Like a statue, Elvie stared out over the gardens.

If you watched the trees for long enough, Elvie thought, you gained a sense of the nature of the world. Nature was relentless in its approach to life, compelled to grow, and flourish and thrive. Plants took root in places where they were safe, and had the things they needed to thrive – yet they could never fight the stronger, external forces beyond their understanding, who pushed and pulled. Sometimes they broke apart, sometimes branches snapped, or petals were pulled off. Even now, Elvie could reach out to a small flower and rip it from the ground.

Except that right now, she was the flower waiting to be torn free.

And it left her angry.

Did nature ever rage when it lost control? She knew the answer before the thought was complete. No. It just goes on.

Elvie threw herself onto the soft grass beside the flowers, taking a few deep breaths in a desperate attempt to find calm.

‘Come on, Elvie,’ she gave herself a pep talk. ‘It’s beautiful here…’

And it was beautiful. Overhead, large trees filtered the sunlight to create a soft glade of grass and flowers. A small creek babbled nearby as flowing water broke across smooth brown rocks rounded by the centuries. In a way, it was perfect, except for one small thing – the absence of another person to share it with.

Elvie had no doubt, now, that she was deliberately isolated after what had happened… No, she’d be intentionally left alone, apart from a strange insubstantial cat who refused to answer any questions.

‘I still like you, even if you’re a pain in the backside,’ she told him in her mind.

‘Your pain is my pain,’ the cat replied softly.

Grunting her frustration at what had become his typical reply, she placed her face on the ground. Even though the cat could become solid or jump in and out of her body at will, he either could not or would not communicate further. Elvie tried to draw him forth, to ask him questions about spells, travelling, or even his preferred location for scratches – but no matter what she did, the cat only communicated on his terms. In short, he spoke to her when he wanted, with little consideration for how she felt.

A typical cat.

But it just emphasised her loneliness in a place where she did not belong. Particularly here, in Buckingham Palace, with royalty, riches and politicians. No, this was not her world, and it was painfully obvious.

‘It’s strange, you know, but every time I find you, you happen to be lying face-first, on the ground?’

Oh!

‘Eldridge,’ Elvie whispered as tears formed in her eyes. She was off the ground and flinging herself into his arms before he’d barely opened them.

Eldridge hunched slightly to pull her into a hug. ‘I’ve missed you, Elvie, but I am returned. The task set for me is now done. Look at you, though. It’s only been a few months, and you’ve grown so tall.’

‘It took a long time…’ she dropped her eyes when he pushed her to arm’s length. ‘How many months has it been? I think my birthday has even passed now.’ It was hard to remember dates in the past, and besides, there had been nobody to celebrate with. Thinking of her birthday was just another thing assisting her slide into the bleakness of isolation.

‘I believe my time away was made to be a long time.’ He sighed in frustration. ‘Nevermind that, Elvie, if the contents of a letter can fill a man with worry, my dear, then your last letter certainly had my heart palpitating in my chest.’

‘I’m sorry.’ The tears came back again. ‘The last thing I wanted was for you to worry. It’s just been so horrible!’

‘For what, the truth? Never be sorry for the truth, Elvie. It is needed now, more than ever. No, you have no need for sorrow, apologies, regrets, or anything like that. It is I who must apologise. You have longed to get back to your family, and instead, were caught in the web of politics spanning the entire continent.’

‘I can’t get back, Eldridge; despite everything I’ve learned, I still don’t know the way home.’ And she’d tried, so many times now, sometimes even after desperately pleading with the cat to help her.

Eldridge appeared to consider his words carefully, responding to the pain in her voice. ‘Then we will solve these challenges together, Elvie. I will always be here for you.’

Tears openly rolled from Elvie’s eyes, and she looked away, embarrassed. You’d think as you got older, you’d cry less often – but that didn’t seem to be the case. ‘I’m glad you came today, Eldridge. Things have become.. a little… well, maybe a lot. I think I’ve been banished from the palace, out here to the gardens. Nobody said that, of course. They’re all too nice in that weirdly polite way. But the Chamberlain told me to stay in the rooms out here and wait for someone to summon me. Nobody has come though.’

