An Earl in Time Page 6
He didn’t reply, not that she expected him to. Needing a clean break, she spun on her heel and marched away from him. As the moments ticked by, she strained to hear footsteps heading toward the door— steps that took him away from her. None came. A glance at the computer showed the time— 9:45. He needed to leave. Why was he even still there?
Not turning around to face him, she said. “You need to—”
The footsteps came at her so fast, she wasn’t prepared for the arms that slid around her waist and pulled her back against him. She remained stiff in his embrace until he groaned and said, “I won’t beg.”
She closed her eyes. A man like him never would, not in this situation. But she realized this was as close as he would ever come to doing so. She sank back against him. A feeling of safety and belonging filled her.
Could she do it? Could she leave? Could she stay? The choices before her seemed impossibly hard. How could she decide?
She couldn’t give everything up for him— a man she’d only known for a week. But on the other hand, she wanted to so badly, the longing was almost a tangible thing. It would be so easy to stay, but what would happen after she did? There were no guarantees. What if he lost interest in her? Or she him? Okay, scratch that last part. She couldn’t ever imagine getting tired of him. Still, if something bad happened, she’d be stuck in a time not her own.
Unless…. Abigail’s words about this era becoming hers ricocheted around Julia’s mind. Could she be like Abigail and build a life here? True, Abigail had the family she’d made with her husband, but Julia knew she was also involved in different committees and had numerous friends. That wasn’t a woman who lived just for her husband alone.
Was she as brave as Abigail had been? She smiled and thought she could be.
James dropped a kiss on the side of her neck. Her thoughts screeched to an abrupt halt. After placing a few more there, he turned her in his arms. She made the error of gazing at him and fell so deeply she wondered if she’d ever get free. If she even wanted free.
His mouth lowered and caught her lips in a passionate kiss. He demanded entrance right way, and she gladly gave it. As their tongues dueled, her hands wandered over his back, and she moaned. She loved how the muscles flexed under her fingertips.
He cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss until she feared he’d steal all her breath. A noise tickled at her consciousness, but she pushed it away. Then it came back stronger, and she realized what it was. The lock! The thief.
She drew away from James, and said in a hard whisper, “The thief— he’s trying to break in. You’ve got to hide.” They both looked wildly around the room, and though it seemed so cliché, their gazes landed on the large mahogany desk.
She pushed him underneath it just as the door opened, and two men walked in. With no time to dive under the desk, she stood there like a deer waiting to be shot. For a moment, neither man saw her. She fumbled for the invisibility button on the device, but both men spotted her before she could depress the button. Oh no.
Her panic soared to new heights. She’d been seen— again. And this time, by no less than two men. One man was Lord Pendlebough. She’d seen images of him in the case file she’d compiled for the mission. The other man she didn’t know.
“What are you doing in here?” Lord Pendlebough asked. For such a tall, thin fellow, he sure looked menacing as he stepped toward her. He might’ve been handsome at one time, but the life of excess he lived had weathered him, and not in a good way. She found him repulsive. His slimy, little friend looked no better. She definitely wasn’t sticking around, at least not in visible form.
She pressed the invisibility button, and the blessed feeling of everything becoming lighter enveloped her. Gasps and muffled shouts sounded in the room. She smiled. Let them stew over that for a while.
A hand scrabbled at her leg before grabbing her ankle. She startled, but remembered it was James under the desk. With a well-aimed kick, she dislodged his hand and hoped he had the sense to remain under there. She needed to tie this mission up.
Why was Lord Pendlebough in his study when the ring was soon to be stolen? For some reason, Pendlebough and the other man seemed to be arguing. A dawning suspicion crept over her. Now, she just had to prove it.
Pendlebough muttered, “What sort of sorcery was that, Worthers?”
“How would I know?” His voice contained a hysterical note to it.
“You’ve been badgering me about my debts. It seems to me you might’ve had something to do with it. I’m sure you wanted to take more than the ring.”
“You’re crazy.”
Distaste simmered within her. She was right. The rat was here to steal his own ring, though it wasn’t technically his to do what he pleased with. The ring was entailed to his title and estate, so rightfully he couldn’t sell it. But he could illegally pawn it, while shouting and crying that the ring had been stolen from right under his nose during the rout.
Case solved and mission completed. Excitement replaced the jittery, scared feeling she’d had for the last few minutes. She rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Now, she just had to wait for the two men to clear out. Then she could retrieve James and tell him of her decision.
She reached down to place a hand on James so he’d know to stay put, but the pull of a time-travel portal seeking her out caused her to lurch back. Goosebumps popped up on her skin. Confusion ate at her. Surely, she was imagining it? Why would she be called back before midnight? She hadn’t radioed for help or sent a distress signal. Even then, portals took time to form— sometimes days even. Time-travel launches using secure portals were easy. Retrieving a person through a projected portal wasn’t.
A gasp ripped from her lips. She felt herself stretching, rearranging. Tears streaked down her cheeks. There was no denying it. She was going back to a place she no longer considered home.
She gazed back at the desk in desperation, trying to get a last glimpse of James. But his world faded from view and left only darkness.
