Love's Past: A Twickenham Time Travel Romance Page 7

  The little walking jacket helped keep her warm, and she was glad she didn’t have to wear a hat outside for a walk in the garden. If anyone insisted she needed one, she might have to argue that point. There wasn’t enough bright sunshine to worry her about a sunburn, and her skin was a light tan already, making her look different from the women of the past.

  “What kinds of plants are you looking for?” Sir Hughes, or Jack as she thought of him, asked from a couple feet behind her.

  “No particular species, actually,” Kaitlyn answered. “More of just an overall feel of the layouts. I’m sure the plants at home are different enough from these here that I might not be able to grow anything really similar. I just wanted to see the garden up close and get a feel for it.”

  Jack nodded politely and stepped a little closer to be more in line with her. “Tell me of your home,” he asked.

  Kaitlyn paused for a moment, trying to remember if she’d told him anything about it last night while they danced, or if the gossips of the ball had spread news from what Aunt Nellie had let slip about these rich American heiresses. She would also have to be careful about how she explained things since her parents’ property was extra close to a large city that didn’t exist in 1850, apart from being a tiny little settlement.

  “Daddy’s land is extensive. Not as large as Nellie’s estate here, but he owns a big portion of the area. And the horses, that’s where he’s built his wealth.”

  “Horses,” Jack said. “Do you ride?”

  Kaitlyn grinned. “Since I was a baby. Daddy put me on a horse as soon as I could walk. Momma wasn’t thrilled with it at first, but they said I took to it like a duck to water.”

  “Have you had a chance to see Aunt Nellie’s stables yet?”

  Kaitlyn shook her head. “No, but I would love to see them.”

  “I will ask for her approval, but I would be pleased to show them to you if you’re willing.”

  “That is kind of you. Yes, thank you.” Kaitlyn smiled at Jack, unable to deny the feelings of pleasure at being with him. He was a perfect gentleman, and was paying a great deal of attention to her. She knew it was only because he thought she was rich, but he was good at hiding anything lecherous or unflattering. It was possible she wasn’t as well versed in nineteenth century men as she was with men from the twenty-first century, but she felt comfortable with him.

  “Do you visit Aunt Nellie often?” Kaitlyn asked after a few minutes of walking along the hedged pathway leading between the flowerbeds.

  “I’m regularly invited to spend time here when she holds her summer parties. Usually I attend with a close friend, but he was unable to get away from his duties at home. His tenants are having a bit of difficulty and he was needed there.”

  “That is most honorable of him,” Kaitlyn said. She looked at Jack, wondering what his tenants thought of him. Or if he actually had some. “What about your home?” Kaitlyn asked. She hoped it wouldn’t come across as nosy or even presumptuous for her to ask about his property, but she was really curious.

  “My land isn’t nearly as large as some around here. I have a very reliable steward that cares for my tenants.”

  “How often do you return home?” Kaitlyn asked.

  “I’m there quite regularly, but without a wife and family, it doesn’t feel completely like home. I do spend a lot of time at my place in town. Someday I hope to find a wife to share my home with, but I’ve been unlucky in that aspect so far.” Jack’s eyes strayed to her, and then he looked ahead on the path. “Have you seen Aunt Nellie’s water features?”

  Kaitlyn had seen them before she had fallen through time, but she couldn’t tell him that. And knowing proper etiquette of the time, she couldn’t question him on what he had just purposely changed the subject from. She shook her head to answer.

  “You really must come see them. She has managed to work some kind of magic. Water shoots up out of the ground.”

  Kaitlyn’s head turned quickly. He knew she was magic? Her eyes must have betrayed her surprise because Jack chuckled.

  “Oh, don’t worry, it’s nothing sinister. Mr. William Milton says it’s all done by the pressure of the water from the spring.”

  Kaitlyn smiled. She wouldn’t be surprised if Nellie really did put a bit of magic with it to enhance the water features.

