Abbie got to her feet, gathering the dirty dishes and stepping closer to the water to wash them before turning around and glaring at Sam again. “Are you still here? Do you need a swift kick in the seat of your pants? Because I’m more than ready to administer it.” Abbie put her hands on her hips, daring Sam to argue with her. He just got to his feet and planted a quick kiss on her cheek before trotting back to the campsite.
“Tell Finn I need him,” she called after him, hoping he’d have enough sense to talk to Susanna in private. Abbie shook her head in wonder, amazed by the foolishness of men. “Can’t bear to lose her,” she mumbled under her breath as she began washing the plates. “Idiot!” She couldn’t help smiling as she thought of Sam. He’d really and truly fallen in love this time, finally realizing how fragile his heart was. She hoped Susanna would take good care of it, for she had no doubt in her mind that Susanna would love him with all her might if only he’d let her.
Chapter 74
Susanna was still sitting by the fire, her eyes fixed on the flames, and her arms wrapped around her knees. Sam watched her from the shadows for a few moments before finally finding the courage to join her, putting his arm around her stiff form. She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t lean into him either, remaining tense and unyielding, her shoulders hunched.
“I’m leaving tomorrow morning, Sam.” Her voice was so low that Sam had to lean in to hear what she was saying, but her meaning was clear; her decision had been made. “I should never have asked you to take me along.”
Sam wiped Susanna’s tear with the back of his hand, kissing her wet cheek. “Susanna, please don’t go. I know I’m being totally selfish by asking you to stay, but I don’t want to lose you.”
“How are you being selfish?” Susanna asked, finally looking at him, her eyes huge in the firelight. “Isn’t that what you want? You will be free of me.”
“What I want is to drag you off to the nearest church and marry you in the sight of God and man, but I don’t want to ruin your life. This might seem like an adventure now, but how will you feel once you’re settled on the farm, and your life consists of milking cows, mending socks, and raising children? You will miss your father and sister and wish you were back in London living the life of a sophisticated lady. Being the British wife of an American rebel will not be easy.”
“You want to drag me off to the nearest church?” Susanna asked breathlessly, her eyes full of hope.
“You did hear the rest of what I said, right?” Sam asked, amused by her eagerness. She just nodded happily, smiling for the first time in days.
“I did hear what you said, but I completely ignored it. Sam, I don’t want to live the life of a lady. I want to be your wife. Living on a farm with a brood of children sounds like heaven to me right now. I never realized how lonely I was until I met you, and I won’t go back to that life. The war won’t last forever, so I will see my father and sister again, I’m sure of it. I thought you didn’t want me,” she added shyly, averting her eyes.
“Oh, I want you,” he whispered, kissing her tenderly. “I want you more than you can possibly imagine, but I want things to be right and proper. You shall have a real wedding followed by a proper wedding night once we get back home. Can you wait that long?”
Susanna just nodded happily as she lifted her face up to Sam, returning his kiss. It wasn’t like the other kisses they’d shared. This kiss was full of passion and longing, and so full of promise. Susanna melted into Sam, secretly wishing that he’d go back on his word and make love to her then and there, but he was right. They would do things right, and she would wait a little longer, knowing that every day brought her closer to a life with Sam.
Chapter 75
Kit opened his eyes, momentarily confused by his surroundings. Where was he? It wasn’t until he saw the statue of the Roman warrior that he clearly remembered exactly whose bed he was in. He couldn’t believe that he actually relaxed enough to fall asleep with Buckingham. The man was sound asleep next to him, his arm over Kit’s stomach and his thigh pressed against his. George’s face looked youthful and relaxed in sleep, the mask of a master courtier removed for a short while to reveal the man underneath. Buckingham’s long lashes fanned out against his lean cheeks, his mouth stretched in an enigmatic smile as he dreamed of something pleasant. Kit inched away, removing the arm and debating whether to wake George or just quietly escape.
This encounter had been different from the ones before. George wanted to switch roles, allowing Kit to be the dominant one. He supposed it was preferable to feeling like a lamb being led to the slaughter. Kit was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to perform what George wanted of him, but Villiers teased him and stroked him until, despite all his reservations, Kit was burning with desire. George just lay on the bed, submitting to Kit with pleasure, his moans still echoing in Kit’s ears. Kit felt his guts twist with shame as he remembered his own pleasure as he spilled his seed inside Villiers. What was the man doing to him? He didn’t want this, and he fought it with every fiber of his being, but he couldn’t deny that the man had the power to arouse him as much as any woman. George predicted that Kit would grow to like it, and he had to admit that with every time, the act seemed less abhorrent, his body responding despite his desperate desire to stay detached.
Kit nearly jumped out of his skin as George’s hand reached for him, stroking him and making him hard once again, a look of hunger on his face.
“I have to go,” Kit stammered, but George was already between his legs, his hot lips around Kit. Kit just closed his eyes and gave himself up to the sensation coursing through him. If he had to endure it, he might as well enjoy it.
