Against the Magic

by Donna K. Weaver

“What time is it?” Reese asked, putting an arm around the girl to keep her upright. “Do you get dizzy if you go too long without eating?”

  “Yes,” Ellen breathed.

  “Here, lie down then.” Reese stood and helped the girl to stretch out on the chairs. “I’ll get some food.”

  “You cannot go dressed like that.” Ellen pointed at Reese’s figure.

  “Right.” She looked to Lulu, who was approaching with a small bottle.

  “This will revive her enough for you to help her dress. I will return with some refreshments.”

  “Her ladyship needs something with sugar in it,” Reese said. “And some cheese too, for the protein.”

  Lulu nodded and hurried from the room. Reese took the vial to Ellen.

  “Let me help you sit up enough to sip this. It’s one of Aunt Nellie’s tonics, and it will have you feeling fine in no time.”

  “I do feel much better,” Ellen said after a couple of small sips.

  “Finish it, and then we need to get dressed. Lulu will have some food for you soon.”

  Once Ellen had swallowed the contents, it wasn’t difficult for them to get their dresses buttoned up again.

  “If you like exercising,” Reese said, closing the hook at the top of Ellen’s gown, “you might want to see about getting some clothes made for it. I can sketch you some possible designs that shouldn’t be too shocking if you only wear them inside the house.”

  “I would like that.”

  Someone rapped on the door, and Reese hurried to open it. Lulu entered with a tray, followed by a couple of footmen who carried a small table. One of the Kellworth maids spread a cloth on it, and Lulu set down the tray.

  “Thank you.” Ellen sat on a chair and picked up a strawberry. “You may go now.”

  Reese slipped the bottle back to the maid and whispered, “Aunt Nellie to the rescue again.”

  “Indeed,” Lulu said, her tone disapproving.

  “I will accept no censure from you,” Ellen told the maid when the others had gone. “Miss Clarisse is teaching me things I wish to know.”

  “That is what I am afraid of, my lady. Miss comes from a place with very different ideas of what is appropriate for a lady of quality. Aunt Nellie asked me to accompany her to keep an eye on her. I fear I have not been successful.”

  “Do not fear,” Ellen said. “I have a firm understanding of decorum and will not forget myself.”

  “Unlike me?” Reese asked and sat down.

  “Yes,” Ellen and Lulu said together. Ellen giggled.

  Lulu curtsied but sent Reese a warning look before taking her seat in the corner again.

  “I think if she didn’t trust you,” Reese said, “that I would be whisked back to Aunt Nellie’s.”

  “I imagine she would. Aunt Nellie’s servants can be quite an intimidating lot, I must say.”

  “Too right. Now tell me,” Reese said, “did you get woozy from what I was telling you or because you needed food?”

  “I was shocked by your suggestion, but I believe it was the lack of food.”

  “That’s called low blood sugar, by the way.” Reese took a sip of her tea. “You should be eating something every two-to-three hours, including a protein, like nuts or cheese.”

  “My blood’s sugar?” Ellen shook her head. “You speak of such odd things.”

  “I’m sorry. I can explain or we can go back to the self-defense I was showing you.”

  “You will explain later?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Then please continue the self-defense.”

  “Okay,” Reese said. “That technique I mentioned isn’t something you’d do casually to a man, only if you felt yourself in danger and needed time to get away.”

  “I do wish you to show me more of these joint locks,” Ellen said with a conspiratorial smile. “There have been times when Lord Howard will take my wrist. He is quite strong and has a painful grip. It would give me comfort to know how to break free.”

  They ate quietly for a few minutes, Ellen apparently lost in thought. She shifted her gaze to Reese.

  “Something bothering you?” Reese asked.

  “The women where you live sound so very . . . physical, almost manly.”

  “Meaning not lady-like?” Reese asked, amused. “Do you think I’m manly?”

  “You, no, but—” Ellen started to say.

