Train Through Time Series Boxed Set Books 1-3
Page 22
“Me, Miss Douglas?” Stephen shook his head with a kindly concerned smile. “I am not a hallucination, I can assure you of that.” He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “Is there someone I can call for you? A family member? A traveling companion? The steward?” He chose his words carefully. “You seem...confused.”
Miss Douglas tilted her head sideways and eyed him. “That’s an understatement.” Without warning, she jumped up. Startled, he rose hastily.
“I think I’ll just head back to my seat.” She hurried to the carriage door and pulled it open. A rush of wind and a strong smell of coal sent her reeling backwards, and she lost her footing again, falling to the floor. Stephen jumped forward to close the door before coming to her aid. The woman really did need assistance. Where was the steward?
“I should have warned you that we have picked up speed, and the train is jostling a bit.” He half carried her back to the bench. She seemed disoriented. “Miss Douglas? Perhaps a glass of water? I am not sure why the buffet is not open. There should be a steward here serving tea at the least, although the hour is late.” Stephen poured her a glass of water from a nearby jug and offered it to her.
She took the glass as if in a trance and drank from it, scrunching her nose and peering into the glass before handing it back to him. He replaced it on the table with the thought that she certainly had the oddest behaviors.
“Look,” she began. “I really don’t know what’s going on here. This isn’t the observation car. At least not the one I was in. And this doesn’t look anything like the train I’m supposed to be on.”
“I beg your pardon?” Stephen was at a complete loss.
“We don’t use coal in our trains anymore, Stephen. And I definitely smelled coal.”
Stephen blinked at her ready use of his first name, but he quite enjoyed the sound. It had a familiarity he was not used to.
“May I ask where you are from, Miss Douglas?”
“Originally Montana,” she replied almost mechanically, again studying the interior of the carriage with a bewildered expression. “But I live in Seattle now.”
“Ah! That explains it!” Stephen said before he could bite back the words.
Miss Douglas quirked an eyebrow and returned her gaze to him. “Explains what? Because if there’s something that explains anything, I’d like to hear it.”
“Forgive me. I shouldn’t have said anything. But it explains your particular form of address, your ease with societal rules.”
“Societal rules? What on earth are you talking about?”
“Well, your...mode of attire, for example!” he offered. His cheeks heated, and he cleared his throat.
She followed his eyes to her legs.
“My jeans? So, you think I wear jeans because I’m from Montana?”
Stephen, who had actually thought just that, hastily amended his words at the look on her face.
“No, certainly not. Well, perhaps. Well, you might be a cowgirl for all that I know.” Stephen thought he neared the mark. Yes, a woman from a Western ranch, that was it!
“A cowgirl!” She laughed, a high-pitched sound that lacked amusement. “This is nuts! I think I should ask you where you’re from, Stephen. If you tell me the turn-of-the-century, I’ll believe you. Your own...uh...mode of attire seems a little bit outdated.”
Stephen stiffened and surveyed his dark suit, newly delivered from the tailor only two weeks prior to his trip to Chicago.
“I beg your pardon,” he said. “My suit is most certainly not outdated. It is quite new, I assure you.”
“Well, Stephen, I don’t know what to say. You might want to rethink your tailor.”
“Rethink my tailor! What unusual expressions you have, Miss Douglas.”
“For Pete’s sake, just call me Dani.” She eyed him narrowly. “Let me see that newspaper, will you?”
Stephen handed it to her. She flattened it and stared at the front cover. Her face paled even more so than normal, and she squinted to study it more carefully.
“What is it, Miss Douglas? Which article has captured your attention?”
She lowered the newspaper and stared at him with that irksome assessing glance again as she surveyed him. She really was the most brazen woman!
“Miss Douglas. Really, I must insist—”
“I’m reading the date, Stephen. The date of the newspaper. It says September 15, 1901.”
“Yes?”
“1901, Stephen,” she repeated. “1901. The turn-of-the-century.”
“Yes, Miss Douglas. That is correct.”
“I must be dreaming...or this train is traveling backward in time.”
