Train Through Time Series Boxed Set Books 1-3

by Bess McBride

  Robert’s hand reached for hers.

  “Come with me, Ellie. Stay close. I have a lot of women to see to, and I cannot lose you.”

  Ellie’s heart jumped to her throat at his words. She took the last step and fell into line with the women of his group. Robert gave her hand a quick squeeze before he let it go and moved to the front of the group to direct the unloading of luggage and the arrival of carriages.

  Carriages? Ellie’s eyes, nose and ears widened to the sensory overload of Seattle at the turn of the century. The smell of coal permeated the thick air of the bustling train station. The overheated locomotive hissed as leftover steam billowed onto the tracks. Conductors strode briskly along the wooden platform, barking out orders to porters who unloaded baggage and reloaded it onto wagons behind depressed-looking mules whose heads hung low. Several carriages awaited the exhausted arrivals, with restless horses that pawed the dirt road and whinnied.

  “Melinda, please take Grandmother and Ellie to our carriage. You see Jimmy just over there?” He nodded in the direction of a large, black, hooded carriage. “I need to see your friends to their carriages. I trust you said your goodbyes?”

  Melinda hadn’t, it seemed, for the young women gathered around her with squeals of gratitude and coos of promised visits in the coming days. Ellie stood to the side, watching everything as if she were in a dream—which of course she was, she reminded herself. Finally, Robert was able to hand his grandmother off to Melinda and escort the rest of the young women to several waiting carriages. Further loud squeals of delight from inside the carriages proclaimed the welcome of waiting family members.

  “What a wonderful birthday party!” Melinda sighed, tucking her arm into her grandmother’s.

  “Come along, Melinda,” Mrs. Chamberlain said. “Let’s make our way to the carriage. I have been standing too long on these old legs. Miss Standish, if you please.”

  Ellie obediently moved forward in their wake, but she hesitated when she saw Constance standing alone under an ornate gas streetlamp. Ellie was just about to see if Constance needed a ride when she saw Robert move toward the dark-haired beauty. He bent his head, now covered with a dashing derby, near hers, and she laughed brightly. Ellie cringed as Constance laid one dark-gloved hand on Robert’s arm and accompanied him toward a waiting carriage. Was he going to take her home?

  “Miss Standish, are you coming?” Ellie barely heard Melinda’s polite inquiry as she watched the handsome couple through narrowed eyes. If this was a dream, then she might be able to wish Constance somewhere else. Nothing dreadful...just gone.

  Ellie squeezed her eyes shut and wished. Go away, Constance. Go away on a vacation to a wonderful spa or something and meet some nice man. Ellie’s eyes shot open at the sound of the soft thud of horses’ hooves and jingling harnesses.

  “Miss Standish, do you intend to stand out there all night?” Mrs. Chamberlain called out from the interior of the carriage. “What on earth are you doing?”

  Ellie opened her mouth to answer but stilled as she watched Robert materialize out of the darkness and walk toward her, his hand outstretched in her direction.

  She put her hand in his and tilted her head back to search his eyes. His dimples deepened with his grin.

  “Why haven’t you climbed aboard the carriage? Won’t my grandmother let you on?”

  “Nonsense, Robert. The girl has been standing there gawking at who knows what.”

  Robert handed Ellie up into the carriage. She marveled at the sturdiness of the iron steps and soft comfort of the velvet seat as she slid in to sit across from Melinda and her grandmother. Robert climbed in beside her, ducking low to avoid hitting his hat on the carriage roof. The driver raised the steps, and within moments the carriage pulled forward with a jerk, to the sound of snorting horses and creaking wheels.

  Ellie turned to glance out of the window and saw the “immigrant class,” finally released from their cars, shuffling along the boardwalk. For the most part, they seemed poor and downtrodden. No bright white shirtwaists or clean silk skirts for the women. No well-tailored dark suits and highly polished shoes for the men. Many of the women covered themselves and their children with thick shawls, while the men wore various styles of ill-fitting thick coats. The travelers looked exhausted as they trudged along, dragging suitcases and hauling bulging cloth sacks. The once-helpful porters stood by and leaned on walls, offering no assistance to the tired mass.

