I wanted to tell her it was because he had proposed to me, but I reminded myself of what Drew had told me when we arrived. No one knew about our secret interludes. If we let them know now, it would be obvious that we had gone behind Catherine’s back, and it would look bad for my reputation. Plus, Drew had to approach my father with his intentions so my engagement with James could be broken properly.
But I could plant the idea in my mother’s head. Because if the plan worked tonight, and we succeeded in stopping my death, Drew and I would get married in the past … well, in what would now be the future.
And then we could have a future when we returned home.
“I believe it’s important for Mr. Carmichael to marry for love,” I told my mother. “He doesn’t love the Lady Catherine.”
“And he cared enough about your thoughts on the matter to deliver the news himself?”
I felt myself blush. “I believe so.”
“Now that he is no longer engaged, Mr. Carmichael would be quite the catch—even more so than Mr. Williams,” my mother said thoughtfully.
“He would be,” I agreed.
“This certainly changes things,” she said, and I saw a glint in her eyes that meant she was devising a plan. “Now, we mustn’t delay in preparing for the ball. Tell Taylor to get your new dress ready. You need to look your best tonight! And be sure to wear the earring that Mr. Carmichael took time delivering to you today—you wouldn’t want to seem ungrateful for his troubles.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” I said before hurrying up to my room to prepare for the night ahead. “I wouldn’t at all.”
CHAPTER 26
I’d always imagined that preparing for a ball in the Regency Era would be a spectacular experience. It looked so elegant on television and the movies.
Unfortunately, I discovered that as lovely as the clothing and hairstyles were back then, they were severely lacking in modern conveniences that I was accustomed to in the twenty-first century. I missed the minty freshness of Crest toothpaste, and smooth conditioner for my hair. At least my maid, Taylor, wrestled with the tangles and was able to somewhat tame my curls.
Also, the bath was the first I’d taken in years. While it was pleasant, I couldn’t imagine a world without showers. This bath was only for the special occasion of the ball, and while I wasn’t sure how often people bathed in the Regency Era, it certainly wasn’t daily. I wondered if they felt dirty all the time, but I supposed they didn’t know the difference.
When I finished getting ready, I was pleased with the outcome. The light-blue dress matched my eyes, and the gloves that traveled up to my elbows made me feel elegant—like I was a real Regency lady. Taylor did my hair in a gorgeous up-do, pinning my curls to my head and leaving a few stray strands to frame my face.
I wore the garnet ring under my glove, and hoped no one would notice it. It would be less suspicious to leave it in my jewelry box while I was out, but I didn’t want to let it out of my sight, since it was the way back to the future.
I traveled to the ball in the coach with my parents. Having my parents together in this life was strange, because in my present day life they had been divorced for years. But divorce didn’t happen as often in the 1800’s. I tried not to think about it too much, though. This wasn’t really my life—my real life waited for me in New Hampshire in the twenty-first century. However, the ball we were going to would be the only time I would have such an experience. I was determined to enjoy it as much as I could.
When we pulled up to the Givens’ estate, I wondered how they paid for it, since the family was having money problems. That was the main reason why Catherine’s mother was insistent that she marry Drew—so his fortune could save their family from financial ruin.
Walking inside the marbled foyer felt like stepping onto the set of a period movie. I wanted to admire the elegant furniture as though in a museum, but it was important that I find Drew and Chelsea. The time travel had worked for Drew and he was in the body of his past self, but I couldn’t say the same for Chelsea, as I had yet to speak to Catherine.
It didn’t take long to find the two of them talking by the dance floor. Catherine looked beautiful in a bright red dress, and Drew seemed at ease in his formal Regency attire, like he was born to wear it.
Once they spotted me, they waved me over. I hurried through the crowd to their side. Not many people stopped me to say hi, and to those who did, I was able to pretend like I knew who they were. No one suspected a thing.
“We need to find somewhere private to talk,” Catherine said the moment I approached. She looked similar to Chelsea in present day, except her face was rounder and her hair done up in curls. I had never seen Chelsea do anything with her hair other than iron it straight.
“I’m assuming it worked?” I needed to verify that this was Chelsea I was speaking to, and not Catherine.
“It did.” She nodded. “And I’ve been through an absolute horror. I’ll explain when we’re alone.”
“It’s your house,” I told her. “Lead the way.”
Everyone was so busy dancing and having fun that they didn’t notice the three of us going from the ballroom to the library. We received a couple of strange stares, but I tried not to worry about it. It might not be Regency custom for two women and a man to leave the ballroom to find somewhere private to speak, but I was only going to be here for a few more hours. My past self would find an excuse for my behavior tonight, such as I wasn’t feeling well.
Claiming a headache always explained breaches of etiquette for ladies in the novels I read.
Chelsea closed the door behind us when we arrived in the library. Luckily, no one else was in there. They were all probably too busy having fun in the ballroom.
“I arrived at the worst moment ever!” she exclaimed.
She clearly wanted some prodding, so I asked her to continue.
