I try the first door, but it’s locked. The second is stuck. I slam my shoulder into the door just like I’d seen on Law and Order. Pain shoots up my neck but I don't stop. After the third time it springs open. I blast through the doorway and fall flat on my face. Before I can get up, the door bounces off the wall and slams shut again. I jiggle the doorknob, but it’s stuck. Maybe there’s another way out. It takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. I stub my toe on a large coffin-like box. Is Jin inside? My hand trembles as I unlatch the lid. Two doves flap their wings hard and fly right into my face. “What the H?”
I stumble backwards until a table breaks my fall. Something cold and wet hits my arm. I turn around and find Jin lying in a heap. He’s been tossed like a lifeless dummy on top of a stack of ropes and pulleys. A faint lavender mist hovers over his body. Jin’s still alive! My wish must have worked! My excitement doesn’t last long. Even in the faint light I can tell he’s stuck in limbo, between life and death. His skin is pale, he’s not moving. It’s like he’s frozen in time. The mist doesn’t have enough strength to bring him back to life.
I should have known. My wish wasn’t powerful enough to bring my dad back to life without the help of the star Polaris. Even if I could manage to unlock the door, I couldn’t drag Jin all the way up to the roof by myself. Besides, I don’t even remember where Polaris is in the night sky. Tears cover my cheeks. I’ve failed the person I loved. Taking Jin’s hand in mine, it’s clammy and lifeless but I don’t care. Nothing matters now. These are our last moments together. “Oh Jin. I’m so sorry. I should have saved you sooner. I was stupid to rely on the wish. I hope you can forgive me.”
Of course he just lies there. I’ll never hear his funny accent again. I’ll never need to get him the urban dictionary. Where’s my happily-ever-after ending? I pound the table with my fists. Life can't be this unfair. I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved. Why couldn’t Grandma be right about my life changing for the better? Now I’m going to die in some hellhole in 1890. Not even in my own time. I’ve never felt so defeated. Any strength I had died with Jin.
I hear boot steps thundering down the stairs. The doorknob rattles as someone puts the key in the lock. Will Roderick kill me himself? There isn’t much time. I lean over Jin and despite the shooting pain in my lip, I give him one last kiss. His lips are stiff and unresponsive but I pretend they are soft and warm. The way I’ll always remember them.
I fight back tears. Roderick mustn’t see me so weak. Jin would want me to be strong until the end. I should say some kind of parting words. I know in my heart it should be a wish. “I wish for Jin to live and be by my side forever.”
The room slowly fills with the familiar lavender glow. A thick mist circles Jin’s lifeless body. First a finger twitches then his whole hand moves. His lungs pump up and down as he takes in a huge gulp of air. OMG! Do fairy tales exist? Could my kiss have the power to bring him back to life like in Sleeping Beauty? I brush the curls off his forehead. “You’re alive! The kiss worked.” I grasp his hand tightly. “Don’t ever leave me again.”
Jin’s eyes flicker open. “As you wish, Mistress.”
I take in the perfect English garden filled with hollyhocks and hydrangeas I planted myself. Turns out I have a green thumb just like Grandma. The garden frames the two-story stone cottage I now call home. I breathe in the crisp country air. The fragrance of jasmine lingers like an expensive perfume. Heaven.
Jin would prefer to live in London, but I have always dreamed of living in a stone cottage like the one in Sense and Sensibility. My home, although larger than Barton Cottage, would make Jane Austen proud. We’re also much safer here. Thankfully, Roderick’s reputation as the greatest magician of all time was destroyed along with the mirror. Not much work out there for a one armed magician who can no longer perform magic. We knew he’d be out for revenge, so to make sure he couldn’t come after us we turned him into a pauper. Jin knew where Roderick hid his secret stash of money at his summer home. We figured with his reputation ruined and no money to hire henchman, we should be safe. Who knows, he might even end up in debtors’ prison. Still, a man like Roderick doesn’t take defeat easily. Better to be in some obscure little village in Devonshire than risk being right in his backyard.
