Time Travel With a Rude English Boy from the Nineteenth Century.
Chapter Four
PAYTON’S POV
My eyes widened in shock, but Dacre shooed her into Azalea’s grasp before I could protest. “Now, now,” he whispered in my ear, “it’s unhealthy to worry so much. You don’t want wrinkles in your youth, do you?”
“Wha—,” I cried incredulously, but Azalea grabbed my hand and pulled me through the doorway, slamming it shut behind us. As she dragged me through the dank hallway, I managed to shriek, “Wrinkles?!” Azalea snickered and tossed me into another room before stepping inside as well. With a quick flip of her wrist, the door was locked with a final click.
“What do you think you’re…” I frowned, and with an exasperated sigh Azalea motioned towards a folding screen in the corner of the room. When I answered with a blank stare, she groaned, “Go undress! The maid will start the water for you. Are all future girls this dimwitted?”
“But I just have to get dressed again, right? Do I have to bathe?” I asked, dumbfounded. I didn’t want to undress in front of strangers who expected to bathe me…
“Yes,” Azalea snapped. “You do have to bathe before wearing my clothes. I don’t know how you future girls go about with cleanliness, but we bathe before we change into nicer cloths in this era.”
“But I took a shower this morning,” I whined. “Wait, you only bathe when you change clothes?”
“Mmhhmm,” Azalea looked smitten, “We believe in cleanliness in this household.” By the appearance of her dress, she had been wearing that for at least a couple of days. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that we bathed every day in the future. Speaking if which, I was now stranded in the past with no means of getting back to the future. In order to come home again, I needed to play along with the bizarre strangers.
“Err… Can I do it?” I asked shyly. “I know how to bathe myself, promise.”
Azalea eyed me warily before muttering, “Unorthodox American ninny…” and stepping towards the door. “I’ll expect you to be done in a half hour, know-it-all girl.”
“I heard that ‘American’ comment,” I snapped. Azalea snickered a “Don’t forget to wash behind your ears,” before silently shutting the door.
Making quick time out of the half hour I was given to freshen up, I filled the bath with water. Lucky for me, the bath was behind the folding screen. I took the quickest bath I could while still being thorough before stepping out and wrapping a towel around myself. Apparently it was freezing in London, and the chilly air gave me shivers. Only seventeen minutes had passed out of the thirty, and I was uncertain how to proceed. The clothes were hanging on the folding screen, but I had no clue how to put them on. I looked around for my regular clothes, but Azalea must have snatched them up while I was bathing. “Am I being Punk'd?” I wondered aloud for the second time that day.
Refusing to ask for help, I tried my best to put the foreign clothes on. I inspected the dress that hung limply against the screen. I awkwardly put on the bloomers and the corset, but I couldn’t tie it in the back. With a frustrated growl, I inspected my reflection in the vanity. I looked out-of-place in this strange time. I realized that the thing that made me stand out most was my dark tan. Azalea was very pale, along with her brother. Dacre had a little more color, but just a miniscule amount. My usually pin-straight hair had a few curls in it. Hmm, that was interesting. Was it the shampoo?
“Azalea, what do—,” Dacre started, but he cut off when he stared at me with a slack jaw. There was an awkward pause, but I couldn’t tell why.
“Ah, hello Dacre,” I smiled. “Just in the nick of time. Would you mind helping me lace up my corset?”
DACRE’S POV
“Ah, hello Dacre,” she smiled. “Just in the nick of time. Would you mind helping me lace up my corset?”
She stood there, her hair dripping wet and curly—hmmm, could it be the shampoo?—with her shoulders, arms, and legs bare. I couldn’t pry my eyes off of her bare skin, and she just stood there with a oblivious smile. Anger flashed through me, and I growled, “Are you trying to get raped?”
Payton frowned, and I turned so that my back was to her. “Miss Smith,” I elaborated, “in this era women do not show bare skin. And they do not ask men to tighten their corsets, unless they are married.” I paused for thought, and then added, “Or whores. Unless they are married or whores.”
“My bad,” Payton snickered. “What, are you going to have a nosebleed if you give me a few pointers? At least give me a hint on how to figure this thing out.”
I uncertainly turned around, avoiding eye contact with her. My face was an embarrassing shade of red. “I’ll… I’ll go get Azalea,” I stuttered before scurrying past her to go through the door. She snickered as she spanked my bum as I walked by. “Try not to run into any more naked girls!” she called out loudly behind me. Her laughter was only muffled by the door once I slammed it shut behind me.
A scowl appeared on my face. “What on Earth happened in there?” Lionel asked with an appalled expression.
