Read Online The Lady Astronomer by Katy O'Dowd - Free Book Online Page A

purse with which to build the Great Forty
Foot Telescope for his Majesty’s pleasure. Your Majesty?” Freddie had done
it again, and literally sent his audience to sleep. Damn it, now he would have
to go over it all again.
    A knock came at the door, and Freddie got
up to answer it.
    “Just in time.” He beamed as the
Younger entered the room with a huge tray on which were placed the tea things.
Lucretia followed, with a plate of fancies, and Al brought up the rear with a
cake shaped in a crown.
    “Your Majesty.” Freddie cleared
his throat. “Your Majesty,” he tried again.
    “Sire.” Lucretia’s voice rang
clear as a bell. “It is time for tea and cake, if you would be interested.”
    “What, what? Tea? And cake?
Marvellous, just marvellous.” He sat up eagerly. “And who are you,
young lady? And you, sir?”
    “This is my sister, Your Majesty,
Lucretia. She is my Assistant.”
    Lucretia sketched a curtsey.
    “And my brother, Al. He is an
inventor.”
    “Ah, very good. I have a Clockwork
Court, so am interested in the ins and outs of mechanical beings. In fact, I
have been told that I am rather adept.” The king stared at Lucretia’s
monoscope rather than at Al.
    “What is that thing?”
    “It is called a monoscope, Your Majesty.
My eye was left damaged as a child, and it helps me to see things on a day to
day basis, but also converts into a telescope when I am at my work.”
Lucretia replied without missing a stride.
    “I see.”
    Lucretia smiled weakly. “How do you
take your tea, Your Majesty?”
    “Eight lumps of sugar and plenty of
milk. And I’ll have three pieces of that cake.”
    “He’s as bad as Leibniz,”
whispered the Younger as he handed her the required items before bowing to the king
and exiting by walking backward out of the room as was dictated when leaving
the royal presence.
    “Good cake,” remarked his
Majesty, mouth full and crumbs spraying.
    “Your Majesty came alone today?”
Al overcame his shyness.
    “Good lord no, man. What what? It
would never do to travel around the country willy nilly by Oneself. My
retainers and so on and so forth wait outside for my visit to be concluded. I
believe your brother here was talking to me when I nodded off for a royal nap.”
    “Perhaps Your Majesty would like to
come see my clockwork orchestra when you are finished here? My sister will help
me to set up, if we may be excused?”
    “Quite so,” was the royal reply.
    Lucretia and Al had just about made it to
his workroom when a cry came up that startled the roosting doves and made them
fly to safety, while the tiniest of creatures, the woodlouse, also took fright
and fled with his family.
    Orion flew to Lucretia, but there was no
sign of Leibniz, who was still sleeping off the effects of his binge.
    “I think Freddie has just told the king
about the mirror debacle,” Lucretia remarked.
    “Indeed,” replied Al as a second
shriek rent the air asunder.
    “That will be about the barges,”
she said, as yet another shout was let loose.
    “And that about the further funding.”
Al grinned and shepherded Lucretia into his workroom where the fire blazed
merrily. Everything was bathed in gold light, and all felt safe from the wrath
of the king.
    “That’s better.” Al sighed
contentedly and set to winding up the orchestra and setting them into position
for their Audience with the king.
    “What will they play?”
    “Why, God Save the king, of course.”
    “Of course, what else would it be?”
    “Here Lucretia, help me with the cats,
they always want to jump down and look for mice rather than playing music.”
    “We’d better distract Orion then,”
she grinned, “or he’ll want to join in the game of cat and mouse.”
    “I’m not sure I get you, Lucretia.”
    “Oh, Al. For someone quite so
smart…never mind, I was just being witty, or trying to at least. Now let’s
get going with this, I have a horrible feeling Freddie is going to spring
another telescopic type of