safe distance away in case she started swinging again.
“Start talking, young man,” she said, finally noticing Emma.
Dexter hurried to introduce her, fully aware Helen knew what was going on due to the early hour and the fact that he still wore only his robe. “I’m really sorry, Gran, let me change.”
He fled the room before she could tell him to sit his ass down and start explaining what had happened to Tilly, and kept an ear open to anything Emma might say while he jerked on his clothes, all while trying to figure out what to tell her.
When he returned to the front room, he found Emma making coffee, probably to keep from having to say anything.
“Sit your ass down, Dex, and tell me what happened. And don’t give me any baloney about Tibet. Tilly couldn’t meditate for ten minutes, let alone a month, and you know it. So, what’s going on? Why doesn’t she respond to me or her mother?”
Dexter looked at the door as if expecting Tilly’s mum to also burst through it. “She didn’t come with you?” he asked, thinking he couldn’t possibly explain twice.
Her face fell and he realized that through her bluster, she was terrified. He glanced at Emma, who shook her head at him, having already much more astutely figured that out. It was like getting punched in the gut to deceive this woman who always treated him like another grandchild whenever he visited them in America.
“She’s got four girls in state pageants, two wedding parties— did you know she was approached by someone in Los Angeles for possibly doing costumes for a movie?” Helen flapped her hands. “She can barely work she’s so worried, but what can she do? They can’t afford to lose all that business.”
“Tilly’s mum designs posh gowns,” he explained to Emma, causing Helen to reach across and turn his chin back in her direction.
“Focus and tell me what’s going on. Just seeing you tells me Tilly must be okay, or how could you be so calm? But why won’t she return our calls?”
“It’s going to be rather hard to accept,” Emma said, when he found he didn’t know where to begin. “The same thing that happened to her, happened to me. As far as we know, and really we have no reason to believe otherwise, she’s fine. Just not here.”
Helen gaped at Emma as if she was from another planet, and he sighed at her terrible explanation. He recalled the shoddy job she’d done of explaining it to him as well, but it wasn’t as if he was doing any better, and it wasn’t exactly an easy thing to explain.
“She’s gone to another time,” he blurted. “Emma here’s from the future.”
Helen stood up, looking like she might start swinging her purse again. “I’ve never known you to be so flippant. If you’re not going to—”
“Mrs. Barlow, please, he’s telling the truth.”
Emma moved over and took her hand, gently pulling her back onto the couch. It was a testament to how frightened and upset she was that she allowed her to do it.
“The house we both work in is cursed, or something. Like I warned, it’s difficult to accept. But I came here from ten years ahead and Tilly was sent back.”
“Sent back? In time? When? She’s alone?”
She still didn’t look like she believed them, but Dex was glad to see she was at least putting on an outward show of going along with them and not fleeing for the authorities.
“We’re not completely sure, maybe sometime in the Regency era, but the previous owner of the house should be with her. We’re almost positive she’s not alone.”
“Oh my goodness, my poor Tilly,” she moaned. “Do your parents know about this?” she demanded.
“Of course not,” he said.
For one thing, they never would have allowed him to keep such a thing a secret, and they wouldn’t have gone on their vacation, either. They’d be puttering around trying to find answers along with him and Emma, but he felt certain they’d be more of a hindrance than a help.
She sat quietly for a long
“Start talking, young man,” she said, finally noticing Emma.
Dexter hurried to introduce her, fully aware Helen knew what was going on due to the early hour and the fact that he still wore only his robe. “I’m really sorry, Gran, let me change.”
He fled the room before she could tell him to sit his ass down and start explaining what had happened to Tilly, and kept an ear open to anything Emma might say while he jerked on his clothes, all while trying to figure out what to tell her.
When he returned to the front room, he found Emma making coffee, probably to keep from having to say anything.
“Sit your ass down, Dex, and tell me what happened. And don’t give me any baloney about Tibet. Tilly couldn’t meditate for ten minutes, let alone a month, and you know it. So, what’s going on? Why doesn’t she respond to me or her mother?”
Dexter looked at the door as if expecting Tilly’s mum to also burst through it. “She didn’t come with you?” he asked, thinking he couldn’t possibly explain twice.
Her face fell and he realized that through her bluster, she was terrified. He glanced at Emma, who shook her head at him, having already much more astutely figured that out. It was like getting punched in the gut to deceive this woman who always treated him like another grandchild whenever he visited them in America.
“She’s got four girls in state pageants, two wedding parties— did you know she was approached by someone in Los Angeles for possibly doing costumes for a movie?” Helen flapped her hands. “She can barely work she’s so worried, but what can she do? They can’t afford to lose all that business.”
“Tilly’s mum designs posh gowns,” he explained to Emma, causing Helen to reach across and turn his chin back in her direction.
“Focus and tell me what’s going on. Just seeing you tells me Tilly must be okay, or how could you be so calm? But why won’t she return our calls?”
“It’s going to be rather hard to accept,” Emma said, when he found he didn’t know where to begin. “The same thing that happened to her, happened to me. As far as we know, and really we have no reason to believe otherwise, she’s fine. Just not here.”
Helen gaped at Emma as if she was from another planet, and he sighed at her terrible explanation. He recalled the shoddy job she’d done of explaining it to him as well, but it wasn’t as if he was doing any better, and it wasn’t exactly an easy thing to explain.
“She’s gone to another time,” he blurted. “Emma here’s from the future.”
Helen stood up, looking like she might start swinging her purse again. “I’ve never known you to be so flippant. If you’re not going to—”
“Mrs. Barlow, please, he’s telling the truth.”
Emma moved over and took her hand, gently pulling her back onto the couch. It was a testament to how frightened and upset she was that she allowed her to do it.
“The house we both work in is cursed, or something. Like I warned, it’s difficult to accept. But I came here from ten years ahead and Tilly was sent back.”
“Sent back? In time? When? She’s alone?”
She still didn’t look like she believed them, but Dex was glad to see she was at least putting on an outward show of going along with them and not fleeing for the authorities.
“We’re not completely sure, maybe sometime in the Regency era, but the previous owner of the house should be with her. We’re almost positive she’s not alone.”
“Oh my goodness, my poor Tilly,” she moaned. “Do your parents know about this?” she demanded.
“Of course not,” he said.
For one thing, they never would have allowed him to keep such a thing a secret, and they wouldn’t have gone on their vacation, either. They’d be puttering around trying to find answers along with him and Emma, but he felt certain they’d be more of a hindrance than a help.
She sat quietly for a long
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