“Can I ask you something, James?”
His dark eyes sparkled. “Sure, sure, whatever!”
“Is it scary when you go through the portal?”
From her vantage point from across the small lounge, Cassandra watched, and listened to her son with amusement.
After a moment he smiled and spoke. “Well, I wasn’t scared. Excited, actually. Besides, I was focused on finding my mother.”
Cassandra smirked, but no one noticed.
“And what about when you were in prison? I do not think I could have handled an experience like that.”
“Well, yeah, that was scary. But I knew they’d figure out a plan to get me out. Don’t worry, though. I’m sure that nothing like that will happen to you.”
“Will you come and get us if we don’t come back on time?”
“Of course! That’s why I’m on the team. I’m going to be here on June seventh to help oversee your return. ”
Cassandra rolled her eyes.
“James,” Jake called from the control board, “could you come over here?”
“Excuse me,” James said, as he rose and swaggered into the other room.
Cassandra could see, although Evie could not, Jake smack James on the back of the head. Suppressing a laugh, she looked over at Evie and shot her a reassuring smile. She didn’t blame the young woman for feeling nervous. This was always the moment when she felt most tense herself. It didn’t help that there was a flock of fans teeming around the door outside the lab. Try as they had to keep this trip from the press, word had leaked. Cassandra found the whole scene intensely annoying. Her own best-selling book was one thing; Evie’s art groupies were another.
Cassandra scratched at a place on her calf where the crinoline petticoat was poking her. Shannon, the clothing designer, glared at her from her post in the doorway between the rooms, her arms folded sternly across her stout body. Cassandra straightened her back and crossed her ankles, but her hands strayed to the pockets of her dress where money had been sewn in, to reassure herself it was still there. Then, extracting a small hand mirror from her bag, she checked her face and hair. She looked plain, she thought, without makeup. Her eyebrows, eyelashes, and lips were permanently dyed with subtle color, something that most modern women did, but she was so used to it, it had just become part of her face. She glanced enviously at Evie, who was looking down at her lap, smoothing a wrinkle in her dress. Her eyelashes were extraordinarily long, curly, and black. Cassandra wondered if they were natural. Her wine-colored lips wore a perpetual and alluring pout. There was a small cleft in her perfect chin, and when she smiled, as she now did, looking back up at Cassandra, dimples appeared in her youthful cheeks. She was wearing a subdued, gray woolen dress, form fitting through the torso, with a graceful, full skirt. The sleeves were long, and the bell shape near the wrist was set off with black satin ribbon. The same ribbon accented the neckline, the waist, and ran down the front of the bodice, which closed with jet buttons. Cassandra’s own dress was equally reserved. The chocolate brown color matched her red-headed complexion, and she wore a small, amber pin at the neck as her only ornamentation. She knew she was attractive for a woman of her age; her skin was firm, the curves of her face pleasing, but not even the restorative processes she employed that made her look close to twenty years younger could allow her to compete with someone of Evie’s extreme beauty. She sighed and began to hum a Bach fugue, then stopped. She had to stay focused.
The minutes passed quickly, and before she knew it, Jake was calling to them. “Okay, ladies, let’s have you in here.”
They stood, gathering their handbags and shawls, and moved into the control room. James and Yoshi hurried to grab their luggage and squeezed it in along with everyone who was crowded into the small area.
“Yoshi,” said Jake. “Place Cassandra’s bags in the chamber.”
He did so as Cassandra studied the monitor. There was no indication of human life in the alleyway of the portal exit.
“Get ready to go, Cassie.”
She quickly hugged her colleagues and Professor Carver one last time, kissed James on the cheek, and gave Nick a peck on the mouth. She could feel him trying to prolong the kiss but she pulled away. He gave her a searching look, but she ignored it. She couldn’t deal with his getting emotional, and felt glad for the four-week break from him. She stepped into the chamber and took a deep breath, glancing around to make sure her luggage was all there.
“Okay, here we go!” Jake cried.
Abruptly an alarm sounded, and everyone exhaled.
