Bewitching My Love (18 page)

Rowen watched Fern walk from the door to stand in front of him. She was exquisite, breathtaking. Her red hair fell in tiny ringlets all over her shoulders then down her back. She had changed her dress and wore what he could only describe as a shepherdess dress. It fell off her shoulders to expose the tops of her voluptuous breasts then pulled her waist in tight with several thin interwoven laces that tied in the back. The flowered material was made out of what looked like silk, but he wasn’t even sure if they had silk in this century. A ring of magnolias made a circle around the crown of her head. Their scent made him feel a little lightheaded. Grasping her by the tops of her lily-white arms, he stared down into her eyes. “Where did you get these clothes, Fern? Where are we?”

“
We are with the sisterhood, Rowen. Abigail has mended your wound. They have been very kind and we should be thankful to them for helping us. You would have died if it weren’t for their help.” Pushing him gently with her hand, she forced him to sit back down on the small bed. “Now, lay back down and rest, I’ll go get you some food.”

Rowen didn’t think he knew this woman. His mouth tingled from the haughty kiss she planted on his lips before leaving the room. She looked as if she belonged here; even the scent of her skin had changed. He was still sitting on the edge of the bed contemplating their predicament when she returned. He watched as she sat food and wine on the little table before joining him on the bed. “How long have we been here, Fern? How many days?”

“
Two days. You were very sick, you know.” Fern smiled when he stood up in front of her, she continued smiling as he pulled her up with him.

He stood naked in front of her, not caring who saw him. “Damn it, Fern, we don’t have time to be sitting idle in this place. You know we are running out of time. How am I to save you if I lay in this bed all day? You should have taken us to the cottage and doctored me yourself.”

“
Now, now. Just lie back down and rest, Rowen. Mary is safe and sound with Jonathan. We have nothing to fear anymore. Abigail told me that she is going to get you well enough to send you back through the wardrobe tonight. Won’t it be wonderful to go home?”

“
Where are my clothes, Fern? I’m leaving.” He looked at her closer then. The person he was looking at was beautiful, just like Fern. But somehow it felt like her spirit was missing. “With or without you, understand! Elizabeth has gotten to you, hasn’t she, Fern? She’s stolen your spirit, oh God, I’ll kill the witch for hurting you. I swear it!” He managed to pull his eyes away from her long enough to scan the room for his clothes again. When her soft hand circled his and urged him back down beside her, he couldn’t refuse; she pulled him into her spell.

“
Elizabeth isn’t here, Rowen, the sisters have cast her out completely now because of her wicked ways. You have nothing to fear, trust me.” Her eyes held him captive. “Please hold me, can’t you see I hunger for your kiss?” He would not refuse her.

The kiss was soft, yet hard, gentle, yet forced. Her hands were exploring his body with unbridled liberties as if she owned him. As if she knew what she was doing and had done it a hundred times over. He couldn’t get enough of her scent; it was heady, almost like a narcotic. When they finally pulled apart, he took several deep breaths to calm himself. His loin pulsed with need. He could easily take her right there without thinking twice about it.

“
Rowen Nichols?” The voice called to him from the doorway. “Our sister Fern is not ready for what ye desire of her.”

Rowen slid away from Fern and grabbed the blanket to cover himself. “Who are you?” His eyes stared at the woman between angry slits.

“
I am sister Abigail. Look at Fern, Rowen. Surely you have noticed she isn’t herself?” Abigail nodded her head toward Fern.

Rowen sat staring in disbelief when Fern’s head fell to her chest. The woman put her under a spell right before his eyes. “Fern, look at me, love.” She almost fell over when he gently shook her shoulder. Angry, he jumped to his feet, reaching the woman in one deadly stride. “Tell me who you are, woman, or I swear I won’t be responsible for what I do.” The woman’s beauty didn’t go unnoticed. “Why are you keeping us here?”

“
Ye are free to leave anytime ye want, Rowen Nichols. It is Fern that cannot leave here. Our sister Mary is safe now so there is no reason for ye to stay. Fern has to stay here with us, she is of our blood, can’t ye see that?” Abigail knew this was going to be hard for him to understand. They were in love; it was a problem she wished to avoid. Shrugging, she dismissed it as an obstacle the sisters would overcome.

