by Gloria Gay
Jane sighed deeply against Jestyn’s chest. He was right. She could not be apart from him even for a day for a lot could happen while he was away.
The faster she got out of the past the safer she would be, but the thought of leaving the past and never seeing Jestyn again sent a sick wave throughout her body.
“I would love it, Jestyn,” She said quickly, to suppress the ache lingering in her heart at the thought of never seeing him again. But he was right. People looked at her as if she had just come from Mars.
“Wonderful!” Jestyn smiled broadly. Jane wondered how she could force herself to live without that smile for the rest of her life.
“But you risk yourself too, Jestyn, by being too much around me.”
“Please understand, Jane, that were you to be unable to return to your time, I would take up your upkeep and it would not be as a relation that I would ask you to remain in my household but as–”
“As what, Jestyn?”
“As my wife, my darling.” There, it’s said,” he added, looking deep into her eyes.
“I must go make arrangements for the carriage and bays to be readied for tomorrow,” he said with a wide smile.
***
He had not known real love until now,” Jestyn thought as he headed to the mews behind the vast estate. The deep anguish over Evaline’s betrayal years before had been forgotten as he sank into the sweet vortex of a love so unlike anything he had ever known that he was certain he would never love anyone as he loved Jane. But she was in danger in his era. People’s suspicions grew by the day and their superstitions were becoming like ugly tendrils reaching toward her, to choke her with their ugliness. Aunt Florinda had received a few calls from friends and when before the warnings had been subtle, close friends warned her that a tide of superstition was rising against Jane.
And his close friend, Lord Halensford had been earnest in that Jestyn and Cedric should find a way to, if not return Jane to her time, at least remove her from the area until they were able to find the path for her to return to her time. Maybe she could stay in London, Halensford suggested.
***
When Jestyn had left the drawing-room, Jane felt his absence physically and wondered just how she would be able to live without him if they succeeded in transferring her back to her time. She and Aunt Florinda ordered the tea tray, as Jestyn had told them to go ahead with tea because he had some paperwork to attend to in his study once he had arranged for the carriage.
So deep in thought was Jane, listening to Aunt Florinda’s voice only as a soft murmur that she had not registered Beacon’s entrance into the drawing-room until he was right before her.
She glanced up at him, startled.
“This package has arrived for you, Miss Fielder,” said the butler.
Jane glanced at the silver-wrapped square box adorned with a beautiful deep red velvet bow and smiled broadly. Jestyn! She had surprised her with a gift while he was tending to their trip for tomorrow!
She placed the box on the table while Aunt Florinda expressed her joy in little whimpers. “Quick, open it, dear,” she urged Jane.
Once the beautiful bow was off the box Jane removed the box top.
Then she screamed.
Beacon, who was by the drawing-room door on his way out, rushed back. “Miss Fielder!”
Jane stood up and walked backwards from the box. Inside the box was a large grey rat, its fat body curled and pressed to the sides of the box.
Aunt Florinda screamed as she leaned over from where she stood. She, too, backed away in horror.
Several servants who had been about their duties nearby came rushing into the drawing-room and a bevy of exclamations filled the room.
“Take it away.”
Jane thought she had yelled out the order but only a strained whisper had come out of her mouth.
Beacon directed a footman who was staring at the box to remove it from the room and discard it out in back of the house.
***
“I will find out who did it,” Jestyn said as he cradled Jane in his arms. “Although I have a pretty good idea who it was. This has Lady Millthorpe written all over it.”
He had walked back a few minutes after Jane had opened the gift box to find the house in an uproar. Things had calmed down now and Jestyn and Jane were again by themselves in the drawing-room, with Nellie sitting with her sewing by the door.
Jane’s voice faltered. “I thought it was from you Jes. I didn’t even stop to think that there was no card with it.”
“Don’t think about it anymore, darling,” Jestyn urged her. “The more you think about it the more it will stay in your mind.”
