NEWCOMERS FROM HELL

Part 108: Newcomers from Hell...........by Coralynn

As William, Eleanor and Rosamond go out into the back yard to check out the situation, John and Daniel sneak into the house by the front door and proceed up to John's room. No one sees this, which is just what John had hoped for.

"Bethia! Where's John?" Rosamond asks with a worried voice, "Didn't he go with you into town? Is he back? Where is he?"
Bethia is not about to tell anyone where John is, and fortunately doesn't have to, as William is now right in her face demanding,
"Who are these people??"
"This is Grace, the woman I just saved from marrying Caleb Adams, and these are her two children, Tim and Rebecca," Bethia replies as calmly as she can manage.
"Saved from marrying Caleb??" Grace is agitated, "What does that mean? Remember, I have to be back in an hour to clean his house! He will be wroth if it isn't spotless....." she looks about her in confusion.
"Been doing a bit of time traveling, have you, Beth?" William asks sternly. "How did you manage to do that without me?"
"We used the coin, William, and used a tent pole as a third energy so it would work," Beth has to confess.
"Clever, very clever. What are you plan to do with these poor confused people from 1640 Southold however?"
"Actually, they're from 1650, William," Beth fills him in. "Don't worry about it: I have money, I can pay for their keep."
"WHERE?"
"In an apartment, or a small house or....."
Timmy is still fascinated with Henry8's castle and Grace has her hands full restraining him.
The little girl, Rebecca, looks up at Rosamond and states, clearly and precisely, "We aren't IN our own timeframe anymore, are we?"
Everyone stops and gawks at this child who is not yet four yrs old.
Grace hears the question and becomes alarmed, "Timeframe? What's a timeframe? I'm frightened. I want to clean Caleb's house. He will be angry and not want to marry me if......."
"The child is correct," Eleanor decides to take control, "You are 350 years ahead of what you were just a few minutes ago. Caleb is dead; has been for a long time. His house may not even still stand."
Looking over at Bethia, she asks, "Would you like me to drive you to Southold and take a look?"
Bethia is relieved; what a good idea.
Bethia gives Eleanor a grateful smile. "Yes, it looks like we must. That's the only way we'll be able explain this to Grace. She is so fixated on cleaning Caleb's house before he gets back from hunting."
Turning to Grace, who is standing there looking around wringing her hands, Bethia puts an arm around her shoulders and says gently:
"We are going to go to Southold right this very minute, Grace. Your daughter is right......this is another timeframe. If you can see Southold today, in 2002, and the cemetery in which Caleb is buried, you'll feel much better that we've saved you from his brutality. Come along, now."
"Brutality? Brutality? What brutality? Yes, he has struck me several times, but I deserved it. Why did you take me away from him? A woman needs a husband! Oh whatever shall I do?"
Celeste has just pulled her car up into the driveway and sees activity in the back, so goes there to investigate.
"Ohhhh my, newcomers!" she beams, "I saw you in my chrystal ball. Welcome!"
Bethia whispers to her "Can it with the chrystal ball talk, these are Puritans straight from 1650. Talk like that will scare them."
Celeste nods her understanding.
"Ohhhhh such beautiful children!" she squats down as the two children approach and gleefully climb on her. It knocks her over backward, and she laughs merrily.
"Can I watch over the children for you if you have "errands" to do, Beth?"
"Celeste, you are a miracle worker, and just what I needed, thank you, thank you!"

"Don't worry about us, Mummy, go on your errands," little Rebecca tells Grace as she and Timmy continue hugging on Celeste, "We'll stay here with our new Gramma."

William and Eleanor exchange looks. Who IS this little girl? Why is she so wise while her mother is so clueless?





Part 109: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble--Johnny Burns and Daniel Bubbles........by Terri

John smuggles Daniel up to his room while the others are concerned over Grace and her two children.
John locks the door behind them. Daniel whistles. "Hey, this sure beats the heck out of the old farmstead!" Daniel sits on the bed and bounces up and down. "No straw! What the heck do you sleep on?"
John answers, "Water." Daniel lets out a roar of laughter. "Water! Are you insane?
You can't sleep on water--even though you always thought you could walk on water!"
John goes over to his closet and pulls out a black pullover and a pair of Guess jeans.
Then he goes to his shoe rack and gets a pair of boots and into his dresser drawer for a pair of jockey bikinis and a pair of socks. Daniel reaches out for them. But John quickly pulls them back. "Not until you take a shower!"
Daniel looks quizzically. "A shower?" John drags him to the bathroom. "This is a shower. It is like standing out in the rain but the water is warm and you can turn it off and on...see? Here is a razor and shave cream. Use it like a clam shell or the straight edge of your knife. Like this." John demonstrates how to use it seeing that he needs a shave too. "This is soap. It is in liquid form and not like that lye and tallow stuff we used to use. It rinses off wonderfully. This is deodorant. Use it under your arms and you won't smell like a stable. This is a towel. I presume you know what to do with it. I will hold your clothes for ransom until you are clean enough to wear MY clothes. I will go to the Renaissance store and buy you some clothes for your journey into Virginia. Now--any questions?"
Daniel looks bewildered but shakes his head no. "Good!" John says. "On second thought, I probably should just keep you in underwear so you can't go anywhere....Naw! That is a little TOO cruel!"
John lays down on his bed with his arms folded under his head and wonders what the next 48 hours would bring. Bethia sure has her work cut out for her with that ditz she brought back. Sure hope that wasn't a mistake.
John can hear the water running.
Daniel drops his rough homespun shirt on the floor and his breeches. Damn,. it feels good to be out of those! He sticks his hand in the shower flow. Ooooh, that feels super. Gingerly he steps in. The water just flows down his back and over his chest. He grabs a washcloth and soaps up. After about twenty minutes, he gets out and puts on the terrycloth robe that John has left for him. What IS this fabric?
It is looped and absorbs all this water left behind. Carefully he puts shave cream on his face and grabs the razor. Well, this sure beats the hang out of my knife! Oh, if only the goodwives of Southold could see me now. Funny, but I really can't remember anything distinctive about any of them. No one really did it for me. Daniel begins to get an idea. What if I DON'T go to Virginia? What if I stay here? And how will JOhn handle this news? John adapted OK in this century. Why can't I? But HOW to do this--that is the question.
Daniel emerges from the bathroom shaved and cleaned and groomed. John sits up and exclaimes, "You look just like...ME!"
Daniel stands next to him and looks in the mirror next to John. They both peer into the glass. "Remarkable! No one could tell us apart!" Daniel says.
"Whoa, buddy--don't get any ideas! It's Virginia bound you are. I have enough to handle without you trailing in my dust! Here are the clothes. I will put what we call a TV on. It is a box that shows stories--it's OK although I know the Puritans forbid it.
I am going to run a few errands and get some 'going away' clothes for you at the Renaissance store. Don't move from this room! Or else there will be hell to pay!"
John picks up his car keys and leaves the room.
Don't move from this room! Don't move from this room! Give me a break, Daniel thinks. Just because you are five minutes older doesn't mean you rule me, you dictator despot! Daniel begins to pace the room. He opens up the French doors to John's balcony and steps out, breathing the nice suburban air. He is still wearing the bathrobe. John's balcony overlooks the pool. Daniel looks below and almost drops his teeth. For below was something that Daniel had never seen before. It was a woman lounging on this plastic chair that stretched out. And the woman is....topless? With a little tiny breech? She is rubbing some sort of potion over her body. He figures she thought she was by herself for the water receptacle was completely enclosed by a wall. A box is blaring out a song. What was that song....Like a virgin? How can they sing about stuff like that?
Yes, this WOULD have to be the day Rosamond decides to sunbathe to get rid of her tan lines



Beads of sweat collect on Daniel's brow. He has never seen anything so brazen in his life. Uh, oh, now the woman is putting two little patches of fabric over her...what is that, a piece of ribbon? How the heck does it hold them up? Daniel steps back into the shadows of the room but still peering out the French doors.
Rosamond adjusts the top and re-ties the straps holding her thong bathingsuit together. She stretches and then dives off the edge of the pool. Rosamond comes up out of the water, the beads of it shimmering off her well-oiled skin. She shades her eyes and looks up. Was there movement in John's room? She frowns. John hasn't been seeing anyone, has he? Perhaps it was Celeste dusting. Yes, that must be it--after all, it is Celeste's day to clean.
Rosamond fixes herself a margarita. At least the nightmares have stopped. She is relieved. She remembered only last week screaming in her sleep and John holding her through the night. How wonderful--the man held her and made her feel secure--almost really loved.
She looks up wistfully at John's windows again. There it was, the curtains moved.
No, it just has to be a breeze.

Daniel is mesmerized. Could this be what has John so pisky-mazed? The hell with John! I shall go down and introduce myself to her, see if maybe she wants to go for a hayride tonight. Wait--there's no hay, not even a wagon. What did a guy do in the 21st century? Daniel put on the clothes that John had left behind. Huh! If John wanted to keep me here in the room he should have taken ALL the clothes away.
I couldn't very well leave his room that way! So it is all John's fault, right? He bears some responsibility for whatever happens, right?
Daniel softly closes the door and starts down the hall, being as quiet as can be.
But then he hears a clanging and banging coming up the stairs. Panicking and not quite sure what to do or what his plan was, he ducks into the first door on the left.
He finds himself in a luxurious suite with a big kingsize bed. Ho, what have we here? This must be for a family! Surely you can sleep ten people in this bed! The door to the room starts to open. Daniel dives into the closet. He is thrust up against alot of silky fabrics with the scent of lilacs and jasmine. What wonderful smells--kind of like what Elias' daughters would wear. He hears a noise outside the closet door.
Why, there is a woman with an upright cylinder--like a very small silo with a hose coming out of it. She is putting it on the floor. Hey, it's sucking stuff up!
Daniel stifles a sneeze. The jasmine is getting to him in more ways than one!
After what seemed like forever, the woman straightening up the room is almost done. But then Daniel heard a very soft, sensual voice. Like something he had heard once in a dream. The voice has a British accent. But different. A British accent he had never heard before...something like long ago.
"Oh, Celeste, thank you so much. I appreciate all you have done for us."
Celeste smiled. "Oh, it is nothing, Rosamond. In fact, the two little newcomers are playing down in the courtyard with Will. They are getting along great. William has actually offered to keep an eye on them while I finish up. He is showing them a magic trick."
"Celeste, were you just in Mr. Gwinnett's room?"
Celeste looks puzzled. "No, Rosamond, I haven't gotten there yet."
"That's strange. Maybe John is still here. He said he had to run a few errands."
Celeste just laughs. "Well, that must have been why you decided to go topless for a while! With Mr. Gwinnett gone, you had nothing to worry about!"
Rosamond laughs too. " I just thought I saw him in his room."
Celeste says, "I saw him pull out of the drive around about an hour ago. It must have been the breeze. I air out the rooms before I clean them."
Rosamond frowns. "Maybe."
Celeste waves her hand. "Miss Rosamond, best you take a shower. You are more oiled and greased than a restored '57 Chevy!"
Rosamond just looks uncomprehending at her.
Celeste explains, "Oh, I keep forgetting that you are about 800 years behind the times, Miss de Clifford!"
Miss de Clifford! Miss de CLIFFORD? Why does that name sound so familiar?
Celeste leaves with all her cleaning supplies. Rosamond decides what she needs is a bubble bath. She goes into the adjoining room and starts to run her bathwater.
Oh, Lord! Daniel thinks. He peeks out of the slats in the closet door. She's not really going to....
Rosamond shuts the water off and walks over to her bed. She slips out of her little bits of fabric and reaches for the closet door to grab her robe.
Daniel plasteres himself against the wall, not believing his fortune. Good because he got an eyeful, bad because his cover was about to be blown. And John will blow me back into Southold 1650 and I will be dogmeat!
Just then the phone rings. Rosamond turns and picks up the phone.
"Yes? OH, I forgot about picking it up, thank you for calling me about it....yes....yes...no.." She is walking away with that contraption she was speaking into.
Daniel hears her slip into the water. Now is the time to make a break for it.
He stealthily creeps out of the closet and sneaks over to the door. Looking out both ways, he slips out and back down to John's room.
Ah, unobserved! he thinks.
But Rosamond looks up just then. She has seen the back of John Gwinnett leaving her room.

