Moriarty Meets His Match: A Professor & Mrs. Moriarty Mystery (The Professor & Mrs. Moriarty Mystery Series Book 1) Read Free

right where it was. She rewarded him with a smile.
    “These spherical engines are a new development,” he said. “They’re smaller than most steam engines, which is an advantage on a ship, for example, where space is at a premium. They also operate very smoothly, causing less vibration; another advantage on ships.”
    “It’s very elegant.” Mrs. Gould favored Bruffin with a dazzling smile. He blinked as if caught by one of the lamps his engine would soon set alight. “It has a sleek sort of symmetry, doesn’t it?”
    “Indeed it does.” Moriarty beamed at her as if she had made a profound observation. “They do have an aesthetic appeal. Unfortunately, this type of engine wastes more power, in the form of fuel consumed, than it produces in the form of electricity. Does that make sense to you?”
    Mrs. Gould shook her head, causing the arching feathers atop her absurd hat to bob up and down.
    “Well, to put it simply, they leak. Steam slips out around the rotors.” He leaned forward to point, drawing her with him. “Here and here. Lost steam means lost power, which means you need more coal. These engines can be very expensive to operate.”
    “It’s only a prototype,” Bruffin put in. “I think I’ve found a solution for yon wee leakage problem. I only need to find the right lubricant and some sort of gasket . . .”
    “Many men have tried,” Moriarty said. He was not unsympathetic, but an inventor should recognize the limitations of his own designs. “This indicator here measures steam consumption. Do you see this cylinder with the pencil attached? As the piston moves, the pencil produces a diagram on this bit of pasteboard here.” Moriarty smiled at the engineer. “The public has a right to know the facts.”
    “Your facts,” Reginald interjected from behind the rope.
    “Facts are the same for one and all.” Moriarty was not surprised that Nettlefield had passed his ignorance on to his son.
    “Well, they won’t learn them from that gadget. You can barely see the blighted diagram.”
    Moriarty couldn’t argue with that. And even if one were close enough to read it, only a specialist would know how to interpret the results. Unless Lord Nettlefield flung his hat to the ground and cried, “Dash it all! We’re ruined!” no one would have slightest idea that anything was amiss.
    His plan had seemed so sensible from a distance, but in the event, it failed utterly.
    His dismay must have shown because Mrs. Gould squeezed his arm and smiled up at him in the friendliest manner. “I want to know the facts, Professor. I intend to keep my eyes riveted on that indicator, and I’ll expect a full explanation afterward.” She shot a glance toward Teaberry. “After all, I may be risking my pocketbook on this venture.”
    Lady Lucy spoke for the first time. “I think this machine looks very dangerous. Listen to the rumbling sound that tall firebox in the back is making! Will that little pencil thingamajiggy keep the engine from blowing up?”
    Benton barked a loud, scoffing laugh, causing a bright flush to rise in the poor girl’s cheeks. Mrs. Gould’s eyes flashed daggers at him.
    Moriarty said, “Oh no, my lady. There is no risk, I assure you. Do you see this small structure here?” He pointed at the pressure gauge. “This contains a thin metal plate that rises and falls with the pressure inside the chamber. If the pressure becomes too great, the plate rises up and trips a small lever, opening a valve and safely releasing the excess steam.”
    Lady Lucy blinked at him uncomprehendingly. Even Mrs. Gould cocked her head and frowned slightly.
    “Have you ever heard a train whistle?”
    Light dawned in both pairs of eyes.
    Moriarty let himself get lost in the amber ones for a moment. Then the ladies began peppering him with questions. He answered them one at a time until another man wearing impeccable morning dress with a gray silk hat broke through the milling throng in the corridor. “Ah, good!