“
No way, lady! Fern will come with me. We’ll both go back through the wardrobe together. She belongs back home with me, I won’t leave here without her, understand!” Rowen fought an impulse to wrap his hand around her pale throat and give her a reason to believe him. But somehow he knew she wasn’t evil like Elizabeth and that she didn’t intend to hurt Fern. Standing close with clenched fists, he looked down into her eyes, Fern’s eyes. “Get my clothes now, I taking Fern and we’re leaving.”

“
I cannot, someday ye will understand the importance of the woman ye love. She must stay here. She must take Mary’s place in the village and be hung in front of the villagers, but most importantly, Elizabeth Wilds.”

“
But you just said Mary had escaped with Jonathan, so why do we have to go on with this? It doesn’t make sense.” She wasn’t going to give in. Damn it, he would have to take Fern, by force if necessary. “Where are my clothes, Abigail, I’ll be leaving now.” He watched her disappear and then return with his clothes. “Leave me alone while I dress please.”

“
Come, sister Fern, Rowen needs to clothe himself.” Abigail nodded toward Fern, waking her from her daze.

“
No!” Rowen took a deep breath then calmed his voice; he didn’t want to cause suspicion. “Please, I want to tell her goodbye in private.”

Abigail looked at him from underneath her lashes. He was a hard man to read. “Alright, Rowen Nichols. But mind ye, do not attempt to take her from here. The sisters would be very angry, very angry indeed.”

Rowen turned around to look at Fern. She was still under the spell and he thought she looked pitiful the way she sat smiling like a child with her hands folded in her lap. After dressing himself quickly he sat down beside her to button the hooks of his shoes. When he was done he took her hand and pulled her with him toward the door. Her feet dragged behind her, and she was placid. “Keep as quiet as you can, Fern. If I’m to get us out of here, we’ll have to be fast.”

“
Why, Rowen? I don’t want to leave here. The sisters love me and want me to stay. I want to stay.
Please
, let’s just go back to the bed and lie down.” She rubbed the back of her hand over his rough jaw. “We can hold each other, and maybe I’ll let you kiss me.” She smiled shyly.

Rowen thought she looked like an angel, all softness and innocence. “Love, I promise I’ll figure out a way to wake you up. And when you do wake up from this crazy spell, I’ll take you up on the offer. Just come with me now, I promise you’ll be alright.”

“
But Abigail said I had to stay. Oh Rowen, I don’t know what to do.” Fern felt as if she was being squeezed in a vise of indecision. Her heart told her to go with Rowen but her mind told her to stay. She would follow her heart and go with Rowen. She didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but it was what she really, really wanted to do. “I’ll go with you, Rowen, I’ll go anywhere you want to take me.”

Rowen pulled her up tight against his chest and kissed her. A deep penetrating kiss to show her she’d made the right choice. She was still sedated, but it seemed as if the kiss woke her up a little more. “Let’s go then, we’ll go back to the wardrobe then home. I want you to stay there with me when we get back, Fern.”

“
You do? Why?” Fern ducked close to his back and followed him from the room. He had her hand placed firmly in his as they made their way through stone hallway after stone hallway. It seemed nobody was around. Her mind was reeling, why would Rowen want her to stay with him? He didn’t love her, maybe he felt obliged, considering what they had been through together, maybe he just wanted to coddle her for a while before dropping her for one of his beautiful women friends. God, she needed her head to clear, the fog of the sisters was bearing down hard again, screaming, pulling her to go back
. Stay, they were yelling. Stay, sister Fern, you belong, stay.

Rowen pulled Fern behind him, thinking about her question. Why would he want her to stay with him? He didn’t understand it himself, he came here prepared to let her die, and now that it wasn’t necessary he wanted her to stay with him. She’d only make his life miserable, complicated and miserable. “Look, there’s the door. We’ve made it, Fern.” He was surprised at how easy it was. The way Abigail talked, the sisters would be everywhere, waiting and watching.