Jin waves to me from the side garden. “Tea, Dearest?”
We are living a romance novel fantasy. Jin made an honest woman of me. We were quietly married in a little gothic church called Saint Mary’s. We honeymooned in Paris. Two weeks of total and complete happiness in the City of Light. Turns out genies are very much like human men. Except they are far more romantic. I couldn’t ask for a better husband. I love every minute of being with him.
I have had to learn to make a few compromises living in Jin’s time. To survive the super constricting Victorian clothing, I don’t wear a corset any more. I just suck in my stomach. I’m getting abs of steel. Sometimes Jin lets me wear his clothes around the house. I convinced him if the famous writer George Sand could wear men’s clothes, so can I. When I get a touch of homesickness, I put on my jeans and denim shirt. Jin likes to call me his little farm girl from the future.
With all the money we took from Roderick I’ve been able to decorate the cottage with the most beautiful furniture. My dining room is a complete over-the-top gilded Regency dream. I love throwing tea parties for the wonderful couples we’ve met. I no longer pretend to be British. That way, when I accidentally let some modern slang slip out, people think it’s just the way Americans talk.
Jin has poured on the charm with key people in Devonshire and managed to get us into the highest social circles. The grand balls at Hardwick Hall are something out of an Austen novel. Victorian life is actually quite fun.
Do I miss my modern life? Parts of it. Toilets are a biggie. Using a chamber pot is not for wimps. I miss my smart phone and keep wishing I could text my dad to see how he’s doing. But I don’t worry about him too much. Thanks to the wish, he won’t remember I ever came to live with him in Long Island. Besides, as much as I dislike Ms. Crandy, by now Mrs. Warren number four, I know she will take good care of my dad. I may not be able to be his daughter anymore, but he has Courtney. She must be thrilled to have the father she always wanted. I know my dad will help make her a better person. Dad will have a secure life under Ms. Crandy’s watch. She’ll make sure there is no Mrs. Warren number five.
Although I miss my dad and wish we could have become the happy family I always wanted, I know now that my real family is Jin. He has been my destiny all along. I sit down next to him and I can’t help but smile. Being his wife makes me whole. “Promise you will never leave me again.”
He puts his hands in mine. “Dearest, I shall do everything in my power to do as you wish. That said, we have broken every genie rule in existence. I cannot guarantee I will be able to stay by your side forever. When the High Council finds out where I am, and they shall, punishment will be swift. You are my Mistress so there may be consequences for you too.”
“Bring it on. I’m not afraid of some stupid council.”
“My brave wife.” He strokes my cheek. “You’ve given up so much for me. Are you certain you do not miss your modern life in America?”
“Long Island is the past. You are the future. My husband, my Flitter Mouse, my genie.”
To be continued…
All’s Well
Esme
A warm breeze hits my face with enough force to remind me that summer is just around the corner. How I longed for the sunny days of summer after experiencing my first rainy winter in England. I’m still a Southern California girl at heart. How my life had changed in just a few months. I’m living in Victorian England with my husband who just happens to be a genie.
I’m also living with the threat of Jin’s former master, Roderick, coming after us all because of a magic trick gone wrong—because of me. And then there is the High Council. They surely will want to punish Jin for breaking several major genie rules. Number one—marrying me.
“Esme, dearest, is something vexing you? You have perused the landscape for over an hour.”
He’s right. “I’m sorry. Just marveling at the pretty landscape not soaked to the bone as usual.” I take his hand. “I hope the weather stays nice for the party tonight.”
Jin gently helps me up. “I must confess, I thought you would rise at first light concerned over which frock to wear to the soirée.”
I should be biting my nails. The soirée is a wedding anniversary party for the Duke and Duchess at Hampstead Hall. The thought that a common American girl from the future would be invited to such a place makes me smile. “I only have one gown that’s nice enough to wear to such a fancy place—my gorgeous wedding present.” I stroke his cheek. “So that makes the decision pretty easy.”
