Timeless (13 page)

CHAPTER 24

Once we got back to Misty’s store, she told her employees they could leave early for the day and turned the sign on the door from “open” to “closed.”

“I never close the shop early, but these are special circumstances,” she explained. “I’ve never tried something like this before, so who knows what could happen!”

That didn’t sound encouraging.

“Don’t look so stressed,” she told me. “If the spell works, it will be simple, because the ring should do most of the work. All you need is Chelsea’s boost of power, and then you and Drew need to focus on your past lives. Since the ring is strongly connected to your past, the energy created between the three of you and the ring should work its magic and propel you back in time!”

“Oh yeah, totally simple,” I said.

The closer we got to doing this, the more I doubted it would work. Now that we were sitting at a table staring at the ring in the center, it was feeling rather silly.

“If you go into it with that attitude, it’s only going to be harder,” Misty said, her voice soft and understanding. “I know this is a lot to take in, but I imagine everything you’ve learned in the past few months has been that way as well.”

“You’re right,” I told her. “I didn’t believe in past lives until I started remembering my own.”

“It goes to show that anything is possible,” she said. “You just have to believe.”

She sounded like a fairy godmother from a Disney movie, but she did have a point.

“Now, are you ready to start?” she asked.

I wasn’t sure, but I nodded anyway. I would never feel totally ready for something like this. It was one of those things you had to jump into and pray for the best.

“Great!” Misty said.

“If this does work, what will it be like when we get there?” I asked, figuring it would be best to understand everything before venturing forward. I wanted to be as prepared as possible. “Like, before we try anything, should we dress in clothes from the time? I wouldn’t want to get there and have people freak out because they don’t know what jeans are, or why a woman would be wearing something that wasn’t a dress.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Misty said. “If it works, the three of you will be propelled into the bodies of your past selves, so you’ll be wearing what they were wearing on the day you travel back to.”

“Okay.” At least that was one less thing I would have to worry about. “So if we’re in their bodies, we’ll have to trick everyone into believing that we’re our past selves. Won’t they get suspicious?”

Misty didn’t look concerned. “You should have enough memories from your past that this won’t be a problem, and you should recall your memories faster once you arrive. If anyone notices something is off, just say you have a headache and aren’t feeling like yourself. Plus, if this goes as planned, you shouldn’t be there for too long. You’re going back to the day of the party when the carriage accident occurred. All you have to do is stop the accident, and then the three of you will gather around the ring again and do the same thing you’re about to do now to get back home. You should only be in 1815 for a few hours, max.”

When she put it like that, it didn’t sound too bad.

“All right,” I said, even though I wasn’t one hundred percent confident about all this. “I’m ready.”

“You each need to put the thumb of your dominant hand on the ring,” Misty instructed.

We were all righties, so we put our right thumbs on the ring.

“Why our thumbs?” Chelsea asked.

“The thumb has the strongest pulse of all the fingers,” Misty explained. “It’s the most powerful for a ritual like this.”

I supposed that made sense. My thumb was currently on the part of the ring with the garnets on it, and I could feel a pulse coming from it, like it had a life of its own.

Misty lit four purple candles, and the smell of lavender filled the room. “Once I turn the lights off, I want Drew and Lizzie to think about the day of the party when the accident occurred, and for Chelsea to harness the temporary magic she received from the witch in America. All three of you need to focus on putting your energy into the ring, and accepting the energy from it. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” I said with Chelsea and Drew, my voice trembling.

The lights went off, the dim flickers of the candles filling the room. I closed my eyes and focused on the day of the party.

What was I doing that day? I remembered preparing to get ready, but the most important event was Drew giving me the ring when he secretly visited me in my backyard. I was supposed to be dressing for the ball, and his visit made it so I was late to the party, but it was worth it. Because when he gave me the ring and told me he wanted to marry me, it was the happiest moment of my life.

Suddenly my stomach flipped, like it does on roller coasters when you go down the big drop and gravity pulls you so fast that your stomach rises to your throat. I think I screamed, but I couldn’t say for sure, because every sound around me disappeared. For a few seconds it was silent, and it was frightening.