John has returned from his errands. He thought it best to leave the new clothes for Daniel in the car. He carries in the lunch for him and Daniel, a takeout of McDonald's and two sixpacks of Heineken.
As he reachs the top of the stairs, he sees Rosamond wearing nothing but a towel.
Without a word, she coldcockes him right in the jaw. Rosamond's towel drops to the floor and she picks it up with as much dignity as she can muster.
"How DARE you spy on me, John Gwinnett! Hast thou become a Peeping Tom?"



Part 110: Grace Freaks Out......by Coralynn

"Your children seem to be very happy to stay here, Grace. Eleanor is going to drive us to Shouthold so you can see where Caleb is buried," Bethia explains as they walk anound toward the front of the house.
"Drive?" Grace asks.
"Yes, dear," Eleanor informs her, "We get into this thing which is called a 'car' and it takes us down the road."
Eleanor thumps on the car to show Grace that this is what she's referring to.
"We get IN it?"
"Yes, just watch Bethia, she will get IN," Eleanor says. "See now, Bethia is sitting IN the car. The car will take us where we want to go."
"NO!" Grace screams. "NO!"
The people across the road come out to see what the racket is all about. Oh-oh, this is getting embarrasing, Bethia thinks.
No matter what they say or do, Grace continues to scream "NO!" as loud as she can.
The people next door also are outside observing this. Then the folks who live next to the ones across the street come out and stand there watching.
Eleanor and Bethia exchange looks of desperation.
"When I get to 3, we push her in," Eleanor tells her, and Bethia nods.
"NO!" NO!" is getting louder and louder.
"I - 2 - 3!!!"
Bethia and Eleanor forcibly put Grace in the car and lock the door. Bethia then runs around and gets in the back seat next to Grace, while Eleanor hops into the driver's seat and soon the motor has roared to life and they are backing out of the driveway.

The groups of neighbors start to merge together and talk about what they have just seen. The consensus of opinion is that someone is kidnapping a woman and the sooner they dial 9-1-1, the better.

Grace turns terrified eyes on Bethia.
"Your name is Sarah!" she says with panic, "But she," pointing to Eleanor, "called you Bethia! Why? Caleb's first wife had that name, too. Who ARE you?"
Bethia takes both of Grace's hands, which have been flailing wildly in the air, and holds them firmly toghether, lowering them into Grace's lap.
"I am Caleb's first wife," she begins, "But I was able to escape through the kindness of Eleanor and Rosamond and William. They brought John and me to the 21st Century. I might have been killed by Caleb had I stayed there. He is, or was, a very vicious man. There's a good chance he poisoned 5 of his 6 wives. I got away, but they weren't so lucky. You are lucky.......you're getting a second chance."
"He didn't have six wives!" Grace protests, "I was wife number four, and I was the best one. Caleb and I were going to live out our lives together.....that is if I cleaned the house right. Why should a man live in a pig-stye? None of the other women were good wives. Caleb said they were dirty and sloppy and nasty. Why should I believe you instead of the man who is going to be my husband?"
"He will not be your husband, Grace, you can get that idea out of your head. 350 years have gone by since we stood at the farm and played Ring Around the Rosie. Do you know how long that is??"
"Uuhhhhhhh, is it more than a week?"
"It is lifetimes long. How long is a liftime?"
"Uuhhhhhhh, forty years?"
"Sometimes a lot longer, Grace, but then none of Caleb's wives ever reached that milestone birthday, because he poisoned them and they died before they got old enough to be 40."
"Caleb wouldn't do that!!" Grace is still insisting in her trusting, little-girl voice.
"In just a short time we are going to be in 2002 Southold. You can see for yourself!"

Silence reigns. Grace is sitting there twisting her hands in her skirts, looking out the windows in alarm at what she sees. Odd buildings, many more terrifying things they call 'cars'.......and then there's that high shrieking sound behind them. Grace turns and looks out the back window.
"LOOK!" she is in panic, "That car is screaming! Why?"
"That's a Police car, Grace, they make that sound when they are about to pull over a car that is doing something wrong. It will be past us in a minute or two, just relax,"
Bethia says comfortingly.
Eleanor checks the speedometer. She is NOT going over the speed limit, so they won't have a repeat of the last scenario when a Cop car stopped her.
Why then, is it still immediately behind them? Why is it now pulling up alongside?
Why are the Policemen gesturing for her her to pull over and stop?
"Here we go again!" Eleanor is exasperated.
After she turns off the car, two cops rush up and soon another Police car arrives with four cops in it, and they all gather around Eleanor's car. Several have drawn their guns.
"Get out, please, and show us your license!" one tells her.
"Ohhhhhh no, not that license thing again!" Eleanor groans.
Several other policemen are gathering up Bethia and Grace from the back seat.
"Which of you has been kidnapped?" one asks.
"Kid...what?" Grace has never before heard that term.
"Were either of you put into this car against your will?" he clarifies it.
Grace's eyes grow round. She certainly was put into the car against her will, but she also is afraid of these guys with the uniforms and guns. What to do? Who to trust?
She glances from the Cops back to Eleanor and Bethia, back and forth her eyes go.
Finally, she says meekly,
"I don't think anyone was forced into the car, no......everything is fine. Go away."
They look at Bethia closely to see if she may have been forced, and she smiles and says "No, I'm fine, too. Thank you for your concern, Officers."

Reluctantly the Policmen all get back in their cars and drive off.

"What just happened? What just happened!!" Eleanor wants to know. "Why did the Police stop us?"
The other two women have no idea.
Then it dawns on Eleanor, "I see.......the neighbors!! They thought they were witnessing a crime. Oh, isn't that just too too ducky? Look, Grace, I would appreciate it if you found some other method of communicating your displeasure other than screaming at the top of your lungs. OK?!"

Grace looks down contritely. She has done wrong. She is not sure just what, but she has done wrong. Tears form in her eyes and begin the process of running down her face.
Bethia hugs her and reasures her, "Grace, we are not out to harm you in any way, do you believe that? Can you? I know we had to get rough with you, but we must show you Caleb's grave, and knew no other way. We're sorry. Can you forgive us?"
Grace nods her head several times; in fact she nods it over and over and over till finally Bethia reaches up and stops it with her hands.
"Now, isn't that better? YES. Let us ride the rest of the way and enjoy ourselves," Bethia suggests.
They all get back in the car. Eleanor turns on the radio.
Grace sits bolt upright and clamps her hands over her ears.
Eleanor turns the radio off. This woman is going to take a lot of work. So glad she's Bethia's responsibility, not mine! Eleanor thinks.



They arrive in Southold shortly after the incident with the Police.
Eleanor drives around till she can find a place to park.
"THIS is Southold?!" Grace is incredulous. "Doesn't look like Southold to me!! Where is Caleb's house? Where is my Church? Where....."
Bethia starts in again on how much time 350 years is.
"Nothing is the same. If you lived 6 lifetimes, back to back, it might take up 350 years, Grace, that's how long it's been since we left Southold earlier today, or what seemed like today." Bethia realizes this concept is hard to grasp, and Grace, being as ignorant as she seems to be, will not grasp it until the truth smacks her right in the face.
They approach the cemetery. Grace says gleefully, "Ohhhh I remember this place.....there were just a few headstones here. Why are there now so many? Did that many people die since this morning?"
Bethia doesn't even try to explain it. Better to show her the Adams Plot.
They stop.
"Grace," Bethia says gently, "Look at that large head stone. What name appears there?"
"I don't know!! I only know how to read my own first name. What does it say?"
Eleanor takes over.
"See the "C", now in this word that letter makes a "kuhh" sound. OK so far? The second letter is "a' which in this word says its own name, so it's "aaaa". Put those two sounds together, Grace, and what do you hear?"
"kkkkkayyyyy" Grace says, pleased with herself.
"RIGHT! Now look at the third letter, it's a L. It goes "ullllll". so add that."
"Kayyyyllllll......did I get it right, did I? Did I?"
"Very good, Grace!" Bethiah congratulates her. She and Eleanor both take deep breaths as Eleanor goes on.
"Now, the "eb" at the end of the word sounds like "ebbbb", can you add that?"
"OK, this is big. Let me try. Oh oh, I hope I can do it. KKKaaaaaaaayyulllllllebbbbb. Is that good?"
"Excellent, now see if you can say it faster."
KKKkkkaaaaaaayllllb. Kayulllllb. Kaylub. CALEB!" Grace is so proud.

"This stone is Caleb Adam's stone, Grace. He died in a long, long time ago. Do you understand?"
"I think so," Grace is visually straining her brain, the other women can see her trying desperately to grasp this concept.
"Good girl!! Now look at this stone here, what first name is there? You should know it. You said you knew how to read it."
Grace clasps her hand over her mouth. "GRACE! That's my name. I am not dead, how dare they put my name on that stone?"
The three women look at the stone intently, and as they do so, the letters on the name begin to wobble, then break up, then rearrange themselves to read: Hannah.
"What just happened? My name is gone!!! Why!!!"
"This is what we have been trying to tell you, Grace. Had you married Caleb Adams, you would have lived but three more years, see the date here? 1653. Since we rescued you from him, another woman, named Hannah, married him, and she died that year instead. None of the wives lived more than 3 of 4 years. Why? Because he poisoned them. He murdered them, Grace!"
Grace looks at Bethia with wonder on her face, "Ohhhhhh my!!! Oh myyyyyy! This is awful. We'd better report him to the Constable!"
By this time both Bethia and Eleanor are exhausted from the work of getting these concepts through to Grace, so they leave that last one alone.
"Progress, Eleanor?" she says, smiling.
"Progress, Bethia!" Eleanor smiles back.