“You know, up until now, that danger did not seem too real. But now…”
“Maybe we needed this jolt in order to move faster in solving your return to your era,” Jestyn said sadly.
A sigh of exasperation shuddered through him. Each time he thought of the danger Jane was in he also felt immense sadness that once she left he would never see her again.
“Let’s think of other things,” Jestyn said as they both sat again on the sofa. “Our trip to Exeter, for instance. We now have an ally in Cannidge. He assured me that while we are in Exeter he will work hard to find out how it was the pendant brought you here. He sent me a note that he found another book that mentioned a pendant.” He dug into his coat pocket and pulled out Cannidge’s note and handed it to Jane.
“I’m glad.” Jane returned the note to Jestyn after she had read it. She forced her mind away from the “gift” she had received.
“I’m so happy to be going with you and Aunt Florinda to Exeter, Jes. In my time, Aunt Florinda’s presence would not be necessary. The need to chaperone grown women is a quaint idea that has been relegated to the past in most countries.”
“Yes, I know,” Jestyn exclaimed with a laugh. “You cannot know how much I will miss your humor and curiously unrestrained ways!”
“And I your restrained ways,” Jane said, tapping the tip of his nose with her index finger.
A silence hung between them. Jane had an almost uncontrollable urge to reach out to touch Jestyn’s cheek, to the dark hair over his ears that glistened with copper highlights and curled in a loose waves. She wanted to pull his head down toward her and kiss him. His mouth was to Jane the most wonderful mouth she had ever seen in her life. The slightly plump lower lip curved a little in one side in a way that made her constantly itch to kiss it.
She wanted to kiss him until both their lips were bruised and they forgot two centuries separated them. She wanted so much to nestle inside his arms without fear of being seen.
“I’ll miss our talks too,” Jane said, suppressing the tremor in her voice. Though her departure from the past was of dire necessity, Jane felt a thrill of awareness every time she was with Jestyn and now she knew he felt the same way toward her.
Nothing in her past life compared to this rush of feeling when catching sight of him as he entered a room. She had never really known love until she had met Jestyn.
Their attraction to each other was growing by the minute. Their fingers touched as she handed him objects to see or he handed them back. They had developed a need to be in constant touch with each other.
The thought of how they made any excuse for their arms or hands to touch that sent delicious shivers down her arms.
But where would this lead? Nowhere. Although she realized this she also knew that she would continue this way until the last minute she was allowed with him.
She was looking forward to their trip to Exeter, for at least there they would be away from the whispers that followed them wherever they went.
She may have to return her body to her dimension but her heart and her mind would stay with Jestyn.
CHAPTER 13
From the carriage window Jane glanced out at the wooded areas they went through on their way to Exeter and when their coachman stopped their carriage to get some water from a crystal stream, Jane pointed to a badger that was
peeking at them from behind a stone embedded on the forest floor.
The place teemed with life and it was fragrant with plants that looked exotic to Jane. She and Jestyn got down to stretch their legs while Aunt Florinda continued her long nap.
“That’s bog myrtle,” Jestyn said as Jane stopped to admire a plant. “This forest must have many bogs for the unwary traveler who dares enter without the proper precautions.”
“And insects,” said Jane as she shoed insects away from her face.
“What’s that?” She asked Jestyn “those little white puffs?”
“That’s cotton grass,” Jestyn told her, and cut one stem for her. There was heather and bracken on the base of an ash and wildflowers among berry plants.
It was mid-afternoon when they arrived in Exeter even though they had left Lydford before dawn. Jane glanced at the silver gray River Exe that she had admired at another time, another age, and at the sumptuous cathedral with its twin Norman towers that she had visited with Cybil.
There was a cool nip in the air and it was fragrant with jasmine and honeysuckle as their carriage brushed by a mass of white jasmine and deep pink honeysuckle bushes on the side of the road. Jane extended her arm as the coach came to a halt and snapped a vine with fragrant jasmine and pressed them to her nose.
