“I see.” The older woman nodded. “Drink some tea. The hot water will help clear your headache.”
Ellie gave her a quick smile and nodded. Would the conductor ever come? She picked up the delicate pink-and-gold-decorated porcelain teacup again and swallowed the hot liquid. It did feel pleasant in her dry mouth.
“Miss Standish. If you’re not in the immigrant section...and forgive us for assuming so, are you in tourist class?” Melinda spoke from across the room. “I’ve seen that carriage before...once.”
“I think there is some confusion as to what carriage Miss Standish was on, and I do not think she feels up to resolving the matter at the moment. Perhaps we should let her sip her tea in comfort for a few minutes before we assail her with more questions.”
Ellie turned toward the voice of the dark-haired female who stood next to Robert. A beautiful woman who appeared to be in her late thirties, she stood almost as tall as Robert. Her slender build showed off her costume to great advantage. She regarded Ellie with dark-lashed, warm brown eyes and a pleasant curve of her full lips.
“A friend of the family, Mrs. Constance Green.” Robert made the introduction with familiarity. Ellie’s heart skipped a beat. When he looked at Constance, his grin took on an affectionate twist.
Constance nodded in greeting but did not move forward. Ellie studied the heightened color on the beauty’s face, her feminine instincts telling her that Constance was interested in Robert. She bit back a small sigh of disappointment. She wasn’t surprised. The man certainly was handsome!
Ellie nodded gratefully to Constance and took another sip of the surprisingly brisk tea.
“I really don’t know what’s taking the conductor so long to get here. I’m sure he’ll get me back to my car and my seat, and I can get out of your hair. You must have things you want to do.”
“I doubt if the conductor will arrive before our next stop, at Wenatchee,” Robert offered. “Unless he was in the dining carriage next door, Samuel will not be able to contact him until he can make his way to the carriages further down.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s quite true, Grandson. You’ll just have to settle in for a bit, Miss Standish. We won’t reach Wenatchee for another hour yet.”
“An hour?” Ellie looked from Robert to his grandmother. “Really? Well, why can’t Samuel just call the conductor? I really should make my way next door to find out what’s going on.” She attempted to rise but Mrs. Chamberlain laid a restraining hand on her arm for just a brief second before removing it.
“No, Miss Standish. That is not possible. It is not safe.” Mrs. Chamberlain’s words reawakened a vivid picture of the funhouse connection between the trains. Never one for such carnival rides, Ellie didn’t know if she would make the crossing in one piece. She slumped back into her chair and picked up her tea to toss off the last dregs. Uncomfortably aware that the women on the other side of the room continued to stare at her, she set her cup down, lowered her eyes and busily picked at a loose thread on her skirt.
“Miss Standish, forgive me, but I was wondering. What material is your skirt? I haven’t seen one like that before.”
A younger woman about Melinda’s age gazed at Ellie with an earnest expression. Her blue hat with decorative netting contrasted wonderfully with golden chestnut hair.
Ellie suspected she’d fallen into a wormhole. What kind of a question was that?
“Denim. You know? A jeans skirt?” She hunched her shoulders self-consciously as she looked down at her ankle-length skirt. “I know they’re a bit old-fashioned, but I like them. They’re comfortable for traveling.”
Melinda giggled. “There, Amy, I told you it was called denim...like serge. A sturdy fabric used by dockworkers and such.” She turned to Ellie. “Did you make the skirt yourself, Miss Standish? I have never seen this material in a skirt before.”
Ellie stared at the characters before her with narrowed eyes. Was this some elaborate hoax?
“No, I bought it, Melinda. Just like you can buy denim skirts in your local department store.” The gig was up! Ellie crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. She avoided looking at Robert, knowing he would continue the charade.
“I must say, you all are certainly deep in character. Is this some sort of Victorian reenactment I’ve wandered into?” She scanned the eyes of the women across the room, daring them to continue the lie.
“Reenactment?” Amy’s young forehead wrinkled. “I beg your pardon?”