“Miss Douglas, you really do say the most extraordinary things. I fail to understand your meaning. This is not a dream.”
“When I got on the train, it was September 17, 2012.”
Chapter Two
“2012?” Stephen stumbled over the date. “Impossible,” he said with a shake of his head.
“I know,” Dani murmured.
“You are suggesting you have traveled in time, Miss Douglas. Time travel is simply not possible.”
“I know,” Dani repeated.
“So, it is not even possible in your time,” Stephen said.
“What do you mean, my time? If you don’t believe in time travel, then why are you asking about my time?”
Stephen acknowledged his mistake. “What I meant to say was...the time you think you are from.”
“You know, Stephen, if I thought I could just walk out that door, I would,” Dani said with narrowed eyes. “But I’m pretty sure if I try, I’ll either fall of the train...or jump.”
“Oh, come, Miss Douglas. Surely not jump. I understand you are at present confused about the date, but that seems too drastic an act.”
“Well, what would you do if you woke up on a train a hundred and ten years in the future?”
Stephen pondered the question for a moment before responding.
“I cannot imagine such a thing,” he said quietly. “Would you be there?” He smiled unexpectedly, the expression lighting up his sky-blue eyes. Dani blinked. She studied his face for a moment as she hadn’t before. Handsome would describe him perfectly. Well-cut sandy blonde hair framed a strong face and firm chin. His mouth, partially hidden by a thick blonde mustache, appeared to be generous and full. She could see his hair had a tendency to wave away from a widow’s peak which he appeared to take great pains to control, and she wondered what it would look like if left to its own desires. Gorgeous, she imagined.
“Me?” Dani blinked. “I’m sorry. What was the question?”
Stephen shook his head and dropped his eyes for a moment. “It was nothing, a foolish comment.” He rose to pace the floor. “The question should be, what can we do to assist you, Miss Douglas?”
Dani shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea. I guess I’ll just wait till the train gets to Seattle and see if things change then. I’m probably dreaming anyway, so maybe I’ll just wake up, and this will be all over.”
Stephen paused for a moment and bent near her bench. He picked up her crocheting and handed it to her.
“Does this belong to you, Miss Douglas?”
“Yes, it does! See? I was in the observation car, because I was crocheting. And I met a nice older gentleman, and we were going to have breakfast together. Do you see my purse anywhere? I really need that!” She stood to search the floor then dropped to her knees to look underneath the bench.
“Miss Douglas! Whatever are you doing?” Stephen’s voice cracked. “Please allow me. You should not be crawling about on the floor this way.”
Dani looked over her shoulder to where he stood.
“What? Why not?” She stilled at the shocked look on his face. “Oh, gosh, yes. 1901. The only women crawling around on their knees are maids and inmates scrubbing floors, right?” Her purse was nowhere to be found. She rotated to a sitting position, pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.
Stephen lowered himself to the floor beside her and took her hands in his.
“Please do not cry, Miss Douglas. We shall see this right, I promise you. As you say, when we arrive in Seattle, I am sure all will be made clear.”
“You don’t sound very sure about that, Stephen,” she said on a strangled chuckle. She pulled her hands from his gently, though she wasn’t quite sure that’s what she really wanted to do. In a world turned suddenly upside down, the warmth of his hands felt very real. She thought she saw a look of regret pass over his face.
The sound of the carriage door swinging open startled her, and the strong smell of coal burst through the door, along with a woman and a man.
Stephen scrambled up, and threw Dani a harried look. In one fluid motion, he lifted her onto the seat, shed his jacket and threw it down over her legs. Instinctively, maybe picking up on a vibe of Stephen’s, she tucked the coat around her legs and ankles.
The couple held onto their hats in the gust of wind which followed them in before the man managed to push the door shut.
