“And you understand what’s at stake?”
“At stake?”
“That the magic isn’t exact. There’s a chance you might land on the right day and time or you could be off by a month or year.”
“A year?”
“Or two, yes. Though I’ve been mostly accurate in most cases.”
Oliver was feeling less sure. “Is she here still or has she left?”
“She has left.”
“What! Did we miss the full moon? Did Jane go with her?”
“She did. We had a surprise opening in the magic lines as the moon moved into fullness at the very end of the evening, right around early dawn, it was.”
Oliver gripped his friend’s arm. “Come with me.”
“What?”
“Please.”
17
Eva hugged Anna as soon as she entered the portrait room in the year 2020. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you.”
Then Jane hugged them both. “Anna.” They rocked back and forth. Eva felt all of her worlds colliding again. Anna had been in both time periods. Jane from the past, Nellie from all the time periods. She looked around and breathed in the smell of delicious modern living. It was good to be home. But even as she said it, a vacant spot in her chest ached. A spot that would never be filled because the only person who would fill that hole had died over two hundred years ago. Her eyes welled up.
“Oh honey, what is it?” Jane reached for her hand.
“I just realized, Oliver, the duke, all of them. They’re dead. They’ve been gone for more than two hundred years now.”
Jane’s eyes filled with compassion. “Oh, do I remember what that feels like.” She pulled her into a hug. “Come on now. It’s not as bad as it seems. Now that you know about Nellie and this house, as long as the magic keeps working, he’s alive to you. You know?”
Eva shook her head. “No. I don’t understand any of it. What have I done?”
“Nothing that can’t be fixed, believe me.” Anna and her matter of fact personality made Eva smile.
“But come. Before you start wishing for bed pans and leeches, let’s go have some fun. I’ve called the limo, and I’m dying for a good hamburger.”
Eva looked down.
“And I’ve got some clothes, come on.”
The three linked arms and took off, Eva determined to rid herself of the vacant loneliness. She was stuck with the absence of the man she loved. What were her options, really? Live in the Regency? In a world where she’d created a complete scandal? With a mother in law who despised her? Or stay here away from all of it, but without Lord Hereford.
She pulled on a pair of Anna’s designer jeans and a short cropped shirt. “Are you sure about this?” She yanked on the bottom of her shirt to pull it over the top of her jeans.
Anna laughed. “Oh honey, you have to, in order to get over your newly acquired Regency sensibilities.”
She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked great. And she tried to remember what it was like to live and have fun in her time. “You’re right. Where are we going?”
“I’ve called the lords in. We’re going to have a party! Remember Lord Smithson was interested before you left? And I’ve got my Trent…”
“Ah, yes, I do remember. That feels like a really long time ago.”
“It was, to you. A month. But to the guys, it was just yesterday.”
“Wow, that’s crazy.”
Jane laughed, spinning in an outfit of tight leather pants and a white shirt. “I love this! I feel so free.”
Eva laughed, but a part of her missed the delicate material of her opera gown. She missed the sparling jewelry, and she missed Beau Brummel and his compliments. She had so many other ideas, so many thoughts about how to spice up the Regency fashion.
And she missed Oliver, how his eyes would not leave her, how intently he watched her, and how he’d so desperately desired to kiss her, but he’d waited.
They piled into the limo, laughing, and told the driver to turn up the music.
“Are we going to the club where we took Algernon?”
Anna nodded. “Yes we are.”
“Last time we were here, he and Lord Smithson got in a fight and Algernon spent the night in jail.”
“What!”
“Yes, he was coming on to Anna here, and Lord Smithson was not liking that very much, so he swung at Algernon and then got absolutely clobbered.” Jane laughed.
“Wait, what! He was coming on to you?” She pointed at Anna and looked between the two of them.
Anna waved her hand. “He’s not for me. It worked out just how it was supposed to.”
Eva wanted again to know that story. Maybe one day someone would actually tell her how it was Jane that ended up dating the duke, marrying him and living as a duchess in the 1800s.
They pulled up to one of the nicest, most exclusive clubs in London. “Wow, we’re already back to London?”
“Oh yeah. Something I completely miss, the ease of travel and communication. Oh, what I would give for a cell phone.”
Eva shrugged. “I wonder what would happen if you brought a few towers with you? And two phones.”
“And no electricity.”
“Oh, right. Again with the electricity.”
They hopped out and ran to the front door. Suddenly Eva just wanted to dance and forget her sadness. She wanted to ignore the persistent needling that she’d made a huge mistake. That she would never really be happy until she and Oliver were together.
They followed Anna through the first two rooms and then entered the last, the royals only. The guard let her in on sight and they ran into a much less crowded room.
The guys were in the center of the floor already dancing. “Anna! Eva!” They ran over, and then Lord Smithson shouted. “Jane’s back!”
She waved and spun in a circle, and everyone mashed together, bouncing to the beat. Lord Smithson moved close and their bodies touched, moving to the music. She tried not to freak out. Then the music slowed down and Lord Smithson pulled her close without asking. “Let’s dance, beautiful.”