The sunlight almost blinded them when Rowen pulled the door open. Feeling suddenly strange, as if they were being watched, Rowen stopped and slowly raised his head. Fern must have felt him tense because she to stood staring up at the woman above them. The sun was positioned against her back but it didn’t matter, they both knew who she was almost instantly.

“
Take Fern back to the sisters, Rowen Nichols. Abigail hath told ye that she must stay here. It is best, ye must see it.”

Fern stepped forward and placed herself between Rowen and Mary. They were still in the crevice beneath the rocks and she knew they didn’t have anywhere to run to escape. Unless she could get Mary to agree, she would be forced to stay. “Mary, you must let us pass. I don’t belong here anymore than Jonathan belongs here. Now that you are safe, you must see that we are no longer needed here.”

“’
Tis not my decision to have ye stay. It is that of the sisters. Ye are important to our future, and to mine own.” Mary blinked back a tear. They were so much like, her and this girl from the future. If she could stop this, she would.

Fern felt goose bumps on her neck when Rowen leaned over to whisper in her ear. She shivered outwardly, not only from his warm breath as it brushed the fine hairs of her neck, but also from the soul-searching stare of her ancestor.

“
Do not let go of my hand until we reach the top, Fern. Once we reach the top of the rocks run as fast as you can. I’ll keep the sisters away.” The feral fragrance of the magnolias in her hair made his head swim. “And let me have those damned flowers, they make me incapable of rational thought.”

Fern jumped when he yanked the ring of flowers from her head and tossed them up and over Mary where they disappeared beyond the giant boulders of the crevice. It was just the right diversion to aid in their escape. Mary turned in that split second to watch the flowers, giving them enough time to make the three to four steps needed to get past her. When she felt his hand release hers and he yelled to her to run, she did. As fast as her legs could carry her across the field of wild magnolias. She didn’t know where Rowen was but she ran anyway, all the way to the road at the opposite side of the field. Then when she felt his hand in hers they both ran, to where the wardrobe waited, ready to send them home.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“
It’s locked!” Rowen’s chest tightened in anger. Unable to contain himself, he yelled, “Damn it, move back Fern, I’m going to bust the doors in.”

Fern stepped in front of him. “Wait, Rowen. Let me try.” Still trying to catch her breath from their run, she pushed past him and tried the handles. He was right, the wardrobe was locked. Giving way to her own frustration, she stepped back and let him have it. “Break the damn handles, Rowen, I want to go home.”

“
Not any more than I do, Fern. But if I break it we might not ever get home. Let me see what else I can do.” He yanked until his arms gave in. The wood was new now so the handles weren’t rusted from the effects of time. Even still he should have been able to pry the doors loose, he wasn’t a weakling by any means. Sitting back on his haunches he debated using an axe, if only he could find one.

“
If you destroy the wardrobe, you will destroy any chance of returning to your own time.”

Rowen frowned. “How did you know what I was thinking, Fern?”

“
It wasn’t me.” Fern stared into the eyes of the young girl, blinking when she felt Rowen’s hand on her shoulder.

“
Who are you?” Rowen asked.

“
Thou hast forgotten me so soon? Do you not recognize me?” She smiled at the two bewildered faces. “’Tis I, Rose!”

Neither one of the two could take their eyes off her. Fern thought she looked like a delicate flower. But Rowen thought she looked like a slender fawn, fresh and new. She claimed to be Rose, but how was that possible. This young woman was maybe sixteen or seventeen years of age. She had the same eyes, Fern’s eye’s. Rowen spoke first; stepping forward, he looked down into her china doll face.

“
Why are you here, Rose? Fern took you away from here long ago. Why did you come back?”

“
To rescue Fern, of course, and thyself.” Taking her eyes off Rowen, she let them settle on Fern, smiling into the eyes she knew so well. “Thou art still under the sisters’ spell. I have come to set ye free of it before ye leave this time.”

“
I don’t feel like I’m under a spell, Rose. The feeling left me before Rowen and I got back to this house. Maybe it has already been broken.”