The next afternoon Liza bounded down the
stairs two at a time. Liza had lived in the old house since she was a young
girl and her parents had been tragically killed. Her Maternal Grandfather, her
closest living relative, took her in. Her Grandfather, General Robert XXXXX,
had served in his majesty’s army in any number of the empire’s far flung
colonies. Although he had started in India, by the time he had rented, shortly
before the arrival of Liza, he was stationed in Tanganyia as the head of the
British Colonial army of East Africa. Upon his retirement he had purchased a
large row house in one of London’s more fashionable neighborhoods. Friends of
his had remarked that he bought too large a house, but the General had a large
number of artifacts and he devoted many of the rooms of the house to displaying
them. Unlike some his friends he did not have very many game trophies, he found
the hunt boring and grossly unfair to the animal. He did, however, have a large
number of scientific instruments he had collected from around the world.
Celestial map making tools from India, precision compasses from Turkey, sea
charts from New Zealand and codices from Timbuktu. Liza had a fee run of the
large house with its many rooms stuffed with oddities.
Whether these rubbed off on Liza or Liza
just came to it by genetics, the little girl who wandered into the large house became
a young lady whose passion was tinkering with machines of all types. A few
weeks after settling into the house she had asked her Grandfather for a table
in which to set up small workshop. The General indulged her, after all he was
frankly unsure if young girls were supposed to take machines apart to see how
they worked or not. The General had never really given much thought to raising
children and sort of assumed they could look after themselves for the most
part. So, later, when she would ask for a specific tool or to be allowed to go
with the kitchen maid to shop for spare parts, her Grandfather again indulged
her.
By the time Liza was in her teen years
she had blossomed into great beauty, tall, statuesque with a pleasant smile and
long light brown hair. Wives of the General’s friends gossiped that it was all
for naught however, that the young girls was only interested in machines, not
boys. This was, perhaps, unfair, as Liza made many friends who were boys. In fact
they were mostly boys. Boys shared her interests in machines, girls usually did
not.
But beyond the discussion of mechanics
or spring loaded turn keys, Liza was not interested much n boys, or anyone for
that matter. She could spend hours in her room / workshop working on a device.
It was only at her Grandfather insistence that she would occasionally go to
formal parties. She always found them dreadfully boring and was sure to tell
her Grandfather this. The General had to agree; he himself had never much liked
the social aspects of his job and was glad to see the back of it. He would have
allowed her to stay home altogether except that Liza herself found a small
group of friends that shard her interests, or would at least let her go on
about the latest mechanical marvel for a while before changing the subject on her.
Lately she had taken up an interest in
ballooning. Often they used to get around, above the crowded streets of London;
she had taken them for granted. Then one day her Grandfather’s Balloon’s gas
jet had broken. It was with immense pleasure, and some pride on the part of her
Grandfather, that Liza fixed the jet. This led her to examine, and eventually
dismantle and rebuild, every aspect of her Grandfather’s balloon sedan. She had
even begged him to book a flight on the channel balloon, an immense balloon
with a large cabin hanging underneath. This balloon crossed the English Channel
on a daily basis in order for Europe to be connected to England. That trip had
been a highlight f Liza’s young life, and it whetted her appetite for more
travel.
It had been a month before the break-in
that her Grandfather had received a strange package in the post from a former
friend of his. The friend has passed away and had entrusted a large packet of
papers to the General. As the General sorted through them he came across a
strange document.
The General had read the document over
many times over the course of a few days. Finally he had called his Granddaughter
into his study and asked her if she would up for a journey by balloon, one that
could change the course of history.
Once she had calmed down, Liza agreed
whole heartedly, promising to outfit the sedan with all of the latest gadgets
and widgets she could find. The general thought this marvelous, but told her
that they first had to find a man who lived in the North of England. They would
send him an invitation to come down to England and discuss the document in
question.
It was at that point that Liza had been
allowed to read the document. Her eyes grew wider with each passing moment as
she read it.