Part 111: TKO'D.............by Terri


John goes flying into the wall. Uh, oh--Rosamond must be upset about something. When she gets really upset or mad, she always lapses into old English.
"Hiding in my closet! Spying on me down by the pool, no doubt! I can't believe it! You, with such control, such restraint! What is next, John--drilled holes in the bedroom with a camcorder hooked up? NO--don't come near me! Don't touch me!
DON"T! BACK OFF!" With that, Rosamond tries to keep the towel from slipping down. She turns her back on John.
All he can think of saying is, "I see the tan lines are gone, Rosamond."
With that she slams the door.
John rubs his jaw and wiggles his chin. Well, at least it's not broken. What in tarnation was she talking about? He picks up one of the sixpacks and puts it to his jaw. Entering his room, he finds Daniel sitting on the bed, flipping through the TV channels. "Hey, great stuff, John! I found something called the Playboy channel!"
John grabs the remote away from him. "Did you at anytime leave this room?"
Daniel looks at him wide-eyed. "No! I sat here like a good boy and just watched this stuff. There was this singer who had a bandana on and really weird clothes and played a fiddle but it was down around his waist. Then he went into some contortions on the floor and made some movements like I have never seen before and started singing stuff about "foxie ladies" and "purple hazes".
John grabs the TV guide. "Oh, I see you were watching VH1's Behind the Music on Jimi Hendrixson. That explains it! Don't get used to it, brother dear. You are beaming out of here in less than 48 hours."
Daniel grabs the remote back and then casually asks, "How many people live here, John?"
John replies, "There are four adults and one child in the main house and a creature living in that monstrosity in the next door--if you want to call him a person!"
"So who are they?"
John then goes on to decribe in some detail about William and Eleanor. He purposefully leaves out Rosamond hoping Daniel won't count.
"Then there is Will. He's a great little kid, only four years old and smart as a whip."
"So whose child is he?"
John pretends he doesn't hear him. "JOHN! Whose child is little Will?"
John turns to face him. "A woman named Rosamond. Rosamond de Clifford."
Daniel looks pensive. "Where have I heard that name before?"
John sits down on the bed and sighs. "I guess I had better start at the beginning, Daniel."
John proceedes to fill Daniel in on the whole time travel scenario, including William, Eleanor and Rosamond's ill-fated detour into 1640 Southold.
Daniel gasps. "So you mean William the Conqueror, Eleanor of Acquitaine and that Rosamond are all from Plantagenet England? Wait! Rosamond! Wasn't that the name of Henry II's mistress?"
John looks up at Daniel. "I see you remember the history lessons that Mother taught us."
Daniel lets out a low whistle. "Imagine living here under the same roof with all of them!
Is Rosamond easy? I mean, is it easy to score with her?"
John picks Daniel up by his collar and pushes him against the wall. "Don't speak of her like that! And don't get any ideas!"
Daniel squawks like Donald Duck. "Hey! Let go of me--I was only joking!"
John lets go. Daniel gasps for breath. "Is that the exquisite creature I saw by the pool of water down there?"
John looks at him hard. "What are you talking about?"
Daniel smiles broadly. "Oh, nothing! Except I went to catch a breath of fresh air on your balcony. And don't lay a hand on me again, you said I could do it! Well, the little lady in question was struting her stuff and showing practically all the gifts that nature had given her. That's all!"
John bunches up his fist and suckerpunches Daniel in the stomach. Daniel bends over double. "Were you at anytime in her room, Daniel?"
Daniel groans, "Well, I went down the hallway to see what some noise I heard was about, and all of a sudden someone was coming up the stairs. I think it was the scullery maid. Well, I knew you didn't want me to be seen so I ducked into this room and hid. Miss de Clifford didn't even know I was there. I slipped out when she was taking a bath. And I must say, bro, you do have the life around here!"
John tries to swing at Daniel again but he is ready for him and ducks. "Well, it just so happens that you WERE seen. She thinks it was me and now I am branded as a Peeping Tom! That explains it!"
John begins to think. What am I going to do with Daniel for the next 46 hours?
John extendes a hand to Daniel. "Well, I guess I can see what happened. No hard feelings, Daniel!"
Daniel smiles and shakes his hand. "What are brothers for? Do you want me to describe what I saw?" he smiles wickedly.
John smiles too. "No, thanks! I went hot tubbing with the lady once upon a dream!"
John says, "To show there are no hard feelings, let me go downstairs and fix us some REAL drinks! Can you still pound back the whiskey like you used to, Daniel?
Daniel grins broadly. "Just try me!"
John goes downstairs and comes back with a bottle of Wild Turkey and pours two shotglasses. "Hey, Daniel--fetch me that pocketknife on the dresser. I don't want it getting lost!" Daniel turns to pick it up. John quickly empties a small packet into one of the glasses. Daniel hands him the knife and asks, "What time are you going down to dinner, John?"
John says, "It's pretty informal but we usually meet about six and have dinner as a group. So sorry you can't join us, Daniel. But I know you understand."
Daniel smiles ruefully. "Oh, I understand more than you know, brother!"
John pours a generous splash into both glasses. He turns to get the pretzels that he brought up. "Here, we can munch on these!"
The brothers both bring their glasses up and clink them.
Daniel asks, "Can you still drink me under the table, John?"
John looks challengingly at Daniel, "Just watch me!"
John takes his drink in one gulp. He begins to feel funny. Through a blur, he lookes accusingly at Daniel. "Daniel, what have you done?"
Daniel just smiles, "Do unto others before they do unto you, my brother!"
With that, John falls face forward on the bed.
Daniel says softly, "Sleep tight, Johnny. It's called the old switcheroo! Never turn your back on anyone! I figure you will be knocked out for oh, about 24 hours!"
Daniel covers John up. Whistling, he leaves the room.
Dinner time! I'm coming, sweetheart!




Part 112: The House of a Couple Gables.......by Coralynn

It's late afternoon before Eleanor, Bethia and Grace are back in Chappaqua. They stop at a coffee shop to buy a paper and get a bite to eat.
"I've got to rent Grace an apartment or something," Bethia says as she grabs up the local newspaper.
They sit in a nice big padded booth, which Grace finds so wonderful she keeps running her hands over the naugehyde.
"So soft, so comfortable!" she exclaims, "Is everything in this Century, which one did you say it was......21st?......yeah, that one, is everything this comfortable?"
"Most of it is," Eleanor decides to talk with her so that Bethia can read the For Rent ads in the paper.
"I can cook up some food. Where's the kitchen?"
"No, Grace, in this place, which is called a Restaurant, you sit and someone else cooks and brings it to you. Now, isn't that just the best?" Eleanor is beginning to talk like a child, too, because that's the only level Grace can understand.
"That is the best for sure!!" Grace is thrilled.
"Hate to interrupt, but I think I've found three possibilities. Let's eat and then go check them out."
The waiter, a young, tall, handsome black man, comes over and asks what they would like to order.
Grace looks up at him and her mouth flies open. The young man is embarrased, so Eleanor quickly tells him, "We'd all like tuna sandwiches and strawberry milkshakes, please."
"All of us?" Bethia is beginning to laugh.
"Ohhhhhh yes, we had to get that poor man away from Miss Spellbound here!" Eleanor laughs with her.
Grace says nothing, as she is so busy looking around the restaurant at everything and everyone. She looks up and sees ceiling fans whirling around and her mouth again drops open.
"Quite a great century, wouldn't you agree, Grace?" Eleanor is upbeat, "Aren't you glad we brought you here?"
"But where will I live, with you?" Grace is brought back to reality. "You have a huge house. Can I live with you, please?"
"It may be hard for you to grasp, but we have too many people living there already, Grace," Bethia begins, "And you need more space. You need your very own apartment or even a house!" she shoves the For Rent part of the paper across the table toward Grace.
"What does all that say?"
"It tells us there are many lovely places you can rent, and right after we leave here, we are going to get you your very own place to live."
Grace looks frightened.
"But I need to be with you!" she insists, and reaches across the table and grabs Bethia's hands. "I can't be alone! I am scared!"
Bethia thinks that problem over and decides to compromise.
"I'll stay with you for a few days till you feel more at home, how's that?"
Grace is relieved. For the first time since they arrived in the 21st century, she relaxes and even manages a smile.
John was right: she is beautiful, Bethia realizes, Under the circumstances, is that going to be an advantage or a curse?


The first apartment they investigate is the bottom floor of a two-story house which is freshly painted. Blue.
"I love it! It's blue!" Grace is enthralled.
"Let's see the inside before we decide," Beth suggests. "Oh good, here's the owner now. Hello, I'm Bethia and the woman who needs an apartment is Grace Wheeler."
The man extends his hand. Grace looks at it suspiciously.
Eleanor quickly extends hers and shakes the man's hand vigorously.
Then Grace follows suit.
Eleanor thinks, "At least she knows how to imitate. But how many thousands of things does she need to be shown before she can function on her own in this timeframe? Has Beth bitten off more than she or anyone else can chew?"

They proceed inside the house, which is furnished, one of the reasons Bethia put it on her list of good possibilities. How could she go out and buy a household full of furniture between now and bedtime?
Grace walks around looking wide-eyed at everything. She runs her hands up and down a wall, and by doing so turns on the overhead light.
"OH!" she almost screams.
"Sorry about that, Miss," the owner apologizes, "I know most people prefer floor lamps and wall lamps to those harsh overheads. I'll make sure you get some new ones tomorrow. Hmmmm, my handyman was supposed to have done that already. Hard to get good help these days, huh?"
Grace has no idea what he's talking about.
"We'll take it!" Bethia tells him, as there is no way he is going to rent to someone as out-in-the-wild-blue-yonder as Grace, and the more time he spends around her, the more likely he will conclude she's totally stupid.
"Just like that?" he is amazed.
"Yep, just like that!!" she answers, taking out her checkbook, "How much is it for all the expenses for the first month or so?"
He gives her a figure which he knows is exhorbitant. His wife told him he was going for too much rent with this place, but he said he was sticking with the price. Now, here is this woman casually making out a check for the whole amount, not batting an eyelash. This is his lucky day!!

"Can we move in tonight?" Bethia wants to make sure.
"Hell yes, lady, it's all yours!!!" the man swaggers off, waving the check trimumphantly.



The children have been gathered up, Eleanor has gone back to the house to stay, and Celeste has also come to Grace's new apartment to help with the children.
They follow her around like she's the Pied Piper. Bethia is very gratified that there is someone so good with small children to help out.
"You are something else!!" she compliments Celester.
"Ohhh, you mean with the children? It just comes naturally to me. I enjoy them more than they enjoy me!"
"I have to pay you for the extra time you're putting in, Celeste....."
"Don't even think of it, dear....."
"But I won the Lottery last week. I can write you a check for five thousand dollars and hardly make a dent in my bank balance! Let me do it, please!"
"Ohhh, alright, then. How well timed that Lottery winning was. Incredible. Have you decided what else you would like to get? You very own house, perhaps?"
"I may in time, Celeste, but right now I feel comfortable living with my friends. It's great to know I have choices, though."

The apartment has 4 bedrooms; 3 of them with a couple single beds within, and the other with a King Sized bed. Bethia and Celeste insist Grace take that one.

Grace comes out of the bedroom with the huge bed in it and says:
"I'm puzzled. Why is the bed so big and comfortable?"
"Well, they learned how to make beds even better in the several hundred years that have passed since this morning, Grace," Bethia tells her.
"But it was just a minute........in a mimute hundreds of years went by?"
"Yes. This is called time travel. Not many people know how to do it. We're lucky because William showed us how, though I doubt he meant to show just how, but we learned it from him."
"Will you be sending me back in time, too?" Grace is feeling insecure about this whole thing, as well she might. "Are you going to send me back to Caleb? I still have to clean his house, you know. But if he's in the cemetery, laying under that headstone......." her eyes glaze over.
"We promise not to send you back to Caleb. Not ever. You can stay in this timeframe forever if you wish to."
"I think I wish to...." Grace is pensive.
Little Rebecca comes out of her bedroom and walks over to her mother. Looking up at her, she asks: "This is far and away the best timeframe around, mother. Just look at all the new inventions. See the stove in the kitchen? You just turn it ON, you don't have to feed wood or coal into it. Now see this? I think it's called a television, is that right Gramma Celeste? Right. Ok, now I'll turn it on and you will not believe what you see!"
She turns on the TV, and sounds and pictures appear.
Grace backs away in fear. "Who is in there? What devil's magic is this?"
"No, no, mother, it is not magic, just an invention, so you can relax. Isn't that right, Auntie Bethia?"
"Exactly, Rebecca. How did you learn all this so fast??"
Rebecca is pondering the question. "I just know things," she states, "And whenever someone tells me a new thing, I remember it. Totally. I just do."
Bethia looks at Celeste and mouths the word "gifted"......at which Celeste nods her agreement, and mouths back "genius." Bethia also nods yes.

