Page 194 of The Seven Rings
“What happened?” Cleo gripped her hands. “You weren’t gone two minutes.”
“Really? It was longer than that in there.”
“In where? No wait. Let’s go up.”
“Yeah, I could sit. Just a little dizzy. The servants’ hall. I saw it the way it used to be. It had to be a hundred years ago. The bells on the wall, all polished up. The lamps on the wall. Gaslight? I’m not sure.”
When she put a hand to her swimming head, Cleo took her arm.
“The walls were paneled, like they are now. A long table. Two maids were polishing silver. Gracie and Frances. Rory, a boy—couldn’t have been twenty—in a chair polishing boots. An older woman, Mrs. Steele, across the room darning. Smaller tables and chairs. I’ll know them if we find them.”
She blew out a breath. “Yeah, I could sit.”
“You’ll sit. I’ll get you some water.”
With an arm around Sonya’s waist, Cleo led her back to the kitchen.
“The head butler—he struck me as a stickler. Grimes. And Hobson—she seemed kind under it. I think maybe head housekeeper.”
When she sat on a stool, Sonya let out another breath. “Better,already better. But Cleo, Hobson brought in another girl, young, so pretty. It was Molly.”
“Molly?” Cleo hurried back with a glass of water.
“I saw her. I heard her voice. She was a teenager, still in her traveling clothes, I guess. Dark red hair, bright blue eyes. When I’ve seen her in her room, when she’s dying… I didn’t recognize her. You could just feel how happy and excited she was. She already loved the manor, and that was clear, too.”
“That’s—” Cleo dropped down on the next stool. “That’s amazing and wonderful.”
“It was. She was so young, so fresh, just glowing. I don’t know how long she lived and worked here before she died, but I absolutely believe she was happy.”
Clover used Bowie’s “Five Years” to answer.
“Five years. I hope they appreciated her like we do. It was different, Cleo, than most of the other times. I wasn’t pulled in, but invited. And not to see death or Dobbs. But just to see daily life in the servants’ hall, and Molly’s arrival at the manor. Still, coming back leaves me a little woozy.”
“It has to cost you energy, doesn’t it? You’re actually moving through time. So, you come back a little depleted. But I swear, you were only gone about two minutes.”
“Longer over there, and that’s different, too. I would’ve been longer. I wanted to look around some more, but the mirror blocked my way, and then I felt a pull, but to come back through.”
“Then you saw what you needed to see.”
“Molly. The way the hall looked, but especially Molly.”
“Sketch her.” Cleo pushed the book over.
“Great idea. I can do that. Let me get a Coke first.”
“Sit. I’ve got it.”
“Something smells so good. Is that the bread! Wow, just wow.” Three golden loaves cooled on a rack. “Talk about amazing.”
“I’m feeling seriously smug about it.” Cleo handed Sonya a Coke, sat back down with her own.
“You know you can never go back to the routine of takeout and delivery.”
“And oddly, I’m okay with that.”
“For which I’m grateful. I’m going to say Molly’s about five-three, very slim. I’m guessing her hair’s long,” Sonya continued as she sketched. “But it was up in a roll. A heart-shaped face. She has freckles over milky skin. Pug nose, big, bright blue eyes, ah, just a little bit of an overbite.”
“She’s pretty. She’s got a sweet look about her.”
