by Bess McBride
Everyone nodded, but an uncomfortable silence ensued. Stephen filled the void.
“Yes, we remain at our cabin on Lake McDonald but returned to town for a few days to take care of some business matters. Robert and Ellie Chamberlain are still there. You may know that Rory stayed with us for a few days while photographing the area for the National and World Magazine.”
“Yes, I heard,” Mr. O’Rourke said. He glanced at his son with a veiled expression.
“I hope you are well, Mr. O’Rourke?” Stephen offered. He sent Rory a pointed look, but Rory seemed to ignore him and sipped a glass of wine.
“Yes, thank you for asking. Well, it was good to see you, and you as well, ladies. Good night.”
“Good night, Mr. O’Rourke,” Annie, Stephen and Dani said in unison. They watched him walk toward the young woman but no one at the table spoke. Rory gulped his glass of wine and poured another.
The waiter brought their food, stalling further discussion for the moment.
“The news will be all over town soon, so I might as well tell you that my mother asked my father for a divorce. He is temporarily living at the hotel.” Rory grimaced.
“Oh, Rory,” Dani said. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I wish the best for both of them.”
“Yes, of course,” Stephen said on a gruff note, patting Rory on the back again.
“She is determined,” he said. He looked up and directly at Annie. “So, you will return the day after tomorrow? Did I understand that correctly?”
“So soon,” Annie murmured. She lowered her eyes, fearful that everyone at the table would know how madly in love with Rory she was. She couldn’t stand the thought of leaving, and even the knowledge that she might be able to come back again failed to lessen her misery.
“Yes, it is soon,” Rory said. “I had hoped to show you so much more of our time.”
“Marie wants to go home,” Annie said, as if she spoke only to him.
“I do!” Marie chirped. “I won’t ask you to come with us, Dani, but please tell us every detail so we know what to expect.”
“There’s not much to tell really. Make sure you’re asleep before you get to Wenatchee. If you want to take something or someone with you, make sure you’re holding it. You’ll wake up on the modern train, probably without a ticket, but you’ll be all right. You’ll wake up in the clothes from 1906, but that’s okay, too. Everyone will think you’re either really old-fashioned and eccentric or a re-enactor of some sort. And if you want to come back, just reverse the process, but make sure you have your ankle-length dress with you because people flip out when they see jeans or leggings or shorts.”
Dani looked to Stephen. “Did I cover everything?”
“I think so, my dear. I understand your desire to return home to your loved ones, Miss St. John.”
“Well, I’ve got one of those, but Annie’s a free agent,” Marie chuckled.
Stephen and Rory looked at each other in confusion, and Dani laughed. Annie rolled her eyes.
“She means single and unattached, dear,” Dani said to Stephen.
“Hey, Rory, we never asked.” Marie slid her eyes toward Annie, who stiffened at her sister’s coy look. “Are you single and unattached? Annie thought you might be engaged?”
“Marie!” Annie protested.
Dani laughed. “And that’s how we do it in the twenty-first century, gents. We just ask.”
“Well, not all of us,” Annie muttered.
Rory caught her eye and flashed his brilliant smile. “I cannot imagine why you thought I was engaged, Miss St. John. I am not. I am, as you say, ‘single and unattached.’”
“There’s your answer, girls,” Dani said with a chuckle. “So, what happened to your trip to Japan and China, Rory?”
Rory’s smile evaporated, and he cast a quick glance toward Annie. “That is still pending. The ship sails in two weeks.”
“And you said you’d be gone for six months, right?”
“Approximately, yes. It could be longer.”
Annie’s heart shriveled. Six months? Without Rory? Single and unattached Rory? Even if she could find a place to stay and a job, what would be the point if Rory were gone?
“Oh!” she said with a catch in her breath. “I didn’t know you were leaving,” She knew she wasn’t hiding anything from the perceptive Dani, or even her own sister, but she hoped she sounded nonchalant enough to keep Rory from discovering how devastated she was at the news.
