by Bess McBride
“Now, just a min—!” Dani couldn’t hold back, but Ellie grabbed her arm and shook her head. Lucinda’s attention was on the brother and sister.
“Yes, she has, sister,” he replied with a firm chin. “Or rather, I should say, I had the privilege of catching her.” The smile on his face did not match his eyes, and his expression seemed a bit forbidding. Dani wondered if anyone else saw it.
Susan seemed to get his message because she turned to Dani. “Welcome to the family, Danielle. Please accept my congratulations.”
Ellie pulled her hand back, and Dani let go of the breath she had been holding. How awkward this must have been for Stephen to force his sister to accept her.
“Thank you, Susan. It is so nice to meet you,” Dani said inadequately. She rose as Susan approached to kiss her cheek. She met Stephen’s eyes over Susan’s shoulder but his expression revealed nothing save for the fixed smile which did not match his eyes. She felt distanced from him for the first time since she’d met him, and she didn’t like the feeling.
As if the room wasn’t already brimming with people, a tall, dark-haired man was shown in by the butler.
Ellie jumped up. “Robert! Look who is here. Mrs. Davies!”
Robert paused at her words, took in the room at a glance, and turned to Lucinda.
“Mrs. Davies, how nice to see you again.” He turned to greet everyone in the room, his eyes pausing on Dani. She thought she saw a glimmer of interest in them but couldn’t decipher the expression. She wondered if he could tell she was from the twenty-first century just by looking at her, or had Ellie said something in the note she sent him before they came downstairs.
“Robert, this is my wife, Mrs. Danielle Douglas Sadler.”
Robert bowed over her hand, and Dani thought she saw what Ellie had fallen in love with.
“Please accept my congratulations, Stephen. Mrs. Sadler. It seems only a few months ago that you said those words to Ellie and I.” He smiled, his clean-shaven face revealing straight white teeth.
“Yes, I remember,” Stephen acknowledged.
“All very exciting, don’t you think, Robert?” Lucinda chimed in. “All these Seattle men falling in love with women from Chicago! Just like you and Ellie!”
Robert smiled faintly. “Ah, yes. Chicago,” he murmured.
He moved to the mantle to lean on it as Stephen did. Dani studied the men, one so dark, the other so fair. They dressed alike in well-tailored dark suits, white shirts with stiff collars and ties under vests of different shades. Such stylish men, she thought. Why didn’t men in her day dress that way anymore?
Susan had taken a seat across from the sofa and poured tea for herself and others. Dani suspected the job of pouring tea was hers now but she had no idea what to do, and Susan seemed quite at home hostessing. No need to usurp the girl’s position in the house. Stephen would somehow find a way to explain Dani’s disappearance when she left—she hoped for his sake.
General conversation continued for another half hour until Lucinda rose stating she had to leave.
“Remember, Danielle, we spoke of making an outing to your tailor.” She bent to kiss Dani’s cheek. “Would tomorrow be convenient?”
“Oh, dear,” Ellie interjected. “I had already made arrangements to take Mrs. Sadler to my tailor tomorrow, Mrs. Davies. Would you care to accompany us? And you, Susan?”
Dani turned to Stephen for his unspoken opinion. He gave an imperceptible nod.
“Why, yes, Ellie,” Lucinda said. “That sounds lovely!” They settled on a time in the morning.
“Wonderful! I shall see you then.” Lucinda sailed out of the room in her indomitable way, leaving a silent void behind her. Dani had the impression that questions were on the tip of everyone’s tongue but no one dare say anything because of Susan who continued to sit and sip her tea thoughtfully.
Robert and Ellie exchanged glances. Dani threw Stephen an inquiring look. He shrugged his shoulders lightly. Everyone turned to look at Susan, the white elephant in the room, the only one who didn’t know something was going on.
“I know something is not quite as it seems here,” Susan suddenly said. “I am not a child. I would be most appreciative if you would all explain it.” She set down her teacup and faced them directly. “I think even Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain must know more than I do.”
Dani, after her initial shock, burst out laughing. Ellie joined her.