“Oh, please, ladies and gentleman. You know, like a Civil War reenactment or a Mountain Man rendezvous.” She continued to avoid Robert’s eyes, though she was acutely aware he watched her. “I’m just exhausted and confused enough to believe in all this. You’ve had your fun, though. Are you a period piece ensemble on tour? Oh, wait, I know! One of those mystery dinner theater groups!” Ellie clapped her hands, thankful to have found an explanation for her bizarre companions. She ignored the lack of affirmative response. “Well, y’all have done a wonderful job. I almost... I gotta tell you...I almost thought for a moment...that I’d stepped back in time. Good job!”
“Miss Standish, what are you babbling about?” Mrs. Chamberlain turned toward her grandson. “Robert, I do not think she is well. Come see if she has a fever. No, on second thought, do not. She might carry some sort of contagious disease.”
Ellie shook her head warningly at Robert, but he dutifully crossed the carriage and put a hand to her forehead. His touch tingled. She jumped back into her seat and swatted at his hand.
“That’s enough, thank you, Robert. I’m just fine. All right, you guys, so how ‘bout that bottled water? Can I have some now?”
“She has no fever, Grandmother, though it appears her hazel eyes are flashing fire.” With a playful grin, he chuckled and ran a finger lightly across her cheek before he moved away.
Ellie jumped up in agitation. “All right, y’all. I’ll admit that I’m going to have a hard time getting to the next car. I’m petrified to cross that itty bitty thing between us, but I’m ready to head out.” She ignored the well-acted stunned expressions on their faces and turned to head toward the door. A sudden thought struck her, and she rotated to face the group. “You know, I teach women’s studies. The turn of the century is one of my areas of interest. What a coincidence that I should meet you all, eh? Too funny!” She dipped a quick curtsey in deference to the theme. “Thanks for the tea, and thanks for the show. It’s been great.”
Ellie spun away and made a beeline for the door before anyone tried to stop her. She slid the heavy door open and stepped out onto the narrow connector between the two cars. Dragging the door shut behind her, she hesitated on the landing as she stared wide-eyed at the precarious, wildly moving floor between the two cars. Wind rushed through the connector—wind and the dense smell of coal. She moved forward with a tentative step, preparing herself for a balancing act extraordinaire as she crossed the rocking corridor. That there was no way she could fall to her death on the tracks below did nothing to ease her fear of heights and fast moving, rocking trains.
She heard the door open behind her but refused to turn around. If anything, the sound gave her the impetus to jump across the uneven connection in a single motion. She steadied herself on the opposite landing.
“Well, Miss Standish, I see you made it across safely. I was worried about you.” Robert raised his voice to make himself heard above the rumbling on the tracks and the whistling of the wind.
She turned to face him. With legs apart, he stood with effortless balance...of course.
“Oh, I’m fine, thank you very much.” It seemed obvious her words faded on the wind, because he frowned and gave his head a slight shake.
She cupped one hand to her mouth to shout. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you. See ya!” Ellie turned away and stopped short with surprise. Facing yet another old-fashioned wooden door, she reached for the brass handle. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled. She knew he watched her. An unexpected sway of the carriage threw her off bal
ance again, and she staggered against the closed door.
As she attempted to right herself on the lurching train, she saw Robert nimbly step across the connector. He grasped her hand and reached around her waist with the other to brace her body against his as another round of rocking overtook the train.
He spoke near her ear. “Here, now. I have you,” he said soothingly. “You really should have asked for help, Miss Standish. I don’t think you have your train legs yet.”
Unnerved by the unexpected thrill that shot through her at his touch, she attempted to pull away. With a sigh, Robert kept firm hold on her and reached for the door.
“All right, madam. If you insist. By all means, let us see if we can find the conductor in the dining carriage.” He pulled open the door and released her. Ellie stumbled through the entrance and entered another nightmare. White linen tablecloths with vases of flowers brightened dining tables hosting yet more people in Victorian dress. Several African-American stewards moved through the length of the car, ably balancing plates of food on large round trays. The ornate décor of the dining car matched the lounge car with the glow of highly varnished wood walls and ceiling, brass fittings and red/orange oriental carpeting.
