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Clockwork Heart Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The Clockwork’s fair was growing ever closer but Percy, Stretch and Millie were struggling to find the time to get together and even contemplate assembling their design. It made the young Clancy sick to the stomach to think that their big opportunity could be lost all because her father was determined to keep her trapped within her metaphorical ivory tower.

The young woman eyed her preferred choice of attire that was hung over the back of her armchair beside the window. Her gaze remained there for several seconds before she allowed her eyes to traverse the distance to the floor length mirror had gifted her with only the day before in reparations for another family meal he missed.

Millie eyed the her form, turning side to side, taking particular care to note the way that this dress showed more of her form that she would ever deem appropriate for society. But she could not refuse to wear it for the dress had been bought especially for tonight. It was the singles ball unofficially. Only those who had not been betrothed already could attend. Millie hated the very idea of attending. She felt like a pig going to market to be bartered over and sold.

Pinning the ends of her hair back, she thought that she looked rather appealing even to her own eye. The only problem she had was the large streak of blue now running through her white blonde strands. She had been handling a chemical earlier on in the day which combined with some of the various powder and metals she used had created a formula. Its potency when applied to hair was to change the colour and leave the hair permanently altered. She would have to find the technique socialites used to whiten their hair. She would not survive her father’s wrath if it were permanent.

Her dress was fortunately a pale blue that made her skin and hair appear radiant and ensured that she did not look completely ridiculous with a streak of blue woven into her locks. Fingering the lace cuff around her wrists, she snorted at her father’s task.

She looked too girly and too much of a show for the men, her rather adequate breast were almost spilling out of the top and though her father would not have to endure seeing his daughter dressed thus, she would have the eye of every male on her tonight for as surely as she was blonde, was as surely that the men would not be able to look her in the eyes with such distractions at their vantage point. Her cleavage would be at perfect viewing height for the peanut gallery.

Sometimes, she thought bitterly, height really was a disadvantage.

Deciding nothing more could be done to protect her modesty, Millie picked up a cardigan that had been laid out thoughtfully by Emma and swung it over her shoulders.

Downstairs, Percy waited by the door. His hand which had been holding onto the door handle clenched tight as his eyes fell upon her. His mouth opened and closed several times while his gaze was drawn involuntarily to the place she was most conscious of.

Millie cleared her throat causing him to startle and blush as his free hand came to rub sheepishly at the back of his head.

“Sorry Mimi,” He choked out before startling into standing position.

Millie closed her eyes and winced before daring to look over her shoulder. The expression on her father’s face was enough to bring goosebumps up the length of her covered arms. She was relieved that his attention was not on her and yet she felt guilty because her father was glaring holes in Percy like he was the cause of all evil .

“It’s okay Cogs,” She whispered under her breath before turning to face her father.

Her arms crossed over her chest in a poor attempt to hide what Percy had found so alluring but failed miserably. She hoped in the back of her mind that her father would balk at how much of her was on show. Surely he would attempt to protect her modesty, she tried to comfort herself. But after ten mere seconds of examining her attire, the man just nodded his head stiffly and grunted incoherently at her. Then before she could question him, he exited as swiftly and silently as he had arrived.