Love Lost in Time (Victorian Time-Travel) (19 page)

“
My brother hasn’t shown much interest in having a relationship with a woman, mainly because he’s so busy with the Foreign Office, but I can see he watches you. I don’t think he knows his own feelings yet, but I’m quite certain he will fall in love with you.”

Halle blurted out a laugh before she could stop it. “
Fall in love with me?” She shook her head. “Oh, Georgi, I think not, my friend.”

“
Do not laugh at my wisdom. I may be young, but I’m not blind. In fact, I can see you have the same kind of feelings for him.”

Halle
really didn’t want to talk about her feelings for Andrew right now. Was she falling in love with him? She certainly enjoyed being around him, being in his arms, and kissing him to distraction, but did that mean she was in love? Although being in love with this perfect man was a dream-come-true, she didn’t know what the future would bring her…not here in Victorian times.

“I’ll have to think on that
,” Halle said. “I don’t really know if that is what I feel for your brother, but I do like him…more than I’ve ever liked another man before.”

Georgiana leaned forward in her seat and narrowed her gaze on Halle. “Have you had man
y gentleman friends? Beaus?”

Halle could count on one hand how many guys she
’d thought she loved since high school. She had many friends who were guys, but only dated a few in college. Like Andrew, she hadn’t wanted to settle down, marrying and raising children. But after spending time with Andrew these past few—but very wonderful—days, her mind had started to change, and heaven help her, she wanted Andrew to be her husband and father of her children!

Once again, she was letting her thoughts get ahead of her plans. Before she start
ed mapping out her future, she must help Andrew take care of the past…well,
her
past, but Andrew’s future. Oh, all of this was giving her a headache.

“I have not had many beaus,
Georgi.” Halle offered a small smile. “How about you? Is there a boy you have perhaps set your sights on?”

The younger girl chuckled and shook her head as she gave a dismissal wave, but the blush covering her face quickly let Halle know there was indeed a boy Georgiana liked.

“Now don’t lie,” Halle said, leaning forward in her seat. “Tell me about him.” She grinned. “After all, we are friends now, and that’s what friends do—share secrets.”

All laughter disappeared from the younger girl’s face, but her eyes still danced with excitement. “You must promise not to say anything to my family.”

“I promise.” Halle drew an X across her chest. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Georgi
’s eyes widened. “Oh, heavens! You don’t have to
hope to die
.”

Inwardly, Halle groaned. She’s talk
ing too modern…again. “Not to worry, dear Georgi. It’s just a saying Americans use. We don’t mean it literally. All it means that I’m making a promise to keep your secret.”

Georgi
sighed with relief and nodded. “Then all right, I shall tell you.” She licked her lips and fidgeted in her seat. “His name is Ernest, and he’s just the sweetest boy I know.” Her face flamed a darker red.

“How did you meet him?”

“Well…” Georgi paused, chewing on her bottom lip. “He’s actually the son of the lady who makes my bonnets.”

Halle laughed and clapped her hands once. “Then it’s no wonder you are adamant about going to the village to purchase another bonnet when you don’t need one.”

The girl giggled. “I don’t know if you are aware, but I also convinced my mother not to go with us. I told her that you would be the perfect companion for me.” She sighed and placed her hand on her bosom. “I’m so relieved Mother agreed.”

Halle shook her head, still grinning. “You are wicked,
Georgi…but I love it.”

Georgi
shyly looked down at her gloved hands. “I thank you, Halle. Sometimes I feel like my family protects me entirely too much. I feel like the real me is deep inside this shell, wanting to come forth.”

Halle reached her hand and patted
Georgi’s knee. “Don’t rush it. The time will come, I assure you. There’s no reason to grow up fast. I was your age once, remember? Your day in the sun will come, and then you’ll become my age and wish for those carefree days when you were young again.”

When the coach slowed to a stop,
Georgi jumped and turned toward the window, peering out with wide eyes. “See that house there? That’s where he lives!”

Halle followed the girl’s stare, but these small windows didn’t show her much. “Make sure you introduce me.” She gave
Georgi a wink. “I’ll let you know if I approve.”

