Time Travel Romance Collection

by Grace Brannigan

  "The cider's gone to her head," commented Rufus.

  "You have had enough," said Darien, moving to take her glass.

  Elise evaded Darien's hand. "I only had a small bit, and it didn't even taste that bad. It was kind of sweet and dry. I believe I'll have more." But the decanter was gone. Frowning, Elise sat back, feeling wonderfully warm and secure. No doubt Rufus' presence eased the tension between she and Darien.

  "So you are going out to sea?" she asked.

  "A short voyage," acknowledged Rufus.

  "I would love to go," she said softly, more to herself. It was a provocative idea, flitting across her mind like quicksilver. She sat up straight. "I have never been out to sea."

  "Then go you shall," declared Rufus.

  Darien glared at him. "Shut up, Roof. This is serious."

  "So am I," said Elise, frowning as the room took on a slightly hazy appearance. "I would love to go." She glared at Darien. "Why shouldn't I go?"

  "It's not a good idea --"

  "Let's just have it out," Elise declared, "don't give me a lot of nonsense about it being proper. Maybe you'll have to trot out our marriage papers. Anyway, the Darien I knew wouldn't give two hoots about what's proper!"

  "She has you there, Brother," murmured Rufus.

  "Keep out of this," Darien muttered.

  "Here, I have the solution," exclaimed Rufus. "I will personally be responsible for Elise's wellbeing. I shall keep her under my wing the entire journey. In that way," Rufus said with a gleam, "you, Brother, will be able to concentrate wholly on business."

  "Thank you, Rufus," Elise said before Darien could intercede. "I accept your offer. When shall we leave?"

  Darien glowered at the two of them.

  Chapter Nine

  "You will remain ashore," Darien announced abruptly.

  Rufus looked up as his brother appeared in the door of his study.

  "Good day to you also," he remarked, grinning. He pushed aside the charts he was studying and leaned back in his chair.

  "Well?" Darien wanted an answer immediately.

  Rufus eyed him. "Perhaps I can do that."

  "I have to resolve matters with Elise." Darien advanced into the room, leaned toward the other man until their faces were inches apart. "I do not wish to have you about."

  Instead of taking affront, Rufus grinned approvingly. "You have finally come to your senses."

  "Perhaps," Darien muttered.

  "'Lise is a smart woman. I daresay she'll suspect your motives and give you a good run for your money."

  "No doubt," Darien agreed grimly. "By the time we set sail, it will be too late for protests. I intend to have this out and then put it behind us, one way or the other."

  "Well, let's hope it's not the other. It can be a long and lonely trip aboard a ship with a woman you're not speaking to."

  #

  The breeze, cool and invigorating, buffeted Elise as it frolicked and rolled off the waves. She closed her eyes, pushing her chin up as salt spray touched her face. Never had she experienced such a thing, the sea at times so wild and untamable and then a day like today, gently rolling swells fore and aft.

  Night had begun to fall, a pink glimmer lay at the edge of the sea as far as she could see on the horizon. Dark fell suddenly and absolutely at sea, not a light to be seen anywhere when the moon hid behind clouds.

  When the moon emerged, Elise watched as clouds scudded across the sky, as if moved by an unseen hand. It was magical, a video of nature in fast forward.

  Elise knew she should probably take exception to the deception Darien had practiced, but it was a minor thing at the moment. When she had discovered upon setting sail that Rufus had stayed ashore at Darien's behest, she couldn't muster any anger. Truth to tell, she did not want to fight with him.

  "It's a favorite pastime," Darien remarked, appearing at her side. "Watching the sea."

  Elise turned her back to the rail, taking note of the way he watched the swell of water now barely discernible in the near dusk.

  "The sea and nature as it exists out here. On land, nature is ofttimes adapted to man's needs. The land gives and gives until it is spent and can no longer supply the tanneries. Out here, all that lives, man, everything yields to the law of nature and its wildness. There is no harnessing the sea's vastness for man's benefit."

  "What of the whaling ships?"

