by Paige Elwood
Sophie recalled that healers were often accused of being witches throughout history. She’d never believed in witches, but then again, she’d never believed in time travel either, and that was clearly possible. Maybe that was how Sabine knew she could get home—if Sabine was a witch.
“We keep these in the kitchen,” Madame Petellier said. “If you need to use them, just let Marta know.”
“Thank you,” Sophie said. Sabine moved towards the door. “May I see you out?” Sophie asked.
“Oui,” she said.
As they approached the enormous front door, Sophie plucked up the courage to ask, “Are you able to help with… my problem?”
“You are sick?” Sabine asked.
“No,” Sophie shook her head.
“With child?” Sabine looked at Sophie’s stomach.
“Of course not!” she exclaimed. The cheek! she thought.
“Then what?” Sabine asked, curiosity leaking into her voice.
“To get me home?” Sophie asked, exasperated. She knew Sabine knew exactly what she meant.
“How would I help? I have told you all I know,” Sabine said. “Unless you have learned what you came here for? In which case you would only still be here if you chose to be.”
“Of course I didn’t choose to stay!” Sophie said, trying desperately not to roll her eyes. “You must know something more, please, can you help?”
“I cannot. It is just a question of time,” Sabine said before opening the door and slipping out into the night. Sophie watched her climb into a carriage, her heart sinking. She needed to find a way home.
That evening in her room, Sophie was mesmerized by the outline of Notre Dame in the moonlight. It struck her just how bright the moon was without city lights and streetlamps to diminish its pearlescent glow. Everything looked magical in that light, the outline of the distant city and the countryside further out looking mysterious and beautiful. She could practically believe in magic and fairytales as she stood there observing the world in the light of the moon.
She climbed into bed, ready for sleep again. It surprised her how deeply she slept here, away from the constant connection of the modern world. She’d heard on many occasions that the light from monitors and cellphones interrupted sleep rhythms, but she’d always taken it with a pinch of salt, and often couldn’t stop herself just checking something on Google or catching up on social media before bed. Life without it was strange, and she still sometimes thought ‘that would make a really good Facebook status’ before remembering that she had no way of accessing her account.
Before long, her mind had quieted, and she fell fast asleep. She dreamt that she was sitting on the Quai in the moonlight, on the large rock she’d sat on with Edouard the day she’d arrived here. She was gazing across the river at Notre Dame, the cathedral seeming to glow as though it was made of moonlight itself.
Sophie’s feet were bare and covered in mud as though she had walked across the banks barefoot again. When she turned to her right, she saw Helene sitting next to her. It was definitely Helene, dressed in her skirt suit from the hotel reception. The similarity with Sabine was still uncanny.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Helene said, gesturing to Notre Dame.
“Yes. It is.” She paused before asking Helene, “Do you know how I can get home?”
Helene smiled. “When you discover your true nature, your one path to lasting happiness you will be able to return home, if you still wish it.”
“What does that mean?” Sophie demanded. Of course I’ll still wish to go home!
“You have work to do here yet,” Helene said. “Have patience, have hope, and have faith.”
“But what is my true nature?” Sophie asked.
“It is not something that can be told, or explained,” Helene said. “You have to live it, to experience it. When it happens, if you listen with your heart, you will know.”
“But how will I know? What if I don’t know?” Sophie said. “I need to get back to my sister and my family. They need me there, and I need to be home.”
“Somebody here needs you too. They need your help more than you know, and you need theirs too if you are to discover your destiny.”
“Who needs me here? My destiny?”
Helene pointed behind Sophie. She turned to find Edouard standing there. “He does.” =
“How does he need my help? He’s a rich Duke, he’s got servants and money, he can have anything he wants without my help.”
“That’s not quite true. You’ll understand, in time,” Helene said, standing up.
Sophie woke, the blankets tangled around her body where she’d tossed and turned in the night. She reflected on her dream. Her mind was obviously trying to resolve the problem of getting home while she slept. It had been so vivid, though. She climbed out of bed to wash, and noticed that there was mud on both of her feet. The memory of the dream and her bare toes on the banks of the Seine came back to her. Her blood froze. She couldn’t have really been on the Quai last night, could she?
She dismissed the idea as ridiculous, but she couldn’t come up with one plausible explanation for the mud. She considered she might have been sleepwalking in the garden, but there were no muddy footprints leading from the door to her bed. She put it out of her mind for now and washed her face before washing the mud from her feet. It was a difficult task in the small bowl, and there was a puddle of water on the floor in the end where it had sloshed over the edges. Her life was full of mysteries at the moment, what was one more?
Chapter 19
Sophie was reading again in the library before breakfast, hoping to find something about time travel, when Marta popped her head around the door. “Mademoiselle Sophie,” she said. “You have a visitor.”
Thinking the tailor was here early with her dresses, Sophie rushed to the drawing room with a grin on her face, and then stopped in the doorway when she saw it was Edouard. The ring on her finger heated to an almost uncomfortable temperature.
