Samuel’s eyes widened. “Pardon, miss?”
“I’m a vegetarian.” Ellie wrinkled her nose and gave Samuel a sheepish grin. “You know, I don’t eat meat? Do you have a baked potato or something?”
“Robert, do go over and see what you can do to help Miss Standish. She seems to be having trouble communicating.” Mrs. Chamberlain’s voice rang out, bringing all eyes back to Ellie...again.
Robert rose and crossed the narrow space between them.
“Is something wrong, Samuel?”
“Sir, I’m afraid...I don’t know what she wants.”
Samuel’s eyes flickered nervously. Ellie hated to make him ill at ease. If she had truly awakened at the turn of the century...before the civil rights movement and lack of union representation, his subservient behavior made a great deal of sense. The man was afraid of losing his job at the whim of a cantankerous passenger.
“It’s no problem, Robert. I’m afraid I’m giving Samuel a hard time. I don’t eat meat, so I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to avoid starving to death while I’m here.”
Robert blinked and drew his brows together. He turned to Samuel.
“Please wait on my sister and her guests, Samuel. I must consult with Miss Standish for a moment.”
He held out his arm for Ellie, and she sighed and rose to take it, knowing all eyes continued to stare at her. Robert led her a few feet away, out of hearing, toward the front of the carriage.
“A vegetarian, is it?” The irresistible twitch of his lips returned, and Ellie stared helplessly at the deep dimples in his cheeks.
She nodded mutely.
“Well, since this is your dream, can’t you just change that? I fear you’ll become very hungry if you don’t eat.”
Ellie shook her head. “No, I don’t think I can change it. Besides, we decided that you would choreograph the dream.” She crossed her arms. “I’m just along for the ride.”
He fixed her with a challenging eye.
“Very well, then. I command you to eat meat.”
Ellie shook her head with exasperation and suppressed a gurgle of laughter.
“Ummm...no, Robert. I don’t respond to commands, and I’m not going to eat meat...not even in my dream. Then it would become a nightmare.”
He tightened his lips and leaned close to her face.
“So, I am to be the director of this dream, but am powerless, is that correct?”
Ellie smirked. “Well, I don’t know how it’s going to work, Robert. This is the first time I’ve been in this situation. I’m pretty sure I’m not in control of the dream, or I’d be lying on a sunny beach somewhere in a tropical paradise.
“Alone?” He quirked a teasing eyebrow.
“Most definitely not!” She waggled her brows suggestively.
Robert threw back his head and laughed, and Ellie responded with some nervous giggles of her own. She refused to turn around, knowing everyone was watching. When would they stop staring?
“If I could control the dream, Robert, I’d make everyone stop staring at me.” She wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.
He caught his breath and looked past her to the room beyond.
“I’m afraid they will be watching for a while. Most of these young ladies are friends of Melinda. We took a trip to Spokane to celebrate her eighteenth birthday—a long and arduous journey which I’m not likely to repeat any time soon.”
Ellie glanced over her shoulder. Most of the women had returned their attention to their food. She caught Constance staring at her...at Robert.
“Well, Ellie, what do you eat?”
“I think I’ll just have some bread and cheese for now. I can’t bear to see the worry in Samuel’s eyes.”
Robert nodded. “The working classes are at the whim and mercy of their employers. The system is changing, but it will take time. You and I must have a long discussion about the future. In the meantime, let us return to find some food for you to eat. I must remember to instruct our cook to prepare dishes of vegetables for you.”
“Thanks, Robert. I hate to be so much trouble, but I can’t seem to avoid it.”
“Trouble, indeed,” Robert laughed softly. “I think I can manage to cope.”
Ellie glanced at him in confusion for a moment before she turned away. She faltered when she felt his hand on the small of her back. If she were really in control of the dream, she and Robert would... She quashed the thought.
Kyle, she remembered with a wince. Her dreams would never hurt him. He would never know.
****
Dinner over and most of the women dozing in their chairs, Robert stared at the fascinating creature that was Ellie. She rested her shining brown head of hair against the velvet drapes in the corner of the observation carriage, her feet crossed at the ankles in front of her like a child, her full-lipped mouth slightly parted, dark lashes against her pale cheeks.