“What happened?” I repeated incredulously. “The girl has no sense of self-preservation!” With that, I went to find Azalea.
My eyes widened in shock, but Dacre shooed her into Azalea’s grasp before I could protest. “Now, now,” he whispered in my ear, “it’s unhealthy to worry so much. You don’t want wrinkles in your youth, do you?”
“Wha—,” I cried incredulously, but Azalea grabbed my hand and pulled me through the doorway, slamming it shut behind us. As she dragged me through the dank hallway, I managed to shriek, “Wrinkles?!” Azalea snickered and tossed me into another room before stepping inside as well. With a quick flip of her wrist, the door was locked with a final click.
“What do you think you’re…” I frowned, and with an exasperated sigh Azalea motioned towards a folding screen in the corner of the room. When I answered with a blank stare, she groaned, “Go undress! The maid will start the water for you. Are all future girls this dimwitted?”
“But I just have to get dressed again, right? Do I have to bathe?” I asked, dumbfounded. I didn’t want to undress in front of strangers who expected to bathe me…
“Yes,” Azalea snapped. “You do have to bathe before wearing my clothes. I don’t know how you future girls go about with cleanliness, but we bathe before we change into nicer cloths in this era.”
“But I took a shower this morning,” I whined. “Wait, you only bathe when you change clothes?”
“Mmhhmm,” Azalea looked smitten, “We believe in cleanliness in this household.” By the appearance of her dress, she had been wearing that for at least a couple of days. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that we bathed every day in the future. Speaking if which, I was now stranded in the past with no means of getting back to the future. In order to come home again, I needed to play along with the bizarre strangers.
“Err… Can I do it?” I asked shyly. “I know how to bathe myself, promise.”
Azalea eyed me warily before muttering, “Unorthodox American ninny…” and stepping towards the door. “I’ll expect you to be done in a half hour, know-it-all girl.”
“I heard that ‘American’ comment,” I snapped. Azalea snickered a “Don’t forget to wash behind your ears,” before silently shutting the door.
Making quick time out of the half hour I was given to freshen up, I filled the bath with water. Lucky for me, the bath was behind the folding screen. I took the quickest bath I could while still being thorough before stepping out and wrapping a towel around myself. Apparently it was freezing in London, and the chilly air gave me shivers. Only seventeen minutes had passed out of the thirty, and I was uncertain how to proceed. The clothes were hanging on the folding screen, but I had no clue how to put them on. I looked around for my regular clothes, but Azalea must have snatched them up while I was bathing. “Am I being Punk'd?” I wondered aloud for the second time that day.
Refusing to ask for help, I tried my best to put the foreign clothes on. I inspected the dress that hung limply against the screen. I awkwardly put on the bloomers and the corset, but I couldn’t tie it in the back. With a frustrated growl, I inspected my reflection in the vanity. I looked out-of-place in this strange time. I realized that the thing that made me stand out most was my dark tan. Azalea was very pale, along with her brother. Dacre had a little more color, but just a miniscule amount. My usually pin-straight hair had a few curls in it. Hmm, that was interesting. Was it the shampoo?
“Azalea, what do—,” Dacre started, but he cut off when he stared at me with a slack jaw. There was an awkward pause, but I couldn’t tell why.
“Ah, hello Dacre,” I smiled. “Just in the nick of time. Would you mind helping me lace up my corset?”
DACRE’S POV
“Ah, hello Dacre,” she smiled. “Just in the nick of time. Would you mind helping me lace up my corset?”
She stood there, her hair dripping wet and curly—hmmm, could it be the shampoo?—with her shoulders, arms, and legs bare. I couldn’t pry my eyes off of her bare skin, and she just stood there with a oblivious smile. Anger flashed through me, and I growled, “Are you trying to get raped?”
Payton frowned, and I turned so that my back was to her. “Miss Smith,” I elaborated, “in this era women do not show bare skin. And they do not ask men to tighten their corsets, unless they are married.” I paused for thought, and then added, “Or whores. Unless they are married or whores.”
“My bad,” Payton snickered. “What, are you going to have a nosebleed if you give me a few pointers? At least give me a hint on how to figure this thing out.”
I uncertainly turned around, avoiding eye contact with her. My face was an embarrassing shade of red. “I’ll… I’ll go get Azalea,” I stuttered before scurrying past her to go through the door. She snickered as she spanked my bum as I walked by. “Try not to run into any more naked girls!” she called out loudly behind me. Her laughter was only muffled by the door once I slammed it shut behind me.
A scowl appeared on my face. “What on Earth happened in there?” Lionel asked with an appalled expression.
“What happened?” I repeated incredulously. “The girl has no sense of self-preservation!” With that, I went to find Azalea.