“This is the day Drew told me he was breaking our engagement, and I got here when Catherine was telling her parents,” she said. “I couldn’t believe how angry they were at her—as though it were her fault! They were telling me I had to do everything in my power to sway him back to me tonight. They nearly cancelled the party, but ultimately decided it would provide a good opportunity for Drew and I to get back together.”
I bit back saying anything. In the past, that was exactly what had happened. Catherine had seduced Drew in this very library, and the moment I saw them together was when I bolted outside and got into my carriage with James at the reins—the carriage that had crashed and caused my death.
“I couldn’t believe the amount of pressure they were putting on me,” Chelsea said. “They truly believe it’s up to me to marry a man rich enough to save our family from financial ruin, as if they weren’t the ones who got us in this situation in the first place! I never thought I would say this, but I can’t wait to get back home, where all I have to worry about is whether or not I’ll get into my top choice college.”
I was about to agree with her, but apparently she wasn’t done her rant.
“Also, these dresses are pretty, but so uncomfortable. I feel restricted with this much fabric; it’s nearly impossible to move without worrying about where each part of my dress is at all times.” She put her hands on her hips and huffed, apparently done complaining.
“We’ll only be here for a little longer,” I told her, trying to calm her down. “All we have to do is make it through the night, and ensure that I arrive home safely. Once tonight is over, we can go home.”
“So you’re saying we just have to have fun at the party, make sure you get home safe, and then we can go back?” Chelsea seemed relieved at the prospect.
“That’s the gist of it,” Drew said. “We have to stay until the end of the night to make sure Lizzie goes home with her parents and not James.”
“It shouldn’t be hard,” I added. “There’s no way I’m letting James drive me anywhere.”
“I suppose it doesn’t sound difficult,” Chelsea said, although she didn�
��t look thrilled. “Except that I’ve had a bunch of guys request to dance with me tonight. Most of them are boring, and I would never dance with them at a party at home. But here, a lady isn’t allowed to turn down a gentleman when he asks for a spot on her dance card, so I had to say yes. Now I’ll have to put up with them all night.”
“It’s only one night,” I said, although I hoped I wouldn’t get too many invites to dance that I wanted to turn down, too. Drew was the only person I wanted to dance with, but I remembered enough from my past to know the rules. It was improper for ladies to dance more than two dances with a gentleman, unless they were engaged.
While Drew and I were engaged, it wasn’t public, so dancing together all night would be quite the scandal. Doing so would surely complicate matters for my past self once I returned to my own time.
“Instead of counting down the minutes until we’re home, we should look at this as a historical experience,” I decided. “How many times will we have the opportunity to dance at a real Regency ball? We should appreciate it while we’re here.”
And appreciate it I did.
* * *
My favorite parts of the night were the two dances I shared with Drew, but the dances with the other gentlemen were not as torturous as Chelsea had made them sound. The men were quite proper; they engaged me in pleasant conversation, and none of them made any inappropriate moves. It was a welcome change from how guys expected girls to be all over them on the dance floor in the twenty-first century.
Once James arrived, the two of us shared three dances, since we were engaged and I didn’t want to cause a scene by breaking the engagement in public. He had the same easygoing attitude as Jeremy, so I didn’t mind spending time with him. I hoped that after our engagement was broken he would find someone good for him. Maybe someone similar to Keelie.
At midnight, supper was served, featuring cold meats, cheeses, bread, and champagne. There were also sweetmeats and pastries, along with coffee and tea.
When the meal was over, it was finally time to leave. I felt good about the mission. The first time this happened, my past self had left the ball before supper. She would have been dead on the side of the road by this time. Now I was here, barely able to hear the storm raging outside above the music and chatter of the party. The worst of the rain had passed, and there was only a drizzle when I looked out the window.
I didn’t want to get optimistic too soon, but it felt like I had changed my fate.
Drew approached me at the end of the night. “I requested that your driver inspect your carriage before you leave,” he said, softly enough so only I could hear. “To make sure it will be safe to ride.”
“Thank you,” I said. It was sweet of him to do that, although we both knew the crash happened because of the storm and James pushing the horses to run faster than they should have in the icy weather. “It seems like we succeeded, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” he said. “But the night isn’t over yet. We’ll know for sure once you’ve made it through to tomorrow. Then our past selves can live their lives, and we can go home to ours.”
The knowledge that I would finally be safe and not have to worry about my impending death felt freeing and wonderful.
My family’s driver, Mr. Patricks, entered the room, and Drew and I walked over to him.
“Mr. Carmichael.” He shifted uneasily and cleared his throat.
“Do you have a report on the carriage?” Drew asked.
“I do.” He looked at me in concern and returned his focus to Drew. “Perhaps I should share it with you where there are no ladies present.”
“Miss Davenport can hear whatever you have to say,” Drew said.
“Very well,” Mr. Patricks replied. “Although I’m afraid it’s not good news.”
Drew’s eyes hardened. “Continue.”
“It’s a good thing you requested I inspect the carriage before our departure tonight,” Mr. Patricks said nervously. “As it appears it has been tampered with. If anyone were to have taken it back to the Davenport’s home, they wouldn’t have made it halfway there before suffering what I fear would have been a rather grave accident.”
