“Hey, Xander. How’s it going?” Miles said, as he led the way through the tiny, four faucet bathroom, to the tiny bedroom, and the large wardrobe. The drawer slid open for me, and I picked up the packet of rose seeds, then placed them safely in the pocket of my sweater.
“We would,” Miles responded to whatever Xander said. “When it’s convenient, of course. There’s no rush, and no need to be left holding an empty leash. Sounds great, we’ll be ready. Order breakfast to be delivered to our suite, and invite the rest to join us. Alright, see you soon.”
“Oh my goodness, imagine the shock if someone saw Xander walking the dogs, then one of them disappeared!” I half-laughed. The other half of me was horrified at the thought!
“I am,” Miles pretended to shudder, as he returned his phone to his pocket. “Then again… what are we worried about? We’re not the ones who’d be left holding the leash.”
I laughed, and he smiled, as we returned to our room.
“The rain didn’t stay long, after all,” I said in surprise, as bright streams of sunlight suddenly flowed through the windowpanes. “There’s the rainbow, and what a gorgeous view of the rose garden! There’s Finn’s greenhouse, and look—there are several others. I never noticed before, because of the trees.”
“We’ve more of a bird’s eye view from here,” Miles remarked.
“And on the first floor, of all places,” I said.
A sharp crack sounded loudly from somewhere outside, followed by a shout.
“Is that—Finn?” I wondered with concern.
“Maybe,” Miles replied. “Whoever it is, he doesn’t sound very happy.”
“He sounds incensed,” I said.
A second voice, that of a woman, joined the first. No words were discernible, but her tone vacillated between offended, and placating.
A portly, balding man in a dark blue suit burst out from behind Finn’s greenhouse. He looked angry, and somewhat rattled. Close on his heels, followed Lady Carlisle. She appeared flustered, and her ice blue eyes flashed. Finn brought up the rear, his outrage easily eclipsing theirs. He spoke rapidly, but though his scathing tone was harsh, his words were too muted by accent, distance, and the windowpanes that separated us, to understand.
“Are you getting anything?” Miles’ eyebrows knit.
“No one’s lying, if that’s what you mean,” I answered. “There’s no darkness, either. Oh, wait. Lady Carlisle only technically has the right.”
“The right to… what?”
“I don’t know, since I didn’t hear the half-truth. The right to go inside the greenhouse? To bring someone else in? To bring that guy inside, in particular? All I can do is guess.”
“You may be right though,” Miles considered. “It’s pretty clear he doesn’t want either of them there. Or anywhere near.”
“She must really appreciate Finn’s contribution to the manor,” I said in amazement, as we watched Lady Carlisle and Suited Guy scurry away, while Finn stood with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face, watching them go.
“Be gone wi’ ye!” he shouted with a shake of his fist, then he turned and disappeared behind the greenhouse. There was another sharp crack, perhaps indicating he went inside and closed the door. The glare of the sun made it impossible to see through the glass.
“No wonder Ashley and Sir Edmund had a hard time fathoming Finn’s friendliness toward you,” Miles commented.
“If we came to him, instead of the other way around, it might’ve turned out differently,” I said, as I wrapped my hand protectively around the seed packet in my pocket.
Trixie appeared beside us, and glanced at Miles.
“We’re ready,” he said, as he tightened his arm around me. She pressed against his leg, and we were back in our suite.
“Seriously, that may be the coolest superpower yet,” Xander shook his head in amazement, as he divested Chip and Spaz of their leashes and boots. John and Annette did the same for Linux and Fidget, who wiggled happily at the sight of us.
“No kidding,” John agreed. “She’s better than a transporter.”
Jenny still looked a little traumatized. She was also removing covered plates from the loaded room service tray on the table. I was glad to see that! I was starving.
“I have no idea what we’d do without you,” I said, as I hugged Trixie.
