Perilous Journey of the Much-Too-Spontaneous Girl (5 page)

Her father’s bot, Faulks, opened the doors to a towering wardrobe in one corner of the room. The trunk from her school and all of her books sat at the other side of the room. “These were brought in for her Ladyship this afternoon. We apologize for the lack of selection and possibly ill-fitting styles; we will do our best to update your wardrobe as soon as possible.”

“That will do.” Marguerite waved the bot away and flopped on the bed in a very unladylike fashion. Faulks didn’t react. He nodded his shiny silver head and clomped out of the room. Outil shut the door. “Ah! This bed is like a cloud!” She spread her arms out and closed her eyes. “Outil, see if there is anything decent I can stand to wear tonight. I suppose I have to do
something
for Father.”

Outil sifted through the contents of the closet and pulled out a light blue dress of fine linen and helped Marguerite dress for the evening. They left the room together and made their way down the stairs.“Best keep to yourself tonight. Father doesn’t like automatons with opinions.”

“Yes, m’lady,” Outil answered.

The dining room was through the main lobby and around a corner. It was just as opulent as the rest of the home. Her father sat at one end of a huge table with only two place settings. He rose when she entered the room.

She decided on the spot to be kind to him. After all, she already knew she wasn’t going to do anything he said. She might as well let him down easily. If there was a relationship to be saved without ruining her plans, she would save it.

“Hello, father. This is a wonderful home.” She offered her hand and curtsied slightly. He took it and kissed it, a broad smile spreading under his mustache. She noted that it had much more grey in it than the last time she’d seen him.

“This is the daughter I’ve been longing to see.” He beamed again and gestured for her to sit. As her father sat across from her at the end of a very long table, a human servant entered the dining room and served them the first course, a creamed soup with tiny bits of truffle and carrot.

“My dear, I want to tell you that I am not as horrible as you might think. I was took ill when I heard you’d run away. And when I got news of
The Triumph
going down, I was even more devastated.”

Marguerite had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something sarcastic about him not caring enough to actually come help her; instead sending Madame Pomphart and a slick suitor. They’d traded letters a few times over the past few months, but only in the form of checking in to make sure the other was still alive.

“Now that we are together at last, and your
schooling
is out of the way, we should revisit our plans and start over fresh,” he said with a smile.

To anyone else, that would sound like a perfectly lovely way to reconcile, but Marguerite knew it was a thinly veiled way to let her know he was still in control and had come to clean up the mess she’d made of her life. She opened her mouth to rebut him in the kindest way she knew how, but he didn’t give her a chance to speak. “First things first. We are going to have to find you a suitable match here, since you seem to prefer it to France. I purchased this home with the idea of staying here until you are settled, then passing it along to you and whomever the lucky man is you choose. I hear that’s how it is done here in the new world.”

Marguerite was actually touched by his effort to meet her halfway, but she paused before speaking, “Thank you, that is very considerate, and yes, that is how it is done here in New France. But what do you mean you
bought
this home?”

“I also spoke with Captain Laviolette today. He is quite taken with you, but I made it clear that my aspirations for you are much higher than an aership captain who can’t keep his own ship from blowing up.” He was playing cat and mouse. She was obviously the mouse.

“I know you don’t approve of Jacques, but I don’t care. I’m not ready to get married, Father. We are not engaged; he is just a dear friend. Perhaps when I do decide to marry, it would be to someone like him, but for the time being, do not ignore my question. What do you mean you
bought
this house?”

“Well, if that is your attitude, then it’s just as well that I’ve leased out the estate in France. I’m here to stay, my dear. There is no reason for us to be apart. We are the only family left to each other.” Marguerite’s heart dropped. This could ruin everything. She would have to put her plan into action first thing in the morning if it was going to work. Otherwise, her father would embed himself into the society and start dragging her around to balls again.

She thought of the last ball she attended and shuddered. She’d rather risk her life in the aether.

Marguerite rolled over and dramatically pounded the bed with her fists. “Men make me
furious
, Outil. Who do they think they are? They can’t plan my life for me.”

“If you will excuse me, ma’am, I am not sure I understand why you are so upset this morning.”

“I was up half the night thinking of all my hard work being thwarted by the men who claim to love me.”

“I am sorry, but I don’t see how anyone is thwarting you, m’lady.” Outil pulled open the curtains to let the sunshine fall on Marguerite’s bed and spill down to the floor.“Jacques thinks he can tell me when and where I can serve, and my father just moved halfway around the world to try and salvage my love life.”

“I believe your father moved here to try and salvage his relationship with you, m’lady. And Jacques is correct about the rules of the Royal Fleet. You cannot serve on the bridge unless he calls in many favors, and that would not be favorable for anyone.”

“But I could still serve on the ship. Why does he think I spent this whole year at school if not to serve on an aership? He thinks he can keep me here safe and sound while he goes off and has all the fun, but he is dead wrong.” Marguerite sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Come, we’re going to the school. I can’t wait for the post to determine my future either. All I must do is get my test scores and my own post. Neither my father nor Jacques need to know.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Outil set to work taming Marguerite’s hair while Marguerite continued to grumble about men in general. Eventually, she was presentable, and the pair set off down the street, a breezy Montreal spring welcoming them. At the school, Marguerite proceeded straight to the dean’s office. She knocked firmly on the door three times. “Yes?” A voice from the other side answered.

Marguerite walked in and pronounced loudly, “Dean Beaumont, I am Lady Marguerite Vadnay here to speak with you about my future at this school and as an aership pilot.”