She laughed. “Okay.” But she wasn’t entirely comfortable. Thoughts of Lord Hereford and the waltz filled her mind and the magic of her beautiful dress and the way they floated through the ballroom at Almack’s together couldn’t compare to the mashing loud experience at the London club. She attempted conversation. “So tell me about yourself.”
“Right now?” He held her closer.
“Um, okay. Later is fine, I guess.”
“I would like to get to know you Eva I’ve been wanting to for years.”
“You have?”
“Of course. You’re not over here very much. And last time I was in New York, I don’t think you were there.”
“Was that the auction?”
“Yes, the very one.”
“I heard about it. We donated to the cause. It was for Jane’s historical society, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. And it’s a smashing success now, thanks to all of us. I had a date with a rather elderly woman that lasted too long.” He smirked. “But that’s all behind us now.”
She laughed. “Your sacrifice sounds great indeed.”
The music changed back into something with a faster beat, and Eva was grateful to step away and have some space to herself.
They danced and then went out for drinks after, and Eva tried to have fun. She laughed, and truly did enjoy herself now and then, but when it was time to end the evening, she felt only a great amount of relief. They traveled to Anna’s estate and the staff showed her to her room.
She stood in the doorway. Her luggage sat in the corner. Her laptop was plugged in on the table. Her phone sat beside it. She opened her drawer and ran her fingers over her socks and underwear. Is this all she wore under her clothes?
She made her way into the bathroom and turned on the faucet, and hot water came after only a moment. She picked up her toothbrush from the holder, filled It with toothpaste and brushed her teeth
for about five minutes. Then she turned on the shower. Watching the room fill up with steam, she drew a heart on the mirror.
After her shower, where she washed every part of her twice, she hugged the robe around herself and sat in a chair. She pulled her laptop closer, lifted the cover, and typed Lord Oliver Hereford 1813 England into a Google search bar.
He had a wiki page. She read it and was pleased to learn that he was known for his grove of trees, his goodness to his tenants, and his work as a Whig in the house of lords. The page said nothing about whether he married. And there weren’t any children listed. Had he never married?
A great sadness filled her.
She looked up Lady Everly. After much scrolling and searching, she found a picture. She had married, had seven children, four raised to adulthood. And seemed to have lived a happy life. But not with Lord Hereford.
Had he lived out his days in loneliness?
She kept looking. Using the images search, she hoped to find a picture, any, of Oliver. At last, an old image from a book in a digital file showed a smiling Oliver. His hair was white, but he stood strong, his shoulders broad and the familiar twinkle in his eyes made her smile. And miss him. She hugged the screen to her chest. “I’m sorry Oliver.”
She noticed red notification numbers on her email. Did she want to dive back into her modern life? Her phone rested upside down on the table top.
She may as well. Even though only a day had passed her email seemed filled with urgent matters. But as she clicked on each one, their complete lack of real purpose surprised her. Was her life filled of a constant stream of meaningless tasks that kept her busy doing nothing?
If she were to base her judgement off this group of emails, she would feel pretty dismal about her purpose in living. She lifted her phone and read her texts.
Her mother remembered she had gone somewhere but not exactly where, then she’d sent pictures of her nephew. He was darling. Work had sent her a couple links to projects. They knew she wouldn’t be retuning for another month, but they had reserved a couple clients for her. That was nice. She wondered how much of their treatment of her was dictated by the fact that they hoped her father would one day become a client. Probably all of it. She tossed her phone on the bed and shut her laptop.
Where was the meaning in her life?
She thought back to her time in Regency England. Yesterday. Had her life had meaning there? Not really, but somehow she felt more herself. How odd. And she’d hoped to be able to make a difference there. She’d been so impressed with Oliver, his goodness, integrity. He’d made her want to be better. As she thought about her desires, her actions, she’d been more herself, her best version of herself there with him than any other time of her life.
But how terrible would it be if she’d brought scandal on them both? And how often would she embarrass or scandalize him in front of everyone?
She thought of Jane and Algernon. They managed just fine. In great happiness, actually.
As her head hit her pillow, she closed her eyes and tried to pretend she was back in her bed at the duke’s house. Could she make a life for herself there? Perhaps. Did she dare?
That was a question she couldn’t answer right now. If the answer came in the morning, she hoped she had the courage to act—whether she would learn to live in her time or travel back to be with Oliver and beg him to be a part of her life.
18
Oliver held his fist up. “Like this?”
“Yep.” He tapped his own fist into Oliver’s. “A fist bump.”
“And people do this instead of bowing?”
“Absolutely. They might shake hands as well. That’s the more formal greeting, and if you see any lords or prominent business men, then you might shake hands.”
“And the ladies?”
“Same.” You can shake hands with them. Sometimes we kiss cheeks in a greeting.”
“Kiss?”
