Forgotten Time (Ravenhurst Series, #1) A New Adult Time Travel Romance

by Lorraine Beaumont

  <>*LB*<>

  …Hawthorne Manor, never underestimate your partner

  “Impossible!” Devlin shouted at the top of his lungs. “What in the hell do you mean, ‘she is gone’?” He threaded his fingers through his hair in an aggravated gesture, leaving it standing on end, trying to control the urge to wrap his hands around Judith’s bare throat and choke the life from her.

  “I am not sure what happened,” Judith cried as she wrung her hands like a child. “She was lying there unconscious. I thought she was ill and wanted to check on her. How was I to know she was faking it? She never tried anything before!” she said in her defense, warily watching Devlin’s unreadable face.

  “Please Devlin, how was I to know she would trick me? One moment she was there, lying on the floor… and then, the next thing I knew, I woke up in that stinking pit all alone. Thank goodness she left the door open; else I would have been trapped.” She shivered.

  Devlin was seething, his body rigid. “Shut your mouth, JUDITH, I cannot think with all your yammering!” he screamed. He knew exactly where Isabelle would run. “She will run straight to Ravenhurst! Now what in the hell do we do, Judith?” Devlin asked angrily.

  “How can you blame me? I told you we needed to get rid of her, but you wanted her to sign those blasted papers. I knew you were taking a chance,” she accused, before seeing the look on his face, deciding she better tread lightly. She knew what his temper was like.

  She walked over to Devlin, took his arm, and began to gently pat it as she tried to pacify his anger.

  “Please do not be angry with me,” she implored. “Let’s take the money we have and leave this place before she ever reaches Ravenhurst. We can go abroad, make a new life with new identities. It worked before; why not again?”

  Devlin tried to shake her off, but she would not let go. “Let go of me, Judith!” he yelled.

  “Please Devlin, let’s leave now.” She begged more, still holding onto him, petting, and kissing his hand.

  Finally, Devlin could not take it anymore; she was driving him mad with her insipid ways and it was too much. He shoved Judith, hard. Her body reeled to the ground.

  Devlin clenched his hands together as he paced back and forth in front of her. He gave her a look full of loathing, “Now see what you made me do? I told you to shut your mouth… I have to think. But no, you can’t listen, can you? You never listen, do you, Judith?”

  Judith narrowed her eyes, wiping the blood from her mouth. She leaned against the wall, feeling the tender skin on her lip from where she hit the floor. Devlin paced back and forth in front of her, seething.

  There would be no pacifying him now, at least not this day. She needed to get the hell out of here while she was still in one piece; she knew what he was capable of, when provoked. She knew what he did to the man who killed his mother, and he was only a boy at the time. She shivered.

  Devlin stopped pacing. He ran his hand through his hair, pulling at it, his frustration apparent. He began to laugh, a small chuckle at first, then more loudly as the last grains of sanity appeared to slip away.

  “You do realize, Judith, we will hang on the gallows for sure now,” he stated simply. “Well, there is nothing to do now, I suppose.” He said the latter with a candor he did not feel. Truly, he was past feeling. Why bother? He poured himself a drink, downed it, and poured another, thinking he may as well enjoy it while it lasted.

  Judith felt the inescapability of the situation and began to take pity on the man that was more than a bedfellow to her in the not-so-recent past. At times, she felt as though they were truly destined for one another. She cleared her throat, cautiously gauging his reaction to her next words.

  “Devlin, surely she has not gotten very far; it is cold and getting late. Besides the cold, she has to make her way through the snow as well; it must be weighing heavily on her skirts by now.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I said it was getting dark.”

  “Not that, JUDITH, the last thing you said.”

  “I don’t know,” Judith cried.

  He finished off his drink, squeezing the glass as he tried to control his growing ire again. He stalked purposefully towards his quarry with slow deliberation. Kneeling down, he took her chin in his hand and looked directly into her eyes.

  “How long?” he asked slowly, in an unnaturally calm voice

  “How long what, Devlin?” Judith whined.

  Devlin released her, shoving her back against the wall in disgust. He shook his head, thinking he probably deserved the situation he was in for keeping Judith around in the first place.