The stout man with the neatly trimmed beard and immaculate dress stood slowly but didn’t look up from his papers immediately. Marguerite had always admired him from afar for his high standards of dress and decorum; however, she’d never had to speak one-on-one with him before. She was starting to feel uneasy with his silence, when he finally put the paperwork down and looked at her properly. Then he motioned for her to take a seat across from him. Outil took her place standing behind Marguerite’s chair.

“Yes, of course. What seems to be the matter then, Lady Vadnay?” He asked, looking at her fully now, taking in her strange flight suit and perfectly styled hair.

“The problem is that I am ready to go out and do something with all the information I have learned in this good institution, but there seem to be a few things standing in my way.”

“Such as?”

Marguerite hesitated a bit, “Such as my test scores. I need to know if I passed my exams or not.”

“Right, well, you will receive a notice by mail when those scores are made available.”

“Of course. But, you see, I can’t wait that long. There is a ship leaving in one week that I would like to volunteer to serve on.”

“Ah, the pirate operation. Yes, I’ve had a number of young ladies offer to volunteer for those posts. However, I do not think it is their excitement or skill in battle that is fueling their readiness to serve king and country, but rather an interest in the captain of the ship. Plus, I cannot refer young ladies to a combat mission of this type. The admiral would laugh them away. It is a man’s job.”

Marguerite gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. This man was of a higher standing than most military men his age. He was educated and would not be intimidated by her anger or, she guessed, her title. She decided to change tactics.

“Of course, M. Beaumont. Do you suppose you might be able to, at least, pull my file and recommend a course of study or employment to best suit my skills then? I’m very earnest about securing my own future before settling into a marriage.”

He regarded her for a moment and sighed. “I suppose I could take a look—but only as a favor to your father. I heard he is in town to check up on you. I was hoping to make his acquaintance.”

Marguerite had to force herself not to explode. Favor to her father? The whole situation was infuriating. As the dean rose to retrieve her records, she took another deep breath and spoke as evenly as possible.

“Of course. I’d be happy to introduce you.” She forced a smile and realized this could be her chance to get what she wanted.

“That would be lovely. I was invited to your home once when I was back in France. Oh my, it was decades ago. You may not have been born yet. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. I am quite curious to see your father’s collection of military machinery.” He continued to flip through papers in a long and deep drawer as he spoke.

“Well, he hasn’t brought much of that with him, but he did bring a new autocart from Paris.”

“Excellent.” He pulled a stack of papers from the heap and turned to her. “Here you are then.” He sat back down and started reading through her reports and exams. Marguerite had to fight the urge to fidget as the dean flipped page after page, nodding his head and humming a bit. She knew she’d done well in all her classes. Her professors had remarked on her hard work and dedication, as well as her previous knowledge of most subjects. Still, she couldn’t tell what the man in front of her was thinking.

He paused on a particular page. He squinted at the paper, his eyes repeating the same pattern as he read it a second time. And then a third. He looked over the top of the paper at her and then back at the page again. “Uh, huh. Interesting.”

Drat! He’s read about my crash.
Marguerite tried to keep her face from falling, but it was not easy. “Yes?” She finally ventured to speak.

“It says here you scored perfect marks in every ballistics exam, including the practical and marksmanship?”

Relief flooded her heart. “Yes! I have quite good aim.”

“I’m guessing your father gave you a head start?” He smiled knowingly over the paper.

“Yes, yes he did,” she lied. The dean didn’t have to know that all of her target practice as a girl was done without her father’s knowledge.

“It’s a pity you failed your practical flight examination. You will have to retake that before you will be allowed to fly anything for His Majesty. And yet, I was just speaking with Admiral Auboyneau and he was asking if I knew of someone with your particular skills. Granted, I’m sure he did not have a lady in mind when he asked, but I could possibly mention your name and see what he thinks. I believe the position he needed to fill was on the new ship they commissioned for this pirate raid all you ladies are so keen to go on.”

Marguerite let a genuine smile spread across her face this time. “Oh, would you? That would mean so much to me.”

“Just between us, you passed your final examinations with top marks.” He smiled at her conspiratorially.

“Excellent!” She clapped her hands.

“Don’t let word get out that I told you any of this. The last thing I need is a line of pupils at my door asking for their results and special favors. I am curious about something, though, Lady Vadnay.”

“What is that?” Marguerite’s mood was much lighter, making her happy to indulge the dean a bit.

“How is it that a lady of your standing wants to work on a battleship? You could have your pick of suitors on either continent, and if you retake the flight exam, you could have a private ship to fly at your leisure. I’m not quite sure I understand your aim here.”

“It’s quite simple, really. I want more than what is handed to me. I want to see the world, earn my keep, and use the brain in my head. A lady can’t very well do that from a chaise lounge in a palace on either continent.”

The dean nodded and tapped his desk with his fingertips. She could tell he wanted to say something else but was hesitant.

“Thank you for looking into—” she began.

“Are you aware that he truly loves you, and only you, m’lady?” he interrupted her.

“Excuse me?”

“Captain Laviolette. He also has his pick of eligible ladies of fine birth—of all births, actually—but his heart belongs to you. I’ve known Jacques for many years. He has not always been a faithful or completely, shall we say, faultless man. But since meeting you, he has made himself a better man and has dedicated himself to you and your happiness. He speaks highly of you and your goals to anyone who asks. I just wondered if you knew that.”