“Wait,” Jake said. “Someone’s standing in front of the alley.”
The person came into the monitor’s sight, paused, and then passed out of it. Although it was Thursday, May seventh in 2122, the same date was a Saturday in 1853. They’d chosen the day for a variety of reasons, one being that on a busy Saturday night, there was more chance of them finding an available hackney coach driving by. The downside was that there might be more people about. But the almanacs they’d checked from 1853 had shown that it was an especially cold May that year. They were hoping that the people who were out and about would be driving rather than walking, and that the streets wouldn’t be too busy.
They waited another moment. “Let’s do it,” said Jake. “Here you go, Cassie, Good luck!”
He activated the travel mode. The chamber doors slid shut. There was a humming sound, and Cassandra’s form disappeared from behind the opaque panel. Evie gasped.
One minute later, the doors slid open.
“Get in, Evie,” Professor Carver said.
She grabbed him and hugged him for reassurance, blew a kiss to the assembled room, and stepped into the chamber as James placed her luggage next to her.
“Bye,” he said with a grin.
“Bye,” she replied with a scared smile.
The scientists all eagerly watched the monitor. Cassandra’s highlighted form appeared, accompanied by her two large bags. They all sighed in relief.
They watched as Cassandra moved through the darkness beyond the confines of the alley, paused, and then stepped out onto the sidewalk. They could see the forms of two people pass by her just then, a woman and a man. Cassandra appeared to nod and they returned the greeting.
Everyone in the control room held their breath. In the chamber, Evie could feel sweat running down her sides from her armpits. She tried to take long, slow breaths. The scientists could see on the monitor Cassandra turn and look behind her into the alley.
“Now! Do it!” Nick cried.
“All right,” replied Jake. “Here we go. Here you go, Evie!”
She gulped and tried not to panic. Jake activated the travel mode, the chamber door slid shut, and she disappeared from site. The eyes of the team members remained on the monitor while two more people walked past Cassandra. Then someone appeared to stop in front of her.
“Shit!” Jake hissed.
“No!” Nick whispered to the person. “Keep going!”
They could see that it was a man she was speaking to, and in another moment, he continued on. They all let out a communal sigh. The next second, Evie appeared in the alleyway and they all cheered. They watched as she picked up her bags, and moved out onto the sidewalk with Cassandra. They saw the two women hug, then pick up their bags and move out of sight of the monitor.
Chapter Four
We were taken to a big house. This one belonged to a family with children, all as kind as could be. They put us in the attic with food and water and cautioned us to be quiet. We slept, but sometime in the night we heard shouts and yelling. We clung to each other, scared as mice. We heard the dogs, and we knew it was Master that’d found us. We heard the father of the house talking and arguing and we heard the babes crying and the mother settling them down. Our hearts broke for the trouble we had caused. We could hear snatches of the conversation at the door.
“Yeah, I seen ’em,” said the father. “They come by here looking for some grub but I sent ’em away.”
“Where’d they go?” we heard Master say.
“Don’ know and don’ care,” the father said. “I don’ want no runaway niggers hangin’ around these parts.”
“Those three mighty valu-ble. There’d be a lot a trouble for anyone hidin’ em,” threatened Master.
The father got angry at this and told Master not to be telling him what he knew perfectly well. Finally, Master and his men gave up and went away.
We stayed there through the next day. The woman told us that we were just across the border in Virginia. We knew we had come from a place in North Carolina called Ahoskie and we were heading to a place called Philadelphia, but that is all we knew. She said we had still a long ways to go.
From Caleb Stone’s narrative, as remembered by Dr. Cassandra Reilly
*****
When Cassandra emerged from the portal, she gasped at the cold and the smell. She grabbed her bags and moved out of the alleyway, in case anyone should come along and see her loitering. As she stepped onto the sidewalk, a couple walked by, startled at her sudden appearance. She tried to stay calm and simply nodded a greeting. They responded and hurried past. Few people were on the avenue, and all of them were urged quickly on, it seemed, by the cold. A policeman approached and her heart started to pound, knowing Evie would appear at any moment.
