The Lovers

by Irina Shapiro

  “Come, let’s eat,” Edward invited. “Cook has made a wonderful meal for us, and I, for one, have missed the comforts of home.”

  Elise took her seat and waited while Peg, who was none too happy at being demoted to the position of downstairs maid once again, served the men first. There would be seven courses, and then they would walk over to St. Martin’s for Evensong. Elise rarely attended Evensong, it being in the evening and inappropriate for a lady to attend on her own, so she was looking forward to it since the service was mostly sung, and she enjoyed music more than a verbal sermon. Elise hoped to snatch a private moment with James, but Edward seemed determined to keep them apart, making sure they sat across from each other, the distance preventing any intimate comments during the meal.

  A light snow fell when they finally left the house, making the night somehow less dark despite the thick clouds that drifted across the sky, obscuring the moon for long moments and casting everything into near pitch-black darkness. They should have brought a lantern, but there was enough moonlight to guide them. Elise pulled up her hood to protect her hair from getting damp and accepted James’s arm. Edward and Lord Fillmore walked on ahead, talking of some political matter that Elise didn’t really care about. James made sure they fell slightly behind.

  “How are you, my love, and how is our son?” he asked quietly.

  “I’m well, now that you are here. Charlie is a wonder. I can’t wait for you to see him. Oh, he looks so like you, James.”

  “Mercy was desperate to see him, so I brought her along. She stayed in the kitchen with Mistress Benford and Cook while we dined. I wager she got some lovely treats. You know how Mistress Benford dotes on her, and she was happy to see her once more before returning to Suffolk.” Elise glanced up at James, reluctant to ask the question uppermost in her mind.

  “Molly and Peter have weathered the storm, but Beth is gone,” James said. “Molly lost two children in less than a year, but she’s grateful for Mercy. She might not have survived had she remained in London.”

  “I’m so sorry, James. Now that I have Charlie, I can’t even begin to imagine how painful the loss of a child must be. The thought of losing him is more than I can bear. I pray each night that he is never taken from me.”

  “As does every mother, but God has his own plan,” James replied bitterly.

  “How is Mercy?”

  “She’s well. She misses you and Peg, and especially Charlie. Molly was delighted with Mercy’s newfound ability to read and write. She was so impressed, having never learned herself.”

  “I hope Mercy will make the most of it, even if only to read a book from time to time. I gave her two books to take home so that she can practice her reading.”

  “She’s read them from cover to cover and asked me to bring her more books from the Asher Hall library,” James replied with a smile. “She’s taken to reading like a fish to water.”

  “Will you be moving back into the house?” Elise asked. Having him under the same roof would make everything that much more bearable, even if they would have to be extra careful to keep their secret. She opened her mouth to tell him of her possible pregnancy but then changed her mind. She’d wait a few weeks until she was absolutely sure. A part of her still hoped that it was a false alarm, but deep down she knew that not to be the case. Her body had changed, even in the last few days, her breasts growing more tender and an aversion to meat and wine making her feel bilious at meal times. Her milk wasn’t as plentiful as before, making the need for a wet nurse for Charlie a necessity, and she felt tired and weepy, just like last time.

  “I will take Mercy back tomorrow, then return. Nothing will keep us apart, Elise. Nothing. I will make sure of that.”

  Elise was relieved when the service finally ended and they could return to the house. The snow continued to fall during the service, and it now crunched underfoot, turning her feet to ice as the cold seeped through the thin soles of her shoes. She was tired and wished she could retire, but Edward insisted on having one more drink to warm them all up. It would have been churlish to refuse. Elise accepted a glass of claret and raised it in a toast with everyone else. “To our Lord and Savior,” Edward said, surprising Elise. He wasn’t a devout man by any means, so this newfound fervor was odd. Perhaps he was grateful that his family was spared and attributed his good fortune to God rather than to his baseborn son, whose good sense saved both Elise and their child.

  “One more drink,” Edward said, reaching for the bottle. “This is rather a fine wine, wouldn’t you say, Fillmore? A gift from His Majesty.”

  “Excellent,” Lord Fillmore agreed. “I’ll gladly take a refill.”

  “None for me,” Elise said. “I really must get to bed. I’m rather tired. Goodnight, gentlemen.”

  She took a step toward the door but grabbed on to the nearest chair for support. Her legs felt wobbly, and a thick mist seemed to descend on her head. She sank heavily into a chair.

  “Are you quite all right, my dear?” Edward asked, solicitous as ever in front of others.

  “I feel odd,” Elise muttered. Her tongue felt unwieldy in her mouth, and it took a lot of effort to form the words. Elise forced herself to concentrate as she glanced at James. He seemed to be swaying where he stood, and his hand reached out toward the wall to steady himself. There was panic in his gaze as he turned to his father.

  “Do sit down, James. You don’t look at all well,” Edward suggested and shoved a chair toward him.

  “What have you done?” James croaked as he sank down on the chair.

  Edward didn’t reply but watched with interest as James fought to stay conscious. Elise tried to say something, but her thoughts scattered like beads from a broken necklace. She felt a darkness descending upon her and didn’t have the strength to fight it off.

  “You thought you could cuckold me, the pair of you?” Edward asked, his tone conversational. “You imagined that I was too dim-witted to see through your scheme. Well, I didn’t get to where I am by being obtuse or overly forgiving. You of all people should know that, James. You’ve dispatched my enemies for me often enough to know that I don’t forgive, and I most certainly don’t forget. You owe me, and it’s time to settle our account.”

