A Witch in Time

by talking and interacting with the people in this time period. Who knows what kind of damage we could cause to the future if we were at the wrong place at the wrong time?”
“But, if you have my help, we can find the dagger faster and get home sooner, right?” Julianna reasoned. “Don’t forget, finding the dagger is just the first part. After that we somehow need to get some of Townsend’s blood on it and then have Elise use her power to zap us back home. How were you going to do that all by yourself?”
“I was going to do it clandestinely. Maybe place a sleeping potion on him and then take some of his blood.” Cross said. “But I suppose you’re right. If we wait too long and he dies during the ascension ceremony before we find the dagger and get his blood, we might lose our only way home.”
“Hey, I’m not going to stay here if you guys are going off to look for the dagger,” Elise said. “I’m coming with you. Don’t even think of saying no, Cross.” And if she were truly honest with herself, although she was scared of going outside, part of her was curious. What would it be like walking around in Regency London? She’d really only seen it in movies and read about it in novels.
“All right,” Cross said with a defeated sigh. “Looks like I’m outnumbered. But you both have to stick close to me when we’re outside. And don’t talk to anyone.”
“Aye, aye, captain!” Julianna said. “Now, how do we get some clothes so Elise and I can go outside without causing a scandal or ripping the space-time continuum?”
Acquiring the necessary clothing for the two females was harder than it seemed. For one thing, it would take Cross too long to learn how to recreate the fabrics and then how to construct the clothes. So, they decided he would have to steal the necessary clothes instead, popping in and out of some of London’s finest dressmakers’ salons without being detected.
Even then, it took him several trips, because he forgot the three or four layers of underthings that ladies wore in Regency times, plus a few other accessories and personal things they needed to look presentable to the outside world. “I never realized how hard it was to be a woman,” Cross said with much humor.
Elise was actually glad to be wearing real clothes and happy in the fact that she could wear gloves without looking weird. From the piles of outfits Cross had provided them, she chose a light-blue empire-cut gown in a rich satin fabric and gloves that went up to her elbows. “I’m just glad we didn’t get transported someplace where corsets were necessary.”
“Hey, this actually isn’t too bad,” Julianna said as she twirled around in a gold and white silk gown. “I’d rather wear something like that,” she indicated with her chin at Cross’s buckskin pants, shirt, and boots with her chin, “but I might make the stuffy London ladies faint.”
“You look great, Julianna.” Elise tapped her finger on her chin. “There’s just something it needs …”
“The hair,” Cross gestured to Julianna’s short bob. “You have the wrong hair.”
Julianna ran her hands through her cropped locks defensively. “What’s wrong with my hair?”
“From what I’ve observed while I was outside, ladies have long hair in these times.”
The look of horror on Julianna’s face was unmissable. “Don’t you dare!”
But it was too late. As Cross waved his hand over Julianna’s head, her short dark hair began to grow and lengthen until it reached down to her waist.
“No!”
“It’s not that bad,” Elise said as she pinned her own long red hair up. “I can help you fix it.”
“Ugh!” Julianna gave a strand a tug. “It’s so heavy.”
Elise thought the long hair actually suited Julianna as it softened some of the more angular lines of her face. Not that Julianna wasn’t pretty, but Elise suspected she often got compared to her mother and her two other sisters. They were beautiful in that exotic, sensuous way of the petite and curvy, while Julianna was more on the tall and athletic side like her older brother and father.
Reaching for the hairbrush, she ran it through Julianna’s now-lengthy locks until they gleamed, then used the leftover pins to put them up. “There,” she said. “Now it looks perfect.” The thick, ebony curls were piled on top of her head artfully.
“I can’t wait until we get home,” Julianna grumbled. “I’m going to take a nice, long hot shower, then I’m going to chop all this off.”
Elise smothered a laugh. “I think we should be all good.” Both of them certainly were wearing enough layers of clothing. “What’s the plan?”
“I’ll take us to Hunter House,” Cross said. “That’s where he lives. From what I’ve read, the ascension ceremony is set to take place there.”
“We won’t get too close, will we?” Elise asked.
“No,” he answered. “We’ll observe from the outside across the street but no closer.”
“Good thinking,” Julianna said. “It’ll give us an idea of what the house is like, then maybe we can figure out how to infiltrate it or possibly observe Townsend’s daily routine. We’ll need to know the best time we can nab him and get some of his blood.”
“The street where he lives isn’t too busy, but we’ll have to be careful no one notices us. I’ll transport us a block away, in an empty alley I’ve been using. From there, we can walk by the house.” His voice turned serious. “For now, we’ll take one lap around. That’s it. Don’t talk to anyone, and try to blend in.”
“We’ll do our best.” Julianna winked at Elise. “Right?”
“Right.” Elise tried to sound as confident as Julianna. But in truth, she was nervous as a lamb. What would the outside be like?
“Ready?”
She looked at Cross’s outstretched hands, her heart beating like a drum in her chest. “Ready.” As his fingers closed over her gloved hands, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.