When The Spirit Moves You

by Thomas DePrima

  Although ancient within the framework of her familiarity with such appliances, the tank mounted on the wall above the bathtub was the latest in water heater designs. The same gas lines that supplied the lamps in the rooms appeared to supply fuel to the burner. Short, stubby legs that resembled an animal's clawed feet, raised the new cast-iron bathtub slightly above the floor. The white porcelain toilet and sink were pretty much the same as what she was used to, although the styling was quite crude when compared to the sculptured designs that would become available in the late twentieth century.

  Feeling more comfortable as the bedroom and bathroom warmed, she ran a very hot bath. The room steamed up quickly. As heated water interacted with the cool air of the room, condensation coated all surfaces. She knew that the still cold tub would cool the water somewhat, so she ran only hot water until the cast iron warmed a bit. When she climbed in, it was as warm as she could stand it, and she relaxed in the hot water for a short time before washing. Stepping out to dry herself after completing her bath, she was shocked at the coarseness of the plain white bath towels. So instead of lightly rubbing the moisture off, as was her custom, she dabbed softly at her body with the rough cotton towel.

  Once dry, Amelia tugged on the sash cord to ring for assistance, then sat to wait until Bitsy arrived to help her dress. She missed the strength of her other body. An active young life of playing sports such as basketball and soccer at school had made her much taller, sixteen-year-old frame, strong of limb.

  When Amelia was dressed in underclothes, and several layers of petticoats, Bitsy retrieved the cream-colored velvet dress that Amelia had selected to wear this morning from among the clothes in the wardrobe closet, and lowered it over her body. But when Bitsy tried to button it, she found that it wouldn't close. She had to undress Amelia enough for her to access the corset again.

  After untying the laces, she began pulling on them with all her strength, reducing Amelia's waist by another half inch. This time the dress closed properly when she tried to button it.

  "I'm sorry, Miss Amelia," Bitsy said as she finished. "I'm not used to your waist requirements."

  "There's nothing to apologize for Bitsy. It was just a simple adjustment. Am I the last to dress today?"

  "Oh no, Miss. I'm on my way to help Miss Roberta next. You rang just a second before she did."

  "Thank you, Bitsy, for everything you've done to help us get reoriented after our difficulty."

  "My pleasure, Miss. I'm thankful that you're all alive and healthy. Not only for your sakes, but for Miss Anne's as well. She's such a darling person. It would have killed her if anything had happened to any of you."

  Amelia sat down at the dressing table to brush and comb her very long hair as Bitsy left the room. After several failed attempts to suitably braid her hair and arrange it in an attractive bun, she abandoned her efforts and left it down. She was spared the effort of applying makeup, since proper women didn't wear much in this era, but she did spray on some perfume before leaving the room.

  Walking directly to Martha's room, Amelia knocked, then entered when she heard the invitation to come in. Martha was already dressed, and Amelia was extremely pleased to see how much better she appeared today. The stress of the first few hours had worn off and Martha was actually humming and smiling like the Megan that she knew so well. Wearing a gorgeous creation of light brown silk, she sat in front of her dressing table mirror brushing her hair.

  "Good morning, dear," Amelia said as she stepped behind her and reached for the brush.

  "Good morning, Amelia," Martha said, surrendering the brush easily.

  After first straightening Martha's part, she worked to fashion the hair like her own had appeared when she first awoke the previous day. It being so much easier to groom somebody else's hair, Amelia finished quickly.

  "I see you're feeling much better today?" Amelia said as she worked, sort of as a statement and sort of as a question.

  "Yes, Amelia. I can't imagine why I was being so silly last night. I know that you'll get us home as quickly as you can."

  "I'll do my best," she said calmly.

  As Amelia finished, the women switched places so that Martha could comb and brush Amelia's hair in preparation for putting it up.

  "You know," Martha said as she worked, "I had the oddest dream last night. I saw myself in a strange house having dinner with a strange man and woman. I kept calling them Mummy and Daddy."

