Back To The Past: Jane Austen Forty One

"Since you are going to be stay with Miles, you might as well take me to Bradley's and we can tell him and Miles where we came from. I guess it is time to tell them the truth." Jennifer sighed.

"Go pack your things and I will tell Miles you are coming with us and we are going to Bradley's." Megan left to talk to Miles.

Jennifer packed some clothes. When she told Bradley the truth, he may not want her around. She hoped she and Megan weren't making a mistake.

Megan came downstairs. Miles got off the love seat and took Megan's luggage.

"Jennifer wants us to go to Bradley's so we can talk to Bradley and you. She will be down in a little bit."

Miles nodded and took Megan's luggage to his carriage.

"You and Jennifer are going to tell those young men where you came from? Vicki asked.

"Yes. Will you be upset if we tell them that you are from the future 2010? Miles and Bradley will understand more then the other people here."

"You can tell them about Bill and I. Miles and Bradley know you and Jennifer don't act like these nineteenth century women and that is why they love you." Vicki gave Megan a hug. Just then Jennifer came downstairs and she had her bag with some clothes in it. Miles came back in and took Jennifer's luggage but he looked puzzled. He loved Megan and he was sure that Megan and Jennifer weren't out to hurt anyone. He and a lot of people saw those remarkable young women save a man's life. If they were witches, they would have let the man die.

Miles helped Jennifer and Megan into the carriage. Megan and Jennifer felt like they were being led to the gallows.

The carriage traveled along the road. The trio were quiet.

"What ever you women have to tell us, it can't be that bad." Miles tried to break the silence.

"It isn't bad but it will be hard for you to understand. Jennifer and I don't understand it ourselves but I promise we aren't here to hurt anyone." Megan got out her fan.

"I know that." Miles patted Megan's hand.

They had arrived at Bradley's house. Bradley was out with his men and he walked over to the carriage. He helped Jennifer out of the carriage and kissed her cheek.

"The women want to talk to us." Miles said.

"Sure. I was done talking to my men. They are planting a new crop of tobacco. I have to keep my Jenny in cigarettes." Bradley winked at Jennifer and her heart melted.

Bradley took Jennifer's arm and Miles took Megan's arm. They went into Bradley's house.

"I have some fresh lemonade." Bradley got the glasses out of the cupboard and Jennifer helped him. They poured the lemonade.

"Why so serious?" Bradley asked.

"We need to talk to you. I just hope you will still want me in your life after we tell you our secret." Jennifer dreaded this conversation.

"Nothing you can do could make me unlove you. Even if you murdered someone. You didn't murder someone, did you?" Bradley asked.

"Of course not." Jennifer laughed.

Jennifer and Bradley bought the glasses of lemonade in and sat at the table as did Megan and Miles.

"What can be so awful?" Bradley took a sip of his lemonade.

"Bradley, I told Miles part of the conversation that Jennifer and I want to have with you and him. You know Jennifer and I are different. We aren't like other women and we were in a carriage accident. That isn't entirely true. You will find this hard to understand but well, this is how it is. Jennifer and I are from the future, the year 2010. We have been gone awhile and it is now 2011."

"How is this possible?" Bradley said slowly.

"The future, 2010, 2011? This is the 1800's. I don't understand." Miles looked confused.

"When I was in college, I heard students talk about going back into the past and wanting to go to the future but I thought they were eccentric and strange. It did peak my interest. Oh no! Are you and Megan witches?" Bradley looked at Jennifer.

"Of course not! Megan and I work in mental health nursing in 2010. We live in Indiana, a state in The United States. America. We like to write stories and we love Jane Austen. We love Jane's stories. She is a famous author in our time and all women love and admire her work. She is the most famous woman writer of the 1800's. Megan and I dressed in 1800's clothes and we contacted a medium. You know like a gypsy who tells your future and contacts the dead. So, this medium was having a seance to contact Jane. We didn't take it seriously. This medium lit some candles in a dark room at night and kept saying we are trying to contact Jane Austen. A wind blew out the candles and Megan and I passed out. When we came to, we were here in England and it was day time. We were lying beside the road. We were puzzled. There were no paved roads and a carriage came along and Jane and her family came out of the carriage. WE KNEW WE WERE IN JANE AUSTEN'S TIME. Jane and her family had heard about a carriage accident and they assumed it was us in the carriage accident. We didn't know how to tell them the truth."

"America. A seance. I have heard of them. Students in college used to do those but if they were caught, they were expelled from college. A seance bought you here? Bradley asked.

"Yes. Jane has no idea and we can't tell her." Jennifer brushed the hair back from her face.

"Megan, your husband? Is he from the future? Miles asked.

"Yes. He is in the year 2110 or 2011 now." Megan looked into Miles eyes.

"You aren't married here in our time. The future. How is this possible that you are here? I have heard of witchcraft and supernatural but, Megan this is crazy. It means you aren't married because your husband wasn't born, yet and neither were you. You are here now and I am so glad. We were meant to be." Miles hugged Megan.

"Jane. Are you going to tell her? Miles asked.

"No. We can't tell Jane about her future." Jennifer said.