Though the rocking motion of the car eased once they were out of the connector, Ellie leaned against the nearest wall for support. She turned to stare at Robert as he entered and quietly shut the door.
“Are you kidding? This is huge,” she said.
Robert cocked his head with a puzzled look. With a glance over her head, he surveyed the room and nodded.
“It is a rather large dining car, isn’t it? We usually take our meal in our carriage.”
Ellie shook her head. “No, I mean your group. This Victorian thing. The train. I assume you all hooked your cars up to the train at some point, because I didn’t see them when we left. How do you all do this? It must cost quite a bit.”
With a slight shrug of his elegant shoulders, he searched her face with an expression not unlike a laboratory researcher studying his specimen. His lips twitched. “You say the strangest things, Miss Standish. I am not sure what you are asking.”
She shot him a dark look and stomped her foot...just a bit. “Oh, stop this silly act, Bobby. Y’all are driving me nuts. I feel like I’ve landed in a madhouse.”
Apparently unimpressed by her righteous rage, he chuckled and murmured in a low voice. “I am beginning to feel the same way, Miss Standish.”
“Mr. Chamberlain, can I help you?” A tall man who appeared to be in his early forties approached—his wheel hat, dark suit and bow tie marking him as a conductor. A thick dark mustache dominated his pale face. Blue eyes flickered to Ellie and then back to Robert. He moved with a balanced stride undeterred by the rocking of the train, coming to a halt in front of Ellie and Robert, his manner deferential but quietly authoritative.
“Yes, Conductor, Miss—”
“I can speak for myself. Listen, Mr...?” With no encouragement from the conductor, she gulped and hurried on. “Listen, sir, somehow I’ve gotten myself onto this section of the train by accident. I don’t know what happened. I went to sleep last night and when I woke up...” She paused, catching his perplexed eyes sliding toward Robert. “Excuse me, could you look at me and not Mr. Chamberlain, please? I’m talking.” Ellie tilted her head back and eyed both tall men with irritation and a certain amount of trepidation as they exchanged a glance.
What if she stood on tiptoe?
“Miss Standish. If you would allow me, perhaps I could explain to—”
“No, thanks, Robert. I’ve got this covered.” She tossed the words over her shoulder and turned back to the conductor. “If you would just listen to me for a moment.” She swallowed hard, her courage failing. Why did the man continue to look over her head to Robert? “What I’m trying to say is I’m in seat 31B. That’s where I went to sleep last night. This morning, I woke up on his carriage.” She jerked her head in Robert’s direction. “I don’t know how or why—and believe me, I will be seeing a doctor about this when I get back—but for right now, I’d just like to get back to my seat, get my purse and get myself organized.” She gulped air and waited expectantly.
The conductor stared at her with troubled eyes and a grave expression.
“Miss Standish, I am not sure what has occurred here. We do not in fact have a seat 31B.” Could you be mistaken about the number?” She caught his veiled glance at her clothing. “Could you perhaps be traveling in tourist class or—forgive me—in immigrant class?”
Chapter Four
Although the dining car seemed warm, in fact too warm, Ellie broke out into a cold sweat. Her knees buckled slightly, and she would have slid to the floor had Robert not caught her elbow. She turned to him with a beseeching look.
“Robert, help me. Please don’t continue to do this.” She turned back to the conductor. “Are you part of this thing, as well?”
He raised a thick, dark eyebrow. “Thing, Miss Standish?”
She sighed and rubbed her forehead. What a nightmare!
“This period piece you all are doing.” She heard the exhaustion in her voice.
“Miss Standish, please let me lead you to a table. I think you need something to eat or drink.” Robert slid his hand from her elbow to the small of her back and guided her forward. The conductor stood to the side to let them pass.
“Conductor, if you will allow us a few minutes...”
“Certainly, Mr. Chamberlain. Take as much time as you need.” He pulled a large golden watch from his coat pocket and flicked it open. “We reach Wenatchee in forty minutes.”