Chapter 76
The rays of the setting sun glowed blood-red, setting every window and metal surface aflame with their fiery touch, the lavender sky beginning to twinkle with the first stars of the evening. The skyline of the city stretched for miles and miles, lights coming on and shining in windows and along the streets, as the cabin rose higher above the city, giving a panoramic view of London that took their breath away. Alec held Valerie’s hand as he drank in the sight, afraid to tear his eyes away from the magnificence of the city he got to see again for the first time. Valerie just gazed at his enraptured face, unable to express the joy she felt at being able to share this with him.
“It’s so beautiful,” Alec breathed, squeezing her hand tighter as the cabin jerked slightly. “I keep looking at it, but I can’t believe it’s all real. Everything is so bright.” Headlights from numerous buses and cars formed a constant stream of light along the streets, zooming to and fro at an incredible speed. Alec had turned green when Valerie first took him for a ride on a double-decker bus, unused to anything going at such speed. The bus ambled along at no more than twenty miles per hour, but it was still many times faster than traveling by coach or on horseback. It took him some time to finally get over the nausea and enjoy the ride, taking in the sights of places he had seen only that morning in the seventeenth century.
Alec leaned out of the bus, staring at the Tower of London as countless tourists walked up the cobblestone path to the gates, ready to tour the museum and ooh and aah over the torture devices of the past, proudly displayed in the bowels of the tower where Finlay was once held. The Beefeaters looked ferocious in their finery, standing to attention until some pretty girl begged to take a picture with them and their faces broke into a smile, hamming it up for the camera.
Once he finally got tired of riding the bus, he asked Valerie to take him to an electronics store. Valerie smiled, knowing he’d be like a kid in a candy shop. She was happy to take him anywhere he wanted to go, as long as it dulled the terrible pain in his heart left by the rift with Louisa. It took her a while to convince him to come, but he finally agreed, desperate to escape his grief if only for a few hours.
Valerie had taken a few period coins to sell, coming out of an antique shop that morning with close to£1000 that they could spend on anything they wanted. Their first stop had been the Ga
p where Valerie bought a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved V-neck sweater for herself, and jeans and a sweater for Alec. He turned in front of the mirror, pulling on the pant legs, unable to accept that men actually walked around in such tight pants.
“These breeches are so narrow,” he complained as Valerie smiled indulgently, admiring his long legs and fine behind.
“You look sexy,” she growled, blowing him a kiss in the mirror.
“So do you, I think,” he added as he took in her tight jeans and form-fitting sweater. “It’s hard to believe how little clothing people wear these days.”
“Too bad we didn’t come in the summer. You’d be really shocked then.” Valerie smiled, leading him to the cash register where he looked on in amazement as someone paid by credit card while talking on the phone at the same time.
The electronics store had been a hit, with Alec standing frozen in front of a TV that showed some kind of sci-fi movie. The salesperson tried to help, but finally gave up, leaving the odd couple to peruse the merchandise. Alec wouldn’t leave until he looked at cameras, phones, iPods, and anything else that had buttons and was powered by electricity. He was enthralled and simultaneously devastated by all the things he was missing.
“It must have been so strange for you to find yourself without all these things,” he said to Valerie as they sat in a small Italian restaurant, enjoying fried calamari, pasta and Caesar salad. Alec had been a little suspicious of the food as it arrived, but he overcame his reservations and tucked in, enjoying the rubbery texture of the calamari and the flavor of the pasta, which he’d never tasted.
“You can’t even begin to imagine what I felt like when I found myself trapped in the seventeenth century. It wasn’t just the lack of electronics or modern conveniences; it was the mindset and ignorance of the people and the danger that seemed to lurk around every corner. Life can be dangerous here too, but in a completely different way. No one expects to die from the plague or be executed because they happen to practice a difference religion or misguidedly give their allegiance to the wrong person. That can still happen in other parts of the world, but not in England, not in the twenty-first century. If it hadn’t been for you and Finlay, I probably wouldn’t have survived. I had no idea what to do or who to turn to for help.” Valerie took a sip of wine, suddenly overcome by the memory of those first days. It all seemed so long ago, but having come back to the future brought everything back, reminding her of what she had given up to live in the past.
Alec just nodded, silently acknowledging what Valerie must have felt. His eyes looked dreamy as he probably tried to imagine finding himself in the future with no Valerie to guide him. It would be very daunting, indeed. He speared a piece of calamari and popped it into his mouth. “This tastes rubbery and strange, but I like it. What can we try for dinner?”
“What would you like to try? I thought this was relatively safe.” Valerie smiled at his eagerness, completely willing to let him choose what they should do. He was so happy.
“I want to try something Oriental.”
“All right. We can have Chinese, Indian, Thai or Japanese. What would you like?” She laughed at Alec’s astonished face.
“And after our Oriental dinner, I’ll take you to a movie. How about that?” Alec just nodded happily, his face alight with wonder.
“Can we see something about space?”
“Absolutely. Actually, I just spoke to the maître d’, and he mentioned that there’s a nice bed and breakfast only two blocks from here. We might be able to get a room there without any kind of identification and stay for a few days. What do you think?”
“I think I’d love that, but I don’t understand why you need identification to stay at an inn. As long as you pay your bill what does it matter who you are?” Alec was still grappling with the idea of needing a form of I.D. everywhere you went, from getting a hotel room to traveling from one place to another.
