I felt my cheeks flush as the twins grinned in unison and started stripping off their outer layers.Alltheir layers…not just unmooring a few buttons from their coats. Mortified, I averted my gaze quickly when they were down to their shirtsleeves, but not before my eyes had gotten a healthy eyeful of their chiseled muscles as they removed their shirtsleeves, too.
Goodness me.
The twins were built, not that I was normally swayed by thick shoulders and cut abdominals. But that didn’t mean I couldn’tappreciatethe sight. I was only human. Their display was altogether improper and undignified, but nobody seemed to care that they were shirtless, jumping around and hollering. And there weren’t any girls here for them to scandalize any delicate sensibilities…well, with one hidden exception, of course.
Half chortling, I caught my breath and composed myself just as the twins converged on Harold, chanting at him to join them. I blanched, wondering if I was next. There was no wayIwas going to take off any of my clothes. No way Icould,given the scandalous truth that lay beneath all my careful padding.
I stood quickly and made my way over to Will and James before the twins got any cheeky ideas. They were already pestering Harold, who was on the cusp of caving.
“Can we talk about tonight?” I asked Will as we began the walk back to the building. “Will we get into trouble with the proctors?”
Despite my excitement, I couldn’t risk getting thrown out of school when this term was all I had. I would never have another chance like this, and I had no intention of wasting it. By the end of the season, I would likely be engaged, and no peer would permit his future wife to dress in men’s clothing and pretend to be male for the sake of schooling. No, this was it—my only shot at being an actual Cambridge student.
Will’s transparent face looked just as nervous as I felt. “We won’t get into trouble if we don’t get caught. But the proctors have been growing stricter and stricter of late with maintaining the ten o’clock curfews and reprimanding disorderly conduct.”
“Have they?” I blurted nervously.
“Yes,” he replied. “Certain proctors have made it a point to get the twins suspended because they’re notorious repeat offenders.”
“Suspended?” I gasped.
Will nodded. “They won’t be—their father donates far too much money to the college, likely as compensation for his unruly spawn—but that doesn’t mean the rest of us caught with them might not be punished. Harold was nearly rusticated last term when he and Kristof were caught racing a curricle in the village. It was rather unfair, but well, Harold’s parents aren’t as influential here in Britain. He only got off because the twins went on a hunger strike in protest. They’re deeply loyal.” He lowered his voice. “Harold’s a subsizar, but don’t tell anyone. He’s sensitive about it.”
“I won’t say a word,” I vowed, though the revelation didn’t surprise me, considering how hurt he’d been by James’s disdain. “Isaac Newton was a subsizar here, and he was one of the most brilliant, influential thinkers in history. Harold’s in exceptional company.”
Will shrugged. “He doesn’t want to be treated differently. You saw how James was about St. Clair and the whole status debate. Lots of people think like him. Look at how they treat me, and Ihavea title.”
“It’s despicable,” I muttered.
“Sadly, it’s the reality.” He wrinkled his nose, sending me a sidelong glance. “If you’re worried about going, you probably would not get into any trouble. You’re a lord. Your uncle is an influential duke. You could probably get away with just about anything.”
If only Will knew the secret I was hiding. Stomach churning, I wondered if I should excuse myself from the festivities. Being suspended or publicly reprimanded could result in my father receiving a summons to speak with the Fellows of the college, and I couldn’t have that, especially since the real Ansel was currently somewhere in Spain or Austria. Right now, Papa was blissfully and thankfully unaware of his daughter’s wrongdoings as well as his nephew’s sly jaunt, and I was determined to keep it that way.
But still…a night on the town…what an irresistible temptation!
“Are you going with them?” I asked Will.
“I’ll go if you do,” he said, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “We can keep an eye out for each other, and if you want to depart early, we’ll leave before the curfew.”
That sounded reasonable. “Then I’m in.”
We agreed to reconvene after dinner, which I’d taken in my rooms while poring over the first chapter ofPrincipia.Newton truly was one of the most radical and inventive thinkers of his generation, but one of my favorite books on mathematics was written by Émilie du Châtelet. The way she’d translated and expanded on some theories ofPrincipia,as well as commented on and clarified several of Newton’s principles, was astounding.
For example, a body at rest or in motion would continue its state, unless it was prompted by some other force to change that state. Her book was translated from Latin to French andpublished posthumously after she died at the age of forty-two. Émilie had perservered, despite all the obstacles against her as a woman. I wanted to be just like her. Innovative. Bold.
And Iwould.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t also have some fun while doing so.
A sharp rap on the door had me stuffing the last of my bread into my mouth and hurriedly donning the nearest coat. I checked my face in the mirror, making sure that the new short wig I’d commissioned from London was fitted securely over my own tightly wrapped hair. It was perfect and much sturdier than a hat, which could come loose at any moment with a good yank.
Lastly, I chucked the annoying spectacles onto the bridge of my nose. My facial hair was in place, and for a moment, I looked so much like Ansel that I blinked. With a smirk, and channeling the careless arrogance of my cousin, I snatched up my hat and my coin purse, and sauntered from my room to join Will and the others.
“Where are we going?” I asked the twins as we crammed into a hansom out on the main street—Will, Harold, and me on one side of the carriage, and Klaus, Kristof, and James on the other. It wasn’t quite late enough to garner the notice of any vigilant proctors, but we’d still been quiet in the courtyard until we were well away from the Great Gate. My friends looked dapper, their faces excited and bright at the prospect of an evening on the town. Their exhilaration was contagious, and I felt a grin lifting my cheeks high.
“It’s a surprise,” Klaus said, his face stoic, just as Kristof blurted that it was a new social club and gaming hell. His twinscowled and punched him in the arm, but even Klaus couldn’t keep his face from splitting into a smile. “Fine. What he said.”
Will frowned. “How are we going to get in?”
