A Game of Shadows (4 page)

Valerie looked up at the leaden sky, judging how much time she might have until the heavens opened up.  They’d had several picture-perfect days, but this morning was overcast and terribly muggy, the silk gown sticking to her flushed skin like a wetsuit.  The weather wasn’t ideal for walking, but in truth, Valerie just wanted a little time away from the house to think.  Despite the numerous rooms, someone always seemed to find her, especially little Evie, who’d finally warmed up to her relatives and wanted to play hide-and-seek constantly, thrilled to have new friends to play with.  It wasn’t that Valerie didn’t want to spend time with her niece or sister, but she didn’t want Louisa to see the extent of her concern. 

Kit was well-mannered and polite as usual, but she could see that something was gnawing at him
and eating him up from the inside.  She wasn’t all that sure that Louisa’s assessment had been correct.  He didn’t seem like a man overcome with passion for a new love.  Whoever this woman was, she wasn’t making him happy.  Valerie noticed Kit watching Louisa with unbearable longing in his eyes, making her wish that she could just ask him outright what was going on and put all the speculation to rest. Kit seemed happy to spend time with Alec, but hadn’t mentioned anything, and Alec remained firm in his resolve not to interfere. 

Louisa
, on the other hand, tried to pretend that everything was well, acting normally around Kit, and trying not to commit an act of violence against his aunt.  Thankfully, the woman rose late and then took a nap in the afternoon, leaving them to deal with her only a few hours a day.  Louisa desperately wished she would just leave, but it seemed the old lady was having way too much fun exactly where she was.  The latest disagreement had been about Evie wearing a corset.  Aunt Maud felt that the girl was old enough to be taught good posture and bearing, and needed to be trained from an early age that a woman should never equate attire with comfort.  Louisa was too speechless to even engage in the argument; to put a two-year-old in a whalebone corset would be considered child-abuse in their day, but in the seventeenth century it was perfectly normal.  After all, Evie’s only value, in Aunt Maud’s eyes, was how well she would eventually do on the marriage market.  Her well-being and happiness were something that would never even cross the old lady’s mind.  She was a mere girl, useful only in furthering the fortunes of the family.  If, at some point, the king took an interest in her, Aunt Maud would no doubt recommend sending Evie to his bed in the hopes that the family would profit by being granted titles and estates.  Being a girl of nobility in these times was a perilous business, and Valerie hoped that Kit would protect his daughter and do his best to see her happily married when the time came.

Valerie had just made it to a bench under a weeping willow when the first drops began to fall.  She didn’t mind.  Her green retreat was waterproof and serene, just what her aching heart needed.  She was so worried for Louisa, but what could she do to help
other than listen and sympathize?  In the twenty-first century, she might be able to offer advice, even suggest marriage counseling, but there were no options here except to grin and bear it.   

Valerie watched as heavy raindrops plopped onto the surface of the pond, making the water ripple in their wake.  The surface of the pond was nearly black, reflecting the
quickly darkening sky.  Reeds nodded their velvety heads as the wind picked up, causing the rain to come down almost horizontally, soaking everything in its path.  It would take some time for the storm to pass, but that was all right.  Valerie was warm and dry in her sanctuary, if not overly happy.

She looked up in astonishment as the shaggy branches of the willow parted to admit a soggy Alec.  “There you are,” he said, taking a seat on the bench.  “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Why, is something wrong?” Valerie asked in alarm.

“You just seemed so
melancholy at breakfast; I thought you might need some cheering up,” he replied, putting his arm around Valerie and drawing her head against his shoulder.

“As long as I didn’t look like a bulldog,” Valerie
answered sarcastically, making Alec chuckle.

“
Aunt Maud is something, isn’t she?  I wonder if she was always so harsh or if life made her that way,” he mused. 

Valerie had never stopped to consider Aunt Maud’s life.  Was it possible that she had been a kind and caring soul at some point in her life?  What would have to happen to someone to make them so horrid?  She would have to ask Louisa.  After all, she seemed to have no one except for her “adopted” nephew and his long-suffering wife.  Surely, she must have had children of her own at some point, and grandchildren.

“Forget Maud for a moment, Valerie.  Actually, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you away from the house.  The Sheridans will be going back to town in a few weeks, and I thought it might be a good opportunity for us to escape for a little while.”  Alec’s eyes were full of mischief, and his smile conspiratory. 

“And where are we
escaping to, exactly?” Valerie asked, looking up at him from her vantage point.  It was always so comforting to have him nearby.

“To the future.  We can see London in the twenty-first century.  I have it all worked out.  I thought it would be best not to tell little Louisa.
  She’s excited to visit Court and Kit has promised to introduce her to the king.  She’s asked me to have some new gowns made, so that should keep her busy for a little while.”

