Secret of Greek Fire — Part Seven
The Stolen Kiss
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The successful test of the Airship increases the need for more of the Greek Fire. Jacqueline turns to the Egyptian Prince, Abbas, once again.
The day of Jacqueline’s coming-out party arrived. It was not a singular event, but rather a day dedicated to receiving and entertaining the potential suitors; they would arrive throughout the day. While more than twenty men were expected, there would only be three to ten in the house at any one time. As they arrived, the men were screened by Professor Mallard and his wife, Edith, and also Herbert. Jacqueline was advised of their opinions and moderated the time she spent with each man accordingly. She would dance, eat, and sit on the divan with them, as it pleased her.
Abbas Pasha arrived in the middle of the day. As he was already known to the family, he did not suffer additional interviews, but proceeded straight to the grand hall where Jacqueline received her guest.
“Ah, Lady Fredrick, I would not have thought it possible, but you are even more beautiful than when first we met.” He bowed and kissed her hand.
She was not entirely certain if he was referring to the time he was at dinner, or if he was alluding to their actual first meeting.
“It is such a pleasure to see you again, Abbas.,” she replied.
There were two other men in attendance, and the three of them spent more time trying to best each other with tall tales than wooing Jacqueline. They nibbled on cake and finger sandwiches, and drank champagne. Jacqueline had eaten her fill for the day and was straining the ties of her corset. Additionally, her head was spinning from too much drink; thus she did not partake of the refreshments.
She played cards with one and danced with another, but Abbas invited her to stroll in the garden.
“Oh, no, sir, I couldn’t possibly. It would be so rude to leave the others,” she answered.
“But, Jackie…” He was standing close to her; she could feel the heat of his body. She wanted to step away, but he was holding her hand and pulling her ever closer. “Remember our bargain. You swore to give me equal consideration.”
“And, I have.”
“I must see that your spirit is truly engaged. I must have a few moments with you alone. If not the garden, then make an excuse and meet me in a private room.”
Jacqueline considered the two options. She did not want to be alone with him, but she did want to ensure he found no reason to withhold the scrolls Herbert needed so badly.
“Very well, in the drawing room down the hall in ten minutes. But, we will be alone for only a few moments.”
“Thank you, m’lady.” He released her hand.
Jacqueline spent a few minutes with a gentleman who had just arrived, and then excused herself, “To powder my nose.” She went up the stairs, crossed over to the servants’ stairs, and came back down. She entered the drawing room unseen.
Abbas was already inside, but standing where he could not be seen from the doorway. Jacqueline left the door open, and approached him.
“There you see, Abbas, I am here.”
“Yes, and now it is time for you to give me your full attention and consideration.” He looped an arm around her waist and pulled their bodies so closed they touched. Before she could resist, his other hand raised her chin, and he kissed her. At first, she pushed back. But then, somehow his mouth opened hers and his tongue touched hers. A bolt of lightning shot through her body. If someone had described the physical details of the intimate kiss to her, she would have found the description of the biological contact repulsive. However; the physical act, the sensual sensation excited her deep in her core. She did not resist. She allowed him to pull her tighter until her breasts crushed against his chest.
When they parted, she gasped for air; she was dizzy, perhaps from holding her breath for so long. Perhaps it was from the emotion of the moment.
He smiled, still holding her close. “There, now you see that our marriage will be quite thrilling. We will have many beautiful children.”
“I… I…” She pushed and he released her. Her first inclination was to scream for help. But, she didn’t. While Herbert and others would rush to rescue her, her social status would be destroyed. Once it was known she had been alone with Abbas, and he had made a dishonorable assault upon her, no other suitor would consider marrying her. Herbert would probably make an offer; after all, he had brought Abbas into her sphere. But, she would not want him to marry her out of guilt. The only way she would be able to maintain her social status would be to immediately announce that she was accepting Abbas’ marriage proposal.
Jacqueline did not scream.
“That… that was quite a, ah…” While she couldn’t imagine what words could be used to describe her feelings. She had to admit, he had made a strong case. She swallowed. “I assure you, Abbas, you will be in my thoughts as I make my choice, but now… now I must return to my other guests.”
She turned and stepped quickly from the room. She was so flustered, she forgot to retrace her path up the stairs, but no one seemed to notice as she entered the grand hall.
“Where have you been?” Herbert whispered in her ear.
Jacqueline took the champagne glass from his hand and drained it.
“I granted Abbas Pasha a few moments alone.”
“You did what?” When she cut her eyes towards him, he asked, “What did he do?”
“He, uh, he made a case for why I should accept his proposal.”
“He proposed to you?”
“He didn’t get down on one knee and actually say the words, but his meaning was quite clear.”
“Are you going to accept him?”
Jacqueline shrugged her shoulders. “I am expecting other callers. I never expected a proposal today. There may be others that I wish to encourage.” She looked into his eyes, wondering if he would see the need to make a formal declaration of his own intention.
The footman introduced a new caller, and Jacqueline turned to greet him. However, her mind was elsewhere; she wondered what it would be like to kiss Howard with the same intimacy. Would the sensation be as stirring?
