A Regency Catastrophy

Chapter 5

The thing I like best about my bed is the curtains. They are green on the outside, but soft pink on the inside and I think they are made of a velvety material. I'm not sure though, but when they are closed, I feel so safe and warm. It's odd because I'm slightly claustrophobic. I never liked being in elevators for instance and spelunking was nr. 1 on my never-to-do list. Not that I have to worry about either of those here.

Not surprisingly, I can't sleep. Nerves for tomorrow roil in my stomach and I'm still reeling from my uncle's revelations.

The evening went quite well, I believe. I played the piano tolerably well and Mr. Fairbridge's voice and presence strangely calmed my nerves. Afterwards, the men talked amongst themselves for a bit, while I got to know Mrs. Fairbridge a little better. I asked her some questions about some of the books she read and discovered we both liked Belinda by Maria Edgeworth.

Finally, after goodbyes were said and a promise was extracted that I was to call on them as soon as I returned from the seminary, I was alone with my uncle.

"You must be tired, Miss Montfort. I wish you a good night."

"Actually, uncle, I'm not that tired and I wish to speak to you before we turn in."

My uncle sighs (again)."All right, let's head to the library."

When we arrived there, Mr. Humes quickly lighted some candles for us and asked whether we needed anything else. My uncle simply told him we would be up in no more than an hour.

He then checked if there were any servants hidden in corners and sat down, gesturing for me to do the same. "The king has asked for you."

It was good I was sitting down. "The king?! What would he want with me?"

"Well, first of all, he is very curious about you. Wouldn't you want to know what a young woman from 2206 might look like?"

"Well, probably, yes."

"Secondly, do you remember your history lessons? What do you know of this era's politics?"

"Uhm, it's a king George, now right?"

"Yes, George III."

"Wait, didn't he go mad or something?"

"He suffers madness in bouts, yes. Sometimes he can be really lucid, but other times he is very confused or even aggressive. What about wars? Do you remember anything about that?"

"Uhm. American independence?" The moment I said it, I knew it was not correct.

"My uncle smiles. That's over and done with. And I convinced his majesty that pursuing war again in that direction would only lead to disappointment. Any other ongoing wars that you remember?"

"Oh, aren't the English at war with France, now?"

"Correct. Which is why the king gave me the viscountcy if you remember. I told you once already. I give him and his generals valuable information, not all at once, but step by step, on how to win against the French and in exchange, he made me a powerful and wealthy man."

"That's right! It's lucky then that you were a history professor in the 1980's."

"Indeed. Very lucky."

"But what has all of this got to do with me?"

"What would you guess my age to be, Katy?"

"56, you told me, remember? Your birthday is on the third of November. I gave you that new book on the rights of man."

"Right, worth a fortune if we are ever able to return. But I digress. What do you think the average life expectancy for a man might be in this period of time?"

"60?"

My uncle snorts, "40 is closer to the truth, I believe."

"But uncle, you're so healthy and..."

"Yes, yes, but still, the king is worried that I might die before I divulge all my secrets. And who would he look to if that were the case?"

"No! I know nothing of historical battles or anything remotely useful."

"First of all, you do. Does the name Napoleon ring any bells? Besides, I have everything written down and in that safe over there, as you well know. And second of all, it doesn't even matter. As long as the king thinks you might be remotely useful or even interesting, he's not going to let you out of his sight."

"Then how come I have never even seen him?"

"Because I suggested it might be better to hide you from society for a while until you are better integrated. The king doesn't want anyone else to know our secret, so he agreed, for now." He emphasized the last two words.

"So that's the reason for the governess, the dancing teacher and riding instructor and now the school. But wait, if you believe the king feels dependent on your foreknowledge, how does he feel about our efforts to try to return home?"

"He must never know! If he suspects we want to leave, but simply don't know how, we would lose everything and end up as his prisoners. I believe his ideal scenario would be to get you married with a couple of children as soon as possible, so you would have too much to lose to want to leave."

"What! And what do you think of that idea, Simon? Because I'll tell you there is no way on earth that I would get married and have children here! First of all, I need to get back to my parents so they know I did not die! And secondly, I might not know the average life expectancy, but I do know something about child mortality rates in the 19th century, not to mention the high number of women who die giving birth in abysmal medical conditions! That will never be me! If I ever have children, it will be after I graduate university, found a good, stable job and preferably, also a man, and the birth will take place in a clean, modern 21st century hospital!"

My uncle has his eyes closed and is massaging his temples. "That would be ideal, yes. Sadly, the chance of us ever returning to the 21st century seems small at best. Which is why I wanted to ask for you to become my heiress, so that, if you were to remain unmarried, you would still be financially comfortable after I die. But there is a catch there as well, I'm afraid. If polite society got wind of the fact that you are the heiress of both my title and my fortune..."

"Oh no. I would be constantly harassed with proposals, wouldn't I?"

"Yes, you would."

"Let's not worry about that. You're not going to die anytime soon, so there's no need to figure out the entailment. And I'm not ready to give up. I will go back home. So the most important question is: Will you come and get me away from that school in time for the next blood moon?"

"Yes, I will."

"Good, then I'll survive anything thrown on my path there."

Now, lying in my bed, only hours away from being whisked away, I'm not feeling so sure.