The girl tapped her finger to her chin. “Yes that was the very same day I met Devlin. He was, I mean is…” she turned towards Milford an unanswered question in her eyes. He responded by shaking his head from side to side. She let out a long sigh and turned back around. “He was Isabelle’s young stag of a husband.” She smiled a slight, sweet smile. “Actually, if the truth were to be told, I felt sorry for him…at first. You see, Isabelle did not treat him very well, and I suppose I felt he was a kindred spirit of sorts. He seemed so lost…”She let out another breathy sigh, her dark curls dancing around her face from the action. “That did not last long, however. Something must have happened. I do not know what exactly, but at some point he changed.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “Perhaps all men change at some point,” her voice grew softer, distant.
Raven darted her gaze over to Reed. His expression did not change. It was as though he was taking everything the girl said in stride, like he wasn’t floored at all from the outrageous story. Weird.
The girl had a pleasant voice. Her word choice articulate, clipped, her mannerisms eloquent, precise. Raven tended to mash her own words together making stuff up as she went along. The girl’s eyes were what truly captivated her though, drawing her in. They were that strange combination of blue and purple, like Elizabeth Taylor’s, with long dark, curling lashes. Raven had a hard enough time getting her own to look like that with fat lash mascara and a curler. The bright red scrape on her cheek and dark circles under her eyes contrasted with an otherwise perfect complexion, very pale. It looked like she hadn’t been eating or sleeping well. She was thin, almost too thin, which was even more obvious since she was no longer wearing her dirty gown but instead a pair of Raven’s sweat pants and one of her soft cotton t-shirts with the Batman symbol on the front. The borrowed clothing hung loosely on the girl’s thin frame, like potato sacks. They were snug on Raven, too—Figures.
“I am sorry, but I am famished. Do you mind if I have another?” Marguerite asked sweetly, indicating the stack of scones situated in the middle of the table. “Oh, and might I have some more tea…it tis delicious.”
“Of course,” Reed said and smiled at the girl, he couldn’t help it. She was so…what was the word he was looking for? He lifted his glass, took another long draw of the aged bourbon, and eyed her over the rim, contemplating the ramifications of what she was telling them. The word he wanted popped into his mind…Unspoiled. Yes. That was it.
Raven darted her eyes between Reed and the girl. What was he staring at? And why was he smiling? She grabbed the throw pillow off the floor and placed it in her lap. She twisted it in her hands, pretending it was Reed’s head. She wondered what he was thinking. After the fiasco in her temporary room where the girl had tried to beat her to crap and back, Raven had decided she wasn’t the beat the crap out of someone type. Sure, she could fight back if she had no choice, but at the end of the day, she would prefer to take a pass. Besides, she wasn’t hip on the bodily damage she was sure to have afterward either.
Luckily, Reed and Milford had showed up and intervened. That was the oddest thing: the girl seemed to know Milford and had fallen into his arms as soon as she had spotted him, putting an end to her attempts at pulverizing Raven’s body. It was all very twilight zone—really, really, strange.
The girl started talking again pulling Raven from her reverie.
“It seemed as though the very sky sucked me up and spit me out in another time,” she recalled while setting the teacup back on the table. “Truthfully, it was a blur of shapes,” she explained further, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “When I opened my eyes, he was there, directly in front of me.” Her hands fluttered to her chest. “He stared at me, but not in fear though. He seemed contemplative.”
Raven darted her eyes to Reed. He looked contemplative too. Shit.
“His black eyes bore into my own from his lofty seat above me.” Her face took on a distant look, her sigh sad. “He was sitting on his horse. It was a massive beast, which he needed as he was massive as well.” She smiled at the memory.
Reed rolled his eyes and took a hefty pull from his glass.
Raven flushed at the image in her mind suddenly. Yes, she would have to agree, she remembered quite vividly how massive he really was from the vision she had with Reed—yes, she remembered clearly, he was quite massive.
Marguerite slanted a bold glance at Milford. “That is when his companion decided to scream like a fool.”
Raven watched Milford twitch uncomfortably, shifting his weight, then tugging nervously at the pristine collar of his white button-up shirt like it had become suddenly too tight.