  "Really? That is odd— I had a similar dream."

  "I wonder what it means."

  "I don't know, unless it was brought on because we appear to have gone back in time by more than a century, and we're staying in a house full of strangers."

  "But the people I saw weren't any of the people we've met here. I don't recall having ever met them before. Didn't you say yesterday that it's unusual to dream about people you don't know and have never met?"

  "Yes, I did. I remember reading that in a book on the interpretation of dreams. Like you, I didn't recognize any of the people I saw in my dreams last night, although they all seemed so very familiar to me somehow."

  Martha finished quickly and the two young women went in search of their friends. Finding Elizabeth's room empty, they continued on to Roberta's room where they found both girls engaged in reciprocal grooming. Elizabeth was wearing a beautiful dress of light blue silk while Roberta's dress was of brocaded beige silk. The quality of their clothing made it evident that each of the girls came from a wealthy household.

  "Okay, Amelia," Roberta said, "you win. I agree that this isn't a dream. I should have woken up long ago."

  "It's not a matter of winning, dear," Amelia said, "it's a matter of discovering exactly what happened so we can find a way back. I would have dearly loved for you to have been correct. We could get up, dust ourselves off, and go home."

  "What are we going to do now?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Exactly what we discussed last night; we're going to pretend that we belong here while we look for a way home. We'll be going down for breakfast shortly, and this will be our first time among the family and their guests, so I shouldn't have to remind you to be totally alert at all times. Think of this as an incursion into an enemy camp. We can't give them the slightest reason to doubt that we are who we appear to be. Remember the era where we've found ourselves, and remember to act ladylike and refined at all times. You've all been doing wonderfully so far. Keep it up. I don't want to see any sour expressions, so remember to smile at all times; all times. We're supposed to be four carefree young ladies on a holiday to attend the engagement party of a close friend, Anne— someone, whom we know from a Miss Peterson's Finishing School.

  "And remember, while to us these are the dark ages, and their modern technology will appear ancient, we mustn't ridicule it. You may giggle. In fact you must giggle if somebody makes a witticism; as long as it's in good taste. And I mean good taste for this time period. Crudity and vulgarity were reprehensible, and we must pretend to be suitably distressed if we encounter it. Remember our talk from last night. Think ultra-refined at all times. Think soft and gentle, even when you don't feel it. Think polite and considerate. Try not to talk, but when you must talk, speak sweetly. And pay close attention to the other women that we meet. Copy their general comportment, but don't mimic them. Any questions, ladies?"

  Elizabeth raised her hand. "Amelia, what do you mean by 'good taste from this time period?'"

  "This is the late 19th century, not the early 21st century. Here, practically everything that bears the slightest hint of sexual association is considered risqué and vulgar. Even as late as the 1950's, the softest of curse words couldn't be used on television. Don't say anything, or giggle at anything, that you would be uncomfortable saying to a church minister or priest."

  Roberta raised her hand, "Amelia, have you come up with any ideas for getting us out of this— this— whatever this is?"

  "Not yet, dear. I was really hoping that we'd all wake up back in our own reality this morning. Now I se
e that we're going to have to find a way back ourselves. We'll get together later and work on possible solutions. Right now, we must get going so we're not late for breakfast. Everyone ready?"

  After carefully scrutinizing each other's appearance, to see if anything was out of place, they left to find their way to the dining room. Bitsy had given Amelia directions while she was dressing, so she led the way. Their bodies were conditioned to restrictive clothing, young muscles and still soft bones having long ago adapted to confinement in corsets, so movement in them was natural, and they walked comfortably and gracefully in the heels and floor length dresses.

  As they neared the bottom of the grand staircase, Amelia recognized immediately that they were, in fact, still in the Westfield mansion. The entrance hall and main corridor were unmistakable. The gleaming marble surfaces looked far less intimidating when seen in the light from brightly lit gas lamps. Amelia had only to look at the faces of her friends to know that they too recognized where they were.

