LEWIS

 Six years earlier... July, 1886.

  Slipping the keys to my lab into my waistcoat pocket, I flung the door wide, ushering Lady Isabella Brouwer into the tumultuous tempest that was my world of whimsy and wonder.

     Such an event was rarer than a witch on a unicycle, as my eccentric universe was typically reserved for Frankie alone. Shrugging off my coat and cane onto my loyal leather chair, I couldn't help but notice the enchanting Isabella already absorbed in the examination of my oddball contraptions. 

     It was as if she were peering into the deepest recesses of my mind, body, and soul as she flitted from one gadget to another, her fingertips grazing each with a mix of awe and curiosity.

     My creations were like the inner workings of a madman's dream, which was why I breathed a sigh of relief as Isabella's face beamed with delight when she peered through the glass case containing my automatic telegraph apparatus. Her stunning visage was mirrored on the other side, but she remained blissfully unaware of my presence. 

     I might as well have been a ghost, hovering invisibly as she navigated the nooks and crannies of my madcap laboratory. Anyone else in her position, and not the woman who had ensnared my affections for the past month, might have earned a good scowl. Yet, somehow, Isabella's inquisitiveness warmed the cockles of my heart.

     I surmised that she recalled her duties as a guest, for she finally began to amble towards my desk where I leaned, one hand resting on the sturdy wooden surface. But before she could reach me, she paused, her eyes sweeping the room with newfound fascination.

     "Your...uh, lamps are rather dazzling in here," she noted, a tad sheepishly.

     Grasping her meaning, I strode over, stopping before her and pointing a finger skyward. Her emerald eyes followed my gesture, settling upon my crowning achievement - the Incandescent Light.

     The delight she'd taken in surveying my creations earlier paled in comparison to the marvel now shimmering in her gaze. As we stood beneath the singular bulb, I gently took her arm and warned, "Mind you don't stare too long."

     Her attention shifted from the light, not due to my caution, but because of my touch. She bore none of the horror one might expect; instead, she seemed almost... pleased.

     In a valiant attempt to hide the emotional fireworks our contact had generated, she averted her eyes, trying her hand at idle chit-chat. "It bears a striking resemblance to a flower bulb, don't you think?" she inquired, peeping up at me with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

     "Indeed, it does," I conceded, my gaze irresistibly drawn to hers.

     I offered her a sly grin, and she returned the favor with a more expansive smile of her own.

     The light above us flickered, growing brighter as if in response to the crackling energy between us. Was it trying to send a message? Nonsense. Surely not.

     I resolved to take the risk.

     I cast a swift glance at the light, then locked eyes with Isabella once more. "Would you permit me,...us, the indulgence of pretending this to be a mistletoe?"

     Venturing into uncharted territory, I edged closer, my hand tenderly cupping her blushing cheek. "It is my most ardent desire to kiss you, without the prospect of a harsh rebuke".

     "Her hands, tentative but willing, found their way to my shoulders, as she replied with bated breath, a playful smirk teasing at her lips. "My father always said my overactive imagination would land me in a pickle someday."

     "I daresay he might've been onto something," I remarked, moments before our lips met in a tender dance of affection and embrace.

     Moments after guiding her into the secluded chamber adjacent to my lab, the incandescent light bulb, which I had christened with no small amount of pride, winked out.