Kristina O'Grady - Debutantes Don't Date

Chaos erupted.

Lady Harrison screamed, dropped the phone and jumped onto the sofa. Hoskins ran in welding a fire poker, looking for an attacker. Grace managed to scoop the phone into her bag before anyone noticed and calmly informed Hoskins that it was only a mouse that ran across the floor and under Lady Harrison’s seat. Hoskins cast a suspicious look at Grace, not quite trusting the newcomer, but Lady Harrison had calmed down enough to come down from her perch and with an anxious look at Grace, she apologised to Hoskins for frightening him so.

“I’m not quite sure why I acted like a frightened young miss; the poor little mouse caught me unawares. Have Mrs Walters bring one of the cats up from the kitchen tomorrow morning, will you, Hoskins?”

“Of course, my lady,” he said with a bow and left the room with the fire poker still clenched in his fist.

Once he had shut the door, Lady Harrison once again arranged herself on the sofa and smoothed her skirt. “First things first, tell me what that thing was?”

“So you really haven’t ever seen one?” Her heart sank. This was not good

“No. Never. Could you tell me what it is? I would love to know. I’m fascinated by phenomena that can’t be logically explained.”

This at least Grace could answer. “It’s a cellular telephone but it’s commonly known as a ‘cell phone’. Where I come from we use it to communicate with our friends, family and people at work. We can look things up on the internet and I can even send a tweet.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, too much information? Sorry. Umm, let me think.” Grace rubbed her forehead and tried to come up with an easy way to explain the phone. “OK, I will try to explain it without confusing you too much. Keep in mind that I’m not exactly sure how this all works either, at home you just go to a store, buy a phone, charge it up and use it.”

“Are you telling me that everyone has one of these ‘cell phones’?”

“Well, most people do, yes. Everyone I know does, but I am sure that not everyone has one. There are some places that still can’t pick up any signal.”

“Signal?”

“In certain places around the country, around the world even, there are towers that send out signals the cell phones pick up. If you happen to be too far away from a tower, you can’t pick up the signal and then your phone won’t work. Here I’ll show you.” Grace pulled the phone back out of her bag to show Lady Harrison the signal bars. “See these lines? When I’m close enough to a tower I have four bars, but see how they are not filled in? That is because there is no tower.”

Grace’s voice broke on the last word. Tears and panic clogged her throat, but she managed to ask a very important question. “What year is it?”

“1814,” Lady Harrison said with confidence.

“This can’t be happening.” Grace laid her head in her hands.

Lady Harrison moved closer to her on the settee and gently rubbed her back for a moment before asking, “What year did you come from?”

Grace raised her head and looked her square in the face. “How did you know?”

“Tell me, who in 1814 would be carrying a cell phone in their reticule and have a job organising parties? So, what year did you come from?”

Part laugh, part sob caught in her throat as she answered, “2013. The lights went out at midnight, and when they came back on, everything was different. What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know.” Lady Harrison paused before adding, “This may be the wrong time to ask, but you aren’t still wearing the same fashions in 2013 as we are now, are you?”

Grace burst out laughing in spite of her predicament and she felt the tension leave her body. “No. We are definitely not wearing the same fashions. You don’t want to know what women get around in in my time. The ball I was at before I was sent here was a costume party. This dress is just something I found in a small theatre shop in town which rents costumes.”

“Oh, thank goodness, I would hate the thought of wearing the same clothing for the rest of my life.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be wearing whalebone corsets and high-necked gowns in a few years from now, very different from today’s fashions. Oh, wait, umm, that might be a long time from now, I think I’m thinking of Anne of Green Gables and that is in the early 1900s. Oh God, I don’t know, I guess you will just have to wait and see.”

“Well, as long as I’m not wearing this dress that makes me look like I’m with child, I’ll be happy. Whoever thought to dress a female figure in this is beyond my comprehension.” Lady Harrison spent a few moments looking mournfully down at her dress before she asked Grace something Grace couldn’t answer. “Well, I think after this, we are close enough for you to call me Victoria. I never have liked stuffy titles between friends.”

“Thank you. Please call me Grace. No one ever calls me Miss Lancaster.”

“I would be honoured to call you by your Christian name.” Victoria gave her a smile. “Do you know how you arrived here, Grace?”

Tears stung in her eyes and she shook her head. “And no, I don’t know how to get back either.” She would do almost anything for a tissue to blow her nose.

“Grace,” Victoria said, handing her a handkerchief to wipe her eyes, “listen to me. I think if you don’t know how to get back to where you came from, the best thing to do is to accept Jasper’s proposal and marry my brother. He really is not all that bad and besides, you seemed to get along with him well enough tonight, if what he says is true.” She smiled gently. “Did you really get caught by Mrs Barrett?” At Grace’s nod, she continued, “I wish I could’ve seen the look on her face!”

Grace tried to dry her eyes but the thought of being forced into marriage – even if it was to the sexiest man she had ever met – caused tears to seep from the corners and wash her face.

“We will have to come up with a plausible story as to why you are here with no maid or luggage, but I’m sure I can think of something. Not to mention your confusion at the ball…hmmm, let me see. It’s wonderful you hit your head.” Victoria paused when she caught Grace’s look. “Very well, not wonderful , but convenient. We can send for a doctor and say you are confused because of the knock and when he is here, you can ‘recover’ and all will be well!” Victoria clapped her hands in excitement. “But there is still the issue of your lack of maid and chaperone, not to mention clothing.”

Victoria paused again to think but Grace was too amped up to hold her tongue. “I don’t want to marry your brother.”

Grace was grateful Victoria didn’t look insulted as she knew she would need all the friends she could get.

“I don’t know what else you can do, dear. With Mrs Barrett seeing the two of you and all, you won’t have many prospects, at least not desirable ones, come for your hand. And as much as I would love to keep you, my husband would never allow you to stay here if you refuse my brother. You could, of course, go to Lord Lancaster, but if you’re from America, that might not be for the best. I fear if you don’t marry Jasper, you won’t have anywhere to go.” She grasped Grace’s hand. “Please stay.”

Grace took a deep breath. Victoria was right, she had nowhere else to go. If indeed this wasn’t a dream, she would have to marry someone. She didn’t fancy wandering the streets of London with nothing but the dress she wore. It was freezing out there.

She decided there was nothing she could do about it right now. “And my maid? What are we to do about her?”

“You just leave that to me. I think for now what we both need is a good night’s sleep. But first I must call for the doctor. Do you think you could manage a swoon again?”