“Sorry, miss,” Sarah said. “If I had been thinking, I would have brought the perfume to scent your handkerchief with. It helps to dampen the odors. And the further we get from the river, the better it is.”
“How far away is Nellie’s house in town?”
“She’s in a great area. Closer to some of the parks and near the more refined neighborhood. We should be there soon.”
Kaitlyn stared out the carriage windows as they worked their way through the narrow streets. The variety of people was astounding. Men and women bustled around, each of them looking as if they were on important business. Some men and women dressed in fine apparel, walking down the streets as if on what she would have termed a date. Or perhaps the better term would be courting. She was sure some of them were married, just seeing how close they were to each other.
The day was beautiful without a cloud in the sky, but the closer they got to the center of the city, the more the smoke from the fires inside each building built. Even though the weather was warm enough, she doubted anyone needed the fires for heat. It was the only way to prepare meals that needed any cooking.
Kaitlyn turned to Cyrus. “You were right about the buildings. Look at how dark they are.”
“Isn’t it crazy?” Cyrus said. “We went down this neighborhood not long ago, and all the bricks are completely different.”
Kaitlyn’s lady’s maid looked out her window as if interested in seeing what they saw. Though she was one of the faeries that worked with Aunt Nellie and knew they had traveled from a different time, she herself had never experienced it.
“Look at how much the same everything is,” Kaitlyn said. “There is no way we could go back more than one hundred-sixty years into any place in the United States and still see things close to the way it is now.”
“That’s the magic of a civilization started thousands of years ago,” Cyrus said. “So much of the layout and structure was established from the first civilizations, and then as more people came into the areas and population sizes increased, they just built more and more on top of it.”
“Yeah,” Kaitlyn agreed, “but here in the city, there wasn’t room to expand so is that why things are stacked so high or pushed tight together? Out in the countryside there is more open land, even before we arrived here in 1850.”
“I think a lot of that has to do with the land owners having so much property in their estates, then as years passed and things changed with the peerage, those who didn’t manage their estates well and had to sell them off are where the newer communities were developed. But there are still huge stretches of wide-open land here. You saw all those fields as we drove to Bath before we went to Nellie’s that first time.”
“I wish I could have made it earlier,” Jem said. “I was in such a hurry to get to Twickenham for the ball, I didn’t really pay attention to much after leaving the airport.”
Kaitlyn nodded. “It was such a wonderful time. But this, I think, is even better.”
Cyrus pointed out the window. “This?”
Kaitlyn chuckled. “Well, not this exactly, but the more simplistic time. The openness of Nellie’s place is much better right now than where we came from. I do think modern London has some definite pluses compared to this now. Much cleaner. Which is odd since most other cities back home are so much more polluted than they were hundreds of years ago.”
“When we go back, what’s the first thing you’re going to do?” Jem asked.
“Hot shower!” Kaitlyn said. She quickly added, “And shave my legs. I’m dying with these long stockings I have to wear. I can’t wait to get back to my flip flops and shorts.”
Cyrus and Jem laughed. “I can’t wait to get back to my tee shirts. These breeches aren’t that bad actually, but I’m so tired of all the stiff shirts and the extra layers with the coat and things.”
Kaitlyn snorted. “Don’t get me started on layers. If it wasn’t inappropriate to talk about all my underwear, you wouldn’t believe what women have to wear nowadays.”
Sarah giggled aloud. “I’m sorry, but is it really not inappropriate to talk of underclothing where you come from?”
Kaitlyn felt herself blush. “Well, no, actually we don’t talk a ton about it either, but it’s more casual and apparently it isn’t all that taboo. I mean, there are commercials about underwear on television.”
Sarah’s face turned red. “Your time sounds so strange. It will be interesting to see it someday.”
“I hope it isn’t rude of me to ask,” Cyrus said, “but are you immortal?”
Sarah shrugged. “Not immortal, really. We can die if we are severely injured, but we don’t age and die like humans.”
Kaitlyn turned to the girl. “How old are you?” She seemed not much older than herself, but if she’d been working for Nellie, anything was possible.
“I stopped keeping track after the last time I switched rolls.”
“What do you mean?” Cyrus asked.
“We always move away from Nellie’s when we’ve grown too old, then return to our true home for a while and come back looking different.”
“Does Aunt Nellie do that as well?”
“Yes, in a way. She always comes back as herself, without a drastic change. But she returns as a niece or relative of herself. That way she can maintain the manor and keep the lines of magic from accidentally falling open without proper protection.”
“Interesting,” Jem said.
“She’ll be like this for many more years. She’s lived to be in her nineties before she has passed on the manor to one of her relatives.”
“Are there more places on earth where the magic is open to the surface?” Kaitlyn asked.
“No,” Sarah said. “This is the only place, but as the world slowly shifts and the continents drift, a larger crack over time has developed. That’s why Nellie’s house is always getting more layers and more wings. One time, not long after a massive volcanic eruption, a huge gap was found. We had to frantically build a new wing. It was difficult to keep it from becoming too well known. Those of us not involved in building the structure had our hands full trying to convince everyone we had started construction on it long ago.”