If Dani ever had a doubt about the year, it was laid to rest by the woman’s costume. She sported a large straw hat which defied description, festooned as it was with satin roses, leaves and feathers and perched atop a faded brunette pompadour coiffure. A cameo adorned the high-neck collar of the white lace blouse peeping out from a tailored jacket of forest green cotton. A matching bell-shaped skirt, which ended just above the top of her black boots, completed her ensemble. Her posture seemed a bit awkward as her chest protruded to the front while her back curved emphasizing her backside, reminding Dani of a pigeon. Scoliosis?
“Goodness!” the woman said as she came up short at the site of Stephen and Dani. “What a struggle to reach the observation carriage. The conductor noted it would be arduous crossing the carriages while the train was in motion, but I must have my way!” She breezily moved forward into the carriage. “My husband will agree, I know.”
“Yes, dear,” the tall, slender man agreed with a faint smile. He removed his derby and ran a hand across his thinning gray hair to smooth it back.
“I so wanted to see the library and observation carriage before we reached Seattle,” the woman said. She moved forward to offer her gloved hand to Dani who took it with alarm and a quick look in Stephen’s direction.
“How do you do? My name is Lucinda Davies, and this my husband, Gerald.”
Dani opened her mouth but nothing came out—an unusual situation for her.
“Stephen Sadler, Madam, at your service.” He made one of those charming little bows of his. “My...wife, Mrs. Dani—Danielle Sadler.” His cheeks bronzed but he pressed on. “Delighted to make your acquaintance.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sadler. May we join you?” Lucinda didn’t wait for an answer but took a seat next to Dani, whose throat had closed.
Wife! Dani almost choked. Couldn’t he have thought of something else? Sister, maybe cousin? Why not just friend? Or did the era require him to show some valid reason why the two of them were skulking about in an empty car at night?
“Is there tea?” Lucinda asked looking around.
“No, Madam,” Stephen replied. “I am afraid there is not. I have not seen a steward since I came into the carriage.”
Lucinda was having none of that. “Gerald, be a dear and run back to the next carriage and fetch a steward to bring us tea. Mrs. Sadler looks as if she could use a good strong cup.” She seated herself on the bench next to Dani, her posture impeccable.
“Oh, I’m fine—” Dani began but Stephen cut her off. Gerald obediently stood, donned his hat again, and went for the steward. The distinctive swoosh of coal-infused wind followed his departure.
“Thank you, Mrs. Davies. I wanted to fetch a steward myself but did not wish to leave my wife alone. She is not feeling well. I believe she has a sore throat, and must rest her voice.”
Stephen took a seat across from them with an innocent-looking smile directed toward Dani. She narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. He was right. It was best she keep her mouth shut, though he was obviously too much of a gentleman to say so.
“Oh, you poor dear,” Mrs. Davies cooed. “A hot toddy is what you want! Mr. Sadler, please be so good as to seek out Gerald and ask him to order a hot toddy for your wife. Some tea, lemon, honey and brandy should put her right!”
At this, Dani opened her mouth. “Oh, no, I don’t—”
“I do not think—” Stephen looked from Lucinda to Dani uncertainly.
“Nonsense. She will be right as rain. Go now! I shall take care of your wife.”
No matter how much Dani begged him with her eyes to stay, even she realized he was powerless under Lucinda’s force.
“Then, of course I will go. Thank you, Mrs. Davies.”
Stephen bent near Dani’s face. He pressed warm lips against her cheek and whispered, “Say nothing.” He pulled the jacket further up her lap by an inch to remind her not to expose her legs then he turned for the door. Dani put a hand to her cheek. The tickle of his mustache remained. He smelled quite wonderful, his aftershave or cologne some sort of combination of citrus and spice.
“What a handsome man,” Lucinda exclaimed as she followed Dani’s eyes. “You are a very lucky woman.”
Dani put a hand to her throat and nodded. Stephen wasn’t far off the mark. Her throat did hurt from the lump in it.
“We cannot very well sit here and say nothing, Mrs. Sadler, so since you must rest your voice, I shall ask you a few friendly questions, and you must nod yes or no.”
Dani’s eyes widened.
“Do you and your husband live in Seattle?”
Dani nodded.
“My husband and I do as well. And how long have you been married? Just hold up fingers.” Lucinda appeared to be enjoying herself.