“We’d stumble around in figurative darkness, go mad over unanswered questions and unsatisfied curiosity, miss out on one of the best friends and allies we could possibly have, bathe in rat water, and go hungry,” Miles answered, and I laughed.
“That’s the truth!” I declared, and Trixie laughed, too. She also looked proud, and noble. I ducked in the kitchen and stowed my seeds in the refrigerator, then rejoined the rest.
“Yeah, she’s great,” Xander agreed, then gave Trixie a look. “Although her aim isn’t a hundred percent spot on.”
I stared from Xander to Trixie, as John and Annette held in a laugh. Clearly, they knew something we didn’t. Trixie lifted her chin, and looked at Miles.
“You’re kidding,” he said in surprise. I slapped my hand over my mouth, and stared some more. Trixie shrugged a shoulder, and looked slightly annoyed. Whatever she said must be funny, because laughter suddenly lit Miles’ eyes. “Don’t worry, Trix. You’re not the only one who doesn’t approve of the difference in floor terminology.”
“Oh!” I exclaimed. “They went to the real first floor! Did anyone see?”
“I couldn’t pick her out of a lineup, but her scream’s still ringing in my ears,” Xander said ruefully.
“Oh my goodness,” I said helplessly.
“I’ve heard it said, that yelling lessens the effect of loud noises. On one’s own ears, anyway,” Miles remarked, but there was laughter in his eyes. Now, I was the one stifling a laugh.
Xander gave Miles a look, and tossed a throw pillow at him, which made it no closer to its target than it ever did.
“What?” John asked curiously, but Miles waved the subject away.
“I’m just giving Xander a hard time, is all.”
“So what’s the deal, anyway?” Xander changed the subject. “You guys are here, almost more than you are there.”
“We’re here for lunch,” I said, as we all took our usual places at the table. “Or breakfast, I guess. But it’s lunch, for us.”
“They don’t do lunch?” Xander’s eyebrows knit.
“As of yet, only in theory,” Miles replied. “Our host was called away, and it seemed a good opportunity to come home and eat, before making up some more of the sleep we lost.”
“Really? What happened?” Annette asked in concern.
“It must be important, after inviting you to come all the way there to visit,” Jenny’s forehead furrowed.
I laughed shortly.
“It’s messed up, is what it is. Sir Edmund was called away to take his fiancé shopping. He was informed last night that he’s marrying her. He doesn’t want to, but his mother threatened to kick him out and fire the girl he really likes, if he doesn’t.”
“What? That’s… terrible,” Annette frowned.
“I can hardly believe you’re serious,” Jenny declared. “Even though you’re the one saying it.”
Xander’s expression was one of fascinated disgust.
“So this dude just lets his mom order him around like that?”
“You’re there visiting from another country, and taking someone else shopping is more important?” Annette tried to wrap her mind around it.
“Honestly, I know this trip was their idea, but I get the feeling it’s not great timing,” I admitted.
“We have been left to our own devices for the most part,” Miles acknowledged. “It’s not how we do things, but… it’s another example of Lady Carlisle picking and choosing from the Edwardian way of life. The time in a day was very structured, during that era.”
“I should be thankful then, there hasn’t been any further effort made to split us up,” I scowled.
“Did you know married people weren’t supposed to walk into dinner together, or sit together, or share the same bedroom?”
Our friends stared in surprise.
“Then how… did they not all die off?” Annette frowned.
“Well… it was a very short era,” I considered. “But… I guess there had to be some crossover.”
We all looked to Miles for the answer. He rolled his eyes a little.
“I was at the estate during that time period, not England, nor on the Isle of Camden. My family didn’t take leave of their senses, either. In regards to separating married couples, at least. If you want further detail concerning marital life in that era, I’m sure it can be found online.”
Our friends asked no more questions. About that, anyway.
“Well… they were seriously messed up,” I declared. “I can’t understand why anyone would want to emulate any part of it, even if their manor is in the style of an English country house.”
“So… this lady tried to separate you two? I bet you loved that,” Xander half-laughed.
