CHAPTER 15
KitKat 16:11:33 |
I want you to do the leg flick. |
Gallows Humour 16:13:28 |
What’s the leg flick? |
KitKat 16:13:56 |
Like in films. The girl flicks her leg and waves it in the air and that shows how good a kiss it was. Next time we kiss, I think you should do that. |
Gallows Humour 16:14:11 |
Why don’t you do it? You’re the girl. |
KitKat 16:14:36 |
Boys can leg flick too! GENDER EQUALITY. |
KitKat 16:14:46 |
|
Gallows Humour 16:15:01 |
Stop using that emoticon on everything. I swear it’s not even remotely funny. |
KitKat 16:15:27 |
ANYway, the point is that then I’d get to say my kiss is leg-flicking good. I can’t make my own leg flick. |
Gallows Humour 16:15:52 |
Mmm, now that’s an image. |
KitKat 16:16:10 |
NOT AT WORK AGAIN. |
Folios/v7/Time-landscape-2019/MS-155
Varna, Bulgaria, 1854
“If this is what it’s like now,” she whispered, looking around the hospital, “imagine the conditions when the fighting starts and the place is inundated with injured soldiers.” She had never imagined that the hospital tents could be this bad.
Matthew nodded. “I hope to improve it before then.”
“How? By writing about it in the paper?”
“Yes.” Matthew looked at her steadily. The uncertainty she’d felt at having to spy on him suddenly tripled. Matthew was only trying to help, and judging by the state of the place the army needed it desperately.
Katy had been surprised that morning when he had asked her to come with him to the hospital tent. “You’re still my assistant,” he’d explained when she asked why, “even if you did turn out to be … unexpectedly female.”
Standing in the hospital tent, she wished more than ever that Matthew would leave her behind when he did his reporting. She didn’t want to spy on him any more.
“Most of the problems are caused by a lack of equipment,” Matthew went on. “I can change that by bringing it to the public’s attention, to raise funds.”
“Oh.” That sounded perfectly reasonable. Why had Lord Somerset been so against Matthew coming here?
“Where are all the doctors?” Matthew asked.
She looked around, suddenly realizing that, aside from all the patients, the ward was completely deserted. “There should be nurses on duty in here at the very least,” she replied.
“Nurses aren’t allowed,” Matthew said, sounding resigned. “Before you say it, yes, it is ridiculous. The French are allowed female nurses. I intend to fix that as well.”
“I hope so. Well, we should make ourselves useful while we wait for your doctor,” Katy said, rolling up her sleeves. “Shall we take around food and water?”
For a moment she thought he was angry with her, but then he said, with a hint of exasperated fondness, “You are … you’re…” He stopped, bit his lip. “Yes, let’s do that. I think the stores are next door.”
They returned from the storeroom with some meagre rations, which had been reluctantly provided by the soldier in charge, to find that a doctor had appeared.
“Good morning,” he said, straightening up from examining a patient. “What are you doing?”
“We thought we’d make ourselves useful while we waited for you,” Matthew explained.
Katy turned to Matthew and said, “Let me take those supplies. I’ll hand them out while you’re talking.”
Three hours later, they left with several pages of notes on problems with the hospital and some ideas for simple improvements that could be made.
“You should definitely pass them on to your editor,” Katy told Matthew. She didn’t care about Lord Somerset any more. Those men needed help. Many of them hadn’t been fed since the night before. The army should be thanking Matthew for helping them, not trying to stop him.
“That isn’t going to work, Matthew.”
He stirred, turned over onto his stomach and then pulled the blanket over his head like her mere presence was disturbing his sleep. “Shush…” he slurred. “I’m sleeping.”
She rolled her eyes and prodded him with her foot. “I don’t believe you.”
When he made no reply, she said archly, “Fine. If you’re asleep, I won’t have to leave the room to change into my nightclothes, then, will I?”
He opened one eye. “You are already wearing your nightclothes.”
“And you’re awake.”
He yawned dramatically, throwing a hand over his face. “I’m too tired to move. Please don’t be so cruel as to make me get up now.”
“Because it would be so terrible of me to make you sleep in the bed?”
“Exactly,” he muttered into his arm. She had a suspicion that he was hiding a smile.
She looked between him and the soft, cosy cot that had been so comfortable last night. It had a proper pillow and everything. She couldn’t resist climbing into it. “You can’t expect to get away with this every night,” she warned him.
“You can make it up to me with a cooked breakfast,” he mumbled sleepily.
She let out a loud, obnoxious yawn in reply and then stretched out. “I’ve had a long, hard day providing food for my family, Matthew. I’ve been hunter-gathering. I probably won’t be able to stand up in the morning.”
He laughed, despite being almost entirely asleep, like it was a reflex.
