It was as if the day did its best to make the best of everything for Cordelia. She had woken up with a good feeling, the sun was shining and the day before she had made the reservation at the restaurant where David and she were going to have their first dinner alone. The mere thought made her smile and gave her butterflies in her stomach.
As she returned from a walk around town, she found a carriage waiting in front of her house. It was a huge one, with no markings on it that would tell her whom it belonged to.
"Miss Lexington?" The man standing next to the carriage looked her up and down, which she didn't like.
"Mr Barting?" Cordelia had learnt to be careful. She knew this man; he was an envoy from the government. Despite his manners, she still didn't know if she could fully trust him.
"Always a pleasure, Miss Lexington" the man said. He reached into his coat. Cordelia slowly moved her purse in position. She always had a small item with her to disable people, something from 'home'. She just needed to slap it. Mr Barting produced an envelope. "I was asked to hand this over to you. It is provided by our mutual acquaintance." It was a nice way of concealing the origin of the envelope. Cordelia had come to the attention of 'higher-up'. It was ironic that this had happened through confessions of apprehended people in the 'lower-down' echelons of life. The government people had carefully approached her and asked her if she would be available for some incidental assistance if the need were to arise. So far there had never been any need. It was surprising for her to be 'recruited' in this way, but later she had discovered that the government relied on a 'certain kind of people' to get the things done that an official body wasn't capable of.
"I have been ordered to inform you that the contents of this envelope is not pressing, yet it would be nice if you were to give it your full attention very soon," Mr Barting said. "I wish you a pleasant day, Miss Lexington." He smiled and got into the carriage, that immediately rattled off.
Despite the reassurance, Cordelia took the envelope inside and did a scan using the STAR's systems before she declared it safe. There were poisons that could be hidden inside envelopes, and if these people for some reason wanted to get rid of her, that would be an easy way. She opened the envelope. Inside it was a telegram with a short but clear message.
Your presence required at location C on Sunday morning. STOP. More information at location C. STOP.
Location C. Wow, that was quite something. That was one of the basements in a big building in London, where also location A and B were. Location C was big, official building. Rumour had it that the Queen of England occasionally was there. Cordelia had never actually seen a royal person there, but it made her grin to know that there might have been one. She didn't really worry about the telegram. Those came in regularly, merely a way of the government to keep tabs on her. They always wanted to be certain she was still available and within reach. Fine, she would get over there on Sunday morning, go through the routine of being ready and refusing to let people near the STAR. They never gave up, but she always had the upper hand.
Also, she had different plans for today. Today she would pick up David. Please, let him be fine inside the STAR, she thought. He had never been on a journey with her, and now he was going to travel here and go to a fancy restaurant. Suddenly she wondered if this wasn't going to be too much for him to handle. A stupid thought, of course, because everything was arranged already. Calling it off because of this would be, indeed, stupid. And also a huge disappointment for both David and herself.
The rest of the day went by slowly as Cordelia was waiting for the right time to go to Lexington, Mississippi. She hadn't dressed for the evening yet; that would be too cumbersome inside the STAR. Instead, she wore her slightly tattered jumpsuit.
"Norbert, here we go."
The system intelligence didn't respond to that, which suited her fine. She sat down in the pilot's seat and set the coordinates for the barn. There was a chance she would have to wait but she would rather hang around there than wait another minute in her house, reading the Duke's letter again. She could say it out loud since two in the afternoon.
"Go."
The journey went fast. Cordelia could almost hear Norbert think that it was a waste of energy to jump just this little stretch. That was fine. They would do it a few more times today. She left the systems up; they'd be out of here soon.
Outside the barn, the air was soft and smelled wonderful. She walked out to the main road and in the distance, she saw a familiar shape approach. He was coming! Cordelia felt her heart speed up. This was going to be their evening. Their very own. She'd gone out with men before, at home in 2251 when everything was still fine, but this was special.
David was with her faster than she could have imagined. Once he'd seen her, he'd started to run. "Cordelia. You are here."
"Of course I am. And so are you. Come. We will leave immediately so we have lots of time to change into our evening clothes." Again she took him by the hand and led him inside the STAR. She noticed his eagerness and remembered how frightened he had been the first time. So much had changed.
"You sit here," she said, pointing at one of the three passenger seats. They were narrow but they would have to do. "And when I tell you to hold on, you hold on to these straps, David. It will give you some stability because this way of travelling can be a bit upsetting for the first few times.
"Of course. I trust you, Cordelia." David grabbed the straps that were bolted to the floor as she explained what he would feel during the trip.
"There is nothing to worry about." Cordelia almost felt sorry she had to sit with her back to him as she set the coordinates for Newcastle. "Hold on, David. Here we go." She tapped the button. "Hold on, hold on, everything's fine," she kept saying until the forcefield had fallen away. Quickly she powered down the STAR and turned around. David looked at ease, entirely trusting what she was doing. "Okay, we're there. You can let go of the straps now."