  "Even they must yield to nature. If the sea is turbulent, a storm brews, the whaling ships must give way. They wait for nature's fury to subside. There is no hurrying it for man's benefit. You learn to respect the sea and its many moods, or perish in it."

  Elise shivered, pulling her shawl closer about her shoulders.

  "It's hard to think of the force of the sea when it's as calm and beautiful as tonight."

  "After you sail through a storm, you gain a new perspective of the sea."

  "You've seen many bad storms?"

  "Anyone who has been on the sea any length of time will go through a storm. Some are far worse than others."

  "What was the worst one?" She wanted to share his memories, get a glimpse of the years she had missed. Their being alone in the last several days, save for the crew, had allowed for a tentative rapport to develop.

  Now Darien smiled, his eyes on the frothing swells, yet Elise, ever attentive to his moods, sensed no real amusement.

  "The worse was my first storm, the first week I was out to sea."

  "You were frightened?"

  "Yes, frightened is a good way to put it. We -- the younger, healthy lads, worked through the storm, which perhaps was for the best. We knew our survival depended on our working as hard and fast as we could."

  Elise was perplexed. "What work did you do in the middle of a storm?"

  "The ship was old. During the storm it took quite a battering and sprang numerous leaks. Several of us were set to work pumping the water from the hold, but it came in faster than we could pump it out. By the time the storm had abated, we were knee deep in sea water and taking in more with each passing moment."

  Elise gripped the smooth wooden rail. "You could have drowned."

  "We could have, indeed. Drowned like rats." Darien's voice remained unemotional. "Some did. I was one of the fortunate ones. I lived to serve another day."

  Pain filled Elise to think of what he had endured, the hardship he had known due to her father. "You must hate me as you hate my father."

  "'Lise," his fingers gently touched her chin, pulled her around to face him. "I did for a time. But now, 'twas a long time ago."

  "Of course it was, but so was our parting and yet you still harbor suspicion about that night." She cleared her throat of the heavy tears that wanted to fall. "I think perhaps I'll go below deck. It's getting late."

  "Shh," Darien murmured, as if he knew the ache she held inside for that young man whose only crime had been to love her. Gently, he rubbed his palms up and down her arms. "There's no need to be running off."

  A match flared as he lit the lamp which hung from the main mast behind them. Quickly, she swiped at the wetness on her cheeks.

  "Salt spray," she muttered, daring him to comment. "I never cry." In truth, she had not cried in a long time.

  "No, you are right. I never recall you as one who cried overmuch. You are unlike any other woman I've known."

  Darien took her hand, traced along the palm. It gave her a tingle close to a shock to feel his fingertip on her skin. Darien called goodnight to the first mate and several of the other crew members, then urged her below deck.

  "'Tis time we talked again of the years gone past."

  When she would have made a protest, he stared at her with unsmiling intent.

  "Surely you would not deny me that?"

  Elise followed, but then halted at the top of the stairs leading to the sleeping quarters below. Darien stood several steps below her, bringing them almost eye level. Elise felt strangely calm. Perhaps the timing was right. She could unburden herself of the secrets she held.


  "Yes," she conceded.

  "Let us go to my cabin."

  Elise had debated a hundred times how she should begin, how to describe the events of that night. Now that the moment had arrived, her hands trembled, her palms felt clammy and she knew he would think she was daft or lying. Coming through time, a time traveler. He already knew part of the story, but he'd asked again for the rest.

  "Elise, come sit beside me."

  Darien sat on the comfortable settee at the foot of his bed. She nodded and perched on the edge, her fingers toying with the brocade piping on the pillows.

  Darien waited patiently. He seemed relaxed, his legs out before him as he leaned against the cushioned back of the settee. Elise felt as if she were strung on a wire.

  "Why not start at the beginning," he suggested softly.

  Elise pressed her lips together, coming to her feet again, but then turning to face him, she looked right into his eyes.

  "That last night, after we made love -- we both fell asleep." Her trembling sigh recalled the magic of that time, the innocence they both shared, their shared delight in each other. "I'd never been so happy in my life," she whispered, looking inward. "With vivid clarity I saw the door open, and then Mandine knelt beside me, shaking my shoulder.