Folios/v3/Time-landscape-1854/MS-6
Folios/v3/Time-landscape-1854/MS-7
UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM CAMPUS, ENGLAND, 2039
“Ooh, thanks! That’s my favourite.”
“I … know,” she said and shrugged. She was getting used to just knowing things about Matthew. “What does the diary say?”
“Nothing we didn’t know already. Katherine is talking about telling the other staff what’s going on. She must have written this shortly before they decided to send that email asking for a meeting.” He took the mug of tea, gulping it down. “We need to hurry up and read the rest, though. We’re meeting Tom in half an hour.”
“I’m already looking forward to it,” she joked.
Matt’s expression froze into a polite smile, and she grinned, ducking her head to look at his downcast eyes. “Hey,” she said softly. “You know we’re teasing you, right? Matt, I’m not interested in Tom.” She gulped nervously. “I’m interested in you.”
He didn’t speak. She took a bite of toast to fill the silence, trying to appear casual and not at all as if her insides were tearing themselves to shreds.
“Kate,” he said quietly, almost inaudibly.
She didn’t reply, suddenly panicked. Had she read all the signs wrong? Had she just made a massive fool of herself?
“Will you go on a date with me?” Matt asked.
Kate couldn’t help her huge smile. “Yes!” She felt lit up from the inside out.
Matt just looked at her, pleased.
“This counts as me making the first move, you know,” she insisted, watching him with bright eyes.
“You can think that if it makes you feel good,” he agreed easily, pulling her towards him. He dipped his head to press a smudge of a kiss on her lips and then kissed her more firmly, like he was unable to help himself.
> First objective achieved in time-landscape 2039
> System progressing as desired
Kate suddenly shivered as a feeling of déjà vu swept over her. All at once the saying “someone walked over my grave” made a whole lot more sense. She could suddenly see everything, oh, so clearly. She had done this, exactly this, before.
Matt had kissed her, just the way he was now. Except – it had been different. He had been different, slightly taller than her, and he had cupped her chin to tilt her face upwards. She leant into him now as she had then, her body boneless and utterly open. He pulled back, his lips parting from the kiss. It had been too short, but achingly sweet. She wanted more. Her mouth pressed closer to his, closer, closer, reluctant to part.
Her eyes fluttered open to meet his. He pushed a strand of hair from her face, and she was momentarily distracted from the kiss. Her hair was short. It hung down across her eyes in a way it hadn’t since she was a child. Matt’s clothing felt rough against her skin in a way synthetic fabric never usually did. There was a smell of smoke in the air around them, the scent of old tobacco. She barely recognized it: cigarettes were banned and almost impossible to find.
“I bet Lloyd George doesn’t kiss like that,” Kate said, cheerily.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Matt replied.
She pulled back quickly. They stared at each other.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“Nothing. What did you say?”
“I don’t know…” He paused. “It made sense at the time.”
Kate couldn’t think of anything to say to that. In her mind, she kept picturing Matt dressed in old-fashioned clothing and looking dashingly handsome. They stared at each other, both lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, he looked away, frowning at the ground. He had obviously decided not to discuss it any further.
She thought it best to follow his example. At least, she reflected, it had detracted from the inevitable awkwardness of a first kiss. She hoped it wouldn’t happen next time, though. She’d completely missed the actual kiss.
“Shall we, uh, read the rest of the diary?” Matt asked.
“Yeah,” she agreed in relief.
As they reviewed Katherine’s diary, Matt kept shooting glances at her, but she couldn’t look at him. Her mind was full of crazy ideas. Why had that kiss felt so familiar? Why did she keep seeing Matt in different periods in history, both in her dreams and when she was awake? She was so close to blurting out her suspicions of magic and reincarnation and time travel that focusing on Katherine’s diary was the only thing keeping her grounded. She really hoped that something was going to be explained soon, because this was what going mad must be like.
The feeling didn’t get any better. As they read more and more of the entries, Kate felt like she had seen the end of a film early. She seemed to know what Katherine had written before she read it.
Then Matt kissed her again, leaning into her like he couldn’t wait any longer. It was quick, barely a peck. She tensed, waiting for another vision to overtake her. Matt seemed to be waiting too, and after a moment he kissed her again, properly this time, cupping her cheek and pulling her against him. His lips were soft and he tasted of tea.
She relaxed against him, enjoying the moment. It still felt like they had done this many times before, despite the fact that this was almost their first kiss. But then, everything they’d done had seemed like a repeat of something they’d done many times before.
They kissed for a long time, discovering – or, rediscovering – each other’s mouths. Finally they parted, pressing their foreheads together and just breathing each other in.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for so long,” he said, biting her bottom lip gently, a brush of his teeth against the tender skin.
She gasped, dazed, trying to remember anything except the shape of his mouth against hers.
“Me too,” she said when she had regained the power of speech.
Folios/v7/Time-landscape-2019/MS-167