“Geez, Stephen, she doesn’t miss much!” Dani sputtered. “I think you’d better tell her about me.” She sobered with the emphasis on me. Susan didn’t need to know about Ellie.
Stephen sighed and moved to take a seat near Susan, and Robert joined the women on the sofa.
“I should have known I could not fool you,” Stephen said.
“Yes, you should have,” Susan said with pursed lips. “I have been watching out for you for years, and I am sure you would have told me ahead of time if you were planning to marry.”
“Perhaps not, my dear,” Stephen said with a look in Dani’s direction. The expression in his eyes—an unexpectedly intimate look—brought a blush to her face.
“At any rate, Miss Douglas and I are not married. I met Miss Douglas on the train from Chicago, and she needed my assistance, so I brought her here. And Ellie came to help this morning.”
“That’s probably not going to be enough, Stephen,” Dani said watching Susan’s sharp eyes.
“I know,” he murmured, “but I have not actually put the matter to words before. I am at a loss.”
“What difficulties had befallen Miss Douglas?” Susan asked.
“She...em...had lost her way, her luggage, funds.”
Susan turned to Dani. “Miss Douglas, forgive me for being so inquisitive, but it seems my brother holds some reservations regarding your privacy. Would you be so good as to tell me why he has introduced you as his wife?”
“Oh, well, that...” Dani grinned. “We met Lucinda—Mrs. Davies—on the train, and Stephen thought he ought to introduce me as some sort of relative.”
“And why would he need to do that?”
“We were in the observation carriage alone together, and I sought to protect Miss Douglas’s reputation.”
“How chivalrous of you,” Susan said in a dry tone. “I am hopeful you will explain how Miss Douglas came to be alone with you in the observation carriage?” She turned to Dani. “Were you traveling alone, Miss Douglas?”
“Yes. Yes, I was,” she said almost defiantly. The child was incredibly persistent and astute. She really thought she ought to put a stop to the inquisition, but she didn’t have the heart to be cruel to the young girl.
“Stephen,” Dani pleaded. “Just tell her.”
Robert and Ellie, having remained silent throughout the conversation, exchanged glances of amusement.
“Yes, well, Miss Douglas simply appeared in the observation carriage. Out of thin air.”
Susan’s cheeks flushed and her eyes, so like her brother’s, narrowed. “Out of thin air?”
“Yes, that is exactly right. Out of thin air.” He looked to Dani. “I cannot do this.”
“Do you want to, Stephen?” Dani asked. “We don’t have to.”
“Yes, I think it is necessary, but I worry about the effect on her.”
“Stephen! Miss Douglas! I am right here,” Susan almost shrieked.
Dani sighed and took a deep breath. “I’ve traveled to your time from the twenty-first century, about one-hundred ten years into the future.” She held up a quick hand at Susan’s protest. “Don’t worry, I’m not staying, but there it is. We don’t know how it happened, but I’m going to try to return to my own time. Your brother is just trying to help me out.”
Susan opened and shut her mouth—several times—as she stared at Dani. She was speechless, a state which Dani suspected Susan didn’t often fall into.
Dani turned to Stephen. He had that set look on his face whenever she mentioned returning. She supposed he thought it wasn’t possible and didn’t w
ant her to be crushed, but Dani had to believe she could do it.
“My word!” Susan said.
The next hour was spent in explaining what they knew...or suspected. Dani managed to keep Ellie’s own time travel out of the discussion, and she acknowledged Ellie’s grateful look.
Ellie and Robert rose to return home. Dani, Stephen and Susan rose to bid them farewell.
“I don’t think you’ll be coming to stay with me now, Dani,” Ellie said. “Not if you’re married to Stephen.”
“Of course not. She shall stay here. We can take care of her,” Susan said, her overprotective maternal drive having apparently expanded to encompass not only her brother but also her new honorary sister-in-law.
Ellie chuckled. “Yes, I believe you will. I’ll see all tomorrow. Call me... Well, send me a message if you need anything, Dani. I’ve got a phone but I can’t figure out how to work it yet!”
