again.”
I snuck a glance at my hair. It wasn’t that bad. Maybe it could use a brushing, but I certainly didn’t look like I had given up on life. I smoothed my hand over it a couple times. “We have to keep trying. My friends back home could help if we could get in touch with them.” In fact, maybe Olivia could help now. Surely angels weren’t bound to the laws of time and space, which meant I could tell her what happened. She could help, maybe even take me home.
“Of course, we will keep trying, but I am afraid there is nothing else we can do tonight. I recommend we both get a couple hours of sleep, and then we’ll discuss things further over breakfast. My sister always takes breakfast in her room at ten, so we will not be disturbed in the dining room. Perhaps we could meet at nine? Would that be sufficient?”
“Works for me.” It wasn’t like I was going to sleep anyway.
“Wonderful. Then may I show you to a room? Surely, you must be exhausted.”
“Thank you.” I followed her up the grand staircase.
“It’s the least I can do,” she said softly. “You came all this way just to help me, a complete stranger.”
She opened a door to the right of the staircase and led me inside. It was a lovely, somewhat ornate, bedroom with a massive window facing the backyard. “This is my room,” Josephine whispered. “My sister Jeanette is sleeping just in the other room, so we must be quiet as mice.” She went to her wardrobe and opened the doors. “Let me have a look at you.” She scanned my figure again, then pulled out a few dresses, brought them over to me and held them up under my chin. “No.” She tossed a blue sailor type dress onto the bed and I breathed a sigh of relief. No way would I have worn that. “No.” A tan print dress went the same way. “Absolutely not.” She grimaced and threw a yellow one onto the pile on her bed. “Either of these will do nicely and give us time to find you some clothing of your own.”
I looked at the two dresses she had put in my hand. One was a blue tweed suit with a long skirt and a jacket with a fur collar. The other was a beaded, drop waist, blue and silver dress that was absolutely stunning. “I can’t take these.”
“I insist. I have far too many clothes as it is. Now let me think. What else will you need?” She rummaged through her drawers, pulling out slips and garters and silk stockings, gloves and hats, until I held a pile of clothing in my arms and she seemed content that I had what I needed, even if I didn’t know how half of it worked.
I followed her up another flight of stairs into the guest room, which was just as prettily furnished. She helped me put away my clothes, then instructed me to sit at the dressing table. She began brushing my hair and pinning it into curls.
“What do you do in your time?” she asked as her hands carefully worked my hair into submission.
“I own a bakery,” I said.
Her reflection smiled down at me. “That is simply wonderful. Such independence.”
“What do you do?”
“I am a scientist, though I am quite fascinated with the spiritual arts—as you may have gathered. I have spent years trying to blend the two and advance both subjects. This, what we have done, is quite revolutionary. That’s how I know Floyd Clifford. He was a professor of mine. I love learning. I’m afraid I am a bit of a bluestocking, much to my sister’s dismay. She still wishes to marry, though I cannot imagine why. We have more money than we could possibly use, a beautiful house, and no oppressive relatives to interfere with our choices. She could take a lover if she chooses, but why surrender her independence?”
I nearly choked at her words. I hadn’t expected the conversation to take that sort of turn.
“Have I shocked you?” She sounded more contrite than she looked.
I laughed. “No…well, yes, but only because I didn’t think of this time as being like that. Not because of my beliefs. You go girl!”
She
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