CHAPTER 3 – WHAT’S IT LIKE IN THE COLONIES?

To cry once in a day was unusual for Elvie. She wanted to be strong and brave, the way her parents had raised her. But here, in England, where everything was so different, and of course, without her parents – she didn’t know if she could be. How could she have travelled to a forest, or to England? It was an important question, but not more so than what distressed her most: how do I get back home?

Eldridge Calderbrook appeared to be a kind and honest man, what she could only describe as a true English gentleman. If he was noble, which his expensive clothes and car loudly declared, he would be educated. Did that mean she could trust him?

Elvie’s tears were too much for Eldridge, and he threw his arms around her and drew her into his cloak. ‘I’m sorry, my dear. For whatever is upsetting you. You only have my word, but I’m known to be an honest man – a gentleman of the court no less. I don’t like to see anyone in distress, let alone one so young. Now, let me ask a question which I have found this to be insensitive from time to time, what with the Great War and all… Where are your parents?’

Through her tears, Elvie could barely reply. ‘Gone. They’re gone.’

He sighed. ‘It has become common enough. Urchins everywhere – children who’ve lost as much as any other. I know you’ve no reason to trust me, but if you would like, I’ll take you back to my estate and make you a nice cup of tea. Things always look better once you’ve had tea. I promise, as a Christian man with a title, you will be safe in my care.’

Elvie didn’t know why, but she believed this man. No malice or threat was obvious, so she made up her mind. Without trust, she’d be left in the street. What other choice was there? ‘Alright, I’ll come with you.’

‘We need to be quick, the storm is not long off, and I’d rather have both us and the car indoors before it decides to drench us.’ He opened the door to his car and she slipped across the delicate white leather. The door closed with a thud, and moments later Eldridge sat in the front pulled away.

‘She’s not fast, but she’ll outrun the storm. We’ll get a bit of the chill, but I hope to avoid the wet.’ Elvie didn’t reply as he only made polite conversation.

The landscape drifted by in a steady procession of houses and shops, which gave way to grassy fields, and a speckling of trees. Everything looked bigger, greener and leafier from where she sat. Some farmers worked ploughs in the fields; if they were close enough they’d doff their hats and give a quick nod before continuing their work. That didn’t happen in Australia.

‘So… what’s it like in the colonies?’ Eldridge drew her into conversation.

‘Hot, most of the time, it’s hot.’

‘And the prisoners? Are you… I mean, are they, or there children perhaps, still the source of trouble down there?’

‘What prisoners?’ Elvie idly scratched at her arm where grass clung. 'There might have been some a long time ago.'

‘Ah well. Um. Indeed, I’m not sure now – it’s not been a particular area of interest for me.’ Elvie understood, she’d never liked Mathematics and despite the best intentions of her teachers, she didn’t pay attention either. ‘I’m truly sorry of course, didn’t mean to impugn your honour.’ This time she had no idea what he was talking about. ‘Now I don’t want to be forward, but I cannot call you ‘my dear’ all day?’

‘My name is Elvie Harper,’ she said. She paused to consider whether she should ask the question which plagued her most, but quickly gave in to the desire. ‘How can you use magic?’ For a thirteen year old, the reality of magic’s existence was not much of a stretch of the imagination.

Caught off guard, Eldridge shifted in his seat. ‘I was taught of course, like everyone who wishes to do magic. You must have aptitude though, if you know what I mean?’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘No? Well, I believe you’d be able to do it yourself.’

‘Why doesn’t everyone do magic? Wait – why don’t they know about magic?’ She’d heard of magicians and performers, seen a few on television, but she’d never heard about anyone doing real magic. An hour earlier, she would have said that was impossible.

‘That my dear, is an excellent question. But it has a simple answer. Those folk who do magic, we don’t advertise it. There were times when a bit of magic found you swinging from the noose or burnt at the stake. Nobody wants a return to those days, so we’ve kept to ourselves – all the different countries have. Rumours get out, you know, but there’ll always be whispers and the common folk don’t take them seriously.’

‘But there is another reason. If everybody knew, well, they’d clamour at your door all hours of the night to all hours of the morning, wanting you to make something for them, wanting you to heal their sick child. We aren’t gods my dear, whatever some of my fellow magicians might think. We do what we can. Indeed, my previous car here, for example,’ he patted the shiny cedar dashboard reassuringly. ‘She is the most difficult construct I can manage, and I’ve worked with her for twelve years.’

It sounded reasonable. ‘But you don’t actually have an engine, so wouldn’t it be easy to imagine it?’

Eldridge chuckled. ‘You’d be surprised, you’d be surprised. I do cheat though – I don’t make the whole car my construct. You see, the key to any good magic is to supplement what is already there.’ He smiled at her in his fatherly way. ‘There might have been a time when magicians were strong enough to cast the greatest constructs, to build wonders with nothing but the power of their mind – why people say the legendary Abakus could create his entire house, every inch! Nyandr could supposedly build weapons of war so powerful city walls would cease to exist! But never mind an old man. My mind wanders as I age – although, to my unending surprise, the dreams become greater too. But those days are long gone now.’

Elvie paused to take in the information. Was it all real? Assuming people could do magic, which did appear to be the case, it made sense they could make things out of magic. It would also explain how she had found herself travelling in the blink of an eye. She needed to keep an open mind – take in all the information and then decide.

The wind picked up as they headed into the countryside, and with it the cold. Having been in Australia at one point in the day, Elvie didn’t have the right clothes on to be exposed to the elements for long. Thankfully her mother had requested she put on a thicker dress, as it would have become cooler in the afternoon when the wind came up.

After a time, she returned to her original question. ‘So where did you learn –‘ She cut herself off as Eldridge slowed the car and made to turn. Just as the sky threatened to open, he pulled into a driveway with a wrought iron double gate. A man in a suit waited out front and hustled to pull it open.

With a wave, Eldridge drove through. ‘That’s Max. A pleasant soul; he does most of the gate work and tends the grounds a bit too. A good man.’

For several more minutes, they drove the grounds of Eldridge’s estate. This area differed from the drive out of London. Before the land was rough and natural, but now the grass was smooth and clipped. Walking avenues had been shaped by trees, which were surrounded by flowers, statues, and the occasional pond. A gazebo hung upon the edge of one large pond, hunkered amongst floating white lilies and reeds. It was an altogether beautiful sight.

The final jewel in the crown was the beautiful house which dominated the end of the driveway. From a distance, she could tell it was huge – and old, judging by the rough-hewn stones. From her view, it was square in shape and built from a moss-covered yellow sandstone. Large shuttered windows dominated the front of the building, offering brief glimpses into the beautiful house inside. What appealed to Elvie most, was the entrance itself. A beautiful cherub fountain frothed water into the air in front of a double-columned entranceway with a thick brown door.

He parked the car in front and they departed to enter the house.