The Time Heiress by Georgina Young- Ellis Read Free Book Online Page A

she had uttered to anyone other than Cassandra. The clerk glanced at her and inclined his head. Cassandra handed the man his tip, indicated to Evie to go ahead, and they both ascended the stairs. At the top of the third-floor landing, they found a door open and the bellman inside lighting a fire. When he had finished and closed the door behind him, Cassandra sank down onto a sofa and covered her face with her hands.
    Evie rushed to her side and sat next to her. “What is it?” she asked.
    “Nothing.” Cassandra took a deep breath and looked up. “It is just that these first few moments are always the hardest to get through.”
    “Oh, I thought it was only me that was frightened.”
    “No, no, I am not frightened, just a little tense. Do not worry. We are fine. We are here now, we are safe. We have this beautiful suite.”
    The two women looked about at their surroundings of shining wood parquet floors scattered with hand-woven carpets; brocade upholstery upon the chairs, sofa, and divan; marble-topped tables polished to a high shine; brass lamps and candleholders set about the room. The suite was brightened by their glow, and the fire that had been lit by the bellman was now crackling in the hearth. A gilded mirror hung above the marble mantelpiece and reflected large windows covered with heavy, floor-length drapes that kept out the cold. The women took it all in silently for a moment.
    “We are here,” Evie finally said. “We are really here!” She paused and took a breath. “I have to confess something, Cassie.”
    Cassandra started to speak but Evie cut her off.
    “I am a little nervous that I will not pass for white.”
    Cassandra had not even considered it. “So far,” she began, “I think you are absolutely passing, because I did not see any hesitation from the desk clerk. Tomorrow we will get more of a sense of people’s reactions, but I think it is going to be fine.” She took Evie by the hands, suddenly struck by the importance of being the young woman’s guide during their journey, maybe even a sort of mentor. She thought of what next to say to mark the momentous occasion.
    “Thanks,” Evie replied quickly. She squeezed Cassandra’s hands and then let go. She stood up abruptly. “Let us see the bedrooms.”
    Cassandra let the impulse for further comment pass. She stood and followed Evie through a doorway to the left. The bellman had deposited Cassandra’s bags there, in a charming room furnished with a canopied bed in a light-green floral print, a large armoire, a small writing desk and a dresser, all of shining walnut. A door led from the bedroom into the bathroom, literally a room for bathing only. An elegantly shaped copper tub dominated the space, which also contained a chair, a small stand for soap, and a standing rack for the large drying sheets that served as towels.
    Cassandra examined the two arced faucets of the tub. “We got lucky,” she said. “There is hot and cold running water.”
    “I cannot believe it. I did not think we would be able to do much bathing.”
    “Neither did I. But the Croton Aqueduct System was finished about ten years ago, which means that the better homes and hotels in New York have running water, though it may not be very efficient.”
    “It is better than nothing.”
    They continued through the bathroom into the other bedroom, similar to the first, except that the furniture was of cherry and the fabric of the canopied bed white eyelet.
    “Oh!” Evie gasped.
    “Which one do you like best?”
    “This one is perfect! It is nothing like the rooms we stayed in last night in this very same hotel. This place certainly has changed a lot over the centuries.”
    “My room was a fraction of the size and mostly all bed.”
    Evie approached another doorway next to which sat a low cabinet with a ceramic pitcher of water, a large bowl, and a dish of soap. “This must be—” she began as she opened the door.
    “Yes,” Cassandra smirked.
    “…the water