by Mari Carr
“We’d only been here a few minutes when this little mite ran through the doorway.” Hayley gestured at Chelsea, who was still asleep in Tori’s arms.
Tori glanced up as Ben bent down toward her.
“My little angel,” he whispered to Chelsea’s sleeping form. “I’m so sorry. I should have been with you. I should have protected you.”
At the sound of his voice, Chelsea’s eyes fluttered open. Looking up into his face, she let go of Tori to reach for him. Grasping her small body in his arms, the two clung to each other, Chelsea crying softly as he mumbled more apologies into her hair.
Tori’s heart felt as if it would break at the sight of his remorse. “You weren’t to blame. None of us realized Frank was such a dangerous man.”
“You knew,” he replied. “I just refused to listen.”
“That’s not true. You were leery of the man. Besides, all I had were suspicions. Only Chelsea knew and she couldn’t say.”
“He told me not to say anything,” Chelsea whispered.
“What?” Ben was clearly shocked by the sound of the little girl’s voice.
“That night,” Chelsea continued. “He told me not to talk, so I didn’t.”
“Chels, did Frank see you the night he killed your mother and grandfather?” Tori asked.
“There were new puppies in the barn. I sneaked out to see them. I was supposed to be in bed. He thought I was inside with Mama and Grandpa.”
“Why did he want to hurt them, Chelsea?” Tori asked.
“He asked Mama to marry him, but she said no. She said he wasn’t a very nice man.”
“And he threatened you that night?” Ben asked.
“He was running from the house when he saw me coming out of the stable. I think he wanted to hurt me, but a couple of neighbors saw the fire and were shouting at us. He grabbed my arms and shook me. He said if I talked, he’d find me and kill me, too.” Chelsea shuddered.
Hot tears fell down Tori’s cheeks as she considered how literally the poor child had taken the evil man’s words.
Chelsea’s eyelids drooped, exhaustion winning out after the extreme emotions of the day. Then Chelsea whimpered softly, unable to say more.
“Perhaps this is a conversation best saved for morning.” Ben appeared anxious to move his small ward as far away from the reminder of Prescott’s evil machinations as possible.
“I agree.” Tori hoped that in the time it took to return to the Grange, she would decide how to tell Ben about her past in the future.
Alex tucked his arm more securely around his beloved wife. “This is no place to linger. Besides, sweetheart, I’m sure little Elise is wondering where her dinner is.”
“You named your daughter Elise?” Tori asked.
“Oh, yes,” Erin said. “We named her after you. Wait until you see her, Tor. She’s so precious and perfect. A little June girl in the making!”
“You named her after me.” Tori was awestruck by the compliment.
The return trip to the Grange was slow as the group walked unhurriedly, speaking little. Each of them appeared to be deep in thought as they considered all that might have been lost. Tori was numb as the previous emotions of panic, fear and sadness slowly gave way to a gnawing worry that wouldn’t let go. Ben hadn’t spoken a word since Chelsea’s revelations. She knew he was confused by her relationship with Hayley and Erin and suffering extreme guilt for failing to protect Chelsea.
On top of all that, what would he say when she told him the truth about her past?
Chapter 20
V is for Vim and Vigor
Upon arriving at Fernwood Grange, Erin rushed upstairs to check on her baby daughter. Concerned about Chelsea, Ben carried her to a small guest room to put her on the soft bed there. The exhaustion and stress of the day had taken their toll, and she remained fast asleep. He sat with her for nearly an hour making sure her rest was easy and nightmare-free, while trying to make sense of all he had learned in the cabin.
Vee was the last June girl. Hayley, prior to her marriage to Jack, had told Ben all about her friendship with Erin and how much she missed Tori, the one friend still living in America. Why was she here? What were her plans? Did she intend to return to America? Where was her family? Surely, she hadn’t traveled all the way from the continent alone. Questions swirled in his mind as he tried to determine what he should do now. When he was certain Chelsea was sound asleep, he left her room in search of his friends.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard voices coming from the library. Glancing in the doorway, he noticed everyone was assembled together once again except for Tori. Hayley and Jack were seated beside one another on a chaise while Jack fussed over the scrapes on his wife’s arms. Erin was rocking baby Elise to sleep, humming a lullaby as Alex looked on.
