Steam Powered Giraffe

Chapter Eighteen.
(Rumours abound, An abhorrent abundance of sandwiches, Camping by the bell, and The persistence of exhaustion)

Iris didn't see it happen, but a thousand different rumours hurtled about the manor. Everyone knew that Colonel Walter had retreated to his lab, but word had it that the Admiral had gone up to shout him down. It was the first time that the Colonel had ignored the riding cane.

It shattered across his back, they said.

Then the Admiral attempted to use fisticuffs, but the Colonel had an improved knowledge of a mystical art known as Krav Maga. It was the first time that the son bested his father!

From there, the rumours differed. The Admiral had a broken arm. A broken leg. Broken ribs. A broken nose. Broken jaw. Some part of the Admiral's skeleton had cracked, and now the old man had shut himself in his room and would only allow Mrs Cambridge in to look after him.

The Colonel would only eat those awful sandwiches, now. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, he ate them. And an extra, fourth meal at the stroke of midnight. Iris was the only one he'd accept them from. Which meant that she had to see to his needs every six hours, without fail.

She made two of the horrible sandwiches on the ringing of the bell. Poured his coffee - stronger than God's love, blacker than Satan's soul, and enough sugar to sweeten the heart of Ebeneezer Scrooge. And then she made her way up to him when the the resultant tray. Deposited it on the little table and recovered the previous tray.

If his metal twins were awake, she would spare them an hour of comfort before returning to the camp she'd made under that cursed bell. She entirely lost track of the time of day. The day of the week. And very possibly, her sanity. It was just an endless stream of sandwiches and coffee and consoling the twins before returning to what little sleep she could snatch.

Until it stopped.

Iris was dimly aware that she had slept too long. On the other hand, her body teamed up with her tired brain and convinced her that she had yet to sleep for long enough.

Voices filtered through her slumber. But reality was still something very far away that she need not concern herself with. Not yet. Besides. Right now, all four of them were busy shushing each other.

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Chapter Seventeen.
(Becile strikes! Delilah’s impending demise, The one thing he can do, and It wouldn’t be fair)

Peter stared at the words on the telegram.

Becile caused much damage to Cavalcadium with mechanical elephant and sonic weapon. Moreau injured and deathly ill. May not survive the night.

One of their mutual friends had sent it, but Peter could not read as far as that name. He kept reading the final two sentences over and over again. Hoping against hope

Chapter Sixteen.
(A worried automaton, Ma helps out, Pleased Pappy, and The humans also leak)

The Spine knew somehow that he was failing at everything. Rabbit was already the strongest and the fastest at learning. Rabbit never worried about breaking things. In fact, his copper sibling had to be actively discouraged from breaking things.

Rabbit liked the interesting sounds, and thought they were funny.

So when Ma came to show The Spine something to help him, he naturally thought that it was

Chapter Fifteen.
(Delilah’s influence, Their first show, Steak on display, and A solution for a problem)

Iris managed to spot the fabled Doctor Delilah Moreau in just as many seconds as Colonel Walter did. And instantly felt small, common, and invisible. Any woman standing beside Delilah Moreau would instantly look like a scarecrow.

Even she fell a little in love with her. She knew she was starstruck with instant infatuation. Iris made herself examine the woman beyond her outward appearance. And

Chapter Fourteen.
(To the Cavalcadium, The invisible Iris, Very good friends, and The beginning of the show)

Thursday.

Colonel Walter, sporting some of the new self-adhesive bandages, was eager to display his twin automatons to the world. And, of course, to a very special audience consisting of Miss Doctor Delilah Moreau.

He had taken every care with his appearance, today. Freshly bathed and shaven. Made liberal use of pomade. Even applied a little subtle makeup to his lingering bruises. All so that

Chapter Thirteen.
(First etiquette lessons, A need of physic, A silly episode, and Professional work)

Mrs Cambridge helped Iris quietly escort the metal men into the kitchen. Where thick walls protected the mechanical babies from all but the worst of the shouting. Both automatons huddled under the table clung to each other in abject misery.

Iris helped them drink cool water to help refill their boilers, and calmed them with a nonsense song that her own mother had used when Iris had

Chapter Twelve.
(Miss Verity Ponsonbury, The wrong kind of beast, The wrong kind of babies, and A flight in tears)

Miss Verity Ponsonbury smiled her airy smile as she tried her hardest to work out what was going on. Her dear Papa, Sir Etherington Ponsonbury, had received a letter that morning that had made him very happy indeed.

Papa had spent a majority of the morning insisting that Verity put on her very best grownup dress - she had been saving it

Chapter Eleven.
(Brand new twins, Find the Lady, Afternoon tea, and The peril of a bad match)

Iris could tell that the Admiral had crept back to listen in. The arrogant fellow was in for a boring afternoon, because all he could hear was the Colonel lecturing her about his intentions for his machines. Her rare contributions to what passed for conversation were variations on "This one?" or, "Here."

At least she had the chance to keep it mostly neat as she

Chapter Ten.
(An absence of sandwiches, A sudden chill, Miss Iris to the rescue, and Rabbit talks)

Peter didn't notice that he'd been working all night until he heard Miss Iris clear her throat. Oh. The little table had become covered over again.

He chuckled and moved the pile of mechanical limbs. "I'm so close to the ultimate breakthrough... I've nearly got it."

"Breakfast," said Miss Iris. "You missed dinner, so I made extra."

He sniffed the air. Not a hint of

Chapter Nine.
(Acting for her life, Five pounds of snuff, A peculiar turn, and Enthusiastic gratitude)

Iris focused intently on the carpet. The Pembrookes' lessons had included acting for a reason. And now she was acting for her life, as well as the lives of all the maids working under the Admiral. Her part was now the shy and demure maid, only after an honest day's work. And one who had no clue what the Admiral was on about.

She kept her

Chapter Eight.
(Plans gone awry, High-pitched screaming, The special snuff, and The devil in a pinafore)

Admiral Walter tried to stir up his idiot son's sense of chivalry by causing a ruckus among the maids. Sooner or later, that dunderhead had to find himself in a scene where he would have to rescue one or more of them.

But that plan rather hoped that the boy would come downstairs from his toys more than once a day. Therefore he laid in wait

Chapter Seven.
(Pembrooke’s Finishing School for Discerning Ladies, A confusion of betterment, A nice chat, and An old ally)

Sunday arrived far too early and far too late. She was not yet ready to walk the streets of San Diego in confidence on her own... And the Admiral had taken to menacing the girls, even when they were in pairs. The maids took to traveling everywhere in threes and fours.

Today, this Sunday, everyone else had other business. She was the

Chapter Six.
(The dreadful sandwich reappears, An attempt at a decent meal, A close call, and A good tidying)

Early to bed and early to rise, it is said, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Once Admiral Reginaldfield Chesterpot Walter had achieved the 'wealth' part of that trio, he completely surrendered any efforts to accomplish the rest. He didn't rise until after ten and didn't leave his bedchamber much before noon.

Mrs Cambridge saw to his wants.

Which gave Iris plenty

Chapter Five.
(From the frying pan to the fire, Mrs Cambridge to the rescue, The threat of diaries, and A miserable night’s sleep)

Her master caught her up as she was running for the sanctuary of the kitchen and the servant's quarters in the cellar. He lifted her off her feet, causing her to scream at the top of her lungs and fight with all the strength she had.

Elbows, knees, nails, feet, and even teeth came into play. All the