“Was William a Doncaster Hall lad?” he asked.
Norma not only looked horrified at his presence but was evidently incapable of answering him.
He smiled to reassure her and kept patting her.
She blinked rapidly, curved her lips into a determined smile, and stared up at him. “No, Your Lordship,” she finally said.
He nodded and patted her one last time. “Tell Mrs. Brody I’ve given you the rest of the day. Go to your room and rest, Norma. Everything will be all right.”
She slowly stood, nodding. “If you say so, sir.” She offered the crumpled handkerchief to Veronica, but his wife merely closed Norma’s hand around it.
“Everything will be all right,” she said, repeating his words. Norma looked a great deal more convinced when Veronica said it.
When the girl left the room, he turned to Veronica.
“You felt her fear?”
She nodded, her face expressionless. Her eyes, however, bore a wary look, one he’d seen before.
“You’re afraid I’ll ridicule you,” he said.
She looked surprised at his assertion. “You haven’t made any secret of what you think of my Gift,” she said.
Had he been that intolerant of her?
“Are you feeling something from me right at the moment?”
She regarded him with more than a little suspicion.
“I want to know,” he said. “Truly.”
“Contentment, perhaps, but excitement, too.” She tilted her head to the side. “You’re flying today, and I expect you’re always excited to be flying.”
Surprised, he nodded. “I am. I’ve come to get you. Everyone else is already in place, waiting for me to fly.”
“You’re very certain you’ll be safe?”
He decided now was not the time to tell her about the other mishaps he’d had when piloting an airship. No flight was ever truly safe. Man was not a bird, after all, however much he might want to be.
They walked out of the house, and as they approached the arched bridge, he nodded to the people of Doncaster Hall. Most of the young men had asked to be part of the rope brigade, but the women were congregated near the bridge for the best view of the airship. He walked Veronica to Elspeth’s side.
Ahead, fully inflated, was the oval envelope of his airship, nearly three times the size of his balloon. The ship was the equal of the distillery behind it, the blue silk trembling in the faint breeze as if it were anxious to make its maiden voyage. A newburner, specially constructed for an envelope of this size, sat beneath its throat, roaring in excitement.
Veronica’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything further—no words of encouragement or caution or even curiosity. He stood in front of her and waited until her head tilted back, and her eyes met his. Only then did he realize she was trembling, too.
“Don’t be afraid, Veronica,” he said softly, then bent his head and, in full view of the crowd, kissed his wife.
She swayed against him, placing her hands on his chest.
Whenever he touched her, she took flame, as combustible as the burner on his airship. She was so responsive to him, she would have let him grab her hand, pull her into the distillery, and love her for the afternoon, to hell with their audience outside.
The temptation engaged him for more than a fleeting moment.
He ended the kiss, brushed his knuckles against her flushed cheek, and smiled.
“I’ll be fine.”
She didn’t look as if she believed him.