“Alec, it’s different in the here and now. Everyone has a unique number attached to them for the duration of their lifetime. In the U.S. it’s called a social security number, and a National Insurance number in the U.K. You can’t get a job without it or any other form of documentation.”
“But why are they needed?” Alec asked, still confused. “You have your name, isn’t that enough?”
“It helps the government keep track of everyone in the country and make sure they pay taxes. They can track you by your credit card purchases, your cell phone and computer use, and even your bank transactions. Nothing you do is anonymous.” Valerie watched Alec’s face as he struggled to understand.
“So, the government knows your every move? Isn’t that like spying on you? How can that be legal in this age of enlightenment, and why do people accept it as the norm?” He took a sip of wine, settling back in his chair, eager to continue the discussion.
“It’s kind of a double-edged sword, really. The government keeps track of everything you do, but it also monitors everyone entering and exiting the country, which helps them stop certain terrorist activities and smuggling, and the police use the information to apprehend criminals and help find people who have gone missing or been abducted. When I disappeared, the police would have checked all my credit card activity and bank records to see if I had made any purchases or withdrew money. They would have checked airlines and trains to see if I bought a ticket and left the place where I’d gone missing. They might have found me, had I not been hurled back four hundred years.”
“I see,” said Alec, although Valerie doubted he really understood. “I’m not sure that I like this system, but I suppose I can see the benefits of it with so many people to govern.” Alec had been fascinated with the rush-hour crowds, overwhelmed by the number of people going about their business as if being surrounded by thousands of others was the most normal thing in the world. All in all, Valerie thought he was handling it all very well, considering how overwhelming London could be even for a modern person living in the suburbs.
**
The bed and breakfast asked for I.D., but when Valerie failed to produce it, the kindly woman at the desk looked the other way, handing them a key to a lovely room on the second floor, complete with a private bathroom, flat-screen TV, and Wi-Fi. Alec was in absolute heaven. They didn’t have a computer, but he spent an hour flipping channels before allowing Valerie to show him how to use a shower. Putting aside the wonder of electricity, running water that could be made hot with a turn of the faucet left him in ecstasy. Valerie barely dragged him back out in time to catch a movie and have some dinner.
The movie was a big hit, but the Japanese food proved to be a challenge. Alec was a good sport about trying sushi, but he couldn’t get past the fact that he was eating raw fish, so Valerie finally ordered him some chicken teriyaki which he liked much better. He was deeply suspicious of broccoli, but he made a valiant effort to like it despite saying it was undercooked and looked like a little tree, which made Valerie laugh.
Alec was distracted from his vegetables by the arrival of a group of girls who were seated at the next table. They were about Louisa’s age, dressed in flimsy tops and skirts that barely covered their butts, and wearing lots of make-up and flashy jewelry. The girls were loud and trashy, cursing frequently, and nearly starting a fight with two young men who happened to look at them a second too long.
“Val,” Alec asked, “if Louisa grew up during this time, would it have been as shameful if she had relations with two men at the same time?”
“Not really. Many people see more than one person at a time, sleeping with all of them. Some people have dozens of partners by the time they finally marry, and many have children out of wedlock. People proudly share their sexual history with anyone who asks, completely undisturbed by what others might think.”
“Do you think Louisa would be like these girls if she lived now?” He snuck a peek at the girls, looking away in disgust before they tried to pick a fight with him.
“I hope not. There are plenty of nice girls, even
in these crazy times. Lou and I had been good girls and never gave our parents any trouble.” Valerie felt a pang as she thought of her parents. She wished she could have at least visited their graves, but they were thousands of miles away, in a cemetery in New Jersey. She turned back to Alec, eager to talk of something else.
“So, what would you like to do tomorrow?”
Alec looked thoughtful, weighing his options. “I saw a brochure for a Science Museum at the hotel. Can we go there? I’d also love to see how a computer works. You said they have them at the library. Maybe you can show me how to, what was that word Louisa used, Google things. It sounds fascinating.”
“Did you know that Louisa Googled Finlay when she found my portrait? She found references to him online.” Valerie watched Alec’s mouth open in a silent O.
“There are articles about my brother online in the twenty-first century? Is that really true? I want to see for myself.”
“All right. There’s actually an internet room at the B&B, so I can show you tomorrow morning. Are you sure you won’t be upset?”
“I’ve learned to live with Finlay’s death, but it’s nice to know that he hasn’t been completely forgotten, even if they refer to him as a traitor. He would have gotten a good laugh had he known that he was “online”. What if we Google our Finn? Do you think something might come up?” Valerie felt a tremor of apprehension.
“Alec, I don’t want to. If something happened to Finn, I would rather not know. I simply couldn’t bear to live with that knowledge.”
Alec just nodded, instantly understanding Valerie’s point. “You’re right, of course. We won’t look them up. I would like to look up Buckingham though. Do you think there’s anything about his alleged relationship with King James?” Alec was warming up to the idea, thinking of all the things he could research. “I’d like to see that story about the convent that Louisa mentioned.”
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