“Good evening, ma’am,” he said with an Irish lilt.
“Good evening,” she responded, smiling politely.
“Is there anything I can help ya with?”
“No, no, I’m waiting to flag a hackney coach.” Please go away, she thought.
“Can I help you with that?”
“Oh no, I am fine.”
“Very well,” he said, looking at her askance. “If yer sure—”
“Yes, yes. Thank you for your kindness.”
“’Ave a good night then.”
“You too, officer.”
The man continued on his way, and when he had gone about twenty feet, she heard the sound of Evie gasping. She turned to look while the young woman gathered her bags and hurried towards Cassandra, tears in her eyes.
“That was awful!” She sobbed and fell into Cassandra’s arms.
“Shhh, it is going to be fine. You are here now, and we need to get off the street.”
Evie shook herself and wiped her eyes. “Yes, of course.” She looked around wide eyed at the dimly lit streets. “It is so beautiful! But it stinks!”
Cassandra laughed. “You will get used to it.”
Just then a hackney coach clattered up Broadway and Cassandra recognized it amongst the variety of other carriages.
She called out loudly, “Oh, sir!”
The vehicle lumbered to a stop, and the two women grabbed their bags and hurried over to it. The driver hopped down off his perch. “Let me help ya with yer things, ladies.”
He looked from one woman to the other before grabbing a suitcase and flinging it into the back of his carriage. “Where y’ goin’?” he asked as he worked.
“The Dylan Hotel,” Cassandra replied. “Do you know it?”
“Yeah, sure.” He put the last bag into the vehicle. “I am afraid there’s not too much room left, but I think ya can squeeze in. Let me help ya.”
Evie stepped forward and he took her hand, stared a moment at her face, then, as if remembering his place, turned away and went to assist Cassandra. He then climbed up on top and spurred on the horses. They turned left onto Thirteenth Street from Broadway.
“Cassie, it almost seemed like he recognized me,” Evie said breathlessly.
“Recognized you?”
“Yes, he stared at me.”
“Well, of course he stared at you, you are attractive. It is natural.”
“I just thought for a moment that—”
“Evie, the year is 1853. No one knows who you are.”
“Yes, of course. That will be hard to get used to.”
Cassandra nodded, for lack of anything else to say, and looked out the window as the coach jolted and bounced along the cobblestone roads. It was dark—the streets lit only by an occasional gas lamp, and few other vehicles passed them now that they were off the avenue. Dim candlelight shone from the windows of the homes lining the streets of the residential neighborhood they were passing through. She was grateful that the novelty of the sites kept Evie quiet for the time being. She needed to gather her wits about her.
Soon the carriage turned left onto Fifth Avenue, where the houses loomed grand and opulent. The imposing brownstone buildings, three and four stories high, were all similar in style, some ornamented tastelessly with statues and gargoyles, great wrought-iron gates of complex design guarding their entrances. Others were somber, the tall front windows swathed from within with heavy drapes; no glimpse was allowed into this world. The smoke that curled from their chimneys gave a mere hint at the lives of the privileged occupants. Cassandra imagined a woman of her own age, curled up on a divan, reading a selection from her vast library, or perhaps, locked in some inner struggle with the boredom and uselessness of her life, pacing in her parlor, waiting for the return of her husband who had left her neglected as he enjoyed a night of billiards with—
“Oh look!” Evie called out as she pointed to a handsome home. Cassandra craned to look while the coach turned right onto the more modest Waverly Place.
Within moments they were pulling up in front of a gray, stone building, two lamps flanking the entrance, an iron fence enclosing a thin strip of flower garden where newly emerged tulips slept, waiting to bloom. A wooden, painted sign over the arched front doors proclaimed DYLAN HOTEL. The coachmen leapt down and opened the carriage door. Once the ladies emerged, he pulled down their luggage, and Cassandra fished money out of her bag.
“How much, sir?”
“Twenty-five cents, please.”
Practiced in handling the money, Cassandra quickly extracted the coin, plus an extra nickel for a tip.