He had no doubt that Ellie had magically descended on them for a reason, and he hoped he was that reason. That she’d given herself over to him in need was a sign, and he was honored to have the care of the strange woman who had traveled through time. Though Ellie believed she was in a dream, Robert knew different. Ellie had come for him. She was the woman for whom he’d waited all these years.
He turned to look at his grandmother, who gently snored next to him. He hated to shock the older woman, and he hoped her heart could survive the news, but he was determined to have Ellie for his own—if she stayed. He did not yet understand how she had ended up in his time, but he fervently hoped she would stay. He couldn’t wait to discover what wondrous things she would reveal about life in the twenty-first century.
When she had fainted and fallen to the ground at the train depot, his heart had seized and he’d raced to her side, picking her up tenderly and brushing the dust from her soft brown hair. He had brushed off Mr. Bingham’s entreaties to leave her to the care of the stationmaster. Impossible. He might never have seen her again. Ellie was no immigrant in the original sense of the word. She came from another place, that seemed certain, but that place was the future, and she had come to him.
He tilted his head and regarded her with a frown. She did not seem to realize that yet. How would he convince her?
He blinked and felt warmth rush to his face when he realized Ellie had opened her eyes to catch him staring at her. She straightened in her chair and flashed him a shaky smile.
Poor girl! So lost. He knew an overwhelming desire to cross the carriage and settle into a chair beside her, to hold her hand and study the hazel mix of her eyes. But there was no chair nearby, and he understood the need to move slowly. He did not want to frighten her away...back in time...or back into her dream.
“She is an interesting woman, isn’t she, Robert?” Constance, apparently having followed his eyes, whispered next to him.
He turned to her with a start and looked back at Ellie, who studiously smoothed wrinkles from her skirt.
“Yes, she is, Constance. Poor thing. She seems so lost. I feel compelled to assist.”
“Why, Robert, if I may ask? She is a stranger. What drove you to bring her back to the carriage when the conductor offered to see to her?”
Robert dragged his eyes from Ellie. Her nonchalant fussing with her skirt suggested she knew she was the subject of discussion. He looked at Constance. “I cannot explain it. I thought she would be safer with us. I do not think she is from the immigrant car, nor do I think she is mentally unstable. I intend to bring her to the house and see if she recovers her...”
“Wits?” Constance smiled.
“Constance,” Robert reproved. He bit his tongue against an acerbic retort. “Recovers her bearings.”
“Oh, I see,” she murmured. “Take care, Robert.”
Robert turned startled eyes to her. “Care of what, Constance?”
“Yourself.” She smiled, but her eyes were veiled.
“Nonsense, Constance.” He grinned, hoping to throw her off the scent. Was he that obvious?
/>
****
The train pulled into Seattle’s Union Station at midnight. Having slept for the final two hours of the journey, Melinda and her friends quickly tidied their hair and donned their hats, jackets and shawls.
Robert stood and helped his grandmother to her feet. He signaled for Melanie to assist the exhausted and pale woman while he crossed the room and bent his head near Ellie.
“Just follow me.”
Ellie nodded, fascinated by the hustle and bustle accompanying the arrival of the train. As Robert moved away to supervise their disembarkation in an orderly fashion, she caught Constance’s eye again from across the room. For the past few hours, Ellie had been acutely aware of the dark-haired beauty sitting next to Robert, conversing with him in low tones...much to her chagrin. The intimacy of their conversation suggested a close relationship.
Had Robert forgotten to mention that he had a girlfriend, a lady love or whatever they called them in 1901? Had she bothered to ask? Could she awaken from this dream if it became unbearable?
“Ladies, shall we?” Robert took the lead and descended the steps, followed by his grandmother and Melinda, whom he assisted. The young women followed, and Constance brought up the rear. Ellie lingered a moment to study the Victorian carriage one last time, committing its details to memory. Constance paused at the door.
“Miss Standish, are you coming?”
Ellie turned bemused eyes on her. “Yes, I am. I’m right behind you.”
Constance gave Ellie a friendly smile and descended the steps. Ellie hesitated at the top of the stairs for a moment, gripping the handrail tightly. The last time she’d stepped off this train, she had passed out. What would happen this time?
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. Natura
lly, 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 and 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?
10 Timeless Heroes; A Time Travel Romance Boxed Set Page 191