10 Timeless Heroes; A Time Travel Romance Boxed Set

by P. L. Parker, Beth Trissel, L. L. Muir, Skhye Moncrief, Sky Purington, Nancy Lee Badger, Caroline Clemmons, Bess McBride, Donna Michaels

  But her mother didn’t come this time. Robert did.

  “Don’t cry, Ellie,” Robert spoke soothingly near her ear. “I am going to help you find your way home, wherever that is. Don’t cry. Everything is going to be all right.”

  He’d lowered himself to one knee and leaned against the bench beside her. She turned a water-stained face to him, wishing he would take her in his arms as her mother once had.

  “I hope you can help me, Robert. I’m done pretending I have a clue. I’m so confused. I don’t know where my seat is anymore. I don’t know where I am.”

  “What is she going on about, Robert?” Mrs. Chamberlain asked. “Ellie— Is that her name? Ellie, what do you mean, you are lost? Melinda, give her that blanket there to cover her legs. No well-bred woman sits that way.”

  In a daze, Ellie watched Melinda spring into action and pick up a dark blue wool blanket which she carefully spread over Ellie’s hunched legs beneath her long skirt.

  “Give her some time, Grandmother. She seems to have had quite a shock. This is hardly the time to worry about proper behavior.”

  “Hmmppfff. I have had a shock or two in my time, Robert, and I never forgot my manners.”

  Luckily, Ellie’s view of Mrs. Chamberlain was blocked by Robert’s face...his handsome face.

  “Grandmother, why don’t you and Melinda return to the observation lounge? I would like to talk to Miss Standish in private.” Robert kept a searching gaze on Ellie’s face while he spoke over his shoulder.

  “Well, I hope you are able to make some sense of what she says,” Mrs. Chamberlain said in a querulous voice. “Mind you keep that blanket on her. She probably needs the warmth.”

  Robert rose to his full height and extended his arm to the older woman to help her rise. She peered around him one more time to examine Ellie before he led her to Melinda, who took her arm and retreated to the rear of the car. A swell of female voices greeted their return, and then settled into a hum of questions and answers.

  Robert turned back to Ellie, allowing his gaze to rest momentarily on the open bench beside her before he tightened his lips and moved to take a seat on the opposite bench. Ellie would have welcomed his nearness— in fact, she craved his very real presence in a world gone mad.

  “You can sit here, Robert.”

  “I think you might feel more safe if I keep some distance from you, Ellie. My presence seems to disturb you, and I think you have had enough of a shock.”

  “Oh.” Her face burned, and she pulled the soft woolen blanket toward her cheeks. She threw him a quick glance before she lowered her eyes to study the threads of the blanket.

  “Ellie.” The gravity in his quiet voice terrified her. She didn’t want him to talk. Anything he had to say would be bad news. She was certain of it.

  “Yes?” She raised reluctant eyes to his face. A muscle flexed in his jaw. His dark-lashed eyes watched her with a mixture of curiosity and concern. She burst into babble.

  “I know you think I’m crazy, Robert. I can’t even find my train, the one I boarded yesterday in Chicago. You know, the bright shining modern train that we all know and love. That one?”

  He watched her patiently, his legs crossed, hands clasped in his lap.

  Ellie hardly stopped for breath before she began again with an unladylike snort. “Of course, I think you guys are a bit whacked out myself. Or at least, I did...until I discovered I’d lost my train. It’s not possible for me to fall asleep and wake up on another train...especially a vintage one.”

  She paused for a gulp of air. Robert tilted his head in that charming way, a hint of a smile on his face.

  “I mean it’s really not possible, unless I’m still dreaming. And I could be dreaming, Robert. Don’t think I haven’t thought about that. For all I know, I could be having a conversation with a dream. Do you know what I mean?

  She ended on a winded note with a quick glance in Robert’s direction. To her surprise, instead of responding, he rose and walked into the observation lounge, returning in seconds with a newspaper in his hands. He laid the paper on his bench and sat back down.

  “Ellie.” He began again in that same serious note that boded no good for her. “What year is it?”