She gave Dani a hug and left with her husband.
“I wonder if we should have the wedding reception here or in a hall downtown,” Susan mused.
Dani and Stephen swung toward her.
“What?”
Chapter Five
“Well, we cannot have you just recently married and simply ignore the event, Stephen,” Susan said. “People will talk.”
“Oh, Susan, I don’t think—” Dani began.
Susan held up an imperious hand. “Do not worry. I will plan the entire event. I think we should have it here, Stephen. We never host any gala events here. I shall procure the advice of Mrs. Chamberlain on organization of the event. Though like you, brother, I believe she is not overly fond of festivities. Perhaps Mrs. Davies might be of assistance.” Susan’s pale cheeks glowed as she marched around the room thinking aloud. Stephen did not have the heart to tell her no. She had been ill for the past few months with an infection of the lungs, and this was the first time in a very long while he had seen her enthusiastic about anything.
“I think we must allow Susan to have her moment, Miss Douglas. I do not think she will be thwarted on this.” Stephen tilted his head and smiled at Dani.
“Mrs. Sadler, Stephen,” Susan interjected. “It is Mrs. Sadler! It will not do for you to call her Miss Douglas in public.”
Dani blinked then laughed. “She’s really into this, isn’t she?” she said as Susan hastened over to the desk and pulled out pen and paper.
Stephen laughed as he watched his sister. “If by ‘into it,’ you mean zealous, then yes, Susan has been known to pursue various causes and interests with unbridled passion. She is like our mother in that way.”
“Where are your parents, Stephen?”
“They both passed away from a flu that devastated the city some years ago. Susan herself has been ill with an infection of the lung, and I have been worried about her.”
“Oh, I didn’t know.” Dani looked at her. “She seems to be on the mend.”
“Yes, I hope so,” he said. He looked at Dani for a moment as if he wanted to ask her something but stopped.
“No, Stephen, we still have the flu, but less people die from it. Was that your question?”
Stephen smiled and nodded. “You seem to know me well, Miss Douglas, for such a short acquaintanceship. Please do not tell me that mind reading is a normal event in your time.”
Dani grinned. “No, I don’t think so. Some people can do it, I think, but not me.”
“I am hesitant to ask questions regarding the future. I think there might be things I do not wish to know.”
Dani tilted her head and nodded. “I can understand that. Let me know if you have any questions. Otherwise, I’ll try not to share too much information with you.”
“The revelations over the past twenty-four hours have been astonishing. I had no idea Ellie Chamberlain had come from the future. And to think that Robert knew.” Stephen shook his head.
Dani eyed him curiously. “Did you have a crush on her? Do you?”
“A crush?” Stephen asked. His cheeks bronzed, and he rubbed his chin. “You do ask the most intimate questions, do you not, Miss Douglas?”
“Mrs. Sadler,” she said with a chuckle, her cheeks a rosy red. “You don’t think your wife should know if you’re infatuated with another woman?” She nervously laced and unlaced her fingers, and Stephen thought he saw something in her eyes that was not entirely laughter. His heart sped up for a moment.
“I liked Ellie very much when I first met her, but she was already very much in love with Robert even by then—I suspect from the moment they met, though I was not there.”
“Oh!” Dani said. She turned to look toward Susan who continued her list writing from the looks of the growing pile of scribbled paper on the desk.
“I hate to hurt her, but I have to find a way to get home, Stephen. I don’t think I can wait for a party. My mother is due to have surgery for two weeks, thirteen days now, I guess, but I need to be there before she goes in. I promised I would be back. I can’t wait until the last minute. I have to go as soon as possible.”
She kept her eyes on Susan while she spoke but turned back to him on the last sentence. Stephen had clenched and unclenched his jaw while she spoke, leaving an ache in its wake. Of course he had to help her. At once! Not in a week, not even in several days. At once.
“What would you like me to do?”
“I think I need to take the train back to Wenatchee. I’m not sure if I need to fall asleep, but I’m willing to try.”
Her light green eyes entreated him, and his heart swelled. She needed him. It seemed clear. She asked for his help.