  She was obviously an imbecile. He slowed his words, articulating each one, holding the sides of his head as though he were in great pain. “How long has Isabelle been gone?” he asked again, trying to take calming breaths as he paced the room.

  Judith stammered, “I really cannot say.” She crawled to stand and glanced toward the door, wondering if she could make a run for it. She inched closer to the doorway. “Surely it was not that long. As I said, there is snow, and if you go now, surely you can find which way she went.”

  Devlin halted.

  Judith froze.

  A slow smile crept across Devlin’s face. If he acted quickly, he may have a reprieve from the gallows.

  Grabbing a fresh bottle of liquor, he gave Judith one last, derisive look. She was pitiful. He wondered why in the hell he ever wasted his time on her.

  Devlin put on his greatcoat and hat and strode purposefully out of Hawthorne Manor and into the dark night, hoping to find Isabelle before she made it to Ravenhurst.

  The Duke of Radcliff, Grayson Radcliff,wiped a wet cloth across his new houseguest’s brow. “Who are you?” he whispered, more to himself than the woman lying in his bed.

  When he discovered her on his way home from town, she was practically frozen. It was purely by chance he found her at all. If his horse hadn’t insisted on investigating a small patch of grass sprouting from the snow, he would have never even seen her lying at the base of a tree. Her eyes shut, her brows, lashes, and hair covered with fine dusting of snow, made her appear like a winter princess in her very own, winter wonderland.

  He did not waste a moment. He quickly dismounted and checked her body for any signs of life. Her pulse was weak and faint at best. Gathering her up in his arms, he held her snugly against his chest, trying to give her whatever warmth he could as he remounted his horse. He carried her back to his home as quickly as the weather would permit.

  <>*LB*<>

  …Ravenhurst, the crazy things that you do

  Katherine decided she had it with the past. She wanted to go home and forget all about this place and its occupants. Why should she change her entire life just to help some knight she did not even know? Surely, Milford could find someone else. She stopped her pacing and looked at the dresser, with some of the vehemence gone from her earlier rant. Forget this, she did not need rejection in the past; she had enough of that crap in the future. Maybe she should just put the necklace back on and see? Would she disappear? Would Sebastian even know she existed? Really, should she even care at this point?

  She took a breath, opened the bottom drawer, and took out the necklace; it really was beautiful. The blood-red stone sparkled in the light. The most unusual detail about the necklace was the strange little adornments resting on parts of the stone, protruding from the gold. They looked out of place somehow, not original, maybe added later, but why? Katherine instantly wished Amelia were around somewhere, even if she was a rude bitch at the party. At least, she could probably date the piece. Katherine searched the recesses of her mind, trying to recall anything similar.

  The more she touched the stone, the warmer it became, and the color began to turn a deeper red with white smoke swirling within. She held the necklace tightly within her hand, feeling a jolt run through her body while a scene unfurled in her mind with vivid clarity.

  New York City 2012

  A dark-haired girl about
the same age as Katherine walked down an elegant hallway, humming a light, airy tune. She was wearing a gorgeous, swirling-print dress that looked like vintage Pucci. Of course, it fit her like a glove. She was also wearing a pair of Christian Louboutin sling-backs, unmistakable with their bright red soles. She could spot those suckers up to a block away on the street.

  Katherine groaned. Her clothes-envy switch turned on instantly. The girl’s sweet shoes echoed across the marbled floor. Katherine was mesmerized, until her insatiable purse-envy kicked into high gear. The girl grabbed a kelly-green Birkin bag off a chair and looked inside. She pulled something out and threw it back onto the chair.

  Katherine’s whole body tensed. Good Lord, did that girl not realize how awesome that purse was? You don’t toss a Birkin, you gently set it down. There should be instructions on how to care for a Birkin. If the bag’s owner doesn’t abide by it, the Birkin police will come and take the bag away. And give it to someone deserving, someone like Katherine Jamison, who would love and cherish it every day of her life.

  The purse abuser walked past a large window, giving Katherine a brief glimpse of a city lit up in the night. The girl sighed, which vibrated in Katherine’s ear as she walked up to a huge mirror, a tube of Chanel lipstick in her hand and leaned forward…

  Katherine dropped the necklace. The unbelievable image stuck in her mind.

  “What the hell was that?”