“Yes,” he sighed. “I thought to have your situation resolved by then. And now I find that you will have returned to your home long before I leave for the Orient; therefore, you will no longer need my assistance.”
Annie wanted to shriek, I’ll always need you, Rory. Always! But she pressed her lips together and toyed with her food. Her stomach tightened, and she tried to breathe as she fought against the tears that threatened to erupt.
“Ladies, if you decide to stay or even if you decide to go back and then return, I can help you out. I’ve been here long enough so I know the ropes.” Dani’s voice softened.
“Thank you, Dani,” Annie said, turning to Dani. “I appreciate that.”
“No problem,” she responded with a sympathetic smile. Annie had the feeling that Dani saw right through her, saw how she felt about Rory.
Dani went on to ask about the details of their arrival in 1906, and Rory’s experiences with them. At the end of their meal, Dani and Stephen rose, and Dani took Annie’s hand in her own to pull her close and whisper in her ear.
“Do what you want, Annie. I know your sister wants to return, but you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I meant what I said. I can help you here. You can even stay at the my house for as long as you need, or you can come back to Montana with us.”
“Thank you, Dani. I think Marie and I have to talk about it, though. I’m not even sure this is right for me.” She waved a vague hand around the room, unconsciously including Rory, who stood talking to Stephen and Marie, in her gesture.
“I’m sorry he’s leaving so soon. I’ll bet he is too,” Dani said. “From the sounds of it, I don’t think he can delay his trip, but I’ll bet he wants to. I’ve known Rory for about five years, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen that look on his face.”
Annie turned a startled look on Dani. “What look?”
Dani surveyed Rory and turned back to Annie. “Well…” She paused. “You know that look men get when they’re in love? That kind of vulnerable softening? Like a puppy rolling over on its back?”
Annie couldn’t help grinning at the image of Rory exposing his underbelly. “I think so.”
“Well, Rory’s got it, and he only does it when he looks at you. I don’t know what you did to him, but I think he’s in love with you.”
Annie’s heart rolled over, and she leaned back to search Dani’s face.
Dani nodded. “Yup!”
Annie looked toward Rory and chuckled nervously. “If that were really true, I’d be the happiest woman on earth.”
“So, you’re in love with him too? That was fast! I knew it though from the way you look at him.” Dani beamed. “So, what are you going to do? Does Rory know how you feel?”
Annie shook her head. “No, and please don’t tell him either, Dani. I don’t want him to feel obligated or…” Annie wasn’t sure of what she wanted, and she couldn’t make sense of her chaotic thoughts. “He’s going away for a long time, and I don’t know what I’d do here without him, to tell you the truth. I can’t live off of you, and I don’t know how long it would take me to get a job. And honestly? I don’t think I would stay if it weren’t for Rory. You have to admit life is a bit harder here than in 2012 or 2013.”
“They look ready to go. Let’s talk about this tomorrow. I’ll send a carriage for you tomorrow morning…about ten o’clock? You can come to my house and have tea. I hate to leave Marie out, though. That seems rude, and yet I don’t think we can talk privately if she’s there. She seems resistant to any thought of y
ou staying here.” Dani bit her lip and looked toward Marie, now walking with Stephen and Rory as they left the dining room.
Annie nodded. “Yes, I think that’s true. She’s a late riser, and doesn’t really like to get out of bed before ten. I’ll leave before she wakes up, with a note saying I’ve gone for a walk. She’s getting used to my early morning forays into the city streets.”
“It’s a plan!” Dani said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Annie and Marie said good night to Dani, Stephen and Rory, and headed to their room.
“Well, thank heavens for Dani Sadler,” Marie said as they walked down the hall. She looked around and spoke in a low voice. “I can’t believe this has happened to other people. Makes you wonder how many people have traveled back here, or why?”
Annie shook her head. “I have no idea.” To find love?
“Well, the ‘why’ question would be your thing anyway,” Marie said, “since you inherited Mom’s curiosity gene. I’m more interested in how we get back. It doesn’t sound too complicated.”