  “Men don’t have an exclusive right to be active,” Reese said. “Though, to be honest, women where I come from haven’t been allowed this much freedom until the last few decades. When my grandmother was a little girl, females were discouraged from being physical. They were told they weren’t strong. But by the time my mother was in school, attitudes had shifted. Once women were allowed to participate in sports, everything changed.”

  She pulled back the loose sleeve of her gown and tightened her muscles. Ellen’s mouth made an “O” as she touched the curve of Reese’s bicep.

  “They used to think that if women lifted weights we’d become very muscular like men. But until I did this you never noticed my muscles, did you?”

  “No.”

  “I work on this, because I want to be strong, so I can do things for myself and not have to rely on others.”

  “You are so independent,” Ellen said. “I think it takes bravery to be independent, though my brother would say that it takes arrogance.”

  “Is he independent?” Reese asked.

  “Yes, he is very independent.” Ellen grinned. “And very arrogant.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” Reese asked. “I think this will probably be the last time we’ll get to do this for a while.”

  “Why?” Ellen asked, alarmed.

  “Because with your brother and his guests running around, we’d have a greater chance of being caught. Do you think your brother would approve of what I’m teaching you?”

  “No,” Ellen said. “I think he would not be pleased at all.”

  “I’m not trying to corrupt you, but I believe that you need to know that you do have some control of your life.” Reese glanced out the window. “Would you like to go for a ride tomorrow? I’d like to see the estate’s tenant village.”

  “I have never visited it.” Ellen put down her napkin and stood. “I enjoyed seeing Nellie’s pretty little village. The children were sweet, and Mister Taylor so entertaining.”

  Reese swallowed the knot that tried to form in her throat. She didn’t want to think of Jem with the kids.

  “I will send word,” Ellen said. “We must change.”

  Chapter 14

  REESE HAD TO BITE BACK a smile at Ellen’s giddiness the next morning as they prepared to head out to the Kellworth tenant village. She had asked the cook to bake some treats to bring with them.

  “I’m not sure his lordship would approve of this, my Lady,” the Kellworth groom had said as he accepted the basket from Ellen.

  “And why not?” She placed her foot into the hands of another groom, who hefted her easily into the saddle. “Aunt Nellie visits her tenants.” Ellen settled into the saddle and urged the horse forward without another word.

  Reese mounted her horse and followed her, leaving Lulu and the groom to catch up. The horse Reese rode was a lovely animal but not as fun to ride as the palomino. When she returned to the future, she would miss Honey.

  “I so enjoyed meeting Aunt Nellie’s cottiers,” Ellen said a few minutes into the ride. “I have had few opportunities to associate with children. I did not know how delightsome they are.”

  “They aren’t always,” Reese warned. “Believe me. I used to babysit for a neighbor, and she had a couple of boys who were hellions.”

  “Babysit?” Ellen asked.

  “Oh.” Reese didn’t acknowledge Lulu’s fake cough from behind and tried to think of a reason a rich man’s daughter would take on servant duties. “My mother thought it good training for us to tend other people’s children. You know, as a service.”

  “Your mother is also a philan
thropist?” Ellen asked.

  “She helps people when she has time.” Her mother, working two jobs most of Reese’s memory, hadn’t had time to do more than work and sleep. “I’m an only child, and she wanted me to have chances to interact with them.”

  “Ah, preparing you for motherhood.” Ellen nodded. “Your mother is a wise woman.”

  Reese wondered what her hostess would say if she knew the truth, that Reese had babysit to help pay the bills, that she and her mother were of the same social class as the Earl’s tenants.

  “I learned that children are like the rest of us. They have good days and bad days.” Reese grinned at her. “But you’re right. They can be delightsome.”

  Eventually they came to a rise on a hill, overlooking a little village.

  “My Lady,” the groom said, bringing his horse abreast of Ellen’s, “we should turn back now.”