“Tried, and failed,” I said. “I threatened to nail Miles’ door shut, if he attempted to leave my room.”
“As if there was any danger of my doing so,” Miles smiled, as our friends laughed.
“Have you picked up any more broadcasts from the past?” John suddenly remembered.
“Only enough to figure out they play out in real-time,” I answered.
“It makes receiving in the presence of others, complicated,” Miles added. “Although if you do space out, it could be attributed to jet lag.”
“Hopefully we can make up some more sleep before anyone remembers we’re visiting, and decides we ought to be fed, entertained, or interacted with,” I said, and fought the urge to yawn.
“On our way back to the manor this morning, we stopped by the estate, and picked up the boxes of documents and papers collected thus far, for the years 1901 and 1902,” Miles recalled. “Two we dropped off for Anika’s sister. The others are yours to go through, if you’d like to help.”
“Of course we would!” Jenny said with interest, and the rest of our friends agreed.
“Anything pertaining to James and Katharine’s honeymoon, especially their trip to Europe and any foreign correspondence, is what we’re looking for,” I said. “Any diary entries written during that time could prove useful. I’m sure James and Katharine were at the manor, and in the same room we are. Since I can’t tune into this broadcast whenever I want, or control the speed or location, anything you turn up could prove valuable in determining what, if anything, we’re meant to accomplish.”
Conversation drifted away from the manor, and whatever happened there years ago, and on to current and local events. We were glad to know that after a series of pointed newscasts, Mr. Foster was inclined to follow through, and ensure Miles’ suggestions were met. The man could never fully restore to Tony Allen what he, at Gabe Barclay’s urging, cost him. He could be instrumental in overturning Tony’s convictions, and in reimbursing his legal expenses, and returning the funds used to pay the damages he didn’t inflict. Our friends assured us Tony was doing great, and enjoying life at the Lodge, as he waited to begin working for us. As for Gabe, he was in prison, awaiting trial for his second wife’s attempted murder. The death of his first wife was also under close scrutiny. Thanks to Gabe’s video confession, he might find himself charged with her murder, as well. Even though her death wasn’t necessarily murder-related, and Gabe wasn’t responsible for killing her, even if it was.
Avery’s feelings for Gabe were as dead as the proverbial doornail, and no wonder. She seemed to have a hard time believing Tony’s former feelings for her couldn’t be resurrected, but they were every bit as dead. There were no signs of life, and weren’t likely to be.
It was possible to push someone past the point of no return. I wondered how close Sir Edmund was to accomplishing that very thing, with Ashley. How much more would she tolerate before deciding what he was willing to offer, wasn’t enough? How much more could she endure, before the very thought of him filled her with distaste?
I looked around at our friends. I was pretty sure Jenny and Annette realized just how lucky they were. I looked at Miles, and he caught my gaze, and smiled. I knew I was. I resolved once again to never, ever forget it, or take him for granted.
We finished our breakfast-lunch, and Trixie ferried us back to our room at the manor. As appealing as a nap in our own bed sounded, there was the possibility our presence at the manor would be remembered, and someone would go looking for us. Not that anyone would find us if we weren’t there, which was kind of the point. It made sense to go back, even if it did increase the chances of having our sleep disturbed.
Although, if anyone tried… they might find themselves out of luck after all, I thought, as I traded my jeans and sweater for my gown, and crawled into bed. Miles was way ahead of me. He was already there, anyway. As I curled up to him and he wrapped his arms around me, I relaxed and closed my eyes. If he beat me to sleep, it wasn’t by much.
A faint breath of air swept past, gently stirring the leaves of the trees and the petals of the flowers, in the carefully tended garden. It was more of a hint than an actual breeze, leaving the garden and its occupants free to revel in the warmth of the sun’s rays. Birds chirped and splashed in the fountain, scattering water droplets in the air like so many diamonds. Others flitted about from one branch to another, or hunted worms in the freshly tilled soil of the flowerbeds.
