Getting out of London was not going to be as straightforward as Eldridge hoped it to be. He confessed as much later that night, as they sat in the garden-wing room playing a game of chess.

The garden wing of Buckingham Palace did not lack for beauty. Being on the outskirts, the seclusion offered would have been very nice – so long as it was not the only thing on offer. Within the buildings, polished wood glistened in the overhead light, with thick fur rugs thrown along the floor to contain the warmth. The walls featured a selection of stern-looking figures who cast their eyes down on those who walked the hallway, like they were moments from finalising their judgment. For Elvie, the judgmental eyes were something she could tolerate amongst the rest of the beauty.

A fire crackled as Eldridge pondered his move on the board. ‘I prayed it would be a smooth process, but being a member of the royal family is always complicated, even if I am one loosely bound by blood. I’ve provided that we will be travelling to Calderbrook tomorrow in order to attend to the affairs of my estate, but I wait upon the King’s reply. I was summoned here, after all, so courtesy dictates that I request my leave.’

‘I thought we’d just pack up like we were abandoning a holiday house.’

Eldridge frowned at the idea. ‘Well, I’m not the only one who needs permission to leave. You are in service to the Queen, my dear, despite your ‘banishment’. I’ve made a formal request as your ward for you to travel with me when we depart.’

‘Thank you,’ she smiled. ‘I think I’ve had enough of the city for a while. London is nice and all in this time, but I think I’m not a city person.’

‘You know, in all this time you have never told me a great deal about yourself.’ Eldridge gave Elvie a warm smile, moving a pawn forward a single space.

Elvie sighed. ‘I just… worry. I don’t know how to explain it. If I think about it too much it’s upsetting. Then there is the whole time travel part – it’s hard to know what to think about time travelling from the future into the past. What if I do something, cause something to change?’

‘Is the future such a happy place?’

Elvie shrugged her reply. ‘I don’t think so. There are wars and sickness, and I guess lots of people are suffering too. I’m starting to realise I didn’t understand a great deal about my own time. I didn’t know the dangers. I didn’t know how hard things could be. I didn’t know much of anything. My parents kept me safe from harm.’

Eldridge was intrigued but sensed Elvie didn’t want to talk on the topic. ‘I’m hoping a trip to the estate will bring you some joy, and perhaps we can work through some of these ideas when we go. But for now, we wait on the King’s pleasure.’

And wait on the King’s pleasure was exactly the right phrase to use. The King appeared in no hurry to grant their request to depart, and time dawdled out to three full days before Eldridge finally returned with permission. ‘Even so, it’s on pain of recall, and with some conditions to follow in the future.’ He sighed loudly. ‘If we were hoping to quietly retire to Calderbrook, we were entertaining delusions. The world is not yet done with us; I am to meet with the King this afternoon to receive my final instructions. Then we can depart.’

Elvie packed the measly amount of belongings she had in the palace, while Eldridge met with the King. Although, she reflected, measly wasn’t quite accurate anymore. While Elvie did not have many personal items, the Queen had furnished her with some beautiful clothing. Wealth was not something she struggled with, and she was not going to have someone who looked like a peasant playing with her daughter, as they wore nothing but a burnt purple cloak. Fine leggings, skirts, vests and frilly shirts had been provided for her, even a selection of hats – a bonnet of some sort, while the other had a wider brim which she could have worn in her own time.

Finally, the Queen had provided a plain grey cloak. With black embroidery set into the grey, the cloak had an understated effect Elvie liked. However, it wasn’t the same as her purple cloak, which she inspected for the umpteenth time in the window’s sunlight. Dragging her fingers along the singed and charred mass of the edges, she suppressed the feelings desperately arising in the back of her mind. As the Queen had told her – this cloak could not be worn again.

‘That’s not going to be practical,’ she declared to it, poking at the burnt arm. Unless there was a new fashion trend of only having one sleeve on your clothing, this was going to need to be replaced. The thought brought a sense of nostalgia; strangely, Elvie had never realised how much comfort the purple cloak brought. It was an anchor to one of the few places which created a sense of belonging in the past.

A knock on the door drew her attention, and she rushed to open it.

‘Eldridge, you’re back qui–’

The door did not frame Eldridge, but instead the regally dressed form Sir Josiah Jennings.