  "She was all wet. It was pouring outside. I remember the coldness of the raindrops that fell from her cloak onto my skin." Closing her eyes, she touched her throat, seeing the urgency in Mandine's eyes. "In an urgent whisper, she said to get dressed and come outside. I wanted to stay where I was in your arms.

  "Knowing Mandine, I knew she wouldn't come unless it was absolutely important. She knew of our tryst, I trusted her with everything in my life. Reluctantly," she left the scenes of the past that clouded her vision and saw Darien before her, "I followed her outside. It was bitterly cold, a hint of ice and snow mixing with the pelting rain."

  "Why did she come for you?" he asked.

  "Mandine waited for me under shelter of a tree." Elise frowned. "She appeared oblivious to the raw weather. I shivered and shivered with the cold." She shivered now.

  "She warned me my father was on his way. He was in a furious rage. Somehow he had found out I was meeting you in the Spruce Woods." Elise drew a quivering breath, feeling the support of Darien's hand on her own.

  "Mandine made me remember words -- words she said I must never forget. Then she asked me, with great urgency, if a choice came where I could save myself or you and the life of my children, who would I save?" The tears filmed her eyes, fell to her cheeks. Helplessly, she lifted her shoulders, now feeling the tight pressure of his hand clasping her own. "I said I would save you and our children. There was no other choice."

  "Elise, how can that simple question have changed everything?"

  She allowed him to touch her a moment more, but then it became a distraction. "There is more, much more to tell." She turned tortured eyes to him. "I swear, Darien, I didn't know what she meant!" she cried passionately. She jumped to her feet in agitation as she relived the pain of that time.

  "'Lise, take your time." He drew a pitcher of water close and poured her a drink.

  Elise gulped down the water, pushing the damp hair off her neck and forehead. It felt unbearably hot in the cabin all of a sudden. The next part was the most difficult to tell. Her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably and she clenched her jaw a moment to quiet them.

  She threw her head back. "Mandine muttered strange words. I cannot begin to recall them. They were in another language. She pulled a small vial from a pocket in her cloak, waved it in the air." She frowned. "I remember seeing a vapor trail from the vial. I trusted her my entire life. She had always loved me and taken care of me, protecting me from my father's rages. I had no reason to doubt she loved me."

  Darien put his hand to her cheek. "Go on," he said tensely.

  With wide eyes, Elise watched his face. "The vial had some kind of magic in it." She did not look away, she knew it was vital she make him understand. "Mandine waved it, spoke an incantation. The air was suddenly bright with speckled flakes, as if the snow was every color of the rainbow. As I looked at the flakes in wonder, I began to feel very strange, as if I were between waking and sleep. My entire body grew light. I knew I stood there, yet I couldn't feel my feet. I felt no sense of panic. Not yet. Mandine stepped back from me. I read the torment in her eyes but she said not a word."

  "What happened?" he asked in a raw voice.

  "That's just it -- I don't know. When I awoke I was no longer in 1822."

  "Where?"

  Her eyes burned, transmitting her urgency to him, begging him to believe her.

  "I awoke in the future," she said in a rush. "I woke in the late twentieth century."

  #

  Elise lay motionless, staring with dry eyes at the oak ceiling above her head. There was an anticlimactic relief that the story was told again. He knew the truth, as much of it as she knew. She still wasn't certain what he would do with that knowledge or even if he would now believe her.

  How could she have thought any of this explanation would be easy when she'd come back to this time? Darien had not said a word yet. He had looked not entirely disbelieving, but strangely transfixed. She knew all she could do now was to wait and see.

  He had not asked about Isabeau, his daughter. She knew he needed to absorb what she had told him and then she would tell him more of their daughter, a bright young woman who had grown up in his exact likeness.

  That would be the most difficult part of this, a child he knew nothing about, had not been given an opportunity to be involved in any of her upbringing.

  Many times through the years she had imagined if the situation was reversed, how would she react? It was an extraordinary set of circumstances. How could anyone be expected to believe time travel was even possible? Perhaps it was easier to believe in time travel if you were born in the twenty-first century, when people were ready to believe the most incredible scientific findings.

