Carter, that you’re not a spy, or, at the very least, if you are one … not a very good one. And that might just spare you from going in front of a firing squad.’
Her jaw dropped a little. ‘Firing squad?’
‘Ahhh, I see that seems to have focused your mind a little. Yes, I have ordered men to be executed, an unpleasant and occasionally necessary part of being a front-line commander.’
‘I … uhh … look, I’m not a spy! God no! That’s … that’s not me … I –’
‘Actually, you needn’t be alarmed. I suspect as much. You really are far too odd, young lady. However … I think it’d be a good idea if you start telling me –’
‘Time traveller!’ she blurted out. ‘I’m a time traveller! I travel through time!’ Then winced at how ridiculous that must sound to him.
Devereau could have laughed at her ingeniously novel reply. But he rather fancied seeing how well thought out her outburst was. ‘Indeed? Now … is this the same notion as is used in that famous work … The Time Machine?’
‘The Time Machine?’ Maddy’s mind raced. Yes, that old book had been written in 1895 – the correct 1895, that is. Perhaps even in this corrupted timeline the same author, H. G. Wells, could have been inspired to write the very same, or a very similar book?
‘Yes!’ she replied. ‘Yes … the technology exists to move backwards and forwards through time. Well –’ she shrugged – ‘it will do. In the year 2044 they’ll work out a way to do it.’
Devereau nodded patiently. ‘And, let me see, you’re expecting me to believe you are from the year 2044, I take it?’
‘From the future, yes. But, actually, I kinda work in 2001. But not this 2001, if you see what I mean. A very different one.’
She was confusing him.
‘See, this is wrong. It’s all wrong! This … this … room, that ruined New York outside, this war! It’s all wrong. It shouldn’t be like this!’
‘Oh? How should it be?’
Maddy leaned forward. ‘Your side won! It won … over a hundred and thirty years ago! The North beat the South! America became one big nation. It became the world’s most powerful nation! Do you know this nation even managed to send a man to the moon?’
‘Miss Carter –’ he smiled wryly – ‘you’ll never know how much I’d love to believe a fanciful story as that, but –’
‘It’s true! Honest to God, it’s –’
‘This nation is a mongrel nation, and that’s all it’ll ever be. Too busy fighting itself, state against state, brother against brother. And now –’ Devereau lowered his voice to a more cautious level – ‘and now we’re all but governed by France and Europe … and the Southern Confederacy is little more than a mere colony of Great Britain.’
‘No,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘No. You’re so wrong! This … is wrong! There’s a correct history, a way it should go. And in the correct history the North wins in 1865. And do you know why? Do you know how it wins?’
‘Go on.’
‘Because it made the issue of slavery – abolishing slaves – a war aim. It decided to make that the main reason for the war. And it worked!’
‘Slavery?’ He shook his head. ‘There’s no slavery. There hasn’t been since, well now … since 1871 when the South signed an alliance with Britain’s King Edward VII.’
‘The South, the Confederates, don’t have slaves?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Then … then why are you guys fighting each other?’
He shrugged. ‘It’s a question I ask myself every day.’ Devereau sighed. ‘Truth is, we’re underdogs of the British and the French. We’re fighting their war for them.’
‘My God … this is so wrong. This is all to do with Lincoln.’
‘Lincoln?’
‘A man called Abraham Lincoln. He was your president when the civil war started.’
Devereau shook his head. ‘There’s never been a President Lincoln –’
‘Not in this timeline, no. But in mine – in correct history – it was his idea to make it about slavey! He’s the reason the North won the war!’
Devereau stroked his beard. ‘Now what a lovely idea that would be.’ He looked at her. ‘Timeline? What is that?’
‘It’s, uh, sheesh, it’s really hard to explain. It’s the way events in history go. They go in one way or another. We call each possible way in which a history happens a timeline. We have a machine that can transport you from one timeline to another.’ Maddy smiled. ‘You know, in my timeline