Chapter Eight
Julia landed in the launch room and fell into the nearest chair. The bright fluorescent lights assaulted her eyes, and she groaned. Her disoriented mind fought to remember something, but the details kept slipping away.
Carson stepped into view, but the rest of the room appeared mercifully empty. “How are you feeling?”
She pressed a palm into her forehead. “Like a sledgehammer hit me over the head.”
He smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, we had to pull you out quickly. You were changing the course of events you were sent to record.”
She catapulted out of her seat. “What?”
“The Time Tracking Department alerted me to… certain changes in the timeline.”
A flash of a man zipped through her mind. James. The name came to her, along with everything else. She swallowed against the swelling lump in her throat. “Oh, no. How much damage did I do?”
“Oddly enough, not much. A few people now exist who didn’t before, but you managed not to wipe anyone out of existence.”
She groaned in relief. “Well, that’s something.” But inside, her heart felt like it was cracking apart.
“Well, there is the matter of Lord Pendlebough. He appears to be going mad a little ahead of schedule, but that shouldn’t present much of a problem.”
She glanced up, startled. “What?”
“Your appearance seems to have pushed him over the edge, and he’s going downhill faster than expected. Don’t feel bad for the slime. That’s what happens when a man can’t keep it in his pants and develops a venereal disease.”
“Oh.” She hoped Patience wouldn’t suffer because of him.
Carson seemed to read her mind. “Apparently, he and his wife hadn’t shared a bed for years, since she seemed unable to conceive.” He smiled naughtily. “I’m more of a mind she didn’t want to have his child and took steps to stop it.”
“Wow.” She shook her head. “How did my mission go so wrong?”
“The thing is, the Earl of Correlton now has a wife we are not sure he had before.”
Those words shattered the breaking pieces of her heart into a thousand shards. “Really?” she said in a shaky voice.
His mouth curved in a crooked smile. “Yes. It’s weird, but we can’t tell how much his future has changed. Even the records from before your mission are surprisingly bare after the year 1812.”
She really didn’t want to talk about this now— and maybe never. “Hmm.”
He sighed. “You’re not getting it, are you?” Reaching down, he hoisted her up. “Get up. By all accounts, there’s a pining earl wishing for your return.”
Her mouth opened and closed, and she stared at Carson. She had to have misheard. There was no way back to James.
He tapped her on the nose. “You’re being obtuse. Your earl is waiting for you.”
She finally found her voice, and burgeoning hope built up in her. “You’re allowing me to go back?”
“Pretty much have to. You’re listed as his wife, not to mention the mother of his children, in the history books.”
His wife. Children. Those words never sounded better. But then her grin faded. “How about my family?”
Sympathy caused his lips to droop slightly, that irrepressible smile gone. “You understand that you can’t go back and forth between times? That much interaction could change things, even in small ways.”
“Yes.” And she understood. Even her little foray back into 1812 had changed enough that she could’ve potentially messed up someone’s timeline. Intellitravel hated sending cleanup crews to repair a timeline, but they would if the situation necessitated it.
His grin flew back in place. “But I don’t mind bending a few rules. You can use your computer to contact them. I know it can never take the place of seeing your parents, but I think it’s a pretty awesome substitute.”
Julia squealed and threw her arms around Carson. “You’re the one who’s awesome.”
He stiffened under her touch but patted her back before he pulled away. “Just make sure to take plenty of solar-powered batteries with you. I expect calls from you, too.” He smirked. “You can function as a sort of unofficial research scientist if I have need of you.”
Julia nodded. “Sure.” She was too happy to protest, though she found his smile a little unsettling. Just like Carson to have his own little agenda. But whenever he did, it wasn’t for evil purposes.
“You have three days to get everything in order, then back to 1812 you go.”
That soon? She had tons of stuff to see to, her parents to talk to….
Alarm reared and propelled her into motion. “Talk to you later today, Carson. I’ve got to go,” she called over her shoulder as she headed for the door.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be talking a lot.” His soft laughter followed her down the hallway.
****
James slumped into a wingback chair in his study. He’d drawn the drapes against the sunlight. He wanted nothing bright in his life. She’d taken everything worthwhile with her.
It’d been three days. Three days since she’d vanished. Part of him wondered if her abrupt leave taking had been on purpose. Or had her business spirited her away? He cursed. It didn’t matter. She was gone, no matter the reason or the cause.
He remembered his last words to her and, leaning forward, placed his hands over his face. Beg. He could’ve begged. Maybe it would’ve kept her by his side. He should’ve also told her love wasn’t always an abhorrent emotion. Not when it concerned her and his feelings.
He loved her, but had realized it too late.
Reaching for a decanter of his favorite poison, better known as whiskey, he frowned. Though he’d succumbed to drink more than once in the last days, he’d avoided getting mind numbingly drunk. Though the idea appealed to him, he resisted the temptation. Eh, even when Julia wasn’t around, he wanted to make her proud. But she wasn’t even around to appreciate it. He shook his head. What a mawkish simpleton he’d turned into.
