by Bess McBride
“No, thank you, Ellie. Your note sounded urgent. Is everything all right? How can I help?”
Now that Constance had arrived, Ellie’s grand scheme suddenly looked foolish.
“If you don’t mind, I think I’ll just have a cup. Are you sure?”
Constance looked at her curiously and acquiesced. They sipped tea for a few minutes while Ellie composed her chaotic thoughts.
“I need your help, Constance.”
“Yes, so you said in your note.”
Ellie’s face burned. She had to be insane asking a stranger for help.
“I’m sorry to trouble you, but I don’t know many people here.”
Constance tilted her head. “You know Robert.”
“Yes, well, that’s just it. This is about Robert.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie saw Constance stiffen.
“I see,” she murmured.
“Oh, no, it’s not what you think, Constance. You see, I need to leave the house. Then I’ll be out of your hair and out of Robert’s hair.”
“My hair. Whatever do you mean, Ellie?” Two bright spots of color shown on Constance’s pale skin.
Ellie turned a frank look on her. “You know what I mean, Constance. It’s obvious that you have a crush on Robert...that is...that you care for him. That’s what I mean by out of your hair.”
Constance dropped her cup onto her saucer and put the cup down. “I-I...well, I... Is it that obvious?” she murmured.
“It is to me. I share the same problem as you.”
“You are saying that you too...care for him?”
Ellie drew in a deep breath and released it. She nodded. “Yes, I do. I think I’m in love. So you see, we are both in the same boat.”
From the shocked look on Constance’s face, Ellie thought the dark-haired beauty was going to jump up and stalk out of the room, but she tightened her lips and stayed in place, her eyebrows raised in inquiry.
“Ellie, I do not know why you are here or where you really came from. I must speak frankly. I wish that you were not here. Since you first appeared, Robert has hardly spoken two words to me. I thought he and I were close friends. In fact, I hoped...” She picked up her tea again and studied the inside of the cup.
“You hoped that he would ask you to marry him?” Ellie knew she took a chance with the woman’s good graces, which she really needed at the moment.
Constance threw Ellie a self-conscious look and nodded.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “I did.”
Ellie stared down at the light blue oriental carpeting, fighting an unexpected blast from her own jealous furnace. Constance hadn’t revealed anything Ellie didn’t already know, but to hear her say it aloud was painful. She took a deep breath.
“Well, you might still get your chance. As I mentioned, I need to leave the house, and it should be in such a way that Robert knows I’m okay but doesn’t know where I am.”
“Why?” Constance asked bluntly. She narrowed her eyes and watched Ellie’s face closely.
Ellie colored. “I-I have outstayed my welcome. Robert and his family have been very kind to me, but I can’t live off their generosity forever. The truth is...I-I’m not staying in Seattle. I will be leaving soon, though I’m not sure when. I-I’m just waiting on a letter from my parents. They’ll send word when they are settled in their new house and I can return home.” Ellie could hardly keep up with her convoluted lie, but she did the best she could with little sleep and a heart that ached.
“I see,” said Constance though her puzzled face showed that she clearly did not.
“I know it doesn’t make sense right now. So difficult to explain. My parents. Such odd creatures, really.” Ellie babbled on till she was out of breath.
“And how can I help you, Ellie?”
“I need to find a boarding house. I have a piece of jewelry that I need help selling so I can pay for my room.”
Constance drew in a deep breath and stared into the distance.
“This sounds so irregular, Ellie. Are you sure? Have you ever been to a rooming house?”
“No, but I’ve read about them. I was hoping you could find a suitable one, perhaps one for working women.” A small smile broke through. “If I have to stay here long, I’ll have to go to work, so...”
“Work? What could you do?”
“I can teach, Constance. I am a teacher by profession.”
“Really? How interesting. Yes, now that you mention it, I do recall a boarding house for professional women. My next-door neighbor has a sister who runs such a house. I will make inquiries right away. When do you need to leave?”
Ellie swallowed hard. “Today, right now.”
Constance turned to stare. “Ellie, that is impossible. What has happened to make you run from this house? Are you in trouble? Did Robert—” Her soft face hardened, and her eyes flashed unexpectedly.
“No, no, nothing like that, Constance.” Ellie’s face flamed. “I simply need to leave. I hope you understand. If you are as hopelessly in love with Robert as I am, you’ll understand.”
To Ellie’s surprise, Constance shook her head. “In this situation, I do not understand. I enjoy Robert’s company very much, but I have not been hopelessly in love since my husband died.” She paused and stared into the distance with a small smile. “I loved him like no other.” She returned her gaze to Ellie. “I care for Robert a great deal. He was very kind to me when my husband died, but I am not madly in love with him.”
“Oh,” Ellie murmured, momentarily stumped. How was that possible? Who wouldn’t be madly in love with a charming, arrogant, kind, rash, affectionate, debonair man with laughing eyes like Robert?
“I did hope to marry again some day, and Robert would make a very suitable husband, but...” She quirked a wry eyebrow in Ellie’s direction. “I think his interests lie elsewhere.”
