“Yes, he told me. He is traveling to London for business.”
She seemed to hesitate, but eventually opened the door and stepped out. Colin sighed when she left. He stared down at his drawings, certain he could not return to them now that she had interrupted him.
He pulled one of the sheets and left the study, turning left and marching down the hall to the end, then he turned right and down another hallway to the room at the end, his work room. When he walked in, he found none other than his wife leaning over a model steam engine.
Bloody hell! She iseverywhere.
“Anna?”
She started and turned around, her eyes wide, like that of a child who had been caught doing something they should not be doing. “I was exploring and encountered this room. You did not tell me you are an inventor.”
“There was no reason for you to know that,” he returned.
“I think there is, now that I have found this room.” She moved toward the model of a plow. “This is very interesting.” She reached to touch one of the tiny blades and he dashed across the room to stop her. She touched them before he could reach her and quickly drew her hand back with a yelp.
“Those are very sharp!” He took her hand to examine it.
“I am sorry. I did not know.”
The cut was very small and barely bled. Pulling a handkerchief from his coat, he wrapped it around her finger and tied it. “For your safety, do not touch anything again.”
“I will not.” She turned her head to look at the plow again. “I have never seen that sort before with blades.”
“That is because they have never been manufactured.”
“Oh.” Anna tilted her head. “Why have they not?”
“They are beyond the technology of this time.”
When he said that, she moved away from him and slowly walked around the workroom, her eyes bright. Her awe shifted something inside him; a longing to share his work and talent.
“Everything here is beyond, is it not?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“This is brilliant, Colin,” she said, and he smiled slightly. “Will you tell me how this works?” She pointed at the model of a mining hoist. “Well, how it is supposed to work.”
Colin went to stand behind her and pointed at the steam engine near the hoist. “It is supposed to be coupled with the engine and then it can hoist coal from mine shafts to the surface, but the engine itself is not efficient enough for large carts of coal to be hoisted.”
“So the engine must be improved,” she remarked.
“Everything must be improved.” He gently took her hand and led her to a table. “I have designed it.” He proceeded to show her every important part, and was very impressed with how much interest she showed.
“Did you build all of these models yourself?” she asked.
“I assembled all of them and made some of the parts myself, but not all. The complex ones were sent with my sketches to a factory.”
“I am positively awed, Colin.” She beamed up at him. “May I come to watch you work sometime?”
“Perhaps just one occasion. You are very distracting.”
Her eyes enlarged adorably. “Oh, I truly did not mean to disturb you in your study.”
That was not what he had meant but he did not correct her. “I know. You may watch me only once.”
“I suppose that will be enough.” She did not look as though it would be enough for her but he must insist on it.
Her eyes found his and held them, and Colin was suddenly ablaze again. He fought the urge to kiss her, and said, “I must return to work now.”
