Which was why he found himself outside her bedchamber door that very same evening.
Raising his hand, he gave a quick knock. The door opened a moment later, revealing the woman whose mouth had been pressed against his in a passionate kiss just a few hours earlier. Until he’d ruined it all by dismissing her story.
“Do you mind if I come in?”
Jane stared at James in dismay. “You want to meet with me in my bedroom?” Was the man insane? “You can’t be serious. I mean, you know what everyone else will think if we’re found out.”
“No one needs to know. Not as long as you grant me entry quickly so I can get out of this hallway.”
Against her better judgment, she relented and opened the door wide enough for him to come in. He closed it swiftly behind him, locking it for good measure. “What you told me earlier, about arriving here from the future…I want to believe you, but it is a struggle for me to do so. Perhaps if you could tell me more about the place you have come from or some other details to help me understand, it might help.”
“You want me to prove it to you.” Although a small part deep inside her heart wished it wasn’t necessary for her to do so, she wasn’t surprised. So she went to the bed and lifted the mattress to pull out the dress, underwear and flats she’d been wearing the day she’d arrived. “I hid these so no one would find them.” She placed the bundle on top of the bed and unfolded the dress first. “Look here,” she said, showing him the designer tag and care label.
He squinted down at it. “100% cotton.” He looked up for a second before returning his attention to the label. “Machine wash warm.”
“That means this dress can be loaded into an electric washing machine with detergent and washed in warm water. A motor makes the barrel spin round and round while water is added. There’s no manual labor involved at all.”
“Are you able to draw this device for me?”
“Of course.” She went to the desk in her room and pulled out paper and pencil. “It is square, like this, with a round glass door on the front and buttons in the upper right hand corner.” She produced a quick sketch. “There are different models, of course, but this is what mine looks like.”
“You had your own?”
She nodded. “Most people do.”
An awkward bit of silence fell between them while he continued to stare down at her rough illustration of a washing machine. “Can you draw something else from this future of yours?”
Grinning, she set the pencil to paper once more. It didn’t take long for her to sketch out a car, a TV, an airplane and a laptop. “People rarely send letters by mail anymore. They use a computer which has a keyboard for typing and a screen that can display an endless number of images. If you want to learn something new, you just type your question into it and it immediately gives you the answer.”
“I find it hard to envision.”
“It is the sort of thing you have to see, just like the rest of these things are. I mean, I don’t suppose you’re having an easier time of imagining people climbing into a metal tube that then takes flight and carries them across the world.”
He laughed at that. “No. Not really.”
“Well, it took me about seven hours to travel from New York to England like that and…” She paused while he adjusted his brain to this information. “There are even people in space these days.”
“What?”
“We’ve been to the moon,” she explained.
That seemed to be the last drop in an already overflowing glass of water. James gaped at her as if she were mad. “How can that be?”
“Technology developed at an increasingly rapid rate during the twentieth century. I’m always impressed whenever I think of it.” She watched while James placed his fingertips at his temples as if he felt a headache coming on. “I can offer further proof if you need it.” She went to the bed and picked up her bra. “Have you ever seen an item of clothing like this?”
He stared at the lacy item as if it glowed. “No, but it does not take much imagination to know what it is for.”
She rolled her eyes and smiled at his boyishness. “Stays and corsets are a thing of the past. What you’ll want to notice with this item, however, is not so much its construct, but rather the fabric from which it is made.” Pulling out the tag, Jane handed the item over to James so he could read it.
“Nylon, lycra, polyester…I have never heard of these materials before.”
“Because they have not yet been invented. They’re all man made.”
“But how?” His expression was one of dismay.
Jane shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure, to be honest, and it’s no longer something I’m able to look up.”
Handing the bra back to her, James lowered himself onto a wooden chair and just sat there for a moment, staring out at the room as a whole. “I hardly know what to say.”
“It’s a lot to take in all at once, I’m aware of that.” She returned her clothes to their hiding spot. “Do you think you might believe me though?”
He gradually nodded. “Yes. I think I might.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God.” Her entire body quivered with relief. “I don’t know what I would have done otherwise. Especially not if I end up having to stay here. The thought of it…”
“Then you would choose to return if the chance to do so arose?” He watched her cautiously, assessingly.
“Yes. I believe I would.” Yet even as she said it, she wondered if doing so would be a mistake. “What sort of life can I possibly have here, James?”
“A good one, I suspect, if you would agree to be my wife.” Hope brightened his eyes and drew her to him.
“The age you live in is not as liberal as mine.” When he frowned, she explained, “You have to marry a lady of your own social standing. Doing otherwise would be ruinous to your reputation.”
“My mother said the same thing, but what if I choose to thwart social expectations in favor of seeking happiness instead? My wealth is stable enough, my investments secure. Whether or not the rest of the peerage shuns me will hardly affect my comfort or yours.”
She stared at him in amazement, then lowered herself to the bed. “But you hardly know me! I have been here only five days!”