Georgiana giggled until the footman opened the door and helped her out. He turned and offered his assistance to Halle. When she stepped out of the coach and was able to get a good look at the house where Ernest lived, she was taken back in surprised. It was nowhere as fancy as other houses Halle had seen along the way. Although it wasn’t a mere shack, it was still a two-level humble abode with a wooden fence around the yard. Chickens were scattered in the back of the house while several little girls ran after them. Farther down the lane was more farm animals and a small barn.

Immediately, a young man—not too much older than Georgi—came running out of the house. His smile was stretched wide across his face. Not as handsome as Halle thought he’d be, he still seemed like a pleasant boy. His clothes weren’t expensive, but they were at least clean. It was obvious he had eyes only for Georgiana.

Halle groaned inward. This was definitely not a suitable match for the duke’s daughter.

He bowed. “Good morning, Lady Georgiana.”

Georgi
beamed. “Good morning, Mr. Woodland.” She motioned to Halle. “Miss Chapman, may I introduce you to my friend, Mr. Woodland. Miss Chapman is staying with us for a while.”

Halle forced herself to hold back her hand this time, waiting for him to make the first move to shake hands. But he didn’t. Instead, he bowed to her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Chapman.”

“And it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Woodland.”

“Mother is inside, and waiting for you.” Ernest turned and almost tripped over his feet on the way to open the door for Georgi.

Halle followed behind, suddenly feeling like the third wheel. Still
, it made her happy to see Georgi had found a boy to like. Knowing the class structure like Halle did, she knew Georgiana’s parents would not approve of Ernest because of his upbringing. Then again, a miracle could happen and this young man would become wealthy enough to provide for sweet little Georgi.

The next few hours crept by, and Halle was ready to return home. She had the opportunity to speak with Ernest and a few other ladies who had happened by, about
Mr. Radcliff, but nobody knew anything about the man. Halle felt as if she’d failed again. She prayed Andrew was able to get more information.

Finally
—after dropping many hints to Georgi—they said their goodbyes and the teenage girl left with a new bonnet. They climbed into the coach and took off for home.

Home.
Well, it wasn’t Halle’s home, but for now she could dream that it was. What she wouldn’t give to live here in Victorian England as Andrew’s wife. True, she’d miss her friends Samantha and Colin terribly, and she’d definitely miss the flushing toilet and especially her own bra instead of this tight corset, but other than that, she would be content to live here for the rest of her life.

Unfortunately, she had no clue how long that would be. Or even
when the time-travel Gods were going to whisk her back to her time in the future. Maybe if she stayed away from the glowing tree, she wouldn’t be sent back.

“Well? What do you think of Ernest?” Georgiana asked sheepishly.

“He seems very nice, and he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

A blush covered
Georgi’s face again. “I noticed that as well. He is very sweet, and he makes me laugh.”

“Then I have no doubt he’ll want to court you when the time is right.”

Georgi shrugged. “I’m sure he will, but the question is…will my father allow it? Right now Ernest is just a farmer. There is no money in his family.” She frowned. “If only he could find a way to make more money, then maybe my father would approve.”

“Why not ask your brother about it? I’m certain Andrew would know of a way to help Ernest.”

The girl’s eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously. “I wouldn’t dream of asking Andrew. He would know exactly why I had brought up the subject. My brother has a quick mind.”

“So true.”

The crack of a pistol being fired ripped through the air, startling Halle. The coach jerked to a stop so fast, it had both she and Georgi sliding on their seats and hitting the vehicle’s walls.

“What’s going on?”
Georgi panicked as she peered out the window.

A couple days after Edward’s engagement, Georgiana is kidnapped…

Fear sliced through Halle and she jumped to the other seat, circling her arms around the terrified girl. This was it! Georgi was going to be abducted…but not without a fight. Halle would make certain Andrew’s sister was
not
taken!

Men’s voices shouted commands at the driver before heavy footfalls crunched the ground close to the coach.
Georgi whimpered and Halle cuddled the girl closer as she glared at the coach’s door, waiting for it to open.