Marguerite pulled her gaze back. “The boy started to scream, you see. It was rather loud, but surprisingly the moment did not end.” She shot Milford another odd look.
Raven wondered what that was about…whatever it was she was sure it would be pretty darn interesting, actually everything out of the girls mouth was pretty damn interesting, mesmerizing even.
“He dismounted and walked towards me. He was so tall.” She looked ahead without really seeing what was in front of her, only what was in her mind. “The hood of my cloak fell back and my hair came undone. I do not think he could see me very clearly before that with my hood up,” she explained. “Then his eyes changed and he looked at me with such intensity I could feel my body begin to heat from his nearness. His strong hands slid down the length of my arms and then he slid them behind me and pulled me closer looking deeper…deeper than anyone had ever looked at me; it took my breath away. Then his beautiful face changed and he looked like he remembered something…a forgotten memory.” She paused, her voice starting to crack. She cleared her throat. “Sorry.” She smiled sweetly, her full bottom lip starting to quiver with emotion; she bit it shyly shaking her head with remembrance.
Raven bit her own lip instinctively, wondering if she looked as sexy as this girl did. She turned towards Reed. He gave her a quick glance and then shook his head in disparagement. Feeling stupid, she released her lip and blew out her cheeks instead.
Marguerite glanced between the two, pausing briefly. “Then he seemed to remember something and threw his head back and laughed. He laughed so intensely I could feel the vibrations against my body, sending shivers of delight across my skin. Then he pulled me even closer, my body pressed against his own. I felt so safe, warm, loved, as if I were his lifeline—his soul mate. The feelings in my body gained momentum. Then he pulled away to look at me, really look at me, and my body began to tingle all over. It was as though the emotions within my body were springing to life, gaining momentum the longer he held me. The world behind the dark depths of his smoldering gaze opened up. In that moment, I could see everything. I could see everything he was, or wanted to be. In that moment, he let me see to his very soul, which shook me to my core. In that moment, I fell unequivocally and irrevocably in love with him.” A silent tear slid down her face, she dashed it away. Her watery gaze finding Reed’s as she twisted the linen napkin in her hand.
Raven lifted a shaky hand to her own eyes as they began to burn. The girl’s story was one of the most romantic stories she had ever heard. She glanced at Reed to see how he was taking the story. He was entranced.
Shit. Oh great. Perfect. Seriously how was it possible for a girl to sit there and talk all about another guy and yet Reed looked like he wanted to sweep her into his strong arms and kiss her senselessly. What the hell? Raven wanted to wave her arms in front of him, snap him out of his besotted stupor. This girl was taken by another, and Reed had no business looking at her like that. At least she didn’t think so. By the look on his face, he may have disagreed though. Crap.
Raven was about to move but realized the girl wasn’t finished yet…
Marguerite found her voice again. “I would have happily stayed there for the rest of my days, wrapped snugly in his strong embrace. The scent of his body filled my nose, the feel of his breath spread across my face filling me with an ache so powerful, s
o intense, it nearly brought me to my knees. I thought I would fall to the ground, but I need not have worried, he held me tightly. I found I could do nothing but give over to the moment…when his mouth found mine and I kissed him back.”
Flashes of Reed entered Raven’s mind, making tingling sensations spread through her own body. The girl continued with her very visual, arousing, descriptions. She gripped the pillow harder, squirming slightly in her seat. She noticed Reed did not move, not an inch; she wondered what he was thinking and if he was getting as turned on as she was.
Marguerite dashed another tear away, and then sighed again, as she told the rest of her tale. “Then everything changed. The winds howled, the trees swayed and somehow I felt myself being pulled away. I tried to stay there with him, my body ached, my heart was breaking with each second that ticked by, I could not get back to him.” She swallowed hard, her face becoming paler, if that was possible. “The door or whatever had brought me to him, had somehow, someway snatched me back, back here to this time and place.”
“Wow!” That was the most romantic story Raven had ever heard. The girl turned her startling beautiful gaze on Raven. Of course, she was too busy fanning the heat from her cheeks with the pillow to notice at first. She finally caught the girl’s questioning stare. She dropped the pillow back to her lap, embarrassed. Everyone was now gawking at her. “What?” she finally asked, feeling stupid.
