Page 190 of The Armor of Light

So what did she intend? A clandestine affair? Such things certainly happened. Spade and Arabella Latimer had been carrying on for years, if the town gossip was to be believed.

But Amos could not live with the guilt. He had sinned today, a sin he had never committed before. It was adultery, forbidden by the seventh commandment of Moses, a serious offence against God, Northwood, Jane and himself. He could not entertain the prospect of committing the same sin again and again, much as he wanted to.

Perhaps he would be lucky. Perhaps Northwood would die conveniently.

And then again, perhaps not.

29

KIT THOUGHT A LOTabout Roger Riddick. As a child he had never appreciated what a remarkable man Roger was. Since Roger’s return from his travels Kit had learned more about him, and come to appreciate his qualities. He was very clever, of course, and that made every conversation interesting; but more important than that was his sunny disposition. He was cheerful and optimistic, and his smile could light up a room.

Roger was thirteen years older than Kit, and had had an education that Kit could not even dream of; but despite that they talked as equals about machinery and the techniques of weaving. Roger even seemed quite fond of Kit.

Kit’s feelings were so strong that they made him a bit anxious. It was almost as if he was in love with Roger, but that was ridiculous, of course. It would mean that Kit was a molly, which was impossible. Admittedly, he had done things with other boys when younger. They used to masturbate together – they called it plunking. They would stand in a circle and see who could be first to spurt. Occasionally they would plunk each other, which always made Kit spurt quicker. But none of them were mollies: it was just youthful experimentation.

All the same, he could not get Roger out of his head. Now and again Roger would put an arm around Kit’s shoulders and squeeze, briefly, in a manly sort of gesture of affecti0n; and Kit would feel the squeeze for the rest of the day.

He thought about Roger all through the Methodist communionservice. Kit was not a fervent Methodist; he went because his mother did. He had no interest in weeknight prayer meetings and Bible study groups, preferring a book-sharing club that favoured scientific texts. So he felt a bit guilty when he came out of the Methodist Hall.

Then he saw Roger leaning up against the wall. ‘I was hoping to run into you,’ Roger said, and his smile radiated warmth like a fire. ‘Can we talk?’

‘Of course,’ said Kit.

‘Let’s go to Culliver’s and have a drink.’

Kit had never patronized Culliver’s and did not want to start, especially on a Sunday. He said: ‘How about the Coffee House?’

‘Agreed.’

The owner of the Bell Inn had opened a new business, the High Street Coffee House, next door to the Guild Hall. Such places were called coffee houses but in fact they served full meals and wine, with coffee as an afterthought. Kit and Roger walked up Main Street to the High Street in winter sunshine. Inside the Coffee House Roger ordered a tankard of ale and Kit asked for coffee.

Roger said: ‘You remember me talking about the Jacquard loom?’

‘I do,’ said Kit. ‘It’s very exciting.’

‘Except that I haven’t been able to get hold of one. If I could go to Paris and talk to weavers I feel sure I could find out where to buy one, but even then it would be a struggle to export it to England.’

‘That’s so disappointing.’

‘Which is why I’ve come to you.’

Kit saw where this was heading. ‘You’re going to make one.’

‘And I want you to help me.’

‘But I’ve never even seen one.’

Roger smiled again. ‘When I was studying in Berlin I had a special friend, a French student.’ Kit wondered exactly what Roger meantbya special friend. ‘Pierre discovered that Monsieur Jacquard had taken out a patent on his machine, which means there are drawings of it at the patent office.’ Roger reached inside his coat. ‘And here are some copies.’

Kit took the papers and unfolded a drawing. He pushed his cup and Roger’s tankard aside and spread the drawing on the coffee-house table.

As he studied it Roger said: ‘I can’t do it on my own. A drawing never tells you everything you need to know. There’s always a lot of guesswork and improvisation, and for that you need intimate knowledge of the process. You know everything there is to know about looms. I need your help.’

The idea of Roger needing his help thrilled Kit. But he shook his head doubtfully. ‘This will take a month to make – maybe two.’

‘That’s all right. There’s no hurry. We’re probably the only people in England who even know about Jacquard looms. We’ll still be first.’

‘But I have a job. I have no spare time.’