“Of course we will leave tomorrow. I will tell Susan we will be away for a few days, and that she must continue making arrangements for the reception.”
“No!” Dani spoke sharply. “No, you don’t need to go. I was asking you to pay for my ticket.”
Stephen stiffened. “No!” he said harshly, surprising himself with his vehemence. “You will not travel alone. It is not safe. I brought you here, and it pleases me to return you to where you came from.” Dani’s eyes widened with a stricken expression. Aghast at his severe tone, Stephen pressed his lips together. He had never spoken to a woman before in such a manner. And yet he did not yield.
“Tomorrow,” he muttered. “I will make the arrangements today.” He strode from the room, crossed the foyer and entered his library, slamming the door behind him. He poured a measure of brandy and threw himself into a chair only to rise precipitously again to pace the floor.
If she wanted to return then he would facilitate it, if that were within his power. Of course her mother was ill. Of course Dani needed to return to her own time. That she had no intention of returning to 1901 seemed clear, even were it within her power. Were he in the same situation, he was not sure he would return either.
He tossed back his drink, poured another and resumed pacing once again.
There was nothing for her in his time. She left no doubt she found the era backward, different, distasteful, he fumed. He thought back to her words. Well, perhaps she had not exactly used terms such as backward or distasteful, but the implication was the same.
Money, indeed! He cared not for the money. He had ample funds. Traveling alone? Had she not learned anything? She could not simply board a train on her own and be treated with any measure of civility. She would most certainly be seated in the third class carriage, perhaps even the immigrant carriage. Silly woman! Had she learned nothing in her time here? He looked at his pocket watch and calculated she had been in his time a grand total of eighteen hours. Eighteen hours. He stopped pacing and slumped in his chair.
No, of course she had not learned anything. She had hardly been there very long, not even a full day. His anger spent for the moment, Stephen crossed the room to his desk and penned a note. He rang for a footman and handed him the note and some money. He returned to his chair, leaned his head back and brooded, an unnatural state for him, and one he was not enjoying.
A knock on the door thirty minutes later brought
the butler to announce that Mr. Robert Chamberlain asked to see him. Stephen, surprised, jumped up.
“Yes, of course, show him in,” he said as he straightened his vest and adjusted his tie.
Robert entered and offered his hand.
“Forgive the intrusion, but Ellie thought it best if I were to return to speak to you, man-to-man I think she said.” He smiled broadly.
Stephen, never quite comfortable in his presence, smiled briefly. He shook Robert’s hand and offered him a drink which Robert accepted. They sat and faced each other. Stephen waited.
“The past is behind us now, Stephen,” Robert said. “Let us be at peace. I apologize for treating you poorly in the matter of Ellie. But you see, I was very much in love and quite jealous.”
Stephen raised his eyebrows at Robert’s frank words. He thought he heard Ellie’s influence. Like Dani, she often spoke her mind without regard for convention or restraint. Robert seemed different somehow since he met Ellie—more candid, less disciplined, more expressive.
“Yes, your feelings for Ellie were obvious,” Stephen said with a faint smile. “I accept your apology.”
“Good,” Robert said. He hesitated, and Stephen wondered about his real purpose for being there.
“Ellie felt you might have some...em...questions regarding Miss Douglas’s origins, perhaps even regarding Ellie herself since your discovery this morning. She thought I might be able to provide some insight from a ‘turn-of-the-century’ man’s perspective—her phraseology, not mine.” Robert smiled and cleared his throat. “Normally, I would not presume to interfere in an acquaintance’s personal affairs, but Ellie and I have kept this secret for months, and frankly we welcome a trusted ally. We wish to be of service to you and Miss Douglas in any way possible.” He tossed back his drink and declined another.
Stephen spoke slowly. “Although I am pleased to be considered an ally in this matter, I cannot say that I am happy to be part of this...surreal fantasy.” He could not keep the bitterness from his voice.
Robert raised his eyebrows. “Forgive me. Ellie imagined there was something between you and Miss Douglas, some sort of warmth.” He cleared his throat again.