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She almost used her wand a few times, but then she would imagine herself going out with Galen and immediately controlled herself.
At least her mother had provided a full trunk of clothes. Okay, Xie girl you can do this, she told herself silently. It is only for a few months.
Exerilla watched the young farmer, the son of one of the Kingston tenants, as he loaded her luggage onto the wagon before she walked up to him. She smiled and he tipped his peaked tweed wool cap once again, “Good day to ye, Miss Exerilla.”
He looked her over and blushed shyly. Seeing this, she thought he was adorable and spoke sweetly as she said, “I’ll just fetch my cloak.” She turned back to the house. She had already said her good-byes, and her cloak was just inside the door on the coat rack.
A moment later, draping her black wool cloak around herself, she set her little bonnet in place over her long black hair and bolstered herself as she stepped back outside. “You can do this”, she told herself once more.
The young farmer gave her his hand to help her up onto the seat, and said, “Ye look that fine, ye do, Miss Radley.”
“Thanks, Kenny,” she said and plopped herself onto the wooden seat of the open conveyance. A dark cloud had just begun to form overhead, and she hoped it wouldn’t rain again. “That is very kind of you, I do appreciate it.”
“I could listen to ye all day, every day,” he said. “I love yer American way of talking, and don’t be thanking me. I’d do anything fer ye, Miss Radley.” He took up the reins, but did not encourage his two chestnut cob horses forward as he looked at her and then down at his hands to add, “I’ll be missing ye sorely.”
She giggled, “I have been here less than a week, Kenny.”
“And lit it up, ye did, nothing will be the same with ye gone,” he answered on a long drawn out sigh.
“I shall miss you too. Our talks in the field were the brightest moments of my days here.” She had often come across him when she took one of her long walks, and he had in his quiet way taught her a great deal about the people of the times and the land. The only knowledge she had was from the little encyclopedia her mother had stuffed into her head, but getting the picture first hand was so much better.
He ducked his head and clicked his tongue to get his horses interested in moving forward. X thought about her old horse Butch and wished she were home riding him down the bridle trails.
They began the trip down the bumpy drive to the main road, each lost to thought and silence reigned for a few moments.
They reached the main road, where another country road forked off to his farmhouse. He stopped the wagon at that point and turned anxiously to her and said “Mayhap ye might think again about going to people ye don’t know.”
“I don’t have a choice,” she said releasing a long breath of air.
“Well, ye could stay with us. M’pa wouldn’t mind and m’mum could always use an extra hand putting up the summer vegetables and…”
“Kenny, I can’t,” she said firmly.
“No, I don’t suppose ye can, being gentry and all,” he said again urging his horses with a sorrowful sound and sad eyes.
“Gentry?” she laughed. “No, that isn’t it, but I am expected at Horwich House.”
He grunted but said nothing to this.
What have I done? Exerilla thought sorrowfully. Why couldn’t I have just hidden from my father somewhere in my own time? Maybe I could have beaten the compulsion spell? She was so conflicted and unhappy, lonely and out of sync. Nothing felt right or comfortable and she wasn’t sure how she was going to manage until October’s end as it was months away. No electricity, no TV, no music, no hot running water and no pizza.
They had reached the edge of the village where a wooden structure, whose sign denoted ‘Stagecoach Depot’, made her look around and sigh once more.
Kenny helped her out of the wagon and loaded her luggage at the boot of the stagecoach. She gave him a small smile; he surprised her by taking her shoulders in his large calloused hands. He with more speed then agility bent to place a firm good-by kiss on her lips.
He blushed as he came away and said, “I can’t say I’m sorry for doing that.”
She gave him a crooked smile and waved her hand, “No need.”
A moment later he helped her into the stagecoach where she sat across from two elderly ladies. She smiled and nodded, but they didn’t appear to be too friendly.
They had evidently witnessed Kenny’s sudden kiss and in addition to that, she supposed they did not approve of her traveling unchaperoned.
Fleetingly she wondered how she had ever thought she could manage in the past. She just wasn’t going to fit in. At least she didn’t have to care. She would be leaving this century, perhaps not soon enough, but before she could really rake up any scandal. This thought made her smile to herself.
Exerilla sat back against the worn leather squabs and decided that she was just going to have to make the best of things. She had always wanted to see the White Cliffs of Dover and now she was going to be doing just that. She never thought she would be alone in another century, without real magic for protection. But, that wasn’t going to stop her from making do. She was made of better stuff than that.
Okay Dover. Here I come, but holy shit!
