Relative Strangers (Book 2) No Man Is An Island

22. Tea For Two

Several hours later, E placed her quill back onto the table and sighed loudly.
"Finished" she announced.
"At last" replied Matt.
"Yep. It was a lot easier hiding the island than making it real again, that's for sure" admitted E.
"So, now we just have to hide all these documents, somewhere they won't be discovered or destroyed"
"Yes, but I think we should stop off for lunch first, as we have been working very hard all day, and we need sustenance to keep going"
"Lunch sounds good to me. Where did you have in mind?".
E smiled, "Let me surprise you".
"Oh joy" mumbled Matt.
"Don't you trust me?"
"You know that I do"
"Well then, let's get going".

The pair had already changed out of their Elizabethan clothes, as they had wanted to sit and work in comfort. So they didn't need to worry about what they were wearing, before travelling in time.
E picked up her ACD and opened an anomaly, "After you".
Matt took a deep breath and stepped through, with E close behind him.
"I don't think I'm ever going to stop saying this. Where are we?" Asked Matt.
They were stood inside a magnificent building, the size of a cathedral.
Before E could answer Matt, they were approached by a female wearing an apron.
"Miss Elizabeth, I didn't expect to see you here again so soon" said the woman.

E double checked her watch, to make sure she hadn't arrived to early, before looking back at the woman, "I know I was only here last week, but the food here is so exquisite, that I simply had to bring my new friend Matthew with me".
The waitress curtsed, "I'll tell the chef that you're here, he likes to know when he favourite customer is here".
"Thank you Wendy" replied E.
Wendy smiled and clicked her fingers at a nearby waiter who then escorted them to their table.
Inside the restaurant was a dozen or so decedent tables, but the waiter didn't stop at any of them. He lead them to a private booth, where they couldn't be seen by the other guests.
And after handing them each a menu, he disappeared.

"I feel under dressed" admitted Matt.
"If I thought our outfits were going to cause us problems, I would've made us change. Besides, the head chef and the manager both know me, and they know that I often arrive in a strange outfit" reassured E.
"You still haven't told me when or where we are?" Reminded Matt.
"Oh, right, well we are in London, during the early 1900's"
"O.K, and?"
"I found this restaurant by accident, and I have been coming back for years. Well, in their time it's actually only been a few months. It has some of the best food I've ever tasted, so I often find myself coming back here"
"Well, I look forward to tasting some of their menu".

Several courses later and Matt agreed with E that the food in that restaurant was amazing.
"I don't think I can eat another thing" sighed Matt as he patted his stomach.
"Me neither" replied E, as she pushed her plate away.
"I assume that we have money to pay for this?" He asked, lowering his voice.
"Of course. You should know by now, that I don't go anywhere without the right money"
"It's just a shame that you didn't have to actually earn any of this money"
"Hey, I've saved this world more times than I can count, and I've sacrificed more for it than anyone else. I don't have to save the future, or rescue lost souls stuck in time, but I do it out of the goodness of my heart. So I deserve to take a bit here and there".

"I'm not judging or criticising you, I just wish that there was another way for you to make a living" admitted Matt.
"Well, there isn't. I don't have qualifications in any era, or official documents stating who I am, so I can't exactly get a job, like a normal person. And it's not like my parents left me any money either. But I have to survive somehow" reminded E.
"I know. Like I said, it's not your fault that you have to do this. I just wish that you didn't have to" replied Matt.
"When I'm with you, in the present, I have a home, so I don't need to steal to get by, since you provide for all my needs"
"That's it! We can have Lester set you up a bank account, and he can pay money into it, like he does with the rest of the team. You do work for him afterall. And that way you can have money, that you've actually earned".

"It's a nice idea, but I'm not sure that I like the idea of having a bank account in my name. It's bad enough having my details in the ARC database. But bank information can be hacked, and I'd hate for people to find out about me" admitted E.
"You worry too much. I have one, and I don't belong in that time zone either, but I'm doing just fine" replied Matt.
"It would be nice to earn money the real way. Because stealing doesn't exactly make me feel like a good person, even though I am used to doing it"
"We'll convince Lester to set one up when we get back"
"Yeah, good luck with that. I'm not exactly his favourite person remember. And he is very busy at the moment, trying to protect my island"
"I think he likes you more than he lets on. You're not quite as much of a burden to him as you think you are"
"I'm glad you don't think so".

Once they had paid, they made their way back to E's closet house, where they reluctantly changed into their Elizabethan clothes again.
E then sealed the documents they had forged earlier, and placed them carefully into her bag.
The pair then stepped through another anomaly, and arrived a few minutes after they'd left. Although this time they did not come out in exactly the same place as before, since E didn't want to be seen by anyone who had seen them earlier.

***********
Disclaimer- I do not condone forgery, or stealing. This book is fiction.