“No,” Annie answered flatly. Her heart ached.
They reached the room and entered it.
“What’s up, Annie?” Marie asked. “Oh, come on, you don’t really want to stay here, do you?”
Annie removed her gloves and stepped out of her shoes before dropping into one of the chairs. She eyed her sister.
“And if I did?”
Marie stared hard at her then tossed her head. “Don’t be silly. You can’t stay here. It’s ridiculous. I’m not going to let you. I’ll drag you on that train kicking and screaming if I have to.”
Annie jumped up to face her taller sister. “Don’t talk to me like that, Marie! I’m not a child. You don’t have the right to tell me what I can and cannot do.”
Marie’s eyes widened. They rarely argued. “What are you thinking, Annie? That I’ll go back on the train and leave you here? How am I supposed to do that? Just leave you in the past? Gosh, Annie, if you stay here, you’ll be dead when I get back. How am I supposed to live with that? And for what? Because you have a crush on Rory? He’s leaving. How are you going to live? How are you going to make money? Can’t you just accept that we had this little adventure and let it go? At least come back with me now just so we know we can jump through time again. Then you can decide what you want to do after you’ve been home for a while and things get back to normal.”
Marie sank into a chair, and Annie crossed over to the mantle to stare into the cold fireplace.
“Yes, my desire to stay here probably is about Rory. I know he’s leaving, and I hate the thought. Dani said I could stay with her as long as I needed to. What about if you go back day after tomorrow if you want, and I follow in two weeks after Rory leaves?”
“I think we should go together, Annie,” Marie said. “I’m afraid if you don’t, you might not be able to get back to 2013. You are the only family I have since Mom and Dad died. I don’t want to lose you, too. I love you.”
A tear slipped down Annie’s face. “I love you, too, Marie…and I’m in love with Rory.”
“But he’s leaving, Annie.” Marie’s voice softened. “What good will that do you?”
“I just want to be with him until he leaves.”
“Has he asked you to stay with him until he goes?”
Annie shook her head. “No, it never came up. I didn’t even know he was leaving until today.”
“What if you get stuck here and can’t get back? Rory leaves. Then what?”
Annie shrugged. “I don’t know. Get a job?”
“Doing what, Annie? What kind of graphic design do they have around here?”
Annie turned to look at her sister, defeat weighing heavy on her shoulders.
“None, I’m sure. Maybe I could paint billboards.”
“Come back with me day after tomorrow. Please, Annie.” Marie’s face crumpled. She never cried.
Annie moved toward her sister and knelt beside her to cradle her hands.
“Please don’t cry, Marie. I’ll go. You’re right. This has been fun, but it would be silly for me to stay. I have no job here and no money. Rory will be gone, and there’s no use fantasizing about a relationship that might just be all in my head.” Annie gave her a watery smile. “Stop crying. You haven’t cried since Mom and Dad passed away. It’s painful to see.”
Marie rubbed her cheeks with the sleeve of her dress. “I know.” She squeezed Annie’s hand. “I know this is hard for you, Annie, but I think it’s best. Maybe I haven’t been spending enough time with you at home. I promise I’ll leave Alex at home and do more with you.”
Annie almost chuckled but didn’t have the heart. “Hmmm…tall, dark and handsome Rory, or my tall, blonde and beautiful sister. What a choice.”
“I’m not making you choose between us,” Marie said. “You’re just picking the most realistic thing.”
“If you say so, Sis. Nothing, though, has felt more real to me in my life than Rory does.”
“You’re such a romantic,” Marie said. “We’ll find you a modern tall, dark and handsome guy.”
“I never thought of myself as romantic,” Annie murmured. “But no…no guys for me. I don’t think I’m every going to feel like this again…about anyone.”
Chapter Ten
Rory motored down to the hotel around ten o’clock the next morning. Though he had not planned any daytime activities with Annie and Marie the previous evening, he had an overwhelming desire to see Annie, to reassure himself that she was still there, that she had not jumped the morning train and returned to her own time just yet.
