She waved at someone with her fan, and a handsome man approached. “William, dear. This is Miss Kaitlyn Taylor. I’d like you to make sure her dance card is filled up with the right men.” She looked at William as if giving him some secret information. Kaitlyn wondered if they had talked earlier, or if she could somehow share her thoughts with him through magic.
William nodded and turned to Kaitlyn. “I of course would be honored if you would allow me to claim a dance myself.”
Kaitlyn nodded and held up her card. He put his name down on hers and marked something on his own card. “I think a few gentlemen close by will do nicely.” He looked up and met the eyes of nearby men, who took that as a signal to join them. William introduced them smoothly. Kaitlyn hoped she didn’t do anything awkward in accepting the acquaintance, feeling completely overwhelmed that it was for real. She’d been thrilled to think of it when they first arrived, but being there at an actual ball, and a large, important, private one at that, made her more nervous than she cared to admit.
Cyrus was off in a corner talking with Jem and Reese. She knew she had to do her best at being what Nellie thought she was ― brave and excited to be there.
Before she knew it, she had accepted the offers of dances with both gentlemen and she knew they would be safe because both of them were older and married.
Kaitlyn didn’t know how long it would take for the music to start. Would she need to have her card filled soon? Or would it be okay to fill them throughout the night?
The musicians moved to their positions. Kaitlyn could see the excitement rippling through the crowd of people. William smiled. “Don’t worry too much. The guests of Aunt Nellie are always on their best behavior. She has some certain skills at taking care of any problems, or helping people to forget if there are any issues that arise from someone who might not be familiar with how things work here. However, I’m sure you’ll do just fine given your practice over the last few days.”
“Thank you, William. Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t call you that, should I? Is it mister or lord?”
“Mr. Milton,” William said.
Kaitlyn’s first dance partner came to claim the dance. She was relieved when she didn’t mess up more than three or four steps of the whole dance. Her partner complimented her kindly and escorted her back to the side of the room where he had found her. She looked at her card, though she knew it was empty, and wondered what she would do. She didn’t have to wait long before William approached her with a tall man next to him. William smiled and looked at Kaitlyn. “Miss Taylor, the Baronet Jack Hughes Von Maughanhoe would like to make your acquaintance. Miss Taylor is from the Americas and is a special guest of my Aunt Nellie.”
Kaitlyn looked up into the hazel eyes framed by dark lashes of the man in front of her. She’d never met a baronet and had no idea what she was supposed to call him. He saved her from speaking by bowing slightly. “Miss Taylor, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“And you, my…” Kaitlyn paused, hoping William would help her.
“You can call him Sir Hughes,” William supplied.
The baronet smiled at Kaitlyn. “If you aren’t otherwise engaged for the next dance, I wondered if you would do me the honor of being your partner.” His voice was deep, not quite a bass, but she was sure if she ever heard him sing, it wouldn’t be tenor.
Kaitlyn fluttered her lashes in what she hoped wasn’t too flirty a move, nodding. “I am not presently spoken for. I would love to dance with you.”
The baronet offered Kaitlyn his hand to lead her out onto the floor. She wondered what she could possibly say to him. She had easily talked with her other dance partners, but they had begun the topic of conversation. She hoped this one would, too.
As they got into position, Kaitlyn realized this dance was one she wasn’t completely familiar with. “Is this the Quadrille?” she asked.
He nodded. “I believe it is.”
Kaitlyn sighed. “I hope I don’t embarrass you. I’ve not had a lot of practice with this one.”
“You don’t have balls like this in America?” His voice flowed softly over her and she once again wished he would keep talking.
She shook her head. “No, there are very few balls where I’m from. I’ve only attended a few in my life. I’m thrilled to be here, of course, but I’m just so nervous.” She stopped talking, hoping she hadn’t committed some horrible breech of etiquette.
The baronet smiled. “I have faith in you. This dance is easy enough. And if you are quick enough to copy the moves of the ladies nearest you, you’ll do fine.” He glanced at the women on either side of her before taking his place. “I am confident Miss Young and Mrs. Martin will be happy to assist you if needed.”
The two women indicated their agreement. Kaitlyn smiled and whispered her thanks. As the music began and Sir Hughes reached for her hand to start the moves, she allowed the environment to wash over her. She imagined herself like the women in the movies she had always watched with Cora and Reese.
She kept her eyes open and followed the movements of the others, realizing the dance wasn’t all that difficult. It didn’t require a lot of quick movements and fast thinking, but it wasn’t slow and boring either. When she neared Jack, he would compliment her each time. She didn’t know if he was actually sincere, or if it was just that he was too well bred to not praise her pathetic efforts.
As the dance finished, she ended up in the same place she’d begun and smiled happily, clapping with the others as the music came to an end. The women next to her turned to her. “You did perfectly, Miss Taylor.”