Finally, the door
cracked open as a pistol was shoved through. Halle followed the black-gloved hand holding the weapon, up the black sleeve to the body—and face behind it. The man wore a hooded cloak, but also had a makeshift mask covering the top part of his face. Two small slits in the black cloth made holes for his eyes.

“Get out of the coach. Both of you!”

Halle couldn’t tell whose body shook harder, hers or Georgiana’s, but she kept hold of her friend as they exited the vehicle. Once they were both down, Georgi clung to Halle’s arm, standing slightly in back of her.

“What do you want?” Halle asked, trying to keep her voice steady. She also tried to show the two men with pistols that she was not afraid, although she was scared to death.

“We don’t want to hurt you,” the man standing behind the first said. “We are just going to take you to a place and hold you for ransom.”

Halle shielded her body against Georgiana’s. “What kind of fools do you take me for? Don’t tell me you’re not going to hurt us. If you really meant that, then why are you pointing pistols at us? And if we
fight you, I’m quite certain you’ll harm us.” She shook her head. “Don’t think I’m so obtuse. I assure you, I know exactly what you two imbeciles want.” Where she found the courage to speak such words, she didn’t know.

The two men; dippity-dee and dippity-doo, exchanged glances, but they never lowered their weapons.

“Miss, if you will just come along and not give us any trouble—”

“Don’t count on it,” Halle snapped. “I will not allow you to take
Lady Georgiana. If you touch a hair on her head, I will hurt you both any way I can.”

Once again, the two idiots traded glances. The one in back shook his head. “No, Miss. We aren’t here for
Lady Georgina. We are here to kidnap you and hold
you
for ransom.”

Chapter Seventeen

Halle couldn’t believe her ears. They were here to take
her.
What happened to Georgiana’s kidnapping attempt?

Oh, good grief!
Halle had altered the timeline! That could be the only explanation.

Beside her,
Georgi sobbed and tightened her hold on Halle’s arm. “No, you cannot take Miss Chapman.”

“
My lady,” the first man said as he motioned to the coach. “Kindly climb back inside so you won’t get hurt.”

“No,”
Georgi cried and buried her face in Halle’s back.

Halle
maneuvered around to face Georgi. Her face was pale and her blue eyes were moist with tears. “It’s all right. Get back in the coach.” She hugged her and whispered in the girl’s ear, “Get a good look at these men and watch which way they take me. Then tell your father and Andrew.”

Georgiana pulled back until her eyes met Halle’s. The girl nodded and hurried back inside the coach.

The first man walked past Halle and closed the door. “Be off with you now,” he shouted to the driver.

Seconds later, the coach jerked into motion and started its journey toward Harrington
Manor. Halle prayed that Georgi was watching these men carefully.

Studying the two imbeciles, Halle realized they were not highwaymen. The
material of their clothes was too expensive for them to be mere farmers. But she couldn’t tell by their bodies—or the lower half of their faces—who they were and if she’d met them before. And because they both wore hooded cloaks, she didn’t know what color of hair they had, either.

“Now, are you going to be a good girl and go with us without any
struggle, or do you intend to resist?”

She rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be stupid. Of course I intend to resist, just give me a moment to map out my strategy first.”

She really wished she could see their expressions. They had probably never
come across a woman like her before, and more than likely, they never would again.

It seemed like the first man was the ring leader.
He spoke more and moved around, whereas the other man was content to stand and watch her. The first man was larger in build, but the second man didn’t appear to be a weakling, either. Both of them could take her down in a second, however, she’d put up a fight the whole time.

Shivers of fear ran over her, and she hugged her cloak tighter against her chest. She didn’t know why that second man gave her the creeps, but he did. Perhaps it was because he didn’t say much, and when he did, he kept his tone low.

“Miss Chapman,” the second one said in an eerie voice, “we mean you no harm. All we want you for is bait. We are after something that the Duke of Harrington has, and you are the key to helping us get it.”

The first man moved behind her so fast, she wasn’t prepared for his solid hold on her arms as he pulled them behind her. She struggled the best she could, but just as she’d figured, he was too strong.

Lashing out with her leg, she connected the heel of her shoe against his shin. He yelped and stumbled, but the movement did not break his hold on her arms.