There were blackbirds and mourning doves circling and landing on the cathedral towers. The metallic gray of the day was giving way to pale sunshine from the silver-gold sun that peeked behind fat clouds.
The front of the cathedral was teeming with carriages and vendors hawking their wares above the din. It was amazing that just a few days ago she had maneuvered her rented car in the traffic of automobiles, trucks and motor bikes as she and Cybil had driven through Exeter, and along the quays where there was a wonderful view of the sea.
She stared at the different scene in stunned silence. The sky had been cerulean blue then and more than two hundred years into the future. Jane knew that when the sun managed to break away from the clouds that held it captive it would again turn the sky to that unique cerulean tone she had admired in her own time with Cybil.
“Well, we have arrived.” Jestyn’s voice cut across her thoughts. They both turned to Aunt Florinda, who was snoring quietly, her head cushioned against the velvet blue squabs of the carriage seat, her bonnet forming a pink halo around her kindly face.
“We better wake Aunt Florinda,” Jestyn added.
Jestyn then tapped his aunt’s shoulder gently. Eventually Aunt Florinda opened her large, pale blue eyes and for a moment seemed not to be aware of where she was.
“We have arrived at Exeter, Aunt,” said Jane.
Aunt Florinda smiled widely first at Jestyn and then at Jane. She then shook herself awake and gathered her cape close to her. Jestyn waited for his aunt to gather her reticule and helped her down from the carriage.
Both Jestyn and the coachman helped Jane down from the carriage, for her injured leg was not well enough to manage the carriage step, especially after the long hours in the carriage.
Once the driver left them to park the carriage and secure his own lodging, Jestyn led the ladies into the Blue Ridges Inn, a large, well-run establishment where he often stayed when he came to Exeter on business, which was often, and where he had a standing reservation. He had sent a message before, to add two more bedrooms.
Once inside the Blue Ridges Inn, Jestyn led Jane and Aunt Florinda to their rooms and left them to unpack their portmanteaus. Jestyn went to his room and then to have a few words with the proprietor.
The inn had a wonderful view of the wide river quays where there was now a lot of activity with the fishing boats bringing in their day’s hauls and scoops and clippers bringing in cargo. Jane gazed in wonder at the masses of masts and sheets, some tucked and some to the wind in preparation for taking to sea and sighed with pleasure. No matter what happened she would have this wonderful day with Jestyn to hold close to her heart.
The sun finally broke through the clouds and now cast a gold sheen everywhere it fell. The competing scents of fish, wet nets and old timber from the boats, and the abundant lilac and pine trees around the hotel made the air heady. A wide veranda in the back of the hotel faced the water and wicker chairs and tables were already filled up with groups of families and businessmen. Exeter was a busy commerce center, its main avenue and streets lit generously by gas lamps.
Jane had been eager to see Exeter in 1803 because she had seen it in 2015 and had read about it with great interest. Originally a Roman town, Exeter had been in different eras invaded by Saxons, Normans and Danes and had become a crucial battleground for religious and civil wars. The many cultural influences had left their marks on everything. Exeter was not only beautiful but it was also unique. No matter what her life brought, this town would always hold a place in her heart.
After they had all settled their belongings in their rooms, Jestyn helped Jane and his aunt to a snug private dining-room.
After a hearty lunch of asparagus bisque, fresh cod, mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, Jestyn went to attend to the business that had brought him to Exeter and Jane and Aunt Florinda spent a leisurely two hours shopping in the nearby shops.
Jane realized she wanted time to pass quickly so that Jestyn would return. And then there was no point in buying things she could not take back with her but she enjoyed shopping with Aunt Florinda and advising her when her opinion was sought, which Aunt Florinda often requested. Florinda insisted on buying Jane a bouquet of flowers for her bedroom and Jane thanked her with a kiss and a hug.
Finally, Jane’s eyes lit up as she heard Jestyn’s voice.
They settled with a leisurely early tea with Aunt Florinda.