I digested his words, shocked at what this news implied. “You’re positive this was someone else’s doing?” I asked. “The coach wasn’t simply in need of repair from daily use?”
“I am certain.” Mr. Patricks frowned, looking offended that I doubted his expertise. “I take great care in managing the upkeep of the carriage. It was in fine condition before leaving for this evening. The only explanation for its current state is that sometime during the festivities, someone went outside and tampered with it.”
I opened my mouth, but found myself unable to speak. Someone had tampered with the carriage? Who would do such a thing? Because if this was done on purpose, it meant …
My head spun at the only possible explanation, and I reached for the nearest end table to steady myself.
“Would you allow me to speak with Miss Davenport for a moment?” Drew asked Mr. Patricks. “In private?”
Mr. Patricks appeared alarmed by the request, and he looked at me to see how to proceed. It went against social protocol for an unmarried man and woman to be alone with no chaperone, but right now I didn’t care about protocol. I needed to talk to Drew.
I nodded to Mr. Patricks that I was fine with Drew’s request. He didn’t look comfortable with the situation, but it wasn’t his job to instruct me on how to behave.
“Certainly.” He bowed and made his way to the exit. “I’ll find Mr. and Mrs. Davenport and speak with them about the delay.”
Drew waited for Mr. Patricks to disappear around the corner before speaking.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” he asked in a dark voice.
“Yes.” I raised my eyes to meet his, unable to believe this revelation. “The crash that was supposed to have happened tonight wasn’t an accident.”
Drew nodded. From the haunted look in his eyes, I could tell he was as shocked as I was.
As much as I didn’t want to say the words aloud, I had to acknowledge the meaning behind this discovery.
“It was murder.”
CHAPTER 27
The news of the incident resulted in my parents speaking with Catherine’s parents about how to go about fixing the coach and returning home, which allowed Drew, Chelsea, and me to speak privately in the library. We informed Chelsea about the recent discovery, and she looked just as shocked as we were.
“This means we won’t be going home tomorrow morning, doesn’t it?” she guessed once we finished telling the story.
“Of course that’s what it means.” Drew looked at her like she was an awful person for thinking anything else. “We can’t leave knowing that someone is trying to murder Lizzie.”
“We don’t know if Lizzie’s the one they were after,” Chelsea pointed out. “Her parents also rode with her in the carriage, as did the driver. Couldn’t it be one of them that this person wants to get rid of?”
I shivered at the way she said it—get rid of. As if a person was a piece of trash that could be discarded.
“I don’t mean to be insensitive.” Chelsea must have noticed how what she’d said had upset me. “I’m only trying to look at this from all possible angles.”
“It was me they were after.” I tried to sound as confident as I felt.
“How do you know?” Chelsea asked, her arms crossed.
“It’s just a feeling,” I said. “The darkness that I felt after you did your spell hasn’t gone away. Whoever tried to kill me tonight failed, and I would say it’s highly likely that they’re not going to give up easily.”
“But who would want to kill you?” Chelsea asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“I hate to ask this,” I said, “but you would know if it was Catherine, right? Obviously you wouldn’t want to kill me, but Catherine isn’t entirely the same as you, and she has reason to hate me. Especially after Drew broke the engagement with her earlier t
oday, and with the pressure from her parents to marry him.”
Chelsea looked shocked that I could suggest such a thing. “Catherine’s angry at you because she suspects your relationship with Drew, but we were close friends in those lives, too. Even if she wished you didn’t exist because then you wouldn’t have messed things up with her and Drew, she would never take action on those thoughts.”
“That’s what I was hoping,” I said, relieved. “But I had to make sure.”
“So it wasn’t Catherine,” Drew said, pacing in the center of the library. “Who else could hate Lizzie so much that they would want her gone?” He stopped pacing, and looked dead on at Chelsea and me. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this. And then, we have to bring an end to it before we can go home.”
“Bring an end to it, how?” I didn’t like the sound of that.
“I don’t know,” Drew said. “We’ll worry about that once we figure out who’s behind this.”
I wished I’d read more mystery novels instead of the romances I enjoyed. Maybe then I would be better prepared for what we were about to face. As it was now, I had no idea where to start.
A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts.
“Come in!” Chelsea chirped, as if we hadn’t just been discussing how someone wanted to murder me.
“Am I interrupting something?” Catherine’s mom, Lady Givens, asked. She swayed when she walked through the door, and the complicated up-do in her dark hair was missing some pins, leading me to believe that she’d had a lot to drink during the course of the evening.
“Miss Davenport was quite distressed after learning about what happened to her family’s coach, so the Lady Catherine and I thought it best for her to take a few minutes to collect herself away from prying eyes,” Drew said. “Your guests are having an excellent time tonight, and we didn’t think it wise to let them know there is something amiss.”
“How thoughtful of both of you.” Lady Givens gave Drew a grateful smile, and then turned to me. “Miss Davenport, I’m sorry you had to go through such a scare tonight. Lord Givens and I promise to do everything in our power to figure out who is responsible for this. But if you may, I hope that this inconvenience does not become a source of gossip. I wouldn’t want anyone to worry about their safe passage home at my future parties.”
Timeless (Transcend Time, #2) Page 12