‘Baroness,’ he greeted her with his trademark snake smile. ‘Or do you still prefer to go by Eldridge’s Ward?’

She hesitated, biting back the instant reply. He had royal blood running through his veins, after all, and her newfound understanding of the court led to the conclusion that his power and authority could lead to consequences. No, Elvie needed to think her responses through carefully, particularly as it always felt like Jenning’s knowledge always placed him one step ahead. Don’t let him bait you into anything, she whispered as a mantra in her mind.

‘I won’t ask to come in,’ Jennings told her. ‘I but came for a quick chat – to see you and say adieu. The first time when I came to see you at Calderbrook Estate, I was, to my chagrin, not provided with the opportunity to do that.’

Jennings did not appear to expect her to reply, so she didn’t. Instead, she asked: ‘You told me that you were going to make an offer? Is that why you’re here?’

He idly waved the thought away with a ringed hand. ‘In good time, all in good time. I’ve heard you caused no end of trouble for the poor King – turned his daughter against him? Those were the very words from His Majesty's mouth.’

Elvie looked for a sign of what Jennings thought of that, but his face remained masked. Tentatively she said: ‘I do not believe I did that.’ But had she? Was that what had caused all the trouble leading to her exile?

‘Elisabeth needed little ammunition, always acting like a precocious child.’

Precocious? No, it was better not to ask. Elvie wanted to keep this short and on track.

‘If I may ask, what do you want, Sir Jennings? You have timed your arrival for the moment Eldridge has left to see the King.’ That was not a coincidence.

The Duke’s eyes fixed on her as he smirked away the accusation. ‘What I always want is what I always want – to best serve my country. I will be blunt with you, Elvie Harper of Calderbrook. I am no magician, but I know more than you may think about magic, about the realms that exist. Unlike the magicians on the Island, who research, horde their knowledge, and protect their best magic at all costs, my approach is… unfettered. Yes, that is the best way to describe it.’

Didn’t fetters have something to do with animals?

Jennings continued. ‘On the Island, they will train you to be a magician of average skill – they have done that for centuries and have become quite good at it. Well, you’ll be good at the fundamentals, of course. But what does a trained magician do once they have obtained that knowledge? Will you stay to research? Will you teach? Will you wander the world like a lost soul, as so many other magicians have?’

‘I don’t know…’ It wasn’t like her thoughts ranged further than her immediate issues.

‘No, and why would you? In the future, I can see a… collaboration between us. I can see you working with me to support my goals for this great Empire. So, remember this after the Island has tired you, after you’ve exploited all it has to offer. When you realise that you are lost, adrift, and have no purpose – when the doors to knowledge in the magical community have closed. Then, come to me and join my Royal Regiment.’

Elvie nearly laughed. ‘You’re trying to recruit me… But why?’

‘Because, Eldridge’s Ward, I can help you find the way home, help you find the way back.’

And there it was casually – an explosive casually detonated in her face.

Elvie’s mouth fell open. ‘How could you?’ she whispered in shock. How could Jennings even know she came from the future?

He smiled thinly. ‘Join the Royal Regiment, and you’ll find out.’ Strangely, he did not appear to be waiting for an answer on whether she wanted to, or not. ‘For now, enjoy your trip. I am sure we’ll be in touch soon.’

The Duke of Cambridge’s blue cape twirled as he left, leaving Elvie standing open-mouthed in the wake of his departure.

She started at his back, stunned, desperately trying to resist the temptation to find out how he knew. Even at sixteen, Elvie could see the trap in his words. Should she reach out and take the bait without knowing the cost? That knowledge Jennings would not surrender easily.

Closing the door to the room, she leaned against it, heart fluttering in her chest.

What had just happened? From every prior conversation, it appeared that Sir Jennings disliked her, not that he wanted to recruit her to this Royal Regiment… or whatever he had created. Why would that have changed, and what did he want from her now? The Duke was a snake hovering above a young chick, mouth open and fangs oozing poison as he seeded the ground to draw her in.

Two things were crystal clear to Elvie. Firstly, and now immediately clear, Jennings knew that she came from the future. Secondly, he wanted something from her as a result of that.

‘Knowledge,’ she thought to the cat inside her. ‘I’m always two steps behind on everything that happens because I never have the knowledge to stay ahead.’

The cat gave a rare answer Elvie agreed with wholeheartedly: ‘It is time to find it.’