“These scones are incredible,” said Jane, savoring a scone dripping with butter and strawberry jam.
“The meal we had earlier was wonderful too,” said Aunt Florinda. “I cannot abide meals at inns unless I am absolutely forced to them, but the food we had here was just as good as meals prepared by cook back home.”
“The wine was also very good,” said Jestyn and then after he and Jane had finished their tea, said tentatively, “You would not mind, Aunt, if Jane and I went for a stroll along the quay?” The edge of the water was just a few steps from the hotel.
“Of course not, my dear,” said Aunt Florinda, “You two go on down and amuse yourselves. My shopping outing with Jane tired me. I will take a very long and necessary nap.”
“I have been to Exeter more than a dozen times in my lifetime,” she added. “There is nothing here to interest me unless they moved the River Exe to a different location. That would indeed be something to see. I loved going to the quays as a child. She glanced out the window, “We do have a wonderful view.”
“You will be all right without us for a while, Aunt?” Jestyn asked.
“Of course, I will,” Aunt Florinda assured him, and added: “and if you also want to go sightseeing feel free to do so, my dears.” She then kissed each in turn.
“I need long naps after long journeys and big meals. Be sure to take Jane to the Mols Coffee House, Jestyn,” she added. “That’s my favorite, my dear,” she said turning to Jane.”
“When I return to my time I’ll have to drag Cybil with me to see if the Mols Coffee Shop is still there,” Jane said to Jestyn.
“Don’t talk about that, please,” Jestyn disliked any talk of Jane leaving. “Aunt Florinda and I don’t want you to leave for a long time, do we, Aunt?”
“We certainly don’t,” agreed Aunt Florinda. “You could live here just as well as in the Colonies, my dear.” She pressed Jane’s hand warmly. “You are well loved here, my sweet.”
“Thank you, Aunt,” said Jane. She had given up on correcting people when they said “colonies” instead of The United States, for it was a useless endeavor.
Jestyn kissed his aunt. “I might also take Jane to have ices at that small confectioner place close to Mols.”
“I suppose you mean Broderick’s, my dear,” said
Aunt Florinda. “Do try the royal cream ice, it is absolutely delicious.”
As they left, Jane turned back from the door to look at Aunt Florinda. Aunt Florinda winked at Jane. The old dear!
“Lock the door, dear, and don’t open to anyone but us.” Jestyn said to her and he and Jane did not leave until they heard the click of the lock.
Jane and Jestyn then left the inn and went to stroll along the river quay.
“Your Aunt Florinda is a sweet lady,” said Jane.
“She’s also a match-maker,” Jestyn replied with a wide grin. “Too bad her match-making powers do not span two different ages.”
Jestyn found a secluded inlet and he and Jane sat on a rock enclosure. It was late afternoon and people had abandoned the quays to see to their supper.
“I will always remember this moment,” Jane said as they gazed at the blue gray water and the lowering clouds. The sun had turned the light into burnished gold and silver that to Jane seemed magical.
“I have never been as happy as I am with you, darling.” Jestyn ran his index finger up along her neck and chin and came to rest on her lips. Jane kissed his finger, slowly, and felt his touch in a tightening of her stomach and weakening of her legs. With her hand she pressed his finger against her lips until it touched her tongue. She felt Jestyn’s sharp breath intake as they moved instinctively together.
A couple of rough seamen hauling nets approached them. Jane and Jestyn jerked apart as the men stopped their walk and stared at Jane in a leering way.
“Come, Jane,” said Jestyn, his arm protectively around her as he led her back along the quay.
“Every time I come to Exeter I have coffee at Mols,” said Jestyn as Jane held on to his arm. “As Aunt Florinda said, they have the best coffee in Exeter. Later on we could have ices at Brodericks. They may not be as famous as those found in London but their ices are just as good.”
Once at Mols, Jestyn and Jane settled to a leisurely cup of coffee with crumpets and talked for over half an hour. They both felt the little time they had left to be with each other fleeting.