Sensing his arrival, they all looked toward the door.
He had just stepped into the room, when Tori appeared as well.
“Vee,” Ben said, as she entered the room. “I mean Victoria.”
“Vee is fine. I’ve gotten rather used to it.”
“We were waiting for you before we continued our discussion.” Hayley’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as she looked at Tori and Ben. “After all, you did save the day, Tori. We thought you should be present while we sang your praises.”
“I don’t know about saving the day,” she said. “Tripped my way to success would be more accurate.”
Smiling for the first time all day, Ben laughed. “Suddenly your heroism is beginning to sound feasible.” The relaxed mood in the room quickly dispelled some of his earlier fears. Clearly these June Girls were closer than sisters and he was pleasantly surprised by the small glimpses he was seeing as Vee, Tori, resumed her true personality.
“Ha ha,” Tori said mockingly.
“Why don’t we pick up where we left off?” Alex gestured for Ben and Tori to have a seat on the couch. “Hayley, you said you and Erin were in the cabin when Chelsea ran in?”
“Yes,” Hayley answered. “She was quite terrified and no matter what Erin and I did or said, she simply would not speak.”
“We had both knelt down in front of her, attempting to console her and figure out who she was when that horrible man threw a rope over our heads,” Erin said.
“We never saw him coming,” Hayley added. “Bastard caught us by surprise. Had us tied up before we could say ‘boo.’”
Tori grinned at the disgust in Hayley’s voice and was surprised by the lack of response the men gave her rather questionable language. Recalling her memories and all the romance novels she’d read about the regency period, she couldn’t quite figure out how Hayley and Erin, with their love of four letter words, had managed to survive in this time. She also knew it was probably eating Hayley alive that she’d been rendered helpless by Frank Prescott so easily. Her friend liked to think she could take care of herself. Though Tori had to admit, most of the time Hayley could.
Once again, she marveled at the differences between this time and their own. This Fernwood Grange and the one her parents owned in the future were vastly different, though the same. Even without the modern-day conveniences, she preferred this Grange. It felt cozy and inviting, full of family, love and laughter, whereas the Grange of the future, the one her family owned, was more showplace than home.
“I don’t think he liked the idea of having more witnesses to his crime,” Erin said. “Once he tied us up, he seemed quite distraught about having to rid himself of us. Kept muttering to himself and pacing. It was at that point I saw Tori peeking in the doorway. I cannot tell you what a shock that was.”
“What I would like to know is how you got to the cabin alone, Vee? I thought I’d left you with Alex.” At this, Ben cast a furious glance toward his friend.
“Don’t look at me,” Alex said defensively. “I stayed with her until one of my footmen arrived. I gave him strict instructions to escort Miss Hamilton back here before following in the direction you and Jack had gone. I thought I’d be able
to lend a hand.”
“Don’t be angry at Alex,” Tori added. “It was my fault. Alex mentioned the date right before he left. My head was pounding something terrible. I suppose the pain was caused by the return of my memory or the long run through the woods trying to escape Frank. Anyway, when he left, I realized Hayley and Erin were in danger, so I ran off before the footman could catch me.”
“How did you know we were in danger?” Erin asked.
Glancing at Ben, she took a deep breath before answering. “I read about your murders. It was in an old newspaper at home. You were both stabbed to death on the nineteenth of August, 1819.”
“Good God,” Jack muttered.
“Shit,” Erin mumbled.
“Oh, hell,” Hayley added.
“What?” Ben asked incredulously. “Where would you read such a thing?” Looking around the room, Ben realized no one else was disturbed by her strange comment, rather they all accepted her words as the truth and were more concerned with the story of the murders.