Sir Hughes led her back to the edge of the room and took her hand in his, lifting it gently. He bowed and she curtsied, hoping it was the right response. Sir Hughes walked away, yet when he reached the other side of the room, he met her eyes again and smiled, sending a thrill of excitement through her. If all the gentlemen were as handsome and perfect as the baronet, she would thoroughly enjoy her time here.
She just needed to find out from Aunt Nellie how long that would be. Surely they could get home. She just hoped it wasn’t too soon.
Chapter Nine
The ball lasted into the early hours of the next morning and included a midnight supper with more dancing afterward. Kaitlyn was amazed at all the people who filled the building, and so many people that she struggled to remember their names. And the titles? That would take a lot of work to get straight. She really should have paid more attention to all the levels in the books she had loved to read, but she’d been more interested in happily ever after than what position they held.
The drink Nellie gave them wore off around four a.m., but the ball had gone till closer to five or six. A servant helped get her undressed and ready for bed, and Kaitlyn could remember very little of it. She hadn’t really even talked to the other girls much and felt bad she’d gotten so distracted by the events of the ball. She hoped they had all enjoyed themselves. Kaitlyn had seen Cora sitting next to a handsome looking man at dinner and then she’d danced with him, looking like she was enjoying his company immensely.
Reese and Jem kept close to each other for most of the night, as if trying to ease into the past. Cyrus had tried dancing with Kaitlyn, but instead of acting like he was enjoying it, he kept whispering things to her, making all the guests at the ball give them looks like they were being rude. She had pushed him away, as gently as possible, glad she could tell him it was his duty to move around the room and make sure no women were left without a dance partner, and that they couldn’t dance more than the one dance together.
After the midnight dinner, she hadn’t seen him much at all.
She lay awake in the four-poster bed, staring at the fabric above her, glad the roof wasn’t made of thatch and that the canopy was more decorative than practical to catch any critters that tried to nest in the roof. It had been interesting to learn that little fact on the sightseeing trips they’d done before arriving at Nellie’s last week.
After a few hours of sleep, she woke feeli
ng almost as refreshed as she had when she’d first tasted Aunt Nellie’s potion. She was ready to go explore the house and grounds in the daylight.
Sarah, the fae servant Aunt Nellie assigned to Kaitlyn, opened the door from the little side room and peeked her head in. “You ready, Miss?” She held up some fabric, looking like a lot of petty coats. Kaitlyn was kind of excited to wear them again.
“Sure,” Kaitlyn said, stretching out a little before sitting up. “I want to shower first.” As soon as she said the words, she knew that wouldn’t happen. The maid glanced at her with only a little curiosity, and she hoped it would be passed off as something odd from the American.
After climbing out of the bed, she looked at the little chamber pot and sighed. She could put up with a few little inconveniences while she got to live in a fancy house run by a faerie and her helpers while waiting for her return back in time.
Besides, she was really curious how many of those handsome gentlemen from the ball were still around the house. Many would have traveled home, at least those who lived in nearby estates. A handful from distances not so close would have been invited to stay with Nellie for a while. She wondered if Jack lived close. She hadn’t had a chance to really ask any details about any of them, not that she could without seeming odd, but she was incredibly curious about him. And since Cyrus still thought of her as a kid sister, she might as well enjoy herself here. After the way Sir Hughes’s smiles made her feel lighter than ever, she really wanted to learn more about him.
***
Cyrus paced the room. Wilson, his man servant, had finished dressing him and had slipped out with a look of annoyance on his face. Apparently it wasn’t very nice of the Americans to have neglected to bring their own servants so Nellie had provided some of her own helpers. He was almost certain the guy was one of the fae, but knowing that made him a little nervous. Kaitlyn seemed thrilled to think they were actually magical beings, but Cyrus felt a little pessimistic about the whole thing.
He looked at himself in the mirror, studying the way the servant had tied the neck cloth. The suit hadn’t fit well at first when he’d tried it on, but Wilson had done something that tingled a little like magic and made the fabric fit better. Much like Harvey must have done when he’d tried on the breeches that first day at the immersion week. He couldn’t deny that was something awesome he would actually like to have more access to.
If only there was magic that could help him win Kaitlyn over. He wasn’t sure what he had done, but last night she had seemed upset with him. She had only danced once with him, and then she practically pushed him away, telling him to find some other girl to dance with. He’d tried, but had felt incredibly awkward when he hadn’t known the steps. With the other girls from his own time, he would have been able to shrug it off, or they would have just giggled with him, knowing how hard it was to remember the steps he’d only learned a few days ago. These girls he danced with had been at ball after ball after ball. Some of them were relatively young, so young that he felt like some police officer should be watching him. Instead, their mothers seemed to encourage the dancing.
He wasn’t titled, and he wasn’t even from England, yet the fact that he had money, according to Aunt Nellie, made him highly eligible. He shook his head, not sure he understood the rationality of it all. Why anyone would practically sell their daughters to the highest bidder was beyond him.
And the men at the ball. When he’d moved among some of them, he had overheard a lot of them talking about the American heiresses and how having access to those funds would improve their holdings.