Timothy appears, at least briefly, as he has found a way to run between all the rooms in a large circle. He is making verbal sounds and running faster and faster.
Rebecca catches him and says, "Time to go to bed, Timmy. Mother is tired."

"Let's all get some sleep now, how about it?" Bethia says, "We can get up in the morning and go to the store and buy new clothes. Would you like new clothes, Timmy? How about you, Rebecca? Grace?"
They seem to understand, and before long the house is quiet. Sleep comes quickly.
Grace is secretly worried that when she awakens in the morning she'll be back at Caleb's house, but decides to take the chance anyway. Silence reigns.



Part 113:.................by Terri


Rosamond is sitting at the table, dipping into her lowfat yogurt and fruit plate.
Daniel straightens up when he sees her. She is sitting there in a tank top and cut off jeans--and barefoot, of all things! Daniel looks appreciatively at her--tan and all.
Her toenails are----pink with sparkles in them! And what is that hanging from her ears--large hoops like those Romanians he used to read about, the ones that stole and told fortunes? This charade may be harder than it looks. Have I bit off more than I can chew? He leans against the doorway.
Rosamond looks up and gives him a dirty look. "What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. John Gwinnett?"
Daniel starts scrambling his brain together. "Forgive me, Rosamond. It was perfectly innocent. I went to your room to get some, er, shampoo? And I didn't want the scullery maid to get the wrong idea. So I hid but then you came in meanwhile and I didn't want to embarrass you."
Rosamond looks incredulously at him. "Scullery maid? SCULLERY MAID! You had better not let Celeste hear that! She's been more like a friend than a cleaning woman."
Daniel realizes, faux pas #1. Never use the word 'scullery maid'.
Daniel sits down and looks at Rosamond's plate. "Is that all you are having for dinner? What about some rabbit? Maybe a squirrel or two?"
Rosamond crosses her eyes and makes a finger gesture down her throat. "Ack! Ack!
Ack! Very funny, John! I noticed your McDonald's bag so you must not be too hungry. Here! Eat some of my yogurt."
Daniel eyes the plate suspiciously. "Alright! He took one scoop and spit it out.
"How can you eat that?"
Rosamond looks unbelievingly at him. "But you love yogurt!"
Daniel thinks fast. "But not that brand! What does it say? Yo-Plate."
Rosamond grabs it back. "That's Yo-play, idiot. I thought I taught you some French phrases better than that."
With that, Rosamond leans over and takes her fruit plate away from him.
Daniel can't believe his eyes. Was she wearing no corset under that garment?
Rosamond looks up at Daniel and then follows to where his eyes are staring.
"Seen enough?" With that she smashes the plate of fruit and yogurt into his face.
Daniel sits there with yogurt dripping down his face and two pineapple rings over his eyes. A cherry is stuffed into his mouth.
Rosamond exclaims, "I can't understand you, John. Since when are you acting like you have neve seen me before? Why are you noticing me all of a sudden? Has it been that long?"
Daniel longs to kiss her. He can't believe that John has never put the moves on such a luscious creature such as this. And this was a genuine babe from the 13th century! A woman who consorted with Henry II, one of the bigtime studs of medieval history.
Daniel thinks he will try another tack. "Rosamond, let's talk about all the good times we had. What was your favorite time?"
Rosamond thinks. "Maybe that time you rescued me in New Orleans. Or maybe that time you rescued me in Southold. Or maybe the time you rescued me in England. Or maybe that time you rescued me from Gunther..."
Daniel smiles. "It seems I have rescued you quite a bit. And what was my reward for all my trouble?"
Rosamond becomes indignant. She stands up. "Your reward? YOUR REWARD? You asked for nothing and I was willing to give. You were so noble, you always thought you were being disloyal to your Puritan beliefs. You fancied yourself still faithful to Elizabeth. Even when you kissed me for the first time when Constable Spencer tried to force himself on me!"
Spencer? That lout tried to touch this Venus, this....Helen of Troy?
Wait a minute! Is this the woman that has John so uptight? Is this the one he is secretly in love with? Well, well!
Rosamond storms from the room. Daniel sits there, then decides that it would be wise to check on brother dearest.
Daniel goes up the stairs and into the room. John is still passed out on the bed.
Yes, that stuff would last for at least 24 hours. Things can get pretty interesting around here in less than a day. And if Johnny thinks he is going to send me packing after 48 hours, he has another thought. How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've looked down that blouse!"
By now it's dark. Daniel decides to go downstairs and see what kind of spirits are kept.
Hmmm--a margarita mix? Just add te-quill-a. Doesn't say how much! Well, you pour whiskey straight out of a bottle. Hey, there's a worm in here! Brrr-I think I'll just pass.
He finds a bottle of Wild Turkey. Now this is more like it! Daniel pours himself a beer stein size of bourbon.
He takes it out to the patio by the pool. Very quiet out here tonight. He stretches his legs out and takes out some rolled tobacco that he had imported from Virginia. Striking a match on his shoe, he lights it and inhales deeply. Wait a minute! Something was out there! In the pool! He creeeps Indian style up to the edge. There is some fabric by the side. He holds it up. Hmmm-where have I seen that before.
An angry voice yells from the water in a voice resonate with old English. "You bloody bastard! Give me back my swimsuit!"
But Daniel just laughs and strikes a match and holds the suit to it.
"Sa----mokin!"

"John, don't you dare! What has gotten into you? You are being vicious now. I have never known you to be like this!" Rosamond screams.
Daniel looks over the edge of the pool. "Oh, I'm sorry--did you say something?
What? What? Oh, is this yours?"
Rosamond is totally embarrassed and humiliated. "Please, John, give me back my suit!"
Daniel blows the match out. "Just kiddin', babe! To pay you back for those pineapple spectacles you gave me. Oh, does she want her swimsuit? Well, come and get it!"
Rosamond starts to shiver.
"OK, but please lend me a hand. I can't seem to get up over the side."
Daniel nonchalantly walks over and extends a hand. Before he knows it, he goes sailing into the pool.
Eleanor stands at the side glowering. "I'll plant my foot upside your butt anytime you try to give the women in this family grief. What is going on with you? You know Rosamond is on delicate ground after her time in England. Where is your empathy?"
Daniel is sputtering.
By this time Eleanor has handed Rosamond a towel and she is draped in it, picking up her suit. She is trembling.
Eleanor keeps a stun gun fixed on Daniel. "Don't make me use this on you , John.
You will walk sideways like a crab and talk soprano for a week."
Eleanor sits there brandishing her stun gun like Bonnie Parker robbing a gas station.
Rosamond draws up a lawn chair and clutches the towel around her.
Eleanor drew a bead on Daniel. "Well, should we let him have it between the eyes, Ro?"
Rosamond looks bewildered. "This is not like you, John. If I didn't know it, I'd swear you had an evil twin!'
Daniel stands in the pool dripping wet. "Don't be ridiculous! Where would I get an evil twin from? I am still the same sweet guy you were with all those times you were in trouble and needed rescuing."
Daniel is beginning to realize that there is so much he didn't know about what has been happening in John's life.
Eleanor lectures him. "You of all people should know how skittish Rosamond is right now. I told you about the room after Henry went on his rampage."
Daniel hangs his head and does his best 'John' imitation. "Forgive my boorish behaviour.
I am sorry and it won't happen again."
Eleanor gets up. "Rosamond, are you going to be alright down here? Do you want to come in the house with me?"
Rosamond's confidence returns. "No, I think it is time Mr. John Gwinnett and I got a few things straight."
Daniel hoists himself out of the pool, dripping wet.
Eleanor looks dubious at the two of them, a shivering young woman wrapped in a towel and a sheepish dripping wet "dapper dan".
"Are you sure you will be OK?"
"Yes."
Eleanor bends over and whispered, "Here's the stun gun. Keep it close."
Eleanor goes back into the house, glancing over her shoulder every now and then.
Rosamond points the stun gun at Daniel's chest.
"OK, John, sit yourself down." Rosamond pushes the chair away from her with her foot. The gun is shaking in her hand.
Daniel eases himself in the chair.
"Put the gun down, Rosamond, you are making me nervous. I promise you I will be a good boy from now on."
Rosamond carefully puts the gun down. Daniel makes a grab for it and tosses it into the pool.
He leans over Rosamond, pulling the towel closer to him.
"Now, Missy! I am going to kiss you like I should have the first time I saw you!"
Daniel leans towards her, inches away from her face.
And before Rosamond knows it, Daniel has kissed her like she hasn't been kissed in a
long time.

Rosamond is gasping for breath. She feels a rush of heat all the way to her toes. Pulling away, she looks into the deep green eyes of Daniel, his eyes like two brilliant emeralds in the moonlight. The house is quiet, there is no noise except for the gentle washing of the pool water against the sides.
Daniel smiles a self-satisfied smile. Rosamond draws her open hand back and cracks him across the face. The air between them crackles with enough voltage to light up New Jersey.
"How DARE you!" Rosamond begins to curse and call him every name in the book.
Daniel rubs his face and says darkly, "You knew what you were doing when you came out here. You need kissed, honey--often and frequently!"
"Oh, and I suppose you are just the man to fill that job application out, right?"
Daniel moves his jaw. No, it isn't broken. "I may be. I just may be."
Rosamond moves away from him, clutching her towel like it was a shield of armor.
"Why, John? Why after all this time have you made your intentions and desires known? Has it taken all this time to shed your Puritan ideals? Have you finally moved into the 21st century?"
Daniel thinks fast. He always does. He remembered what John had told him about Rosamond, about his ex-wife Elizabeth, and what Daniel knew about women in general--which was alot.
Daniel says, "I have wanted you for a long time, Rosamond. But not while you still had feelings for Henry. I was in no position to want to play second best or wonder if the ghost of Henry would stand between us. In light of what happened in England, I am assuming that your feelings for Henry are dead."
Rosamond becomes her feisty self. "You know what they say about 'assumed', John."
Daniel says, "What, that it is a presumption..."
Rosamond says, "No! That it makes an ass out of you and me. Particularly you. I wanted YOU a long time ago. But you were too noble, too idealistic. Well, I no longer want or desire you. You have become like Henry--both II and VIII. Henry II thought only of himself, Henry VIII thought of others--of what the others could do for him, especially if they are a broodmare. He thought of women as nothing but a 'womb for rent'! Well,, guess what! I am not for rent, particularly not for sale. Not anymore. I learned something in England. I am worth something. I will never be a slave to any man, to be at his beck and call. You come out here and think I will just swoon in the moonlight because you want it that way. Well, at this moment, I don't want you.
So why don't you just go up to your room and take a cold shower, because I am sick to death of you men right now."
Rosamond tightens up her towel. She can go in the house with confidence, knowing all the others are asleep and no one will bother her.
As she turns to go, Daniel grabs her by her wrist. "Oh, a cold shower will cure my ills, is that it, sweetie? Wenches like you think that you can lift a petticoat and show an ankle down by the blacksmith shop and men won't get a wrong idea.
Your type is all alike! Only you don't mind shedding your threads down by the pool. You never know who will be watching, do you, Miss de Clifford?"
Rosamond looks horrified. "You were watching me, John Gwinnett!" Her face gets hot. She jerks her wrist away from Daniel's grasp.
They stand there staring at each other in the moonlight. Before Rosamond knows it, she is in Daniel's arms and returning his fervent kisses.
Daniel whispers, "I always knew you were this type, Rosamond."
Without a word, she pushes him away and turns to go.
As she gets halfway across the lawn, Daniel shouts out, "Hey, lady--want your towel back?!"