“London?  But I wanted to show you New York
.”  She had it all planned as well, and it was the next item on the list once they returned home to Virginia.

“It can’t be done, sweetheart,” Alec said gently.

“Of course it can.  Mr. Taylor showed me how to set a location.  The new time-travel device is more sophisticated and has an option to choose coordinates as well as time.” 

“Yes, I know
; he showed it to me as well, but that’s not what I meant.  I know what you want to do, and it can’t be done,” Alec repeated, taking her hand in his and kissing her palm.

“What exactly are you referring to?”

“I’m referring to your plan to prevent the accident that killed your parents.  Isn’t that what you were thinking?”
  The look of compassion in Alec’s eyes nearly made Valerie cry, but she fought the tears, facing Alec defiantly.

“You deduced all that from one sentence?”

“I’ve been married to you for nearly two decades, I know the way your mind works.  Am I wrong?”

“No
, you’re not, and it can be done.  I wouldn’t have to show myself.  Maybe you could ask them for directions or something and prevent them from crossing the street at that particular moment.  It would save their lives.  Oh, just think of it, Alec.  They would be alive and well.  I would happily return to the past knowing that they are out there, living their lives, even if they don’t know that I’m still alive.”  Valerie had dreamed of seeing her parents again.  It would be torture not to talk to them or assure them that she was well, but it would be a sacrifice she was willing to make to save them from their untimely death. 

Alec just shook his head sadly.  “Valerie, have you mentioned this to Louisa?”

“No, but I don’t see why she would object.”

“Don’t you?  If you save your parents, Louisa will never seek out Mr. Taylor and come to the past.  She will never meet and marry Kit or have Evie and Robbie.  By that one act
, you will be negating her whole life, and not only hers.  If Louisa doesn’t come, neither does Mr. Taylor.  Finn would never go to the future and meet Abbie, and we would likely never survive the famine, since it was Mr. Taylor who helped us prepare for the worst.  You would be changing the lives of countless people, including us.  Have you considered that?”  Alec drew Valerie to him, holding her close.  “I know you want to save them, love, but you can’t.  You simply can’t.”

Valerie
buried her face in Alec’s shoulder, not wanting him to see her tears.  He was right, of course, but she never considered those things.  She just wanted to help them so badly.  She still missed them every day, wishing that they hadn’t gone to their deaths thinking her dead and buried in some unmarked grave.  Her disappearance had broken their hearts, and there was nothing she could do to change any of it.  She thought she was so clever by devising her plan, but as usual, Alec was the practical one.  Why did he always have to be right?

“You can still show me London,” Alec said softly, lifting her chin with his finger and wiping the tears away.  “It would be so fascinating to compare the London of today to the London of your time.  What do you think?”  His eyes were aglow again, full of wonder. 

“Yes, of course.  We’d need a plan.  It’s not so easy to go to the future.  You need money, identity papers, not to mention clothes.  We’d look like actors from a Renaissance Faire in our finery,” Valerie chuckled. 

“So what do you propose?” Valerie knew exactly what he was doing.  Valerie was always happiest when she was planning something, so this would take her mind of
f her recent worries and give her something pleasant to focus on.

“Well, you have no record of being born, and if I suddenly resurface, that would flag
something somewhere.  We can’t stay in a hotel without documents, or rent a car.  So, we can do day trips,” Valerie announced proudly.

“Day trips?”

“Yes.  We can leave in the morning and come back at night.  All we need to do is bring something of value to sell, like period coins or a piece of jewelry.  That would give us enough money to buy some clothes and do the touristy things we want to do in the future.  As long as we pay for everything in cash, no one would be the wiser.  We can ride the double-decker bus, take a taxi, and go for a spin on the London Eye.  What do you think?  I would love to see you in a pair of skinny jeans and a tee-shirt.”  Valerie grinned at Alec’s confused face.

“I don’t think I’m ready to
commit to anything called “skinny jeans”, but it would be fun to wear modern clothes.  Do they not have breeches and shirts?”

“Ah, yes, but the breeches look somewhat different, and women wear them too.  You have no idea how I miss wearing pants. And, I will make you eat sushi.” 

Valerie was warming up to her theme.  There was so much she wanted to show him.  He might be a little overwhelmed at first, but they could go a couple of times and not do everything in one day.  She might even take him to the zoo.  Alec had never seen any animals other than the ones common to Europe and North America.  She would love to see his reaction to seeing a tiger or an elephant, or even a shark.  People of the seventeenth century still believed there were monsters lurking below the dark waters of the ocean.  It would be educational for Alec to see what these “monsters” really looked like.  Of course, his primary interest lay in all things mechanical.