“Don’t you see, Katherine? You have to send me back. Please,” she begged, her gaze unwavering as she leaned forward.
Raven blinked several times not really understanding what the girl wanted from her. Katherine? Who in the hell was Katherine?
“Me?” she pointed her finger to her chest, shaking her head back and forth.
“Yes you,” Marguerite repeated, her eyes pleading. “Your name is Katherine is it not?”
“Nope,” she mumbled, shaking her head in refusal. Oh, great, nope was a stupid word. Now she sounded unrefined and stupid. Perfect.
Milford stepped forward, inclining his head, and then cleared his throat. “Marguerite, may I introduce you to Raven Tremaine, and I can assure you she is not Ms. Katherine.”
Raven blinked in surprise, taken aback by the little dig. I can assure you, she is not Ms. Bluh, bluh, Katherine. What? Was Katherine perfect or something? Wait…Marguerite? Could this be the Marguerite from her vision? Raven looked her over again, taking in her small form and even smaller breasts. Nope, not even close. The girl in the vision, she had boobs. Boobs were mostly fat and this girl had no fat. So why did the hottie in the vision say her name? Did he think she was Marguerite, just as this girl thought she, Raven, was this Katherine? What were they, triplets, or something? No, no, she quickly dismissed the thought… it was too weird.
But what of her vision? They both certainly resembled one another even though Raven came to the realization that she was not the star player in her delusional daydream with the hottie in the bedroom. No, turns out she was only a bystander, one that could feel…well she would rather not say exactly what she felt. Oh, but it was good—really Good.
No, that was someone else as well, someone her delusional brain had conjured from rejection. Or was it? Could it be it wasn’t a daydream at all? Was it something that had happened in the past? At this rate, she wouldn’t be surprised to find out if it was really this girl Katherine, the apparent paragon — why, was she so special? She had to wonder.
Tasty Titbits
RAVENHURST * PRESENT DAY
MARGUERITE rubbed her hands together excitedly. “What happened to Katherine? And where is Sebastian? Wait,” Marguerite laughed, “let me guess. He is off sulking somewhere with a bottle of his finest. Am I correct?” she asked, sitting forward on the couch. “He is such a dolt,” she mumbled and brushed a piece of hair from her face.
Milford straightened and pulled at his immaculate jacket. “Actually, he and Ms. Katherine are now married to one another and very happy.”
Marguerite wrinkled her face in confusion. “Well good for her. Perhaps that was the way it was meant to be all along and that is why I didn’t mesh well with Sebastian.”
Raven blinked. More likely, this Sebastian realized what a snippy little “b” she was and didn’t want to be saddled to her for the rest of his life.
“Well what of Isabelle, Milford?”
He again attempted to straighten his coat. “She is happily married to the Duke of Radcliff.”
“What, a Duke? How did she manage that one? And what of Devlin?” She paused and then lowered her voice, “oh, no, did he die? Or did he take Judith out.” She rubbed her hands together excitedly.
Raven didn’t move, not an inch. This was like a damn soap opera.
Reed on the other hand gaped in shock and disbelief. How could Milford know the answers to this girls question if she was from another time? Nothing made sense.
Milford blinked his eyes rapidly. “No, no, Devlin, is not dead, he is ah, residing at Hawthorne still, I believe. As for the rest, it is a long sordid story.
Marguerite looked around the room and then brought her gaze back to Milford. “You have to tell me at least a bit…please.”
Raven decided the girl had the puppy dog look down pat. She wondered if that would work for her with Reed…probably not.
Milford smiled down at her, walked over to the couch, and sat beside her. “First, Devlin locked Isabelle down in her own cellar.”
Marguerite gasped and put her hand over her mouth, holding back a laugh. “Sorry, I know I shouldn’t laugh but…, oh never mind, go on.”
“Then somehow Isabelle escaped, by knocking out Judith and while she was escaping she almost froze to death in a sudden blizzard that swept in from the North and that is how the Duke of Radcliff found her.”