  ***

  Cyrus wandered the maze of the hedges for too long, but he had yet to find Kaitlyn and the mysterious man. He’d caught sight of an older couple walking in another section of the garden, but they were too far away for him to go question about whether they had seen Kaitlyn or not. He didn’t even know who this couple was and doubted they would know Kaitlyn anyway.

  Cyrus paused at the edge of the maze, wondering which way to go. Deciding to head up the hillside a little instead of going down the slope, he figured the raised vantage point would help him see far enough to spot her. Before long, he saw a young lady and a gentleman walking near each other, but not touching. He looked closer. The woman didn’t wear a bonnet like the other woman he’d seen outside had done, and he was almost certain it would be Kaitlyn.

  He changed direction and worked his way over to the other two. By the time he reached them, they had stopped to study a water feature. It was different than the one he’d seen on Nellie’s land before their accidental trip into the past, but he was surprised to see water actually spouting out from the top of the small fountain.

  His footsteps must have alerted the others to his presence, because Kaitlyn turned to see him. She didn’t look pleased that he’d arrived, and definitely not relieved to see him, but she didn’t seem angry either.

  He paused for a moment, not sure what to say. Kaitlyn saved him the effort and introduced him to the man. “May I introduce my cousin, Mr. Cyrus Manning, to you?” She looked at Cyrus and then back at the other man. “Cyrus, this is the Baronet Jack Hughes Von Maughanhoe.”

  After the title baronet, Cyrus wasn’t sure what to think. Was Kaitlyn hanging out with him because he was titled? He studied her for a moment, sure that couldn’t be the reason. She was probably walking with him because she was trying to learn as much about the time she was in as she could.

  The baronet made a few polite inquiries about his health and asked how he was enjoying the gardens. Cyrus hardly noticed anything as he’d searched for them. He glanced at Kaitlyn, who studied him with all too knowing eyes.

  “They are very admirable,” Cyrus said.

  “Miss Taylor has stated she’s looking for ideas on what she might do on her own property when she returns home. How about you, Mr. Manning?” Jack asked. “Anything here you’d like to see decorating your own home?”

  Cyrus couldn’t help looking at Kaitlyn again. If only he could be so lucky. With this guy here, oozing out all this fancy charm and impressing the heck out of Kaitlyn, he would have to scramble for some way to turn her attention away from him. He didn’t know for certain how long they’d be here in the past, but he thought he remembered Nellie say it would be the next full moon before she could send them back. He had a month with her trapped in this alternate time to work on building up a relationship. He could do it in a world she loved and thought of as more romantic than anything else in life, but suddenly this guy was his competition.

  “Cyrus, Sir Hughes was just telling me about how this water feature sprays the water up like it does without the use of…” She paused a moment. Cyrus wondered if she had been about to say electrical pumps. “Without the use of anything other than water pressure from pipes fitted into the natural spring that starts up the hillside a little.”

  “How fascinating,” Cyrus said. “I’ve read about it, but haven’t seen it done before.”

  “I wonder if there might be some way to fashion something like this for my father’s land. We might have to show it to Jem and get his thoughts on it.”

  Cyrus nodded, wondering if she really wanted to try something like this at home, or if she was just playing the part. Though Jem was the one to study actin
g, Kaitlyn wasn’t bad herself.

  “Maybe we should return to the house and find him. I’m sure the others are wondering where we are. And our hostess promised to give us some information since we arrived so late yesterday.”

  Jack nodded and turned to Kaitlyn. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you in the care of your cousin and be on my way. I need to attend to a few things, but I look forward to seeing you again tonight at dinner.”

  Kaitlyn smiled and accepted his reasoning graciously. As soon as Jack turned to walk away, she looked at Cyrus with a frown.

  “Why are you really here? Does Nellie have to tell us something?”

  Cyrus blinked in surprise. “I just thought I’d come see where you’d gotten off to. The others at breakfast said you’d left early to go exploring.”

  “Yes,” Kaitlyn said. “I wanted to see what things looked like now compared to yesterday morning.” Her emphasis on the last word made him smile.

