Page 15 of The Girl Out of Time
“Don’t let anyone comment on your misbehavior now,” he said.
“You only need a cane, and we’d be straight out of a promotional catalog,” she mused.
He tipped an imaginary hat, and laughing, they rounded the corner.
Up ahead, Mother was marching straight toward her, two other ladies sandwiching her like personal guards.
Emmeline panicked and, perhaps not too gently, pushed Leon behind the corner.
“Emmeline! There you are.” Mother spread her hands in greeting as she approached.
“Uh, yes, hello.” Emmeline straightened her spine and glanced to the side, where Leon stood, plastered against the wall.
Mother narrowed her eyes. “Is everything all right?”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, then, our Turkish baths appointment awaits. Come.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.” Mother gestured for her to get moving.
Emmeline threw another quick look at Leon and mouthed, “Tomorrow.”
He nodded.
“Emmeline?” Mother followed her gaze.
“Let’s go,” Emmeline pasted a smile on her face. “Like you said, appointment awaits!”
That seemed to have convinced her. Emmeline didn’t dare look back as they walked away from Leon. Maybe they could visit the bow tomorrow.
First, electric bath torture awaited.
Emmeline did indeed find Leon the next day. After breakfast, Father took Brendon and Tristan on a tour of the wireless telegraph room; Emmeline only hoped Father’s connections in the industry wouldn’t come back to bite him if Tristan pulled one of his antics on the delicate machinery. As for herself, she had to take a walk along the promenade with Mother, and that was when she spotted Leon on the deck below. He waved in greeting, and she waved back, only slightly raising her hand so Mother couldn’t see. More gestures followed as they tried to figure out how and where to meet until Mother interrupted her with a, “Is anything the matter?”
“Actually …” Emmeline did a light cough. “I’m not feeling so well. May I retire to my room?”
“Of course.” Mother wrinkled her eyebrows in worry. “Should I call for a physician?”
“No! I think it was just the bath yesterday didn’t agree with me.” To be fair, she didn’t think water and mild electricityshouldmix. “I’m sure it’ll pass. All I need is a few hours of rest. I’ll read a book and be right as rain.”
Mother let her go, and once she was out of sight, Emmeline found Leon and gestured for him to come up.
“We’ll have to go somewhere inside.” She led him toward the nearest door. “My mother’s on deck.”
They entered a small hallway, and she opened the first door. “Empty. Perfect.”
“It’s empty because we’re outside the opening hours.” Leon pointed to the notice on the door.
“Even better.” She herded him in and closed the door.
Leon paused, taking in the long room with large windows on one side and a world map attached to the opposite wall. The rest was a forest of machinery. “You’ve brought me into a torture chamber.”
“What? No.” She snorted. “It’s a gymnasium. See, bicycles …” She pointed to the pair of stationary bikes—essentially a seat with pedals. “And, uh … this thing!” She stepped to a contraption consisting of two poles with a wheel attached to each; one had a lever, and the other what looked like the backrest of a wooden chair. “It rubs your belly.”
“It doeswhatnow?”