Ellie swallowed hard. Another wave of color heated her cheeks. “Well, not with me, that’s for sure. We hardly know each other. And as I said, I’m going to be leaving at some time in the near future. I don’t think it would be right to continue to live off his largesse, as it were.”
“I understand. From what I know of Robert, he does need a woman who is willing to stay with him. It is a shame that you cannot move to Seattle permanently.”
Ellie bit her lips. “Oh, well, you know. My duty lies with my parents. They need me.”
“I understand.” Constance rose. “Well, I have much to do if I am to find you rooms before the end of the day. What is the jewelry that you will be selling? I do not think you will need the money today, but you might need some pin money by tomorrow if you are to be on your own.”
Ellie pulled a ribbon out from beneath the high lace collar of her shirtwaist blouse and showed Constance the white-gold diamond engagement ring dangling from it. Bought too large for her finger, Kyle hadn’t gotten around to having it resized, so she’d worn it around her neck.
Constance gasped, wide-eyed. “Oh, my word. I have never seen such a beautiful ring. It must be worth a fortune.”
Ellie chuckled. “Not really, but I hope I can get a reasonable amount for it.”
“It almost looks like... Is that an engagement ring, Ellie?”
Ellie grimaced. “It was.”
“I had no idea.”
“It’s over.”
“Oh!” Constance replied. “I am sorry to hear that. Well, we can take it to a pawnshop tomorrow. For now, I must hurry. If I am able to obtain a room for you, I will send a note to you with the address. I will meet you there.”
Ellie reached to hug the taller woman. “Thank you, Constance. Thank you! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
“Of course, Ellie. I will have the carriage wait for you when I send the note.” She left the room like a woman with a mission, and Ellie felt infinitely better than she had all morning.
She returned to her room and waited for news. While she waited, she considered her situation. She could not possibly take Me
linda’s clothing, and yet she really couldn’t walk around unnoticed in her oversized sweater, denim skirt and clogs. In addition, she had to say goodbye to Melinda and Mrs. Chamberlain...and Robert.
Ellie sat down and pulled out paper and the irritating pen that dripped blotches of ink all over her letters. She penned a thank-you note to Mrs. Chamberlain, a more sincere and affectionate note to Melinda telling her she would have to borrow at least one set of clothes until she could obtain her own, and a final note to Robert—that broke her heart and set her to sobbing—with words that seemed trite and contrived.
How could she tell him she was leaving because she was in love? How could she explain she thought it best to remove herself from his existence now, while he was merely infatuated with the thought of a time traveler and before they grew closer? Before she disappeared back to the waking world or her own time? How could she say he needed to get on with a life based in reality—as did she?
Her reasons for leaving seemed foolish when written down, but she was as sure as she’d ever been in her life that she had to go. She loved him too much to have him wake up one morning to find her gone. Ellie squashed the inconvenient thought that, if all went as planned, he would simply come home that day and find her gone.
After several false starts and crumpled pieces of paper, she finally decided on the best approach to make him forget about her. She told him she was engaged.
She left the letters on the dressing table, knowing one of the maids would find them later. Noon had come and gone. A carriage pulled up, and Ellie peeked out the window, expecting to see a messenger with a note. She panicked when she saw Robert descending. Having made her decision to go, she could not face him. He might come looking for her. She ran to the door and locked it. How would she get out of the house without his knowledge? He would surely hear a carriage arrive.
Ellie pressed her head against the door and waited. She heard footsteps in the hallway. They paused at her door for a moment. She felt sure he would hear the pounding of her heart through the thick wood. She held her breath. An eternity seemed to pass in a few moments, and then he moved on down the hall to his own room.
Ellie tiptoed away from the door and peeked outside the window. She had no choice. She would have to make a run for it when the carriage came. Hopefully, the messenger would have good news. Otherwise, she’d look quite the fool jumping into a carriage only to be tossed right back out onto the street.
An hour passed. She heard Melinda’s voice in the hallway, a whispered conversation with Alice, and then silence as Melinda descended the stairs. Ellie crept back to the window again. Melinda and her grandmother climbed into the carriage. She wondered where they were going. Perhaps to someone’s house for tea. Ellie thanked her lucky stars for having the foresight to tell Alice that she had a headache and wanted to sleep.
Ellie bundled her clothes together and continued to wait. She heard the thud of horse’s hooves and the jingle of a carriage’s livery. She looked down again. A strange carriage. A short man stepped down from his seat beside the driver, an envelope in his hand.
This was it! Ellie grabbed her things, pulled open the door and dashed down the stairs. She reached the front door before the messenger knocked and startled him by swinging open the door, grabbing the note and flying toward the stairs.
“Come on, let’s go! I’ll read it on the way.”
The surprised messenger hurried down the stairs in her wake, handed her up into the carriage and jumped up beside the driver. The carriage started forward with a jerk.
Ellie opened the note. Constance wrote that she’d had success and had instructed the driver to deliver Ellie to a particular address where she would meet her.
“Ellie!” She heard a shout behind the carriage. She peered through the window and looked back at the house. Robert stood at the bottom of the steps staring after the carriage. He waved his arms over his head to signal her. “Ellie, wait! Where are you going?” The carriage drove on, his shouts unheeded by all but the sobbing passenger inside.