“Thank y’ kindly, ma’am.” The driver took it and hurried into the hotel. Moments later he emerged with a bellman who snatched up the bags two at a time and carried them inside. They waited while he came out for the rest, then said goodnight to the coachman.
The hotel entryway was quietly elegant. The floor was made up of green and white marble tiles. Candles in a chandelier burned above their heads, and a front desk of red mahogany reflected its light. Behind the desk stood a thin, elderly man, looking at the travelers expectantly. The bellman put their bags down near the desk and stared at the two women while the clerk addressed them.
“How may I help you this evening, ladies?” His accent was refined.
Cassandra spoke as Evie looked about at the surroundings. “We need a room for two, long term, possibly a month.”
“We have the finest set of rooms in the hotel available,” he said brightly. “They are on the third floor, two bedrooms, a sitting room, a dining area, and a private bath. I think you will find them to your liking.”
“It sounds perfect,” said Cassandra with great relief. “We shall take it, at least for tonight. In the morning, may we confirm the length of our stay?”
“Yes, of course.” He paused. “May I ask for the balance of the night’s stay in advance? It is ten dollars.”
“Certainly,” she answered. She removed the money from the bag, securing in her hand a tip for the clerk and the bellman. She paid for the room, and the bellman started hauling the bags up the green marble staircase on their right.
“Will you be requiring refreshment this evening, ma’am?”
She looked at Evie, who nodded. “Yes, whatever you have will be fine. Something very light before bedtime.”
“I shall have a bit of supper sent up immediately.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Thank you,” Evie said. They were the first words she had uttered to anyone other than Cassandra. The clerk glanced at her and inclined his head. Cassandra handed the man his tip, indicated to Evie to go ahead, and they both ascended the stairs. At
the top of the third-floor landing, they found a door open and the bellman inside lighting a fire. When he had finished and closed the door behind him, Cassandra sank down onto a sofa and covered her face with her hands.
Evie rushed to her side and sat next to her. “What is it?” she asked.
“Nothing.” Cassandra took a deep breath and looked up. “It is just that these first few moments are always the hardest to get through.”
“Oh, I thought it was only me that was frightened.”
“No, no, I am not frightened, just a little tense. Do not worry. We are fine. We are here now, we are safe. We have this beautiful suite.”
The two women looked about at their surroundings of shining wood parquet floors scattered with hand-woven carpets; brocade upholstery upon the chairs, sofa, and divan; marble-topped tables polished to a high shine; brass lamps and candleholders set about the room. The suite was brightened by their glow, and the fire that had been lit by the bellman was now crackling in the hearth. A gilded mirror hung above the marble mantelpiece and reflected large windows covered with heavy, floor-length drapes that kept out the cold. The women took it all in silently for a moment.
“We are here,” Evie finally said. “We are really here!” She paused and took a breath. “I have to confess something, Cassie.”
Cassandra started to speak but Evie cut her off.
“I am a little nervous that I will not pass for white.”
Cassandra had not even considered it. “So far,” she began, “I think you are absolutely passing, because I did not see any hesitation from the desk clerk. Tomorrow we will get more of a sense of people’s reactions, but I think it is going to be fine.” She took Evie by the hands, suddenly struck by the importance of being the young woman’s guide during their journey, maybe even a sort of mentor. She thought of what next to say to mark the momentous occasion.
“Thanks,” Evie replied quickly. She squeezed Cassandra’s hands and then let go. She stood up abruptly. “Let us see the bedrooms.”
Cassandra let the impulse for further comment pass. She stood and followed Evie through a doorway to the left. The bellman had deposited Cassandra’s bags there, in a charming room furnished with a canopied bed in a light-green floral print, a large armoire, a small writing desk and a dresser, all of shining walnut. A door led from the bedroom into the bathroom, literally a room for bathing only. An elegantly shaped copper tub dominated the space, which also contained a chair, a small stand for soap, and a standing rack for the large drying sheets that served as towels.
The Time Heiress Page 4