“Is that really all?” He looked genuinely surprised. “It seems like so much longer.” When she failed to respond, he grasped her hands between his own and told her quietly, “I have met countless eligible young ladies over the years. I have danced and conversed with them, and I have felt nothing. Until you came along and proved to me that they were not the women my heart or my soul were seeking. You are, Jane. You, with your impossible story and outspoken candor.” He reached for her and squeezed her hands ever so slightly. “You have turned my world upside down, prompted me to consider a future I never would have considered before, encouraged me to hope for a measure of happiness I never believed would be mine.”
“James—”
“I know you have reservations. I know you have no desire to be here and that you will leave if doing so becomes possible, but I cannot shake the feeling that fate has brought you to me and that our paths were destined to cross.” He flattened his lips before adding, “What we make of this unlikeliness is up to us.”
It was hard for Jane to find the right words, so she remained silent for a long moment after. He’d offered marriage, though he could not possibly know what that would entail with an independent-minded woman such as herself. She would balk at any limitations he or society wanted to place on her. Her opinions on various issues would likely cause a great deal of trouble as well, especially since she was not the sort who’d be able to keep such thoughts to herself.
And then of course there was the convenience of living in the time in which she’d grown up. She might get used to doing without a TV or the internet or even a car, but a proper toilet, not to mention toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, and tampons would all be sorely missed if she stayed any longer than she already had.
Still, she had to accept the possibility of being permanently stuck here. In which case, James’s proposal was the most tempting one going forward. Especially since she was already falling for him harder than she ever had for Geoffrey. How such a thing could be when she’d known Geoffrey for three years and spent the last year living with him was amazing. But there it was, a piece of reality thrust in her face. With James there was something more – a connection that reached to her core and anchored her firmly to him. It filled her heart to overflowing and fed her soul with immeasurable joy. Whether or not it would turn into love remained to be seen, but she sensed it was only a matter of time before it happened.
“This notion that we are fated to be together,” she said while weaving her way through her muddled thoughts, “I feel it too.”
“I know you do. I can see it in your eyes whenever you look at me.”
“But I am torn,” she explained, determined to be as honest with him as she could be. “I want a future with you, but I also want to return to my time.”
“You fear you might miss your friends and family? That they will worry over your disappearance?”
It was a logical assumption, but it was wrong. “I am an only child, as were my parents, and they both died about three years ago in a car accident.” It had been the worst moment of her life when the cops had arrived on her doorstep to deliver the news. She still relived it now and again in her nightmares. “Another car ran a red light – a traffic signal that tells other cars to stop – and…my dad reportedly died on the spot, but my mom got to suffer a few days in the hospital before her body gave up.”
“I am so very sorry to hear that, Jane.”
“As for friends,” she said, quickly changing the subject, “There are some, but none I would pick if it meant losing you. What I fear I might miss the most is the way of life, the conveniences, my job as a writer. I cannot be the sort of wife who sits around doing needlework or painting or spends her time managing a household. I have no accomplishments, and I do not ride either.”
He smiled at that. “I could teach you how to if you wished to learn, but I would never insist you do so. Neither would I insist you be a traditional nineteenth-century wife when much of your allure is in your uniqueness. I love how different you are, the way you speak your own mind, and your willingness to apply yourself to whatever task is required of you.”
“Like being a maid while trying to solve a murder.”
“Exactly.” He pulled her to him until she was forced to exchange her seat for his lap. “You challenge me, Jane. You broaden my horizons and make me question the world I live in. And if you want to continue writing, of course you can do so. For me, the most important thing is to have you by my side, as my partner.”
“Would you be willing to discuss your investments and finances with me?” she asked, because if he would, then that would truly prove his devotion since Regency women weren’t usually privy to their husband’s affairs.
“As a matter of fact, I have a new investment in mind and would love to hear your opinion on it.” His hand rose to her chin, tilting it slightly so he could lean forward and press his mouth gently to hers. It was a slow kiss, a loving kiss, the sort that made her feel rather lightheaded and dizzy.
When his lips parted, she mirrored the movement, allowing him to deepen the kiss on a murmur that made her heart tremble. She ran her hand through his hair, loving the feel of it spilling across her fingers. His hand flattened securely against her back, holding her in place. He tasted sweet and slightly fruity, like rich chocolate accompanied by wine. The caress was slow, measured, and oh so perfect. It warmed her insides, the way tea drunk by an open fire would, or a hot leisurely bath on a frosty afternoon might do.
“Imagine doing this for the rest of your life, Jane,” he whispered close to her ear.
“You tempt me too easily, James.” Her lips touched the side of his neck to provoke a sigh of pleasure. His hand fell to her thigh, and the warmth inside her became a blaze. She wanted this man, wanted him with every fiber of her being, and he clearly wanted her too.
In that instant, she made a decision. Because what if she did return to her own time and lost him? The regret she would feel at not knowing what it might be like to be intimate with him would haunt her forever. Loss would be hers, but she could at least have something more than a kiss to carry her through it.
