by Sherry Ewing
“Can I be honest with you?” Jenna whispered, and she dared to lean a little closer, feeling comfortable with him for the first time since they’d met. Because he patiently sat there waiting for her to continue while the food began to cool, she pushed on. “I haven’t a clue what most of this is in front of me, and it’s not like I saw it packaged in a grocery store to determine what kind of meat it was before I bought it.”
“Grocery store?” he inquired with a quizzical brow.
Jenna rushed on without answering him. “I’m feeling very overwhelmed at the moment. I’m generally not a picky eater, but I don’t know what this stuff is.”
Fletcher at last smiled at her. It wasn’t just a sly grin but a full blown smile showing even, white teeth. Once again, she lost her nerve to speak her mind, or any other words that might possibly spew from her lips.
“I see. Mayhap, we will begin with a few morsels of the food stuff that I myself like. Will that suffice for a beginning between us?” he said softly.
Whether he meant the food or something more of a personal nature, Jenna could not say. So instead of trying to sort out anything of what was going on around her, she smiled back at him. Nodding happily for the first time since her ordeal began, she relaxed to enjoy this wild and crazy adventure she was sure was only a dream. She knew, in no uncertain terms, it would be only a matter of time before she woke up.
Chapter 12
Fletcher watched the woman at his side as she daintily picked at her food on her side of the trencher they shared. That his side was empty, as he reached for another helping of venison, said much for his appetite this eve.
“’Tis not to your liking, my lady?” he asked her whilst holding out his chalice. A serf quickly came up behind him and refilled it with red wine. He watched her hesitation and could somewhat understand her plight. “You are amongst friends here, Lady Jenna. Please, speak your mind.”
“No…I mean…yes, the food is fine. I don’t suppose there are…vegetables?”
Fletcher reached for a bowl and brought it forward for her inspection. He generally did not care for them, since they tended to be overcooked and eaten by the serfs. She crinkled her nose and it took everything on his part not to laugh. He did not wish to cause her insult. “Perchance, we must needs find you something else. What else could we tempt you with to please your palate?”
“Salad?”
Now it was his turn to be confused. He in no way knew what she was talking about. “My lady?”
“You know…greens…leafy food?” she asked before getting a crestfallen expression on her face as though all of Christendom thought her a fool. He continued to look at her, wondering if the bump on her head had addled her wits.
Afore he could respond, a servant came and brought another platter to place in front of Katherine. Said lady took some of what had been offered and motioned for the dish to be passed down the table. Jenna’s eyes lit up at what she espied, although Fletcher thought there was not much to be said for what should in truth be sent to the stables for his horse.
“You see,” she exclaimed in delight, “salad. Thanks, Katie!” She took a bite and sighed with such pleasure that Fletcher had to grin. She apparently saw him watching her and held the plate towards him. “I’m sorry, how rude of me. Would you like some?”
His hands automatically came up almost in horror. “Nay, I shall refrain, my lady.”
Jenna shrugged her shoulders. “More for me and Katie it seems,” she declared, passing the platter back towards Katherine.
He was not alone in his assessment of those leafy greens being good for one’s stomach, for even Riordan appeared appalled when he handed the platter to his wife. Katherine let out a muffled laugh, holding out her utensil to her husband. “You don’t know what you’re missing, hon, until you try it,” Katherine said, teasing him. “Come on, take a bite!”
“Nay, my love, I must decline, but, by all means, enjoy,” Riorden replied, shutting his mouth in a firm line whilst his wife moved the offending greens in front of him.
Feeling full, Fletcher at last sat back in his chair as the evening meal concluded and serfs began to busily clean the hall. The tables, which had been filled with garrison knights, had emptied of men ’til but a few remained in the hall. Dristan called to those at the high table to join him in his solar, allowing Fletcher to once more escort Jenna across the room and up the stairs. She halted once they reached only the second landing.
“Can we take a breather for a second? My head seems to be spinning,” Jenna asked with hopeful eyes.
“Aye, of course we can. You must needs take all the time you require,” Fletcher answered and watched as the rest of the party continued their climb to the next level of the keep.
“I’m sorry to be such a bother. You don’t need to stay. I can find my way in a few minutes, after I rest.”
“I will not hear of it, my lady. I must say your speech is passing strange and is sometimes hard for me to follow,” Fletcher said, holding her elbow to steady her.
Jenna looked up at him, searching his face. “And yours is very formal. Nobody speaks like that where I come from. It’s a shame really. I miss the days of old when…”
She paused. Her brows furrowed as though she were trying to remember something. “Is something amiss, Lady Jenna?”
“That’s just it…I was on the beach, wishing for the bygone days, and…well…now…here I am. It’s all very confusing,” she answered and put a shaking hand up to her forehead. “I really am here in the past, aren’t I?”
A smile lit his face. “From my perspective, you are in the present, and apparently Time feels you need to be here.”
“Time…it seems too farfetched to be believed. I’ll pinch myself later because I’m sure I’m dreaming this whole damn thing.”