“After I found your message in the book, I began doing research. I came across an article that talked about your deaths.” Tori looked only at her friends as she spoke, too afraid to see how Ben was reacting to her words.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Ben asked, when no one else responded.
Biting her lip, she rose from the couch and crossed to the front window. Gathering her courage, she turned to face Ben. “Let’s just say for now I knew they were in danger and that they were in the cabin. I hurried along the path and when I arrived, Frank had already captured them. I knew he intended to kill them, so I made a plan.”
“Ah, yes.” Hayley tried to lighten the heavy mood in the room. “The plan. And what exactly was this plan of yours, Tor?”
Tori narrowed her eyes at her friend’s smug jibe. “I found a big stick, and I was going to sneak up on Frank when he had his back turned and knock him out.”
Erin giggled. “Well, you certainly succeeded in that.”
“What happened?” Jack asked.
“Tori has a bit of a reputation for clumsiness,” Hayley answered.
“That’s an understatement,” Ben muttered, still looking at Tori as if she was a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve.
“I tripped,” Tori said.
“You tripped?” Alex asked.
“On my way to hit Frank on the head. He had his back turned, and I was about to hit him when I got tripped up by a blasted piece of firewood on the floor.”
“She fell into him,” Erin continued. “Then he fell and hit his head on the corner of an old trunk. It knocked him out instantly.”
Jack and Alex laughed, while Ben’s scowl grew darker. “I don’t see anything funny about this.”
“Anyway,” Tori was anxious to finish the tale, the memories of Frank’s deadly attack causing her stomach to roll. “He regained consciousness after Hayley kicked him.”
“You kicked an unconscious man?” Jack asked his wife, his voice ripe with amusement.
“He had it coming. Sneaking up on us like that when we were trying to comfort a little girl,” Hayley answered defensively.
“Seems so unsporting of you, firebrand,” Jack teased.
“Bite me.”
“Gladly,” Jack murmured.
“Anyway,” Tori repeated impatiently. “The three of us attacked him and somewhere in the midst of the melee he managed to get away. He’s still out there somewhere.” Tori was uneasy with the thought of what Frank may do next.
“And that is when you fellas arrived,” Erin said, concluding the tale.
“You could have been killed.” Jack pulled Hayley closer to his side.
“I’m too ornery to die.” Hayley took her husband’s hand in hers. “You’ve said so a thousand times.”
“You could have been killed,” Ben threw at Tori, his voice laced with anger. “What the hell were you thinking? Why didn’t you come find me? How the devil did you expect to be able to stop that man on your own? He’s twice your size. You didn’t really think a little tap on the head was going to render him unconscious, did you? Christ, Vee! I can’t believe you would do something so ill-advised and dangerous!”
Tori’s temper flared. “Why can’t you believe it? My friends and Chelsea were in danger. Do I seem so weak and useless that I’d just stand by wringing my hands while Prescott killed them?”
“You tell him, girlfriend,” Hayley cheered.
“Hayley,” Jack admonished.
“Ben,” Alex interjected, but Ben was too far-gone to stop.
The stress of the last couple of days had escalated until it had nowhere else to go, but out. “Not only did you endanger yourself, but your friends and Chelsea. Did you stop to consider what he would have done to my daughter?”
“Daughter?” She was surprised to hear him, in the heat of anger, refer to Chelsea as his daughter.
“Now just a minute,” Hayley yelled, but Ben continued his attack.
“She was your charge, in your care. She was your responsibility and you let that man capture and threaten her. She’s just a child, for God’s sake. You should have protected her.” A tear escaped and ran down his cheek. “You failed her,” he repeated. “You failed her.”
Tori fell dumb, horror-struck by his angry words.
His voice cracked. “No, wait, I didn’t mean—”
It was too late. The words hung between them like a dark cloud.
“Tori,” he began, struggling to find a way to make amends for his hateful words. “I failed her. Oh, God. I failed you both.” With that, he turned and left the room. The sound of the front door slamming proved his escape from the house was complete.
