Second Entry
Welcome again, good reader. This is a brief entry in which I shall conclude the tale of my arrival in this time.
It took me a little while to adapt to my new surroundings. The pace of life in the twenty first century very nearly took my breath away at first. I, who have faced down a ravenous pack of thrall-beasts and who confronted a vengeful Santeria Orisha, found myself feeling lost and not a little afraid.
Everything and everyone I had ever known was lost to the sands of time, and despite my being one who has always prided myself on my independent nature, I must admit to feeling a terrible despair and loneliness in those first few weeks.
Goodness. That was beginning to sound a little maudlin, and I have never been one to wallow in self-pity!
The gentleman from the government who had greeted me on arrival stayed in the house to help me adjust and I found him a boon. He was always available with a friendly ear and a sage word, and he taught me much about the advances of the twentieth century that I had missed. He never overstepped the bounds of decency, and he was not overfamiliar with me; indeed I sensed a reticence in him, as though he were afraid to say too much to me. I suppose this must come from whatever dossier his agency may have on me and my exploits; it must be a strain on him to know so much about me that I do not know and be unable to tell me for fear of tampering with the timeline.
My new friend... let us call him Mr. Smith, although that is not his name, introduced me to television and provided me with several DVDs of important historical events that I would need to be aware of to navigate this period. He also provided reading material on motor cars, computers, and all manner of modern marvels that you, my friends, probably all take for granted. Take electricity, for just one example. In my time, mankind was taking its first steps towards harnessing this mighty power, but you all use it everyday, without a second thought on its ingenuity, and without it all of your other devices would not function. In short order I was up to speed, to use the modern parlance. Whilst there was much that was still strange to me, I felt sufficiently prepared reacquaint myself with the world and begin anew my life.
Mr. Smith was not alone in providing me with company in those first weeks; my solicitors had retained a modest staff to maintain the house in my absence and to work for me now I am returned.There was Harforth, the butler, whose family had been in service to mine for as long as there have been Harforths and Kincaids. It may be a relationship that goes farther back than that; family legend tells of our ancestors and theirs being cited in the Domesday Book. His wife, Mrs Harforth unsurprisingly, was both Housekeeper and Cook, there being little need for both during my absence and little more requirement now, since I do not entertain. There is also a maid, Anna, who performs any task required by Mrs Harforth in the running of the house. Finally there is a gardener of Eastern European extraction, possibly Bohemian, named Josef who is young and attractive and I think rather taken with Anna.
But I have bored you enough with the ephemera of the domestic, I’m sure you did not begin reading this to learn of the intricacies of my household. Tomorrow I shall begin recounting some of my earlier adventures, but I take my leave for the moment.