  They paired up, with Amelia and Roberta in the lead, for their entrance into the dining room. Amelia was fully cognizant of just how grateful she was that she didn't have to endure this alone. It was a real comfort to have her best friends with her for support, even if they didn't look like the friends she had known all of her life. Turning to the other girls, she pointed to her mouth, and smiled. They got the hint immediately and put pleasant smiles on their faces. Taking Roberta's arm, Amelia strode into the dining room, trying to look confident and comfortable; exactly the opposite of what she was feeling.

  The mansion's enormous dining hall, used only for parties or when the number of guests made the family dining room inadequate, almost swallowed up a massive wooden table composed of five joined sections. A two-inch thick maple top was hidden beneath a pristine white tablecloth that stretched from end to end. Fifty-two straight-backed chairs surrounded the table, yet still allowed ample elbow room for all diners. Two twelve-foot long sideboards, in matching maple, sat adjacent to one another along the west wall, while the east wall contained 'wainscot to ceiling' windows. Hanging ponderously over the center line of the table were two great chandeliers, available to supplement the wall-mounted sconces and table candelabrum. Two gas lamps were mounted on the walls at either end of the room to provide minimal light in the room when meals weren't being served. The morning sun, currently pouring in through the windows, drenched the room and occupants in light.

  As it was still quite early, only three people were seated at the dining room table when the young women entered; one being Dr. Rogers. The others were young men who appeared to be in their early twenties. All three rose as the four girls entered the room, one young man leaping to his feet so quickly that the spoon he'd been holding clattered to the floor. Amelia suppressed a smirk at the young man's reaction to seeing four beautiful young ladies suddenly materialize in his presence. The faces of the two young men radiated ingenuous smiles as they hurried over to present their cards to the young women and escort them to seats near their own.

  Allowing themselves to be seated in chairs of the boys' choosing, the girls listened attentively as the boys nervously reintroduced themselves before taking their own seats. The one closest to Amelia identified himself as Tad Stevens, of the Boston Stevens. Moderately tall at five-foot ten-inches, he had dark hair, grey eyes, and boyish good looks. The other announced that he was Charles Parker of the New York Parker family. A little shorter than Tad, but only by a couple of inches, he was just as handsome, with curly, light-brown hair and smiling, hazel eyes. Tad's suit was of black serge, while Charles' suit was made from a tasteful dark-grey wool, and both young men wore white shirts with wide ties. Although she had seen it done in old movies, Amelia had personally never heard anyone introduce themselves by referencing their family's home town, nor hand her a card with their name imprinted upon it. It was a new experience, and reinforced the fact that she should rely on the old movies for her references of acceptable behavior.

  The doctor handled the introductions for the girls since it wouldn't have been proper for them to introduce themselves. He started by identifying Amelia as Miss Amelia Turner of Hartford, Connecticut, then went on to introduce Miss Martha Fuller, also of Hartford, Miss Elizabeth Reese of New Haven, Connecticut, and Miss Roberta Johnson of Worcester, Massachusetts. The girls were relieved that they had complete names at last. Almost as important, they knew where their families were supposed to live, and that gave them a point of reference for future research, while permitting them to more easily join conversations since new acquaintances always wish to know your home town.

  With the introductions complete, a maid hurried over to take the food orders. The delightful smell of freshly-baked bread filled the room, and the available breakfast fare included fresh eggs, prepared as ordered, griddlecakes, ham steak, fish, apple or grape juice, tea, and coffee. Additionally, muffins, cakes, and pies covered one of the sideboards, while warm bread and biscuits were already on the table. Small dishes containing freshly churned butter, maple syrup, jams, and jellies were also on the table. As soon as the girls had made their selections, the maid hurried away to have the cooks prepare their food.

  When their breakfasts were brought from the kitchen, Amelia bowed her head and spoke a simple prayer of thanks for the food. Her three companions joined in, while the men simply suspended their eating temporarily.