Rosamond walks across the lawn, head held high. She grabs the tablecloth off the umbrella table without ever breaking her stride. Flinging it around her like a cape, she sneaks up the spiral stairs that leads to the second floor balcony. She opens the sliding glass doors. She can hear Daniel laughing his head off in the patio. Still believing that Daniel is John, she is devastated at the change in his personality.
That creep! John has always been her ally, her knight in shining armor. Whatever happened to my hero? Did I finally get saddle sores on my butt from riding on that white horse of his? She changes into her oversized tee-shirt. Darn thing keeps slipping off the shoulder! She turns out the lights and walks over to the edge of the balcony. There he is sitting in a lounge chair with a brandy and a cigarette. The tip glows red in the dark. Fury begins to overtake her. Well, I'll fix him!
Rosamond walks over to the cleaning closet in the hallway. She goes into the scrub sink and fills the bucket with water. Then she goes to the small refridgerator on the balcony patio and opens up a bag of ice. She creeps quietly to the edge. Yep, he's still there! Rosamond grabs a flower pot with her geraniums in them. She yells, "Hey, creep! A geranium for your cranium!" She carefully aimes it so it will come oh, so close but not give him a concussion.
With a crash, it lands six inches from Daniel. "What the hell?....." he yells.
Rosamond yells out, "Awww, how clumsy of me! You look like you could use some cooling off! Heads up!"
Then Rosamond dumps the bucket of ice water right on Daniel's head.
Daniel falls off his lawn chaise and sputteres. His cigarette fizzles out in the water and the brandy snifter crashes.
Rosamond turns to run back into the room. But she can't get the door open. In her desire for revenge, she has accidently locked herself out. Frantically she jiggles the knob. By this time Daniel is racing up the stairs. He yanks Rosamond back by the hair and throws her against the wall.
"You could have killed me!"
Rosamond kicks out at him, "No such luck! You are lascivious, salacious, licentious, lecherous, libidinous, ..."
Daniel laughes. "And all because of a little towel taking! By the way, no one wears a tablecloth as well as you do, Rosamond."
Rosamond begins to cry with humiliation.
Daniel begins to soften. "Hey, now, I was just having fun! I didn't think you would be so upset! Come on now, it was just some harmless play!"
Daniel carefully wipes the tear that is running down Rosamond's cheek.
But she had more where that came from.
"I don't understand, John,.where your respectability has gone. You used to be so upright. You used to treat me like a china doll! Don't you like me anymore? Hast thou changed your mind since Henry and England?"
Daniel is actually moved with pity for her. He reaches out and gathers her in his arms. With his hands behind her, he reaches for the sliding glass door. It is locked.
"Damn!" he swears under his breath.
Rosamond turns. "I guess you will have to let me in through your sliding glass door."
Daniel grabs her by the shoulder. "No, not a good idea...the room is a total mess! I think we will have to go downstairs and go through the dining area."
Rosamond stops still in her tracks. "John, what's that? I heard...moaning? And it seems to be coming from your room!"

Rosamond starts towards John's room. Daniel grabs her arm.
"It's nothing, babe. I left the TV on. Just wait here, I'll turn it off. But stay out here, the room is an absolute mess. Be back in a jiffy."
Daniel slides the glass door back just enough to squeeze through. It looked like John was beginning to come out of the slipped mickey. Daniel looks around fast.
Hmmmm-there are some colored cloths that he has seen around men's necks.
They look like nooses. He whips the ties out of the closet and in record time trusses John up like a turkey the Pilgrims would be proud of! Daniel looks around and finds some socks. He sniffs them. Clean! He likes John too much to stuff dirty socks in his mouth. John is still pretty much out of it. Daniel is taking no chances. There was no way he was going to Virginia. Daniel whispers to John, "I hate to do this to you, bro, but you have to stay quiet tonight. I have a hot date and I don't want you barging in!" He finds the packet of pills that John had used to slip into his drink. Hmmm--what does it say? Xanax? Well, John old boy, here's four of them!
He slips them into John's mouth. That should hold him tilll morning!
He turns and says in a low voice to John, "Don't wait up for me, Pops! Not coming home till the sun comes up! I feel lucky tonight!" He covers John up with the comforter just in case he makes any noise.
Daniel slides out the door. Rosamond is looking out over the balcony and up into the starry sky. "It's so beautiful out here. Reminds me of that time in New Orleans..."
New Orleans? What happened there? Daniel's brain begins to race to form an appropriate answer.
"Uh, yes, Rosamond. That was quite a time."
As they walk down the stairs and around to the corner of the house, Daniel lites up.
Rosamond frowns in disapproval. "John, you know William will not allow anyone to smoke in the house. You never smoked cigarettes before. You only smoke a pipe occasionally. Do you roll your own? I have never seen such rough paper--and a sloppy job at that."
Daniel inhales deeply and then throws it in the bushes. "Only when I am stressed out."
Rosamond becomes indignant. "You know those rose bushes are William's pride and joy. How can you litter in the yard like that?"
Daniel doesn't miss a beat, though. "Tobacco juice is good to keep slugs and snails away. I figure a cigarette would be just as good."
The walk quietly through the dining room. Everyone else has already gone to bed.
Rosamond looks at the clock. "My heavens, it's 2:00 AM. I need to get some sleep.
Bethia is having that big party to honor Eleanor. I guess she wants to pay her back for helping her with Grace. Will you at least sit next to me, John? I don't want to sit between William and Eleanor."
Daniel grins. "I'll do more than that, Rosamond. I'll even walk you to your door."
Daniel and Rosamond walk ever so silently down the hall. As they reach Rosamond's door, she puts her hand on the latch. She looks down. "I am sorry I dropped the water on your head and almost conked you with the geranium pot. I don't know what got into me."
She looks up at Daniel. He is looking at her in a way he had never looked at her before....not in Southold, not at the Plaza, not even in New Orleans.
Daniel reaches behind her, pushing the door open, and steps inside with Rosamond. The door clicks shut.

The sun rose bright and early. Bethia smiles. "It's going to be a perfect day for the party! I am so excited!"
Little Will has gone off to play at his pre-K. He had more fun there being with his friends than hanging around the house. Bethia had gotten him ready. She loved doing that. Goodness knows Rosamond did what she could but she was not maternally inclined.
William and Eleanor come downstairs. Eleanor walks over and puts bread in the toaster. William looks around. "Anyone seen John? He was going to help me move some things out of my room. He told me yesterday he was going to help me right after breakfast. I told him we had to start by 9:00."
Eleanor glances at the clock. Well, it's 9:30 now. I guess Rosamond is going to sleep late. I heard her walking up the stairs late last night. She really has a heavy footstep."
Bethia looks up. "Everyone has a heavy footstep at 2:00 AM. I heard her, too."
William heaves himself out of a chair. "I'd better get John. He may have overslept, too."
Bethia and Eleanor look at each other questioningly. Eleanor whispers, "Have you noticed John has been hanging around Rosamond more than usual?"
Bethia shakes her head, "No, I have been too busy with Grace to worry about the lives and loves of our star-crossed lovers."
Eleanor gets this knowing look on her face. "Uh, oh!" She runs after William.
"William! I seem to remember that John had an errand to run. He told me last night that he would be back in plenty of time to help you, but, well, traffic being what it is, he probably got stuck in it! By the way, Bethia needs you to run by the florist and give them her credit card number. Didn't you, Bethia?"
"Huh? Oh, yes!"
William is annoyed. "Why not just give them the number over the phone?"
Eleanor speaks up. "We don't trust them! Never give your credit card out to anyone. That was a featured story on my news show."
William grabs the car keys. "Very well--but you owe me!"
When William slams the back door, Bethia turns to Eleanor.
"What in the world was that all about? John had an errand?"
Eleanor grimaces. "John never left the house. But he never made it back to his room.
Why was the footsteps so heavy last night, Bethia?"
Bethia replied, "Because...oh, no, Eleanor! You don't mean?...."
"Yes, I do--and if William finds out, he'll have a stroke! Let me handle this!"
Eleanor runs up the stairs. She knocks on Rosamond's door. Eleanor hears whispers and scurrying sounds. A lamp knocks over. The bathroom door slams shut.
Rosamond opens the door barely a crack. She fakes a yawn. "What is it, Eleanor?"
Eleanor shoves the door open a bit further and peers in. It is unmistakable. There are candles, two champagne glasses and Rosamond draped in a sheet.
"I covered for you. John needs to get his arse downstairs. William needs his help and
Tubby will be back in 45 minutes."
Rosamond blushes. "Whatever makes you think that John is here? I heard him leave early this morning."
Eleanor turns to go and says over her shoulder, "You used to be a much better liar, Rosamond. I am disappointed that you have lost that quality."


Rosamond whirls around. "You've got to leave! You've got to leave! Eleanor knows!
She will tell William and I will be banished!" She frantically gathers up Daniel's clothes and shoves them in his arms and pushes him towards the door.
"Rosamond! You can't kick me out like this! Why are you so afraid of William?"
Rosamond is panicking. "You don't understand! William was livid when I dallied with Henry in England! You were there! You saw what happened when I ran away, how bruised I was when I returned to the castle! And the big altercation between Henry and me! William will kill me!"
Daniel throws his clothes down. "I am sick and tired of jumping to William's rules.
Who made him Lord of the Manor? Who is he to tell adults--consenting ones at that--what they can and can't do under this roof?"
Rosamond is shocked. "John, I have never known you to protest anything that William has ever done! Eleanor sent William on an errand to give us a break!
You are to help him move some stuff! He will be back and you have to pretend that you had an emergency. He has something to do at noon. You have to get down there! Eleanor won't bail us out again! We made peace but she still harbors some resentment because of Henry and me! Please!"
Daniel grabs Rosamond by the waist and draws her to him. "I'll go, chicky, but I will be back!" He gives her a smoldering look that makes Rosamond feel weak all over.
She gets enough strength to open the door and shove him out. Then she throws his clothes out after him.
Rosamond hears a knock immediately.
"Hey, Dollface! How about opening the door a crack so I can get my shirt sleeve out of the door?"
The door cracks open barely and Daniel yanks on it. Yikes! Just enough time to get a quick shower and help Thunder Pig move his stuff.

Eleanor hears the footsteps down the hall and then waits until she hears the shower in John's room. She thinks, "OK, now is the time to talk to our resident strumpet and find out what is going on. I expected this out of Rosamond--but not John."
She knocks on Rosamond's door. "Rosamond! Open up! I need to talk to you."
"Go away--I'll be down to breakfast soon."
Eleanor tries another tack. "I need to see what dress you are going to wear so we don't clash. Open up! I will show you which one I have!"
Rosamond unbolts the door and Eleanor shoves her way into the room. Her eyes sweep over the candles, the champagne bottle, the rumpled sheets that are now on the floor where Rosamond had dropped them.
Rosamond looks at her accusingly. "Where's your dress?"
Eleanor says mockingly, "There is no dress. What's with the sheets?"
Rosamond thinks quickly. "I spilled some nail polish remover on them. I thought I would give Celeste a break and wash the sheets myself."
Eleanor shakes her head. "Give it up, Rose. I know all about it."

