Dusty Footprints in Time - chapter 5
Myka smiled in her sleep. She was having the best dream. She was naked in bed with Helena and her lovely fiancée was doing all sorts of wonderful things to her. She sighed happily as Helena’s lips brushed against her breast. Myka’s eyes opened and she looked down to see Helena’s lips wrapped around her nipple.
“God that feels good,” she said a little hoarse. “But we can’t,” she mumbled in a weak protest.
Myka’s eyes fluttered shut again as Helena’s talented hands and mouth teased her body until she shook and came with a quiet whimper. She finally opened her eyes again and looked at Helena’s grinning face resting on her stomach. Myka caressed Helena’s cheek.
“Good morning, darling,” Helena said and giggled.
“Good morning to you too,” Myka said and grinned. “You’re trouble, Helena Wells.”
Helena ran a finger over Myka’s sensitive center, again causing Myka to gasp and shiver. She removed her hand and rested it on Myka’s thigh slowly tracing little patterns on Myka’s soft skin.
“You were saying, darling?” Helena teased. She covered Myka’s stomach with kisses.
“Helena, are you crazy? What if someone comes in?”
Helena chuckled and ran her tongue from Myka’s bellybutton to her hip bone causing all sorts of interesting ripple effects.
“They only have kitchen servants here darling. When I was little, the maid would already have been in here by now, opening the drapes and serving me my tea.”
Myka just looked at her, amazed at the different lifestyles they had grown up with. She ran her hand through Helena‘s hair.
“Does that mean that we have time for me to return the favor?” she asked and pulled Helena up.
Helena laughed. “Perhaps. Breakfast is served for another hour.”
“Well, let’s not waste any more time then,” Myka mumbled against Helena’s neck.
*** *** ***
Helena beamed and Myka looked slightly embarrassed as they entered the dining room. HP smiled at them.
“There you are. We thought the two of you would sleep all day,” he teased.
“I was really enjoying sleeping in my old room,” Helena said and winked at him. Myka blushed furiously and quickly grabbed a plate from the breakfast buffet. With her back to the laughing Helena she scooped some scrambled eggs and sausages onto her plate.
“So, what are the two of you up to today?” HP asked Helena as she took a seat across from him.
She sipped her tea before answering. “I found something in my room last night that I would like to share with you.”
HP’s eyebrows shot up. “Another secret compartment?”
Helena smiled and nodded. “Something like that. I had totally forgotten about it,” she said and reached for the toast rack. She put a golden triangle on her plate and spread some butter on it. “I had this little metal box as a child where I kept my special little treasures; you know how children save the most ridiculous little things.”
HP nodded. “And you found yours?”
“Yes. I used to keep it under a floorboard in the closet. I never told anyone about it, not even Charles. Especially not Charles,” she said and chuckled. “To tell you the truth, I was really surprised that it was still there.”
“It’s amazing,” Myka mumbled. She met HP’s eyes across the table. “There’s a poem in there that she wrote when she was eight. Can you believe that?”
“That she wrote it, absolutely. It’s incredible that it is still intact,” he said and looked at Helena. “It is, right?”
She nodded. “It’s a bit yellow, and the ink has faded a bit, but it’s definitely in one piece. I still don’t see what all the fuss is about. It’s not very good. I mean, I was only eight when I wrote it. My understanding of poetry was very limited.”
“HP, Helena told me last night that her father had pictures taken of her and Charles when they were little. Any chance that you still have any of them? I would love to see them.”
*** *** ***
Myka held out her hands in anticipation as HP handed her a leather bound photo album. She stared down at it for a moment, admiring it. The brown leather was worn and had some darker spots indicating that it had been handled a lot. The top right metal corner was a little dull, the golden shine no longer at its prime. She gently opened it, almost fearing that it would fall apart.
She struggled a little with the elaborate handwriting on the cover page. Finally deciphering it she read out loud.
“Wells Hall, summer of 1877,” she said and smiled. Myka looked up at Helena. “You were almost eleven.”
Helena nodded and leaned closer.
“My mother wrote that,” she said and sighed. “Turn the page darling.”
Helena pointed out family members and relatives as they worked their way through the album. Most of the pictures were of groups of people and even though Helena was in several of them, Myka had trouble making out her face. Turning another page she came face-to-face with a close up of Helena. Helena was sitting on a swing, looking straight at the camera, smiling serenely. Myka just stared at the photograph for a long moment.