“Yes, but not like you’re thinking. It’s a quick peck on the cheek. The ladies do this and sometimes with us gentlemen, too. But they don’t do it everywhere. It’s just with friends and sometimes those in certain parts of the world. In England where we’re going to be, I don’t think you’ll see much of that. But if Anna or another one of the ladies kisses your cheek, just know it doesn’t mean anything.”
“And if Eva kisses my cheek?”
“If she does such thing, you’re going to have to determine what she means by yourself. I can only get you where she is. After that, you will have to figure out how to woo her on your own.”
“I believe I can accomplish such a thing.”
“And remember, none of the women wear many clothes.”
“They—they don’t?”
“No. but you have to remember that it’s normal for everyone else. So, try not to notice.”
“This is absurd.”
“And most of the women wear pants. Breeches. Like the men.”
The thought of Eva walking around in breeches made him equally horrified and incredibly enticed.
“You’re accepting of the thought of Jane walking around in pants, wearing few clothes and kissing men on the cheek?”
“Of course. The men and women also have very different kinds of relationships. It’s something you’ll have to talk to Eva about to determine if you and she can come to an agreement.”
Oliver was more than confused. “It’s just so much information.”
They stood in front of a portrait that he was astounded to see had been painted of him and Algernon.
“All we must do is touch this painting?”
“Yes. Now, is there anything small you will be wanting to bring from home?”
He patted his pockets. He had a watch, handkerchief. He could think of nothing else. “No. I have what I need.”
“We’ll touch it together. Are you ready?”
Oliver almost believed him at this point. “Yes.”
They reached out their fingers and touched the paint.
The world swirled around Oliver, and for a moment all he saw was white. Then he found himself on the floor. In the portrait room. With no Algernon in sight. “Your grace?”
But no one answered him. The place was quiet with the thick softness of something ancient.
He walked down the hallway out of the portrait room and everything around him seemed new, but smelled ancient. Like the white stone on a mountain. A beautiful woman approached. And something very familiar nudged him. Something about the woman’s eyes, the set of her hair. “Aunt Nellie?”
“Is that what people call me?”
“Yes. But I don’t understand. Are you her?”
“Are you looking for the woman who guards this line of Fae power?”
“Yes. And helps people travel through time.”
“Oh, I do that also, don’t I?”
“Yes, but I think I traveled much farther back than I had planned.”
“Well then, let’s get you situated.”
“Oh yes, please.”
She led him back into the portrait room. But this time, there were very few portraits. He couldn’t see his own anywhere. “Where did it go?”
“I presume you’re talking about your portrait?”
“Yes, of course.”
“These all started to appear in this room. They come and go. I’m not sure I have much to do with it.”
“Oh, but you do. Algernon said you are the one who paints them.”
“And did Algernon tell you how it was he came to be traveling through time?”
“He said his was unconventional.”
“Exactly.”
“But Aunt Nellie, could you help me return to the year 2020, where Lady Eva has returned? And Jane?”
“I think such a thing is possible.”
“You think…”
“These things are not exact, as you have discovered.”
“I need them to be a little more exact, if you don’t mind. I don’t have time for you to think. I need to find Lady Eva.”<
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“Oh, but that’s where you are incorrect. You have all the time in the world.”
A knock at the door filled Eva with a rush of expectation. The butler opened it, and a man’s voice called out into the house. “Jane!”
“Algie!”
Eva rushed out into the entry to see the two of them embrace in a reckless abandon. She enjoyed Algernon much more here in this time. Perhaps this was the manner in which they behaved in their home.
When at last they looked in her direction, she laughed. “Algie?”
The duke shrugged. But a certain sadness filled his eyes.
And Eva knew that what she hoped for the minute she saw him, was not to be. “So you are alone.”
“I am, but we must go speak with Aunt Nellie at once.”
“Why? What has happened?” Jane placed a hand at the side of his face.
“Oliver. He came with me.”
“What!” A jolt of electricity shook her hands and suddenly she wasn’t sure she could stand on her own. “Is he here?”
Algernon moved forward and offered his arm for her to hold. “We left together. I thought we touched the same painting at the same time, only I was the only one in the portrait room when the world stopped spinning.”
“So he changed his mind.”
“I think so. But to his credit, he wasn’t even entirely certain that I had a fully functioning mind.”
Eva frowned. “What did Aunt Nellie say?”
“I couldn’t find her. One of the Fae said she was not available at the moment.”
“That’s not going to work for me.” Eva grabbed a set of keys off the front table. “Who’s with me?”
Jane rushed to the door. “We all are.”
They ran out and hopped into the closest car. Eva beeped the key fob.
“Oh I’ve missed these carriages. Perhaps we should spend more time here.” He eyed his wife. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you in breeches. And are these…cow hide?”
“Yes, in this case we just call it leather.”
He wrapped a hand around her waist and rested it on her hip. “I like it.”
“I could bring them home with us.” She stepped up on tip toes and kissed him.
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