Edouard’s hand was toying with the ring around his neck. He dropped his hand quickly, standing up as she entered the room. “Sophie,” he greeted her. “How are you settling in?”
His eyes took in her appearance. Slowly, and appreciatively, they rose from her feet to her eyes. Her cheeks heated in indignation. It was definitely indignation, she told herself. Nothing else.
“Very well,” she replied evenly. “Thank you for the dresses,” she added, remembering that it was Edouard who had paid for the tailor. She was both grateful and infuriated that she was so dependent on this strange, pompous man.
“You are most welcome,” he said. “I came to ask if you might like a walk in the city with me?”
Sophie remembered the last time they were together, and her failed kiss, and her cheeks flushed. She wanted to go, though. And it would be rude to decline the invitation since her comfort was largely dependent on him.
“I would enjoy that very much,” she said. Very much, she thought. Perhaps that was something of an overstatement. Still, a walk would be good.
“Excellent,” he smiled. Madame Petellier walked into the room then, and Edouard said, “Madame Petellier will chaperone for us.”
Sophie nodded agreement. A chaperone? It was probably just the thing done at this time, but she did wonder if it was to protect Edouard from Sophie’s advances, and not the other way around.
If he was suggesting a chaperone because he thought this was a date, well then, he was very much mistaken. He might be tall, dark, and handsome, but she wasn’t interested in a fling any more. She was more interested in figuring out what she needed to learn so she could go home. Although a fling might be a welcome distraction.
“It does look like a nice day for a walk, but I don’t know that I could walk very far in this dress without getting tired.” Plus, my feet have endured enough abuse already, and these leather, slipper type shoes can’t be good for my arches.
“Your dress fatigues you?” Madame Petellier sounded astonished and Edo
uard stifled a laugh. Ugh, she hated him laughing at her.
“It’s just a little… heavier… than the clothes I wear at home,” she said. “I’m not used to the extra weight.” She wished she were wearing modern clothes. Jeans and a nice blouse were definitely more suited for a walk in the city than a large, floor length, restrictively girdled dress.
Madame Petellier still looked puzzled, but simply shrugged it off. “The city is less than an hour’s walk around the edges,” she said with a smile. “My old bones cannot take long walks now, so I would be unable to chaperone if it were not a short distance.”
They set off into the center of the city from the mansion on the outskirts. Sophie admired some of the grand houses they passed, although some of the streets had smaller houses and the rank odor of urine that seemed to cling to the most populated parts. She glanced at the windows of the surrounding houses nervously in case anyone was ready to empty a chamber pot over her head.
Eventually, they came to a more open space where she felt in less danger of being drenched with toilet waste. She gazed across the city, noting the Ile de la Cite in the distance. When she looked back up at Edouard, he was pointing across at a large building.
“The Palace,” he said to Sophie. “Isn’t it magnificent?”
“It certainly is,” she said, gazing up at the Louvre, taking in the impressive structure that mirrored the modern one. It was incredible to think how many of these buildings still stood in Paris in her time. He took her down large streets bustling with people, although nowhere near as busy as the modern Paris. He pointed out some of the landmarks as they went. So far, they hadn’t seen Notre Dame up close, Sophie thought.
She enjoyed walking with him, much to her dismay, and she liked how animated his voice was as he pointed out the homes of his friends as well as other landmarks.
“Where is your city home?” she asked him.
“It is not very far from here, but I don’t think we will pass it today on our walk,” he said. She nodded, but disappointment crept into her eyes. She would have liked to have seen it. He was obviously very wealthy, and it must have been a lovely home.
Edouard stopped in front of a large building and gestured that they should go inside. “What is this place?” Sophie asked. It was a maze of corridors, and austere-looking men and women hurried past them. One woman carried a bundle of blankets that looked to be stained with blood.
“It’s a hospital,” Edouard said. “We won’t stay long, it’s not a nice place for a lady, but I wanted you to see it.”
“Why?” Sophie asked. Was he bringing her to the hospital because he thought she was crazy after all?
“Because I am patron of the hospital. I built it so that people who cannot afford doctors can come and have treatments.”
They walked the halls, and through the doorways she could see rows of beds and patients sleeping or resting. It was more like a large dormitory, and it lacked any of the usual equipment you might see in a modern hospital.
“That’s a very noble thing of you to do,” Sophie said as they walked, impressed at his charity and relieved that she wasn’t being locked away for now.
Edouard gave a sad smile, which Sophie thought was a strange reaction. She thought about what she knew of medicine in the late middle ages, remembering it was very primitive on the whole.
“May I ask a favor?” she said.
“Of course! You are not sick, are you?” Concern creased his brow.
“Oh no, not at all,” Sophie waved a hand to dismiss the idea. “I just want to say that you should ask the doctors and nurses to keep everything as clean as possible.”
“Do you suggest it is a dirty establishment?” Edouard asked, appearing aggrieved at the suggestion. He was obviously very proud of the hospital, and it was kept generally clean from what she could see.