“Where did he find her?” Marguerite asked as she nibbled on the scone she had taken earlier.
“He found her under a tree apparently.”
“Well I am happy to hear she is all right. She wasn’t that nice to me but I wish her no ill will. But what of Devlin, why is he still at Hawthorne? And what happened to Judith?”
“Judith is gone. She took off one night and never came back.”
Marguerite widened her eyes. “Really. I thought she and Devlin were well suited for one another.”
Milford waved his hand dismissively. “They had a falling out and she stole Isabelle’s jewels and favorite ermine lined cloak.”
“The green one?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said.
“Oh, I liked that one too.” She picked up a piece of candy from the table and lifted it to her nose. “What of Devlin?” she said, and dropped the candy back into the dish.
“This is where it gets really wild….” He rubbed his hands together like he was about to reveal the best story ever. “Devlin was attacked by ah….” he trailed off suddenly…and glanced at the clock, like he had just remembered something, something important. “ Oh my, I will need to tell cook we have an extra person for dinner this evening,” he said, changing the subject quickly. Bringing up her mother’s demise would only cause the poor girl more pain and suffering at this juncture. And it would change nothing.
Marguerite lifted her hand and placed it on his arm to stay him. “What of Darias? You have not said nary a word about him, is he well?”
“I really should get going,” Milford said, trying to take a step forward.
Marguerite held onto his coat, not letting go, her fingers twisting in the fine fabric. “Please, I must know.”
Milford cleared his throat. “Ah, well, you see, he is ah, alive,” he hedged, shifting awkwardly.
Marguerites face visibly paled. “Why did you say it like that? What happened after I disappeared? And that was you, the boy. Why were you trying to kill me?”
Milford cleared his throat. “So, you figured that out, did you?” he laughed awkwardly. “He… he…”
“Yes…” she prodded. “ I heard Darias yell Milford. Mind you, I was going to stab you until
I heard your name.” She wrinkled her face. “Sorry.”
“I understand.”
“Then once I realized it was you, a much, much, younger you, I knew I could not harm you. You know I love you, Milford, even though I do have to admit, I prefer this version of you,” she said, smiling affectionately at him.
“Not after you find out what I have done,” he mumbled, dipping his chin down to his chest.
“What did you say?”
Milford pulled his handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and blotted his forehead. “You see….” He cleared his throat. “ I am sorry by the way.” He lifted his hand to his collar and tugged it with his fingers. “I slit his throat.”
“YOU DID WHAT?” Raven, Marguerite and Reed all yelled in unison, then looked to one another, then back at Milford.
“I thought it was you…” he defended. “ It wasn’t my fault; I thought you were a demon,” he said and took a reflexive step back.
Marguerite pressed her palms to her chest, her face even paler than it was moments before, her eyes blurring with tears. “Is he…”
Raven and Reed leaned forward…
“No, no, he is not dead,” Milford rushed to assure them, patted his forehead with a crisp white handkerchief, and then placed it back in his pocket.
An audible sigh of relief resonated throughout the room.
“He is ah, not quite the same though.”
“What? What do you mean?” Marguerite asked, leaning forward, twisting a cloth napkin in her hand.
“I am not sure what kind of sorcery was administered to him, to make him live again.”
“HE WAS DEAD?” they all yelled out simultaneously, shock, disbelief, and horror sounding in each individual voice.
Milford took another cautious step back, now pressed against the mantle. “Well, I think he was dead. He looked dead. There was a lot of blood. But then his neck began to heal of its own accord and that was even before Morrigan came back into the keep. She was not there, when I um, tried to…” He scrunched his face apologetically, and then let out a nervous sigh before continuing. “I do not know why she was outside in the storm, but when she saw Darias she went mad. It was a good thing you were not there.” He widened his eyes for emphasis before continuing. “Jayce and Gaitland took him to his chamber. He slept you see, for a very long time.” His breath hitched. “Then he woke up and he wasn’t the same.”
DREAMS OF TOMORROW: A NEW ADULT TIME TRAVELING ROMANCE (Ravenhurst Series) Page 14