Rozakis –––––––– Evangeline Bell woke in a strange bed. In the dim light behind the bedcurtains, it took her a moment to remember where she was. Then, her heart sank. Yesterday had begun so promisingly. Lord Hilden’s house party had gathered the leading scientists working in airship design. She still could barely believe she had been invited. No degree, no retinue more than a farmhand assistant she had trained herself. But Lord Hilden had called her monograph on a proposed steam engine governor brilliant. And indeed, her lecture went over smashingly well. It was at dinner that it all turned sour. Evangeline had never been terribly good at small talk, or fashionable dressing, or any of the other skills a young lady should possess. She might be able to lecture well, but as soon as the conversation turned to travel, she revealed herself to be a hopeless bumpkin. It wasn’t fair. If she could have afforded to go on a Grand Tour in the first place, she would never have yearned so hard for a spot on the airship-design team.
