Page 35 of An Inventor and An Inconvenience (Gentleman Scholars #5)
T he Henderson Technical Training Academy buzzed with activity as Faith surveyed her newly expanded classroom. A month had passed since their presentation to the investors, and already the changes exceeded her wildest dreams.
Select young women filled the benches—carefully chosen housemaids learning to maintain household machinery alongside a few trusted shopkeepers' daughters studying practical calculations for inventory and accounts. Each student had been vouched for by their employer or father, each training program carefully justified by its practical applications to their current duties.
But they were united in their hunger for knowledge.
"Miss Faith!" Mary called from her workbench, where she was demonstrating gear ratios to a group of newcomers. "Look what happens when we adjust the pressure distribution!"
Faith smiled, remembering how recently Annie had been terrified of being discovered learning anything beyond her station. Now the young woman taught introductory mechanics with confidence, her natural talent finally finding its proper outlet.
The soft whir of machinery filled the air as students experimented with the educational models Jasper had designed. Each device represented a perfect marriage of practical application and theoretical understanding—just like their creators' partnership.
A knock at the classroom door drew Faith's attention. Her father stood there, his expression holding a pride she'd once despaired of ever seeing.
"The latest inquiries have arrived," Professor Somerton said, holding up a thick stack of papers. "It seems news of our training program has spread through industrial circles. We have interest from manufacturers in Manchester, Birmingham, even Edinburgh."
"And no interference from the university authorities?" Faith asked carefully.
"They seem content to ignore us as long as we maintain the fiction that we're merely teaching household management and practical skills," her father replied with a knowing smile. "Though several of my colleagues have privately expressed interest in how well our 'vocational students' understand mechanical principles."
Faith nodded, understanding the delicate balance they maintained. They couldn't change centuries of tradition overnight, but they could work within its constraints to create something new. "Small steps," she said softly.
"Small steps that lead to greater ones," her father agreed. "Your mother used to say that change comes not from storming walls, but from finding doors others hadn't noticed."
"They can call it whatever they like," Faith said, echoing her earlier words to Mrs. Henderson. "As long as we can continue teaching."
"Indeed." Her father's eyes softened as he watched Lucy guide another student through a complex calculation. "Your mother would have been so proud, my dear. She always said knowledge shouldn't be bound by convention."
Faith felt tears prick at her eyes. They spoke of her mother more freely now, sharing memories instead of hiding them away like painful secrets.
"Speaking of unconventional approaches," Professor Somerton continued with studied casualness, "Lord Jasper came to see me this morning."
Faith's heart skipped. "Did he?"
"Hmm. Most proper. Very formal. Something about requesting permission to pay his addresses?" Her father's attempt at innocence was betrayed by the twinkle in his eyes. "I told him that anyone who could make my daughter's educational dreams a reality while revolutionizing industrial safety practices had already proven his worth."
"Father..." Faith started, but footsteps on the stairs interrupted her.
Jasper appeared in the doorway, looking uncharacteristically nervous despite his perfectly arranged cravat. Faith noticed he carried a small brass object wrapped in cloth.
"I'll leave you to it," Professor Somerton said, managing to usher all the students from the room with remarkable efficiency. "I believe Mrs. Henderson mentioned something about tea being ready downstairs."
When they were alone, Jasper crossed to Faith's workbench. "I have something for you."
He set the wrapped object down carefully. "A new teaching tool, of sorts."
Faith unwrapped the cloth to reveal an exquisite brass model of his original mining device, but with significant modifications. Instead of the industrial grinding head, this version contained a series of interconnected gears and levers, each carefully calibrated to demonstrate multiple mechanical principles.
"It's beautiful," she breathed, admiring the craftsmanship. "But why..."
Her voice trailed off as she noticed something odd about the central gear assembly. There, nestled in the heart of the mechanism, was a delicate gold ring.
"Because some innovations," Jasper said softly, "require a lifetime of refinement and study. Some partnerships..."
He took her hand. "Some partnerships work so perfectly together that separating them would be not just impractical, but impossible."
Faith felt her heart soar as Jasper went down on one knee beside her workbench. All around them, the fruits of their shared dreams whirred and clicked—their school, their inventions, their vision of a world where knowledge knew no boundaries.
"Faith Somerton," Jasper said, his voice steady despite the emotion in his eyes, "will you do me the honour of becoming my wife? Partner in all things, personal and professional?"
"Yes," Faith said immediately, then laughed at her own eagerness. "I mean, what a thoroughly practical proposal. Very scientific."
"I thought you'd appreciate that." Jasper stood, slipping the ring onto her finger. "Though I should warn you, my father's acceptance came with conditions. He insists that any grandchildren must be thoroughly educated in both classical studies and modern engineering principles."
"How shocking," Faith murmured, stepping into his embrace. "What will Society think?"
"Society," Jasper said, "will have to adapt. Just as we've proven they can."
As his lips met hers, Faith thought about all the paths that had led them here. Her secret studies, his drive to prove himself, their shared vision of what could be possible when tradition met innovation. Together, they'd found a way to honour the past while building something new—a bridge between worlds that would help others forge their own paths to knowledge and understanding.
Some risks, Faith decided as she kissed her future husband, were worth taking.
As they drew apart, Jasper kept hold of her hands, his thumbs tracing gentle patterns across her knuckles. His eyes held hers with an intensity that made her heart race.
“You know,” he said softly, “for all my mechanical expertise, I never truly understood the concept of perfect alignment until this moment.”
Faith’s cheeks warmed.
“A rather technical way of expressing romance, my lord,” she teased, though her voice trembled slightly.
“Perhaps,” he agreed, lifting one hand to gently cup her cheek. “But then, we've always understood each other best through science, haven't we? Like complementary gears, moving in perfect synchronization.”
“Creating something greater than either could achieve alone,” Faith finished, leaning slightly into his touch.
The look he gave her then held such profound tenderness that Faith felt tears prick at her eyes. Here was a man who saw her completely — her intelligence, her passion, her dreams — and loved her not in spite of these things but because of them.
“My brilliant Faith,” he murmured, and somehow those three words held more romance than any flowery declaration could have achieved.
Some innovations changed not just the world around them, but the very hearts of those who dared to dream them into being.
Faith smiled as Jasper's fingers entwined with hers, their hands fitting together as perfectly as the gears in his inventions. Together, they would build something extraordinary — in their work, in their lives, and in their love.