  “Are things a lot different?”

  “Did you not look at anything as you came searching for me?” Kaitlyn asked. “Or were you trying to protect my virtue and make sure I wasn’t doing anything inappropriate with a man I’d just met?”

  Cyrus could feel his cheeks heating. “It isn’t quite like that,” he insisted. “It’s just that the rules of the day are so different than what’s expected or allowed back home. I didn’t want to see you get hurt in any way.”

  “And you thought someone might dishonor me in the middle of the morning out in broad daylight?” She raised a brow at him. “I know how to take care of myself, Cyrus, and I don’t need another brother or cousin to protect me. Or even one of Nellie’s servant girls to keep an eye on me.” Kaitlyn tilted her head to the side and Cyrus saw the young woman at the edge of the garden for the first time.

  “I know you can take care of yourself.” Cyrus knew he was treading on thin ice, but he had to explain himself. “I just thought that…” He paused when he saw her glaring daggers at him. “I didn’t know how different the layout of the area was. And I wanted to make sure you were okay, as well as to bring you back to the group so we could get Nellie to answer some more questions. She’s barely spoken a word of explanation to our predicament. I figured you’d want to know when we might expect to return home.”

  “The servants that helped us get dressed for the proper time period already told me.”

  “They did?” Cyrus asked.

  “Yes,” Kaitlyn said. “They told me the magic works on the full moons. We’ve got about a month here.”

  Cyrus nodded. He knew he had heard that somewhere, but he must have been in enough shock at the arrival in the past, he hadn’t quite absorbed it all.

  “But you’re right,” Kaitlyn said. “I do want to go talk with Nellie.” She turned around and started to walk down the path toward the huge manor house sprawled out before them. He hadn’t really noticed it before since he’d been so busy searching for Kaitlyn, but he was sure it was smaller now than when they’d been there in his own time. He knew one of the wings to the building had not been built yet, but he could visualize exactly where it would be placed when Nellie added the addition.

  The beautiful white structure, though not following any particular style of the day, had an elegant feel to it ― not quite a palace or a castle but magnificent, yet not what he’d consider fairy tale either. It blended in well with the surrounding geological features. A pond lay beyond a large open field off to the side of the house. A beautiful wooded area framed the open field. A well-maintained dirt road with a rock fence lining the edge of the garden area stretched out as far as he could see until it disappeared down the hillside. Beyond that, the Thames River flowed.

  While he’d been so busy studying the layout of the land, he’d completely missed the fact that Kaitlyn had made it halfway down the path and was almost to the flower gardens. Some kind of escort he was. For all his talk about wanting to make sure she was safe and accompanied by a friend, he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

  He rushed down the slope, glad his boots were sturdy enough for him to run in, and did his best to catch up to her without looking like he was running.

  Chapter Eleven

  When they arrived in the breakfast room, no one was there. The food had been cleaned up and the table was spotless. “These servants are quick,” Cyrus said, echoing Kaitlyn’s thoughts exactly.

  She glanced outside the doorway they stood near, hoping no one would overhear them. “How many of her servants are magic, do you think?”

  Cyrus shrugged. “Who knows. I’d guess most of them, though.”

  Kaitlyn smiled at how he was more comfortable with it now compared to when they’d arrived the night before. She still wanted to find Aunt Nellie and ask her a little more about it. Find out what kinds of things they would be expected to do while they were stuck in the past. As if wishing to see her conjured her up, Aunt Nellie entered the room from a side door. She smiled brightly and moved forward to join them. Her silver hair was no longer done up fancy on the top of her head, but was twisted in an elegant style that still spoke of comfort more than propriety.

  “Good day, my dears. How have you enjoyed your morning?”

  “It’s been lovely,” Kaitlyn said. “You have such a beautiful garden. I was just walking in it with Jack.” Kaitlyn paused and grimaced. “I mean, Sir Hughes.”

