From the Earth to the Moon Ch. 07

James could instantly tell when Emily had spotted him. The laughter in her eyes vanished, and her mouth took a serious set.

"Mr. Davidson, a very pleasant evening to you, and congratulations on your birthday," she said coolly as he stood near her. The gentleman around her chorused Emily's birthday wishes, though in far more warmer tones.

"Thank you, Miss Waggoner, gentleman. Perhaps you will honor me with a dance then, in honor of my birthday?" James managed to make the offer sound pleasant.

"I would be delighted, Mr. Davidson. If you gentleman will excuse me," Emily told her admirers as she allowed James to escort her to the dance floor.

"I am doing this strictly at the insistence of my friend Sarah, Mr. Davidson," Emily said in a voice only James could hear. "She is a dear woman, and I am indebted to her on several accounts. For some unfathomable reason, she seems to be taken with you. And I suppose," Emily said, as she looked at the faint stain on James' chest, "that I owe you a certain amount of gratitude for your rescue of one of my students and his family."

"I was happy to be able to help out the boy and his sister, Miss Waggoner. I could say I feel the same reluctance to escort you out to the dance floor, except..."

"Except?" Emily repeated with an arched eyebrow.

"Except I find myself in the dubious position of needing your help on an entirely different matter."

As the two of them took to the floor, James told Emily of the events that had transpired between himself and Marie. Emily's countenance became more serious with each word.

"Well, Mr. Davidson, for all your faults, being a cad is not one of them."

"Why, Miss Waggoner, is that a compliment?" James said with a roguish grin. Emily merely harrumphed, choosing not to answer further.

As the dance ended, Emily assured him she would secure her father's support of his venture.

"If you have no objections, Mr. Davidson, I would like to be there to assist in anyway when you spirit this young French woman away with the assistance of your journalist friend."

"Of course, Miss Waggoner. I welcome your assistance." Emily studied James' face for a hint of sarcasm, but found none. James told her of the plan he had laid out with Katherine.

"You know, Mr. Davidson," Emily said with a hint of a smile as their dance finished and he escorted her off the floor, "dealing with Europeans and their intrigue is somewhat tiring. At least among ourselves, we Americans handle things fairly directly. I think I will miss the bluntness of our exchanges."

James was still chuckling when he escorted Emily to her father and made his way to Lady Brent and her family.

"Well, I must confess, it took you longer to make your assigned rounds than I thought it would," Lady Sarah Brent commented, as James led her out to the dance floor.

"I try to be a dutiful servant," James said with a half bow toward Sarah, who rewarded him with a single arched brow. "And I must confess, I have danced more this evening than I have in my entire lifetime."

"Then I will grant your weary legs a short reprieve," Sarah replied. "Perhaps a moment outside will allow you to regain your normal level of energy."

As the two walked outside, they discovered other couples had also gone outside to the small tropical garden attached to India House, but there was enough distance between the other couples, as well as a scarcity of lamps, to provide a modicum of privacy.

The two stood outside, silent for a moment, enjoying the breeze that had come up from the sea and wound itself through the garden.

"I should tell you I have a plot afoot, Lady Brent," James told her.

"Oh?"

James outlined the plan to spirit away Marie Olivier.

"And what part do you wish me to play in this drama, James?"

"Well, first I would like you to convey my plan to your mother."

"My mother?" Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Am I correct to assume then, that my mother discussed Miss Olivier with you earlier?"

"Yes, you are," James replied. "But the details of that conversation are not mine to reveal. Also tell her that I will need the Governor-General's support in this. And, if you would not mind, Lady Brent, when you see your friend Miss Waggoner exit the ballroom, I would appreciate it if you followed her."

"I must say, James, you are becoming well accomplished in the art of political maneuverings and skullduggery. A year ago, I would expect you to merely ride in here, with your...six shooter a-blazing, I believe is the correct phrase?...and whisk Miss Olivier away, without regard to the diplomatic fallout of your actions."

"I suppose we all learn to reign in our normal impulses," James said with a half-smile. "But that leads me to another question. Sarah..."at this point both of Sarah's eyebrows went up when she heard James use her first name,"...your mother and I talked about a number of subjects. And well, if you do not find it too objectionable...that is to say...well, what I want to ask..."

"Please, James, just say it!"

"Sarah, when everything settles down in a few days...I mean, the rocket and this French thing and...Sarah, I would like to begin courting you."

"Oh James!"

The next thing James knew, he was sharing a very ardent kiss with Sarah.

When they broke the kiss, James smiled down at Sarah. "So I take it that I have your permission?"

"Oh, you most definitely do, James," Sarah said, her eyes bright. As she looked around the garden, she was happy to note their kiss had not drawn any noticeable attention. "But for now, I believe we should return to my mother. She and I have a number of things to discuss, not least of which is your rescue of the young French lady."

With a bounce in his step that he had hoped was not too obvious, James escorted Sarah back to her mother, who was having a quiet conversation with the new Director and his daughter.

"And there is my daughter and her dashing ethernaut now," Lady Devon said with a smile. "Mr. Davidson, I've just been having a fascinating discussion with your new director and his ambitious daughter."

That can't be good, James thought to himself. The surreptitious wink that Director Patterson gave him confirmed James' assessment.

Sarah immediately stepped forward, offering her hands in greeting to Kimberly Patterson. "Miss Patterson, I cannot tell you what a delight it is to meet you. I wish you nothing but success in your ethereal ambition."

Kimberly took Sarah's hand with a smile and a sidelong glance at James. "It seems news travels fast on a small island. But I'm glad to have you in my corner, Lady Brent."

"May I suggest that you continue your campaign on the dance floor, Miss Patterson?" Sarah continued, not missing a beat. "And if you have no objections, Mr. Patterson, I need to steal my mother from you."

"Objections, father?" Kimberly asked with an arched eyebrow.

"None on any front," the new director responded. "It will give me another chance to raid the sideboard."

As James led Kimberly out on to the dance floor, she asked, "So have you given any thought on how to handle my request, James?"

"Day after tomorrow, we'll sit down and discuss specifics," James promised. "But I am curious, Scarecrow--Kimberly," James quickly corrected, after receiving a pointed look from the would-be ethernaut. "Why you want to become an ethernaut in the first place?"

"Did you ask everyone else who wanted to be an ethernaut that question?" Kimberly replied.

"Absolutely," James replied with a grin, adding, "But you're the first one I've ever interviewed on the dance floor."

The rejoinder got a laugh from Kimberly. "Well, James, you're a big reason. Yes, you," she insisted, as James raised his eyebrows in surprise. "It never bothered you to have the little girl I was following you around when you were working on one of your projects at the fort. You never got impatient with me, no matter how many questions I asked. And, I admit, I had more than a little crush on you." Kimberly's last admission was accompanied by a slight flush to her cheeks. Looking around so as to avoid looking at James, she spotted Sarah standing at the edge of the dance floor, making a small circling motion with her right hand.

"I believe Lady Brent is trying to get your attention," Kimberly advised James.

James looked over at Sarah, who gestured first with her head at her mother, then gave a curt nod to James. James sighed.

"Something wrong, James?" Kimberly asked.

"Nothing at all, Kimberly," James said with a wan smile. "I'm just about to do something that seems unnecessarily complex, and I'm not sure what the consequences are going to be. It's like being in the army again."