Trapped in Time ~Viscount Tewksbury~

Stories and Haircuts

"This delicious!" I exclaimed happily, Tewksbury grinned proudly. The flames in the fire were dancing like ballerinas on the stage. Elegant but if you get too close deadly, we all ate in silence. Only saying things every now and again, Enola seemed very closed off and all Tewksbury wanted was to talk and have an adventure. I on the other hand wanted to know how to get back home, if only the box came with an instruction booklet. 

We had finished up and now we were just enjoying the warmth of the fire. I was hugging myself, trying to keep warm. Enola was sitting on log, Tewksbury was almost lying down just had himself propped up by his elbows and I had my knees close to my chest sitting on the ground by Tewksbury. He looked up at me and sat up taking his coat off, he placed it on my shoulders and then sat back to how he was sitting before. He looked at me, with a gentle smile and I mouthed 'thank you' to him and he nodded before turning to Enola.

"Hmm, I've been thinking. How do you feel about your hair?" Enola asked Tewksbury, he looked up at her and shrugged. 

"I've never really cared for it." He watched her grab her small knife and a rock. 

"Cut it off with a knife, of course you will." He flicked the leaf out of his hand and then looked over at me. 

"Who taught you how to sharpen it like that?" Tewksbury curiously asked Enola.

"My mother." A simple reply came from her with a smile.

"Your mother is very different to mine." We all chuckled lightly with smiles. 

"Who taught you about flowers and herbs?" Enola asked quietly. 

"My father." I looked down, remembering the last things I said to my parents before I ended up in a different time. 

"I never really knew my father." Enola had a small frown and a lostness in her eyes 

"My father is dead too." 

"I'm sorry." All three of us spoke at the same time. 

"What about you Everleigh?" Enola gently asked, I looked up and weakly smiled. 

"Both my parents are alive, but yet I feel like I don't really know them at all. It's just like they are there and nothing more. I bet that makes no sense." I explained quietly.

"No it does, you feel like you know someone but you really don't know anything." Enola spoke and I gave her a sad smile with a light nod. 

"Why have you run? From home, I mean." Tewksbury asked Enola, we had all moved closer to each other and not so far apart. 

"I didn't want to go to Miss Harrison's finishing school for young ladies." She smiled at the end and Tewksbury and I both chuckled. 

"Why have you?" Enola asked as she started to cut his hair. 

"Well, a tree branch broke above me, while I was collecting wild mushrooms. It should've crushed me, but I managed to roll out of the way.. and I realised." He words at the end became stumbled over each other, I was already concerned that he almost died but the look on his face made me worry more. 

"What?" Enola asked, wanting to know what was the matter.

"You'll laugh at me." Tewksbury lightly smiled.

"I won't laugh, I'm sure Enola won't either." I reassured and he looked at me gratefully, but it quickly turned serious. 

"My life seemed to flash before me. I was just about to take a seat in the House of Lords. I had these ideas, about how we might progress the estate. But my family was set on me joining the army and going over seas just like my uncle. And I realised I was scared, scared I would hate every second of the rest of my life." 

"Why would we laugh at that?" Enola quietly asked and Tewksbury chuckled lightly. 

"I know, it sounds pathetic." He chuckled once more, Enola and I sharing a look. 

"No." Enola honestly said and I agreed with her by nodding. 

"Why were they going to send you to the finishing school?" Tewksbury looked concerned and like he really wanted to know. She looked a deep breath and let it out then looked at me. 

"Everleigh, it is quite clear you are not from around here. So where are you from?" She changed the subject quickly and I looked at her shocked. Not expecting to have all then attention placed onto me. 

"You'll both think I am mad. Throw me away, possibly run." I was partly stalling, but then I also knew they did not know of this sort of thing yet. 

"Do not stall, you've been clutching onto that purse like it has life in it. What are you?" Enola got straight to the point and I raised an eyebrow at her. 

"What does she mean?" Tewksbury asked, confusion lacing his voice and face.

"It's clear she is not from around here, her clothes. The bag, the way she presents herself. It is not ladylike." I smirked at her words and raised an eyebrow, finding her words ironic.

"Speak for yourself, you don't want to go to the finishing school and you show no formalities either." She smirked back and I took a deep breath, moving away from Tewksbury. He looked hurt almost, I sniffled and took the time box out of my purse. 

"I'm not from around here, you'll both think that I am crazy. I not from this time, I'm actually from the 21st century. We are all in the 19th century currently, this box was in my parents' basement. I turned this screw and I ended up here, I don't know how to get home. You both are looking at me funny, I hope you both find what you are looking for." I stood up taking the coat off and handed it to Tewksbury before running off into the woods. I found somewhere to sit and sat in the dark. My skin was dancing with goosebumps, my teeth chattering and my fingertips going numb. 

I fell asleep, most likely not to awake in the morning because I died of hypothermia. I felt myself being rocked awake. I groaned and shivered as I sat up. I was met with the face of Tewksbury, he placed his coat back on me and then grabbed my bag and helped me up. 

"You really do make it seem easy to disappear." I smiled a little bit, then stepped away from him, looking at him cautiously. 

"I believe you, it seems highly impossible but the way you spoke. I could hear it in your voice, so you'll be come back with me. Enola believes you too, now come on. You'll freeze to death without the fire." He gently took my hand and started taking me back to the original spot. I sat down in front of the fire, wanting to get some warmth.

"We're both heading to London, then we are going different ways. Care to join me? I could help you figure out how to get back to your time." I nodded happily and he grinned then Enola sat behind him and started to do his hair. I watched amused, moving a tad bit away from the fire. 

"Do you have to be quite so brutal with the hair?" He asked as Enola yanked his head back. 

"Yes." I giggled and we continued to talk for the rest of the night.