“Grandfather” she said, her voice almost
breathless as she finished reading “This is incredible. Do you suppose it is
even remotely true?”
“I do, or at least I believe that what
was written down was said by this young man. My colleague was not one to make
up stories. But this is why we must speak with this man as soon as possible. If
what he said here is true-“
“It would change so much!”
“Yes.”
“When can he come then?”
“Well, I have sent him an invitation
just today. I expect we would hear back soon. Meanwhile, we must keep this
document very safe. I imagine there are people in this very city who would give
a lot to see it.”
“But how will we keep it safe?”
“I will hide it in this study, but in a
place no one would ever look. Hmmmm, ah yes!” The General got up from behind
his desk and strode over to the large wall of bookcases and picked out a volume
whose binding was dark green with golden letter. “Johnson’s Actuary Table for
North Cumberland 1856. I cannot imagine a more benign place.”
“Aren’t you being a bit dramatic Grandfather?
Do you really think anyone would even bother to look?”
“One never knows…”
So the morning
after the break in Liza burst into her Grandfather’s study with a loud bang as
she pushed the door open hard enough to make it hit the wall.
“Did we get a
reply?” she asked breathlessly.
“I am afraid not”
replied a deep baritone voice from behind a copy of the London Times. The man
behind the paper, Liza’s Grandfather, hardly moved as he perused the evening
paper. He did not seem the least bit disturbed by the sudden and loud
appearance of his nineteen year old granddaughter.
“Perhaps he did
not get the invitation then? Maybe it was lost in the mail?”
Slowly the old man
lowered his newspaper and peered at Liza over pair of half-moon spectacles.
“Young lady, the
British postal services does not lose the mail. I can assure that he received
our letter.”
“But then why
hasn’t he written back?”
“I am sure I do
not know. God heaven girl! What are you wearing?” Liza’s grandfather put the
paper on his lap and stared at her, his mouth open. Liza tiled her head at him
with a question and then looked down at herself. She furrowed her eyebrows. Her
work shirt was fairly clean, much cleaner than normal. Only a few oil stains
were on it, plus one spectacularly crimson circle where red ink had spilled.
Her pants were a different story; they were covered in black marks and dust.
She gave them a quick brush, satisfied that all was put right.
“It is 1901 Grandfather;
women can wear most anything they want. And you know I’m working Grandfather, I
almost have the altimeter fixed too. But, no changing the subject. We don’t
have but a few more weeks and if Mr. Micajah William Cogwright doesn’t answer soon-“
“I know, I Know! I
am quite aware of the necessity for action young lady. If you like we can buzz
out to Crumpleshire tomorrow first thing and call on Mr. Cogwright in person.”
Liza smiled.
“Hooray! Thank you Grandfather! I know he’ll say yes. I mean, I think so, don’t
you?”
“Yes dear.”
“Can I finish up
before supper then?”
“Yes, run along.
The bell will ring at eight I am told. Oh! That reminds me, I was not changing
the subject. Colonel Thornsberry will be dining with us tonight-“
“Oh do we have to?
I could just take a cold plate upstairs.”
“I am sorry you do
not find Col. Thornsberry pleasant company young lady.”
“Oh no, it’s not
that. It is just that you two will trade old war stories and I will have to sit
there with a bemused expression on my face for hours…”
“Well, then you
are in luck. I forgot to mention that he will be coming with his sister’s
daughter, Mary something. She must be about your age too.”
“Oh, well then.”
Liza smiled and bit her lip. She hated to complain, but she also was not looking
forward to spending the night trade pleasant small talk with some stuck up
socialite either. “I’ll be back down then at eight.” She turned and made a dash
up the stairs.
“And dressed in
proper clothes!” her Grandfather called after her.
“These are proper
clothes!” She called back down.
“Not for a lady!”
“I’m not a lady!”
Liza yelled and shut the door to her bedroom behind her.
Her grandfather
stood at the landing looking up the stairs, shaking his head.
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