  Ellie watched with a frown as some people moved toward large open-air wagons while others made their way down the street on foot, tired children clinging to skirts and huddling close. The group seemed strangely hushed; only the occasional fretful cry of a baby broke the loud silence. She watched and wondered about their lives until she could see them no more.

  In general, Seattle seemed much quieter at night in 1901 than in modern day. It bore little resemblance to the bustling city she’d enjoyed visiting on occasion. No bright streetlights shone down from above to show the way, no traffic signals blinked orange in the intersections, no testy car horns blared.

  “Robert, now that we are alone and you have had time to think, I was wondering what your plans for Miss...Standish are?” Mrs. Chamberlain’s narrowed gaze studied them.

  Ellie dragged her eyes and ears away from the eerily dark and silent city to look at Robert. He glanced at her with a reassuring smile.

  “I’m not sure, Grandmother. I think that is something Miss Standish and I will discuss at a more convenient time...and certainly in private.”

  “I see,” his grandmother said in an icy tone. “And what am I to make of that?”

  “Mrs. Chamberlain, I’m just staying for—”

  “No need, Ellie. Grandmother welcomes you as our guest...as my guest. Forgive her. She is tired from the journey, I suspect.”

  Ellie squirmed as she watched and heard the conflict between the two. By the soft yellow light of the interior coach lamp, Ellie saw Mrs. Chamberlain study her grandson for a moment with an unreadable expression. The older woman closed her eyes for a brief second and ran a hand lightly across her pale forehead. When she opened her eyes, she inclined her head in Robert’s direction.

  “Of course, you are right, Robert. I apologize if I seem rude, Miss Standish. I am weary, and I have forgotten my manners. Naturally, any guest of Robert’s is welcome in his home.”

  “Well, I certainly look forward to your visit, Miss Standish...Ellie. May I call you Ellie?” Melinda leaned forward, seemingly full of energy even at this late hour.

  “Uh...sure, Melinda. Thank you.”

  “Wonderful!”

  Ellie grinned at Melinda’s infectious goodwill. Before she could respond to Mrs. Chamberlain, the older woman closed her eyes and leaned her head back, to all intents and purposes unavailable for communication.

  She looked up at Robert beside her to find him watching her with half-closed eyes.

  “Are you tired?” she asked. The rocking of the carriage made her eyes heavy, as well.

  “I am, a little. It’s been a long journey. Two days to Spokane and two days to return.”

  “Two days? Of course, that seems correct, but I can’t imagine.” She glanced at Melinda, now settling in to doze next to her grandmother, and lowered her voice, cupping her mouth.

  “It’s only about seven hours by train now.”

  Robert’s eyebrows shot up. “It does not seem possible.” He shook his head slowly.

  Ellie had an almost overwhelming urge to take off his derby and lower his sleepy-looking head to her lap, but she managed to resist the compulsion. Not only would she shock Melinda and Mrs. Chamberlain with such a bold move, a struggle might possibly ensue if Robert bucked her plans and decided to remain upright. She stifled a chuckle at the image of the awkward moment.

  “What makes you laugh, Ellie?” Her heart fluttered at the intimate note in his voice. She blushed at the thought of telling him why she laughed.

  “I can’t say, Mr. Chamberlain.” She took a deep breath a
nd turned to stare out the window into the darkness, but his warm, strong fingers guided her chin back toward him. He tilted her face towards his, forcing her to meet his eyes. He quirked an eyebrow in her direction, laughter peeping out from his dark-lashed eyes.

  “Can’t or won’t, my dear Miss Standish?”

  Ellie forgot to breathe for a moment...or two. Stars swam before her eyes. Was this what they called starry-eyed?

  She inhaled deeply, dragging much needed oxygen into her lungs. No, she couldn’t possibly tell him her thoughts.

  “Won’t, Mr. Chamberlain. Won’t.” She gently pulled his hand from her chin, resisted a compelling urge to bring the hand to her lips, and leaned her head back to close her eyes and give her overworked, racing heart a much-needed rest.