For Rosamond Gets Through the Day (somehow) see part 115, near the bottom of the entry.




Part 114: Shop Till ya Drop.........by Coralynn

The sun has yet to fully come up, but everyone is jolted awake by the sound of crashing music coming from the second floor.
Grace is alarmed, as she not only has to figure where and when but also what......that twilight area upon first awakening in a new location being disorienting as it is, this great noise is now filling the air.
Bethia hears it as well and grabs her robe, still putting it on as she hurries into the living room, concerned about Grace. They all but collide as they come from their respective bedrooms.
"What is all the noise?" Grace asks as her face contorts with fear and uncertainty.
"It could be music, I suppose..." Bethia tells her, but then thinks to herself 'not that I've ever heard any that sounds like that!!'
Celeste joins them, and, looking up at the ceiling, says, "I have an idea who that could be up there, but not to worry, we can deal with him later. We have other things to do today."
Bethia is grateful for the change of subject and says to Grace,
"We're going shopping today, Grace, that'll be fun. We'll buy clothes, and toys for the children, and some dishes, and whatever else you want."
"I need something to clean Caleb's........uhhhhhhh......I mean my house, don't I?? Do they have those things?"
"Oh yes, many!!" Bethia walks Grace back to her bedroom. "Now I put some jeans and a pretty blouse in your closet. You can put them on and you'll look like a real 21st century lady!!"
Grace goes into her bedroom and closes the door.
Bethia sinks down on the couch and hopes she has the strength to get through the day.

Within the hour, everyone is ready to go shopping.
Since Bethia had no children's clothes to put on Tim and Rebecca, she decides they'd better shop for them first. Then they can wear the new clothes right away while they're shopping for other things.
Grace is walking stiffly in the jeans, yanking at them and complaining they're too tight.
"MEN wear pants like this!" she announces, "Ladies wear dresses! This is against what I learned in Church. This is wrong.....wrong.......wrong!"
Bethia just sighs and, as they leave the house, the piano music still pounding upstairs, Eleanor pulls up in her car.
"Ready to roll?" she asks, opening the car doors for everyone, "I'll take you to the Mall, drop you off, and pick you up in, what.......two hours......is that enough time?"
"It should be," Bethia answers, "Sure appreciate your help, Eleanor. We're going to have lots of lots of packages to bring back with us."
Grace is standing by the open car door, obviously trying to work up enough courage to enter it.
The children both gleefully hop into the back seat.
Slowly, gingerly, yanking on her jeans so they aren't so tight, Grace also sits.
Celeste is going with them, also, as they need as many people to carry packages as possible. She manages to get into the back seat and holds Tim on her lap. It's crowded, but then the Mall is only 10 miles away, so it won't be for that long.
Bethia and Eleanor sit in the front and off they go.
"Wheeeeeeeee," Tim emits as they build up speed. "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!"
After about the tenth "whee" the others are becoming annoyed, and Rebecca reaches over and tugs on Tim's trousers.
"That is enough, please," she says sternly.
Eleanor, who has had a lot of experience raising children, thinks it odd that a child just shy of her 4th birthday is acting more like the boy's mother than the actual mother.
The actual mother is again staring out the window in amazement. She's beginning to trust Eleanor and Bethia and Celeste, but there are so many different things she has never seen before. How will she ever learn??

"How are things going back at the house, Eleanor?"
"About the same except for John who has been so bizarre around Rose that I had to pull a stun gun on him to get him to behave."
Bethia thinks,'Oh no, not Daniel!!' but says nothing. John said not to tell anyone about Daniel.
"You with a stun gun, Eleanor?"
"I carry one in case anyone attacks me for any reason!"
Bethia can't help but laugh, "Who in his right mind would be foolish enough to attack YOU?!"
They both have a good laugh over that one.
"Seriously, though, Beth, John is not acting like himself."
"He is so stable........I can't imagine him acting any other way," Bethia tells her, again wondering what if anything she should do with the secret she keeps.

Eleanor pulls into one of the parking areas at the Mall, then drives to the front of some big building Grace is afraid of, and stops the car.
"Everybody out!!" she says cheerily, "I'll be back in two hours!"

The five exit the car.
"This way Grace, Tim, Rebecca!" Celeste tells them, " Bethia has decided that first we're going to buy new clothes for you, children, isn't the great, isn't that fun? You can have clothing just like these other children you see at the Mall. See those over there? Bet you can't wait to wear clothes like that, right?"
Tim seems not to care.
Rebecca looks up at Celeste and asks, "Mommy said that girls are not supposed to wear trousers like men do, but Gramma Celeste, I don't see why not. They look ever so comfortable, and you can run and jump and climb in them and not have to worry about showing your underpanties."
"Exactly!" Bethia comments, "You're going to love your new clothes, Rebecca. You will be the prettiest girl in town!"
By now they have enterd the Mall. The vastness of the place stops Grace in her tracks.
She looks about her with a worried expression.
"Just follow along with me!" Bethia suggests, smiling as best she can. She takes Grace's arm and tries to pull her gently forward, but Grace is rooted to the spot. Bethia pulls more strongly, but Grace must have a low center of gravity, because she is immovable. The only thing she's moving are her eyes, which are darting all over the place.


Bethia decides the best thing to do is walk away and Grace will eventually follow.
She and Celeste and the two children approach the nearest children's store. Bethia glances back. Grace is still standing like a statue. She waves at her and sees Grace looking intently at her. A few seconds later Grace is running to where the others are, which is entering the children's store.
Grace clings on to Bethia's arm. Bethia expected some natural dependency on Grace's part, but this may get out of hand.
"Please just pretend you aren't afraid, Grace," she instructs her, "Keep repeating 'I am brave' over and over to yourself."
Grace states loudly, "I am brave!" which seems to help. "I am brave! I am brave! I am brave....." it goes on and on.
A saleslady approaches them with the "Can I help you?" look on her face and Grace immediately tells her, "I am brave!"
"Now isn't that a wonderful thing, dear," the saleslady says diplomatically, "Are we getting clothing for these two adorable children? I just got in some new stock. We have such wonderful children's clothing here. You were wise to come today, too, as we're having a Sale...."
"I am brave!"
Bethia is beginning to think she has a serious nutcase on her hands and wondering if she did the right thing yanking this woman out of 1650.
Since Grace is in no frame of mind to make any decisions, Bethia and Celeste choose many outfits for the children.
Rebecca comes dancing out of the fitting room in a pretty sundress and whirls around her mother.
"I am brave!"
Rebecca looks at Bethia and shakes her head. Bethia shakes hers right back.

Soon they have two large shopping bags crammed with outfits, shoes, underwear, everything a child could ever need, including several toys.
Tim and Rebecca remain in some casual outfits; shorts, tops, tennis shoes. They do look grand, Celeste thinks, and fit right in. But what to do with that mother of theirs??
"Now Grace," Bethia tries to engage Grace in an adult conversation, "We have to buy your clothes next. There's a Sack's Fifth Avenue right over there, which will have such pretty things for you. Isn't this exciting?"
Grace follow them to the other store.
Immediately inside the entrance are all the makeup and fragrance counters. The air is full of perfume smells. Grace sniffs and wrinkles her nose. She looks to Bethia for explanataion.
"We won't be getting any of those," Bethia tells her as she briskly whisks her off to the Ladies clothing area. This time she follows, much to Bethia's relief.
Grace is drawn to the dresses. She can't stop touching the materials.
"Dresses," she says, "I want just dresses, not trousers."
Well, well, Bethia thinks, she can almost construct an entire sentence, that's progress.
It isn't hard to find dresses that fit Grace, as she is slim and well proportioned.
She is encouraged to try one on, and it fits perfectly. So Bethia gathers up a whole armful of others in that size and carries them to the check out.
"Can you hold these while we go over to the shoe department?" she asks the saleslady.
"OOOooook," she says to Celeste, "What shoes do you think we can get her to wear?:
"Tennis shoes and maybe flats," Celeste suggests, "No way is she going to put up with wearing heels. We could get her some of those bucks, too. Maybe in brown so they resemble the clod-hoppers she used to wear in 1650."
The two women begin to laugh. Grace just looks at them uncomprehending.
The saleslady approaches with one of those hand-held things that measures your feet.
She puts it under Grace's right foot which causes Grace to emit a slight scream.
Bethia looks at her sterly and Grace stops.
Soon they get several pair of shoes in her size, which fortunately is not a hard size to find. Bethia is relieved that basically Grace is easy to shop for, and resolves to do it again but without hauling Grace along with her.

Eleanor pulls her car up in front of the Mall entrance and sees the others coming out lugging a great many shopping bags. The children are even struggling to carry some bulging bags.
"Over here!" she gets their attention.
After most of the shopping bags are deposited in the trunk, they still have a few to carry, so the trip back to the blue house is not very comfortable.

Grace seems totally subdued, which is a relief.
Little Tim falls asleep with his head leaning against his mother's arm, whereas Rebecca is looking through the shopping bag on her lap, mesmerized by the colorful outfits she's just acquired.


After Eleanor drives them back to Grace's house, deposits Grace, the children and Celeste, she and Bethia drive to the nearest supermarket to get in supplies.
"I would have brought Grace with me, but she's had enough excitement for the day, "Bethia laughs, "I'll show her where we buy our food another time."
"You've taken on a big project with her," Elearnor says, "Who ever thought just a few months ago that you'd be able to explain the 21st Century to anyone. Remember how insecure you were about it?"
"I must have learned more than I thought, because the things that are causing Grace to get nervous and frightened are things I almost take for granted now," Bethia agrees. "I don't want to sound mean, but there could be a difference in our intelligence, too. Does Grace seem less than bright to you, Eleanor?"
"She surely does," Eleanor replies, "which makes your job even harder. Plus the fact that she was kidnapped out of her timeframe."
"I feel a little guilty doing that to her," Grace muses, "But it saved her life!! Did you see the inscription on that stone in the cemetery change? Was that weird?"
"It was perfect, acually. Showed her in no uncertain terms what would have befallen her," Eleanor says as she parks and pulls on the brake.

An hour later Eleanor and Bethia are loading up the car once again, this time with groceries and cleaning supplies.
"Back home we go, jiggety jog!!" Bethia sings gaily. "I'd invite you for dinner, El, to show my appreciation, but it's going to be awfully late by the time I make it, so can we treat you to a feast in a couple more days?"
"I'm looking forward to it!!" Eleanor smiles, then, as they carry the grocery bags into the house, she pauses and listens, "Someone is upstairs playing the piano. Do you know who it is?"
"No, but Celeste says she has a pretty good idea. Just hope the playing doesn't go on all night. Didn't hear any last night, so maybe this person gets tired and stops. Sure hope so. You should have heard the crashing sounds coming down through the ceiling this morning! Incredible!"
"Getting dark, Beth, I've gotta run!! See you later!" and Eleanor drives off.


