Love Lost in Time (Victorian Time-Travel) (16 page)

Should he warn his brother the woman was
not in her right mind? As much as he wanted to do anything to make it so Edward wouldn’t pursue Halle, telling him about Halle’s secret wouldn’t be wise. Knowing his brother, he’d think Andrew was the one insane and not Halle.

“Do whatever you like. I don’t care.” Andrew urged
the horse faster, wanting to get home so not to listen to Edward any longer.

Thankfully, Edward
chose that moment to stop the conversation. They were nearly home anyway, so he just hurried ahead of the group and rode to the groom, climbed down, and threw the reins to the servant. Before the others caught up, he hurried inside the house and straight to his room. It was best if he didn’t see Halle again tonight. Too many emotions run amuck through him, threatening to turn him into a blithering—and sappy—idiot.

Afte
r discarding his coat and waistcoat, he paced the floor like a caged tiger. He couldn’t remove Halle’s image from his head…and what was worst was thinking of her with Edward. There was no way Andrew could allow her to be succumbed to his brother’s possessive clutches. Yet at the same time, he didn’t figure Halle the type of woman who would fall for Edward’s faux charm. Halle was a strong-willed woman, and although she had remained polite to Edward earlier at the party, Andrew could tell she wasn’t fully enjoying herself.

So perhaps it was
n’t Edward’s heart Andrew should try to protect. Should he try to shield his own?

Grumbling, he loosened his cravat and shucked it off, then removed the stiff collar. He sat on the cushioned stool and removed his boots, feeling much better and more relaxed now. A small fire burned in the hearth, and as he stared at the flames licking up the stones, dread washed over him. He needed to release this strange hold Halle had over him, but at the same time, he didn’t want to. Watching her dance with one man and move quickly to another, made jealousy sneak into his heart, and blast it all, but a feeling of protectiveness smothered him, and all he wanted to do was be her rescuer.

A bowl of grapes sat on the small table, and he quickly plopped a couple in his mouth. Usually food helped him think better, but it seemed the grapes weren’t enough to sustain him.

He sighed and buried his face in his hands. Was her mind so far gone that he couldn’t try to help her? Perhaps if he helped her grasp reality, then maybe
, just maybe, she’d become the woman he had thought she was…had
hoped
she’d be.

How much time passed as he stared mindlessly into the fire, he did not know, but soon his eyes bec
ame weary. The decanter of brandy sitting on the corner of a shelf tempted him, but he knew that foul drink wouldn’t totally wash away his feelings—and especially his memory.

Sleep was the best thing for him, although he feared he wouldn’t be able to rest once his head hit the pillow.

He stood and stretched the kinks out of his arms and back. Perhaps he’d been sitting on that stool and staring into the fire longer than he thought. As he took a step toward his bed, the floor in the hallway right outside his door squeaked. He stopped and listened closer. Another squeak came until he was sure someone stood in front of his room. Seconds later, a knock vibrated lightly on the door.

Who could be coming to h
is room at this hour? If it was Edward coming to tell him again how he was going to woo Halle, Andrew would not stand for it. In his frame of mind right now, he would certainly tell his brother to leave her alone.

Andrew
ran his fingers through his hair and marched to the door. Taking a deep breath, he swung the door open, prepared to give his brother a sound lashing. But it wasn’t his older sibling who stood in front of him, but an angel swathed in a white wrapper that covered her from her neck to her wrists and down to her ankles. On her feet were matching slippers. Her glorious golden-brown hair was long and flowing over her shoulders—just the way he liked it. Wide green eyes stared up at him in silent appeal as she twisted her hands against her belly.

Oh, dear Lord!
Please help me resist her!

“Miss Chapman? Is something amiss? Why are you not in bed?”

“Shh,” she whispered, stepping closer and laying her finger on his lips. “I don’t want anyone to hear us.”

Confusion swam in his head
—pretty much the way it had been doing all evening. And once again, his emotions were all over the place. Half of him wanted to order her to leave, and the other half wanted her to stay, because in her company he felt complete.

He grasped her wrist to move her hand away, but instead of pushing her back, he found himself pulling her inside and closing the door behind her. His heartbeat knocked in a fast rhythm against his ribs, and heaven help him, he would keep her
in his room as long as possible.