  “We are not done yet, Ellie. You may sleep now, but we are not done, you and I.” She knew he leaned close to whisper—close enough to bring goose bumps to her arms and strange stirrings to other body parts—but she kept her eyes firmly shut, though she couldn’t prevent a quick grin in response.

  The steady thud of the horses’ hooves and regular rocking of the carriage lulled her into drowsiness, with the warm, intimate feel of Robert’s breath lingering against her ear. Who knew Victorian men could be so...so...sensual? On that thought, Ellie slipped off the precipice...in more ways than one.

  Chapter Seven

  It seemed like only moments had passed before she felt Robert shaking her.

  “Ellie, we’re here. Wake up.”

  Ellie opened her eyes to find her face pressed against Robert’s chest, his arm around her shoulders. She gasped and pulled herself from his arms into a stiffly upright position, with a wary glance in Mrs. Chamberlain’s direction.

  Robert leaned near. “It is all right, Ellie. They are both asleep, but I must wake them now. I...enjoyed the short nap.”

  Ellie shook her head and bopped him lightly on the arm.

  “You shouldn’t have let me sleep like that. I don’t know what your grandmother would have said,” she hissed.

  Robert grinned unabashedly. “We will never know.”

  The driver came around to open the carriage door. Ellie tried to see over Robert’s shoulder but could not. He reached over to touch his sister’s arm.

  “Melinda, wake up. We’re home at last.” Melinda roused with a sleepy smile and turned to wake her grandmother.

  Robert stepped down from the carriage and held out a hand to Ellie. She laid her hand in his and climbed down the stairs. As he turned to help the other women, Ellie moved away to stare at the house up on the hill. It was an old Queen Anne-style house, but it looked almost new as best she could see from the porch lights. She still couldn’t grasp the concept. What she’d previously considered old-fashioned, antique, historical—was now new, modern, state-of-the-art!

  Lights spilled out from the three-story house onto the street below. The door stood open and an older man in a dark suit hurried down the steep steps. Ellie’s eyebrows shot up and she counted the brick steps as best she could at night—all thirty of them. She turned around to watch Mrs. Chamberlain being handed down from the carriage.

  How did the woman do it?

  The older man bounded down the last step with a puff, threw a curious glance in Ellie’s direction, and moved toward Mrs. Chamberlain while Robert helped Melinda down from the carriage.

  “Mrs. Chamberlain, Mr. Chamberlain, Miss Melinda. It’s so nice to have you home.”

  “Thank you, Roger. We are exhausted,” Robert replied. Roger offered Mrs. Chamberlain a solicitous arm, and turned to head back up the stairs. A sleepy Melinda lifted her skirts to begin what promised to be a long climb and followed her grandmother.

  Robert turned to offer his arm to Ellie.

  “Shall we?”

  “Oh, Robert, I’ll be hanging onto your arm for dear life by the time we get to the top. You don’t want me dragging you down.”

  Robert laughed. “You say the strangest things, Ellie. Of course I want you dragging me down. Why else would I offer you my arm?”

  She took it reluctantly, hoping against all odds that she wouldn’t embarrass herself by huffing and puffing all the way up the steep stairs.

  “Robert, do you walk up these stairs every day? How does your grandmother do it?”

  He chuckled. “No, I most certainly do not. Some construction is being done to the back of the house, and the carriage is not able to discharge us there at the moment.” He heaved a sigh. “So, for now, we must climb the stairs. I expect work to be completed by the end of next week.”

  Ellie alternated between watching her step and staring up at the house. The dark sky prevented her from determining its color or features, but the twenty or so well-lit windows in her immediate view indicated the house was immense.

  “Umm...Robert?”

  “Yes, Ellie.”

  “I don’t think I asked. What exactly do you do for a living? I suppose I could just as well have ended up in the...umm...immigrant car in my dream.”

  Robert threw back his head and laughed, that wonderfully joyous sound she had come to crave. Melinda turned around and smiled.

  “Ellie, Ellie. You make me laugh like I have not laughed in years.” He pressed her arm closer to his side.

  Ellie had all she could do not to start gasping for air at the effects of his nearness and the steepness of the ascent. She tried to drag in air between her teeth as quietly as possible.

