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Authors: T. J. Brown
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other much attention. The little boy had fingers to count and spit bubbles to blow, and Victoria had a whole list of things that could go wrong if she neglected to give each item considerable thought.
Knowing this, she counted off all of the items on her fingers. Her aunt believed she was going to visit the Kingslys and had even sent a note of thanks that had been deftly plucked up by Susie before it made its way down to Cairns. Before leaving, Victoria had warned Susie to be on the alert for other missives.
Rowena, knowing she wouldn’t ever stay with Priscilla Kingsly, who was a bit of a pill, thought she was going to visit Prudence and her new husband. The guilt Victoria felt over this lie sat heavy in her stomach. Rowena’s beautiful eyes had filled with hurt, but she had only hugged Vic and told her to give Pru her best. She also had given her twenty pounds in case Prudenceshould need it. Vic had no idea what she would do with the money, because Susie hadn’t told her where Prudence lived. To be fair, Victoria hadn’t asked, still ashamed that she’d never received a reply to the letter she had added to Susie’s.
Kit had insisted on meeting her at the train station, and though Victoria asserted that it wasn’t necessary, she was relieved that he would be waiting. He would escort her first to the offices of The Botanist’s Quarterly , which were located on Lexington Place. She had sent a letter to Hairy Herbert, informing him of her arrival, and arranged to meet with him just before noon. She leaned back against the seat, a pleased sigh escaping her lips. She imagined him being so impressed with her knowledge that he would invite her to lunch, someplace sophisticated, where serious people went to lunch.
But if not, Kit would take her to Coleridge’s for lunch and she would treat herself to an enormous napoleon before he escorted her to Katie’s house in . . . She frowned and checked her reticule to make sure the paper with Katie’s address was still on it. Camden Town. Yes. That was it. He would escort her to Camden Town.
She gnawed on her lower lip. That was the only part of her plan that hadn’t checked out. Katie hadn’t written back to say whether Victoria could stay with her, but Victoria knew that it would be fine. It had to be. They were friends, after all. And if, for some reason, she couldn’t stay, Victoria would just go to their solicitor and request enough money to stay in a hotel for the rest of the week. But she was sure she wouldn’t need to do that.
The little boy started gurgling and Victoria furrowed her brows at him for interrupting her thoughts. He quieted for a moment and then began gurgling even louder. She shrugged and looked out the window, watching the fallow fields go by.
She wouldn’t let anything depress her now. She could imagine how proud her father would be of her. She would show everyone that she was an adult, an emancipated woman. Let Rowena mope until she wed and let Prudence run off and marry someone the moment things got rough. She, Victoria, was going to be independent. Perhaps after she got a job with The Botanist’s Quarterly she would move into town and get her own flat. She would live in London until she had enough experience to go do field studies or something exciting like that.
The brakes on the train gave a high-pitched squeal, causing the mother with the baby on her lap to start so violently that the baby almost toppled over. Cambridge, that austere, magical kingdom of spires and castles, looked more forbidding than ever in the cold gray winter’s day. Victoria stuck her tongue out at the buildings, condemning the entire place with her childish scorn. As a woman, she knew she wasn’t much welcome there.
Seeing the city now emerge from the fog outside the train window, a flood of memories came back. Of playing tag with Prudence and Rowena in the park. Of the good-natured arguing among the many artists, intellectuals, and politicians her father
Knowing this, she counted off all of the items on her fingers. Her aunt believed she was going to visit the Kingslys and had even sent a note of thanks that had been deftly plucked up by Susie before it made its way down to Cairns. Before leaving, Victoria had warned Susie to be on the alert for other missives.
Rowena, knowing she wouldn’t ever stay with Priscilla Kingsly, who was a bit of a pill, thought she was going to visit Prudence and her new husband. The guilt Victoria felt over this lie sat heavy in her stomach. Rowena’s beautiful eyes had filled with hurt, but she had only hugged Vic and told her to give Pru her best. She also had given her twenty pounds in case Prudenceshould need it. Vic had no idea what she would do with the money, because Susie hadn’t told her where Prudence lived. To be fair, Victoria hadn’t asked, still ashamed that she’d never received a reply to the letter she had added to Susie’s.
Kit had insisted on meeting her at the train station, and though Victoria asserted that it wasn’t necessary, she was relieved that he would be waiting. He would escort her first to the offices of The Botanist’s Quarterly , which were located on Lexington Place. She had sent a letter to Hairy Herbert, informing him of her arrival, and arranged to meet with him just before noon. She leaned back against the seat, a pleased sigh escaping her lips. She imagined him being so impressed with her knowledge that he would invite her to lunch, someplace sophisticated, where serious people went to lunch.
But if not, Kit would take her to Coleridge’s for lunch and she would treat herself to an enormous napoleon before he escorted her to Katie’s house in . . . She frowned and checked her reticule to make sure the paper with Katie’s address was still on it. Camden Town. Yes. That was it. He would escort her to Camden Town.
She gnawed on her lower lip. That was the only part of her plan that hadn’t checked out. Katie hadn’t written back to say whether Victoria could stay with her, but Victoria knew that it would be fine. It had to be. They were friends, after all. And if, for some reason, she couldn’t stay, Victoria would just go to their solicitor and request enough money to stay in a hotel for the rest of the week. But she was sure she wouldn’t need to do that.
The little boy started gurgling and Victoria furrowed her brows at him for interrupting her thoughts. He quieted for a moment and then began gurgling even louder. She shrugged and looked out the window, watching the fallow fields go by.
She wouldn’t let anything depress her now. She could imagine how proud her father would be of her. She would show everyone that she was an adult, an emancipated woman. Let Rowena mope until she wed and let Prudence run off and marry someone the moment things got rough. She, Victoria, was going to be independent. Perhaps after she got a job with The Botanist’s Quarterly she would move into town and get her own flat. She would live in London until she had enough experience to go do field studies or something exciting like that.
The brakes on the train gave a high-pitched squeal, causing the mother with the baby on her lap to start so violently that the baby almost toppled over. Cambridge, that austere, magical kingdom of spires and castles, looked more forbidding than ever in the cold gray winter’s day. Victoria stuck her tongue out at the buildings, condemning the entire place with her childish scorn. As a woman, she knew she wasn’t much welcome there.
Seeing the city now emerge from the fog outside the train window, a flood of memories came back. Of playing tag with Prudence and Rowena in the park. Of the good-natured arguing among the many artists, intellectuals, and politicians her father
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