Tori started to follow, but was stopped by a strong hand on her arm.
“Wait, Tori.” Concern was etched in the lines on Alex’s face. “Perhaps you should give Ben a few moments to calm down.”
“Give him a few moments?” Hayley was aghast. “If I was her, I’d give him a kick in the—”
“Hayley,” Jack interrupted. “Enough. You’ve said enough.”
“Tori,” Erin removed Alex’s hand from her friend’s arm. “I think you should go after him.”
The tears that had threatened to fall all day came freely now. Great heaving sobs wracked her as all the strength left her body, and she fell to her knees.
Misunderstanding her sorrow, Erin knelt before her. “None of that tirade was directed at you.”
“I-I don’t know what to do.” She continued to weep, the tension of trying to figure out where to go from here overwhelming. She’d spent the last hour roaming through the house, rehearsing her speech to Ben. Telling him she was from the future, each time imagining his laugh as he told her she was out of her mind.
“Well, I know,” Hayley said roughly. “How dare he talk to you like that?”
“Hayley,” Erin took Tori’s shaking, cold hands into her own. “Tori understands why Ben said what he did. She’s clearly in love with him. It hasn’t been an easy day for either of you, has it?”
Erin looked at her with such compassion and understanding that she began to cry again. “I think we should have spent a few minutes explaining to Lord Benjamin Sinclair that Miss Victoria Hamilton hails from Virginia, circa 2009. No doubt he’s very confused by all of this.”
“He’ll never believe me,” Tori said miserably.
“Of course, he will,” Erin said. “We all believe. We can convince him.”
“For what purpose? It’s obvious he doesn’t care about me. He blames me for, oh God, he blames me for everything.”
Erin shook her head. “No, you heard him. He blames himself. He’s a typical man for this day and age. He thinks it’s the man’s job to protect his woman and children. Instead, you protected Chelsea, and you saved yourself as well as Hayley and me. That kind of left him with a lot of pent-up anger and nowhere to vent it. Looks to me like he elected to throw it all at your feet.”
“You know, I’m not sure I care for that a
nalysis,” Alex muttered. “It certainly doesn’t make us men sound too intelligent, does it?”
“Intelligent or not, it’s probably fairly close to the truth,” Jack admitted.
Tori fought to stem the tears. “Ben was right. I should have gone to find him. I knew as soon as I found all of you in that cabin that I was in over my head. I was a fool to rush in there, and the only reason we’re sitting here is because of dumb luck. If anything had happened to Chelsea, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“I don’t buy that luck stuff, Tor,” Hayley said. “It took a lot of guts to come into the cabin and face that man. Besides, it’s pointless to worry about what might have happened. You saved everyone because you loved us enough to risk your life for us. Now go find Ben, force him off his high horse, make him apologize, and if he still can’t handle it, tell him to kiss your—”
“Ah, my sweet wife, what a way you have with words and soft sentiments.” Jack placed a quick kiss on her lips, hoping to distill the heaviness of the moment.
“Go to him, Tori,” Erin said. “We’ll explain it to him. He’ll understand, and then you can both move on with your lives.”
“That’s the other problem,” Tori replied. “I didn’t come here to stay. Only to save you and Hayley from a murderer. I wanted to find you and take you home with me.”
Hayley laughed. “You may have to wrestle this pirate to get me back to that tree.” She wrapped her arms around Jack’s waist.
“Tori, Hayley and I aren’t going back. Ever. We’ve both found our perfect lives here, but—” Erin paused.
“Can I go back?” Tori was surprised to discover that she hoped she couldn’t return. She truly couldn’t picture a life in the future without her best friends. Or Ben—no matter how angry he was at her.
“You want to go home?” Erin asked.
“Can I go home?” she repeated.
Erin simply nodded. “I think so. There may be a way.”
“How?”
“The tree has magical properties. It’s a wishing tree,” Erin answered with a light laugh, realizing how ridiculous her words sounded.