“No, no, not at all,” Sophie said hurriedly. “I just…where I’m from doctors have learned that keeping everything as clean as possible stops disease spreading. Boiling the bedding, the surgical instruments, and anything else that’s used on patients will help stop the spread of illness. And they should wash their hands with soap before and after touching any patient.”
“That sounds ridiculous,” said Madame Petellier. “They’d be washing their hands all day!”
“I know,” said Sophie. “It’s so important, though.”
Edouard smiled. “I will request that they implement your suggestions,” he said. Sophie’s heart lifted at his serious tone. He was taking her seriously, and the show of respect warmed her heart a little. “Now, let us go and see more of the beautiful parts of the city.”
“It’s a very good thing that you do, supporting the hospital,” Sophie said when they were walking on the street outside the hospital.
She had to hand it to him, it almost cancelled out his annoying traits. She remembered how kind he’d been to her on the first day she arrived, and how he’d helped several people that day without skipping a beat. Maybe she was being too harsh on him. She was almost scared to admit that she felt a real connection to him. It was safer to dislike him than it was to contemplate what this feeling meant. She had more pressing matters than exploring her attraction to him. She needed to get home.
Edouard smiled sadly. “I don’t help people selflessly. I do it to remind myself that I have a heart that can be used. In many ways, I help others for the most selfish reasons.”
His genuinely humble response struck a chord with Sophie. “But you’re still helping, and that’s what really matters to people. It’s what really matters to me,” she added, quietly.
“You don’t really know me,” he said before picking up his walking pace so that she fell a step behind and was unable to respond. Hurt pierced her at his reaction; she had been trying to complement his obviously generous nature. The hurt was followed swiftly by anger. Why did this infuriating man seem to go out of his way to make her feel small, or stupid?
He seemed oblivious to her irritation, and he continued to show her the monasteries and colleges as they walked along the Paris streets. Sophie’s mind turned again to Notre Dame. She was sure what she needed to learn was in there. “Can we see Notre Dame?” Sophie asked. “I would really like to visit there?”
“Maybe another time,” Edouard said. “It is getting late.”
Sophie nodded, but she was disappointed. Was he trying to keep her away from Notre Dame? Why? Distrust rose in her again. There was something this man was not telling her. They began the walk back to the house, and Sophie felt bone tired from the day of walking.
On the journey home, Madame Petellier stayed several paces behind them, and Sophie took the opportunity to question Edouard on why he was helping her.
“Why are you doing this?” she said, suddenly, startling him.
“Doing what?” He asked, looking at her like she was crazy. Maybe she was.
“Helping me,” she said. “You’ve built a hospital, and that’s very admirable. You seem to want to help others, but I don’t think I really understand why me. Why are you helping a complete stranger whose story is crazy?”
Edouard’s lips quirked. “Why would I not help a beautiful woman? I just want to help.” He shrugged, brushing off her question. Irritation rose in her again. He was always dismissing her questions.
“Is it because it was you who you brought me here?” she asked, hoping to shock him into a confession with her directness.
“I did not bring you here,” he said, furrowing his brow as if in confusion. “You keep saying that, but why would I bring you here?”
“I don’t know, but I think I have a right to understand,” she said, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest.
Edouard’s gaze remained steady. “I just have a desire to help. Must you always be so cynical?”
“Nobody does anything purely out of the goodness of their heart. You said yourself that I don’t know you and you’re not so selfless. What’s in it for you?” She cringed a little as she challenged him.
It was due to his generosity that she had somewhere to stay that was comfortable. Maybe she shouldn’t push her luck.
“This is true,” he replied, his eyes sad. “Perhaps I do need your help.”
He seemed so small then that Sophie hardly recognized him. Yes, he was the same attractive man that he had been before, but some of the arrogance seemed to fade. Perhaps it was mostly bravado, and she was being too hard on him.
The dream from the evening before came back to Sophie. Helene had said she must help him. But with what? If she could figure that out maybe she could get home sooner. Maybe his secret was what she needed to learn. She wanted to learn more about him. The more she learned up to now, the more she found herself drawn to him.
No, she pushed that away. She missed her friends and her family, she missed movies and popcorn, pizza, soda, chocolate. She couldn’t let herself get too settled or distracted here and forget that she must get home at all costs.
“Help with what? What can I help you with?” she asked him. “You have money, servants, everything anyone could want. I have nothing of use to you.”
“I do not know yet. Maybe God will reveal it to us when he is ready.” Edouard held her gaze.
“You think God brought me here?” she said incredulously.
“Does he not control all? If it is not witchcraft, it must be God,” he said simply. “I am sorry I do not have your answers,” he said.
Sophie softened. Was she projecting everything onto him? Her dream was just a dream, she couldn’t assume there was a real message hidden in there for her. She still had no idea how her feet had gotten muddy, but apart from occasional arrogance Edouard had only been good to her so far.
She was actually starting to like him. She’d felt some sort of attraction to him physically almost straight away, but she realized that she liked him as a person too when his good nature started to peek through his pompous exterior. Was her paranoia really worth pushing away the only person who’d demonstrated they were willing to make sure she was alright?
