A Leap in Time (8 page)

“Your sister saved my life and I owe her and your kind parents so much.” The Latin flowed fluently off my tongue. Why couldn’t I be this relaxed when around Marcus?

“Be well, Alexandra, and I hope to see you again. I’d like to hear more about your journey to Pompeii,” Julius said.

So he was suspicious of me.

“I look forward to the opportunity.” I smiled and prayed our paths would never cross again.

As soon as they walked away, I let out a sigh of relief. I had a feeling that nothing got past him. Worse still, he didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would be understanding of unusual situations.

“How exactly did Catina save your life?” Marcus’s close presence and level of intimacy made me gasp. A few guests turned in our direction. Marcus chuckled, completely unfazed by it all.

I was so exasperated with him for toying with me that I turned and punched him in the arm. Realizing what I had just done, I covered my face with both my hands.

Marcus laughed harder. “Where did you learn to hit like that?” He rubbed his arm.

“I’m so sorry. You startled me. I didn’t expect you there… Ummm, and the whispering in my ear…the guests are going to think the worst of me and I’ve embarrassed Catina. I should leave.”

“Nonsense. She doesn’t know half of these people. Besides, I don’t want you to leave. And you still didn’t tell me how she saved your life. Please, I promise to behave.”

I’d never thought of Latin as a romantic language until it flowed from Marcus’s lips.
Get a grip, Lexi,
I thought for the hundredth time that night
.

“Yesterday, in the marketplace, I fell ill and she was kind enough to come to my aid.” I spoke fast hoping the simplicity of the story lacked any interest for him to ask any more questions.

“I see. Well, I hope you’re feeling better.”

Was he teasing? I couldn’t help but laugh a little at his playfulness.

“I promise I’ll give you a fair warning before I slump to the ground, kind gentleman.”

He laughed out loud, drawing attention to us for the second time. “How long are you staying with Catina?”

I flattered myself in imagining he wanted me to stay for other reasons than finding out how Catina saved me. Maybe on some small scale, he was interested in me. Oh what does it matter? I’m returning to another century in a few hours. I’ll never see him or this place again. So unfair.

“I actually need to leave this afternoon.” Oh please don’t ask questions.

“Alexandra, I don’t mean to interfere in your private affairs, but you know it’s unsafe to travel alone. Why would you put yourself in such a compromising and dangerous predicament? Is Pompeii so dreadful that you would rather risk your safety rather than travel during daylight?” He examined my face for a reaction.

“Please call me Lexi.”

“Lexi, if you wait ‘till tomorrow, I’d be happy to escort you anywhere you need to go. We can leave at first break of light.” He sounded so sincere it was hard to resist his offer. “You’re a friend of Catina’s and that makes you a friend of mine as well. I would hate to hear of something happening to you.”

Is this guy for real?

“Thank you, Marcus. I truly appreciate your offer and I will take it into consideration. Now, tell me about yourself. All I know about you is that you’re Julius’s best friend and that despite your promise of behaving, I don’t think you’re capable of it.”

His laughter again caught me off guard. Mischievous man! Two can play this game and Marcus just met his match. At the sound of his laugher, it felt like half the room turned around to stare at us yet again.

Ignoring them, I continued, “Do you spend a lot of time in Pompeii?” I hoped he’d forget about my trip. Besides, I genuinely did want to know him better.

“As you mentioned, we hardly know each other, and the only way for us to change that is for us to spend time together at the party. If you leave tonight, it will be hard to see you again in such a comfortable, unchaperoned environment where we’re free to talk without scrutiny by our elders. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I stood by while you traveled unescorted to Rome. It’s a long and dangerous journey for a young woman.” He smiled the most radiant smile and I swear I heard my heart pounding out of my chest. He held my gaze for a little while longer before continuing, “I only come to Pompeii during the summer season. I’m helping my parents secure the house for the winter before making my way to Rome.” Of course, the season couldn’t go past the late fall because I imagine it gets cold down here by the ocean.

“So, your family is here in Pompeii as well.”

“Yes, they journey here every year at the end of April and stay ‘till late October. My father will be leaving ahead of us because senators return for duty by early September. That’s why I’m helping my mother get the house ready for our departure.”