‘Can you tell me what happened?’ Eldridge asked. Was that worry in his voice?

‘Well, nothing directly. But Elisabeth…’

‘The Princess?’ His tone was a little sharp, and he forcibly lowered it as he said: ‘From the start Elvie, tell me what has happened from the start.’

‘I didn’t do anything, Eldridge. I don’t know whether you know, but it was decided that I would enter the service of the Queen while you were on your mission.’

‘We all serve their Majesties, but continue, please.’

Elvie gave him a strange look. ‘Yes, well, I thought maybe I was around because I was going to be like the Sentinel. You know, protect the royal family? But that was a silly thought, I guess, and instead, they told me I would be performing simple duties for the Queen as needed. Apparently, ‘duties’ means you need to know how to knit. We took lessons together, as well. Anyway, I guess I kept Elisabeth company, and we were occasionally allowed to play together or ride a horse. That part was very nice.’

‘Then I’ll have to show you my own stable soon.’

Elvie gave a half-smile, then frowned at the memory of spending time with the Princess. ‘Then… Well, I’m not particularly sure how this happened, but I’ve been told I led the Princess astray – that I gave her foreign ideas from that ‘backwards territory of the Commonwealth that had no place in the court.’’

‘But what did you do, Elvie, precisely?’ For Eldridge, that would determine how much trouble there was to be, and how quickly he would need to move to free her from it.

‘We were just talking during our lessons – that’s all,’ Elvie replied defensively. ‘I like the Princess; she was really friendly towards me and fun to be around. But I think she’s bored. She wanted to talk about Australia, but only all the stuff like it being a prison for dangerous convicts. Seriously, is that all people in this country know about Australia? Anyway, it started with small things, like her saying we needed to ride side-saddle, to which I asked why you would bother. The Princess said that it was a thing that men could do, but a lady couldn’t… I thought was funny, and laughed.’

Eldridge hovered impatiently.

‘So… I said that women can do the exact same things as a man, couldn’t they? The Princess didn’t know what to think, and well… I thought I was only talking to Elisabeth, so I didn’t need to hide anything. I might have told her that men did exactly the same things as women where I came from, that there shouldn’t be a restriction – if someone wanted to sew, they could sew. If they wanted to be a politician, they could be a politician. What does it matter whether you’re a man or a woman.’

Eldridge scratched his head. ‘Those ideas are rather progressive for this time. Have you converted the Princess into an advocate for gender equality?’

‘Does advocate mean you support something? Yes, well – maybe? I don’t know about that. But then the Queen heard about it and came to talk to me about what the Princess had told her. They don’t really take no for an answer if you say you don’t want to talk.’

‘The Princess and the Queen?’ Eldridge sounded sceptical.

‘They just asked me questions, and I responded honestly, or kind of honestly. I swear, I didn’t even realise that this whole gender thing existed or was such an issue.’

‘It’s a bit of an issue after the Great War. Women served this country fittingly in various jobs, many of which men had only previously held… I guess I can see why the Queen would be interested in gathering diverse opinions.’

‘It’s not like I can hide it, Eldridge,’ she told him.

‘Hide what?’ he asked, confused.

‘Who I am. I’m from the future, and I have different ideas about some things that I don’t really question because they were just part of my life growing up. I guess they were how my parents raised me to be. And those feel natural. In contrast, I rarely know the rules of the past. On the Island, it just seemed like I didn’t know anything about magic… which made sense. But here, I don’t know anything about the world.’

‘But surely you are learning?’

‘Yes, I am… But I always risk people finding out, especially when they’re all smart people who stare at me like I’m a mystery piece in a jigsaw. I need to get away from here…’

‘On that, we can agree. But why are you banished to the garden wing?’