  While Ellen argued with the man, Reese squinted at the buildings. Unlike Nellie’s cottages of well-maintained stone walls and thatched roofs, the Earl’s tenants lived in squalid shacks. Little grew around the huts, and the village didn’t appear to have a common area like the one Jem had entertained the children in. With pinched lips, Reese urged her horse forward. Ellen followed.

  As they approached the nearest structure, the breeze shifted and a terrible stench wafted over them. Reese coughed and covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Lulu pointed to a trench that went down the road, full of dirty water and smelling of raw sewage. Reese gagged.

  A few bedraggled people, including children in rags, watched them listlessly. Working in clinics, Reese had thought she’d seen poverty and despair. It had not prepared her for this. The people looked in bad health and must be riddled with malnutrition and disease.

  Reese met the huge eyes of a small naked boy with a distended belly, and she dropped her hand from her mouth. “That poor baby.” Her eyes burning, she slid from the horse. She had to do something to help.

  “No, miss,” Lulu moved her horse between Reese and the child. “You must go no further. This is not a safe place.”

  A gasp came from behind them, and they turned to find Ellen approaching, her eyes as wide as the child’s.

  “I do not understand,” Ellen said. “How can this be?” She turned blazing eyes on her groom. “You knew. That is why you wished to stop us from coming. You knew my brother had people in his care who were . . .” Her ladyship’s eyes glistened. “We need much more than what I brought in the basket.”

  “But it’s a start, Ellen.” Reese strode forward. “The first thing we have to do is get a list of what they need.” She coughed and stepped away from the trench. “Besides a decent septic system.”

  “Miss—” Lulu began.

  Reese spun around and pointed a finger at the maid. “If you’re worried, then you send a message to Nellie. See if she can spare some of that tonic of hers or if she has other medications that might help these people.” She shifted to Ellen, her mind already considering what must be done. “Can you get your hands on some food? Lots of food?”

  “I believe so.” Ellen stared at the little boy. “You know how to help?”

  “For that kid I do, but we can’t do it alone,” Reese said. “I’ll talk to these people and make a list. You should head back to Kellworth and see what resources you have there. Maybe you could order things to be brought in. Press them to get to you fast.”

  “Yes.” Ellen sat taller, hope shining in her expression. “I can do that, at least.” She turned to her groom. “Leave the basket with Miss Clarisse and come with me.”

  The man looked both relieved and concerned. Lulu slid off her horse, and he handed it to her.

  “Are you sure I should leave the two of you here without a man?” he asked.

  “I will keep her safe, have no fear,” Lulu said.

  “I am so sorry,” Ellen said. “I did not know.”

  “This isn’t your bad,” Reese said. “This rests fully on your brother.”

  Ellen gave a sick little nod and turned her horse around.

  “We have work to do, Lulu.” Reese strode forward.

  ***

  By the time they returned to Kellworth, it took what little energy both Reese and Lulu had left to dismount in front of the manor. Reese had an itch on her cheek that had been bothering her for an hour, but she’d been afraid to put her hands anywhere near her face.

  “Oh, you have returned,” Ellen cried, rushing down the stairs.

  “Don’t touch us.” Reese stepped back and raised her hands to ward off the girl. “We’re full of germs. We need to wash first. I won’t have you getting sick like your tenants.”

  Her ladyship stopped, her complexion pale. “I will have baths drawn.”

  “Is there somewhere out here where we can wash in privacy?” Reese clenched her fist and tucked it at her side to keep from scratching her cheek. “I don’t imagine carbolic acid has been invented yet. Or iodine?” When Ellen looked confused, Reese sighed. “I want your harshest soap, and these dresses and our underthings should be boiled.”

  “But that will ruin your gowns,” Ellen said with a gasp.

  “Better that than your servants catching what we were exposed to today.” Reese gave Ellen a stern look. “I mean it. Trust me on this.”

  “I believe you.” She began giving instructions, and the servants jumped into action to comply. The housekeeper waved to Reese and Lulu to follow her and took them to a small outbuilding next to the servants’ entrance, apparently a place for them to clean up when they’d been outside in bad weather.

