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and with wide, bright blue eyes, and he wore a white
shirt open to the waist over dark trousers. His expression
was terrified as Justin and Wells stared.
The woman dug her fingers into his arm. "Avery,"
she hissed. "Your manners!"
"If it please you," the boy stammered out. "I mean -- I
will -- please you?" He flushed bright red and sent a
desperate look into the woman's face.
"Fortunately, he will not need words to serve you,"
she said, giving the boy's arm a sharp twist. He dropped,
or collapsed, to his knees before them.
God Almighty, Wells thought, his knightly
compassion for the weak stirring. What was humanity
coming to? He was still human himself, though deeply
changed by his relationship with Justin, but he felt the
distance more each time he and Justin left their solitude.
"How old is this child?" Justin demanded.
"Thirteen, and perfectly legal," the woman answered.
"A shilling for an hour, or he is yours for the whole
night for two."
The boy's shoulders shook. It had been a very long
time since Wells had been a young boy, but oh, he could
remember the fear of adults discussing his fate over him.
Fortunately, Wells had come from a noble family of
wealth, but there had been talk of sending him into the
priesthood. The terror of being closed inside walls the
Shifting Steam - 86
rest of his life through no choice of his own came back
in a rush, and he must have made some low noise,
because Justin glanced at him briefly, and then turned to
the woman again.
"We will purchase him for the night. But he comes
with us."
Wells felt a burst of love for his master. The boy
seemed to crumple even further as Wells dug some
money out of his pocket.
"He stays here," the woman said firmly.
Justin fixed her with his dragon stare. Wells knew no
one could refuse it. Sure enough, she held out her hand.
"Very well, two shillings," she said.
Wells handed over the coins, and the woman pulled
the trembling child to his feet. "I want a good report
from the gentlemen in the morning," she hissed,
squeezing his arm so tightly that he twisted away from
her in pain.
Instinctively, Wells caught the boy's other hand and
gave it a gentle squeeze. He forced himself to send the
woman a nod of thanks, but she'd already turned away
and was hurrying inside. Justin set off without another
glance, and Wells followed, keeping the child's hand in
his own.
The boy stumbled blindly, and Wells saw that his
eyes were shut tight in terror.
"Don't fear," Wells said softly, bending down. "We
won't touch you, child. A hot meal and a good night's
rest is all that's in store for you."
The boy's eyes opened and searched Wells'. "Truly,
sir?" he whispered.
"Truly," Wells answered, squeezing his hand. "Your
name is Avery?"
He nodded.
Shifting Steam - 87
"Hello, Avery. My master's name is Justin, and I'm
Wells. We're from out of town, staying at the inn
ahead." He nodded at the building on the corner they
were approaching. It was inexpensive and they'd been
lucky enough to rent a room on the fourth floor that was
far enough away from the noisy dining area to be fairly
quiet. The boy swallowed hard, looked back down at his
feet, and let Wells lead him onward.
Inside, the inn teemed with people coming in for the
night. They were mostly foreigners -- poor, large
families speaking English with an Irish accent, carrying
heavy trunks with all their belongings inside. They were
in this port city to take a steamship to America, escaping
the famine in their home country, or just wanting to find
their fortunes in a new land. Liverpool had become a
stopover point for thousands of emigrants waiting for
their ships, and more would take their place as they left.
The inns were doing a booming business, and Wells
knew he and Justin were lucky to have gotten a private
room. He couldn't imagine what America must be like --
surely its borders would be filled to capacity soon.
When had humans multiplied so much?
"Food," Justin growled in his ear.
Wells focused and caught the arm of a harried-
looking man hurrying toward the dining area with a
huge tureen of soup in his hands. "A meal for three,
brought to our room," he said, nodding upstairs.
The servant recognized them quickly, gave a nod,
and slipped off. Wells had been tipping the man
generously.
Justin set off for the stairs. "I'll bet you're hungry,"
Wells said to Avery, whose eyes had been following the
soup tureen.
"No, sir," he said quickly.
Shifting Steam - 88
Wells laughed. "Come on," he said, and they
followed Justin upstairs.
***
The food came up almost immediately behind them.
The servant set places for three at the table in front of
the window, unloading another tureen of soup, a platter
of sausage, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of wine. Justin
washed from the pitcher of water that stood next to a
bowl on a small table against one wall. Wells knew that
his master detested being dirty, especially with the grime
of the city, and he did, too. He washed behind Justin,
and then beckoned the boy to do the same, while the
servant brought in an extra chair. As soon as the man
had withdrawn, with a coin from Wells in his pocket,
Justin pulled the curtain across the glass and sat down
with a sigh.
"Better?" Wells asked, serving his master soup and
slicing the bread, which was thick, crusty, and fresh,
before sitting down himself.
Justin just growled and began to eat.
Avery approached cautiously, the smells of the food
clearly irresistible.
"Sit," Wells said, ladling soup into the bowl at the
boy's place. The soup had pieces of fish in a broth rich
with herbs.
"I--" The boy hesitated, eyeing Justin warily.
Wells laughed and patted the chair. "He's quite
charming when he's full, Avery."
The boy slid into the chair, scooting it closer to
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