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. She reached out as to touch it, but stopped herself. “I love this picture.”
Helena chuckled and caressed Myka’s hair.
“I guess it’s one of the better ones. I still think that bow is hideous,” she said and laughed.
“It’s adorable, and don’t you dare say anything else,” Myka said and smiled.
“I think there might be a picture of Charles in there too,” Helena said, steering the conversation away from her outfit.
Myka turned the page and there he was. Thirteen year-old Charles looked very serious as he stared at the camera. His hair was slicked back and he was dressed like a young man, clearly not a child anymore. She looked at his eyes and saw sadness in them. She realized that Charles must have started to feel the heavy burden of adulthood already at that young age.
The next picture was of Charles and Helena together. She was standing in front of him. Charles had his hands on her shoulders, still looking serious. Helena was grinning, her eyes twinkling.
“I can tell that you were up to no good there,” Myka teased.
“What?” Helena said innocently. She grinned at Myka and then laughed.
Myka turned another page and stared at the picture. Helena was sitting on a woman’s lap. To Myka’s surprise she recognized the woman.
“Who is she?” she asked, almost fearing the answer.
“Helen Magnus, the first female doctor in England,” Helena said proudly. “She was a friend of the family, and later on she became so much more.”
“What do you mean?” Myka asked confused.
Helena glanced at HP sitting across from them. He smiled at her. Helena put her hand on top of Myka’s, caressing it gently. Finally she looked up at her.
“Myka, Helen was my first lover,” Helena admitted softly.
Myka smiled and nodded. She glanced at the picture again. Helen was younger than when Myka last saw her, but it was definitely her. Conflicted in how to respond to Helena she just smiled.
“She’s very beautiful,” she said softly. “An amazing woman.”
“She was,” Helena said and shot Myka a look, wondering about her choice of words.
“Do you know what happened to her?”
Helena shook her head and sighed.
“I went by the place where she used to work, but the entire building is gone. I guess it shouldn’t really have surprised me. Most of London looks quite different now compared to what I remember.”
Myka nodded. She knew why the building was no longer there, but she could not share the information with Helena with HP present.
“Your hair reminds me of Helen’s,” Helena whispered and touched Myka’s curly hair.
“Thank you,” Myka said and smiled at her.
“Not the color of course, but the curls are very similar.”
*** *** ***
Later that day Myka excused herself to make a phone call. Helena looked curiously at her, but went back to her conversation with HP’s sister when Myka smiled reassuringly at her.
Myka stared at the number on her cell phone for the longest time before hitting the button. She waited as it rang.
“Sanctuary for all, Kate speaking,” a chipper voice said on the other end.
“Kate?” Myka said confused, not recognizing the name. “Is Helen there?”
“Who’s asking?” the voice said, a little more guarded now.
“Myka Bering, Agent Bering, Secret Service,” Myka said, mustering up her most authoritative voice.
“Right,” the woman said, now all businesslike. “Just hold on a moment.”
Myka took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose as she waited.
“Myka! What a pleasure,” Helen Magnus said cheerfully on the other end.
“Helen,” Myka whispered.
“Are you all right dear?” Helen asked concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Myka mumbled. “Helen, you might want to sit down. I have something major to tell you.”
*** *** ***
Helen was silent on the other end when Myka finished talking. Myka almost thought that she had lost her for a moment when Helen’s voice finally broke the silence.
“Are you absolutely sure it’s her?” Helen said seriously.
“Absolutely,” Myka said.
“Dear God,” Helen whispered. “Does she know about me?”
“Not yet,” Myka said and nervously bit her lip. “I wanted to talk to you first.”
“I’d like to see her,” Helen said softly.
“Of course,” Myka said in a small voice.
“Myka dear, don’t worry,” Helen said gently. Myka could almost hear the smile in the tone of her voice. “My days with Helena are over. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I know. It’s just that I have mixed feelings about it.”
“I can understand that,” Helen said softly. “Would you like to tell her, or do you want me to meet you in London?”
“I think I should tell her,” Myka mumbled. “But I know she’ll want to see you. Who wouldn’t?” she said and chuckled. “I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t completely spellbound meeting you.”
“You give me too much credit Myka,” Helen said and laughed. “Look, I’ll be in London a week from Thursday. Will you still be there?”