Part 115: The Guy Upstairs............by Coralynn

"Dinner smells good!!" Grace declares happily, then frowns, "But when you two are gone, how am I ever going to cook like that?"
"There are some simple recipe books," Bethia informs her, "but first you have to learn how to read words other than just your own first name. I can sign you up for Adult Education courses. You really have to be able to read to exist in the 21st century, Grace."
Grace plops down on a kitchen chair, "I never could get the hang of it. I mean, all those letters, all those sounds, and everyone else way ahead of me. I never could catch up."
"You can go at your own speed if we hire you a tutor!" Bethia suddenly brightens, "Yes, that would be even better than Adult Ed courses. I'll see what I can do."
The upstairs piano playing that has been only moderately loud suddenly becomes louder and louder till it's overwhelming.
Celeste wipes her hands on a towel and shakes her head,
"I'd better go upstairs and talk to our noisy neighbor," and she walks toward the door that leads to the upstairs apartment.
"Good luck!" she hears as she shuts the door.
She pauses outside the upstairs apartment door, waiting for the piano playing to subside just enough so that this man can hear her knocking.
She knocks lightly, then harder, then harder yet. Is this guy deaf??!!

The door is opened suddenly and a shaggy haired man with electric blue eyes stares at her accusingly.
"Who are you and why are you interrupting my composing?" he demands.
"A-ha, it is you, Ludwig, I thought as much. May I come in for a minute?"
"Suit yourself, but don't get in the habit of it. I'm making a comeback, and it's not easy when you've been out of the business for almost a hundred and fifty years."
Celeste finds it interesting that he is able to hear her speaking, as everyone knows he was deaf as a post in his latter years, which, by looking at his appearance, this most definitely is.
She says very softly, "I wondered if you'd like me to bring you some dinner, as we have so much downstairs."
"That would be fine, if it makes you happy, fine. I hope it's edible!" he says rudely.
Ahhh, so he can hear.
"Oh yes, quite edible. Tell me, Ludwig, how did you get to the 21st Century. Did William the Conqueror have anything to do with it?"
His eyes bulge in shock. "How did you know??"
Celeste smiles, "I know that William has brought several people here from centuries past. You appear to be one of them. The folks living in the apartment under you were also brought here by William."
"Word had better not get out about this!" he says with a worried expression, "I have to make a comeback and they can't know who I am, or was, or used to be......well, you get the idea."
"I get the idea, Ludwig. None of us are going around telling people, as most people would think it crazy. Tell me, though, it seems you are able to hear now. How did that happen?"
"William had me fitted with a powerful hearing aid," Ludwig almost looks happy, "And it's made all the difference. Now I'm trying to decide whether to make my 10th Symphony similar to my other 9, or adapt it for a rock band."
"As much as I adore your 9 symphonies, dear, you would probably make a bigger comeback if you went in the direction of the rock band. Or at least a jazz band. You should be able to produce something quite unique with your incredible talent."
"That's what I thought!" Ludwig finally does smile, and slaps what passes for a table, which has a leg gone and wobbles precariously from the blow.
"I know some musically talented people who could advise you, too. People who know about time travel; ones who would never tell your true identity."
"Bring them over!!" Ludwig is feeling expansive. "Have them bring their instruments with them, too. We could collaborate. Now, you're sure these people are reliable, aren't you?"
"I'll get back to you on this, after I contact them. And, Ludwig, you really do need a makeover. One of these men will take you to a barber, then to a men's clothing store. How long have you had that suit of clothes on?"
"The year and a half I've been here," Ludwig says mournfully, "I didn't feel I should go out in public for fear of being recognized. I'd go if accompanied by these gentlemen you mention. What are their names?"
"Bill and Henry," she tells him, "Bill plays the saxophone, and Henry.......uhhhh...he was in a jazz band of some sort, so I know he plays something. But why didn't William update your appearance when he brought you here?"
"He said there was an emergency back at Court," Ludwig stated without any rancor, "And now here I am, alone, but not any more. Ohhhhh, do you know where William is now by any chance?"
"I think I can find him if I try hard enough," Celeste says jovially. "Gotta go, dear, I think the food is cooked. I'll bring you up a plate, or would you like to join us now?"
"I really feel cooped up here, so if it wouldn't be too much of an imposition, could I come down and eat with you?"
"Goodness, mercy, yes!" Celeste takes him by the arm, trying not to touch too much of the grimy fabric of his shirt, and they descend the stairs together.

Celeste and Ludwig enter the downstairs kitchen.
"Ludwig, these are Bethia, Grace and her two children, Timothy and Rebecca. Folks, this is Ludwig VanBeethoven."
Since all the others in the room were born in the 1600s, they've never heard that name, so they nod pleasantly and try to smile at the guest.
"Whew," Bethia thinks to herself, "This guy reeks. Wonder when he's last had a shower."
Ludwig lowers himself onto a chair and looks around the group.
"You've never heard of me, have you?" he asks as he scrutinizes their faces.
"No, we haven't. I'm sorry," Bethia says sympathetically. She doesn't dare tell this person how not up-to-date this group is on modern piano players.
"Are you a musician?"
Ludwig is confused. When were this people born, anyway? Or where? On a distant planet that they have never heard of Ludwig VanBeethoven??
Rebecca sizes up the situation and asks, "When were you born, Mr. Beethoven?"
"1770!" he says proudly, "In Bonn, Germany, but I spent most of my life in Vienna, Austria. Ever hear of those places?"
They shake their heads no.
"Celeste tells me that William brought you here from another time, when was that?"
Bethia breathes a sigh of relief. "Good," she thinks, "this won't be as sticky as it might have been."
"We all lived in the mid-1600s in Southold, Long Island," she tells Ludwig.
"Aaahhh," he nods his head, "That explains it, then. You were born too soon! Wait till I play my symphonies for you. They made them into these CDs. Marvelous invention, CDs. Most importantly, though........I am about to make a comback!! All I need are some other musicians to round out my rock band or jazz band."
"OOOoooh," Beth can't resisit, "Henry8 fancies himself a musician, and his buddy, Bill, plays the saxophone. What instrument does Henry play anyway??"
Nobody knows.
"Celeste told me about Henry and Bill. Where can I find these gentlemen?"
"We could phone them," Bethia says, "But neither of them live at the big house we share. This is the little house you're in right now, then there's the big house. It's a long story. But I'll phone up the big house and see if anyone there has the phone numbers."
"Phones, marvelous invention, phones!!" Ludwig is appreciating the backteeth off all the marvelous inventions. "Have you seen televisions yet or computers?"
"I have, because I've been here almost a year, and Celeste is from this time frame so she has, but Grace and the children are newly arrived, so they still haven't seen those."
"After we dine I must take you upstairs and show you!" he tells Grace proudly.
Grace is not looking very comfortable about this.
"Perhaps in a day or so.......Grace is so tired from all the shopping we did today. Can she take a raincheck?"
Ludwig has no problem with that.
After the meal, Celeste withdraws to the bedroom to use the phone there so the others won't hear.
It rings.
"William here!" comes the familiar voice.
"Hello, William, this is Celeste. I'm over at Grace's house, you know, the blue house. The man living upstairs is Ludwig VanBeethoven, who says you brought him here from his old timeframe."
"Yes! I remember!" William sounds pleased.
Celeste lowers her voice so that it doesn't carry into the next room,
"William, you must get the man to bathe. He smells terrible. He said he hasn't changed his clothes in the year and a half he's been here. He is also in desperate need to a makeover. That hair!! It's a fright! And his clothing should be burned. Do you have anything scheduled for tomorrow, or could you fit him in for a few hours?"

"I'd be glad to, Celeste. I wondered what had become of the olde boy. So auspicious that he should live upstairs over Grace. Can you put him on the phone now?"
"Yes, good idea," she says as she lays down the phone and goes to the living room and tells Ludwig the phone is for him.
"It's William......" she whispers.
Ludwig picks up the receiver, "Well, William, this is wonderful. So glad you're back in the 21st Century.......................yes, yes, I've been busy at work on my 10th Symphony........going to score it for a rock band or a jazz band. I hear tell Henry and Bill are musicians, too.............yes, that Bill, yeah, the saxophone.............you say Henry plays a variety of instruments? Good. Can they bring them over tomorrow night?...........Good idea........you phone them and invite them over..............NO! Henry has built a castle? Is he really Henry8th?..............sonofagun...........he may want us to "jam" at his place, you think?...............well, good to hear your voice again, William, and let me know what the others say...............yes, I'll be here at noon...........you want to take me clothes shopping?...............a barber?............I'll be looking forward to it! Bye!!"

Ludwig re-enters the living room and starts for the outside.
"Thank you for your great hospitality, ladies, and gent (nodding to Tim), I am going shopping with William tomorrow, thanks to you. So I will bid you all a fond adieu."
He leaves.
Celeste bursts out laughing.
"You really don't know who he is, do you?"
"NO!" they all chorus.
"He is one of the most famous people who ever lived. Outside the English Monarchy, that is!" she grins.
The others still have blank expressions.
"Welllllll, dearies, I shall have to bring you up to date on the history of music. But right now, it's time for you little ones to bathe and go to bed!"
"Ludwig doesn't bathe, though, Gramma Celeste! I could smell him clear across the room!" Rebecca tells her.
"Ohhhhhh, he will when William gets through with him! Off you go now!"



Ludwig is up early, anticipating the great shopping expedition he's to take with William. It'll be great to see his old buddy again. To find that Henry8 is in town is a plus, too, and whoever Bill with the sax is, well, he must be OK or Henry wouldn't be hanging out with him.
He flips on The Today Show, his favorite television program. Watching TV has helped him perfect his English. A hard language, English, but he's mastered it, and is proud that he's even learned to read it pretty well.
A very young looking fellow is talking with Katie Couric and she's asking him to sing.
He sure looks young and kinda puny; what kind of singing might he do?
A few minutes later Ludwig is almost knocked out of his chair by the beautiful sounds eminating from this boy.
He sits forward and strains to hear what the boy's name is. "Josh"......he'll remember that name, and if he ever needs a singer to go along with his rock band, this will be the guy. Well, well, he thinks, how handy these new inventions are. See? He just found himself a first-rate singer.
These inventions are wonderful. If only he could figure out how to work the one in the bathroom, though, the one that comes out of the wall and is all enclosed by an almost see-through door. What is that?! He can always ask William, who seems to have an answer for everything.
He looks at his wristwatch. Hmmmmm, only 10am......two more hours to go. Might as well have breakfast. He drags a half eaten pizza out of the fridge. Let's see, this was delivered what, 3 or 4 days ago, should still be OK.
Yummy!!!

William arrives at noon, right on the dot, carrying a large shopping bag.
"Well, Ludwig, you look exactly like you did when I last saw you, though you sure look like you could use a change of clothing!"
"That's what Celeste said, too. I've grown rather fond of this outfit, but I will admit it doesn't look modern. What have you in that bag there?" pointing to William's bulging shopping bag.
"These are some clothes to put on now, before we go out in public, so you sort of blend in and no one stares. I brought everything: pants, shirt, socks, shoes, underwear, everything. Best you take a shower and then put these on."
"Shower??" Ludwig doesn't know the term.
"Yes, in the bathroom," William tells him as he goes to check out the room, "see, up there, the shower-head in the shower-stall?"
"That's what that is!!" Ludwig is relieved, "It's the one invention that I couldn't figure out. How do you work it?"
William shows him how to turn on the water and even slaps a bar of soap in on the soap dish.
"Do you have towels?" he asks.
"Towels, towels, hmmmmmm," Ludwig isn't sure.
"No problem, I brought a few with me just in case," William hands him several and exists the room, hoping that Ludwig can take it from there.
The others were right: he reeks. That would draw unwanted attention out in public even if Ludwig were dressed immaculately.
He hears water running, and running, and running. This goes on for a full 15 minutes.
He shakes his head, and hopes that Ludwig knows how to use soap, and that he isn't just standing there with water running over him indefinitely.
He looks around the apartment. Empty pizza boxes are sprawled all over the floors, along with empty milk cartons that haven't even been rinsed out. An unpleasant odor hangs in the air. William can see that hiring a cleaning lady for Ludwig is past due. Not Celeste, though, this is too disgusting to foist off on her. He'll have to check out a cleaning service.
Falling water continues to be heard coming from the bathroom.
"Almost done?" he yells through the closed door. The sound of cascading water stops. "Was that enough soap, Ludwig?"
No answer. He sure hopes Ludwig used the soap. A year and a half of dirt and God knows what else is not going to wash away with water alone.
It takes quite a while, but eventually Ludwig emerges from the bathroom dressed in the clothes William brought for him. Looks a lot better, and from what William's nose can detect, the revolting smell is gone.
"You look wonderful. Ready to go?"
Ludwig is standing in front of a full-length mirror admiring himself.
"I do look good," he says as he turns this way and that, "this modern fabric is rather nice. How long can you wear an outfit before you have to change?"
"People in this country are very clean, Ludwig, perhaps too clean, but, believe it or not, they change their clothing every day."
"NO!" Ludwig is astonished, "Do they throw out the clothes after they're done wearing them?"
"They have washing machines. I'll get you one. You'll think it the best invention yet!"