  Good Lord, the girl in her vision with the svelte figure and the awesome clothes looked exactly as she did, well, with the exception of being quite a few pounds lighter, which was just not fair. Why in the hell was she envisioning herself in an extravagant room, in some city, model-thin? And not only did she have one heck of a body, she also had one hell of a wardrobe.

  Was that her future? Or was that someone who looked the same as she did on a really good day? Could she be Marguerite? It had to be; that was more believable than having a svelte figure in the future.

  Katherine barked out a hysterical laugh, which made her sound like a freaking lunatic. She was starting to think that label wasn’t so farfetched at this point. The entire situation was so outlandish, impossible, she wondered if she were going crazy. She swore she could smell the girl’s perfume and hear the muffled sounds of the city as well. Imagining in 4D! She wished suddenly she could do that all the time. Just imagine the dreams she could have. She shook her head, maybe not; she would never leave home. The entire situation was turning into a bad episode of The Twilight Zone.

  She grabbed the chain of the necklace, using her skirt as a buffer to hold it, and walked quickly back to the dresser. She tossed it into the bottom drawer and slammed it shut. She rubbed her hands against her skirt, leaving wet marks on the silk, and emitted a shaky breath.

  A light knock sounded on the door, making her nearly jump out of her slippers. She held her chest, trying to get her heart rate to slow back down. She was amped up, jittery, and feeling like she drank an entire pot of coffee. She knew she was being ridiculous, it was probably Tabby to help her prepare for bed.

  Katherine grabbed the handle to the door and yanked it open. It creaked loudly, and her heart picked up pace once again as her mouth fell open stupidly.

  “Good evening,” Sebastian said, leaning against the doorframe, holding a bottle of brandy and two glasses. “May I come in?” he asked. Without waiting for a reply, he entered the room.

  He walked across the room, his shirt undone, exposing glimpses of his muscular chest. His hair was damp, wetting the tops of his shoulders, leaving darkened spots on the pristine fabric. He smelled fresh with a hint of sandalwood leather… all man.

  Katherine watched him warily from the corner of her eye and tried to look busy, straightening the boxes and jars on the dressing table. She had no idea what to do or say. Her heart was racing, her palms sweating, as images of his hands roaming freely over her body danced through her mind. She tingled from it. Crap, she was done for.

  Sebastian tried to gauge her reaction to his uninvited visit. He walked over and settled the bottle and glasses on the table by the fire. He noticed she was not changed for bed yet, but her hair hung loosely about her shoulders, flowing down her back. He instantly wanted to touch the soft tendrils he had earlier. Instead, he poured two ample glasses of brandy.

  Was he drunk? His hand shook slightly. Knowing Katherine’s luck for the day, he was probably drunk. It would be just her luck; her day would end by fighting off a drunken fool. She wrung her hands together nervously, to cover the shaking. “So um, I did not see you at dinner,” she rushed out, trying to read his intentions. “I do hope you ate something,” she added, accepting the glass he offered her. She took a sip, noticing the burn wasn’t nearly as bad as it was earlier. Good Lord, was she starting to like this stuff?

  “No, I suppose you did not,” he said offhandedly. “I actually had a bite in my chamber just a short while ago.” He looked at her over the rim of his glass and took a healthy swallow.

  Katherine eyed him warily, still unsure if he was drunk or not. “Well, that is good to hear,” she mumbled into her glass, taking another hefty swallow.

  He crouched down to stoke the fire in the hearth.

  “There is a bit of a chill in the room,” Sebastian commented offhandedly, bringing his eyes to hers over his shoulder.

  Katherine could do nothing but stare. She didn’t think it was chilly at all; actually, she thought it was quite the opposite. Her armpits were beginning to perspire and she could feel a trickle of sweat forming between her breasts. “Yes, a bit,” she lied, rubbing her arms with her hands.

  Sebastian stood slowly and leaned against the mantel. “So where were we?” he asked, looking over at her casually, noticing the flush that crept into her cheeks.

  Katherine blinked. “Where were we?”

  “Yes, I asked you, Marguerite, where we left off earlier?” he said a bit too brusquely.