Gone was the weariness that had crept over him only a little while ago, and in its place was anticipation of how much enjoyment he would have being awake and talking with her. And yes, if a kiss were to follow, that would only enhance their time together.

Indeed it would be scandalous if someone from his family knew Halle was in his room, but for the life of him, he couldn’t make her leave.

With an unsteady hand, she swept her palm over her hair and shyly glanced at the floor. “Please forgive me for
my appearance, but I knew I must talk to you tonight.” Hesitantly, she lifted her gaze to his. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep any other way.”

“I
understand.”

She took a step closer, her hands still twisting together. “Andrew, I know you think me insane, but I want to try to prove to you I am not.” She took a deep breath. “Please, will you allow me to tell you what I know?”

He really didn’t want to hear what she had to say…or did he? Perhaps if he allowed her to speak, she would say something that would let him know she wasn’t insane. At this point, he wanted to believe she had a sound mind, even if she did have a vivid imagination.

Nodding, he motioned to the chair. “Would you like to sit?”

“No, I prefer to stand.”

“As you wish.” He moved to the fireplace and leaned against the hearth, staring down into the flames. Tightness knotted his stomach, and he prayed he would be able to listen to her with an open mind.

“Andrew, I know how you must be feeling, because I was in your shoes when you first tried to convince me you were from the past.”

A slight pain crept in his head.
She’d mentioned the same thing to him earlier this evening, and he just didn’t understand. “So you are telling me that I came to see
you
in the future?”

She laughed lightly. “Not exactly. You were already there when I arrived at Buckland Manor—the bed and breakfast
that your house was turned in to. You had already been there nearly a month.”

He looked directly at her. “And
pray tell, what sent me to your time?”

“I’m assuming it was the tree.”

“The tree?”

“Yes, the large one in the front of your house. You had told me that in the spring you
r mother used to plant flowers under the tree.”

“And that is what brought me through time?”

“Yes—and it’s what brought me back in time.”

He rubbed his forehead. “So tell me why the tree did that to me.”

“That’s a good question, but unfortunately, I don’t know the answer. I have my own theory, though.”

“
Which is?”

“I think by running to the tree, it saved your life by bringing you to my time.”

The slight pound in his head grew slowly. “Yes, I recall you had mentioned that my family’s manor was attacked.”

“It was—or it will be.”

“And my family perished?”

“All except Georgiana and
Lady Agnes.”

“
Lady Agnes?” He arched an eyebrow. “She isn’t part of my family.”

“Actually, she was—or will be. On the day Edward marries
Lady Agnes, December 20
th
, is when the attack occurs.”

Grumbling, Andrew pushed his fingers through his hair and moved away from the fireplace. The heat must be damaging
his brain. It was impossible to think.

“Andrew, please forgive me for causing you
confusion.” She came toward him but stopped mere inches away, reaching her hand to touch him. However, before her fingers reached their mark, she quickly pulled it back.

He took a deep breath, hoping to control the threatening headache. “So then why do you think you came through the tree to my time?”

“I think it’s because I’m supposed to help stop the attack.”

“And how will you do that?”

She shrugged. “I wish I knew.” She took another hesitant step closer. “But I’m the only one that knows what will happen, so there must be a way to stop the evil men out there who want to bring harm to your family.”

He wished the dull pain behind his eyes would leave so that he could make more sense out of all of this. He moved away from her and sat on the chair by the small table. Taking deep, slow breaths, he hoped to calm the panic growing inside his chest. “Tell me how these people will attack my home.”

She stepped to the table and sat on the chair across from him. “They have fiery arrows, and pistols. There are many men, but you never told me how many. You called them a
mob
.”

“What time of the day?”

“Evening. I don’t know the exact time.”

Groaning, he closed his eyes as his fingers continued to work his forehead. Maybe he would have believed her if she
was a gypsy soothsayer, but…time-travel? “Miss Chapman, do you realize how hard this is for me? I just cannot grasp the concept of you—or anyone for that matter—traveling through time.” He opened his eyes and met her stare. “It’s impossible.”

“I had said the same thing, myself. Even in my day when there is so much technology, I still did not believe you were from the past.”

He lowered his arms to the table and leaned toward her. “How did I convince you?”

