Light Fantastique Read Free Page B

skin—the air had teeth lately. “Yes! How could you be cruel like this? I care for Edward. I had just hoped…”
    He stood and crossed the room so he stood in front of her. He tilted her chin up with one finger so she had to meet his eyes. “You hoped that something in you would transform something in him, like the meeting of two elements to make a new substance,” he finished for her.
    She pulled away and looked down at the pattern on the rug. “It sounds so ridiculous when you say it like that.”
    â€œYour hope isn’t ridiculous. But like the aether experiments, it will take time before the effect you have on Edward becomes something of significance.”
    â€œWhy are you being so kind?” she asked and moved away from him. “It will ruin your reputation as an insensitive cad.”
    He glanced back toward the theatre, and his grin returned. “Perhaps I like to keep you guessing.”
    Iris shook her head and grabbed her books from the table.
    Men are incomprehensible.
    * * * * *
    Edward heard Iris’s voice below talking to Johann. He couldn’t make out the words, but she sounded upset. He put his head in his hands. She never showed that side of herself to him, not since returning from her father’s funeral in England. Now he only saw the false bright smile she put on every time she saw him.
    As much as he tried not to be jealous of his friend and the ease with which she spoke to the musician, he was. But he didn’t want to frighten her with his dark thoughts, and they had become dark indeed since his first attempt at integrating the aether into a mock theatre lighting system a few days before. Patrick O’Connell, his partner in engineering, hadn’t said anything, but he’d been remarkably absent since.
    Edward tried to do something himself earlier that day, injecting a little of the aether gas into the part of the system they had set up in the corner, but he could only get so far with just two hands and his improving but still basic understanding of engineering.
    The footsteps that ascended the stairs was too heavy to be Iris but too light to be the Irishman. As Edward anticipated, Johann poked his head around the laboratory door, his lips drawn back in a grin too wide to be innocent, but not big enough to hint at diabolical scheming. Wary, Edward drew back.
    â€œI thought you couldn’t do the experiments without sunlight,” Johann said and moved toward the window, which was covered by heavy curtains.
    â€œDon’t touch that. The aether light is fine.” Edward gestured to the writhing opalescent mass of light and color in the center of the glass globe in front of him. “I’m seeing how long it takes for it to decay without light. I’m still unsure what its fuel is.”
    Johann sat on the stool beside Edward’s. “That makes sense. Wouldn’t want it to disappear in the middle of a performance. How long has this one been going?”
    â€œOne week.” Yes, keep talking about the experiment. Don’t make me discuss other things.
    Now Johann raised an eyebrow. “You must be anticipating some long plays.”
    â€œI’m being thorough.” There, that would keep the questions coming. There were always questions. He used to like being the one to ask them, but now…
    â€œOr you’re avoiding something.” Johann stood and walked to the window, where he yanked back the curtains. Watery late autumn sunlight poured through, and Edward squinted.
    â€œNow you’ve ruined my experiment!”
    â€œIt’s been a week, Edward. We don’t have time to waste.”
    Edward decided not to argue about how he spent his days because then he would have to talk about things he wanted to ponder further. Thus, a change of subject was in order. “Your hair and beard are getting longer,” he said. “You look like a wastrel.”
    â€œYou have no room to talk—you