Jack Of All Trades ✓ | steampunk, dragons, trickery

Chapter 4.2: Opening of the Gallery Show

Six-thirty, the first artist arrived. Timothy Durkinson really cleaned up, looking much a gentleman than a street vendor. He still had the vocabulary of a lowly education and a dentist's nightmare of crooked teeth, but that wasn't going to be a problem. Rich people liked to bask in the dialects from time to time as it sounded foreign and fascinating to their ears. The teeth just added to that 'I have a dialect' atmosphere.

"The one you bought!" Timothy seemed pleased to see Jack was wearing the necklace. "Although I intended for womens."

"Fashion is not a gender, Timothy," Jack said, speaking the language of the recent trends. More women were wearing pants and some even top hats. Some men were dabbling into jewelry. The eras were shifting.

Ten minutes of small talk later, Ann Smithe arrived. She was in a gorgeous red gown and in her hair, she had red ribbons weaved through.

"Jack!" Her face lit up when she saw him. "As dashing as ever! I brought Julie, my niece as promised her, and you, of course. Simon is getting her situated back there."

"Splendid!" Jack beamed and kissed her hand. "I always know I can count on you, Ann."

"As always. I purposefully did not look at the ball room get up yet."

Jack called Timothy over as he had seen it already. "Would you like to show her the ball room? It's best before customers arrive."

"Golly-ho!" he said and offered Ann his arm. Jack watched them smiling at each other and went back to station himself at the door. Five minutes later, Samuel Bakers came in his signature vest with white shirt combination and the vest was dark blue with gold buttons. He laughed when he saw that he and Jack shared the same colors.

"We think alike, you and I!"

"It's why you keep coming back here, Sam," Jack said with a smile, shaking the man's hand.

"Hopes to sell the damned today," Samuel muttered under his breath, "The missus been asking about it." He shook his head. "I just want it off my hands."

"You leave it up to me." Jack pointed a thumb at himself with a grin. "Ah!" He went to the door as Finch-James came in. "Finch, you made it, how's your father?"

Finch-James noticeably swallowed nervous spit. "Well, he's good. Still in bed. There are a few more things. Where do I—"

"Come this way, please. Simon!" Jack called and Simon came to his side. Since they'd already met, formalities were had for a second and turned to friendliness. Jack left them to stand at the door once again. The ticket master, seventeen-year-old Julie Jones, niece of Ann Smithe, had volunteered for the job and seemed eager to make a little money and hopefully see any famous people.

"You think you can handle the onset?" Jack asked and she flushed.

"Yes, Mister Ogswold." She lowered her gaze. "You look very dashing Mister Ogswold."

Jack smirked. "And you are lovely yourself."

"Oh!" Julie said and blushed. A shy smile crept up on her lips. "Mister Ogswold, if you wouldn't mind, perhaps, after this, we could—"

There was a honk of a car horn—another recent thing in this new era, but one of which Jack wasn't excited about. It belonged to a sleek black car. The front lights had flags of Endil attached to it. Jack looked at Julie whose eyes ogled at the car. It would have been strange if she didn't know who it was.

The car stopped. The driver came out. When he opened the passenger door, out came Minister Palestone, earliest to arrive and The Kaleidoscope wasn't even open yet. But he was the minister. Exceptions could be made.