They continued their climb ’til they reached the floor housing his bed chamber, or rather hers, since she had taken up residence there. Somehow, he liked the idea of her resting in his bed, although where those thoughts came from he was not sure. He barely knew the woman.
“But you should get to know her…” Rolf’s voice came inside his head, giving him pause to search the corridor in front of them. There was no sign of the pesky ghost in order for Fletcher to berate him to mind his own business. Apparently, Rolf could also read the disturbing thoughts going on inside his head, since Fletcher now heard him laughing.
He witnessed Jenna sway, but he swore he could see a vague impression of a ghostly figure giving her a slight push in his direction. She stumbled forward, and Fletcher quickly pulled her to him. Startled, a gasp escaped her lips. Jenna placed her hands upon his chest and stared at him with wide eyes. Tingling sensations pulsed beneath his tunic where her palms were firmly resting on his torso. He knew he should let go of her, but instead, his own hands automatically went to her waist and stayed there. She did not move, not even one inch, and he watched her chest rise and fall almost as if she, too, was attempting to catch her breath. He knew there was no longer air in his own lungs. It had all but left him with her nearness.
“Sorry,” she murmured, finally disentangling herself from his arms. “I seem to have two left feet, of late. I think, I’ll just go to my room. Do you think they’ll be upset that I don’t join them after all they’ve done for me?”
“I am sure they will understand, given the circumstances. Let me escort you to your chamber.”
“It’s not really that far, Sir Fletcher. I’m sure I can manage just fine on my own.” She suddenly seemed shy, and if the lighting were mayhap a little brighter, he might have seen a red blush caress her cheeks.
“All the same, I would be remiss in my duties as a knight to leave a fair damsel alone without a proper escort,” he stated then watched in amazement as her mouth dropped open in what seemed silent surprise at his words.
Fletcher took her arm, and they walked side by side down the passageway. She was right. The walk did not take long. When he arrived at this chamber, he grabbed hold of th
e latch to open the oaken door for her. “If I may trouble you for a moment, my lady? May I retrieve something I left here afore?”
“Oh, yes…of course,” Jenna replied, leaving the door open whilst she leaned upon its frame, appearing to keep a careful eye on him.
Fletcher could feel her stare as he went to the desk to retrieve several documents that needed his attention. Although he was Dristan’s captain, he still had properties that needed his consideration from time to time. He went to his trunk sitting in the corner where he opened the lid to fetch another tunic then turned to take his leave with a palpable premonition he should not be alone with her.
“This is your room, isn’t it?” Jenna asked quietly. Fletcher went to stand next to her.
He reached out his hand to take a stray tendril of her hair that had escaped her coiffure then tucked the lock behind her ear. That she did not shrink from his touch gave him hope.
“Aye.” He did not trust himself to say anything further.
“I’m not really sure what I should say, with the exception of thank you for your kindness.”
He bowed to her. “You are most welcome, Lady Jenna.” The silence crackled between them afore he remembered himself. “I take my leave of you, but, perchance, you would care to see the rest of Berwyck on the morrow if you feel well enough.”
She gave a little laugh then quickly covered her mouth. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“A what?”
“A date. You would like to spend time with me?” She hid another muffled giggle, and Fletcher laughed with her. That he was able to join in on her merriment seemed promising.
“Aye…a…date…that is, if you are capable of handling the outing. I would not wish you to become too tired if you feel you have not as yet gained your strength,” Fletcher declared, hoping she would care to spend the day together. “I have duties that I must needs attend to at the break of day, but, I am sure, I can persuade Dristan to allow me the opportunity to show you the area once those are finished.”
He could tell her thoughts were far from standing in a chamber at Berwyck. Her brows once again came together in a frown. “I had my own things that needed to be taken care of before I was forced here.” Her gaze returned to him as he watched her come back from wherever her memories of her past life had taken her. “What happens if I go back home…to San Francisco, I mean?”
“We shall take things as they come, one day at a time, my lady.”
“But what if I only have a few days left here? I don’t want to start having feelings for everyone I’ve just met only to lose those friendships that I’ve made. When I go back, everyone here will be long since dead.” Her words were rushed, as though all the torment that had happened to her were tumbling down around her much like the fiercest of storms.
“Lady Jenna─”
“I just had a horrible breakup with my fiancé,” she continued on, talking more to herself than to him, he supposed. “I don’t think I can handle any more heartbreak so soon, not to mention trying to figure out this whole time travel gig? Time travel! What the hell is happening to me?”
“Lady Jenna─” he tried again to interrupt her words but to no avail.
“Good God. Am I really just hallucinating, or has some jerk slipped something into my drink? Maybe I’m locked up in a padded cell in a loony bin. Or even worse, what if I’m stuck here? What if I can never go back? What’s going to happen to my mother and my job? They’ll fire me for sure, and I can’t afford to get sacked. I’ve got bills to pay along with rent to keep a roof over my head. What am I going to do?” she rambled on as panic began to set in then she started to cry hysterically.