Dani’s eyes darted to the door, but no hope came. She held up two fingers, wondering how she was going to pass her answers on to Stephen in case Lucinda decided to quiz him as well.
“Two years?” Dani blinked. “Two months?” Another blink. “Two weeks? Oh, you are still newlyweds!” Lucinda exclaimed without waiting for a response. “Gerald and I have been married for thirty years now. Thirty years!” She shook her head in apparent disbelief. Dani noted the massive hatpin secured the hat to Lucinda’s head and prevented it from falling off when she shook her head.
“Is Mr. Sadler in business?” Lucinda pressed on.
Dani blinked. She had no idea what Stephen did for a living. None. Besides, what was she supposed to do even if she knew? Pantomime? She coughed then coughed again.
“Oh, my dear, I am so sorry. I must not press you,” Lucinda said as she adjusted her seat to move slightly further away on the bench. “I do hope they hurry with the tea.” Lucinda looked toward the door.
As if Lucinda willed it, the door opened on Stephen and Gerald. Stephen queried Dani with his eyes, and she gave him a slight shrug. She wasn’t sure he would understand her message. She herself didn’t understand what she was trying to convey except to say she’d survived her time alone with the older woman.
“The steward is returning. The conductor stated the young man had stepped away from the carriage and should have been here to serve from the buffet.” Stephen nodded toward an area near the middle of the carriage where a serving station had been set up. Dani hadn’t noticed it before. On looking over her shoulder, she also noted the car had another exit, and she wondered if she could escape through that door...from whatever she had fallen into.
She had to chance using her voice.
“Are there anymore stops between Wenatchee and Seattle?” she eked out in a hoarse voice.
“Oh, dear, I do not know,” Lucinda said before Stephen could answer. Stephen gave Dani a sharp look, and she eyed him with her best look of innoc
ence. Gerald took a seat and picked up Stephen’s newspaper to read, seemingly unconcerned with the conversation.
“No, my dear,” Stephen replied. “There are no stops until we reach Seattle. Why do you ask?” Dark sandy brows narrowed over his blue eyes.
She shook her head and coughed.
“The poor girl, Mr. Sadler. We shouldn’t tax her anymore, I think,” Lucinda murmured. “Ah! Here is our steward!”
A white-coated steward arrived, and hurried past them to the buffet with apologies for having left the car unattended. Within minutes, he served tea and some sort of biscuits.
“And a hot toddy? Gerald, did you mention that?”
Gerald looked up from the newspaper and nodded. “Yes, dear.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the steward stated. He handed Dani a cup of tea. Even before she took a sip, she could smell the rum in it. Drinking seemed to be a really bad idea at the moment, but what was she to do?
“Drink up, dear,” Lucinda said, watching her. Dani shot Stephen a pointed look from out of the corner of her eye, and she took a sip. The hot liquid did indeed feel good as it slid down her throat, and Dani thought she might actually have developed a sore throat. Maybe it was just the smell of coal. The combination of sweet honey and sour lemon delighted her, but it was the tasty rum that made her finish off her cup in a few swallows. She set the cup down on a side table with a look of regret and raised her eyes, unaware that she’d had an audience.
Stephen looked taken aback.
Lucinda grinned. “There’s a good girl. Steward! Another hot toddy for Mrs. Sadler, please. And I think I will have one myself. To ward off any possible illnesses.” She winked. “Traveling, you know. So wearing on the body.”
Dani returned her grin. The woman really was quite the character. So she and Lucinda would get tipsy together. Why not? Maybe things would make more sense. Dani quirked a mischievous eyebrow toward Stephen who couldn’t hide his look of alarm. The man was an absolute heartbreaker with his gorgeous wavy hair, warm smile and crystal blue eyes, but he seemed to be a bit tightly wound. He could use a hot toddy—or two—himself.
Besides, she thought, this couldn’t last forever. It had to be some sort of temporary aberration, maybe a dream, probably not longer than the length of any time travel movie she had ever seen. About two hours?