For all that he had scoffed at the notion of time travel, a part of him had known there could be no other explanation for the sisters’ sudden appearance on the train. Discovering that Dani Sadler and Ellie Chamberlain were also from the twenty-first century made absolute sense. He remembered thinking that Annie and Marie shared similar dialects with Dani and Ellie.
Though Dani had reassured him she knew of no other time travelers, he searched the streets with curiosity. Were there others? Had any of the pedestrians strolling the sidewalks traveled through time? Did time travelers always travel to the early twentieth century? Dani said she had arrived in 1901. He remembered meeting her in the restaurant of the Hotel Seattle so many years ago. If so, what was it about their era that was so attractive to time travelers? Or did they have a choice? It did not appear as if Annie or Marie had a choice about where they traveled. And why had they traveled? What catalyst had brought Annie and Marie or Dani and Ellie to the 1900s? Dani and Ellie had fallen in love and married.
He determined to stop by and visit with Dani and Stephen that afternoon to ask them their thoughts on the matter.
Having arrived at the hotel, he knocked on Annie and Marie’s door. There was no answer, and he returned to the lobby to look into the dining room. Annie and Marie were not at breakfast. Had they gone for a walk? He stopped by the desk.
“Have you seen Miss Annie St. John or Miss Marie St. John this morning? They were not expecting me, but there was no answer at their door.”
“Yes, Mr. O’Rourke. I did see Miss Annie St. John leave about ten minutes ago, through the front door. I have not seen Miss Marie St. John this morning.” The clerk smiled politely.
Rory’s heart sank. Not again! Annie had not gone out by herself again. There was no telling what new accident might befall her.
“Thank you,” he said hastily. He bolted from the lobby and ran down the front steps of the hotel to scan the street. Traffic moved slowly, streetcars taking the right of way while pedestrians and carriages waited for the cars to pass. He couldn’t see Annie anywhere and did not know if he would recognize her as he had no idea what she wore that morning.
He returned to the hotel and hurried up the stairs. Where was Marie? He knocked on the door again.
Finally, the locked clicked, and the door opened. Marie stood inside in a blue wrapper rubbing her eyes.
“Where is Annie?�
� they asked in unison.
“She left a note saying she’d gone for a walk,” Marie said.
“The front desk said she left over ten minutes ago, but I didn’t see her in the street. Do you know which direction she might have gone? I really do not think it is wise for her to wander the streets alone.”
“I don’t either. Let me get dressed, and I’ll go look for her.”
“No, I will go, Miss St. John. I will make better time if I am able to search through the streets for her alone. It is much too congested to try to drive my car with any speed, and I must go on foot. You should wait here in case she returns and worries that you have gone out without a companion.”
“Okay, I’ll wait.”
Rory hurried out of the hotel once again and made a more concerted effort to find Annie now that he was certain she was no longer in the hotel. For the next several hours, he roamed the streets, stopping often to peer into shop entrances. No Annie. He thought of waylaying a policeman but wondered if that act might be precipitous. Perhaps she had returned to the hotel while he was out, and he had missed her. His heart raced. Downtown Seattle during daylight hours was a relatively safe place for women, unlike the waterfront, but he worried about Annie and her predisposition for mishaps.
He almost ran back to the hotel. Just as he came around the front of the building, he saw Annie stepping down from a carriage. He strode up to her.
“Where on earth have you been?” he demanded.
Annie jumped, so startled was she, and he immediately regretted accosting her.
“You scared me, Rory! I’ve been to Dani’s house if it’s any of your business.” Annie’s eyes looked mutinous, and Rory regretted his hastiness even more.
“I apologize if I frightened you, Annie, it’s just that I have been searching for you for hours. I was worried about you.” Rory tapped on the carriage to signal the driver he could leave.
“Oh, really? Well, if I’m not mistaken, I told you on the train that you don’t get to talk to me like that. You don’t own me…or Marie! I appreciate all your help, Rory, I really do, but you’re leaving and…” Annie suddenly broke down into tears and buried her face in her hands.
