TIME MACHINE CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
(A/N: I think I should mention that this chapter really does stretch the bounds of fantasy. But if a time machine can be invented, why shouldn't the all the characters mentioned here have existed?
Dylan took a cautious look around. Shop fronts, good. People talking in reasonably modern English, check. Bonnets, shawls, top hats… fair enough.
He went back into the machine.
"I think we'll be quite safe here" he said.
Foolish naïve Dylan…
Lucius held on tightly to Ben and Dylan's hands. Dylan noticed that several of the people were giving them strange looks.
"Are you in some kind of theatrical show?" said one snooty woman.
"We are, Madam. Now could you tell us if there is a pawn shop or antique shop open?" Dylan replied, equally snootily.
"I have heard of actors who spend all their money in alehouses and then pawn their belongings the next day. And do you think this is a suitable lifestyle for a child his age?"
Ben was tempted to say "You don't know the half of it" but he contented himself by saying:
"The boy's uncle, the Vicar, has no objections to our lifestyle, Madam."
The woman pointed to a shop in disgust.
"You may pawn whatever you have in there" she said coldly and brushed past them, pulling her skirts out of the way as if Ben's presence would pollute her.
Rita bawled after her:
"Tell your husband to come round to see me if he fancies a quick one, sweetheart!"
The woman glared balefully at Rita, and Connie thumped Rita's arm.
"Watch it, she could have the police on us!"
As they walked to the pawn shop, Ben saw something else that made his eyes light up, which did little for controlling Dylan's pulse rate.
"Covent Garden" he said joyfully, adding:
"It's almost like home…"
"Do you want to look around for a bit?" asked Connie.
"I don't want to whine" said Ethan, doing just that, "But if we don't get something pawned soon it'll be too late for supper!"
"Stop that, asshole!" Cal told him.
"What's an asshole, please?" said Lucius politely.
"It's a swear word, Lucius. I shouldn't have said it in front of you and I apologise."
They suddenly came upon the front of a theatre, that was advertising a new drama, 'Velicia, Angel of the Regiment'. They stared in fascination at the sepia photographs of the production, including one scene where a golden-haired woman was lying across the knees of several soldiers, with an angelic expression on her face and a bloody stain over her heart.
"It's a comedy then" said Dylan drily.
"I could do that!" grinned Rita. She clutched at her heart and moaned:
"I'm just glad to die for my regiment!"
A woman with a familiar face walked by and slapped Rita's face hard. Then she went into the theatre.
"Rita, I think that was Velicia" said Connie, trying hard not to laugh too loudly.
"That lady was not as pretty as the Lady Rita" said Lucius.
"Lucius, could you just call me Rita here? We're not lords and ladies any more."
"You may beat me if I forget!" declared Lucius.
Connie said earnestly:
"Lucius, you won't be beaten any more. You need to remember that."
"NOW can we eat?" begged Ethan.
"I can go without food for days" said Lucius proudly, breaking Ben's heart again.
Connie's main concern was not food, but finding lodgings for the night. They went into the pawn shop, which fascinated Lucius, and came out with a sizeable sum of money.
They found lodgings, but only when they'd walked over to the East End area, then Connie insisted that they bought themselves clothes that looked more Victorian.
"Oh great" wailed Mr Ever-Hungry, "There'll just about be enough money left for half a pie between us."
However, Ethan was soon strutting about preening in the mirror once he tried on his new suit and cravat. He was stunned at how lovely Jess looked as a Victorian lady and Connie and Rita couldn't stop admiring each other.
"You scrub up quite well, Chiltern" was the only compliment Dylan gave Ben, but Ben understood.
"I think Lucius looks best of us all" he smiled.
The little boy grinned round everybody and as they left the shop, he ran out in joy, colliding with an elderly man as he did so.
"Oh Sir, I'm terribly sorry!" he gasped.
"What a fine, polite boy! Here, have a penny."
"Oh, thank you Sir!"
The man smiled.
"Such politeness deserves an extra reward, take this, my boy."
Another penny. Lucius was scared to say thank you again in case he looked greedy, so he just smiled shyly.
The man raised his hat and walked away. Dylan asked a couple of people if they knew who the man was.
"Bless you, that's Mr Scrooge! Used to be such a mean man but then he just changed overnight!"
"Must have been the spirits" Cal smiled.
"Oh bless you, no, Sir, Mr Scrooge is teetotal!"
They searched for somewhere to eat, and Ethan's grizzling became louder
Mindful of the fog that was descending, Connie suggested they could always find a shop that sold pies and eat them on the way back to the lodgings.
Fortunately they soon found an inn where the innkeeper was more than happy for Lucius to sit and have a meal with the adults, and for the next hour, Ethan was in heaven.
As they were about to leave, somebody behind them said:
"It's a bad night for fog; the kind of night when Jack's likely to go prowling."
Ben's arms went round Lucius, and Ethan hugged Jess. Connie and Rita clung together.
They had a good idea of who Jack was and it wasn't Jack Sparrow.
"We'd better get a couple of hansom cabs back, and if we are split up everybody needs to remember we're staying at Miss Seabrook's establishment in Albert Square."
Connie handed out coins to everybody but Lucius.
They were grateful for the bright streetlamps but as they turned a corner they were in pitch darkness. To make things worse, a gang of drunken apprentices came round the corner, knocking Ben sprawling, and to her horror, Rita's hand was wrenched from Connie's grasp.
"Rita!" screamed Connie.
"I'm here" came a faint voice, then an angry man's saying "Look Miss, you need to get off the road. You could be run down by a Hansom Cab!"
The young man deposited Rita safely on the pavement – on the opposite side of the road.
She couldn't see a thing in front of her.
Lucius snuggled into Ben's side, crying a little. His new friends were upset and he was afraid of this fog.
"Connie?"
"Rita?"
"Anybody?" snapped Ethan, managing to spot Ben, Lucius, Cal and Dylan just ahead of him. Taking Jess's hand firmly, he led her over to stand with them.
Rita took what she thought was the safest action:
"Guys I'm getting a cab; I'll see you back at Miss Seabrook's."
Just then a second group of apprentices came by, jostling and pushing.
"Be careful, we've got a small boy with us." Dylan was caustic.
"You want to get him home to bed, mate."
Dylan bit back a reply and concentrated on steering his group towards the bright lights again. Fortunagtely as they came round the corner, they came upon a stall where a man was doing a roaring trade selling lanterns.
"Soon have you safe and warm, Lucius" Ben reassured the boy.
The cab rattled round the corner into the darkness.
"Are we going the right way?" Rita asked uneasily, "It seemed a much shorter walk this afternoon."
"Oh yes, Miss."
He drove the cab through a tangle of alleyways and finally pulled up.
"Is this Albert Square?" asked Rita dubiously.
"No Miss, it's not" said Netley, the driver, and then said softly:
"Jack? I've brought you another one."
(