“Something amusing you?” he asked.
“No, not at all; this whole situation is just very… well, surreal really!” I smiled.
“Oh, trust me, it gets more surreal with time!” he laughed in return. “So this weekend should be interesting; you have your friend Claire staying on Saturday, do you not?” he asked.
“Yes, I hope that is still alright with you? I do however promise that there will be no repeat performances of last night!” I honestly remarked as I raised my eyebrows.
“Shame!” he simply and very sarcastically replied before carrying on eating his toast.
“Well here goes, it’s kill or cure!” Without trying to think about it I downed the Alka-Seltzer in one go. “Oh my God, that is not nice with a queasy stomach!” I did not have to look at James, who laughed out loud in between gulps of his tea. “Not funny!” I remarked.
“I am sorry to inform you that it was quite humorous!” he said.
“You, Mr Aldersley, are fast becoming entirely intolerable!” I replied cynically, as I stood and took a few bites of my toast whilst I paced the room, and then I gathered my underwear, dressing gown and brush. “I am going to shower and get ready now, if that is acceptable!” I stated as I sashayed out of the room while he continued to laugh at me. I liked his laugh; it was warm and deep and made him seem more human.
“Very well, I shall meet you downstairs!” he shouted after me, and I smiled all the way to the bathroom.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The feeling of a warm shower on your face when you’re hungover has its own medicinal benefits. The more I thought about what I had drunk, the more I was convinced that I had not had as much as I originally thought. I was simply out of the habit, and it had gone straight to my head. Well, that and the fact that I had mixed good brandy with red wine probably didn’t help. By the time I stepped out of the shower, I felt much better and remarkably refreshed. I looked at myself in the mirror; I don’t look that bad, I thought. I dried my hair, put on my underwear and slipped on my robe. I did not need to worry about James and the mirrors when I was dressing or showering. If there was one thing that I was positive of now, it was that James was a gentleman, and I trusted him entirely.
I returned to my room, dressed for work and then took another sip of tea and took a piece of the toast with me as I went down the stairs with my bags. George was placing some more pink roses in a crystal vase on the circular table in the hallway. He looked up as I walked down the stairs toward him.
“Wow, very beautiful George!” I remarked.
“Yes, my thoughts exactly!” he replied, staring at me. This constant complimenting was something that I needed to get used to! I smiled and placed my hand on his arm as I reached him.
“Definitely an improvement on last night, I should think!” I joked with him.
“Do not be too harsh on yourself, Katharina. I am sure it is not the first time you have enjoyed one too many glasses of wine and it will certainly not be the last!” he concluded.
“Fair point! Hopefully for your sake it will not be a regular occurrence though!” I finished my toast and then picked up my bags. “Shall we?” I remarked, indicating that I was ready to go to work.
“Absolutely. Ready if you are!” He opened the front door for me.
“Have a good day Katharina. Remember – new beginnings!” James spoke softly, probably for the benefit of my head! I stopped and turned and looked at him.
“Yes, new beginnings! I hope you have an enjoyable day also!” I replied and he nodded in acknowledgement and then bowed at me as I left.
The journey on the train found me thinking about last night and I started daydreaming about James – laughing, drinking, relaxing, being concerned, and not to mention looking hot this morning; there was definitely something about the flouncy white shirt with the open neck. To say that I felt hot under the collar when thinking about him, particularly when he was dressed like that, was an understatement.
Claire was ever observant at my happy demeanour and waltzed over with a coffee. She sat there for a moment looking at me whilst I unpacked my bag and then, like a volcano, exploded.
“So? Well? You look happy this morning! Is it because you are a single lady? Got rid of the beau and moving on to hotter guys?” She would have carried on if I hadn’t stopped her. I held up my hand in defeat.
“Jesus Claire, enough questions! I have a very bad headache – too much wine last night!” I informed her.
“Oops, sorry! You do look happy though!” she then whispered and smiled. “Oh my God, did you get drunk with Mr Hottie last night?” she asked. I simply nodded in response and took a sip of my coffee. “I don’t believe it; you get rid of one bloke – who, in fairness, was an arse – but you do not waste any time girl! I am impressed!” She chuckled to herself.
“Claire, you know his situation, so it isn’t exactly going to be the relationship of the century, is it?” I tried to convince her, rolling my eyes.
“Well… yes, there are complications, I agree…” she started to say.
“Complications? That is an understatement!” I took another sip of coffee.
“Look, the way I see it, Kat, you have an amazing new home, a personal butler-type person who looks after you, and a really hot guy to drool over – what is not to like? Apart from me not being able to see him!” she stated.
“Look, I appreciate that you believe me with the whole James thing, I really do – and it is for real, I swear – but I can imagine that I look a little bit nuts. Honestly… I do not want to get hung up on him. It isn’t like I can make a physical relationship out of this, is it?” I concluded.
“Why not?” she asked. I stopped and stared at her.
“I’m sorry… do you not remember the story of how he got there and the only way he can get out?” I quizzed her.