“Wow,” Cyrus said. “I can’t even imagine. I wonder if I could find something about it in any history books, or online when we get back home.”
Sarah shook her head. “No, I’m sure we’ll modify history little by little as we go to make sure our secret will stay safe.”
“What about those who travel to and from?” Jem asked.
“Do you think you’d really be believed if you told someone you’d traveled through time to another place?” She asked the question as if it were rhetorical, but Kaitlyn was sure she was listening for any indication they would do something like that.
“No,” Cyrus said. “I will never tell anyone about this, though I’ll be talking to the ones who came back with me.”
“As you should,” Sarah said, “but Nellie will expect you to keep our secret. I’m sure if you were to speak of it in the future, Nellie would hear of it. And you really wouldn’t want to anger someone like her.”
Kaitlyn shook her head. “Definitely not.”
The carriage came to a halt, ending their conversation. Sarah looked out the window. “Oh, wonderful, we’re here.”
Chapter Sixteen
The carriage door was opened from the outside and they all exited it, looking up at the lovely home in front of them. It was attached to other buildings on the side with walkways and well-kept stairs and wrought-iron railings. The building was a solid brick and looked relatively clean compared to the others. It could have been that it was a newer structure, or that they worked hard at scrubbing it, but Cyrus wouldn’t be surprised they cleaned it with a little bit of magic.
He still couldn’t believe how easily he had accepted the fact that they’d been teleported back in time by magic. At Nellie’s country home, it was easy to forget and just imagine they were still there for the immersion week. In t
he city of London, the difference was more pronounced.
No cars, only horses and carriages. The horrific smoke and water pollution here made him thankful to have been born in the time and place he was.
The coachmen helped grab the trunks from the back of the carriage and carried them to the front door. Cyrus missed his wheeled luggage, but here, he didn’t really have to do anything, making him feel awkward again. When he turned to see if Kaitlyn needed any assistance up the stairs wearing her long skirts, he found himself too late. Jem was helping her up.
He followed them up and inside the building. The entryway wasn’t nearly as large as at Nellie’s home in the country, but it was beautifully designed and well decorated. To the right was a library with some leather chairs and a small writing desk.
Their rooms were upstairs. He followed the butler up to discover his room was next to Jem’s, with Kaitlyn’s on the other side of her brother’s.
“We will have a dinner set for you within the hour. That should give you enough time to change and prepare for it. Then Mr. Milton will go over your schedule to be sure we get everything prepared for your stay.”
“Thank you, Mr. Eves,” Cyrus said. He looked forward to seeing William again. Aunt Nellie’s nephew had left the manor in the middle of last week to take care of a few things in town for his aunt. Now they would be guided through the city with someone who understood where they came from and make the introductions needed for them to enjoy a few days in London.
The others disappeared into their rooms and Cyrus moved into his, hoping to see if there was a window to look out. Instead, he found his room facing another brick wall of the neighboring house with very little room between the buildings. He would have to explore the house later. He’d always wanted to see how these buildings were designed. Seeing one firsthand was awesome, although he doubted he’d be able to wander the place just looking. The houses in the area hinted they had room to hold decent sized parties. Nothing as grand as the balls Nellie held at her country estate, but here, there would be some large rooms for gatherings.
Not that they would be holding any, but he could totally see the house being full of guests.
When he was led to the dining room, he was sure they could have over a dozen people seated at the large table. Tonight, it was just the three of them. The butler said William would be arriving later after dinner.
“Do you think Aunt Nellie keeps a full staff here for whenever she wants to come or send visitors?”
“I don’t think it’s always at full staff, but I’m sure they would be able to pull in some people at the last minute to cover their needs. When Nellie comes to town, she probably brings most of her close staff with, leaving just those who are needed to run her estate back in the country.”
When they finished eating, they all moved into the library to wait for William’s arrival. Jem searched the shelves and found a book that caught his interest. Cyrus was almost sure he wanted to just be left alone and try to figure out what to do with Reese’s sudden withdrawal.
Cyrus would never understand women. It had seemed to him that Jem and Reese were hitting it off really well, when all of a sudden she up and left with Lady Ellen, giving no reason why.
Cyrus turned to look at Kaitlyn. She stood near a painting, studying it. He took a moment to watch her. She was another woman he couldn’t figure out. Things had gone so well for the two of them before they’d ended up in the past.
He’d been too concerned about the abrupt arrival at first, but he had come around to the whole thing pretty quickly. Yet Kaitlyn was so different now than she’d been before.
She spent so much time with Jack just soaking in all the things about Victorian England. But how could he compete against the man? At least he knew she would be returning to their own time. And if he could be patient enough, maybe she would come around when they got back home.
He took a few steps to join her by the painting, wanting to remind her that he still existed, but the door to the library opened and he turned around.
