Epilogue
“What about LordBasildon@?”
“That’s not even accurate, because the title went into abeyance,” I say, yawning as my fingers hover over the computer keyboard.
It’s been exhausting giving Leo a crash course in the twenty-first century, but satisfying having him and my family in the same time.
I’m working on getting them to move so we’re all in the same place, but asking them to leave Southern California weather for the British rain has been… a process.
Leo’s been adjusting as well as can be expected.
He’s fascinated by every new technology he sees, and it’s been a special experience seeing this all through his eyes.
I already hugged various appliances in appreciation when I returned from my time in Victorian England, but seeing him interact with all the things I’ve mostly taken for granted (well, up till my trip) has been fun.
I think his favorite item has been the streaming services.
The “plays” on demand have kept him enraptured far into the night, many nights.
To be fair, that would probably be my favorite too.
Although he is still shocked every time women wear shorts, kiss their partner, or have jobs.
Shocked, but not mad at it. He loved the first time I wore leggings in front of him.
So much that we did not make it to our errands that day.
And he certainly loves being able to hold my hand and kiss me whenever he wants.
All without a chaperone watching over my virtue.
It hasn’t all been wonder and excitement and love though.
I know he misses his sister and family and friends in the past. He’s been getting to know his descendants, which has been wonderful, but they won’t ever replace the sister he grew up with.
Sometimes I’ll find him staring at the paintings in the house of Lydia and his family, and there are a lot of them even for nobles, as if she knew he would need them one day.
I’ve also caught him hunched over the tablet I got him, absorbing every bit of information on them that he can find.
He says he doesn’t regret giving it all up for me, and I have to believe him and hold him a little closer when he gets melancholy.
We’re planning a trip to California soon, which should be fun and terrifying (for him). But maybe seeing my family, and feeling the welcome and love they already have for him, will help a little.
“What about ILoveGamingHells@?”
“That’s too ’90s. Both 18 and 1990s.”
Luckily, David set up all the important administrative details that make Leo exist in this time. Apparently, they’ve been preparing for something like this for a while, and I don’t want to know how, but David had everything sorted more efficiently than I thought possible.
Leo’s enjoying his work, which is the same one he had after I left the past. He’s giving tours, quickly becoming our most beloved tour gide, helped by his first-hand knowledge that no one is supposed to know about, and large reserves of charm.
His hedonist side makes sure that no tour is boring, and he might already be planning a ball or two to raise funds for the museum.
Although I do keep having to tell him to stop sitting on the chairs in front of the public; it sets a bad precedent.
I’m enjoying my work as well. We’ve been doing a deeper dive into his family history, and I might be cheating a little asking him about his mom for my next book, but my sources can’t get any better than that.
Even if I do have to fudge the truth about where exactly I got the information from.
Running the museum has been so rewarding as well.
There are no museums dedicated to the history of those with Indian heritage in Britain, so adding the information to our tours has been amazing, and makes us stand out so much.
“How about LeoLovesMeera@?”
“How about we stick with a classic, Leo.Alston@?” I enter in the information and pray someone hasn’t already taken it.
“Boring, but all right.” Leo waves his hand at the computer screen. Introducing him to the computer was fun. He couldn’t figure out scrolling at first, and thought there was a demon in my computer. He’s adjusted, and we’re still getting packages from his first online shopping spree, weeks later.
“Settled.” I click the button to create the account. “And Meera loves Leo, too.” I lean over and kiss him, technology forgotten for a while.
It has been a wild adventure.
And as much as I love studying Indians in English history, nothing beats living with my very own historic artifact. Even if it means there’s one less Indian in the Victorian period.