ballast. “We don’t want to give them a reason to look up.” He peered down at the soldiers, who were fanning out to search the nearby streets. “I’m sure some of them are sleeping, but they seem to have almost everyone who isn’t resting out on the streets. This is a small contingent.” He lowered his binoculars and looked at me. “I don’t suppose the governor mentioned which troops would be arriving, or when?”
“You got my message?”
“We did, and many thanks for that.”
“He didn’t give specifics. I got the impression he’d only just then received the news.”
“Keep your ears open, and let us know right away if you hear anything.”
“That’s getting more difficult these days. Could you put a telegraph wire near my window and teach me to send messages? Then I could send you information without any of us having to move around the city.”
He shook his head. “Too dangerous. Anyone who’s tapped in can hear everything, and we don’t want information that sensitive going out on the wires.”
“It’s safer to stick it in a hole in the wall?”
“Then it’s not so obvious who’s sending it.” He smiled at me. “I trust in your ingenuity, Verity.”
“The battery’s running low, Alec,” Everett called from the controls.
“Then we’d best get back to roost.”
For the rest of the journey home, Alec stood with his arm around my shoulders and pointed out streets and landmarks. I almost forgot about revolutions and robberies as we soared through the night. I had the wind in my hair, air beneath my feet, and a good man at my side. I laughed out loud for the sheer joy of it.
The voyage came to an end all too soon as Everett guided the airship to the rear of the Lyndon mansion. Alec opened the gate on the side of the basket and lowered the tail of the ladder. I took off my goggles and handed them to Alec, then turned to wave farewell to Mick and Everett. “Thank you for bringing me along!” I said.
“This one’s got the makings of an aviator,” Everett said.
“I do enjoy flying.”
Alec helped me over the side and knelt to hold me steady until my footing on the ladder was secure. “Hold on to the ladder,” he cautioned.
“Thank you for a lovely evening,” I said, smiling up at him. “It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced—aside from the steam engine, obviously.” Impulsively, I stretched upward and kissed his lips.
He returned my kiss, and when he pulled away, he said, “Just wait, there’s more to show you.” He started the mechanism that lowered the ladder and sent me away from him. The ladder stopped in front of my window, and he started to climb down to assist me, but I waved him back.
With one elbow crooked around the ladder, I reached for the window, caught the edge, and used that to pull myself closer to the building. I got one foot solidly on the window sill, took a deep breath, and leaned forward into the room while I stepped off with the other foot and released the ladder, grabbing the other edge of the window for balance. When I was steady, I turned to wave at the airship’s crew while they pulled the ladder up. I stood in the window, watching until the ship blended into the night sky and disappeared from view.
I stepped down onto my chair, then turned and shut the window. I felt horribly earthbound as I climbed down from the chair onto the floor. Once I was back in the ordinariness of my bedroom, I suddenly felt like I’d been up far too late. I removed and hung up my coat, took off my boots and stockings, and climbed into bed.
My last thought before I fell asleep was to wonder if Henry had made it home yet.
I woke the next morning with the sense that I’d dreamed the entire adventure. I’d certainly flown often enough in my dreams. The only tangible evidence that the night before had been at all unusual was a pair of stockings left lying beside my boots on the floor, which I knew hadn’t been there when I went to bed the first time, and the chair that still sat under the window.
Lord Henry wasn’t at breakfast when I went downstairs, and I couldn’t help but worry. Had he been caught in spite of our efforts, or had he merely had a later night than I had? When he appeared in the breakfast room