Then birds chirping filled my ears, and cold wind blew across my cheeks. Despite the cold, sunlight warmed my skin, and I took a deep breath of crisp winter air. Once my stomach settled, I opened my eyes, and found that I was looking straight into Drew’s.

Except this wasn’t Drew as he looked in the present. His eyes were the same, but his hair was longer, and his clothes were from two hundred years ago.

This was the Drew from my past.

Meaning the spell had worked, and I was in 1815 England.

CHAPTER 25

“Drew?” I said his name softly, hoping that even though he looked like past-Drew, my Drew was inside there.

“It worked,” he said, his dark eyes lighting up in amazement. “I can’t believe it worked.”

I looked down at my hand, where the garnet ring was displayed on my ring finger. “This was the moment when you asked me to marry you, and I said yes,” I said breathlessly.

“That’s how I remember it,” he said. “Unless you plan on changing your mind?”

“Never!” I said with a laugh.

“Remember, we agreed not to tell anyone we’re engaged until the gossip settles about my no longer being engaged to Catherine,” Drew reminded me. “We don’t want to embarrass her more than necessary, and our engagement would seem quick if I can’t court you properly. You’re engaged to James right now, too. The only reason your father won’t allow you to break the engagement is because he views James as the best possible option for your future. Once everything settles down with Catherine’s family, you can let your parents know that we intend to be married, and they can break your engagement with James so I can court you publicly.”

“Of course,” I agreed. “But we won’t have to worry about anything past tonight, because once we stop the carriage accident we’ll go back home.”

“That’s the plan,” Drew said.

Then I realized that just as Drew was no longer in his twenty-first century clothes, I was no longer in mine, either. Instead, I was wearing a lilac cotton dress, although I couldn’t feel the material on my skin because there were so many layers of clothing between my body and the actual dress. The fabric was stiff, and scratchy. Clearly dryers and dryer sheets had yet to be invented. We were also speaking with British accents, without having to try. It was strange that my voice didn’t sound like me.

“Elizabeth!” someone frantically screamed from the front door of the house.

I turned around to see the baffled face of my mother—not my mom from the present, but the woman I remember being my mother in the past. She wore a light-colored day dress, and her hair was pinned back in a formal way that my present day mom never would have worn. She reached where I was standing with Drew and paused to catch her breath. I put my hand behind my back to hide the ring.

“You failed to mention that Mr. Carmichael would be stopping by this afternoon.” She turned to Drew and smiled. “Good day, Mr. Carmichael. To what do we owe this visit?”

“Miss Davenport lost an earring at the dinner my family hosted earlier this week, and I wanted to return it to her before Lord Givens’ ball this evening,” he said, as though he had planned the excuse from the beginning. Perhaps he had, or maybe his past self had and he remembered the plan.

“How kind of you to stop by yourself,” she replied. “I was tending to business in the back of the house and Mr. Davenport was in the library, so we couldn’t hear you approach. Otherwise we would have greeted you upon your arrival.”

“Please don’t concern yourself about it, Mrs. Davenport,” Drew said. “I’m sure you’re busy with preparations for tonight.”

“Yes, we must start dressing for the ball soon,” my mother said, and I could tell from her anxious tone that she was feeling rushed. “We do have some time, though. Would you care to join us in the parlor for tea?”

“I wouldn’t want to trouble you,” Drew said with utmost courtesy. “I only wanted to ensure that Miss Davenport had her earring returned before tonight.”

“I’m sure she appreciates it very much,” my mother said. “Especially since you troubled yourself to deliver it personally. Don’t you, dear?”

“Very much,” I said. “Thank you, Drew … I mean, Mr. Carmichael.”

My mother looked horrified at my slip-up.

We finished our good-byes, and Drew set off on his horse to return to his estate. Once my mother and I got inside the house, she slammed the door and grabbed me by the arm.

“Calling Mr. Carmichael by his Christian name!” she exclaimed, fanning her face as though what I’d said had shocked her that much. “And the two of you hardly know each other! What has gotten into you? I can only hope he doesn’t repeat this mistake to anyone. It could be quite grave …”

“I forgot myself for a moment,” I apologized. “I’ve been looking forward to the ball tonight so much that it made it difficult to sleep last night, and I’m rather tired. Although,” I said, more than willing to change the subject, “Mr. Carmichael did tell me something quite interesting.” I was gradually remembering more about my mother from the past, and one major trait I recalled was that if anything was going to distract her, it was some really juicy gossip.

