Changing Grace (5 page)

“Here, take a look at the back of the portrait.”

Grace took the frame from him, examining the picture. It was as she had remembered it; a painting of her and Robert done some four hundred years ago.

“I can’t see anything I haven’t already seen on this, Harry.”

“Take a look at the back of the portrait,” he repeated.

Grace knew what was coming. She had defaced another portrait. But what she couldn’t figure out this time was how she had managed to do it to this one. Fearfully she turned it over and read the inscription out loud.

“
Dear Harry,

“
Grace is going to come and see you on the 15
^th
December 2011. It will be snowing outside when she arrives. (That was for Grace’s benefit as she is still convinced that she is mad). She will give you a message. Listen to her and act on it. As much for your own benefit as hers.

“
Oh and Harry, your uncle Robert says to tell you that he had no idea you were family. Between you and me he is very proud of the way you run the pub. But I worry about how much whisky you are drinking. Please make Grace a promise that you will stop drinking?

“
Your friend from beyond time,

Grace Hamilton.
”

She wasn’t shocked. Grace was passed being shocked by anything anymore. She did agree with one sentiment from the letter however, and that was that Harry drank way too much.

“Well, what do you think of that then?”

“I think that I have gone crazy, Harry. You are just a figment of my imagination and I am somehow going around defacing seventeenth century portraits.”

“I can assure you, girl, that I am as real as this here pub. As for defacing portraits, well you got me there because this certainly does sound as though you wrote it. But look at it, Grace. It’s faded so much it is almost impossible to make out the words. But they’re your words and they’re written with a modern hand and a modern pen. I would say at a guess a ballpoint.”

She had to agree. The writing was faded and so were the words on the portrait in her room. She had neither the skill nor the knowledge to artificially age ink.

“What do you think it all means?” she asked, wide eyed and confused.

“Not being a genius or anything, I am going to make an educated guess. Grace you are going to go back in time.”

The idea wasn’t foreign to her. She had repeated it to herself over the past week more times than she cared to remember. But that didn’t make it any less ridiculous.

“Well that is all fine and dandy as an idea and it’s not a bad fantasy. But please tell me how I am supposed to go back in time?”

Harry smiled and shrugged.

“I don’t know, Grace but I do know that I was just told to listen to your message, so how’s about we shut up the pub and go lift a few floorboards.”

“You know, Harry, I have some shopping to do, the library to go to and I would also like to get to see Kate this evening. I’m gonna leave you to it, if you don’t mind. Those boards have been down for four hundred years and I don’t think it will take you just five minutes to shift them.”

“Right you are, girl,” he said moving to hug her. “You take care of yourself, now. Do you hear me?”

Grace nodded and hugged the greying man back. “I’ll pop in after work tomorrow and see what you found. It’s all very exciting.”

When Grace emerged onto Stonegate she was shocked to find that the gentle snowfall of earlier had turned into quite a blizzard. She shivered and pulled the collar of her coat up around her neck. It was ten days before Christmas and the city heaved with the traditional bustle of the season. She looked up at the string of lights that adorned the street. They looked so beautiful when they came on. Christmas always took her mind back to her childhood. She supposed it must do the same for everyone. There was nothing in this world as exciting as the fantasy of Father Christmas. She sighed at the memory of how simple life had seemed back then. Children don’t question, they just blindly accepted, she thought, watching a young mother hurrying down Stonegate with her little boy’s hand tightly clutched in hers.

The snow fell heavier as she made her way through the city, purchasing the items listed on the back of the portrait. She wondered dimly what they were for; but her mind was so far past the point of reason that she lost the thought almost as fast as she had it.

The oversized back pack grew heavier until its weight on her back became a burden. She slung both straps over her shoulders and proceeded through the city.

Night was falling fast and the pavements had become almost impassable with snow. Her shoes were totally unsuitable for the conditions and her feet burned with the cold. She headed away from the city and towards Kate’s house.

Everything looked so different with a thick covering of snow on the ground. The house came into view. Grace made her way towards the door and knocked. A few moments later, Kate answered.

“Grace! Are you ok?”

“I’m fine. Do you mind if I come in?”

“No, of course I don’t mind. Sorry, come in Grace. You look soaked to the skin.”

Kate took Grace’s hand and pulled her through the door into the warmth of the hallway.

“What on earth are you doing? No one should be out in this. Why didn’t you get a taxi? Do you want a glass of wine?”