Katharine Bannerman breathed in the intoxicating scents of the glorious profusion of roses that filled the garden around her, as she strolled along the path. Her husband caught the smile that flitted across her face, along with the merriment in her eyes, and gently pressed the hand he held tucked in his arm.
“Whatever amuses you so, my darling?” James inquired curiously.
“Only the look upon Sir William’s and Lady Frances’ faces, when you announced that you, and only you, would be my escort to dinner, and absolutely everywhere else an escort is required.”
Rather than amused, James appeared somewhat irritated by the memory.
“They shall think again before suggesting any other in the future,” he said firmly.
“I am quite certain Mr. Blaine is still weak with relief that you did not challenge him to a duel for stepping forward, as instructed,” Katharine said, as she tried to hide her smile.
“It is fortunate for the man he is no more swift than he is,” James replied, then thought better of his words. “Though that would not serve to improve his odds, if indeed challenged to one.”
Katharine’s laugh rang out merrily, and James couldn’t help smiling, as she rubbed his arm soothingly.
“How very serious you are, my dear husband,” she declared.
“I suppose I am,” James replied. “I find I am quite jealous, where you are concerned. I want you very much all to myself.”
“I am glad of that,” his wife smiled, as she pressed her cheek briefly against his shoulder. “I did wonder if you would ever come around.”
“I had only to see you,” James said softly. “To truly see you, as you are.”
“I am grateful the clothes once belonging to my brother did not forever ruin my chances,” she replied. “It did take you long enough to notice, however. What on earth were you doing all that first day, that kept you until evening?”
“Hiding, I suppose you might as well know,” James replied, and smiled as she laughed again.
“I cannot imagine what would drive you to such measures,” she said in amazement.
“Fear, of course,” he answered.
“You? Fearful, of anything? Truly, I find this impossible to believe,” Katharine declared. “Whatever terror bound you, from dawn to dusk on that day?”
“Well you see, there was Mother,” James said, the seriousness of his tone masking the amusement in his brown eyes.
“Your mother,” Katharine responded in surprise.
&n
bsp; “Yes of course, though to thwart an idea once it enters Cynthia’s mind, is more formidable, still.”
“Your sister,” Katharine was nonplussed. “I’ve always found her to be quite dear. Both of them, really.”
“That is as it should be, seeing as how fond they are of you, and determined to convince me there was a perfectly reasonable and rational way to go about keeping you close.”
“Ah, now I see,” Katharine smiled. “So truly, it was myself of whom you were afraid.”
“No, I should say my sister, perhaps more so,” James declared, and Katharine laughed. “If only I stopped to realize how often she is right, it would have spared me a day of hanging about the stables, and given me more time with you.”
“Whatever was it, then, that cured this fear of yours?” Katharine asked.
“It was hunger that drove me back. That, and I did not wish to sleep with the horses,” he said, and she laughed again. “But as to the truth that cast away my fear, it was the vision of you yourself, standing there, at the top of the stairs. It struck me fully, that you were no longer the child I remembered you to be.”
“Not for a good many years,” she replied, as a shadow flitted across her face. “It took you long enough, but I am glad at last you came around.”
“I could not help myself,” James replied, as he stopped and drew her close. “One glance from you, and my heart was no longer my own.”
Katharine cast a furtive glance at the manor and its many windows, but made no protest when her husband kissed her.
“I am glad of it,” she said, when at last they continued on. “For it was you alone I wanted, even before you came to my rescue that night.”
“How very fortunate for me that circumstances arranged themselves as they did, though I should prefer you never to have been so burdened,” James said regretfully.
“It is over and done,” Katharine replied stoutly. “I now find life to be more delightful than ever before, and that is thanks to you.”
“I am glad of that,” he said, as he led his wife to a small grouping of benches, sheltered by a shower of climbing roses. A light step sounded behind them, and they turned.
Ashes of Roses Page 17