“Miss Rossetti,” a voice said from just behind me. “Don’t you want to buy?”
I slowly turned around.
There, a small man wearing a hood that hid his features was holding a basket filled with flowers. I spotted roses, daisies, irises, tulips, all manner of hothouse flowers. The basket also held sun-ripened strawberries, apples, cherries, and lemons. How had he come by such fruits? I looked from the basket to the merchant. He wore a colorful, patchwork cloak with bells on his hood and on his shoes.
“Don’t you want to buy?” he asked again.
“N-no. Thank you. I’m in a hurry.”
“But we have many things a quick, young lady like you might like to buy. Won’t you come see?”
“No, sir. I have no interest in your wares nor any coin for them.”
“Perhaps. What’s in your basket? We could make a trade. We’d like to trade with you, Miss Rossetti.”
I clutched my basket. “No. No trades. I’m not interested in buying anything. Good day to you,” I said, and steeling my nerve, I turned and headed down the road.
I would stop at the constable when I got to the village. It was time for these vagrants to be on their way.
“Don’t you want to come buy, Miss Rossetti? We have all the things a person desires,” the little man called from behind me.
“You have nothing I desire,” I called in return.
Behind me, the little man laughed. “We shall see. We shall see.”
Quickening my step, I hurried to the village, going at once to see Laura and Lizzie. Lizzie was outside the shop sweeping away the snow. Laura was inside arranging the window display.
“Scarlette,” Lizzie said happily on seeing me approach. “It’s very early.”
“I come with good news. I’ve figured out a mechanism to make the piano girl work. I’ll have her done this morning.”
“Oh my! Well done. We knew you could do it.”
“I had a bit of help. Master Boatswain—the Master Boatswain—and his grandson are visiting Uncle Horace. The younger Boatswain gave me a tip.”
Lizzie stopped. “Is that right? My word. Let’s go tell Laura,” she said. Setting the broom aside, she reached for the door only to find it locked. “Oh, that’s right, we came in through the back. Mind you,” Lizzie said then pointed to a round placard on the wall that contained the shop name. Pushing it aside, she revealed a small divot in the wall from which she withdrew a key. She unlocked the door and slipped the key discreetly back into its hiding place. She winked at me then we went inside.
“Scarlette! Good morning,” Laura called happily to me when I entered.
“Laura, Scarlette has figured out our piano girl.”
“Oh, very good!”
“And she had a bit of help. You’ll never guess who.”
“No doubt that uncle of hers. Earl Walpole is such a clever man.”
“That he is, but… Scarlette, you tell her.”
“I chuckled. Master Archibald Boatswain and his grandson are at Strawberry Hill. The younger Boatswain gave me a bit of advice.”
“Boatswain,” Laura said with a gasp. “That’s remarkable. Can you believe it, Lizzie? On one of our toys.”
“How rare,” Lizzie exclaimed.
“You must see,” I told the sisters. Motioning to the workshop, I led them to the back. I removed the gnomes and set them on the table, lining up the tinkers and preparing the musicians. I then pulled out the windup key and set the leader into motion. In tandem, I activated the music box in the piano. This time, it really did look like the little gnome was conducting.
“Oh, Scarlette!” Laura exclaimed.
“Oh, joyful!” Lizzie added.
“Dear little gnome men, how sweet,” Laura said. “Oh Scarlette, you are such a clever one. These are so wonderful. Who would have thought these gnome men could be so festive,” Laura said with a laugh.
The grandfather clock at the front of the shop struck seven-thirty.
“Oh dear, time to get to work,” Lizzie said.
Laura nodded. “Teddy bears are the order of the day,” she told me. She then went to the workbench and began pulling out supplies.
Lizzie went back to the front of the shop to unlock the door.
The gnome wound down and became silent once more.
No life.
Master Boatswain was right. It was a pity they didn’t have a bit of magic. I pulled the hagstone from my pocket.
Taking the clockwork gnome with me, I went to the other end of the table and set out some supplies: scissors, needle and thread, and a swatch of red fabric.
“Sorry about this. It will only pinch a moment,” I told the little gnome then snipped a hole in his chest. Removing a bit of stuffing, I added in the hagstone where his heart should be. I then sewed up his chest once more. Cutting the red felt fabric into the shape of a small heart, I sewed it on, covering the cut I’d made in the fabric.
“Now, let’s see what magic you’ve got,” I whispered to the little gnome man, patting him on his head.
Setting him aside, I then grabbed the doll who would sit at the piano. Pulling clockwork pieces from the box, I set out everything I needed to make a new, clockwork torso for the piano player then sat down and got to work. Focusing, I measured the doll’s torso, made some sketches, then began putting the pieces together. I heard noise at the front of the shop as shoppers began to filter in. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. The shop would be bustling today. Concentrating, I worked on the mechanics of my mini automaton. I was surprised how quickly the design came together. As I worked, I considered new ways to fashion the arms. Maybe Archie was right. Maybe there was something more to this. Could I create a life-sized man out of such parts? I knew Master Hawking, Master Boatswain, and other famous tinkers were considering ways to do so. But to give them sentience? Ethics boards were still so rudimentary. Maybe, one day, someone very clever would sort it all out.
I adjusted the stuffing inside the doll and working carefully, tinkered her back together. It took several tries to get it just so. Winding her again and again, finally, I got her movements fluid. With the first tap of her hand on the toy piano, she activated the music box inside. Afterward, her fingers only lightly touched the keys, creating the illusion she was playing. It was possible that I could align her in a way to make her play a simple tune if I had a real piano. But such delicate work would take months to work out. But it was possible, if the right mind set about the task.
Once the mechanics were ready, I sewed the pretty doll back together, straightened her buttons and bows, added a weight to her body so she would stay put on the piano bench, then stood back and had a look. Winding her one more time, I let her play.
She worked perfectly.
“Done,” I called to Laura.
Laura rose and came and had a look.
“Be still my heart,” she said as she watched the doll play. Laura wrapped her arm around me and gave me a hug. When she did so, I felt how frail she was under her soft skin. “Sweet Scarlette, thank you. Oh, Lizzie and I will miss you so when you go.”
“Miss Laura, you and your sister really should take on an apprentice. The work is so much for you.”
“We have one,” she said then pinched my cheek.
I chuckled. “A proper apprentice.”
“Yes, you’re right, you’re right. After the season,” she said then eyed the piano playing doll once more. “Thank you, Scarlette.”
“You’re welcome.”
Laura patted my arm then returned to her end of the workbench once more.
The grandfather clock rang once more. This time, the clock struck eight-thirty.
“Oh dear,” I said, turning to Laura. “I have to get back by nine, and I have another errand to take care of. I’ll return this afternoon to see what else I can help with.”