***
The stolen kiss had done it’s job and Abbas made good on his word. The next day, the scrolls were in Herbert’s hands and the three men began fabricating the machine to convert coal into the high energy-density liquid fuel for the airship. While they still had half of the ten gallons Abbas had given them, Uncle George refused to use it for another flight.
Jacqueline was eager to don her goggles and once again take to the air. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to expedite the production of more fuel. But still she went with the men to the barn every day. Interested suitors returned to call on her at various times during the day, so she had to wear coveralls over her gown while in the barn.
“What is this?” Jacqueline inquired, pulling a tarp away from some strange machine. “It looks like some sort of gun.”
“That is indeed what it is. Uncle George has developing a steam powered gun for the Navy. It doesn’t use gun powder, thus it never needs cleaning and can be reload in mere seconds. When attached to a steam supply, it can fire twenty rounds in a single minute.”
“That’s astounding! Why is it buried back here?”
“Hmm, it needs tuning.”
“Tuning? What’s that?”
“What I mean is, it doesn’t currently actually work. It functions just fine. It fires 50-caliber lead balls at the rate of about twenty per minute, but we have yet to develop a sufficiently strong metal tubing to contain steam with a sufficiently high pressure to propel the balls with sufficient force to damage structures or kill people.”
A knock on the barn door interrupted their conversation. Jacqueline opened the door a crack; the household servants were not permitted to know what they were constructing in the barn.
“Yes?”
“Pardon the intrusion, ma’am, but you have a gentleman caller in the parlor,” the maid said.
“Thank you, I’ll be along shortly.” Jacqueline pulled off the overalls and smoothed down her skirt, and then she followed the maid back to the house. Entering the parlor, she found a surprise.
“Abbas, how delightful to see you,” she said; however, she was far from delighted to see him. She had expected she would not see him again after he had fulfilled his promise to deliver the scrolls. She had hoped to put the kissing incident behind her.
“Yes, my dear Jackie, you have so much been on my mind that I simply had to come back to see you.” He grinned, flashing his pearl-white teeth. “Have you given consideration to my proposal?”
“Of course, but it is simply too early to make a decision. There are many suitors to consider.” Jacqueline swallowed and decided to try a new tact. “However, Abbas, I must be honest with you. I keep a secret, and I beg that you too will guard this. But, you see I am cousin to Queen Victoria, although a member of a disgraced branch of the family. Nonetheless, the Queen is required to bless my marriage, by law. Unfortunately, it is doubtful that she would approve of my marriage to foreigner.”
He took her hand and pulled her close. She had to look up to hold his gaze.
“This is most interesting information. I always knew, from Herbert’s discussions, that there was something more to you than what he said. You were a Lady, while he did not carry an aristocratic title. I knew you and Herbert were not actually brother and sister, but this is a surprise.”
“Indeed, you see my parents were killed when I was a child and thus I am Sir Hester’s ward.”
“Actually…” He pulled her closer and she became concerned he would try to kiss her again. “This is likely to work very much in my favor. You see, I have met with your Queen. She wants me to sign a treaty granting English caravans the right to pass through Egypt. Yet, I have refused and she is distressed.”
Jacqueline shrugged and frowned. She recalled a past conversation between Herbert and Howard where they related this fact, but she didn’t see what it had to do with her marriage.
When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “You say the Queen would not let you marry a foreigner, but throughout history the royal families have married back and forth. Queen Victoria is married to a German man, of course you know this. I think she would be delighted to have you marry the future King of Egypt. I suspect, you would no longer be a black sheep in the Royal Family once married to me.”
Jacqueline realized he was correct. She had made a bad judgment error in telling him about her heritage.
“Especially…” He grinned. “Especially when I tell your Queen that I will sign the treaty after we are married. She desperately wants the treaty, and I am sure she will gladly bless our marriage to secure it.”
Oh, no! Jacqueline groaned inwardly. She had just given Abbas all he need to take her. He was correct; Queen Victoria would compel her to marry him if she believed it would secure safe passage for the English on the trade routes through Egypt to India.
“Well, then, my dearest wife…” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. Jacqueline’s jaw dropped and he used a finger to gently close her gaping mouth. “I shall go and request an audience with Queen Victoria. I am certain she will not keep me waiting. You can prepare for our wedding. Perhaps we should wed in Egypt; I believe it is customary for the wedding to be in the groom’s country. I shall instruct the captain of my ship to prepare to sail.”
When he observed the sudden ashen quality of her face, he mistakenly assumed she was afraid of sailing across the ocean. “My dear Jackie, you have no reason to fear sailing aboard my ship. We will remain close to the Spanish coast until we enter the Mediterranean sea. The waters are calm and you will not be afflicted with the seasickness.”
She had not been afraid to fly over the Earth in the airship, but she was reluctant to cross the ocean. However, this was not the reason for her frightened expression. Suddenly, she considered Miranda’s fate at the hands of Caliban, in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, with a whole new perspective.
OH, what have I done? Tears welled in her eyes.
THE END of Part Seven
Part Eight, Kidnapped
Copyright ©2023 by S. M. Revolinski All Rights Reserved
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