"Does she get married?" Miles asked. He thought of Jane as a sister.

"Sadly, no. She was in love with a man from Ireland but her family wasn't considered good enough and another man with money fell in love with her but Jane didn't love him and she reminds an old spinster." Megan wiped a tear.

"It is alright. Poor Jane. We won't tell her. Will we Bradley? Too bad we can't tell Jane she is famous at least." Miles shook his head.

"No, we won't tell Jane. This is hard for us to swallow but we believe you. Jennifer, you love to smoke and you and Megan speak your minds. We know there was something was different about you. What can you tell us about the future?" Bradley asked.

"Where to start. England still has a royal family. Prince William is going to take a bride. His mother Princess Diana and her boyfriend died in a terrible car accident." Megan looked sad.

"Car? What is a car?" Bradley asked.

"Is it like a carriage?" Miles asked.

"A car is made out of metal and steel. It weighs 2 tons and more and isn't pulled by horses. It has an engine. You put gas in it and use a key to start it. You could be in down town Bath in 10 minutes in a car." Jennifer chimed in.

"That sounds nice. An engine? Gas? I guess I will never know about those things. Do you still have ships? Bradley asked.

"Yes. They are bigger and go faster then ships of this time. Planes are faster. They, too are made out of metal and steel and fly across the sky. They are so huge and hold 200 people or more. Two to three men fly the planes." Megan smiled.

"We have a lot of questions but this is so hard to believe. A plane." Bradley was trying to take it all in.

"You think being in the past isn't hard to figure out? We don't talk or act like you. We don't have English accents." Jennifer smiled.

"Are you ladies Americans or English?" Miles asked.

"I have Englsh in me. I am also German. America has different races of people and a lot of us have English blood in us." Megan hoped she and Jennifer had done the right thing about telling their boyfriends they had come from the future.

"I am trying to figure out the cars and planes. They sound like a better way to travel." Bradley felt like Jennifer and Megan were telling the truth.

"Is America a peaceful nation?" Miles wanted to know.

"No. The economy is bad. We have a black, negro President and they are fighting a war against the Middle East. England is having problems, too."
Megan didn't know what all they should tell their boyfriends.

"A black President? You mean like a dark guy from Africa? How is that working out? Bradley asked.

"It isn't. Don't get me started. There was a Civil War in America in the 1860's between the North and the South. The south had slaves from Africa working their cotton plantations and the south lost the war and the black slaves were free. Abraham Lincoln was President and he seemed like a nice man. I mean I had never met him but just what I read about him." Megan drank her lemonade.

"It seems like the world won't be a peaceful place. You mentioned Princess Diana?" Miles asked.

"America loved Princess Diana and England loved her. She married Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth's son. They divorced. Queen Elizabeth,the name Elizabeth has been handed down through generation and centuries. I love England and am glad they kept their Kings and Queens." Megan loved the royals.

"I am sure this is so much you can tell us. This is interesting. Divorce among the royals? It is so hard to get divorced. Marriage is for life and that is how it should be. Are Vicki and Bill from the future?" Bradley asked.

"Yes. They weren't at the seance. They were reading a book about the past and ended up here. Angel and Gretchen were at the seance but ended up in Mrs. O'Riley's yard." Jennifer giggled.

"You said Angel and Gretchen went home? Back to the future?" Bradley inquired.

"Yes. The gypsies gave us a moonstone and we contact them and they can send us back to the present like they did Angel and Gretchen." Jennifer couldn't meet Bradley's eyes when she said it.

"Those gypsies? They know about the future? They gave you a moonstone? You can go back home anytime? Bradley threw his glass on the floor and it broke.

"Bradley, Megan and I want to stay here. The gypsies know about spells and things. Is that our fault? We didn't tell them where we came from. They knew. Don't be mad. Look. I know it is hard to believe that we came from the future but meeting you has been the best moment in my life." Jennifer meant every word of it.

Bradley hugged Jennifer. "I am sorry. I love you. I don't care how you got here but I am glad you are here. You were meant to be here."

"Megan, we can get married. You don't have a husband in this time period. You are free. Marry me." Miles hugged Megan.

"Yes, Miles, I will marry you." Miles and Megan were involved in a passionate kiss.

"Get a room!" exclaimed Jennifer.

"Hey! Is anyone hungry? This future stuff made me hungry. I have a roast stew in the oven." Bradley seemed happy at this moment.

Jennifer and Bradley went in the kitchen to serve the food. It was getting dark. Megan and Miles were still kissing.

"Are you staying with me tonight?" Bradley asked.

"Yes. I bought some clothes with me. They are in Miles' carriage" Jennifer felt so happy that she and Megan had told Bradley and Miles where they came from.

Bradley, Jennifer, Megan and Miles ate a good dinner. They talked about Jane and they knew they could never tell her about her future.

It was dark now. Bradley asked Megan and Miles to stay at his house for the night. Miles and Megan agreed. They stayed in one of the rooms upstairs. Miles felt like he wasn't with another man's wife now.Megan's husband hadn't even been born, yet. Megan was his now and Miles loved Megan all night long as Bradley did Jennifer.