  “Nice correction,” Aunt Nellie said. “I understand it must be awkward to refer to people with their proper titles and references, but it is important.” She waited for a moment, and then nodded as if to encourage her to continue. “What did Sir Hughes and you see in the gardens?”

  “I think it’s fun that you have so many of the same things as when we were here … before. But you also have made some changes. I have to ask: how did you get the water falls and the fountains to work so well?”

  Aunt Nellie smiled. “I can’t be giving away all my secrets now, can I?”

  Cyrus shifted on his feet. “I do hope you’ll be willing to share some. Like, how did we get back here?” Aunt Nellie looked at him and he continued. “I know you said the magic pulled us back on its own accord, but why here? Do you always have people traveling the same way we did?”

  Nellie shook her head. “Not exactly. I don’t usually have such large groups. Yours is unique in that way, leaving from the same time and arriving on the same date. I don’t know if it was because you all happened to be standing close together at the time the magic reached out, or if you are all needed here for some reason or another.”

  “What do you mean needed?” Kaitlyn asked. “Will we have to stay here?”

  Nellie waved her hand. “Only if you choose to stay. But in the many, many years I’ve been the guardian of this opening, I have seen hundreds or more people brought from their time to mine. On occasion, some fall in love and chose to stay. Some find their situation here better than what they left. Others do a little good to help those here and then return home. So what happens while you’re here is all up to you.”

  “Did the magic choose us?” Kaitlyn asked. “Are we pulled back here for a reason? Should I be looking for ways to help someone?”

  Nellie took Kaitlyn’s hands in hers, sending a warm sensation up her arms and settling into her chest. “My dear child, I think in life we should all be looking for ways to help others. No matter where you are. And no matter if it was something huge and magical like your arrival here, or if it’s just taking a trip to the market on a fine day.”

  Kaitlyn breathed in deeply, feeling the importance of Nellie's words. She glanced at Cyrus, who seemed to agree with the sweet woman. Aunt Nellie patted Kaitlyn’s hands before removing hers. “That isn’t to say you shouldn’t also look to enjoy yourself either. Life is meant to be lived, to have fun, but the best results you find in life are tied to the good you can do in your everyday interactions.”

  Cyrus stood as if nervous and moved around the room. Nellie watched him, and Kaitlyn watched them both. Cyrus turned to her and
then paused. He didn’t ask Nellie the question that was obviously bugging him. He glanced at Kaitlyn and back to Nellie. The old faerie smiled.

  “You can go ahead and ask questions, Mr. Manning. I’m very open about most things. Some of the magical secrets I couldn’t tell you even if you would understand the process, but I don’t mind you asking what’s on your mind.”

  Cyrus took a deep breath. “I just wanted to know about our safety here. I heard Reese talking about all the possibilities of illness or injury and it got me thinking. How do we know we’ll survive this trip back here?”

  Nellie’s face softened, but she looked amused still. “Fair question. First, I have never once lost a visitor from another time. They have always been kept safe from harm or illness. Whether it’s part of the magic’s need for you here, or if it’s just your luck, I don’t know.” She held up a second finger. “Second, with some of the powers I’ve been gifted, I can help heal or cure many simple to severe injuries if presented early enough.”

  Aunt Nellie looked at Kaitlyn and held up a third finger. “And lastly, as Kaitlyn has indicated, the future me knew of you. That means we met before.” She motioned her hands around the room. “Right now, technically. And that means you lived here for a time and then returned to your own place, giving me the peace of knowing you made it to the future. My future self can meet your past selves before my present self met your future selves.”

  Her grin was full of mirth and Kaitlyn smiled back. “Aunt Nellie, you are adorable.”

  Nellie’s smile grew wider and she pulled Kaitlyn into a hug. “I’m glad you think so, my dear. Now are there any more questions?”

  Kaitlyn paused for a moment. “I think maybe I’d just like to know some of your personal ground rules. Things we can or cannot do here. Are there any places we really have to stay away from because of some secret magic or faerie stuff?”

  Aunt Nellie met her eyes. Kaitlyn once again wondered what the woman could see in her.