The feast was fun and wonderful and yet I couldn’t recall a single dish, person or form of entertainment that took place. Funny enough, I vividly recalled every smile, wink, laugh or movement Marcus bestowed on me. We ended up talking well past my timeframe for returning home, well after the guests departed around midnight. Oddly enough, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the two of us lying on opposite sofas chatting like old friends. Dawn was breaking when I finally took notice of the time.

“Marcus, look outside! What’s Catina going to say about you staying the night?”

He barely reacted. “She knows I’m a gentleman and would never compromise your reputation. I can’t say the same about you being a lady, however. You did spend the night with a gentleman who isn’t your betrothed.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, playfully throwing a pillow at him.

“Let me sleep a little. We might have a long day ahead of us if you want to start for home today.” He laid back and drifted into peaceful sleep.

My journey home.

I waited until he was asleep before tiptoeing out of the house. Then I sprinted through the empty streets, through the marketplace and out of the city to my trusted tree.

I hid behind the trunk ‘till dusk. Running that way was a horrible thing to do, but it had to be done. I sat miserably on the ground, praying Marcus and Catina would find a way to forgive my atrocious behavior. I passed the hours recalling every detail of my time with him. Why didn’t they have men like him in my time?

He talked at length about how close his family was despite everyone’s busy lives. He was the youngest of three brothers. All three were accomplished in their own right. Gustavus, the oldest, was married with two small children and had just turned forty the month prior. He was a hotel owner in Rome and also owned several prominent tailoring shops in Ostia, Rome, and Pompeii. The middle child, Antonio, was thirty-five, single and a teacher. It was his true calling, Marcus proudly stated, and he made a fine tutor too many young children in Rome including his niece and nephew. He recently broke a betrothal because he didn’t love his bride-to-be. That in itself was unusual displaying a great deal of progressive thinking on the part of Marcus’s family for being supportive of Antonio’s decision.

And then there was Marcus, the very hot and charming youngest son, thirty years old. He managed the family empire of importing and exporting, looked after their homes in Pompeii and Rome, and even found time to travel to nearby countries with Julius.

I dozed with the breeze playing in my hair and daydreaming about an unlikely and absolutely absurd courtship with Marcus Cassius.

Chapter Nine

At the magical hour of dusk and a blink of an eye, I was home again. Hard to believe just hours ago, I was seated with one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen on a couch in a different country and century.

Since Mrs. Ashton had shared her time traveling stories I knew I wasn’t alone in this experience and yet, it was still dreamlike and mindboggling. Mrs. Ashton was asleep on my couch—which confirmed my worst fear: they’d spent the weekend worrying about my absence. Kate and Charlotte must be bunked in my room. A pang of guilt twisted my stomach for what I’d done.

Who to wake first? Mrs. Ashton would probably handle my return calmly and rationally. But it was Monday morning and the girls had to get ready for work anyway.

I touched Mrs. Ashton’s shoulder. Her eyes popped open.

“I’m back. I’m okay,” I said.

She nodded and then hugged me tightly. I headed to the bedroom to wake up the girls. My fingers barely touched Kate’s shoulder.

She leaped up and clobbered me in the throat. I toppled backwards landing with a heavy thud on my butt. “Well, good morning to you too, Kate.”

The alarm clock on my nightstand read five a.m. The portal would be open for another thirty minutes. Just enough time to dash back to Pompeii and explain myself to Marcus.
Stop it Lexi.

But what will Marcus think when he finds me gone?
Heartless
. Truthfully, I hadn’t counted on feeling a connection with anyone living there—especially someone as hot as Marcus.
Double sigh!

“Lexi, what the hell happened? We’ve been a wreck with worry.” Kate was the most alert I’d ever seen her at this time of day.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. It was amazing there. I’ll tell you everything, but first I need a cup of coffee. I didn’t sleep at all last night.” I extended my hand to her to pull me up into a hug.

At the sound of our voices, Charlotte rose, crawled across the bed, eyes still half closed and grabbed me for a tearful hug.