“You mentally took me back in time with you.” She smiled and a pleasant expression crossed her lovely features as if remembering brought her great joy. “I love history, and so I knew what things happened in your time. I knew what foods you ate, and what activities were done.” She shrugged. “That’s how you convinced me.”

“So how are you going to convince me?”

Her smile slowly disappeared as she scooted her chair closer. “I’m going to tell you what you had told me about your life.” Reluctantly, she placed her hand on his arm. “You had a mistress you wanted to keep
a secret, however, the woman had a loose tongue and told everyone that you were going to marry her.”

He released a harsh laugh. “Oh, really? What was her name?”

“Lucy—Mrs. Dinsmore.”

Immediately, anger filled him. That was currently happening
with Lucy. That was the very reason he decided to end it with the widow. “What else did I tell you about my life?”

She stroked her palm slowly up and down his arm. “Your mother loves her flower garden, and the reason why is because when she was a young girl, they had lost their home and she had missed the flowers. Her favorite flower is the purple rose.” Gently, she squeezed his hand. “And
, that’s your favorite flower because it’s hers.”

How did she know? She couldn’t possibly…
No, someone must have told her, yet he had never told a living soul that he loved the flower because it was his mother’s favorite. A different emotion twisted in his chest, and for the life of him, he couldn’t stop the sting of tears from touching his eyes. “What else?”

“You and your mother were displeased with Edward’s decision to marry
Lady Agnes. Her father and brothers were gamblers, and they were depleting the family coffers quickly. Apparently, only a few gentlemen had known about their lack of funds. Both you and your mother knew Lady Agnes only wanted your brother because of the family wealth.”

He nodded. “Yes, that is true.”

“And,” she leaned forward, “the secret stayed between you and your mother. Not even your father knew of it, right?”

“Correct.” How else would she know all of this—unless he had told her? And because he didn’t remember telling her, then he must have told her…in the future. Inwardly, he groaned. This was just too hard to accept no matter how hard he tried.

Silence stretched between them for several long minutes as his brain tried to process what he’d heard. As hard as it was to convince himself things like time-travel were possible, a niggle of doubt crept in his head and whispered,
what if
? Dare he trust and believe her story? Something deep down inside of him told him
yes.

Chapter Fourteen

Halle waited for some kind of reaction—anything—that would suggest he believed her. Because of his hesitation, and the silence, she figured he was mulling this over in his
head. She’d watched his expression closely for signs that he was beginning to trust her. When she talked about his mother’s flower garden, his expression told her that he was starting to believe her. He
knew
nobody else would know about his mother and the secrets between mother and son.

Slowly and softly, she stroked his arm, moving her palm a little further each time. He must believe her!

“Is there more?” he finally asked.

“
Yes. In a few days, someone will attempt to kidnap Georgiana.”

Andrew’s eyes widened and he straightened. He grasped her hand and peered deeply into her eyes. “When?”

“I don’t know. When you first told me about it, the alleged kidnapping happened a couple of days after Edward had proposed to Lady Agnes. Because there has been no engagement announced, I don’t know if Georgiana will be kidnapped now or not.”

“Who kidnaps her?”

“You never told me. The way I understood it was that someone
tried
to kidnap her, but your father stopped them before they were able to take Georgiana away.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “But I promise to stay close to her and keep that from happening.”

As he continued to stare at her, the color of hi
s eyes turned a lighter, softer blue and gradually a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“I love how you care so much about my family when you have only known us a short while.”

“I might not have known them very long, but they are your family which makes them special to me. I promise I’ll do all in my power to keep them from harm.”

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, his attention never straying from her face. Her heart leapt. Did
that mean he believed her? She could only pray for that miracle.

“Miss Chapman—”

“Halle, please.”

“Forgive me,
Halle.” His smile widened and he winked. “You do not know how much it means to hear you say that. It thrills me beyond words to know that you would help my family so selflessly.” He kissed her knuckles again, this time his lips lingered on her skin longer than before. “Tell me, Halle, when I was in your time, how long had we known each other?”

“About a week.”

“And during that week did…um, did we become close?”

She nearly giggled with happiness. She knew where he was going with this. “Yes, I believe we did. I was the only one you confide
d in—and who believed you were actually from 1848.”