  It took very little to make the girls feel sated so they ate slowly and let their young companions tell them all about themselves. The boys confirmed that they were classmates of Anne's brother, and that they had been invited to the engagement weekend in order to even out the boy-girl ratio. Like Anne's brother, Jeremy, they were both seniors at Yale University.

  The arrival of more guests in the dining room seemed to produce a never-ending series of introductions and a growing collection of cards for each of the girls. Everyone naturally remarked on how well the girls appeared after their terrible ordeal. Confirming that the hired coachman might indeed need some amputations as a result of frostbite, the doctor said he wanted to wait another day or two to see if proper circulation returned in the affected areas before deciding. Amelia shuddered at the prospect of having pieces of her body cut off, and requested that the subject be changed before she became ill.

  "Ladies, please forgive me," Dr. Rogers said. "I lost myself in clinical detachment about my work, and forgot about your delicate sensibilities."

  "Dr. Rogers," Amelia said sweetly, "our ordeal has been too recent to discuss such matters over breakfast. We can picture such things being done to us had we not been rescued in such a timely fashion. Please, let's discuss something else. Has anyone heard anything about this terrible storm? Does it look like it's abating at all? And how much snow has fallen?"

  "Charles and I estimate that about 40 inches has fallen so far," Tad offered, "and it isn't showing any sign of letting up. The stable hands have been working for the last several hours at clearing the walkways to the stables and outbuildings, and an enormous amount of wood has been carried from the wood shed and stacked up just outside the kitchen door. The central heating system just can't keep up with the frigid weather, so a fire must be kept burning in all the fireplaces of occupied rooms, except at night."

  "It may be weeks before the roads are cleared enough for carriage travel," Charles added. "It may even be days before a man on horseback will be able to get through. Guests coming for the engagement party will have the greatest of difficulty arriving here in time. The depth of the snow will not even permit sleds to be used now since the horses can't pull a sled in such deep, soft snow. We'll have to face the fact that we're marooned here for a time. Fortunately, most of the food for a house full of guests has already been delivered. And the musicians for last night's small party are stranded with us, so we'll have nightly entertainment until matters resolve."

  Anne, a late arrival, appeared just then at the doorway. As lovely in the morning light as she'd appeared last night, Anne was wearing an eggshell-white gown
of silk faille. Upon seeing the four girls sitting at the table, she rushed over and hugged each of them where they sat.

  "Girls," she said, "I'm so glad to see you up and about. And you all look wonderful. It's truly a miracle. I'm sorry that I didn't get back upstairs last night before you went to sleep. I was about to go up when Doris informed me that you had already retired for the evening. I felt it better that I not disturb your slumber. And you all look so wonderful and rested this morning. I'm so relieved."

  "Thank you, Anne," Amelia said. "We do feel much better. It's fortunate for us that your father sent the men out to search for us. We would surely have perished by now if not for him, and them. As it is, we're fine. We feel a little disoriented right now, but I'm sure that will clear up over the next few days."

  "Yes," Doctor Rogers said, "it's not uncommon after such a near disaster to suffer from the trauma of the event. In a few days you should be back to your old selves."

  Amelia smiled enigmatically and thought to herself how much she wished that to be true, although not in the way that the doctor meant it.

  By the end of the meal the four young women had met all guests except an older couple that had decided to sleep in. Partying until quite late, the couple desired the extended rest more than breakfast. Neither had they met Anne's father, nor her brother Jeremy and two more of his friends. Her father was tending to the business of running the estate during this storm, and was presently outside with the staff, while Anne's brother and his friends were no doubt assisting in the snow removal efforts. Entrances to the stables had to remain clear so livestock could be tended. In addition to clearing paths and walkways, snow was being removed from roofs to help avoid chance of collapse. In New England, where heavy snow is common, roofs are pitched at sharp angles to allow it to fall off more easily. But when the snow isn't powdery dry, it can accumulate and seriously threaten a structure.