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Chapter 2
Isabella squinted from the harsh lights of the carriage beam in front of her. She must not have been out for long she thought; after gaining consciousness and for a brief moment, she even doubted the idea that she had come back into this world again.
“I… I am still alive.” Her eyes flickered as she whispered under weighted breath. “I thought I was dead.”
“Thank God I was able to hit the brakes in time.” A pleasant male voice spoke gently. “You have no idea how relieved I am.” Kneeling next to her, a tall figure was partially blocking the blaring lights. It took her a moment to realize that this tall figure was actually holding her torso up in his arms, while her legs crumpled on the stone-cold pavement. Her eyes tried to open all the way, but this carriage had the most incredibly bright lanterns she had ever came across. She flinched.What sort of candle was this? Or is it some new type of gas lantern perhaps?She held her hand up to her face, blocking the lantern that had seemed to turn night into day, catching a glimpse of the tall figure who held her. He must have been in his early thirties. His face was well defined with sharp lines and angular cheek bones. His hair was dark and full, with a few lightly curled strands falling onto his forehead. And although it was hard to make out any colors in this ridiculously bright lantern light, his eyes managed to glow out a warm, amber brown. His gaze locked onto her as she struggled to steal a breath. Gosh he was attractive.
“How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?” the man’s beautiful voice asked, sounding as if he really cared.
“I’m fine.” Her gaze fell to her hand, then traveled up her arm and to her shoulder and down the rest of her body. Odd, how fine she was considering the hurt she’d just been through. With the help of the carriage driver, she managed to pull herself back up on her feet, only to find herself frozen in place. She noticed that there were no horses attached to his strange looking and loudly humming carriage.
“Where are the horses? Did they run loose?” She spoke in a low voice that almost sounded like a whisper. The man tilted his head, staring at her like she’d just said something silly.
“Horses?”
“Yes, the carriage horses.” Isabella scouted the street. Her eyes opened wide as her pupils reflected every light that shimmered around her. She was surrounded by oddly shaped metallic carriages that were a lot smaller than the ones she was used to. They all lined up quietly at the side of the street. Unlike the carriage of the man in front of her, none of them were humming a strange noise nor shining any lights. “I-I don’t understand. What is all of this?” she stuttered, throwing her arms up into the air. The man stepped closer, holding his hands in front of him in a calming gesture. “This must be very scary for you. I was hit by a car myself not a long time ago. It would be better to get you to a hospital.”Did he say a car? Is that what this is called?Isabella’s eyes narrowed as she caught a glimpse of the man’s clothes.What a strange suit. Is he a foreigner perhaps?He wore some sort of blue pants and a white cotton pullover without buttons. It had a black checkmark sign on it, similar to the sign on his white shoes made out of some fabrics. A moment of thought hit her. This was clearly not the same place she had been hit by the carriage. Had this man moved her? Had she been abducted? She felt her heart racing under her chest. “I… I don’t understand what is going on! This doesn’t look like London at all!” she managed, her eyes glued to the man, demanding answers. But the man only stared at her, with his narrowed eyes and lips that slightly parted for a brief moment enough for her to notice, before finally deciding to speak to her. “No, ma’am. We’re in Philadelphia.” She was right, he was a foreigner. At least that explained the man’s accent. Wait. The man’s accent? Philadelphia?
Isabella threw her palms to her forehead hard enough that she almost slapped herself. She was clearly losing it.
“Philadelphia?” Speaking to herself, but audible enough for the man to hear. “Yes, we are, in America ma’am,” the man said, with a worried look on his face.
“Are you saying…this is America? Not England?” Her legs felt weak as she wobbled, nearly stumbling back to the ground as the man swooped in, holding her by the elbow. Under normal circumstances, she would not let any man, certainly not a stranger, hold her so close in such an unladylike manner. But Isabella was far too deep in thought to notice.
“I think we should really get you to a hospital.” The man’s voice snapped her back into reality. Embarrassed for being too close, she wanted to pull herself away—but she didn’t.