“We’re leaving on Friday,” Myka said and sighed. “Perhaps we can meet in Old City? Perhaps I could change our connecting flight so we could stay the night in Old City?”
“That sounds great. And you will of course stay here. My door is always open for the two of you.”
“God that feels good,” she said a little hoarse. “But we can’t,” she mumbled in a weak protest.
Myka’s eyes fluttered shut again as Helena’s talented hands and mouth teased her body until she shook and came with a quiet whimper. She finally opened her eyes again and looked at Helena’s grinning face resting on her stomach. Myka caressed Helena’s cheek.
“Good morning, darling,” Helena said and giggled.
“Good morning to you too,” Myka said and grinned. “You’re trouble, Helena Wells.”
Helena ran a finger over Myka’s sensitive center, again causing Myka to gasp and shiver. She removed her hand and rested it on Myka’s thigh slowly tracing little patterns on Myka’s soft skin.
“You were saying, darling?” Helena teased. She covered Myka’s stomach with kisses.
“Helena, are you crazy? What if someone comes in?”
Helena chuckled and ran her tongue from Myka’s bellybutton to her hip bone causing all sorts of interesting ripple effects.
“They only have kitchen servants here darling. When I was little, the maid would already have been in here by now, opening the drapes and serving me my tea.”
Myka just looked at her, amazed at the different lifestyles they had grown up with. She ran her hand through Helena‘s hair.
“Does that mean that we have time for me to return the favor?” she asked and pulled Helena up.
Helena laughed. “Perhaps. Breakfast is served for another hour.”
“Well, let’s not waste any more time then,” Myka mumbled against Helena’s neck.
*** *** ***
Helena beamed and Myka looked slightly embarrassed as they entered the dining room. HP smiled at them.
“There you are. We thought the two of you would sleep all day,” he teased.
“I was really enjoying sleeping in my old room,” Helena said and winked at him. Myka blushed furiously and quickly grabbed a plate from the breakfast buffet. With her back to the laughing Helena she scooped some scrambled eggs and sausages onto her plate.
“So, what are the two of you up to today?” HP asked Helena as she took a seat across from him.
She sipped her tea before answering. “I found something in my room last night that I would like to share with you.”
HP’s eyebrows shot up. “Another secret compartment?”
Helena smiled and nodded. “Something like that. I had totally forgotten about it,” she said and reached for the toast rack. She put a golden triangle on her plate and spread some butter on it. “I had this little metal box as a child where I kept my special little treasures; you know how children save the most ridiculous little things.”
HP nodded. “And you found yours?”
“Yes. I used to keep it under a floorboard in the closet. I never told anyone about it, not even Charles. Especially not Charles,” she said and chuckled. “To tell you the truth, I was really surprised that it was still there.”
“It’s amazing,” Myka mumbled. She met HP’s eyes across the table. “There’s a poem in there that she wrote when she was eight. Can you believe that?”
“That she wrote it, absolutely. It’s incredible that it is still intact,” he said and looked at Helena. “It is, right?”
She nodded. “It’s a bit yellow, and the ink has faded a bit, but it’s definitely in one piece. I still don’t see what all the fuss is about. It’s not very good. I mean, I was only eight when I wrote it. My understanding of poetry was very limited.”
“HP, Helena told me last night that her father had pictures taken of her and Charles when they were little. Any chance that you still have any of them? I would love to see them.”
*** *** ***
Myka held out her hands in anticipation as HP handed her a leather bound photo album. She stared down at it for a moment, admiring it. The brown leather was worn and had some darker spots indicating that it had been handled a lot. The top right metal corner was a little dull, the golden shine no longer at its prime. She gently opened it, almost fearing that it would fall apart.
She struggled a little with the elaborate handwriting on the cover page. Finally deciphering it she read out loud.
“Wells Hall, summer of 1877,” she said and smiled. Myka looked up at Helena. “You were almost eleven.”
Helena nodded and leaned closer.
“My mother wrote that,” she said and sighed. “Turn the page darling.”
Helena pointed out family members and relatives as they worked their way through the album. Most of the pictures were of groups of people and even though Helena was in several of them, Myka had trouble making out her face. Turning another page she came face-to-face with a close up of Helena. Helena was sitting on a swing, looking straight at the camera, smiling serenely. Myka just stared at the photograph for a long moment.
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. She reached out as to touch it, but stopped herself. “I love this picture.”
Helena chuckled and caressed Myka’s hair.