The men go down the stairs and out to the van William has just purchased, after finally learning how to drive. Relying on Eleanor was getting to be a hassle.
As they drive along, William says, "We'll drive past the big house on our way to the clothing store, Ludwig, so you know where we live. See, right over there. And that monstrosity next door is Henry8's castle."
"How magnificent it is!" Ludwig can't take his eyes from it even after they've gone past, and cranes his head around to keep it in view.
"I talked to Henry and he is inviting you and Bill over tonight to his place to "jam" as he put it. You'll get to see the inside then."
Ludwig is excited, "what time?"
"He said 8pm."
"I can hardly wait!"
They ride in silence for about the next two miles, then Ludwig asks,
"I've been thinking, William, that for my big comeback I might want to update my name. What would you suggest? Ludwig may be distinctive, but it does point to my true identity. What other men's names begin with "L"?"
William laughs, "How about Luke?"
"I like it!!!" Ludwig declares, "then it's settled. Do I need a surname to go with it?"
"If your group is good enough, probably not. Just in case, though, you might want to think up another last name. Something will occur to us in due time. Hey, here's the Mall, ready to shop?"
They park and exit the van.
"First place we hit: the Barber!" William announces as they duck into a shop right by the mall entrance. "Time to get moderned, Lud.....I mean, Luke!!"


The barber isn't busy when they enter the shop, so he gestures Ludwig to sit in the chair nearest the door.
"Just a trim or a change in style?" he asks.
William takes charge, "Luke needs to get rid of a great deal of that hair, right, Luke?"
Ludwig nods yes.
"A regular cut would be fine. Nothing too trendy."
"Gotcha!" the barber replies.
In no time at all the floor around the barber chair is full of long grey hair. You can tell it used to be brown, but not anymore.
"Would you like a little color boost?" the barber wants to know.
Ludwig looks uncertain.
"He means putting more brown color in to cover the white hair, would you like that, Luke?"
"Let's try it," Ludwig nods.
Not too long after that Ludwig not only has a decent haircut, but it's all a medium brown shade. He takes the mirror and looks at his head from all directions.
"Wonderful! Perfect!"
William pays the barber and they leave.
Ludwig is pensive. "William, you are spending a lot of money on me, and I must repay you, but right now the American money I have is dwindling. I was fortunate in that I didn't become penniless like that poor soul, Amadeus Mozart, so exchanging the German money for American made me almost rich, but it is almost gone. When I make my big comeback, though, then the money will come pouring in!"
"Don't worry about it, Ludwig. I have a very high paying job and I can't think of a better person to spend some of it on. After the delightful hours I've spent listening to your music, it's the least I can do."
"But you got me to the 21st Century already, William. Methinks that is payment enough."
"Still.......don't even think about repaying. This is my treat."
"You have to be one of the kindest people in the Universe. I can't picture you as a warrior at Hastings, killing people."
"Ahhhhh that was a long time ago, my friend!" William declares as he claps Ludwig on the back.



Part 115(B) Rosamond Gets Through the Day......by Terri

Eleanor shakes her head: "Give it up, Rose. I know all about it."
Rosamond feels her face getting hot.
"I don't know WHAT you are talking about, Eleanor."
Eleanor sits down on the bed and gives Rosamond a reproachful look. "I thought you were a little smarter than that. Why don't you just go off men for a while? Work on yourself. Get to know your son again. Do you have to have a man in your life that badly?"
Rosamond just gives Eleanor a blissful look. "I am genuinely, truly in love this time, Eleanor. John is wonderful! I think he will ask me to marry him. Oh, El..I want a Sunday kind of love."
Eleanor looks full of pity for Rosamond. "You mean the kind of love that lasts past Saturday night? Rosamond, haven't you noticed how John is acting majorly weird?
He's drinking Wild Turkey. He is smoking cigarettes. He is..well, raunchy. The John we know is not like that. He drinks brandy. A pipe occasionally. And he had the utmost respect for you...for all of us women. This John is a hedonist. Maybe he got hit by lightning and it altered his personality. All I know is that this is not the John we know."
Rosamond becomes defensive. "You are being mean now, Eleanor. He LOVES me. I know it!"
Eleanor asks quietly, "Like Henry did? Did he tell you he loved you before or after..."
Rosamond gets furious now. "During, OK? Look, why don't you just leave me alone!
He's great, he's wonderful, he's sexy...and he's MINE!"
Eleanor sighs and gets up. "John gives love a bad name."
Rosamond slams the door behind Eleanor.
Then Rosamond yells out, "I' M WEARING BLACK VELVET IF THAT IS OK WITH YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS!"

Daniel quickly opens the door of John's room. He pulls the comforter back. John is still out like a light. Serves you right, John. You always had everything you wanted. Everything! Well, now I have taken something that you wanted. Yeah, John, just because you were ten minutes older. Brother Charles got the ancestral lands in England, but you and I made our way in the New World. Now look at us! In the 21st century instead of moldering in Southold Cemetery.
Daniel takes a quick shower and puts on John's jeans and a sweatshirt. He puts on John's afteshave. How nice of John! Daniel has a twinge of guilt about what he has done to John. But dammit! There is no way I am going to Virginia...not when I can have a cushy life here.
Daniel checks on John's breathing. He's OK. He's just passed out like he'd eaten those berries in the Southold marshes. Well, I guess I have to go and cater to William's big butt.
Daniel covers John up and creeps out of the room. Wonder what Rosamond is doing. What a woman! Did she always keep candles and champagne in her room?
Maybe we can while away the afternoon constructively when William leaves.
Daniel goes downstairs. William stands at the foot of the stairs tapping his foot.
"So there you are! I need some boxes moved and some furniture rearranged. Help me."
Daniel says, "Right after I get something to eat."
William looks suspiciously at Daniel. "Didn't you eat before you left on your errand?"
Daniel hem-hawed around. "Er, yes, but it was just a bowl of porridge."
William looks incredulous. "PORRIDGE? Don't you mean granola?"
Daniel said, "Did I say porridge? My mind must be elsewhere."
William sighs, "Well, let's go. I have something to do this afternoon and it may take longer than I expect." To himself, William said, alot longer if Ludwig doesn't co-operate.
After two hours of moving furniture and boxes to the basement, William mops his face and says, "That's the last of it. I think we are done. I have to shower and leave."
Daniel asks casually, "When will you be back?'
William distractedly says, "Maybe 3:00-maybe longer. Why? Do you have plans?"
Daniel says, "Yes--lots to uncover!'
William says absentmindedly, "Well, you know, the best-laid plans...."
Daniel smiles at that. Oh, William, if you only knew...
Or if John only knew.



Rosamond finally dresses and goes downstairs to breakfast. Eleanor has just finished telling Bethia about the 'incident upstairs'. Poor Bethia is horrified and wracked with guilt because she is beginning to suspect that John was not John...but Daniel. If that was the case,...just where was John?
Eleanor and Bethia are just sitting there, sipping the last of their coffee.
Eleanor looks disgusted and Bethia looks like a deer caught in the headlights.
Rosamond right away assumes a defensive attitude. "I know you were talking about me. And I don't care."
Bethia tries to defuse the situation. She says to Rosamond, "Everywhere you look...you can write a book of the trouble of a woman and a man. Look at Steven and me.."
But Rosamond interjects, "You can't impose, Bethia..and Eleanor can't stick her nose into something that she doesn't understand."
Bethia has to bite her lip to keep from blurting out all she knows. "Rosamond, John is a straightlaced Puritan from Southold. I know these men...they are not the passionate kind. I think what you experienced was a shooting star! The passion fizzles out really fast!"
Rosamond whirls on her. "Yes, just a small town dude with a big city attitude.
Well, allright. It suits me fine. Mind your own business, Bethia."
Bethia is sick to her stomach. She is beginning to realize what has happened.
Eleanor fixes a steely gaze on Rosamond. "Your heart is down for the count and you know you're going to lose it."
But Rosamond just flicks her head back. "You think he'll knock me off my feet till I'm flat on the floor. If he can give it, I can take it! Because if this heart is going to break, it's going to take a lot to break it. Both of you just leave us alone. We have finally found our way to each other and I won't have you spoiling it! William is gone for the day. I intend to spend this day any way that I want."
With that, Rosamond grabs her bagel and yogurt and bumps the door open with her rear. She sticks her tongue out at both of them.
Bethia and Eleanor just look at each other. Eleanor sighs, "Well, that was a very mature thing to do. I wash my hands of both of them. Let William find out. I'll bet he will MAKE them get married!"
Bethia just looks at the door and her eyes begin to fill with tears. Can it be....no, it couldn't...John would make sure Daniel was put 'on ice' and not bother anyone.
Have we unleashed something on this unsuspecting houshold? Honest, we were just trying to help.
Rosamond runs up the stairs and slams the door. What did they know? Eleanor couldn't hold on to her two husbands, and Bethia didn't even know she was engaged to a he..a she..whatever Steven was. Wonder who killed him? Maybe we will never know.
She looked at the clock. It was 12:20. There goes a car starting up. Rosamond goes to the window and looks out to see William's taillights brake at the end of the drive and then roar out towards the freeway. Good riddance! Now maybe everyone can relax from his despotic rule.
The door knocks. Rosamond groans. "Eleanor, if you are here to give me another lecture..." She flings the door open. Daniel stands there, smiling.
Rosamond looks him up and down. "You're strutting into town like you're slinging a gun, John."
John grins, "Yeah, I'm an outlaw lover and I'm after your hide. Tonight I'm gonna take you in dead or alive!"
Daniel has a bottle of the Wild Turkey he likes so well.
Rosamond looks at it. "I've been meaning to ask, John, since when did you start drinking bourbon?"
Daniel uncorks it. "I don't know what you mean. I've always liked bourbon. I get tired of that...that..other stuff."
"I just saw William go. Eleanor and Bethia know. I am afraid they will tell William."
Daniel says, "Well, what do we care? William is not our owner."
Rosamond smiles slightly. "Love stolen in the shadow of the night, is that it, John?"
And Daniel just replies, "Though it's wrong, it just keeps going on....as long as you keep it out of sight!"
With that, Daniel kicks the door shut behind him with his foot.

On to next part of STORY
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