Romance

Chapter Forty-three
(Epilogue, The Steam Man Band, Delilah returns from the dead, and The persistence of sandwiches)

Duo and Trike held fast to her hands as she entered the side stage door. They giggled to see their automaton brothers playing music on the stage.

“There’s Pappy,” chirped Duo. He was, after all, hard to miss. Still a gangly giant of a man, pale as a sheet and sporting blue-black hair.

“Pappy!” Trike broke away and ran for his father.

Colonel Walter scooped up his son as if it was the most natural thing in the world to swing a child around near four automatons that had once been used in war. The audience gasped a little, of course. They didn’t know that these children viewed the automatons as playmates at best and playthings at worst.

They had no idea that she regularly had to pluck either Duo or Trike off of The Spine’s chimneys when she and he both were doing the mending. Or that they thought it a great game to sneak ‘Pappy sandwiches’ out of Hatchworth and then ferry the diabolical things to their father. They laughed to hear her scolding him. They learned to play instruments from Rabbit or Three. And had imagination adventures all through the mansion with all four of the original automatons.

Iris joined her husband and her children on the stage. All six of them. And went through the little routine that they had for family incursions onto the stage. All a good show to promote Walter Automatons to the gentry and anyone else who could pay for their making.

Every Walter Automaton had personality. If they tried to mass manufacture them, there was something… lacking. The generic factory automatons had no sense of self, no sense of love, and subsequently came to ruin relatively quickly. If care and attention went into their making, they would come out of the factory as almost-people, and thereby last a lot longer than their generic counterparts.

Of course, it did mean that a Walter Automaton was a commission piece, made to order, and therefore not exactly common. And not exactly cheap. Becile, meanwhile, had managed to make knock-off automatons of a more generic nature… which the public lapped up despite numerous risks to health and home because of the things.

There was a surprising giant in the audience, that evening. A tall pale lady who could still make Iris feel like a dowdy dummy. She looked exactly like…

No. She was dead. She’d died years ago. Before the Cavalcadium had both vanished and been forgotten by the larger throng. Before the portals to Kazooland had changed… everything. Including her brothers’ attitude to her marriage.

Iris kept a solid eye on the Delilah lookalike. Such a magnificent creature could not be ignored, even when she was fielding questions from mothers who were anxious about the relative safety of Walter Automatons. Though the sight of two rambunctious boys clambering all over the machines seemed to put most people at ease.

Delilah’s pallid twin had Miss Viviana Broodwell in her wake, and made her way to darling Peter. Shook his hand, and said, “Well done. They are wonderful.”

The look on Peter’s face said it all. This truly was the dear departed Doctor Delilah Moreau. Somehow risen from the grave.

The woman chuckled. “Why Colonel... you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Miss Doctor Moreau,” he said, retreating into rigid formality. “I must congratulate your beloved Miss Broodwell on her most excellent cure for your former condition.” He even summoned a smile for her. “I am glad to know that your brilliance will not be lost to the world. And might I recommend a residence in Kazooland’s Horroria, once you tire of San Diego?”

Delilah had a very sharp smile, now. And pointed tips to her ears. And her hair was permanently jet black. “Yes, I’ve visited. I’ll consider it when I truly need to depart. Now she angled her gaze to Iris. Making her freeze from pure trepidation.

Horroria vampires were relatively harmless. And had a peculiar hierarchy of manners concerning blood-taking. Iris was not so sure of these two.

“And I must congratulate you on your most excellent marriage,” she said. “I can see the improvement you’ve made on him, Mrs Iris Walter. You’re a good match.” Delilah pitched her voice low and whispered in Iris’ ear. “Don’t fret, dear. Viviana and I have been keeping the vampires away from you and your darling boys. You are protected.”

Iris had no further response but a stumbling, “Thank you very much,” and a mandatory curtsey.

She would never see her again, and part of her was a little glad at that.

Nevertheless, she clung to her dear Peter for the remainder of that evening. Sticking fast to his side as if guarding him from the spirit of romances past. She needn’t have bothered. Peter just... glowed with love… whenever his eyes turned her way. He adored her so much, that an impressive figure like Miss Doctor Moreau just faded away into the background.

Still smitten, after all this time.

He bent down to Duo and murmured, “Do you think you could get me one of my sandwiches from Hatchworth?” with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Those bothersome and dreadful sandwiches!

Iris tutted and sighed, “Oh, Peter…” much to the amusement of their children. All six of them.

END!

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Chapter Forty-two.
(Necessary inventions for a mother, A simple wedding, Flowers all over, and A good husband)

Among dear Peter’s many inventions (most of them were cluttering up a ballroom that had been left long abandoned, now) was an adjustable bed backing that could raise her into a sitting position with the use of a crank. The automatons were forbidden from fighting over who got to use it and perforce drew straws to see whose go it was.