We stumbled to the living room for coffee and a delicious breakfast thanks to Mrs. Ashton’s cooking talents and speed in the kitchen. In the few minutes it took me to wake Kate and Charlotte, she’d managed to whip up scrambled eggs, toast and coffee that we all devoured with relish. How is it that this seventy-year-old woman had more energy than we three twenty-somethings?

Kate’s response to my encounter with Marcus shocked me. “It’s romantic in a twisted crazy kind of way,” she said.

She’s the last person I expected to understand. She’s a no-nonsense kind of gal and not a fan of whimsical romantic notions. The shock on my face gave away my private thoughts.

“What? I’m a sucker for a good romance just as much as the two of you,” she said, sipping her coffee.

“It
is
romantic, but nothing good can come out of it, Lexi. It’s not like he lives in New York and you only need to figure out flight arrangements. He’s in ancient Pompeii and for all we know, doomsday is around the corner.” Charlotte was unraveling. To my disappointment, Mrs. Ashton kept quiet.

“Actually, it was 59 AD so we have a little over two years before the earthquake and over a decade before Vesuvius. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this too so I need you guys to be levelheaded.” I sank deeper into the couch. “Anyway, let’s table this conversation for later, we need to get ready for work. Maybe dinner?”

“Tomorrow tonight? I need to catch up on sleep. We hardly slept all weekend waiting for you to return from your worldly travels.” Kate made air quotes at the last two words.

We laughed at Kate’s exaggerated pretense of being inconvenienced by the whole thing. “Do you guys believe in love at first sight?” Did those words really come out of my mouth?

Mrs. Ashton finally spoke. “Yes.”

“This is exactly what I was afraid of. Have you lost your mind? He’s going to think you’re certifiable when you tell him the truth.” Charlotte’s rant left us stunned and speechless. Her usual refined Southern Belle demeanor was overtaken by this blonde lunatic flailing her arms in fury.

“Calm down, Charlotte. Nothing happened.” What had possessed me to ask such a stupid question? Did I really think I fell in love with Marcus after one night? Ludicrous!

“Nothing happened! You haven’t taken your eyes off the painting since you came back. This guy made a strong impression on you.”

“Charlotte, please stop screaming. It’s barely six in the morning and I’m functioning on zero sleep. I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again, okay?” But even as I said it, I knew I was lying.

“Right. Now let’s try for more honestly. What are you going to do?” she persisted, her fair skin turning beet red.

I felt like a criminal on the witness stand. “What’s the harm in going back to figure out why the painting sent me there?”

“I agree with Lexi—you should calm down, Charlotte,” Kate said. “What’s the big deal? It seems safe enough.”

“Lexi is meant to experience this.” Mrs. Ashton finally chimed in at the most opportune time. “She was chosen for a reason and needs to see this through.”

“Fine. Do what you want. I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Charlotte stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door. Shortly after that, Mrs. Ashton left as well.

“Charlotte was fine until I mentioned the possibility you might like Pompeii. She got worse when you didn’t come back. We thought something happened to you.” Kate was surprisingly calm. “I agree with Mrs. Ashton. You need to see this through.” She refilled our cups and headed toward the bedroom to get ready for work. She stopped in the doorway. “Don’t worry so much, things have a way of working out.” She disappeared taking her cup with her.

On any given day, Charlotte was the whimsical, romantic one who bent the rules for love. The role switch was interesting and a major shift in our dynamics with each other. Out of love and respect for her and our friendship, I had to respect her feelings and back off a little. Truthfully, she did have a point. I was defying all rules of nature and physics as we know them.

The day at the office went painfully slow. Charlotte and I have had our share of disagreements over the years, but nothing like this. And yet, I couldn’t help but think about Marcus. Was he thinking about me too? How is it possible to long for someone I hardly knew? If only he was a little less charming or attractive or funny.
Oh for God’s sake!

Sleep evaded me that night; images of Marcus danced before my heavy eyes. After what seemed like hours of tossing and turning, I got up to make a cup tea and wait for Pompeii to beckon.

The wind whistled, announcing the magical hour of four-thirty. It took every ounce of self-control to stay rooted in my spot. I stared at painting as if willing Marcus to appear and felt a tug of sadness at the bizarre and fruitless situation I’d created.