“You little fool,” he hissed in her ear as he tightened her arms. “You are making it very hard for us not to harm you as we’d promised
.”

T
he second man came toward her. Fear clutched her throat. He stopped mere inches away and shook his head. “Please, Miss Chapman. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“Obviously, you don’t know
how stubborn I am,” she snapped. “I know what you two are after, and I’ll do everything in my power so you don’t hurt the Merrick family.”

The man in front of her shook his head. “You misunderstand, Miss Chapman. We are not going to hurt anyone. We just want what is ours.”

She growled. “What makes you think the treasure is yours? It has been with the Merrick family for generations, and that is where it will stay. Both of you are nothing but thieves, and I won’t allow you to win.”

The man sucked in his breath, obviously shocked by what she said. But she didn’t care. She would always be one step ahead of them.

“How does she know about the treasure?” the man behind her asked his friend.

The one in front still stared at her. He shook his head. “I do not know, but we will find out soon.” He grasped her arm in a painful hold. “Let’s get out of here before someone comes.” He delved into the shoulder sack he carried and pulled out a black cloth, similar to the masks they wore, and handed it to the first man. “Put this on her while I hold her.”

Her fear heightened and she jerked away from them, but the second man was stronger than his thin frame appeared as he pushed her down to the cold ground. She cried out and tried to kick, but he sat on her legs while his painful grip on her arms tightened. With him holding her down in such a way, the first man was able to tie the cloth around her eyes until her vision was blocked. Only a small amount of light came from around her nose.

Coarse rope scraped her skin as they tied her wrists together. Once that was completed, they yanked her to her feet again. She had no other choice but to stop fighting them and follow their lead.

She waited for them to pull her on top of a horse, but when she stumbled into a coach, it surprised her. She wondered if this vehicle was theirs of if they’d stolen it.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked as the vehicle started moving.

“To a safe place.”

She released a sarcastic laugh. “Safe for whom?”

“Listen, Miss Chapman,” the first man said, “all you need to know is that you are under our control now. As long as you do as we say, nobody will get hurt.”

She shook her head. “There you go again, threatening me with that phrase. First you tell me you don’t plan on hurting anyone, and now you’re saying that if I do as you say, nobody will get hurt. I wish you two imbeciles would make up your mind.”

“Why is she talking to us like this?” the first man muttered softly, although she knew he was directing his question to the second guy.

“Patience…patience.” The second man’s tone remained low. “Do not let her annoy you. She is doing this on purpose
to make us mad.”

“Well, she is succeeding,” the first man grumbled again.

This time his voice sounded oddly familiar. In a flash, a memory hit her—when she and Nigel were walking toward the maze and he muttered something. Immediately, she knew who the first man was. Good ole Nigel Radcliff!

She knew not to trust him. But was he really the leader in this group or was the other man? And she was quite certain she’d never met the other one. Nothing about him was familiar.

She rested back in her seat, laying her head against the coach’s wall. The bouncing of the vehicle tried to relax her, but her mind scrambled to figure a way out of this. If Georgi had been kidnapped, her father would have saved her—so Andrew had told her when she was at the bed and breakfast. But what of now? Would the duke try to rescue her? Or would Andrew? And attempting her rescue, would it then put their lives in danger?

Halle wasn’t sure how much time had slipped by, but soon the coach stopped and they were climbing out. She stumbled again as she tried to follow their lead, only because they didn’t know the first thing about leading the blind. They walked in to some kind of structure. Taking a deep breath, she tried to familiarize herself with the smells around her. Dust and mold, mainly. She sneezed. But there was also a hint of something cooking in one of the other rooms. So perhaps they were in a house.

At first the room seemed to have a lot of light, but the farther she walked, darkness began to close in around her. Then they shoved her and she stumbled onto a bed, at least she hadn’t fallen to the hard floor. Before she could say anything, their heavy footsteps left, and the creak of the door closing and hard click of the lock sealed her prison.

“What? You can’t even take
off my blindfold?” she yelled. “Idiots! You don’t know the first thing about holding someone for ransom, do you?”