“We can go to Victoria Station and take a train to the airport.  We can’t fly anywhere without passports, but you can watch them to your heart’s content.”

“I would love that,” Alec answered dreamily.  “What I wouldn’t give to fly somewhere.”

“That’s settled then.  We’ll go a few days after we come back to London.  Look, it’s clearing up.  Should we risk it and go back to the house?”

“Race you!” Valerie called out as she sprinted between the droopy branches, enjoying the gentle raindrops falling onto her flushed face.

The sun never came out, but the rain stopped, bringing with it a temporary cool that was such a welcome relief from the heat of the past few days.  The house was strangely quiet with Evie and Aunt Maud taking their naps, and the staff taking advantage of the lull to rest and have their midday meal.  Valerie trudged up the stone staircase flanked by portraits of long-deceased relatives, hoping to find Louisa in the nursery.  She could have sworn she heard Robbie squealing up there, and she wanted a few minutes of privacy with her sister. 

Robbie was seated in a copper basin, his face alight with joy as he splashed away, spraying water onto
the exasperated Mills.  Her lips were pursed and her face a mask of disapproval as she tried to get close enough to Robbie to actually wash him without getting soaked.  Valerie felt a pang of longing as she looked at her gleeful nephew.  It wasn’t so long ago that Finn had been small, splashing around in his own bath as Bridget scrubbed him to a shine. 

“Please, let me,” Valerie offered, coming closer and promptly getting the front of her dress soaked.  “I’ll give him a bath.”  Mills just gaped at her in shock, but gave a small curtsey and stepped aside. 

“Leave us, Mills.”  Louisa had just walked into the room and smiled at the sight.  “He loves bath time.”

“Who doesn’t?” chuckled Valerie
, as Robbie kicked his legs and splashed water onto her face.  “It wasn’t that long ago that Finn and Louisa were babies, and look at them now.  Finn is married, and Louisa only has eyes for young men.  It all went so fast, Lou.  Not an hour goes by that I don’t think of Finn.” 

“I can’t imagine anything worse than losing a child.  When I thought Evie might die on the crossing, I lost all will to live.  Nothing seemed to matter anymore, not even Kit or the new baby.  The thought of a life without her was like a constant agony that tormented me day and night.  I know Finn isn
’t dead, but not being able to see him or talk to him, or even know if he’s all right must be hell.” 

“Lou, did Aunt Maud have any children?”

“Yes, she did.  Actually, Maud never told me about them, but Caroline did.  She could barely tolerate Aunt Maud, but she felt sorry for her.  The poor woman hasn’t had a happy life,” Louisa answered as she prepared a towel for Robbie.

“She was married off at fourteen to a man more than twice her age.  It was a marriage of convenience, but she fell in love with her husband
nonetheless
—
an unforgivable sin in those times.”

“I take it her feeling
s weren’t returned?” asked Valerie sadly. 

“No.  He refused to give up his mistress
,and only stayed as long as it took to get her pregnant before leaving again.  She gave birth to seven childre
n
—
four boys and three girls.  Two were stillborn, two died before the age of five, and the other three died in adulthood.  I can’t imagine the heartache she endured.  Her husband died by the time she was thirty-five with his mistress by his deathbed.”

“Poor woman,” Valerie sighed. 
“Losing one child is heartbreaking enough, but to lose seven — no wonder she’s so bitter.”

“Yes, that’s what Caroline said.  She felt sorry for her.  For all her venom, she’s just a sad, old thing who’s trying to cling on to the old ways out of fear.  I think she would be better served if she
were a little kinder to those around her, but if she lets her emotions get the better of her even once, she might just lose control and completely go to pieces.  Her nastiness is just a defense mechanism against all the pain and loss she suffered as a young woman.”

“How sad,” Valerie sighed, seeing Maud in a whole new light.  “Was there anything she could have done?”

“She could have taken a lover after her husband died, but she remained faithful to him, God knows why.  She’s still mourning him and the children.  She doesn’t even have a grandchild to call her own.  Evie and Robbie are the closest she’ll ever get to having grandkids, and she takes very little interest in them.  They’re too young to have any real value, as far as she’s concerned.”

Louisa deftly scooped Robbie out of the bath and wrapped him in a towel, carrying him to his cot.  He peered out of the fluffy towel, his blue eyes full of
mischief. 

Valerie handed Louisa Robbie’s clout and gown as she toweled him dry and let him roll onto his belly butt
-naked.  He seemed to enjoy the moment of freedom, promptly rolling onto his back and peeing all over his mother’s gown. 

“You little demon,” Louisa laughed, “I should have known better than to trust you.”  She gave Robbie a resounding kiss before
putting on the clout and handing him over to Valerie.

“Here, why don’t you put his gown on
, and I’ll go change mine.  He gets me every time.”