“Yeah I remember, witch, spell, abracadabra – stuck in a mirror, can’t get out, he needs to fall in love and get whoever he loves to fall in love with him… I haven’t forgotten, and your point is?” she asked, emphasising her speech with her hands.
“Exactly that!” I gestured in frustration.
“Oh my God! You really cannot see it, can you?” she then asked.
“See what?” I was getting more confused as to where she was going with this.
“Either you’re really dumb, or you’re choosing to ignore this.” She stood and folded her arms across her body, giving me a ‘stop being such an idiot’ stare.
“What?” I asked. “I’ve tried to help him, I honestly have!”
“I feel like slapping you right now. Err, what are you?” she said. I stood and looked at her.
“What?” I said again and shrugged my shoulders. She laughed at me.
“The puppy eyes this morning after spending a night with him, the big grin, and the fact that you really like him… oh, and you are after all an attractive, young, single woman!” she pointed out.
“Well, yes, I can’t deny that it was lovely last night, and he did look hot this morning…” I daydreamed a moment before Claire snapped her fingers in my face.
“Focus!” she insisted. I shook my head at her.
“What is your point?” I asked.
“The answer to the spell, Kat, is you! You’re trying to help him, but why can’t it be you that falls in love with him, and he with you? I mean, it sounds like the foundations are already in place!” She raised her eyebrows at me.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out; I tried to assimilate what she had just said. I gasped a couple of times and tried again, but nothing. I just looked at her.
“Oh crap, you’re not going to faint are you?” she then said as I slumped back down into my chair.
“Me?” I asked again. She crouched at the side of me. My heart started racing at the thought.
“Look, you know how these fairy tales are! They are never straightforward, but you are making this far too complicated. I personally think that you are the answer, Kat – meeting them, b
uying that place, and the fact that you and John broke up was no coincidence. I may be wrong about a lot of things, but I do believe in fate and I do like a happy ending, so call me old-fashioned and probably a bit crazy too, but I do think you could be the one to break this spell!” she then said, grabbing my hand. “Would that be such a bad thing?” I stared at her for a minute.
“Me? You really think it is possible?” I asked her.
“Well I wouldn’t say no to him if he looked anything like that painting!” she then smirked. I quickly but lightly punched her arm in response to her sarcasm.
“It just never really occurred to me that it could be me!” I replied.
“Well you were a little wrapped up with the arse that was John! I think it is absolutely achievable. This weekend is going to be so much fun, I’m really excited! I feel like I am in the middle of a Disney film! What time can I come over tomorrow?” she then asked as she bounced back to her feet.
“Err, not really thought about it… I could do with getting some clothes from the apartment, so maybe we could meet and go there first?”
“Sure, that’s no problem! Make sure John’s there and let me know what time to meet. I’ll also bring my suitcase for you to fill.” She smirked for a second; “We may as well both try and take out as many members of the public on the train whilst dragging our cases!” she chuckled to herself.
“You’re a little sadistic deep down, aren’t you?” I noted. She shrugged her shoulders.
“May drag it into Mr Right, you never know!” she remarked without blinking.
“Thanks Claire, I appreciate it. I don’t really want to go back there on my own.”
“Whoa, oh yeah, roll on tomorrow. I have my fingers crossed that I am going to see a bit of eye candy in that mirror!” Claire happily stated.
“Well please don’t be disappointed if you do not! Not everyone will – or can!” I reminded her.
“I know, I know, but it’s something to aim for! Anyway, stop talking to me and get some work done!” she then said as she winked at me and walked away to her desk.
“Right, yes, work!” I replied as I tried to get my head back into gear, but to say that I was now distracted was an understatement.
The whole day ended up being quite constructive. We had a meeting on upcoming possibilities, which was very interesting; I finished my small piece two days ahead of my deadline. I now found that I had a new spring in my step. This definitely felt like the correct way forward; I felt positive, happy and calm, and felt butterflies every time I thought about James. Even a couple of other work colleagues asked why I was so happy, and every time I thought about it before answering, there he was, in the back of my mind.
Claire and I had lunch together and discussed what we should do this weekend, and also agreed that we both needed to go shopping for a new dress for my party. I was really looking forward to it; I had never wanted to be the centre of attention, but for my party, I really didn’t care! For once I was going to put myself first! We decided that tomorrow night we would have a little bit of a dance in the ballroom – new music versus old! Wine and food were a definite, along with romantic comedy DVDs, decoration sorting… and Claire made it clear that she wanted to be involved in all discussions between James, George and I, which I thought could be quite intriguing!
By the time we returned to work, we had arranged, sorted and put the world to rights. John had texted me to say that 11am would be fine to call for some things – not before pleading with me again to stay, which I ignored. I suddenly had a newfound inspiration for not dwelling on him… that inspiration of course was James, who had more respect for me – even though I had never physically met him – than John had in the last two years we had been together!