  Katherine’s nervousness faded away as she narrowed her eyes at him. He was drunk. Either that, or just plain stupid. She was not nervous any longer, just pissed off. “Let me see if I got this straight; you came into my room, hoping to continue where we left off in the library earlier, just like that?” she asked, appalled, her eyes widening in disbelief.

  Sebastian smiled a knowing smile, quite pleased with her deductive abilities. At least, she wasn’t stupid. “Well… yes, actually, I did. I see no reason to continue this cat and mouse game we are playing. It is not as if you are an unskilled innocent. We have both traveled down the path of love, have we not?”

  Katherine’s mouth formed a perfect “O” as it fell open once more. His statement rendered her speechless. The path of love? Good grief! Was he serious? She took her time answering as she crossed the room. She needed to keep her distance. Once across the room, she spun around and faced him, and her breath caught in her throat. He was so good looking! Yeah, she knew it was shallow, but seriously, she would like to know what girl wouldn’t react the very same way after seeing what she was seeing at the moment. He was that hot.

  She knew if her heart controlled her mind, she would have jumped at the chance to throw herself at him, right here, right now. But seriously, was that all she wanted? Her friend, Janice, fell into bed with everyone she dated and she was still single. Obviously, that strategy was not a winning formula. A roll in the hay for one night was not what she was aiming for. She wasn’t sure what she wanted, but it wasn’t to be used and tossed aside like forgotten leftovers from one his savory meals. No, she was better than that and her particular meal plan did not include being discarded leftovers. Katherine wanted more; she wanted it to mean something, and not only to her. She wanted her night with him to be remembered with pleasure, not regret.

  Sebastian watched the play of emotions cross her face. Although he had imbibed in quite a bit of alcohol, he knew he might have overstepped his boundaries.

  Katherine took a breath and answered him with a candor she did not feel. “As much as it pains me to say this, I just don’
t feel tonight is the night for us to travel down that particular path.”

  “I see.” Although Sebastian did not see at all. It would be different if she were an innocent. She left him at the altar. Could it be possible she did not desire him? Ridiculous; he saw with his own eyes, felt with his own body, how she responded to him. What game was she playing? he wondered.

  Closing the distance between them, he turned her around with more force than necessary. “At least, let me help you with your gown.”

  Katherine was prepared to run across the room away from him, not trusting herself; but as his body neared hers and his fingers began to undo each button of her gown, her body betrayed her. She did not want him to leave. She grabbed her hair and pulled it out of the way, over her shoulder, to give him ample access to her gown. She was pitiful; so much for her resolve. She could feel the barest whisper of his breath on the nape of her neck as he undid each button with slow deliberation. Cool air caressed her exposed skin, and his fingers left a fiery trail.

  Sebastian lingered on the last button, savoring every moment. He leaned forward and inhaled her sweet scent. Then he began to place gentle kisses on the nape of her neck and down her shoulders. He noticed she was not protesting. He took that as a good sign and pulled her closer, kissing her neck, shoulder, and even further.

  Crap. She was doomed, he was, without a doubt, utterly divine, drunk or not. She suddenly found she didn’t care if she ended up as tossed out leftovers. Seriously, who knew if she would even be here in the morning? She turned slightly so he could have easier access. Her entire body tingled, making her shiver in response.

  Her dress slipped further down, and truth be told, she did not care about that either. She opened her eyes, staring at the mirror, watching his body lean over her, feeling his mouth on her skin. Her pulse raced watching his smoldering gaze reflected in the mirror, while he watched her. It was all a bit erotic.

  Katherine could not tear her gaze from the scene in the mirror. He lifted his brow at her in question, then lowered his head and continued to kiss her neck, going still lower. Her knees were going weak; and she leaned fully against him, her body quivering. He moaned, pulling her against him harder. Her dress fell away, giving him full access to her breasts as he caressed and toyed with them. Her body was begging for more, making her gasp. Beyond caring, she moaned in response to his silent assault. He spun her around, facing him, and pulled her closer, pressing in as far as her gown would allow. Katherine let her fingers release her gown, which slid onto the floor, pooling at her feet. She ran her hands up his chest into the silky, wet ends of his hair. He moaned again, sending shivers of delight across her body as he lowered his lips to her breast, taking the taut nipple into his mouth. She was lost.