But they probably wouldn’t. She’d seen enough movies and read so many books about the subject that she could probably give them pointers.

Using the side of her face against the wool blanket, she worked the cloth mask until it moved. Vigorously, she continued with this undertaking until the cloth slowly slipped up her head and she could see again.

She blinked to adjust her eyes. The room
had no windows, and the only light came from the holes in the walls and around the door. Indeed, this was no castle, but a rundown old cottage. The small bed where she lay was the only furniture in the room.

She listened closely for Nigel and his friend, but she couldn’t detect any voices. Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes and held back the tears stinging her eyes. Andrew had to come for her. Hopefully
Georgi would get home safely, too.

How much time passed, she didn’t know because she drifted in and out of sleep. Her mind was weary of trying to figure a way out
and if these two men were the ones who were going to attack the manor on December 20
th
. Gads, she hoped they weren’t still planning it. She wanted to believe she had altered time enough to stop the madness of these men.

She closed her eyes once again, and a short time later, the door opened. Due to her exhaustion, she didn’t look to see which fool came in.
From the brightness shining on her face, she assumed he’d brought a lamp.

The man pushed her
achy shoulder, but she refused to let him know she was awake. He pushed again, harder this time, but still she made no movement to alert him that she knew what was going on.

“I think she’s asleep.”

“Yes, I think so, too. Just let her sleep, but untie her hands.”

The man fumbled with the ropes at her wrists. Gradually, the
y loosened and blood began to flow back through her limbs. The men’s footsteps left the room, the door creaked as it was closing. But she also heard the two men talking just outside her door.

“I
expect to be hearing from the Duke of Harrington any time now.”

“Good, good. Things are going according to our plans.”

“I’m just worried about Lord Andrew.”

“Why, Nigel? We haven’t involved him in any way.”

“True, but I saw the way that man watched Miss Chapman the other night at the ball. He has feelings for her. I’d bet money on it.”

One pair of footsteps came closer to the door
but stopped before he entered. She continued to feign sleep.

“That is very interesting,” the mysterious man said. “I’ll have to think of a way we can blackmail him into getting what we want.”

There was a pause, and Halle wondered if they were still watching her, she knew they were since she hadn’t heard them walk away. It unnerved her to know they studied her so intently, so she made doubly-sure she laid still and took deep breaths as if she were sleeping.

“She
’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Nigel said.

“Indeed, she is. She reminds me of her mother.”

Halle hitched a breath—quietly, of course.
My mother?
How would he know her mother unless…

Flashbacks resurfaced of when she was at Buckland manor trying to find her father. He’d been gone a month. Andrew had traveled forward in time a month. What were the odds her father had gone through the tree to return to this time just as Andrew had come forward?

The pounding in her skull led her to believe she was close to the truth. Why else would Will Chapman just fall off the face of the earth after writing to her for over a year? He had taken the duke’s journals and read them. Will Chapman must have realized the tree was the link between worlds.

Her heart sank when realization crashed around her. Just like his ancestor the thief,
Ruthless Ron
, Will wasn’t the good man she wanted him to be. Instead, he was a common thief. Now he’d added kidnapping to his list of crimes.

Yet
, he knew who she was. Could that be the reason he’d kidnapped her?

Nigel snickered. “I still can’t believe you sired such a
lovely woman. Are you sure she’s yours? Perhaps her mother lied to you.”

“No, she’s mine,” Will said softly. “The poor girl has my spirit, and I fear if a man doesn’t tame her soon, she’ll get herself in trouble.”

What?
Anger rose inside her chest. She was
not
like her father. Sure, she had a wild spirit at times, but she would never be like her criminal father and his lousy ancestors. If only he could have been the man he’d written about in his letters to her—the kind, hardworking, and trusting man she’d thought him to be.

A lump formed in her throat, and she wanted to cry. She quickly pushed away that emotion and made anger return. She refused to give her father…er, Will Chapman the satisfaction of seeing her cry over him.

Silence fell upon them one more time, and it became harder for her to remain still. She wanted so badly to lash out at him, to let her temper ride and tell him exactly what she thought of his deceitful ways.