Chapter Sixteen
The carriage door was opened from the outside and they all exited it, looking up at the lovely home in front of them. It was attached to other buildings on the side with walkways and well-kept stairs and wrought-iron railings. The building was a solid brick and looked relatively clean compared to the others. It could have been that it was a newer structure, or that they worked hard at scrubbing it, but Cyrus wouldn’t be surprised they cleaned it with a little bit of magic.
He still couldn’t believe how easily he had accepted the fact that they’d been teleported back in time by magic. At Nellie’s country home, it was easy to forget and just imagine they were still there for the immersion week. In the city of London, the difference was more pronounced.
No cars, only horses and carriages. The horrific smoke and water pollution here made him thankful to have been born in the time and place he was.
The coachmen helped grab the trunks from the back of the carriage and carried them to the front door. Cyrus missed his wheeled luggage, but here, he didn’t really have to do anything, making him feel awkward again. When he turned to see if Kaitlyn needed any assistance up the stairs wearing her long skirts, he found himself too late. Jem was helping her up.
He followed them up and inside the building. The entryway wasn’t nearly as large as at Nellie’s home in the country, but it was beautifully designed and well decorated. To the right was a library with some leather chairs and a small writing desk.
Their rooms were upstairs. He followed the butler up to discover his room was next to Jem’s, with Kaitlyn's on the other side of her brother’s.
“We will have a dinner set for you within the hour. That should give you enough time to change and prepare for it. Then Mr. Milton will go over your schedule to be sure we get everything prepared for your stay.”
“Thank you, Mr. Eves,” Cyrus said. He looked forward to seeing William again. Aunt Nellie’s nephew had left the manor in the middle of last week to take care of a few things in town for his aunt. Now they would be guided through the city with someone who understood where they came from and make the introductions needed for them to enjoy a few days in London.
The others disappeared into their rooms and Cyrus moved into his, hoping to see if there was a window to look out. Instead, he found his room facing another brick wall of the neighboring house with very little room between the buildings. He would have to explore the house later. He’d always wanted to see how these buildings were designed. Seeing one firsthand was awesome, although he doubted he’d be able to wander the place just looking. The houses in the area hinted they had room to hold decent sized parties. Nothing as grand as the balls Nellie held at her country estate, but here, there would be some large rooms for gatherings.
Not that they would be holding any, but he could totally see the house being full of guests.
When he was led to the dining room, he was sure they could have over a dozen people seated at the large table. Tonight, it was just the three of them. The butler said William would be arriving later after dinner.
“Do you think Aunt Nellie keeps a full staff here for whenever she wants to come or send visitors?”
“I don’t think it’s always at full staff, but I’m sure they would be able to pull in some people at the last minute to cover their needs. When Nellie comes to town, she probably brings most of her close staff with, leaving just those who are needed to run her estate back in the country.”
When they finished eating, they all moved into the library to wait for William’s arrival. Jem searched the shelves and found a book that caught his interest. Cyrus was almost sure he wanted to just be left alone and try to figure out what to do with Reese’s sudden withdrawal.
Cyrus would never understand women. It had seemed to him that Jem and Reese were hitting it off really well, when all of a sudden she up and left with Lady Ellen, giving no reason why.
Cyrus turned to look at Kaitlyn. She stood near a painting, studying it. He took a moment to watch her. She was another woman he couldn’t figure out. Things had gone so well for the two of them before they’d ended up in the past.
He’d been too concerned about the abrupt arrival at first, but he had come around to the whole thing pretty quickly. Yet Kaitlyn was so different now than she’d been before.
She spent so much time with Jack just soaking in all the things about Victorian England. But how could he compete against the man? At least he knew she would be returning to their own time. And if he could be patient enough, maybe she would come around when they got back home.
He took a few steps to join her by the painting, wanting to remind her that he still existed, but the door to the library opened and he turned around.
“What a wonderful sight you all are,” William said as he entered the room. “I do apologize for not being here when you first arrived. Hensley has assured me you had a safe and uneventful journey, were able to rest, and then have a meal.”
“Yes, thank you,” Cyrus said. “We’ve been well cared for.”
William nodded, showing his pleasure at the news. “Are you all hoping to go out somewhere tonight, or should we make it a quiet evening at home?”
Cyrus looked at Kaitlyn, wondering what her answer would be. He was willing to do either, but didn’t want to pressure her into making one choice over the other.
Jem answered for them. “I don’t mean to sound a bore, but I’m not feeling up to going anywhere tonight. I don’t know if it’s just all the traveling or the past week is catching up to me, but staying here sounds good.”
Kaitlyn nodded. “I don’t mind staying here. I would like to see the city more in the daylight hours.”
“Good, good,” William said. He situated himself in a chair and looked at the three of them. “I’m sure you know I’m not quite like Aunt Nellie. While I do understand and know what she is, I’m just a plain, boring, normal Englishman. I’ve seen so many visitors and have scarcely had time to visit with any of them. Do you mind if I ask you about where you’re from?”
“Not at all,” Kaitlyn said, smiling at him.
Cyrus listened as the conversation started and added a few answers here and there, but it was fun to watch William’s eyes light up at the explanations of the technological advances that had been made in the last hundred-plus years.
As much as he enjoyed the conversation and surprising William with some fascinating tales, he wished he could have taken Kaitlyn to the side and just had a chance to talk to her. But she was so into the exchange and asking him a ton of questions about what they could do in London that Cyrus never had a chance.