Nodding, he stroked his thumb across her knuckle in a tender caress. “And during that time, did you have feelings for me?”

A blush crawled up her neck and heated her face. “Yes, although I didn’t say anything to you.”

“Did I return your feelings?”

“You never said the words, but I want to think you did.”

“What happened to me—in your time?”

Her heart sank. She didn’t dare tell him, but…as long as he doesn’t go forward in time during the attack, he’ll be fine. “The reason we didn’t really confess our feelings to each other is because you were very sick. At first we thought it was traveling through time that did it, but I believed you were being poisoned. I don’t know why—or who was doing it, but you showed the symptoms. You had actually died before I entered the tree to come here.”

“Well, let’s hope that doesn’t happen to me again.”

“My thoughts are the same.” She nodded.

Andrew didn’t speak for a few, long and agonizing, minutes. He continued to brush his lips over her knuckles
while his gaze held to hers. Anticipation beat a steady rhythm in her chest, making her breathless. Either that or it was his gentle touch, or that his blue eyes were so dreamy, and his breath so warm against her skin.

Now she wished the table wasn’t between them. Would he think her forward if she scooted around
to his side to get closer? Of course he would! She must wait—no matter how agonizing it would be—for him to make the next move.

“You know,” he said, finally breaking the silence, “it sounds unbelievable, but since I met you
in the corridor on the first day, I have felt some connection with you. I don’t know what it is, but part of me wants to trust you. To protect you.”

“Do you
think it’s because of the time-travel?”

“I couldn’t say, but I do feel close to you.”

“I’m glad.” She held to his hand with both of hers. “Because that’s how I felt when I met you in my time. I felt that you were not a stranger to me, even though we had barely met.”

His gaze moved over her face slowly before resting on her
lips. Cotton grew quickly in her mouth. She cleared her throat and swallowed hard. “Well, I suppose I should go back to my room now. It’s getting late, and…well, it’s very improper for me to be in your room.”

“In your time, did
available women meet with men in their bed chambers?”

She chuckled and nodded. “
But even in my time, being with a man in her room could ruin a girl’s reputation.”

He nodded and slowly stood, pulling her up along with him. Keeping her hand in his, he closed the space between them and stared down into her eyes. Oh, how she wanted him to kiss her
! Her breathing turned ragged, and the anticipation strumming through her right now ran so fast it made her chest ache.

Stroking her cheek, he leaned closer.
Kiss me!
She resisted the urge to pucker first, even though it was difficult.

“Then I supp
ose staying here any longer would definitely not be a good thing.” His voice was deep, sedated.

Now she wanted to kick herself in the t
ush for saying that. Then again, he was right. She needed to leave. With the spark of awareness between them and all the electric heat remaining in his room was extremely dangerous. “Not a good thing at all.”

“Do you want me to walk you back to your room?”

“No,” she answered softly. “I know the way.”

She waited patiently—all right, maybe not so patient—for him to finally kiss her since his mouth was so close to hers she could smell his breath… She
inhaled deeply. Grapes. He’d been eating grapes not too long ago. But the longer she waited, the more she realized he wasn’t going to kiss her.
The tease!

Well, if he wasn’t going to kiss her, standing so near was a wasted effort. Decision made, she pulled away from him and moved toward the door. “I hope to see you tomorrow.”

“You will.” He followed her.

“Please let me know if you have any more questions about…well, all of this.”

“I will.” He reached in front of her and pulled the door open. “Sleep well.”

“I shall.” With a heavy heart, she turned and left the room, walking softly on the squeaky floor toward her room. Why hadn’t he wanted to kiss her? He was right there—she was right there…
Men!

The fire
in her hearth had burned down to a few flames. She was glad she’d left a little light in her lamp because it was enough for her to find the bed. She shrugged out of the wrapper and kicked off her slippers. The floor was chilly tonight, but then winter was upon them. She couldn’t even imagine what it would be when the snow finally covered the land.

She grasped the top of the quilt and sheet, pulling it down to climb in. But just as she sat on the mattress, the door knob rattled and a second later, Andrew
stormed into her room. The set of his jaw and the glint from his narrowed eyes made him appear very determined.

Surprised, she
gasped and jumped to her feet, facing him. “What are you doing here—”

He marched to her and before she knew it, he’d taken her in his arms.
“You forgot something.”

