn’t see what the men were doing, so she watched Lord Benedict instead, waiting for his signal.

She heard scraping noises and what sounded like the opening of a latch.

“What is your estimation, Barnaby? Are they the genuine article?” Lord Hargreave said.

Lord Benedict nodded.

Mr. Barnaby whistled. “Beautiful, ain’t they?”

Vivian pulled out the dark panel. He nodded again a few seconds later, and she slid it back, bringing it out with the glass plate. The photo was captured. She had only moments to develop it before the image was lost.

The men continued talking behind her, but Vivian didn’t pay attention to their words. She put the glass plate back into the little darkroom, crouching down to unstop a bottle of ferrous sulfate, acetic acid, and alcohol. She poured the mixture over the plate, rocking it back and forth. The image should be gradually becoming visible. She opened the cloth just a fraction to check but did not allow any sunlight in. In the darkness, she could see that an image had indeed been captured, converting to metallic silver on the plate.

She dipped the plate into the bowl of clean water to rinse off the developer and set it carefully on the toolbox to dry.

“I think they’re leaving,” Lord Benedict said.

The men had moved away so they were no longer visible through the crack. Their voices were fading. The large door slid shut on squeaky wheels, and the warehouse was silent. Vivian looked up through the ceiling windows, realizing it was evening. The night would be dark before long.

Mr. Barnaby had warned them against leaving too soon after the men had gone, so Vivian checked again on the photograph plate. It was still wet, so she held it carefully on the edges, bringing it out from the shadows to where the light was brighter.

The image was slightly blurred but showed a clearly recognizable Lord Hargreave holding up a jade horse in the sunlight. Vivian smiled. She couldn’t have captured the picture any better if she’d have posed it.

Lord Benedict joined her, looking over her shoulder. “Well, then,” he said. “You did it, Vivian.”

“Wedid it, my lord,” she corrected him. “And Mr. Barnaby and Devon.”

They shared a pleased smile, but Vivian turned away, still unsure how to act around Lord Benedict, and she returned to her workspace.

Once the photograph was covered with the sticky varnish, Vivian set it on the mummy crate to dry and put away the equipment, returning it all to the small crate with her camera. By now the sun was gone, and the warehouse was nearly dark. “Do you think enough time has passed? Should we leave?”

“I think so.”

She handed Lord Benedict the crate and picked up the photograph plate, wrapping it in a cloth and tucking it carefully inside her coat.

“Before we go, will you please grant me the chance to explain myself? I shouldn’t like for disagreeable feelings to remain between us.”

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