Ellie watched in bemusement. Robert propelled her forward like a small child. About a dozen men and women occupied most of the tables in the dining car—all of them in period costume of the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, the women in lovely high-collar lace shirtwaist blouses and decorative hats, the men in suits with vests, many of them sporting large mustaches. Ellie felt their stares as she and Robert moved through the car. She had obviously crashed someone’s private Victorian party, but the wide-eyed look of astonishment on several faces seemed unduly...astonished.
They neared a small table at the opposite end of the car, and Robert pulled out a chair for her. She sank into it gratefully, her knees continuing to buckle in an unpredictable way. At least Robert didn’t have one of the ubiquitous mustaches!
“You know,” she said with a shaky smile as she watched Robert take the chair across the table, “maybe I do need a little something to eat. I’m pretty sure my blood sugar must be dropping. I just can’t seem to get my knees to stop wobbling.”
His green eyes surveyed her with compassion. “Yes, I did wonder if you weren’t feeling well. Tell me, Miss Standish, are you in the medical profession? A nurse, perhaps?”
Busily scanning the elegant white linen-covered table for something edible such as crackers, she looked up at his words.
“No, why do you ask?”
“I just thought perhaps your references to blood sugar suggest a knowledge of medicine.”
She chuckled and leaned back in her chair, surprisingly more relaxed now that she was out of public view.
“Oh, Bobby. How long are you going to continue this charade? You guys are a hoot! And if I weren’t so tired or confused, I could appreciate it. But as it is, I’m starved and I’m exhausted.”
To her satisfaction, he winced. “My dear Miss Standish, please do not call me by that childish name.” He turned to signal for a steward. Samuel seemed to materialize out of nowhere.
“Samuel. There you are. We thought we had lost you.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Chamberlain. The conductor came when you did. I didn’t have a chance to talk to him.”
Ellie watched the exchange with interest. Robert certainly had a way about him, a sort of friendly yet distant lord-of-the-manor confidence that she found both irritating and intriguing. Of course, it was a performance, but still...
“We would like a menu, Samuel. Miss
Standish needs some nourishment.”
“How about you, Mr. Chamberlain?” Samuel instantly whipped out a paper menu from a mysterious location behind his back and laid it in front of Ellie.
“Nothing for me, Samuel. We just had dinner, as you know.”
Ellie raised her eyes from the rather intriguing menu to see Robert watching her while he spoke to Samuel. She blushed at his direct gaze. Samuel melted away.
“Y-you’re not eating?” she stammered. “Listen, I can eat by myself. You don’t have to wait with me.” She threw him a bright grin, as toothy as she could make it. “I’ll just have a quick snack, snag that conductor and find my car.”
“It is no trouble, Miss Standish. I think I should wait with you, to see if you feel unwell again.”
Her face flamed again, and she dropped her eyes to the menu. As with most things that day, the menu proved to be another facet of her continuing nightmare in Victorian land.
“Does this really say boiled leg of mutton? Boy, you guys really went all out on this. I don’t even know anyone who eats boiled leg of mutton. The prices are great, though.” Ellie glanced up at Robert and pointed to the menu. “Seventy-five cents for the food.” She shook her head and chuckled. “I can’t imagine how they swung that price.”
“I eat boiled leg of mutton, Miss Standish. Now, you know someone who does.”
A quick glance revealed he maintained a straight face...and a handsome one, at that. He leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed, green eyes watching her with amused interest. Ellie couldn’t help but be flattered. Kyle never looked at her like that. She couldn’t really understand why Robert did. She knew she looked a frump, but it hadn’t mattered.
“Cute, Robert, really cute,” Ellie chuckled. She set the menu aside. “Listen, I’m not all that hungry. I just need a snack. I think I’ll just have some cheese and crackers. You know, a little protein.”
Robert’s lips twitched and he crinkled his brow.
“Protein?”
10 Timeless Heroes; A Time Travel Romance Boxed Set Page 188