Yes, life in the twenty-first century was a lot better in his opinion.
Cyrus took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for facing the strangers from the past as well as seeing Kaitlyn again. He needed to talk to her. To have her help him get a grip on the whole situation. She had been so calm before and he needed some of that.
And he hoped to gather all five of them to track down Nellie and get some answers. She had been almost impossible to find last night. Now with fewer people in the sprawling mansion, she would have to talk to him sooner or later.
Outside his room, he noticed a difference in the scents in the air almost immediately, as well as a difference in temperature. It wasn’t cold, but it was cooler than his room where the servant had lit a small fire. Even in early June, it was still cool in the mornings.
As he walked down the hall, he looked out a few windows, noticing the difference in the glass. He paused in front of one window, trying to get a view of the grounds below him, but the glass itself wasn’t as easy to see out of as when they had been in the building one hundred sixty, years ago, or before, or however one referred to the future when you found yourself in the past.
The beauty of the estate was still visible and he itched to actually get out there and look at the layout of the grounds. The building was different than it had been in the future. Not quite as large, but from what he could tell, additions were added to the structure over the years. Much of the design blended in well, but there were a few places where the style was different.
The sounds of people talking brought his attention back to the hallway itself and he followed the sounds to the serving area. He guessed they would be doing breakfast in the same place they did in the future. And if he wound up in the wrong place, he would just go wander the building until he found it.
The smell of freshly baked breads and some smoked meats helped lead him to the breakfast room. He smiled when he saw the other girls sitting at the table. Kaitlyn wasn’t there yet. He didn’t want to seem too disappointed that she was missing, so he moved over to the others.
“So what do you all think?” Cyrus asked. “Now that we’re in the light of day?”
“I still can’t believe it’s actually real, logically, I mean,” Reese said, “but I’m okay with it. Is that weird?”
“Me, too,” Jem said and Cora nodded.
“I think it might have been something in Aunt Nellie’s special tonic she gave us last night. Like a little spell that helps us accept where we are.”
Their discussion was cut short when another guest of Nellie’s from the ball wandered into the room. They offered their pleasantries and dished up their food from the little side board, and then they moved over to an area to eat in silence. Apparently, partying all night long in the past was pretty similar to his early college years.
Though Nellie had served wines, he had tried to stay away from them, unsure of how he’d react. He wanted to have all his wits about him while trapped in the past. The woman in the corner looked like she’d had a few drinks too many.
“Do you know where Kaitlyn is?” Cyrus asked.
“She’s already eaten and went for a walk around the grounds,” Jem said.
“She’s gone?” Cyrus asked. He wasn’t sure why the news hurt. It wasn’t like she had left the manor, or that she owed him anything. “Didn’t anyone want to go with her?” Cyrus glanced at the other house guest and leaned closer to his group. “I don’t remember all the rules of etiquette, but shouldn’t she be walking with someone? Not alone, I mean.”
“She is with someone,” Cora said.
“Who?” Cyrus asked, double checking to see that Reese, Cora and Jem were all there.
“One of the guests from last night. He offered to show her the flower garden. She said she wanted to get some ideas for home, and he said he had a garden he’d like to improve as well,” Cora said with a smile.
Cyrus was no longer hungry, but he forced himself to eat a few more bites of his breakfast before leaving the room. He was too aware of how much Jem was interested in Reese that he didn’t want others to realize how much he pined after Kaitlyn. Until he was sure he might have some success with her, he didn’t want the others to know where his heart lay.
Jem would understand. He hoped.
He wanted to check his phone to see what time it was, or even to text her like he usually did. It was still sitting on his dresser in the future.
He looked at the ornate clock on the mantle, surprised to see it was almost noon.
It would take a little getting used to.
He excused himself as quietly as he could and worked his way out toward the back of the manor house. The gardens had been there before and he hoped they would be easy enough to find again. As he opened the door and stepped out into the sunshine, he took a deep breath, enjoying the freshness of the air. He detected scents of horses from the stables, and some wood smoke. It felt clean and alive.
Cyrus took a moment to check out the carvings of the different saints nestled in the pillars before he took the well-maintained stairs to the garden. It lay down the hill just a little way from the house. A vegetable garden was fenced off, but lots of little potted plants were set up near the side of the house with the kitchens. He recognized a few of the more common herbs, but a lot of plants were foreign to him.
Only a few days ago, he had come out to the garden to walk it with Kaitlyn. He hated to admit he was jealous of whoever this guy was she was walking with now. And if they were alone in the path where no one could see them, the stupid rules of the time might indicate there would be a requirement to marry.
As the thought entered his head, Cyrus felt a rush to save her. He quickened his steps. Though not running, his feet left the ground in long strides. When he reached the hedges that outlined the garden, he slowed down before the entrance, not sure which direction to go. It was set up sort of like a maze, though not fully hidden from view except for a few places where they had trees lining the area.
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