“I…I did?”

“Yes. You forgot this…”

He lowered his head as his mouth swept over hers in an earth-shattering kiss…because it definitely shattered all her defenses. With a deep sigh, she threw her arms around his neck and
clung to him as she answered his stormy—and oh, so sexy, kiss.

His mouth took control over
hers, and she let him lead the way. His hands clutched the back of her nightgown as he pulled her against him tighter. Never had she been kissed so passionately, so emotionally, that it left her breathless and wanting much more. Warmth tingled over her body from the top of her head clear down to her once-cold toes. No more did the floor feel cool. Instead, she felt flushed—hot—and ready to swoon with happiness.

Soon his demanding kiss softened, but he continued to kiss her passionately
, as his lips moved expertly with hers. His hands had released their grip on her nightgown and moved slowly up her back until his fingers stroked her long hair. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.

“Do you know I have wanted to caress your hair since that first day I saw you wrapped in my mother’s afghan?”

His voice was so deep it hardly sounded like Andrew, and his breathing was as ragged as her own.

“You have?”
Good grief!
That’s not my voice…is it?
She sounded like those sexy women in those sultry movies.

“Halle, you are so lovely, so wonderful, so…perfect.” He dropped his mouth to hers again.

She didn’t want him to stop, yet she knew that if he didn’t stop a lot more things would happen tonight. Although the idea was tempting, she couldn’t let things between them go that far. Yet hearing him say those things about her melted her heart, and now she didn’t want to release him.

But she must.

Expelling a pleasurable sigh, she reluctantly pulled away and peered into his shadowed—and very dreamy—eyes. “Thank you.”

The corner of his mouth lifted in a half grin. “For what?”

“For doing what I had
forgotten
to do in your room.”

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “You are most welcome. Next time, don’t forget.”

“Oh, believe me, I won’t.” She winked.

He turned and left the room. When the door closed behind him, she
felt empty. Her arms already ached to hold him, and her lips would continue to tingle from his passionate kiss. Now she couldn’t wait for tomorrow to get here.

Unfortunately, before she could fall in love with this incredible man, she must focus on trying to keep him and his family from dying.

* * * *

It didn’t matter if
Andrew had only gotten a few hours of sleep, he was still up at the crack of dawn. And smiling!

Even when he’d crawled in between the sheets and readied himself for sleep, his mind wouldn’t stop. But it was different than before. Now he pondered if
he
was the one insane for believing such an outlandish story. Yet he had no choice. Halle had said things that nobody else would know.

So, i
f he couldn’t chase away the doubts of her being insane, he might as well join in with the madness. And as he readied himself for the new day, he looked forward to sharing Halle’s insanity. For certain he must have been out of his mind when he kissed her so passionately last night. Pleasure had consumed him fully in only a few seconds of taking her in his arms. Never in his life had he felt so complete. Life finally had meaning. He wanted to embrace the newfound feeling…and run with it.

Call him foolish, but right now
he was just too happy to care.

The first item on his agenda today was to confront Edward and tell him to leave Halle alone. She wasn’t interested in
him, anyway. Hopefully, Andrew would be able to convince his brother and all would go smoothly. But Edward had always been stubborn, especially if he wanted something. Andrew grumbled. Perhaps things wouldn’t go smoothly after all.

He headed into the breakfast room to find nobody seated at the table. Obviously, the rest of the family
hadn’t awakened early like he had. A few servants scrambled to ready the room for the morning meal. He wasn’t in the mood for food as much as he was for conversation with his brother. But until his older sibling joined him, Andrew had no other choice but to eat and wait.

Almost two hours later, his brother walk
ed into the breakfast room with a bounce in his step, and appearing extremely too chipper. Andrew knew he was going to ruin Edward’s good mood momentarily—and in a way, he almost didn’t want to. Not very often did Andrew see his brother this happy.

When Edward finally noticed Andrew, he slowed his steps and narrowed his gaze. “By Jove, brother. What has possessed you to be at breakfast? You usually skip this meal to go riding.”

Leaning back in his chair, Andrew crossed one ankle over the other under the table. “I realized that I needed to finish the conversation we had started last night.”

Edward arched his bushy eyebrow. “The one about Miss Chapman?”