  “I am a banker...as was my father before me. This was my parents’ house. They left it to me.”

  “Not to Melinda?”

  He gave her a curious look. “No, not to Melinda. She has money in trust, which I manage, but daughters do not usually inherit property.”

  Ellie studied the back of the young woman ahead of her and shook her head.

  “Of course. I knew that. How archaic!” she muttered.

  “How so, Ellie?”

  “I just want you to know that in my time women have as many legal rights as men. So, hang on to your derby, Robert, because the times they are a-changing.” She turned a firm, challenging eye on him, to which he responded with a dimpled grin.

  “I cannot wait to hear about all the changes, my dear Miss Standish, and I look forward to their challenge as well as to that light in your eyes.”

  Ellie’s face flamed, and she turned her face forward. Mrs. Chamberlain’s slow progress halted them halfway up the stairs.

  “You really need to get that construction done,” Ellie muttered, as an excuse to inhale deeply.

  “Yes, I know. I will press the crew tomorrow. This should have been finished while we were gone.”

  “You said the house had been left to you. Have your parents passed away, Robert?”

  He gave her a brief nod. “Yes, they both contracted pneumonia five years ago and died within days of each other. Melinda was only thirteen.”

  “Oh, Robert, I’m so sorry!”

  He laid a warm hand on hers as she clung to his arm. “Thank you. It is one of the diseases that I hope has been eradicated in your time. Has it, Ellie?”

  Ellie bit her lip and sighed, though short of breath.

  “No, I’m afraid not, Robert. More people survive pneumonia than they used to, but I’m afraid people do still die from it.”

  He sighed. “I am sorry to hear that. And your family, Ellie? What of them? Will they miss you? Did you leave anyone behind?”

  Kyle’s face flashed before her eyes, and she wondered if she were lightheaded from the climb.

  “No, no one, Robert,” she lied. “I left no one behind. My parents passed away several years ago in an accident, and I’m an only child. Of course, as you know, I think I’m dreaming, so I’m likely to wake up at any time.” She fervently hoped not, not yet.

  They neared the top. Robert pulled her up the last two steps and turned to face her.

  “If you are dreaming, Ellie, then I hope you do not wake up in the near future. But if you have traveled back in time, then you have
come for a reason, and we must discover what that is. I have my suspicions.”

  Ellie shook her head and smiled but said nothing. It would be interesting to travel in time, but she’d never heard of anyone who actually had in reality—and she, Ellie, would hardly be the first person to do so. More likely, that would be some physicist or somebody with a government black-ops program.

  They followed Mrs. Chamberlain, Melinda and Roger through the front door and into a large, circular foyer crowned by a massive, sparkling chandelier which hung down the length of a round staircase leading to the second and third stories. The chandelier’s light illuminated the foyer’s pale cream paint and reflected off the highly varnished parquet oak floors.

  An older woman in a plain, dark gray dress stepped forward.

  “Thank you, Mr. White. I’ll take Mrs. Chamberlain from here.” She took the frail-looking older woman by the arm and began to ascend the stairs.

  “Thank you, Mrs. White,” Robert said. A married couple Ellie thought. “I’ll see about organizing some tea. Would you care for some refreshment before you retire, Mr. Chamberlain?”

  Robert removed his hat and laid it on the magnificent oval teak table in the middle of the foyer. He turned to Melinda with an inquiring look.

  “Nothing for me, thank you, Robert, Mr. White. I think I will just go up to bed.” She followed the two older women up the stairs.

  Robert intercepted the butler’s curious stare at Ellie. “Yes, Roger, I would like some tea. Two cups, please. Could you ask Sarah to prepare a guest bedroom for Miss Standish, please? She will be staying with us for a period of time.”

  Ellie winced as the butler studied her clothing for a brief moment before responding.

  “Certainly, sir. Where will you take your tea?”

  “The study, I think, Roger. When you and Sarah are finished, you can retire. I apologize for keeping everyone awake so late tonight. The train schedule is unforgiving.”

  Roger nodded. “Think nothing of it, Mr. Chamberlain.” He moved away, leaving Ellie standing alone in the foyer with Robert.