So she pushed at him gently and slid off his lap. His lips parted in protest, his eyes clouding with a mixture of longing and confusion.
Without uttering a word, she toed off her shoes, removed her stockings and undid the ties securing her gown at her side. The fabric slipped, revealing the stays and chemise she wore underneath.
James stared, his hands curling into fists. “Jane…”
She pulled her arms free from the sleeves and allowed the garment to fall. With racing heartbeats, she then untied her stays, tossed aside the garment, and drew a deep breath. Her entire body trembled as she pulled the chemise up over her head, leaving her body entirely bare.
Slowly, James stood. “You are even more glorious than I imagined you would be.”
Heat scorched her cheeks. “You wondered how I would look without any clothes?”
He caught her waist and drew her flush against his much harder body. “Of course,” he murmured, so low and seductive a shiver scurried across her shoulders. “I have lain awake every night since your arrival, wondering what it would be like to have you in my bed.”
Her breaths grew increasingly ragged, more so when he showed her how capable he was of tending to her needs. Slowly, he caressed every curve, covering her in kisses until she grew restless. His touch was perfect, skimming across her skin with feather-soft lightness and making her want in a way she had never wanted before.
As soon as he’d shucked his clothing as well, she returned the favor. Torturing him in a similar way, she explored his body until he was equally mindless and desperate for more.
“You are everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” he murmured. With trembling fingers, he pressed her hand over his heart and kissed her again. Long and deep and with all the certainty in the world.
* * *
“Please,” she begged as she settled herself on the bed. “I need you, James.” She reached for him, and he was instantly there, sinking into her warmth. Words of endearment followed and then he was loving her with his body while she clung to him and the promise he’d made.
“Yes,” he murmured when she followed his rhythm and then, “yes” again as desire erupted around her. His mouth met hers, hard and possessive while waves of euphoria pulsed through her veins. And then he shuddered against her, swept away on the same burst of energy she had experienced seconds before.
“My God,” he muttered as he collapsed on the bed beside her.
Breathing hard, he pulled her close and gathered her up in his arms, securing her tightly against his chest. With reverent tenderness, he touched his lips to her brow, telling her without the use of words the truth that was in his heart. “You dazzle me, Jane.” His voice was soft. “I never imagined lovemaking could be so profound. It feels as though you reached inside me and touched my soul.”
“I feel the same way,” she told him softly. The experience had been soul-shattering. It would make it even harder for her to leave, but she would not let herself regret it. Not for a second.
His hand stroked over her hair, and his breathing settled into a calmer rhythm.
Needing to clear her mind of the conflicting hopes and dreams crashing through her, she tried to engage him in a conversation that wasn’t about them. “So what’s this new investment you mentioned earlier?”
He shifted slightly and stretched out his legs. “Snypes has a friend whose cousin plans on opening a factory in Birmingham. The grocer’s shop he has been running for the past few years has proven to be quite successful, especially with regard to selling cocoa and drinking chocolate. That is the part of the business he now intends on expanding, and with the po
sitive reviews he has been receiving, I am thinking of buying into it.”
“Chocolate certainly is a desirable commodity.” Jane rose up onto one elbow so she could gaze down at the man she had grown so incredibly fond of. “What is the name of the business? Perhaps I have heard of it?”
“Cadbury Tea Dealer.”
Jane almost laughed. “Well, it won’t continue dealing in tea for long.” When he frowned, she told him seriously, “You ought to invest as much as possible in that company, James. Cadbury’s will become one of the largest chocolate companies in the world. You and your descendants will make a fortune off of it.”
“I hope they will be your descendants as well,” he said with a gleam of mischief in his eyes. His hand found the curve of her bottom and squeezed.
Unable to bear the tug of war playing out within her, she chose to ignore it. Instead, she swung her leg across his thighs and rose onto her knees, straddling him while enjoying the thrill of the raw desire capturing his features.
“Your experience is clearly quite vast.”
She stilled for a second, her pulse racing and her own need for closer contact with him thrumming through her. “Does that bother you?”
He snorted. “Not at all. Not as long as I am the man you choose above all others.”
Lowering her head, she kissed him with all the tenderness she possessed. He was marvelous, the Earl of Camden, and she’d be a fool not to let him have what he wanted. Because in the end, it was what she wanted as well – a love so strong it bridged the fabric of time, uniting them and providing them with a chance to spend the rest of their lives together.
She thought of this as she moved with him against the bed sheets, offering herself and taking in equal measure until it felt as though she was riding across the sun. “James,” she sighed as rapture shook her and sent her tumbling over the edge.
“Be mine,” he said as he hugged her to him and kissed her cheek.
She chose not to answer for fear of ruining the moment, her brain warring with two contradictory responses. The first was, “Yes.” The second, “I can’t.”
The Girl Who Stepped Into The Past Page 11