  Ellie’s eyebrows shot up. She didn’t know what she had expected, but that question wasn’t it. She told him the current date.

  Robert’s eye’s widened for a second and then narrowed. It seemed as if he held his breath for a moment and then released it with a hiss. Propping his arms on his knees, he leaned forward intently as if to say something. Then he straightened abruptly and his eyes fell to the paper at his side.

  Ellie watched his dark bent head nervously. What was he thinking?

  With a slight shake of his head and a sigh, he picked up the paper and stared hard at it, passing it from one hand to the other.

  “I don’t think so, Ellie.”

  “You don’t think what?”

  “I wonder if you could be ill, as Melinda suggested. Have you been eating well? Had a recent illness, a bout with fever?”

  Ellie kept her eye on the hands that handled the paper. What was it about that paper that worried him so much? She shook her head.

  “No, I don’t think so. I haven’t been sick.”

  He opened the newspaper and handed it to her. She pulled her hands out from under the blanket and took it with an uncertain look in his direction. At first glance, the paper resembled a local free weekly such as one might find at the entrance to the grocery store. The uneven print caught her eye, garish and old-fashioned, as if it had been typed on a manual typewriter. The bright, bold title caught her eye: The Seattle Weekly. Vivid headlines read “MOUNT BAKER PUFFS AGAIN.”

  Ellie glanced at Robert curiously. He gave her an encouraging nod.

  “What do you want me to look at?” She turned a page. The paper felt coarse, unlike the smooth newsprint from her local Chicago newspaper.

  “The date, Ellie. Look at the date.”

  Ellie returned to the front page and searched above the oversized headlines for the date. She found it in the middle, the print italicized and difficult to read.

  April 20, 1901. She mouthed the words silently. Nineteen hundred and one. That would be about right for their costume period. The late Victorian/early Edwardian era. The year of Queen Victoria’s death.

  She turned to Robert, who had moved to the edge of his seat.

  “Do you see the date, Ellie?”

  “Yes, April 20, 1901.” She held up the paper and smiled wanly. “I assume this is part of your reenactment.”

  “Ellie, this is no reenactment. We do not prance about in Napoleonic costumes pretending to relive glorious days of the past.” He pushed himself back against his bench and crossed his arms, directing a frank stare in her direction.

  “So, what are you trying to say?” Ellie swallowed hard. Black dots swam before her eyes.

  “I think you know what I’m trying to say. I believe you are being deliberately obtuse.”

  “I am not. I haven’t got the faintest idea what you’re talking about,” she retorted hotly. Of course she did, but the reality just seemed too bizarre to comprehend.

  Robert tightened his lips and eyed her speculatively. He leaned forward again.

  “Have you ever read H. G. Wells?”

  “Yes. Don’t even try that, Robert.” Ellie shook her head, a warning note in her voice.

  “Have you read his book called The Time Machine?”

  “Read it, watched the movie, loved it.” She stared at Robert with narrowed eyes. She wasn’t going to allow what would surely follow.

  “I don’t know about this moovee you mention, but you’ve read about his concept of time travel, then?”

  “It’s fiction, Robert. Time travel doesn’t exist, as far as we know. Not even in the twenty-first century.”

  “That is my point, Ellie. This is not the twenty-first century. It is April 25, 1901.” He crossed his arms again and regarded her with a strange light
in his green eyes. “Now, either you are delirious as Melinda suggested, or...” He left his sentence hanging as he eyed her with concern.

  “Or I’ve traveled back in time?” She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a hysterical giggle. “Are those my only options?”

  “Do you have an explanation for your appearance here...in your strange costume? Where is this seat you say you have lost?”

  “My costume!” Ellie almost shrieked. She ran her eyes up and down his handsome figure. “How about I fell asleep and somehow accidentally walked off my own train in the middle of the night, crossed the tracks and climbed into your historical party here?” Ellie stared at him, trying to hide the fright she knew must be showing on her face.

  Robert’s lips twitched. “Ellie,” he murmured. “Do you really think that’s likely?”