She looked intrigued. “And what is that?”

“Mr. Carmichael has broken his engagement with the Lady Catherine,” I said, excitement flooding my veins when my mother’s mouth opened in shock. “He says he doesn’t love her, and he suspects her motives for marrying him were based purely on his wealth, opposed to his own person.”

“Heavens!” my mother exclaimed. “Everyone knows her family needs the money, and his the title. They were supposed to be a perfect match. But more importantly—he chose to call on you personally to return your earring and inform you of this news?”

I wanted to tell her it was because he had proposed to me, but I reminded myself of what Drew had told me when we arrived. No one knew about our secret interludes. If we let them know now, it would be obvious that we had gone behind Catherine’s back, and it would look bad for my reputation. Plus, Drew had to approach my father with his intentions so my engagement with James could be broken properly.

But I
could
plant the idea in my mother’s head. Because if the plan worked tonight, and we succeeded in stopping my death, Drew and I would get married in the past … well, in what would now be the future.

And then we could have a future when we returned home.

“I believe it’s important for Mr. Carmichael to marry for love,” I told my mother. “He doesn’t love the Lady Catherine.”

“And he cared enough about your thoughts on the matter to deliver the news himself?”

I felt myself blush. “I believe so.”

“Now that he is no longer engaged, Mr. Carmichael would be quite the catch—even more so than Mr. Williams,” my mother said thoughtfully.

“He would be,” I agreed.

“This certainly changes things,” she said, and I saw a glint in her eyes that meant she was devising a plan. “Now, we mustn’t delay in preparing for the ball. Tell Taylor to get your new dress ready. You need to look your best tonight! And be sure to wear the earring that Mr. Carmichael took time delivering to you today—you wouldn’t want to seem ungrateful for his troubles.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” I said before hurrying up to my room to prepare for the night ahead. “I wouldn’t at all.”

CHAPTER 26

I’d always imagined that preparing for a ball in the Regency Era would be a spectacular experience. It looked so elegant on television and the movies.

Unfortunately, I discovered that as lovely as the clothing and hairstyles were back then, they were severely lacking in modern conveniences that I was accustomed to in the twenty-first century. I missed the minty freshness of Crest toothpaste, and smooth conditioner for my hair. At least my maid, Taylor, wrestled with the tangles and was able to somewhat tame my curls.

Also, the bath was the first I’d taken in years. While it was pleasant, I couldn’t imagine a world without showers. This bath was only for the special occasion of the ball, and while I wasn’t sure how often people bathed in the Regency Era, it certainly wasn’t daily. I wondered if they felt dirty all the time, but I supposed they didn’t know the difference.

When I finished getting ready, I was pleased with the outcome. The light-blue dress matched my eyes, and the gloves that traveled up to my elbows made me feel elegant—like I was a real Regency lady. Taylor did my hair in a gorgeous up-do, pinning my curls to my head and leaving a few stray strands to frame my face.

I wore the garnet ring under my glove, and hoped no one would notice it. It would be less suspicious to leave it in my jewelry box while I was out, but I didn’t want to let it out of my sight, since it was the way back to the future.

I traveled to the ball in the coach with my parents. Having my parents together in this life was strange, because in my present day life they had been divorced for years. But divorce didn’t happen as often in the 1800’s. I tried not to think about it too much, though. This wasn’t really my life—my real life waited for me in New Hampshire in the twenty-first century. However, the ball we were going to would be the only time I would have such an experience. I was determined to enjoy it as much as I could.

When we pulled up to the Givens’ estate, I wondered how they paid for it, since the family was having money problems. That was the main reason why Catherine’s mother was insistent that she marry Drew—so his fortune could save their family from financial ruin.

Walking inside the marbled foyer felt like stepping onto the set of a period movie. I wanted to admire the elegant furniture as though in a museum, but it was important that I find Drew and Chelsea. The time travel had worked for Drew and he was in the body of his past self, but I couldn’t say the same for Chelsea, as I had yet to speak to Catherine.