Cordelia got up and waited for David to do that as well. "Welcome to England, David. To Newcastle upon Tyne."
"This was so strange, Cordelia," he said, holding her hand. "Such strange feelings and sounds, and then no sound at all for a while..." He looked into her eyes, then pulled her into a hug for a moment. "You are an amazing woman, Cordelia."
"And you are an amazing man. Now come with me, I'll show you my house and then I'll show you the room where you can change into an even more amazing man..."
~
They walked down the street, arms linked. Cordelia didn't care if people would talk. She wanted this moment to be exactly like this, walking here with David, on the way to the restaurant. They passed by the harbour where they stopped for a moment. She wanted to give David plenty of time to see as much of her current world as possible.
He marvelled at the many boats, which surprised her as he had come to the States by boat as well. As she asked him about that, he explained that this was a novel experience for him. Not having to be on such a boat for weeks, getting sick, being hungry for the last few days as the food had spoilt. It was something Cordelia had never known.
After looking at the harbour for a while, they continued their walk until they arrived at the restaurant where she had arranged for them to have a private booth. No one should interrupt them on this first evening.
David was surprised by everything he saw. His life so far had been a very simple one, and he told her that all this was something he had only heard of.
"It is something the rich people of Lexington do," he said, "because they can afford it. You must be rich too."
Hearing that from him made Cordelia feel bad. She didn't want him to see her as a rich person, even though she was, even for local standards.
"Things here are different, David. In America, life is starting. Here, life has been developing for centuries, so there is a big difference at the moment. But America will pick up its pace and soon everyone will be able to enjoy this kind of life." She knew that soon was a relative stretch of time. The US had a few bad years ahead, but she didn't feel she should tell him that. There were things you should avoid when travelling through time. That had been ingrained into her mind as she had started to work in this field.
The first course of their food was brought in. David studied the larded oysters as if he feared they would come back to life. Cordelia asked if the food somehow worried him. She hadn't even stopped to think about it.
"No. It just looks... different." David then looked at the assortment of cutlery on the table. Cordelia recalled the simple 'fork and spoon' meals at his parents' home and helped him by picking up the fork meant for this course.
"Don't be afraid to ask, dear David," she said. "I'm very sorry that I'm making this so difficult for you."
He smiled at her. "As long as you are here to guide me, I will be fine, dear... Cordelia." Hearing him say 'dear' was music to her ears, even if he needed a lot of practice.
The oysters were wonderful, and the next course was brought after Cordelia had rung the little bell that was on the table. She invited him to use it next time.
"What is this? It is a kind of soup, but..."
"It's called 'transparent soup'," Cordelia said. The name made him laugh as that was so obvious. "It is usually made of vegetables or chicken, and everything is filtered out as to make it light to eat."
"My mother would call that wasteful," he commented. "I hope they don't throw that away. Cordelia had to confess she didn't know what happened with the solid ingredients. She assumed they would be used for something like steak and kidney pies.
"How did your family react when you said you would come to me?" she then asked. "To the house of the evil landlady?"
"Oh..." He blushed. "They send their best wishes. I had forgotten. Forgive me." For Cordelia, it wasn't a surprise that he had forgotten. He had been submitted to so many new and strange experiences from the moment she had keyed in the coordinates for home...
"That is so nice of them. Please give them my regards when you are back." Cordelia bit her tongue for a moment. She didn't want to think of that moment yet. They were here, now, and that should last forever, or at least for much longer.
After finishing the soup, David rang the little bell and then they waited. Someone would come soon, to collect their plates and bring the next course.
Someone did come, and sooner than they had expected. The person entering the booth did so in a strange way and without any intent to bring food.
The curtain that separated the booth from the rest of the restaurant was torn down after Cordelia and David had looked up in surprise as loud footsteps approached. A heavy-set person crashed into David, almost throwing him off the chair. Cordelia shrieked as the stranger roared something about wanting to kill all the elite and their fancy behaviour. She reached for the tiny purse she had brought with her, then remembered she had left all her weaponry at home. This was supposed to be a quiet night. She watched David push the man off him and get up. Half the sleeve was torn from the coat. Cordelia saw that and wondered why she would notice that.
"Get out," David said as he threw the man out of the booth.
"David, be careful!" Cordelia stared after him as he charged out of the booth, where the brawl changed into a veritable fight. She got up as she looked over the table to find anything to hit someone with. There was nothing. Meanwhile, outside the booth the sound of punches hitting flesh became more and more prominent. Cordelia fought with herself as she wanted to go and see what was happening, but at the same time she feared what she might see. Only as she heard David curse (she had never heard him curse), did she step into the entrance to the booth.
The man who had so roughly interrupted their dinner was lying sprawled on the ground, being held there by two restaurant guests and a waiter. David stood over him, with blood on his face and the coat close to being ruined. He was rubbing his hand but he looked fine.
"David..."
He looked at her and said, "The score is settled, Cordelia. This person isn't going to bother us again." As he spoke, a policeman entered the restaurant and quickly took stock of the situation. The restaurant staff immediately explained to him that the man on the floor had charged into the restaurant and made for the booth where Cordelia and David had been dining.