The man pulled out a strange black device from his pocket that lit up like a star for a fleeting moment, before turning pitch black once more.Does everything turn bright in this country?
“Damn it. My battery’s done. I’ll just have to drive you. The hospital isn’t—”
“That won’t be necessary.” Another strangely dressed man with a much younger sounding voice stepped into the bright carriage light, appearing out of nowhere. He wore a black hood that pulled far over his face as if he didn’t want to be recognized. “I will take it from here,” was all he said before he grabbed Isabella by her arm and pulled her away.
“Who are you?” she instantly protested. “Let go of me!” She tried to break free. There wasn’t even time to put up a fight as the carriage driver placed a hand on the hooded man’s shoulder, pulling him back.
“It doesn’t look like she wants to come with you, pal. So why don’t you get out of here before I have to make you?”
For a second, the hooded man seemed unsure what to do, but decided to make the wrong choice. He pulled at her again, tightening his grip as he tried to hasten his speed, dragging her behind. Isabella cried in pain which was enough to force the carriage driver into action. With a single punch, the hooded man fell to his knees, letting go of Isabella while he gasped for air. “Let’s get you out of here,” the carriage driver said as he gently pulled her away from the strange assailant. Isabella stopped, turned around, undecided what to do as she stared around her. She felt a gentle tug. “You’ll be safe with me,” he said with a reassuring tone. She scanned him from head to toe. Maybe it was his pretty face, warm smile, or the fact that he had just saved her, but strangely enough, she believed him. And with that, Isabella made her decision to go with this man she had never met before.
He led her toward his metal carriage and opened the door from the side. How bizarre it was that she had to bend down to get in and sit down. Warm air blew from a vent in front of her while tiny lights sparkled around. Isabella was so fascinated with this carriage, she didn’t even notice when the carriage owner reached over to tie her down with a black, smooth rope. Before she could even resist, she realized how close his face was, and how much his scent had overtaken her, sweet yet strong, with a hint of spice. Was he a prince or a lord? Or perhaps a man in power? Isabella knew that only men with a certain degree of status could be bothered to use such fragrances. But he was so different than all the other arrogant lords she had met before. “We don’t want you to get hurt again…or get me another ticket,” he smiled as she noticed a dimple in his cheek. She had no idea what he was talking about, but it was obvious, at least to her, that he was a good man with good intentions. And before she could even ask how the little orchestra managed to play from out of the reticular light filled with numbers on it right next to her, the man shifted a stick right below the little orchestra box, and the carriage started to move. With each second it became faster and faster. It made her heart race and jump as her stomach flipped. But the man, the carriage driver beside her, seemed so calm and unfazed that it made her feel embarrassed, so she tried, with a bit of effort, to hold down her nerves.
Remembering the man that had attacked her, she turned to look. To her surprise, the hooded man was on his feet again and started running after them as if he was trying to catch up with the strange carriage. But it didn’t take long before he became smaller and smaller and finally disappeared in the distance.Who was he? What could he want from me?Her questions seemed to be written all over her face.
“Do you know this joke of a man?” her savior asked in a tone that implied he was ready to turn around to give him more of a beating if she would like him to.
“No. I have no idea what is going on. Really. I don’t understand any of this.” She truly didn’t. Had she gone mad perhaps? Died and gone to a different world? Heaven? Was America heaven? Or hell? “Well, whoever he is, he has some nerve to try to assault someone who just got hit by a car. Right in front of me too. Unbelievable!” he slapped his upper leg with one of his palms. “People really have lost all common sense.” He shook his head in disbelief.
“Liam, by the way.”
“Excuse me?”
“My name. I’m Liam.” Americans seemed to use first names right away. She actually liked that. It seemed so much friendlier than all those stiff titles.
“Oh yes, of course. Isabella Astley.”
“Were you on your way to some sort of costume party?” Isabella followed his gaze over her dress.
“Is my dress not according to the latest American fashion?”
“Emm… Well… Don’t get me wrong. You look fantastic in it. But your dress looks like it’s out of some nineteenth century period movie.”
