Watching the Night Sky

WATCHING THE NIGHT SKY

Juliana

After their postprandial port and cigars, the gentlemen appeared in the drawing room. The viscount approached me, an apologetic look on his face.

"I beg your pardon, my lady, but I regret that I must take my leave. A meteor shower is predicted for this evening and before receiving your father's generous invitation to dinner, I had arranged to visit a local astronomer to view the event, as well as viewing several planets with his newly acquired Dolland telescope."

A thrill ran through me at his nearness, muddling the meaning of his words. I glanced from under my lashes, noting his long, muscular frame. Eyes like dark pools glinting in starlight shone out from a pale oval of fine-grained skin. Coal-black hair curled slightly into the collar of his linen shirt.

Mr. Murray gave a grunt of surprise. "We cannot see the meteors through the telescope?"

"No, the particles are too small, and they move too quickly. However, they can be seen with the naked eye." One corner of Lord Kintleford's mouth quirked in a small smile.

By then my senses had returned, along with the impress of his words. How I longed to accompany him and see this phenomenon, but of course, I could not say so. I was my father's hostess and could not desert his guests, even if making my desire known had been seemly. It was not and I bit my lip to stop a small quaver before acquiescing to his request to depart.

However I was not the only listener struck by his pronouncement, which caused great excitement in the room. Margaret, with less propriety, could hardly contain herself.

Gazing soulfully at Kintleford, Margaret looked like a figure from a Memling or Raphael painting. "Perhaps we could go with you, my lord. I am sure many in the company would be grateful for the opportunity to view the night sky under the guidance of experts."

Father said, "We mustn't importune the viscount and his friend."

"If anyone is really interested, I am sure Mr. Alexias would not mind a small party."

The bishop puffed out his cheeks and chest like a pouter pigeon. "Constantine Alexias? I know him well. I am sure he would welcome us warmly, as he is a great enthusiast and loves to discourse on stellar phenomena."

We set off, a party of eight—the viscount and his cousin, the bishop, Jacob Townsend, my father's partner, Lionel Duplessis, and his wife. Margaret and I completed the party.

Once arrived, Mr. Alexias greeted us warmly, not at all discomposed by the appearance of eight visitors rather than the two he had expected.

The bishop went up to his friend and grasped his hand. "My dear Alexias. Hope you don't mind the intrusion but when Kintleford bade us excuse him so he could partake in the delights of your observatory, some of our number begged to accompany him."

"I am delighted to welcome you all," Mr. Alexias said. "Pray, follow me into the drawing room, where we will have our first view of the sky and Lord Kintleford can explain what to look for. The meteor shower is visible with the naked eye, but the view through a telescope brings you to another world."

Once instructed, we were escorted through the house and out to the observatory, which was the telescopic tower of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich in miniature. The round stone edifice was topped by a hemispherical dome, and Mr. Alexias explained the base of the telescope sat on the ground floor while the instrument ascended to the top of the building.

"Dolland makes some of the finest instruments. This one arrived yesterday, and you should get excellent views of the constellations and planets."

We huddled in a small portico at the entrance to the building, which did little to protect us from the raw autumn air. The telescope protruded through an aperture with retractable doors in the copper-clad domed roof. Mr. Alexias explained the instrument was retractable. His boots thudded as he climbed the tower to demonstrate the movement to us.

A light wind brushed my face with icy tendrils. My gloves were more decorative than warm, and I had not brought a muff.

The space inside was small so we were brought in one at a time to see the heavens. Ignoring the perquisites of rank and gender, Margaret and I deferred to our elders, who hesitantly climbed the wooden staircase. The voices of Mr. Alexias and the viscount echoed as they explained the equipment and what to look for.

Each member of the party exited, dazed with the wonder of seeing the heaven, then made off toward the warmth of the house.

Margaret and I pressed closer to the doorway. Mr. Hodgson and Mr. Townsend edged closer and closer. When Jacob's taut body touched mine, I flinched away with a hiss.

"How dare you, sir?" I whispered.

He looked at me, his eyes changing topaz to black and back as his temper flared and died. Jaw set, he said, "My dear Countess, I am sorry if I was inopportune, but you are shaking with cold. I only meant to lend you some additional warmth. "

The bishop moved ponderously down the stairs, his belly proceeding him. We scrambled into the garden to give him space.

"Wonderful, quite wonderful," he murmured, his hands spread in an expansive gesture. "The glory of God so clearly visible in the heavens." He shook his head and went to enjoy the warmth of Mr. Alexias' drawing room.

His temper not yet cooled, Jacob Townsend swept past Margaret and me and bolted the stairs two at a time.

"Devil chasing you, Townsend? Where are the ladies?" Viscount Kintleford sounded mildly censorious.

"Bother the ladies," came Jacob's snarling reply. Then we heard a fist slam into wood, followed by several imprecations.

When he descended after a few minutes, he turned to me. "A waste of time. I need a whiskey." He stomped away, seething with dissatisfaction.

The viscount peered over the banister. "Please ascend, Countess. I am sorry you have waited so long in the cold."

Carefully holding my skirts with one hand, I climbed the stairs, once stopping as my foot slipped through an open tread. Kintleford glanced through the eyepiece, made some adjustments, then looked again before placing me in front of the instrument. I put my eye against the cold metal. The constellations and planets, surrounded by pinpricks of stars, were so close I almost reached out to touch them.

Alexias' accented tones drifted into my ear. "To your left, you will see Jupiter, and to your right, down a bit lower, Venus."

"What are the two smaller bodies near Jupiter?"

"Moons. Jupiter has several."

"I thought our moon was the only one."

Kintleford and Alexias laughed. Alexias said, "No, my lady. Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus all have moons, and there may be many more that have not yet been discovered."

Moving away from the telescope, I had forgotten the steps. The viscount rescued me before I tumbled and followed me down to the ground floor and out .

"Take Miss Dashwood up, Ralph. I am going to show Lady Claremont the meteor shower."

Watching the small pieces rain down from the sky in multifarious colors, I laughed with delight. "Where do the colors come from?" I asked.

"The fragments are made up of minerals that emit colors as they evaporate."

I had been looking skyward, but he had been observing me.

"Your eyes flash with colors like the meteorites," he said. And then, as if the action were natural and not against all rules of etiquette and courtesy, he leaned forward and kissed me.

Stunned, I did not know what to do or how to react. Words of reproach rose to my lips, but I did not want to reprimand him. I wanted to kiss him. Confused, I backed away.

The look on his face was a mixture of contrition and desire. "I know I should apologize, my lady, for my boorish behavior."

His hands twisted but he did not look away. Then he removed his hat and ran long fingers, bluish with cold, through his hair. "Shall we return to the others?"

Still unable to speak, I nodded. He took my arm and led me back to the house. We had just settled with cups of hot chocolate when Margaret and Mr. Hodgson returned, chattering merrily, with Mr. Alexias just behind.

Soon after, Lord Kintleford and his cousin took their leave. "We will call on Thursday, if that is convenient," Mr. Hodgson said.

"Yes, that is one of our days at home," Margaret answered.

Kintleford and I exchanged uneasy glances, then they bowed themselves out.