“What a wonderful sight you all are,” William said as he entered the room. “I do apologize for not being here when you first arrived. Hensley has assured me you had a safe and uneventful journey, were able to rest, and then have a meal.”
“Yes, thank you,” Cyrus said. “We’ve been well cared for.”
William nodded, showing his pleasure at the news. “Are you all hoping to go out somewhere tonight, or should we make it a quiet evening at home?”
Cyrus looked at Kaitlyn, wondering what her answer would be. He was willing to do either, but didn’t want to pressure her into making one choice over the other.
Jem answered for them. “I don’t mean to sound a bore, but I’m not feeling up to going anywhere tonight. I don’t know if it’s just all the traveling or the past week is catching up to me, but staying here sounds good.”
Kaitlyn nodded. “I don’t mind staying here. I would like to see the city more in the daylight hours.”
“Good, good,” William said. He situated himself in a chair and looked at the three of them. “I’m sure you know I’m not quite like Aunt Nellie. While I do understand and know what she is, I’m just a plain, boring, normal Englishman. I’ve seen so many visitors and have scarcely had time to visit with any of them. Do you mind if I ask you about where you’re from?”
“Not at all,” Kaitlyn said, smiling at him.
Cyrus listened as the conversation started and added a few answers here and there, but it was fun to watch William’s eyes light up at the explanations of the technological advances that had been made in the last hundred-plus years.
As much as he enjoyed the conversation and surprising William with some fascinating tales, he wished he could have taken Kaitlyn to the side and just had a chance to talk to her. But she was so into the exchange and asking him a ton of questions about what they could do in London that Cyrus never had a chance.
***
After visiting for a few hours, the warmth of the room was beginning to get to her. Kaitlyn leaned back against the sofa. She couldn’t slouch like she normally would have done because of the corset, but the swoop at the back of the seat was high enough to rest her head against it without feeling like she’d get whiplash if she dozed off.
She probably should have gone up to bed, but it was so nice to just sit in the company of those she could trust and she knew would not judge her.
She studied the room in the dim light of the candles. Most had been extinguished, but one candelabra lit the corner near Jem and William, who had gone off onto some kind of tangent. Another candle was near Cyrus. He sat on the same sofa, not near enough to touch her. He had one of the most recent newspapers and chuckled on occasion, though low enough she didn’t realize he was doing it at first.
When an obvious snort escaped him, her curiosity got the better of her. She moved closer, leaning against his arm as she tried to get a good view of the paper. “What are you laughing at?”
Cyrus paused a moment, glancing at her before returning his attention to the paper. He pointed at a section.
Kaitlyn had to lean even closer to see it. “How are you able to read this? It’s so close together and the light is terrible.”
“Oh, sorry,” Cyrus said. He shifted his body a little and reached for the candelabra on the side table, passing the newspaper to her. “Is that better?”
“Much. Thank you,” Kaitlyn said as she looked at the place he’d pointed out. As she read it, she smiled. “They are a little wordy here, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, but keep going.”
Kaitlyn giggled at it and nodded. “I suppose if this was where you got all your news and information, you would appreciate all the extra words and fluff.”
“Here, you should go look at the advertisement section.”
They spent a few minutes looking at the paper, with Kaitlyn turning the page, and Cyrus holding the candle close enough to see the tiny words.
His closeness gave her a feeling o
f peace and comfort. The warmth from Cyrus as their arms touched made her hyper aware of him. Back at Nellie’s, she’d been kept at arm’s length from all men other than her brother. Sitting next to Cyrus was a welcome change.
The way her body felt right now, so near him, it was obvious she didn’t think of him as a brother. She thought of him as a kind and wonderful man who made her happy to be with him.
She glanced at him with as much stealth as possible, sitting this close. She was surprised to realize she thought him handsome. Except that wasn’t the right word. She’d always thought he was good looking. He was attractive in so many ways, not just physically. Part of her longed to have something more with him, but they’d been friends for so long, and he was her brother’s best friend. It would be a colossal mistake to even contemplate something like that. Especially with the way he obviously felt about her. She didn’t want to face the rejection that was sure to come.
She turned her attention back to the newspaper, trying to get him out of her mind, but it would be impossible if she stayed sitting next to him. She lowered the paper and in the most genteel way possible, she produced a yawn to give her an excuse to leave the room.
“I do believe I’ve spent all my energy and I think it would be a good idea for me to retire.”
Cyrus caught her eye for a moment. She looked away, not wanting him to discover anything in her expression she wasn’t willing to reveal to him. It was probably just because she was tired, and these random feelings for him would be gone in the morning.
He pulled away as he returned the candelabra to the side table.
She stood up, accidentally brushing her hand on his leg as she tried to get purchase against the sofa cushion to lift herself off the chair. Not knowing why that affected her so much, she quickly clasped her hands together and made a beeline for the library door.
“Miss Taylor.” William spoke, making her stop in her tracks. He stood and approached her. “Is anything amiss?”
She shook her head quickly. “Oh, no. I’m just tired. I think I should retire for the night.”
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