His family had always treated him with the utmost care, as if because of his accident as a youth and then because of his unusual intellect, he needed to be sheltered from the nuances of everyday life.
Unfortunately, he’d taken their care for granted, had never even voiced an appreciation for that care, and over the years, he’d undoubtedly turned into a most self-centered gentleman.
It was an uncomfortable truth, but now that he’d become aware of it, he was going to have to remedy matters and with all due haste.
Family, he was beginning to realize, as well as friends such as Theo, was far more important than any invention or scientific discovery. Friends and family made life enjoyable, a notion he’d only begun considering after becoming acquainted with Beatrix. She was a lady who enjoyed life to the fullest and embraced the experiences life offered.
“What do you think he’s doing?” Norman heard Oscar ask. “He’s gone all glassy-eyed.”
“He does that all the time when he’s figuring out a mathematical equation. No need for concern.”
“I’m not figuring out a mathematical equation,” Norman said right as the barber returned with a different pair of scissors in his hand.
“Then what were you thinking about?” Gemma pressed.
“I was thinking about Alice being in Paris and me not realizing that. However, speaking of my world-traveling sister, I believe she gave me an identical vase to the one you broke.”
Gemma’s little face lit up. “She did?”
“Indeed, and because my vase is collecting dust in my closet, I’d be happy to give it to you, but only after you tell Constance what happened to her vase.”
In the blink of an eye, Gemma was by his side, surprising him when she threw her thin arms around him and gave him a hug, holding on for a good few seconds.
“Thank you, Uncle Norman. I won’t forget this,” Gemma said, stepping back.
“You’re welcome, and with that settled, how about you rejoin Oscar so my barber can get on with seeing after my hair?”
“Looks to me as if your hair hasn’t been seen after for months,” the barber, Mr. Farley, said, snapping open a cape that he drew around Norman as Gemma scampered away. “What would you like me to do with this today?”
Norman dug into his pocket, pulling out a folded-up advertisement Theo had ripped out of a Harper’s Bazaar fashion magazine. He handed it to Mr. Farley. “I’ve decided I’d like to look like this man.”
The barber glanced at the page. “You’re certain you want such a dramatic change? This gentleman’s hair is cut remarkably short.”
Norman nodded. “According to research I’ve been doing with a friend of mine, ladies are said to be partial to shorter hair on gentlemen these days.”
“Ah, so you’ve got a certain young lady in your sights and want to impress her, do you?”
“At this point, I’m only hoping that she doesn’t get annoyed with me so often.”
“Tricky business there,” Mr. Farley said as he began sprinkling a great deal of water over Norman’s head.
It took Mr. Farley forty-five minutes to cut and shape Norman’s hair, during which Gemma and Oscar kept wandering up to join him, both children voicing their opinions on the progress Mr. Farley was making. After taking a final snip of Norman’s hair, Mr. Farley stepped back and nodded to the children.
“What do you think?”
Gemma’s nose wrinkled as she considered Norman. “You don’t look like my uncle Norman anymore.”
“Who do I look like, then?”
“You look like a man of business,” Oscar said when Gemma seemed to be at a loss for an answer.
“Do I really?” Norman asked as Mr. Farley handed him a mirror and then told him he’d be back directly to brush away all the stray bits of hair from Norman’s neck as well as to shave him.
“I don’t know what everyone is going to make of this new you,” Gemma said slowly as Norman held up the mirror, blinking at his reflection.
Gone was the dark, untidy hair that was always hampering his view, replaced with a style that looked exactly like the advertisement he’d given to Mr. Farley. “He must really want to impress a girl,” Oscar declared loudly, drawing the attention of every gentlemen getting a cut or a shave in the barber shop, all of whom then sent him knowing looks.
“Who is she?” Gemma asked, stepping closer to Norman.
Finding it more than peculiar that he was now being interrogated by an eight-year-old, Norman was spared a response when Mr. Farley returned, shooing the children back to the bench so he could attend to shaving Norman.
Two hours later, and after Norman treated Gemma and Oscar to an early lunch at one of the restaurants in the Palmer House Hotel, he stepped out of the hansom cab he’d rented and onto Prairie Avenue, turning to help Gemma to the ground while Oscar jumped out on his own.
“When are we going to get the parts for the peddle-boat?” Gemma asked, surprising him when she took hold of his hand as they walked toward his mother’s house.
“I’ll see to getting all the parts tomorrow because I’m meeting up with Theo today to do some shopping.”
Gemma gave their entwined hands a swing. “I never knew you and Theo enjoyed shopping.”
“It’s a recent development, but I won’t be shopping tomorrow, so if your tutor is still under the weather, you and Oscar may return here tomorrow afternoon after I’ve had an opportunity to get all the parts needed for your boat.”
“We’re going to help you build it?”
“It’s your boat, Gemma, so yes, you should help build it.”
“How much do you think those parts are going to cost me?”
“You’re eight. That’s hardly old enough to worry about paying for parts. I’m buying everything.”
Gemma gave another swing of their hands. “You’ve never bought me anything before.”
“I suppose I haven’t, so I’d best put some effort into making up for that unacceptable lapse.”
“Mother’s been afraid there’s something wrong with you, and I think she may be right. You’re acting odder than