Grace nodded, wrapping her arms around herself trying to warm up. She moved to stand in front of the radiator, lifting her hands over the gentle heat that radiated from it. Her fingers burnt and she knew there was a reason she shouldn’t keep her hands in the heat. But her mind had forgotten that reason and the only coherent thought she could manage was that she needed to get warm.

“Here you go, hun. Get this down you, it’s mulled wine. It’ll warm you up nicely,” she said, handing Grace a large warm glass of red wine. “I haven’t boiled it, just heated it a bit.”

“Thanks, Kate. This is lovely,” she said, taking a sip of the warm liquid and enjoying the heat it brought to her as it slid down the back of her throat.

“You know, Grace, don’t take this the wrong way hun, but you look dreadful. Are you still feeling rattled by that silly old bat from Monday night?”

Grace shook her head and took another sip of the warm wine.

“No, I’m fine, honestly. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”

“Are you still having trouble sleeping in that room?”

“No. Honest Kate, I’m absolutely fine. As I said, just need a good night’s sleep and I’ll be good as new.”

Grace emptied the last of the liquid from the glass.

“Want some more?”

“That would be nice, thanks.”

“Fancy watching a film?” Kate asked, returning with two filled glasses.

“I can’t. It’s getting late and the weather is dreadful. I only came for a quick chat.”

“No worries, Grace. Anything in particular you wanted to chat about?”

“Well actually there was. It’s about your desk, you know the one that Robert made his wife.”

“You mean the one that he made for you?”

“Don’t mess around, Kate. That’s just daft and we both know it.”

“How so? You know Harry believes you are going to go back in time.”

“Think about what you are saying. It’s not possible. No one has ever done it.”

“No one that you know about. People go missing all the time.”

“Yes, they do. I did it myself, but I’ve not travelled in time. I just left my husband and moved to York.”

“I wondered what happened. Thought it might be something like that but I didn’t like to ask. Figured you would tell me when you were ready.”

“I hadn’t intended telling anyone. I hope you will keep it to yourself, Kate. Jack is a dangerous man and I can’t risk him finding me.”

“Your secret is safe with me, hun. I promise, I won’t tell a living soul.”

“Thank you.”

“No worries. But it won’t matter one day because you won’t be here anymore.”

“There is the chance the medium was right,” she said, feeling the sick knot in her stomach tighten.

“I don’t mean that you’re going to die, you Muppet. You’ll be four hundred years in the past. He’s hardly likely to find you there.”

“Enough, Kate. It won’t happen.”

“If you say so. Here, give me your glass and I’ll get us both another.”

Grace stared as the lights on the Christmas tree flashed in her eyes. They blurred and the colours blended like a halo around the tree. She could see the hazy outline of his face forming in the glow. His eyes found her and a gentle smile spread across his face. She lifted her hand and stretched her fingers towards him.

“I love you?” he whispered as the hazy outline of his features started to fade.

“Here you go, Grace,” she said, handing her friend the filled glass.

Grace took the glass from her but continued to stare, unblinking at the tree.

“Mesmerising, aren’t they?” Kate said, sitting cross legged on the floor.

Grace blinked and the image faded. She was suddenly aware of the sound of the wind howling against the window.

“I’d better not be too much longer, it sounds nasty out there.”

“You want me to call you a taxi?”

“No, it’s not far. I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?”

Grace nodded and took a few sips from the glass.

“Can I use your bathroom before I leave?”

“Course, it’s up there.”

Grace picked up her handbag and made her way towards the stairs. She shuddered as a gust of wind lashed against the landing window. I certainly hope it’s stopped snowing out there, she thought to herself as she made her way into the bathroom.

She looked at herself in the mirror above the sink. Her cheeks were sunken and her skin pale and grey. She turned the tap on and splashed cold water onto her face. It left the sting of a slap on her cheeks but she felt better for it. Opening her handbag she found the anti-depressant tablets. She popped one out of its bubble and dropped the tablet into her mouth.

“Feeling a bit better?” Kate asked as Grace returned to the room.

“A bit, thanks,” she said reaching for the backpack. “Kate, before I go, I have a message for you.”

“Ok, who from?”

“Well I can’t really tell you that.”

“Right,” replied her friend a little sceptically, “Can I just ask if Harry is behind this?”

“This has nothing to do with Harry, although I did have a message for him as well.”

“Cool. So what’s the message then?”

“It’s... just that, you know the drawer in your desk?”

“Which one?”

“One of the lower drawers has a false bottom to it.”