  Reese couldn’t wait to get cleaned up. Her patience had almost reached its breaking point before she was finally able to scratch her cheek. She sighed in relief, and Lulu gave a dark but sympathetic chuckle before rubbing her mouth.

  “I confess you put the fear of God in me about them germ things, miss,” the maid said. “As soon as you said not to touch my face with my hands or I would become ill too, my face started itching like to drive me to Bedlam.”

  Reese scratched her cheek again. “Don’t get me thinking about it.” She shuddered. “We have to come up with a way to protect ourselves until we can get that place cleaned up.”

  “I have sent a message to Aunt Nellie for help.” The little maid held up Reese’s dressing gown. “I have asked for her seamstresses to help with the clothing. They will not be the best fitting but from what we saw today, anything new will bless those people’s lives. And—” Lulu lowered her voice. “I have requested some of her special illness tonic.”

  “Even more special than what she gave us on our first day?” Reese whispered.

  “Aye, and something only to be used sparingly.”

  “Good. Turn around, and I’ll button you up.” Lulu frowned but didn’t argue.

  By the time she returned to her room, Reese’s hands felt dry enough to crack. The harsh soap had done its job though. Between that and the several layers of skin she had scrubbed off, she figured she had done all she could.

  She would have to see how much of that soap they had here that she could take with them tomorrow. The workers from Nellie’s and from Kellworth must be protected. Reese knew she was probably overreacting. It wasn’t like the people in the village had smallpox or anything like that, but she wasn’t going to risk it.

  Ellen tapped on the door, entered, and handed over an expensive-looking bottle of lotion.

  “Use this on your hands and face.” She sat on the dressing table chair. “It will soften your skin.”

  “Thank you.” Reese opened the bottle and took a sniff. Roses. She spread some on her hands. It stung at first but her skin soaked it in.

  “I am so ashamed,” Ellen whispered, her head bowed and her hands clenched in her lap. “On my word, I had no idea those people were living like that. You must want to have nothing more to do with me after this.”

  “Why would you think they were living like that?” Reese asked. “You probably assumed your brother was a good landlord.”
/>
  “Yes.” Ellen looked up. “I have known that the cottiers were the least productive of my brother’s tenants. That is why they are only given small parcels to work. I thought they chose to live there because they did not wish to work hard.”

  “I’m not sure they all chose that, Ellen,” Reese said. “I understand that some people are just lazy, but what kind of training do your brother’s tenants receive?”

  “Training? I do not understand.”

  “Back home we call them life skills. Here, children learn the trades of their parents, but it’s not simply a matter of being a farmer or a blacksmith or tailor or a cook. Have they been taught management skills? I think I’ve mentioned that where I come from everyone can attend school, can learn to read and write and do math. There are also classes, um, lessons, on things like cooking and sewing and managing money. They are called life skills because they are the things people need to know to function in society.

  “That’s why I asked what they had been taught. If a father is lazy, he will have few skills to teach his children. How does an Earl learn about running his estate? Doesn’t he need people who know how to do it really well to teach him, even if he hires someone else to actually do it?”

  “Of course,” Ellen said. “So you believe it possible to teach these people to do better?”

  “You won’t know until you give them the chance to learn and improve their lives. There’s a saying back home. If you give a man a fish, you’ve only fed him for that day. But if you teach him to fish, he can feed himself the rest of his life. Life skills. See?”

  “Yes.”

  “Now, sometimes people aren’t very intelligent, and it’s hard for them to learn things.” Reese hesitated before plowing on. “I know a lot of you nobility types think that’s because you’re naturally smarter and better than regular people, but a lot of it comes down to the amount and quality of food children receive when they’re growing up. They don’t grow smart and strong because they don’t get good food when their brains and bodies are developing.” Her voice broke. “Like that little boy we saw.”

  Ellen’s eyes glistened. “He looked so different from the children at Aunt Nellie’s. How is it possible for a child to have thin arms and such a fat belly?”