  #

  Elise did not sleep well that night, turning and rolling with each wave that slapped against the ship's side. When she arose in the morning, having spent the night alone in Darien's cabin, she was surprised to see land out her porthole. She had not seen nor spoken with Darien since the night before.

  Walking up on deck, she didn't see Darien at all and asked Joquin, the first mate, when they would be docking.

  Joquin pulled a thin stemmed pipe from between his teeth and pointed at the dark strip just visible on the horizon. ""We'll be docking at dusk, Miss. The harbor lies just beyond that mass."

  Elise squinted. "Surely we haven't reached the Virginia shore so soon?"

  The first mate nodded. "Yes, Ma'am, we had some pretty good winds this night past and we made better time than expected."

  "Thank you." She leaned against the rail, staring at the foaming water ahead of them, the gray depths hiding the teeming life below.

  There was nothing further at this point she could add to make him see she'd told him the truth. Mandine was the only witness who could offer proof, and she was gone.

  The ship rocked into the waves and Elise side-stepped as she was thrown against the rail. Suddenly, a hand gripped her arm, pulling her back.

  She looked up at Darien, read the lines of weariness on his face, the darkness of his eyes. He had not shaved and his face looked as rough as any of the sailors moving about on the decks.

  Unaccountably, her stomach muscles clenched. Despite the roughness of his appearance, he was incredibly handsome. Sexy, as her daughter would say.

  "You fall overboard, the fish will make a meal of you," he said, his voice husky. "Lord, you are beautiful."

  Elise stared at him, not saying a word. Time almost seemed suspended as they stared at each other.

  "I have had time to think of all you told me. Again, I find it an incredible story."

  She tensed. "Yes, it is, Darien."

  "How did you come to be with those outlaws?"

  "They surprised me in t
he woods when I reentered this time. They grabbed me and took me with them." She grimaced. "We rode all day, but when they stopped at their camp, I managed to escape. I know Mandine was there, and then while I hid in the field the Hellhound -- Rufus -- came along."

  He stared at her long and hard, as if still deciding if she spoke the truth or not. Elise moved back from him. Impatiently, she said, "I can talk and talk, but ultimately it's you, Darien who have to decide if you believe me, based on what you know about me. I am still the same person fundamentally I was back then." She turned away from him, hardening her heart. "Either you believe all of what I told you, or none of it."

  "When we came upon you outside of town, I was stunned when I looked into your eyes," he said slowly.

  "Yes, and you told Rufus to leave me."

  A half-smile lifted the corner of his mouth when she looked over her shoulder at him.

  "Yes," he admitted, "that I did. I knew Roof would not take me seriously."

  She lifted a brow. "And should I believe you, Darien? What proof have you -- except, of course, your word?"

  "What of that band of thieves? Do you recall anything they said that might help to identify them?"

  "No. The one I rode with was the leader." She tightened her lips. "He's the one who also bid against Rufus at the pauper's auction, although at the time I didn't tie him with the bandits. He had a mask when I first saw him and it took me several days for it to sink it. Rufus said he was not known around these parts."

  "Did he ride a specific route when he grabbed you?"

  "No, more like a zig-zagging pattern through heavily wooded areas. We passed over trails and several dirt roads but he kept off them. They seemed to take off on tangents through creeks and up rock ledges."

  "Covering his tracks," Darien murmured. "There were twelve in this band?"

  "About that many, yes. One man was killed beside a stream when a fight broke out."

  "I am trying to piece this together. How is it you ended up on their path?"

  "When I was in my time I went to the old sapping house part way up the mountain. That's where I found myself when I left in 1822. In my present time I wrapped up in a sleeping bag -- a blanket," she clarified. "When I awoke, as far as I knew I was still in the twenty-first century. But my sleeping bag was gone and the old shack didn't look the same. I was stunned to see the tree where we used to leave notes. I heard a commotion, like thunder on the ground, and they came on horseback through the woods. I tried to run but they ran me down.