****
Robert watched the carriage distance itself from him. He was certain Ellie had seen him. Where was she going? And in whose carriage? Why didn’t she stop when he called?
If he’d had his druthers, he would have jumped into his own carriage to follow, but his grandmother and Melinda had taken it for the afternoon, leaving him stranded. He could certainly send someone to hire a private conveyance, but he would have no idea where Ellie had gone.
With a last look at the settling dust where the carriage had disappeared down the road, Robert turned back toward the stairs. He looked up at the house. Perhaps Melinda’s maid, Alice, would know where Ellie had gone. He took the stairs two at a time, hoping against hope that Stephen Sadler had not come by to pick her up for an outing. Would Ellie go with another man? An inexplicable sense of impending trouble drove him at full speed into the house.
His heart raced as he grabbed the banister and hauled himself up the stairs to the second floor.
“Alice?” he called. “Alice?”
The tiny redhead popped her head out of Melinda’s room, several piles of clothing in her hand. Her eyes widened when she saw him. Suddenly winded, he bent double and struggled to catch his breath for a moment.
“Yes, Mr. Chamberlain? Are you all right?”
Robert nodded and swallowed hard. He straightened. “Yes, yes. Thanks. Do you know where Miss Standish has gone, Alice?”
“Miss Standish, sir?” Alice stared at him.
“Yes, Alice, Miss Standish. She just left in a carriage. Did she say where she was going?”
Alice shook her wide-eyed head. “No, sir. I didn’t know she had left the house. She told me to say she had a headache and wished to stay in her room.”
Robert dropped his head and shook it, turning away with slumped shoulders. Perhaps she would return soon. He had no need to worry, either about her safety or her possible disappearance. He suspected that if the worst came to pass—if she indeed returned to her own time—it would occur as fast as her appearance, through whatever portal she had arrived. And he would know.
“Is there anything else, Mr. Chamberlain?”
“No, thank you, Alice,” he called over his shoulder as he eyed Ellie’s door. He moved slowly toward the door and laid a hand against it. It wasn’t proper, but he simply could not resist. He wanted to smell her scent, to reassure himself that she had not vanished as suddenly as she came.
He pushed open the door and slid into the room. The bed was made, the room tidy. He crossed to the bed and ran his fingers across the pillow where her head had rested. He imagined her beautiful hair flowing across the pillow as she lay next to him. Would she lie next to him one day? Would his dreams come true?
Robert turned to leave the room and noticed several envelopes lying on the desk. His own name handwritten on the top envelope caught his attention, and he grabbed the white square and ripped it open. With a sinking heart, he read:
Dear Robert,
Thank you for everything you have given me over the last few days. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for your kind assistance on the train and the hospitality of your home.
I must go, Robert. I have made arrangements to stay elsewhere in the city, and I do not want you to try to find me. This is best for both of us. I cannot bear to hurt your feelings, and I am afraid I might if I stay with you any longer.
There is no graceful way to say this, so I will just blurt it out. I am engaged, Robert, to a man in Chicago, a man from my time. When I wake up from this wonderful dream, he will be there beside me, and I owe him my loyalty.
Please forgive me for running away like this. I could not look into your eyes and speak without stuttering.
Take care, Robert.
Ellie
Robert crushed the letter to his forehead and sagged onto the desk chair. He could not think straight. Pain seared through his chest. He could not breathe. Where had she gone? Why had she run from him? Engaged? Had he misr
ead the sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him?
He lowered his fist and pressed open the letter once again, angry that he had crushed it. If the small white missive were all he had left of Ellie, he planned to treasure it. He straightened his shoulders and lifted his head. This was not over! He jumped up!
“Alice,” he roared.
Alice came running down the hall and into the room. Her brown eyes threatened to pop out of her head.
“Mr. Chamberlain, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Tell me everything you know about Miss Standish’s activities today.”
Chapter Twelve
After a tearful journey that seemed to last forever, the carriage delivered Ellie to an older Victorian house in downtown Seattle. She stepped out to meet Constance, who waited on the steps of the house.
“Constance! I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done.”
“I am happy to help, Ellie, though your puffy face tells me that this decision has been difficult for you.”
Ellie nodded but did not trust herself to talk.
“Come inside. Mrs. McGuire runs this rooming house. It is for ladies only. They will be sitting down to supper soon. Are you hungry?”
Ellie followed Constance up the wooden steps to a lovely, narrow, rose-colored, three-story house. Mrs. McGuire, a plump, gray-haired, motherly sort, met them at the door.
“Welcome, Miss Standish. It is a pleasure to have you. Please step into the parlor. May I offer you some tea? Dinner will be ready within the hour.”
Constance answered for her. “Yes, please, let’s have some tea, Mrs. McGuire. I think Miss Standish could use some refreshment.” Ellie demurred, but Constance insisted.
Mrs. McGuire showed them into a comfortable room at the front of the house and left them alone while she fetched the tea. The soft rose and blue colors of the room served to soothe Ellie’s jangled nerves. Lace curtains at the tall bay windows muted the light. Ellie sank onto the velvet rose sofa and took off her hat to ease the aching in her head. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.