  “There’s a third alternative, Robert. One that makes more and more sense, now that I think about it.”

  “And what is that, my dear Miss Standish?”

  “Well, Mr. Chamberlain, the other alternative is that this is all just a dream.” She dropped the edge of the blanket and raised her hands expansively to encompass the train.

  Robert’s eyes crinkled when he laughed, and he shook his head patiently. “That is not possible, Ellie. It is simply impossible. I am real. I am no dream.”

  Having found an answer she could live with, Ellie prepared to defend it like a faithful follower. She relaxed her grip on her knees and rested her head against the high back of the velvet bench with a self-satisfied nod.

  “How would you know this isn’t a dream?”

  “Well, I’m certain I would know. How could I not know?” Robert’s steady gaze faltered. He stared down at the ground for a brief second before returning his gaze to Ellie’s face. His voice was grave. He shook his head again.

  “No, this is not a dream, Ellie.”

  Ellie gave him a serene smile. All was right with the world at last.

  “You would never know, Robert. Besides, this is my dream, but I’ll tell you what I’m prepared to do.” She pushed the blanket away, swung her legs over the edge of the seat and leaned forward. “I’m prepared to let you choreograph the dream, as it seems you’ve already been doing. I’ll just sit back and let the dream take its course. How about that?”

  She crossed her arms and leaned back against the seat once again, watching him from under veiled lashes. A myriad of emotions crossed his face—surprise, disbelief, a flash of something soft she did not recognize, and finally amusement.

  Robert drew in breath to speak, and then closed his mouth. He turned away to stare at nothing in particular for just a moment. When he returned his gaze to her face, the twinkle sparkled in his eyes.

  “So, you are saying that you are putting yourself in my hands in this dream of yours. Is that correct, Miss Standish?”

  Suddenly full of the confidence only a dream could give her, she gave him a half-smile and a benign nod.

  “Yes, Mr. Chamberlain, do with me what you will.” Ellie grinned, suddenly emboldened. “Within reason, of course.”

  Robert’s dark eyebrows shot up for a moment before he responded.

  “Excellent. I am prepared for the challenge of...choreographing your dream, as you say. Since your dream has left you with no seat at your disposal and no visible income, you will come to my house, where my grandmother and sister reside, to stay with us until you wake up.”

  Ellie wasn’t sure about the nature of dreams, but this one seemed to be taking a turn for the better. She took a deep breath.

  “Sure, Robert. That sounds fine. I warn you, though. If you turn into some sort of murderer or monster, I’ll do my best to wake up.”

  Robert’s green eyes softened. “I am no monster, Ellie. I promise you that.”

  Ellie reached out to shake his hand. Robert stared at her hand for a moment and took it in his own. She gave it a good tug.

  “Deal!” she said.

  “Deal,” he murmured, making no move to release her hand. She pulled away from his warmth reluctantly and leaned back against her seat.

  “So, what’s the plan?” she asked with interest.

  Robert threw back his head and laughed—a hearty, happy sound that charmed her with its utter masculinity.

  “You certainly are an enigma, Ellie. I think I had better let the ladies know you will be staying with us. There will be some concerns from Grandmother, no doubt. I suspect Melinda will be delighted to have such...an unusual houseguest.

  Ellie grinned.

  “I’m looking forward to the stay, Robert. I always did want to know what life was like at the turn of the century.”

  “You promise to be quite an adventure, my dear Miss Standish.” The sparkling challenge in Robert’s eyes shook her bravado for a moment, but she recovered.

  He rose slowly and gazed down at her briefly.

  “Just remember, Ellie. It is my belief that you have traveled back in time, although I do not know why.”

  Ellie stared into the emerald depths of his eyes, afraid to lose herself in them.

  “And I think this is all just a dream, Robert. One that could end at any moment.”

  His eyes darkened, and he reached down to trace the line of her left cheek with his index finger before straightening.

  “Let us hope not...not too soon.” He cleared his throat and ran a finger along the inside of his high collar. “I think you had better wait here until the questions are out of the way. You might find my grandmother...outspoken.” He grinned.