Jin laughs. “That is what I admire about you, my dearest. You do not give a damn.”
Actually, I do. I’m going to feel terribly out of place at the party, but I don’t want him to know. Jin worked too hard to get us the invitation. To lighten my mood, I race Jin back into our home, Dorset Cottage. We fall down in a heap on the parlor sofa. I push his dark curls off his forehead. “Do you know how much I love you?”
“Not nearly as much as I do.”
I adored Jane Austen novels growing up, but I never believed the kind of happiness she wrote about could be real. Yet, a Victorian genie proved me wrong. Life really can be like a novel. I push myself up off the sofa. “I suppose I should get all my undergarments organized. There are so many layers!”
“I’m sorry. Matilda’s mother has been ill. I hope you understand why I gave her the day off.”
I still can't wrap my mind around the whole idea of having a ladies maid. But Jin insisted that we keep up appearances. I drew the line at having more than four servants. I’d seen enough of Downton Abbey to know all the drama a larger staff would bring.
Jin follows me up the stairs. “I will be happy to assist you. ‘Tis not as if I have not seen you in a state of undress.”
I kiss him on the cheek. “No, I’ll do it myself. If I get into trouble, I’ll call for you.”
He gives me a knowing smile. “As your father always said, trouble is your middle name.”
Jin heads back downstairs, confident that I’m a girl of my word. I open the door to my bedroom and head straight over to the walk-in closet. I had it built when we first bought the cottage. Armoires are beautiful but not very practical for all the dresses I have to wear. The carpenter thought I was crazy to cannibalize a perfectly decent dressing room for a bunch of drawers and hanging rods, but I couldn’t live without my one modern convenience. I’m proud to say that once the ladies in my social circle heard of my special room they quickly hired the carpenter to build a walk-in closet in their dressing rooms, too.
Jin was concerned that my must-have modern necessity might actually change the future. As I enter into my closet, I can’t imagine such a little thing could cause a ripple in time. I run my hand along the gowns hanging in the section along the back wall. I still have a few that belonged to Roderick’s mistress. I had my seamstress alter them to suit me better. Still, it’s time for an up grade. I know if we climb any higher on the social ladder I’ll need to make a trip to Paris and have some new gowns made.
Pulling out the pale teal gown, I watch as the moiré patterned silk glimmers under the candlelight. The train is a manageable size but large enough to make an impression. Light pink ribbon roses accent the train and the left side of the bodice, which is low enough to show some cleavage, but not enough to cause a scandal. But before I put on the gown, I need to put on three layers of under garments.
First I pull on my white silk stockings and fasten them to my garter and then pull on my bloomers. Then I suck in my stomach and wrestle the second layer on—the corset. My ladies maid, Matilda, has Sundays off so I already know how to tie the laces in front just tight enough so I can turn the corset around.
The third layer is the easiest. I simply button a silk camisole over the corset. Next, I take a crinoline out of the closet and spend a few minutes fluffing all the layers until it doubles in size.
The gown, the fourth layer, finally can take center stage. I straighten out the roses and adjust my cleavage in the mirror on Jin’s armoire. I look pretty but I need the finishing touches of the fifth and my favorite layer, accessories. Jin had a pretty pair of opera slippers custom made to match my gown. But I love the aquamarine and diamond necklace and earrings he bought me the most. I put them on and instantly feel regal. It doesn't last long when I realize the Duchess will be wearing jewels ten times as expensive. I run my fingers over the large center pendant stone and laugh. Who am I kidding? Underneath all the fine clothes and jewels, I’m just a teenage girl from Los Angeles by way of Long Island.
I try to stuff down a wave of homesickness. It’s been a month since I thought of my father. He surely is married to the evil school counselor, Ms. Crandy by now. I’m glad the wish Jin granted me makes it impossible for my father to remember I ever moved in with him. He also won't remember when Jin arrived on the scene and changed our lives. I’m happy my dad is spared the pain that courses through me now. Just when I was finally rebuilding my relationship with him, I had to leave.