Peters Two and

Chapter Forty-one.
(Resurfacing to reality, A significant error, An invader in his own home, and A tearful introduction)

Peter hadn’t focussed very much on what people outside his new construction lab were saying to him. Not until Rabbit and the boys started whooping it up about babies. A highly distracting mixture of cheering and panic at maximum volume.

And Mrs Cambridge literally dragged him away from his latest assembly.

“Hm? Pardon?”

“I said,” she growled, still dragging him away from his

Chapter Forty.
(Gram’ma Josie at work, Anxiety all around, Good signs, and An important miscommunication)

Josie let the father and his inventions swarm for all of fifteen minutes. Plenty enough time for a first mother to get well over the idea of watching her go through the entire procedure. Nothing wearied a mother more than having the entire family fuss over her when she was busy doing the hardest work of her life.

The one called Hatchworth kept rummaging inside his

Chapter Thirty-nine.
(A series of blinks, A change in fortune, A change in friends, and Some really big worries)

For Iris, events rushed by in blinks. She closed her eyes as a maid, and opened them a verified fiancee. Peter moved her into her own suite, and played host to a midwife of both good experience and good record.

The canny woman, later introduced as Gram’ma Josie, sized Iris up and down and announced, “Oh yes. That’s twins, all right.

Chapter Thirty-eight.
(Cryptic utterances, Strange change of routine, Joyous news, and A fearful fate)

There was only one explanation that fit. Miss Iris had gone more than peculiar in his absence. She had odd, quiet fits of weeping where he couldn’t see her. And when she talked to him she was either baffling or angry with him

It began small, of course, with breakfast the morning after he came home.

“I have ceased being unwell,” she said out of nowhere.

“I

Chapter Thirty-seven.
(A recurrence of levitation, The return of the good colonel, A new name, and Saved from sandwiches in anger)

Iris found out about Peter's return from the newspapers. Sightings of a gigantic mechanical giraffe were treated as amusing news by the press. Laughable jolly reports along the lines of some drunkards would see anything.

That man! The least he could have done was send one of his enigmatic telegrams.

But no, she had to find out at the same time

Chapter Thirty-six.
(The journey home, Are we there yet?, Reflections on the weekend war, and Rabbit’s little revelation)

Sometimes, Peter wished that he could have walked the great automaton Delilah across the Atlantic. The gigantic giraffe had made short work of the vast distances in Africa, and she promised to be just as fast over the plains of the United States.

But despite that, his children were… well... children.

“Are we there, yet?”

“Three, we are fresh onto the East coast.

Chapter Thirty-ffive.
(Good news, Better news, A bad bargain, and Nothing to fear)

Admiral Walter hadn't seen much of the Paddy since Peter had gone away with all his mechanical monst-- his machines. Hadn't heard much out of her since her suggestion for apology. Now she came into his office with something plaguing her mind. She was wan and weak. Definitely green about the gills. And prone to cling to sturdy furniture when it was available.

"Whatever's bit you?" he asked.

"...may

Chapter Thirty-four.
(The war is over, An absence of news, Worries abound, and Kindness from others)

Iris was away at tea with the Pembrookes when the next telegram arrived from Egypt. Mrs Cambridge saved it for her, of course. Another simple message.

Becile defeated. Assisting Babclock in cleanup, rebuilding. Coming back soon.

Infuriatingly absent of any heartening information. Such as whether his children had survived the battle, or how well he had fared. Or if the generic, factory robots had performed as

Chapter Thirty-three.
(An attempt at concealment, A missed dinner, Plans for war, and The Admiral’s weakness)

Iris made sure her presentation was spotless. The last thing she needed was for gossip to get about. Not until Peter was ready to steal the Admiral's march. It would serve the old man right for Peter to come to dinner with a spouse in tow.

The one she worried about the most was Mrs Cambridge. She seemed to have vision that rendered people transparent

Chapter Thirty-two.
(A moment of delight, Urgent summons, Becile strikes again, and Desperate measures)

Peter had never known such delight, and therefore wanted very little else. Alas, the demands of his body made it loudly known that his stomach had dearly missed its lunch. Iris must have been perishing, too, for her own belly answered his hungry snarl with its own.

The plentiful lunch, since gone cold, provided them both ample sustenance. He derived some great glee from feeding dear Iris some

Chapter Thirty-one.
(Frustrations arise, Bold new talent, Affection returned, and Requited passions)

The following days were full of near misses. Embraces almost taken. Kisses almost given. Confessions almost said. And always, always some interruption or another.

Like the unexpected news that the Admiral had finally been cleared to hobble about on crutches. Or poor Penelope having a nervous episode in one of the stairwells. Or Mrs Cambridge falling down from a fever. Or another one of the highly predatory ladies confidently coming

Chapter Thirty.
(Love blooms under a bushel, Visions both pleasant and dire, A quick study, and The automaton school)

Peter had to wonder if hot flushes were an effect of the blue matter or if they were simply an effect of Miss Iris. She had a unique knack of making him unsure of his footing, yet completely at ease with such a situation.

And he did admire brilliant women. That had not changed. Was he entranced with her like he had been