  “I noticed,” Ellie murmured with a twitch of her lips. He chuckled and moved away.

  Ellie pulled her feet back up onto the seat and stretched out with the blanket, suddenly weary. Did people feel tired in dreams? Did they sleep? That seemed redundant. Had she ever even boarded the train in Chicago? When did the dream begin? She swallowed hard against a sudden knot in her throat. When would it end?

  Please, not too soon, she thought drowsily. Not too soon.

  Chapter Six

  “Ellie? Ellie, wake up.” A gentle hand shook Ellie’s shoulder. She awakened to her dream. Robert bent over her, his face close to hers. Melinda hovered behind, trying to peer over his shoulder.

  “Robert, you’re still here,” Ellie murmured. “I feel like I’m dreaming within a dream.” She rubbed her eyes and attempted to sit up. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder at Melinda and put a cautionary finger to his lips.

  “And you are still here as well, Miss Standish. Melinda and my grandmother are looking forward to your visit with us.”

  Ellie’s eyes shot open, and she focused on the warning message in Robert’s eyes.

  “Oh, my visit. Yes, thank you very much.” Uncertain what he had told them, she faltered. “I-I look forward to staying with your family.” She exchanged a quick conspiratorial glance with Robert who nodded and straightened.

  “Well, we were wondering if you wanted to have a light supper with us. It will be served here in the observation car.” Robert pulled out a lovely gold watch from a pocket in his gray vest. “We will arrive in Seattle in approximately two hours, at 11:30 p.m.”

  Her stomach growled at the thought of food, and she bobbed her head enthusiastically.

  “Yes, I’d love to eat. How long have I been asleep?”

  “About five hours, Miss Standish. You must have been exhausted.” Melinda had finally managed to get around Robert to peer at Ellie.

  Ellie’s eyes flew to Robert’s face.

  “Five hours? I-I’m lucky I managed to wake up at all. Why aren’t we in Seattle yet? How long is the trip from Wenatchee?”

  Robert gave a short laugh, which did not reach his eyes.

  “I wasn’t certain if you were going to wake up. You seemed dead to the world. The journey is nine hours.”

  “He has been very worried, Miss Standish,” Melinda offered. “He has been back here about twenty times, checking on you as you continued to sleep. We told him you probably just needed some rest and t
o leave you alone, but Robert insisted he must check your breathing.”

  Ellie’s face flamed and she found it hard to meet Robert’s eyes.

  “Shall we dine then, Miss Standish?” He held out an elegant arm, and Ellie rose to take it self-consciously. He led her toward the back of the carriage with Melinda following closely behind.

  Soft lights now glowed overhead in brass and tulip chandeliers and cast a golden radiance over the teak walls and red velvet furnishings. Shades, pulled low against the night sky, lent the carriage an intimate atmosphere.

  The women turned curious eyes on Ellie once again, and she gave them a pleasant smile and sank into the chair Robert indicated. She did not miss the speculative eyes that studied both Robert and her, but she chose to ignore them.

  Several of the younger women had removed their hats, revealing hairstyles similar to Melinda’s—the upswept Gibson—albeit with a few limp, dangling curls and wayward wisps from the long traveling day. Ellie put a hand to her own curly brown hair to see how much of it had escaped her braid. Some tendrils hung around her face, and she stuck them behind her ears, though they instantly popped forward once again.

  Samuel served from a tray of odd-looking food. Ellie thought she recognized slices of roast beef and ham, but the rest of the food was unfamiliar to her.

  Robert took a vacant seat across the room next to his grandmother, who eyed Ellie with an inscrutable expression. Luckily, Samuel distracted her attention by handing the older woman a plate.

  Samuel crossed the room to approach Ellie.

  “What would you like to eat, miss?” He stood aside to let her study the food on the large silver tray in the middle of the room.

  Ellie shook her head with dismay.

  “Gosh, I don’t know. So much meat. Do you have anything that isn’t meat?”