Elvie shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. I was trying to be kind and friendly to everyone, like Rilla would be. I even tried to be shy a few times, not that I think that worked very well. When the ladies asked me questions while knitting… I just answered them.’

‘And…?’

‘I guess their husbands didn’t like it? It wasn’t the Queen that put me here, I think, but the King. I haven’t seen the Princess, the Queen or anyone since. They bring me anything I want, but I just sit in the gardens, lonely and waiting.’

Eldridge hugged her tight. ‘I assume the King was worried about your influence.’

‘Seriously, I’m fifteen. What sort of influence could I have?’

Eldridge sighed. ‘The worst, in his views. Change is often feared, particularly if it comes at a rapid pace. I’m sorry, Elvie. It’s politics to the core.’

Elvie was silent in response as she stared out across the garden. This world was largely identical, and yet it was so different at the same time. But that didn’t make her ideas wrong; in fact, if anyone’s ideas were wrong, surely it was the people in the past?

‘You called my ideas ‘progressive’ – what does that mean?’

‘It means that they are ideas of change – as in, progress.’

‘Is progress bad?’

‘Well.. that would depend on who you ask. If you use the word progress by itself, then you might think of things changing for the better. But change often comes at the expense of something else, and there are those with strong beliefs and traditions that don’t like the idea – not one bit. Dealing with magic for my entire life has made me more willing to accept change. However, there are those who will fight tooth and nail to resist it, no matter the consequence.’

Elvie considered his words for a time before replying. ‘But I look at your world, at London, and think there are things that should change. The past is so violent, and scary, and so often I don’t feel safe… I’ve burnt a man alive…’ Her voice caught at those words causng Eldridge to try and draw her back into a hug. Elvie pushed on. ‘I’ve thought about it a lot since I’ve been banished out here. I didn’t have much else to do when it’s just a garden, and you sit... But I don’t look at your world and think it's perfect. I wasn’t very old when I left my time, but even I’d been taught what the word equal meant – and people here are not thought of as equals.’

‘What do you mean?’ Eldridge asked.

‘Well, you look at the world and think that everything has a place, that it is all part of the glory of the British Empire. What if I told you, without the specifics, that things would change, that the Empire itself would change? What if I told you that women could do exactly the same things as men, if not more, in some circumstances? The future isn’t perfect, but I think there are some changes which are better.’

‘You’ve certainly gained some conviction in the months you were here.’

‘It’s not conviction, Eldridge. My Mum would say it's common sense. She always told me that I could do whatever I wanted in life, as long as I applied myself. Now I just… I just see the way people manipulate others as wrong, and what I know, as right. There are so many things that appear wrong to me. I don’t believe my time is perfect, but surely things did change for the better?’

‘I…’ He trailed off, uncertain of what to say in the face of her newfound character.

‘No, no, no… this is not your fault Eldridge.’ It was Elvie’s turn to sigh. ‘The world is not the same where I am from. There are differences that I don’t exactly understand. Times have changed there, Eldridge. People have changed.’

He took a moment to consider her thoughts. ‘I have wondered before, how hard it is for someone from the future to adjust to the present? I’ve imagined what it would be like for me to suddenly appear in the future, to be confused by your technology, or occasionally strange speech. What I do know, Elvie, is that you are a kind and caring person. You are a good person.’

She smiled in reply, as he continued. ‘If it is all the same to you, I’d like to know how I can change for the better. Help me to be the man my wife and daughter would be proud of.’

Elvie stared at Eldridge, meeting his eyes and seeing the sincerity buried beneath. He was a great man – honest, filled with integrity, and with a strong sense of right and wrong.

‘I’d like that, Eldridge. I’d like that very much.’

‘Come on then Elvie, you have a future to tell me about, and a future to plan for.’

She smiled. ‘Together then.’

He nodded, took her hand, and led her away from the imprisoned flowers.

It was time to go home.