It didn’t take long to find the two of them talking by the dance floor. Catherine looked beautiful in a bright red dress, and Drew seemed at ease in his formal Regency attire, like he was born to wear it.

Once they spotted me, they waved me over. I hurried through the crowd to their side. Not many people stopped me to say hi, and to those who did, I was able to pretend like I knew who they were. No one suspected a thing.

“We need to find somewhere private to talk,” Catherine said the moment I approached. She looked similar to Chelsea in present day, except her face was rounder and her hair done up in curls. I had never seen Chelsea do anything with her hair other than iron it straight.

“I’m assuming it worked?” I needed to verify that this was Chelsea I was speaking to, and not Catherine.

“It did.” She nodded. “And I’ve been through an absolute horror. I’ll explain when we’re alone.”

“It’s your house,” I told her. “Lead the way.”

Everyone was so busy dancing and having fun that they didn’t notice the three of us going from the ballroom to the library. We received a couple of strange stares, but I tried not to worry about it. It might not be Regency custom for two women and a man to leave the ballroom to find somewhere private to speak, but I was only going to be here for a few more hours. My past self would find an excuse for my behavior tonight, such as I wasn’t feeling well.

Claiming a headache always explained breaches of etiquette for ladies in the novels I read.

Chelsea closed the door behind us when we arrived in the library. Luckily, no one else was in there. They were all probably too busy having fun in the ballroom.

“I arrived at the worst moment ever!” she exclaimed.

She clearly wanted some prodding, so I asked her to continue.

“This is the day Drew told me he was breaking our engagement, and I got here when Catherine was telling her parents,” she said. “I couldn’t believe how angry they were at her—as though it were her fault! They were telling me I had to do everything in my power to sway him back to me tonight. They nearly cancelled the party, but ultimately decided it would provide a good opportunity for Drew and I to get back together.”

I bit back saying anything. In the past, that was exactly what had happened. Catherine had seduced Drew in this very library, and the moment I saw them together was when I bolted outside and got into my carriage with James at the reins—the carriage that had crashed and caused my death.

“I couldn’t believe the amount of pressure they were putting on me,” Chelsea said. “They truly believe it’s up to me to marry a man rich enough to save our family from financial ruin, as if they weren’t the ones who got us in this situation in the first place! I never thought I would say this, but I can’t wait to get back home, where all I have to worry about is whether or not I’ll get into my top choice college.”

I was about to agree with her, but apparently she wasn’t done her rant.

“Also, these dresses are pretty, but so uncomfortable. I feel restricted with this much fabric; it’s nearly impossible to move without worrying about where each part of my dress is at all times.” She put her hands on her hips and huffed, apparently done complaining.

“We’ll only be here for a little longer,” I told her, trying to calm her down. “All we have to do is make it through the night, and ensure that I arrive home safely. Once tonight is over, we can go home.”

“So you’re saying we just have to have fun at the party, make sure you get home safe, and then we can go back?” Chelsea seemed relieved at the prospect.

“That’s the gist of it,” Drew said. “We have to stay until the end of the night to make sure Lizzie goes home with her parents and not James.”

“It shouldn’t be hard,” I added. “There’s no way I’m letting James drive me anywhere.”

“I suppose it doesn’t sound difficult,” Chelsea said, although she didn’t look thrilled. “Except that I’ve had a bunch of guys request to dance with me tonight. Most of them are boring, and I would never dance with them at a party at home. But here, a lady isn’t allowed to turn down a gentleman when he asks for a spot on her dance card, so I had to say yes. Now I’ll have to put up with them all night.”

“It’s only one night,” I said, although I hoped I wouldn’t get too many invites to dance that I wanted to turn down, too. Drew was the only person I wanted to dance with, but I remembered enough from my past to know the rules. It was improper for ladies to dance more than two dances with a gentleman, unless they were engaged.

While Drew and I were engaged, it wasn’t public, so dancing together all night would be quite the scandal. Doing so would surely complicate matters for my past self once I returned to my own time.

“Instead of counting down the minutes until we’re home, we should look at this as a historical experience,” I decided. “How many times will we have the opportunity to dance at a real Regency ball? We should appreciate it while we’re here.”

And appreciate it I did.