***
After visiting for a few hours, the warmth of the room was beginning to get to her. Kaitlyn leaned back against the sofa. She couldn’t slouch like she normally would have done because of the corset, but the swoop at the back of the seat was high enough to rest her head against it without feeling like she’d get whiplash if she dozed off.
She probably should have gone up to bed, but it was so nice to just sit in the company of those she could trust and she knew would not judge her.
She studied the room in the dim light of the candles. Most had been extinguished, but one candelabra lit the corner near Jem and William, who had gone off onto some kind of tangent. Another candle was near Cyrus. He sat on the same sofa, not near enough to touch her. He had one of the most recent newspapers and chuckled on occasion, though low enough she didn’t realize he was doing it at first.
When an obvious snort escaped him, her curiosity got the better of her. She moved closer, leaning against his arm as she tried to get a good view of the paper. “What are you laughing at?”
Cyrus paused a moment, glancing at her before returning his attention to the paper. He pointed at a section.
Kaitlyn had to lean even closer to see it. “How are you able to read this? It’s so close together and the light is terrible.”
“Oh, sorry,” Cyrus said. He shifted his body a little and reached for the candelabra on the side table, passing the newspaper to her. “Is that better?”
“Much. Thank you,” Kaitlyn said as she looked at the place he’d pointed out. As she read it, she smiled. “They are a little wordy here, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, but keep going.”
Kaitlyn giggled at it and nodded. “I suppose if this was where you got all your news and information, you would appreciate all the extra words and fluff.”
“Here, you should go look at the advertisement section.”
They spent a few minutes looking at the paper, with Kaitlyn turning the page, and Cyrus holding the candle close enough to see the tiny words.
His closeness gave her a feeling of peace and comfort. The warmth from Cyrus as their arms touched made her hyper aware of him. Back at Nellie's, she’d been kept at arm’s length from all men other than her brother. Sitting next to Cyrus was a welcome change.
The way her body felt right now, so near him, it was obvious she didn’t think of him as a brother. She thought of him as a kind and wonderful man who made her happy to be with him.
She glanced at him with as much stealth as possible, sitting this close. She was surprised to realize she thought him handsome. Except that wasn’t the right word. She’d always thought he was good looking. He was attractive in so many ways, not just physically. Part of her longed to have something more with him, but they’d been friends for so long, and he was her brother’s best friend. It would be a colossal mistake to even contemplate something like that. Especially with the way he obviously felt about her. She didn’t want to face the rejection that was sure to come.
She turned her attention back to the newspaper, trying to get him out of her mind, but it would be impossible if she stayed sitting next to him. She lowered the paper and in the most genteel way possible, she produced a yawn to give her an excuse to leave the room.
“I do believe I’ve spent all my energy and I think it would be a good idea for me to retire.”
Cyrus caught her eye for a moment. She looked away, not wanting him to discover anything in her expression she wasn’t willing to reveal to him. It was probably just because she was tired, and these random feelings for him would be gone in the morning.
He pulled away as he returned the candelabra to the side table.
She stood up, accidentally brushing her hand on his leg as she tried to get purchase against the sofa cushion to lift herself off the chair. Not knowing why that affected her so much, she quickly clasped her hands together and made a beeline for the library door.
“Miss Taylor.” William spoke, making her stop in her tracks. He stood and approached her. “Is anything amiss?”
She shook her head quickly. “Oh, no. I’m just tired. I think I should retire for the night.”
“Shall I send for someone to guide your way?”
Kaitlyn looked out the partially opened doorway, seeing the near complete darkness out there. “Um...”
“I remember where the rooms are,” Cyrus said, holding the candles again. “And I too think I should go to bed.”
William studied the two of them for a moment. Kaitlyn hoped he didn’t see anything odd about her behavior that would make him think there was something between them. Otherwise, William wouldn’t allow them to go off alone, and that might alert Cyrus to where her mind had been. That was the last thing she needed, to be reminded of how much of a little sister she was to him.
William glanced at the two of them and then back to Jem, who merely said, “’Night, Kate. I’ll be coming up soon, too.”
She turned and walked out the door without another word, hoping the light spilling from the library would be enough to at least get her to the staircase before Cyrus was close enough to offer his arm.
She didn’t think she could calmly bear the gesture.
She managed to keep a few steps ahead of him. Cyrus held the light up high enough to give her a good view of the stairway. When she reached the first floor above the main level, she turned the knob to her door. Before she pushed it open, Cyrus was there next to her, pulling out one of the candles from the holder in his hand. He offered it to her and she took it, waiting to see what would happen when her fingers touched his.
Once again, the not unexpected sensations washed over her skin. She wished for a moment she was in her own time, back when he was just her brother’s friend and not this chivalrous, attractive, kind and wonderful man she was discovering him to be.
“Thank you,” she whispered and turned to the door, but her eyes seemed locked on his. In the dimness, she could see nothing hidden in his eyes. There were no feelings radiating from him. It was all her. She felt so alone.
He bowed politely and took a step back. “Have a good night, Kaitlyn.”
“You too, Cyrus.”
Saying his given name seemed so taboo, yet so perfect and right at the same time. As she closed the door behind her, a single tear fell from her eye. He would occupy her thoughts for hours to come. She might not get any rest at all.