CHAPTER 13 - Driving the horseless carriage
DALE LIFTED OLIVIAfrom his lap where she had crawled while weeping, set her aside, and exited the car. Then held out his hand to her, all composed courtesy.
“Come. If you still desire it, we can go to Oxford tomorrow.”
The prosaic comment after that stunning kiss left her momentarily disoriented. Obviously, he had not been as affected as she had been. Recovering and attempting to match his casualness, she took his proffered hand and followed him outside.
“You will have to drive this thing back,” he said. “I do not know how it works. Although I would like to learn someday, if you don’t mind teaching me.”
“I don’t mind at all. In fact... want to try right now?” She added, a hint of mischief to her smile. “It’s easy. I bet driving a carriage with several horses attached to it is much more difficult.”
He appeared taken aback for a moment but recovered and, smiling, opened the passenger door for her. “If you trust me not to wreck it, I would love to try.”
He took the driver's seat and put his hands on the wheel as he had seen her do. “What do we do now? How do I make it move?”
“First, adjust the seat and mirrors to your size. You look cramped in their current position. See there,” — she pointed to the side of the seat — “push that button to move the seat, and that other if you want to adjust the backrest.”
He did just that, tensing for a moment when the seat moved beneath him. He quickly got the hang of it and adjusted the seat to where it was comfortable.
“Now adjust the mirrors so that you can see behind you,” she instructed. After he had done that, she pointed toward his feet. “You have two pedals by your feet. The one to the left is the brake, and the one on the right is the gas, the one that makes the car move. Step on the brake, and then grab this lever and move it to the ‘D’. After that, release the brake pedal and the car will move. If you want to give it more power, slowly step on the gas.
He let go of the break, and the car inched forward. Startled, he stepped back on the brake. He let go of the break again, and this time, when the car moved, he was prepared.
“Now use the wheel to direct the car. You will want to keep straight most of the time, unless you are on a curve. The car will tell you how much to turn.”
He grabbed the wheel in a white knuckled grip and guided the car forward, a frown of concentration appearing between his eyebrows despite the light of excitement in his eyes.
“I am doing it. I am driving the horseless carriage.” He said with an excited smile.
Guys! They loved cars no matter what century. She enjoyed watching his excitement and well-remembered her first time driving a car. It had been a heady feeling. Her father had been so patient while he’d taught her to drive. Tears sprang to her eyes unbidden, and she blinked rapidly to wipe them away. A knot had formed in her throat, choking out speech. Oh papa! Will I ever see you again?
Her parents would be devastated if she disappeared, and the thought of their pain was more than she could bear, so before she dissolved into tears again, she cut that line of thought.
She had not made a sound, and Dale had seemed so focused on driving, surely he hadn’t noticed her crisis. Good.
“What is the matter?” he asked quietly. Had noticed, after all. “Tell me.”
She saw no reason not to. “I was thinking about my family. How devastated they are going to be if I can’t return. And how much I miss them.”
He hit the brake, and the car jolted to a halt. Both their seat belts locked, and she looked at him, startled.
“Why did you stop so abruptly?”
“Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. It is just that I had not thought... How remiss of me not to realize that you may have a family. Are you married?” His tone was neutral, but it hid a darker note, speaking of inner turmoil. Was he upset at the thought of her being married?
“No! I am...” She started to say she was divorced, when she remembered that divorce did not become socially acceptable until the twentieth century. If she said she was divorced, he might judge her immoral, maybe even an adulterer, since that was the only reason divorces were granted in the nineteenth century. She was at his mercy. So far he had treated her with respect and kindness, but that might change if he thought her a loose woman. She could not afford that. “I am not married. When I referred to my family, I meant my parents.”
Was that relief she saw in his eyes? He definitely seemed to relax. Until he frowned. But why should he care?
He reached out and covered her hand where it rested in the center console of the car, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I know you must worry about your family most dreadfully, but please don’t despair. We will do all in our power to find out how you got here and how you might get back.”