To hell with what he should and should not do, even though he did not understand much of her terminology. He grabbed a hold of her and wrapped his arms tightly around her. “Easy now, Jenna, I have you. You must needs calm yourself,” he said with a soothing tone, foregoing the need for formality between them.
She was trying to take in big gulping breaths of air, but her efforts did not seem to be working. Her arms quickly wrapped themselves around him whilst Fletcher rubbed her back. “Don’t let me go, Fletcher. I…can’t…breathe!” she cried out, gasping for air. “Help…me.”
His decision made, he picked her up, went to the door and stuck his head out. “Kenna!” he shouted then immediately took Jenna to the bed where he laid her down, but she would have none of it. Instead, she quickly sat up, spread her knees wide, and promptly put her head between her legs. His brow furrowed, for her actions must be some future ritual that Fletcher was not privy to. He did not understand what she was about, nor how her present position would help her breathing.
And then, there was no time to even murmur a farewell to the young woman, for Kenna, Amiria, and Katherine came rushing to Jenna’s side and pushed him out of the room. With nothing further he could do to help Jenna’s plight, the door was shut in his face as he was left once more staring at the wood in front of his nose. He reached up to touch the door, through which he could hear Jenna crying. Her sobs tore at his heart, as though she had already made some claim upon it.
Sadness overwhelmed Fletcher that he was not at the side of the woman who had all but fallen through time for him. Or so he assumed, considering everything Rolf had told him. Though he knew he should be aiding her however he could, he was certain she was in good hands with the women attending her.
He instead made his way to Dristan’s solar. He was sure to receive another stern reproach for not taking better care of Dristan’s guest, so he might as well get it over and done with. He had a feeling he would be in the lists come the break of day as his punishment.
Chapter 13
Jenna stood on the top of the stairs and watched as Katherine waved goodbye. Katherine, Amiria, and a number of guardsmen were going for a ride into a nearby village. She had been asked to join them, but she was not much of an equestrian and knew her limitations when it came to riding such an animal.
Her own hand wavered in the air before she shoved both hands beneath the cloak that was spread across her shoulders. Amiria had gifted the garment to her just this morning, and the fur tickled her cheeks at the collar. She took a deep breath of the brisk morning air and wondered what was expected of her. It wasn’t as though she was family here among the people who had welcomed her into their home without question. Yet, they treated her almost like she had been expected and was already a part of their close knit family.
Expected! That even sounded silly as the word tumbled around inside her head. How can anyone be prepared for someone to be dropped on their doorstep from the future or, rather, their backyard, since she had landed on their beach. But clearly she wasn’t the first person to arrive here by unnatural means. Her discussion with Katherine revealed to her they had come from the same place in time. There was no getting around the attention to detail the woman had been able to give her of the city by the bay.
Nor could Jenna deny the fact of where she was any longer. As the dust settled from Katherine and Amiria’s departure, she contemplated her surroundings, truly seeing them for the first time. There were no signs of any modern marvels or technology to mar the scene of this living medieval castle, along with its inhabitants. Serfs scurried in a rush to perform whatever duties they were required to perform. Kenna was walking across the baily with a handful of plants and offered a welcoming smile. Knights stood at their posts high above on the battlement walls. Even the sound, off in the distance, of swords clashing upon swords gave evidence of men training somewhere beyond her vision. Everyone seemed to have a purpose. That is, everyone with the exception of herself.
Though she really had no particular place she intended to go, Jenna began to walk. She had seen Fletcher only briefly before, following in Dristan’s wake, he had left her. She supposed, as captain of the guard, there were many things he needed to see to and may even now be hacking away at someone in the lists. Since Fletcher had mentioned he would find her later in the morning, she really had no
thing to do to occupy her time at the moment.
Jenna continued to the outer baily. The sound of hammering steel came from the forgery where she could see a huge brute of a man swinging a hammer onto an anvil. His skin glistened with sweat, and he wiped at his brow, giving evidence of the heat to the task at hand. Her eyes traveled to the stable where a lad was leading a horse as black as the evening sky. She wondered if it was Fletcher’s when another one of the same color was brought out into the daylight. Curious, not for the second time this day, she questioned if she had fallen through the looking glass. Maybe she should be looking for a rabbit.
She continued her walk under the heavily spiked portcullis and stopped on the planks of the drawbridge. Rolling green hills filled the space between the castle and the village far below she had glimpsed on her first foray from her chamber to the dizzying heights of the rooftop of the keep. She was about to move forward to go check out the countryside, when she heard a deep male voice behind her call out a warning, as if he had read her very thoughts on where she planned to go.
“Nay, my lady, not without an escort of guards. Danger may find you if you venture out alone.”
Jenna turned around ready to give a retort about her being perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Since she had expected to see someone directly behind her, she frowned when she found no one was there. She was completely alone. Guards were high above, but this voice hadn’t come from that direction. Again, she turned, wondering where the guy had gone, and she even went so far as to look below, into the dry moat. Not a soul was there, and she didn’t see anyone even remotely close to her. God…was she losing it, again? This stupid bump healing on her head was really messing with her thought process, and she didn’t like it.