* * *

My favorite parts of the night were the two dances I shared with Drew, but the dances with the other gentlemen were not as torturous as Chelsea had made them sound. The men were quite proper; they engaged me in pleasant conversation, and none of them made any inappropriate moves. It was a welcome change from how guys expected girls to be all over them on the dance floor in the twenty-first century.

Once James arrived, the two of us shared three dances, since we were engaged and I didn’t want to cause a scene by breaking the engagement in public. He had the same easygoing attitude as Jeremy, so I didn’t mind spending time with him. I hoped that after our engagement was broken he would find someone good for him. Maybe someone similar to Keelie.

At midnight, supper was served, featuring cold meats, cheeses, bread, and champagne. There were also sweetmeats and pastries, along with coffee and tea.

When the meal was over, it was finally time to leave. I felt good about the mission. The first time this happened, my past self had left the ball before supper. She would have been dead on the side of the road by this time. Now I was here, barely able to hear the storm raging outside above the music and chatter of the party. The worst of the rain had passed, and there was only a drizzle when I looked out the window.

I didn’t want to get optimistic too soon, but it felt like I had changed my fate.

Drew approached me at the end of the night. “I requested that your driver inspect your carriage before you leave,” he said, softly enough so only I could hear. “To make sure it will be safe to ride.”

“Thank you,” I said. It was sweet of him to do that, although we both knew the crash happened because of the storm and James pushing the horses to run faster than they should have in the icy weather. “It seems like we succeeded, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” he said. “But the night isn’t over yet. We’ll know for sure once you’ve made it through to tomorrow. Then our past selves can live their lives, and we can go home to ours.”

The knowledge that I would finally be safe and not have to worry about my impending death felt freeing and wonderful.

My family’s driver, Mr. Patricks, entered the room, and Drew and I walked over to him.

“Mr. Carmichael.” He shifted uneasily and cleared his throat.

“Do you have a report on the carriage?” Drew asked.

“I do.” He looked at me in concern and returned his focus to Drew. “Perhaps I should share it with you where there are no ladies present.”

“Miss Davenport can hear whatever you have to say,” Drew said.

“Very well,” Mr. Patricks replied. “Although I’m afraid it’s not good news.”

Drew’s eyes hardened. “Continue.”

“It’s a good thing you requested I inspect the carriage before our departure tonight,” Mr. Patricks said nervously. “As it appears it has been tampered with. If anyone were to have taken it back to the Davenport’s home, they wouldn’t have made it halfway there before suffering what I fear would have been a rather grave accident.”

I digested his words, shocked at what this news implied. “You’re positive this was someone else’s doing?” I asked. “The coach wasn’t simply in need of repair from daily use?”

“I am certain.” Mr. Patricks frowned, looking offended that I doubted his expertise. “I take great care in managing the upkeep of the carriage. It was in fine condition before leaving for this evening. The only explanation for its current state is that sometime during the festivities, someone went outside and tampered with it.”

I opened my mouth, but found myself unable to speak. Someone had tampered with the carriage? Who would do such a thing? Because if this was done on purpose, it meant …

My head spun at the only possible explanation, and I reached for the nearest end table to steady myself.

“Would you allow me to speak with Miss Davenport for a moment?” Drew asked Mr. Patricks. “In private?”

Mr. Patricks appeared alarmed by the request, and he looked at me to see how to proceed. It went against social protocol for an unmarried man and woman to be alone with no chaperone, but right now I didn’t care about protocol. I needed to talk to Drew.

I nodded to Mr. Patricks that I was fine with Drew’s request. He didn’t look comfortable with the situation, but it wasn’t his job to instruct me on how to behave.

“Certainly.” He bowed and made his way to the exit. “I’ll find Mr. and Mrs. Davenport and speak with them about the delay.”

Drew waited for Mr. Patricks to disappear around the corner before speaking.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” he asked in a dark voice.

“Yes.” I raised my eyes to meet his, unable to believe this revelation. “The crash that was supposed to have happened tonight wasn’t an accident.”

Drew nodded. From the haunted look in his eyes, I could tell he was as shocked as I was.

As much as I didn’t want to say the words aloud, I had to acknowledge the meaning behind this discovery.

“It was murder.”