"The gentleman was hurt," one of the waiters said, "but he fought the man down."
"Well, sir," the policeman said to David, "it looks as if this person has run into his match. I shall take it from here." With the help of the two guests, the policeman hoisted the intruder to his feet and dragged the man off.
"David... You are hurt." Cordelia grabbed a napkin from a table and started wiping the blood off his face.
"It's nothing, dear Cordelia," he said as he waited for her to take care of him. "I am very sorry this happened."
"So am I, but it was nothing anyone could have prevented."
A man in a serious suit approached the couple. "Esteemed guests... my sincere apologies." He introduced himself as the owner of the restaurant and kept saying how sorry he was for what had happened. He offered the two another booth and of course, they would not have to pay for anything they wanted to use. "And sir, you would honour me if you allow me to pay for the repairs to your suit."
David looked at the coat, which had sustained severe damage from the fight. "It looks as if that is in need of repairs, indeed..."
Around them, several gentlemen took off their coats and offered them to David to wear. None of them were the right size though, but Cordelia and David thanked them for their offers. He took off the coat and handed it to the restaurant owner.
"Can you please deliver it to Grimwald & Wilson's?" Cordelia asked him. "They made the suit. They will be able to restore it."
"Naturally, madam. I will personally see to it in the morning." The man bowed and hurried off with the coat.
Slowly, peace returned to the restaurant, but many guests kept looking at David and Cordelia until they had retreated to the new booth and closed the curtain.
"Oh, David, I'm so sorry this happened," she whispered as she reached out to take one of his hands.
"It wasn't your fault, dear Cordelia," he said. "I didn't know you lived in such a lively town."
"This has never happened to me before, I promise you," she said, "and I hope this was the last time. But if you allow me to say so, you can really swing a punch."
David frowned at her expression, then smiled. "I'm glad you approve."
There was a polite knock on the wooden panel, after which a waiter brought in the main course of their meal, beef olives with green beans and potatoes. "The owner would like to know if you would like a glass of wine with your food," the man said.
David shook his head. He was fine with water. Cordelia felt the same; she didn't need anything stronger than water either. The two ate in silence, exchanging glances.
After they had their desert of Pompadore pudding, Cordelia asked how David would explain the cuts and bruises on his face when he would get home.
"I don't know yet," he admitted, "but maybe no one will notice." He didn't sound convinced of that, but Cordelia knew he would not let her worry about it. Things had happened so they would have to deal with what was coming, if anything was.
"What will you be doing tomorrow?" David asked. "There is an afternoon picnic planned in Lexington and my family asked if I would invite you."
"Oh, that sounds absolutely neat!" Cordelia smiled at the idea. Then she remembered her plan to see if she could get through to the secretary of the Duke of Northumberland, which he read from her face.
"Is something the matter?"
"No. I do have something planned for the afternoon but I can do that in the morning. That would leave me plenty of time to come to you." Cordelia preferred not to jump through time in one day. It would be easy enough to go to Northumberland, come home at around four in the afternoon and still get to Lexington around noon, but it was confusing and it would throw her sleep rhythm off for several nights.
They sat talking for a while longer and since they were not in a hurry, Cordelia did allow herself one glass of sherry. David didn't know it, tried it and decided he didn't like it. He asked for coffee, which, through almost a miracle, was available. It was wonderful, Cordelia thought, sitting here like that. Okay, David didn't have a coat but that didn't matter to her. They were together and they'd had a wonderful evening. And it wasn't over yet. They still had the walk back home.
And then you have to take him back, she thought. That was dampening her happiness, but she had known from the start that had to happen.
It was late when they decided to get up and leave.
"Aren't you cold?" Cordelia worried about David as his coat was ruined.
"Not at all. I am with you. That keeps me warm," he said. Again they walked with arms linked. There were only a few people in the street and they looked away discreetly.
The two reached Cordelia's house.
"Now I have to take you back," Cordelia said after they had entered. "I wish I didn't have to."
"I know... but you will be with me again tomorrow afternoon." David pulled her close and looked into her eyes. "I am looking forward to that. It makes it worth travelling in your strange machine." His words made her laugh.
"You're funny," she said.
"And you are beautiful." His fingers carefully touched the tattoo on the side of her head. "Such a strange mark... It suits you."
"Yeah..." Cordelia felt strange all of a sudden. The tattoo... "Come... I'll take you back."
"I should first change clothes," David reminded her. "My family would be very surprised."
Cordelia felt like a fool. How could she have forgotten that? She watched him go up the stairs and disappear into the room where he had left his own garments. Soon he was back, looking like the old David. She liked him well enough, but the gentleman-look wasn't bad either, she decided.
Hand in hand they went to the cellar door and went down the stairs. David sat down and held on to the straps while Cordelia, in her evening dress, sat in the pilot's seat and set the coordinates for their destination.
"Hold on... Here we go." She pressed "Go".