A strange feeling crept over him, strangely reminiscent of the one that occurred when Julia had arrived. Could it be? He straightened up and stared around the room. Hope was a cruel dream crusher. Nothing out of place. No black-haired woman who turned his life upside down. No soft weight landing in his lap.
Hands snaked over his eyes, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. He swallowed and raised his hands. They slid around slim fingers that radiated a heat that was uniquely Julia’s and never failed to sear him to the bone. Life seeped back into him.
He drew the hands away from his eyes, keeping them firmly in his. When he glanced down, he only saw his hands. He grinned. “Julia?”
A weight settled into his lap. “Yes?”
“Are you here to stay?” His breath froze in his throat as he waited for her answer.
“You bet I am.”
He closed his eyes to hide the tears springing up. She was here to stay. “And you will be my wife?”
Her shoulders shook under his palms. “Hmm, is that the proper way to ask a lady?”
He growled. “When the lady is invisible, she should be glad she got a proposal at all.”
With a few clicks of her device, her beloved face appeared beneath his. “There. Does that satisfy you?”
“No,” he said, his hand sliding to the back of her neck. He lowered his lips to hers and whispered against them, “This does.”
Her laughter tickled his lips, and he grinned. Life was perfect, at least for the moment.
About the Author
Lisa Kumar is a wife, mother, and romance writer who grew up in small-town Indiana. She now resides in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and son, who are used to sharing her attention with her not-so-trusty computer. When not spinning tales of romance and fantasy, she can be found with her nose buried in a book, or more accurately, her e-reader. Her scholastic background is in psychology, which enabled her to get low-paying jobs in the human services sector. Needless to say, she’s now writing full-time.
Also by Lisa Kumar
Chapter One
Natalie Danvers sighed, looking at the darkening sky. Her day had been perfectly atrocious. Now late afternoon was fading away, and it seemed evening promised to be little better. She quickened her pace, wanting to get home before the clouds shared their bounty.
A few other people hurried by her, likely trying to beat the storm. Otherwise, the sidewalk and street were eerily quiet. A frisson of unease swept over her, but she shrugged it off.
Overhead, lightning streaked across the sky. She frowned as she felt the first raindrops fall. Getting home before becoming soaked seemed a moot point now. Pausing on the sidewalk, she ruffled through her tote for an umbrella she was sure wasn’t there. Her search ended in disappointment, much like everything else in her life.
She should’ve definitely left work earlier. What had she been hoping for? Certainly not fame, fortune, or cruddy weather. The first two she would never achieve by working at a human services agency, while the last occurred with vexing regularity. A good thing she never wanted fame or fortune, but why did she have to be left with the least unattractive option out of the three?
Glancing up, she froze. There, in the sky, was the most fascinating, yet frightening lightning she’d ever seen. Before, the bolts had been a normal whitish color. Now they were a neon purple color. Fear and a sinking sense of inevitability mingled in her stomach. She didn’t know whether to be glad the lightning seemed contained to the skies, flashing from cloud to cloud, or to run screaming at the sight playing out above her.
Finally, her stupor somewhat evaporated. Should she seek shelter or take a chance running home? Natalie wiggled her toes, sore from her high-heeled pumps. She shook her head. No, her attire wasn’t too practical for a sprint home.
Another flash of light, this on
e followed by an ominous rumble, caused her to startle. Her attention recalled, she knew exactly what she should be worrying about, and her shoes were not it.
Her eyes scanned the buildings around her, looking for a shop she could slip into or at least an overhang that would offer some protection. A small Italian grocery, with bright inviting lights, was just ahead on her left.
She quickly checked for traffic before stepping off the curb. Her nose scrunched up. The ground felt marshy and thick, as if it were something that had to be waded through. That analogy made her shiver. Lifting up her foot, she saw nothing attached to the bottom of her shoe. Her heart pounded as she recognized the real problem.
As there was nothing stuck to the bottom of her shoes, there was also nothing under her feet, except for blackness. It wasn’t the black of a tarred road but the emptiness of nothing. She gulped, sure it was just a trick of the streetlight that had been previously shining down upon her. A glance at where the streetlight should’ve been showed no evidence of one. Squinting, she thought she saw, as if through a fog, a gleam of light way off in the distance. Natalie waded through the morass, which she felt but couldn’t see, toward that beckoning light.
With every agonizingly slow step, her hope collapsed a little further. The light appeared no closer. Was she even moving? Warm tears slid down her cheeks, but she hardly registered them. All she knew was she needed to get out of here, wherever “here” was.
Then suddenly a light appeared from nowhere, skidding toward her. Awe and fright warred but awe won out when she saw the light float nearer. It was certainly no streetlight but a glowing mass of dark purple sparks. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice screamed for her to run. She barely paid attention to that noise, at least not until the ball of sparkling energy came closer. Self-preservation took over, and adrenaline shot through her limbs.
But her ankles didn’t budge. Keeping a wary eye on the light, she reached down and pulled at her immobile limbs. Her hands went right through whatever was holding her, and she felt the hose she’d put on that morning smooth against her fingers. The harsh rattle of her breath filled her ears. When her increasingly hysterical attempts yielded no positive results, she stood up in defeat.