Read Online The Lady Astronomer by Katy O'Dowd - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Katy O'Dowd
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thunderbolt on me soon.”
“Lucretia?”
“Never mind, dear, never mind.” She
patted Al’s knee.
*
Lucretia stood on the slimy green steps at
the Queen’s Quay on the Thames and shivered. The day was not particularly cold,
but the wind blew the dark, briny stench off the water and straight into her
face. She pulled up her hood, covered her nose and turned her back to the docks.
The grey, greasy river lapped against the
steps and she swore as the tips of her boots were covered with brackish
effluvium.
Green slippery algae fought with rubbish,
sewerage thrown from chamber pots, run offs from tanners and the other trades
that put up shop along the quayside. A fish head with a partial skeleton still
attached bumped the toe of her boot and she stepped back again, nearly losing
her footing.
“Mind yourself there, miss.” The
burly sailor pulled her back.
“Thank you, sir.”
“There’s many a person I’ve seen
coming a cropper in those waters, and trust me, you don’t want a swim there.
You’d leave it with your skin hanging off and your eyes eaten out.”
Lucretia shivered and the sailor grinned.
“I’m only having a laugh with you,
miss. But all the same, the Thames was not meant for people to bathe in, though
there’s some fools that would try their luck anyway.”
“I have no intention of getting wet.”
She held up her boot and shook it.
“You’re here with the Astronomer?”
He gestured to where Freddie stood a little way off, groaning with exertion
even though he was only issuing orders to the men on the barge.
Disaster had followed disaster since the king’s
visit. Even though he had agreed, grudgingly, to grant the extra funds that
were needed, the first mirror to be cast in London had been an expensive
disaster. Once it had been ground and polished, the huge finished product had
been declared to be too thin.
Lucretia wondered about something weighing
half a ton being too thin. She pulled herself back into the present, accepted
the sailor’s arm, climbed the steps and went to stand with Freddie.
“Do you think they might be finished
soon, Freddie? I could really do with a cup of tea.”
“Well, they finally have it roped down.”
He pointed to the huge mirror lying in the body of the barge, well wrapped and
only just visible underneath coiling, snaking ropes the thickness of a man’s
forearm.
“How are we going to get back?”
“I was thinking we could travel in the
barge. After all, there is so much at stake.”
Lucretia missed the more jovial Freddie. This
serious side of him was no fun at all. She knew there would be no more laughing
and joking until the huge mirror was back at their home.
“Would you mind if I rode back?”
“Why do you want to do that?”
“I should really get back to Al.
Leibniz has been in bad humour since his tooth started hurting after the Kitchen
Incident.”
“Lucretia.” He sounded
exasperated. “Al is a grown man. A clumsy one, I’ll give you that. He can
surely mind hearth and home while we are gone. Besides, the O’s are there. And
we’ll be back in Slough this time tomorrow at the latest. Hopefully.”
“If you are going to be quite so cross
with me, I’m leaving right now.”
“Ah, I am sorry.” He pulled her
close to him. “I’m so tense, this is dreadful. And the king will be
keeping an even sharper eye on us now. I only just managed to persuade him that
we didn’t need a supervisor from the castle to come and live with us until the Forty
Foot is built.”
She grimaced.
“I know! Can you imagine! Anyway, you
can see that I really need to get the largest mirror in the world home safely.
Come with me, please?” He put on his little boy voice and looked at her so
sadly that she punched his arm.
“Stop that, Freddie! I’ll come, but I’ll
need tea first.”
“That’s my girl.”
*
As Lucretia sat at the prow of the barge making
its laborious way down the river, tea sitting badly in her stomach,
“Lucretia?”
“Never mind, dear, never mind.” She
patted Al’s knee.
*
Lucretia stood on the slimy green steps at
the Queen’s Quay on the Thames and shivered. The day was not particularly cold,
but the wind blew the dark, briny stench off the water and straight into her
face. She pulled up her hood, covered her nose and turned her back to the docks.
The grey, greasy river lapped against the
steps and she swore as the tips of her boots were covered with brackish
effluvium.
Green slippery algae fought with rubbish,
sewerage thrown from chamber pots, run offs from tanners and the other trades
that put up shop along the quayside. A fish head with a partial skeleton still
attached bumped the toe of her boot and she stepped back again, nearly losing
her footing.
“Mind yourself there, miss.” The
burly sailor pulled her back.
“Thank you, sir.”
“There’s many a person I’ve seen
coming a cropper in those waters, and trust me, you don’t want a swim there.
You’d leave it with your skin hanging off and your eyes eaten out.”
Lucretia shivered and the sailor grinned.
“I’m only having a laugh with you,
miss. But all the same, the Thames was not meant for people to bathe in, though
there’s some fools that would try their luck anyway.”
“I have no intention of getting wet.”
She held up her boot and shook it.
“You’re here with the Astronomer?”
He gestured to where Freddie stood a little way off, groaning with exertion
even though he was only issuing orders to the men on the barge.
Disaster had followed disaster since the king’s
visit. Even though he had agreed, grudgingly, to grant the extra funds that
were needed, the first mirror to be cast in London had been an expensive
disaster. Once it had been ground and polished, the huge finished product had
been declared to be too thin.
Lucretia wondered about something weighing
half a ton being too thin. She pulled herself back into the present, accepted
the sailor’s arm, climbed the steps and went to stand with Freddie.
“Do you think they might be finished
soon, Freddie? I could really do with a cup of tea.”
“Well, they finally have it roped down.”
He pointed to the huge mirror lying in the body of the barge, well wrapped and
only just visible underneath coiling, snaking ropes the thickness of a man’s
forearm.
“How are we going to get back?”
“I was thinking we could travel in the
barge. After all, there is so much at stake.”
Lucretia missed the more jovial Freddie. This
serious side of him was no fun at all. She knew there would be no more laughing
and joking until the huge mirror was back at their home.
“Would you mind if I rode back?”
“Why do you want to do that?”
“I should really get back to Al.
Leibniz has been in bad humour since his tooth started hurting after the Kitchen
Incident.”
“Lucretia.” He sounded
exasperated. “Al is a grown man. A clumsy one, I’ll give you that. He can
surely mind hearth and home while we are gone. Besides, the O’s are there. And
we’ll be back in Slough this time tomorrow at the latest. Hopefully.”
“If you are going to be quite so cross
with me, I’m leaving right now.”
“Ah, I am sorry.” He pulled her
close to him. “I’m so tense, this is dreadful. And the king will be
keeping an even sharper eye on us now. I only just managed to persuade him that
we didn’t need a supervisor from the castle to come and live with us until the Forty
Foot is built.”
She grimaced.
“I know! Can you imagine! Anyway, you
can see that I really need to get the largest mirror in the world home safely.
Come with me, please?” He put on his little boy voice and looked at her so
sadly that she punched his arm.
“Stop that, Freddie! I’ll come, but I’ll
need tea first.”
“That’s my girl.”
*
As Lucretia sat at the prow of the barge making
its laborious way down the river, tea sitting badly in her stomach,
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