I stopped by the stationers on the way back to work and got all three of us a new journal. New beginnings need a fresh approach, and I wanted James, George and I to start keeping a record from today and not to dwell on the past; it was easier for me as I had not been around for even a quarter of the time that they had. The train journey home was not busy; this route was definitely better than the old tube ride, and it was a Friday night, which meant that most people had stayed in the city after work. It amused me that I wasn’t bothered about being out, and couldn’t wait until I got home to relax and converse with my friends. I looked out of the window as the train clicked along the track and simply smiled… I was very happy.
George, as always, was waiting for me when I got off the train. He looked so friendly and was so charming and treated me like royalty, it was hard to not get slightly complacent at his attention to detail. He had already popped the umbrella up he was carrying to walk me to the car, but I did not want him to think that I expected this – after all, he had been doing this job for over two hundred years; surely he must be a little bored of it by now?
“You really don’t have to do this, George!” I remarked as he opened the car door for me.
“What would that be, Katharina?” he asked innocently.
“Look after me so well – I mean. I did not live in your time and things have moved on so… I can do things for myself!” I smiled. He closed the door and walked to the driver’s side.
“Yes, I realise that, but you see… I have been doing this job for most of my life and it is all I know. After all, what else is there for me to do but look after the people that live at Northfield? I do actually quite enjoy it, and it is not a bad thing to be slightly chivalrous, is it?” he smiled back.
“Oh no, not at all George… chivalry, in my opinion, is one of the many important things that we have sadly lost today. My point is that you are really good at what you do, and I do appreciate it, but I do not want you to think that I expect it!” I tried to convince him sincerely. He had started driving and waited a few seconds before replying.
“I know that, but it is my pleasure to do it!” he concluded. “That, young lady, is all that is needed to be said about the matter!” he then finished.
“Very well… oh, and thank you!” I answered honestly. He simply smiled.
As we drove home and I chatted about my day at work, most likely boring George to death, I could not adequately describe the warm and almost melting feeling that I got as we turned down the driveway. The warm light that lit the large windows made the house look alive and I could imagine how anyone from any era must feel when they arrived at Northfield.
“Does it ever get tired on the eyes?” I asked George.
“No, it does not!” he replied. “I am glad that you love it as much as I do!” he finished.
“How could you not love it?” I sighed heavily. “It is nice to be home!”
George and I got out of the car into slightly blustery weather, but luckily the rain had stopped. The soothing quietness was a marked contrast from the city centre and as the branches creaked in the wind and the leaves rustled, I stood for a minute and did a full 360-degree turn. George watched me and then continued to the main door, opening it just as I reached the top step.
“Thank you, George.”
“Ah you are back! Did you have a constructive day?” James enquired.
“I did in fact, and a very enjoyable one!” I replied.
“Even with a hangover?” he then smirked.
“Yes, alright, very funny – let’s not dwell on my state this morning!” I sarcastically replied.
“As you wish! Shall we have dinner? I believe George has prepared some type of pie with military precision!” he joked.
“Really? Are you still going on about my cooking skills after this afternoon?” George commented as he took my coat and hung it in the large cloakroom.
“Sounds like you two have had fun?” I remarked.
“Well, it was fun for James – he was making fun of me simply because I was trying to make the crust of the pie neat and precise, but then I got my own back when he tried trimming his bonsai tree!” George laughed.
“There is nothing wrong with my tree sculpting, George!” James sternly repl
ied.
“I think I need to see these attempts at both of your supposed skills!” I stated as I started to walk toward George’s apartment. They continued to banter as they walked behind me, which made me very happy!
The smell in George’s kitchen was yet again delightful. His cooking was fast becoming one of the main reasons to get home in the evening; if there was one thing George had learned in all these years, it was how to cook! I entered the kitchen, looked toward the oven and then lowered the door to see how his pie looked. It was something that even Gordon Ramsay would be proud of! The pastry crust was crisscrossed with latticework and I was very impressed. I then turned to see James in the mirror, looking a little nervous. I gestured for him to move to the side so that I could see his tree. It sat in the distance on his table, so I moved closer.
“Well, go and get it!” George then said as he grabbed three wine glasses.
He returned and held up the tree, which was now a slightly different shape, but it wasn’t bad.
“I was trying to make it look like the tree in the grounds that I used to climb when I was a boy, from memory of course!” he then said as I inspected it.
“Looks more like a twig now!” George then giggled.
“Oh, for the love of God George, it does not!” James sternly said again, and I could do nothing but laugh at his frustration, which in turn had George laughing – and eventually James saw the funny side.
“Well, for your first attempt at topiary, I think that it is not bad!” I tried to say without laughing.
“Thank you!” James nodded in my direction.
“Good job it keeps growing, albeit at a slow rate. I think by this time next year it should be ready to be trimmed again!” George carried on laughing.
“Well, at least I attempted to try it! You simply took off two new shoots and you were done!” James retorted. I held my hands up at them both.
A Different Reflection Page 26