Her breath caught in excitement. “Jacob’s?”
“Do you want to see it?”
“Show me.” She retrieved her sword. “And put some clothes on.”
He shrugged into his completely useless waistcoat with an unapologetic grin. “Follow me to the kitten dispenser.”
She looped her free arm through his. “You made akittendispenser?”
“It’s actually a vertical animal playground that doubles as an automatic petting device.” He led her to a tall wooden structure. “Kittens—or badgers, or weasels, or ferrets, or whatever your brother would next like to unleash upon the world—can climb the various towers and scratching posts, or position themselves on the petting shelf, where a cloth-covered clockwork hand will stroke their fur every time they rub a certain panel.”
“Like a mechanical nanny,” she breathed. “Your invention can give the animals attention and entertainment even when Jacob isn’t there to snuggle them. But you said it served another function?”
“That’s right. When heisnearby, he need only press this button, and a door will lift next to the petting station, allowing adventurous kittens to slide down a curving chute to land right in Jacob’s arms.”
“He’s going to adore it,” she promised. “If the rest of us let him near it. I suspect we will install this contraption in the sibling sitting room, where we can all take turns dispensing ourselves puppies or kittens or hedgehogs.”
Stephen smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Though I must admit it seems… less murderous than the other machines.”
“Oh, I haven’t finished explaining the best features. There’s also a hawk-launching pad, a bat cage, and a lever that when pressed deploys—” He launched into a dizzying description of sufficiently murder-y flourishes.
Elizabeth grinned. “I’ll have to rent two extra carriages to cart all these devices home, but it will absolutely be worth it to see the looks on my siblings’ faces.”
“Maybe I can invent a flying machine to deliver correspondence,” Stephen suggested. “Inspired by your tin bird. I can even add song. To know when the package is arriving, all you’ll have to do is listen for—”
He broke off, wearing an expression of stupefaction.
“Listen for… a minuet?” Elizabeth guessed. “Perhaps something from Bach or Beethoven?”
He grabbed her arm. “We could listen for invading armies.”
She blinked. “Youmightbe able to devise a way for a machine to play a recognizable melody, but how on earth could you possibly replicate the sound of—”
“Not me. My aunt Arminia. She wants us to listen for invading armies.”
“She does? How do you know? Did she tell you somehow?”
“She told both of us. Birds are known for their song, yes? An obvious association. But the mechanical toy was only half of the clue. The other half of the clue was where you found it.”
“In a toilet? Are we listening for a particularly flatulent invasion?”
“A secret compartment in the wall,” Stephen corrected, his eyes shining. “You remember how I outfitted all four sides of the castle with whispering walls so that I can hear what’s happening outside on the ground from all the way up in my turret?”
“A very Stephen-y thing for you to do. Medieval kingswishthey’d thought of it.”
“They did think of it. I got the idea from them. Castles like these often feature hidden ‘listening galleries.’ Exterior walls can be six to twelve feet thick. Perfect for keeping enemies out, but ironically just as competent at muffling the enemies’ approach. So medievalarchitects would hollow out sections, creating secret tunnels to conduit any unusual noise to guards listening for tunneling or digging.”
“And you think Castle Harbrook might have a listening gallery?”
“I know it does. Lined with wood, to amplify sound. I used some of the passages as a base for my own whispering walls. And in the process of designing my own defensive measures, I discovered something strange: aninteriortunnel.”
“But… that couldn’t have helped detect the approach of enemy soldiers.”
“Precisely. I discounted the modification as useless to my endeavors and forgot about it completely. But there’s a way to access the tunnel from a storage pantry on the floor just above the nursery.”
“That has to be it!” Elizabeth grabbed his hands. “Take me now!”