“I guess it’s one of the better ones. I still think that bow is hideous,” she said and laughed.
“It’s adorable, and don’t you dare say anything else,” Myka said and smiled.
“I think there might be a picture of Charles in there too,” Helena said, steering the conversation away from her outfit.
Myka turned the page and there he was. Thirteen year-old Charles looked very serious as he stared at the camera. His hair was slicked back and he was dressed like a young man, clearly not a child anymore. She looked at his eyes and saw sadness in them. She realized that Charles must have started to feel the heavy burden of adulthood already at that young age.
The next picture was of Charles and Helena together. She was standing in front of him. Charles had his hands on her shoulders, still looking serious. Helena was grinning, her eyes twinkling.
“I can tell that you were up to no good there,” Myka teased.
“What?” Helena said innocently. She grinned at Myka and then laughed.
Myka turned another page and stared at the picture. Helena was sitting on a woman’s lap. To Myka’s surprise she recognized the woman.
“Who is she?” she asked, almost fearing the answer.
“Helen Magnus, the first female doctor in England,” Helena said proudly. “She was a friend of the family, and later on she became so much more.”
“What do you mean?” Myka asked confused.
Helena glanced at HP sitting across from them. He smiled at her. Helena put her hand on top of Myka’s, caressing it gently. Finally she looked up at her.
“Myka, Helen was my first lover,” Helena admitted softly.
Myka smiled and nodded. She glanced at the picture again. Helen was younger than when Myka last saw her, but it was definitely her. Conflicted in how to respond to Helena she just smiled.
“She’s very beautiful,” she said softly. “An amazing woman.”
“She was,” Helena said and shot Myka a look, wondering about her choice of words.
“Do you know what happened to her?”
Helena shook her head and sighed.
“I went by the place where she used to work, but the entire building is gone. I guess it shouldn’t really have surprised me. Most of London looks quite different now compared to what I remember.”
Myka nodded. She knew why the building was no longer there, but she could not share the information with Helena with HP present.
“Your hair reminds me of Helen’s,” Helena whispered and touched Myka’s curly hair.
“Thank you,” Myka said and smiled at her.
“Not the color of course, but the curls are very similar.”
*** *** ***
Later that day Myka excused herself to make a phone call. Helena looked curiously at her, but went back to her conversation with HP’s sister when Myka smiled reassuringly at her.
Myka stared at the number on her cell phone for the longest time before hitting the button. She waited as it rang.
“Sanctuary for all, Kate speaking,” a chipper voice said on the other end.
“Kate?” Myka said confused, not recognizing the name. “Is Helen there?”
“Who’s asking?” the voice said, a little more guarded now.
“Myka Bering, Agent Bering, Secret Service,” Myka said, mustering up her most authoritative voice.
“Right,” the woman said, now all businesslike. “Just hold on a moment.”
Myka took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose as she waited.
“Myka! What a pleasure,” Helen Magnus said cheerfully on the other end.
“Helen,” Myka whispered.
“Are you all right dear?” Helen asked concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Myka mumbled. “Helen, you might want to sit down. I have something major to tell you.”
*** *** ***
Helen was silent on the other end when Myka finished talking. Myka almost thought that she had lost her for a moment when Helen’s voice finally broke the silence.
“Are you absolutely sure it’s her?” Helen said seriously.
“Absolutely,” Myka said.
“Dear God,” Helen whispered. “Does she know about me?”
“Not yet,” Myka said and nervously bit her lip. “I wanted to talk to you first.”
“I’d like to see her,” Helen said softly.
“Of course,” Myka said in a small voice.
“Myka dear, don’t worry,” Helen said gently. Myka could almost hear the smile in the tone of her voice. “My days with Helena are over. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I know. It’s just that I have mixed feelings about it.”
“I can understand that,” Helen said softly. “Would you like to tell her, or do you want me to meet you in London?”
“I think I should tell her,” Myka mumbled. “But I know she’ll want to see you. Who wouldn’t?” she said and chuckled. “I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t completely spellbound meeting you.”
“You give me too much credit Myka,” Helen said and laughed. “Look, I’ll be in London a week from Thursday. Will you still be there?”
“We’re leaving on Friday,” Myka said and sighed. “Perhaps we can meet in Old City? Perhaps I could change our connecting flight so we could stay the night in Old City?”
“That sounds great. And you will of course stay here. My door is always open for the two of you.”