The sun is fading and I need to finish getting ready for the party. I head back into the closet to pick out a velvet handbag and a fan. Once I’ve made my choice, I take a breath and try to pull myself together. There is no way I can get a do-over on the past—I made my choice. I picked Jin and Victorian England over my father and Long Island.
I check myself in the mirror one last time. Jin has never seen me in his wedding gift, so I want him to be happy with how I look. I glance over at the walk-in closet, a symbol of the future, and I know in my heart I’m never going back to Long Island.
The carriage pulls down the road surrounded by a long line of trees that leads to Hampstead Hall. As befitting a Duke, the five thousand acres of grounds are perfectly manicured. A small lake marks the halfway point to the country home. If you want to call a one-hundred-thousand square foot mansion, with one-hundred and twenty-six rooms, a quaint house in the country.
To be invited the wedding party was quite the coup for Jin. He had gone on several hunting trips with the Duke and always brought him good luck. The Duchess expressed an interest in meeting the unusual American girl. So here we are riding up to the formidable Hampstead House—a genie and a girl from the future.
The first thing that strikes me about such a grand home is the sheer scale. It is three stories tall and the various wings spread out in all directions. The roofline is dotted with huge urns, making the mansion appear even taller. The carved pediment above the door could rival any I’ve seen in Paris. I can’t imagine how much money was spent to build such a formidable place. Guests surely are awestruck just like me. But I guess that’s the point of grand homes—to show off wealth—just like the mega-mansions of Beverly Hills.
The carriages backed up near the front door remind me of the limo line-up at the Oscars. As I watch all of the uppercrust of local society work their way up the stairs, I realize how truly out of place I am. I’ll do my best to make Jin proud by nodding politely and never speaking. Every time I open my mouth I seem to put my foot squarely in it. I’d love to get past being an oddity from America. But from what I’ve seen so far, the door to proper British society will always be firmly closed in my face.
Jin gives my gloved hand a squeeze. “You will win them over, I’m sure of it.”
I love how he’s always my cheerleader, just like my grandmother I miss so much. I take in the amazing entryway as the Duchess greets her guests one by one. With every step closer, I count the huge marble columns that are twenty feet tall. It’s my way of distracting myself as my nervousness builds. Under my silk opera slippers is an intricate patterned black and white floor. I try to imagine how many people have walked the
same path. Probably hundreds, but the brilliant shine of the marble looks brand new.
It’s finally our turn. I curtsy deeply and pray I don’t fall on my ass. Jin bows and introduces me to the Duchess. “Your grace, I’d like to introduce my wife, Mrs. Sansby.”
She looks me up and down. “Of course, the American.”
I never felt more like a freak than I do now. “Yes, your grace, I am indeed from America.”
She holds out her gloved hand like a limp fish. “Happy to make your acquaintance.”
Jin nudges me on. “One cannot overstay their welcome.”
Having him guide me through the obstacle course of British society rules has kept me out of so much trouble. He leads me into the grand salon. Two-story high ceilings clad in gold leaf guide my eyes upward. The biggest Persian rug I’ve ever seen covers every square inch of the wood floor in the football field sized room. Several butlers wander through the room with large silver platters filled with cocktails. I look at Jin. “Do I really have to take one? You know how I get when I drink.”
“Yes. It would be rude if you did not partake of what the hostess has offered you.”
“Do Victorian’s serve cocktails?”
“Indeed we do. More than likely the drink is a gin sling. ‘Tis the cocktail of the moment.”
All I can remember about the one time I tried gin was it tasted like rubbing alcohol smells. A butler comes by with the tray and I smile and take a cocktail knowing I will only take a sip. Jin will have to drain my glass. Good thing genies can’t get drunk.
Jin In Time Boxed Set 1-3: A Young Adult Time Travel Romance (The Time is Forever Series) Page 19