  Edward’s words came from a great distance, but Elise heard them just before she lost consciousness.

  Chapter 69

  Elise opened her eyes, but even after a few moments she couldn’t make out anything. The darkness was complete. She tried to move, but a terrible pain ripped through her shoulder, making her cry out. She must have been lying on it this whole time. She tried to sit up and banged her head on something hard. Elise carefully felt around with her hand. There was something just above her head and behind her back. Her fingers found the contours of a face right in front of hers, and she ran her hand over a shoulder and arm.

  James groaned as he came to. “My leg,” he whispered. “I think it’s broken.”

  “James, where are we?” Elise asked, her panic rising with every passing second.

  James tried to raise his head, with the same result as Elise. He yelped as he hit his head against the hard wooden surface. Elise heard a sharp intake of breath as James felt around their prison. He tried to push against the top, but it didn’t budge. They were squashed against each other, their limbs at unnatural angles. Elise tried to take the weight off her shoulder but only succeeded in causing herself more pain. James remained silent, which worried Elise even more than the discomfort. He usually had a plan, or at least an idea.

  “James, what is this place?” Elise asked again. Her voice shook, and she grabbed his hand in the darkness. It felt warm and reassuring, and James clasped her hand and brought it to his lips, planting a kiss in her palm.

  “He knows about us,” James said. His voice was unsteady and Elise felt a jolt of fear pass through her cramped body when James failed to say anything more.

  “Surely, he’ll let us out once his anger cools,” Elise whispered.

  James didn�
�t reply, and his silence sent a chill down Elise’s spine.

  “He’ll let us out. He only means to punish us.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you’re right,” James replied, but there was no conviction in his voice.

  “I need to feed Charlie,” Elise cried, her voice shrill. “He needs me.” But he didn’t. Edward had already engaged a wet nurse, who was sleeping in the room with their son. She would feed him when he awoke; she would take care of him in Elise’s stead.

  “Are you hurt?” James asked.

  “My shoulder and ankle hurt, but I don’t believe anything is broken.”

  “A shame,” Edward’s muffled voice came from somewhere just above. “I was hoping you’d suffer before you die.”

  “Edward, please, let us out,” Elise implored. “I beg you. I will never set a foot wrong again. Please, Edward. I need to be with my son.”

  “When Charles is old enough, I will tell him that his mother was a whore. Until then, he’ll believe that his loving mother was carried off by the plague. Shame, that.” Edward chuckled bitterly.

  “Edward, surely you’re not this cruel,” Elise cried, terrified by the calm in Edward’s voice. “Even if you won’t think of us, think of yourself. You will be accused of murder. You’ll hang.”

  “No, my darling, I won’t. I’ve thought this through, you see. When morning comes, I will make a big fuss looking for you. I will turn the house upside down, and then I will discover that James’s horse is gone and so are some of your possessions. I will be heartbroken, and everyone will feel sympathy for me, knowing that my young wife deserted me and our son and ran off with her lover. I will grieve for you, and then I will move on and forget you ever existed. No one will come for you. You will remain down here until you either die of hunger and thirst or suffocate. It will be a long and torturous death either way, and it will give you plenty of time to pray and repent for your sins. But even if the Lord forgives you, I won’t. You will never receive a Christian burial or even have a few words said by a priest over your graves. You will simply vanish from this earth and from the hearts of anyone who ever cared for you. You’ve served your purpose, and I have no further use for you.”

  “Edward, please, I beg you,” Elise cried. “Charlie needs his mother. James, say something,” she implored James, who remained resolutely silent.

  “He’s got nothing to say. He betrayed his flesh and blood, and now he’ll pay the price. I thank you both for my beautiful son.”

  “Edward, I’m with child,” Elise called out and felt James stiffen next to her. His hand shook as he reached for her, clasping her hand in his in a gesture of love and support. “I will give you another son, another heir.”

  Elise felt cold with dread as Edward laughed merrily somewhere above her head. “Oh, I know you’re with child, my sweet. Peg has been informing me of your activities and keeping track of your monthly flow. It would be nice to have another son, I admit, but I can’t allow you to go unpunished. Charlie will have to do. I will send him back to Suffolk with his nurse, where he can remain safe from the pestilence of the city. That’s my parting gift to you. You can die knowing that your son will be cared for.”

  Elise sobbed as she heard Edward’s footsteps fade into nothingness. “James, why didn’t you talk to him? Why didn’t you beg him to spare us?” she cried.

  “Because he wouldn’t have. He’s a cruel man, Elise. Even if we hadn’t betrayed him, he might have done this anyway. He can’t bear the thought that anyone might know that the child isn’t his. Had the child been a girl, he would have us try until we produced a son, but he has his heir now, and he is content. He will keep Charlie safe, don’t you worry about him.”

  “My son will grow up believing that I deserted him. He’ll have nothing but bitterness in his heart.”

  James said nothing. He shifted his weight in an effort to ease the pain in his leg. As the minutes ticked by, the reality of what was happening finally sank in, and Elise began to shake, her teeth chattering loudly. They were buried alive. If Edward didn’t come to his senses, they would die a slow and horrible death. Elise began to cry again, and James held her in his arms, pressing her head against his chest. Elise could hear the erratic beat of his heart. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but he was terrified as well. He kissed her hair and murmured words of comfort, but nothing he said could soothe her. Her heart galloped in her chest as images of what would happen to them flashed in her mind. Was her life to end so abruptly and her baby’s with her? Was God really this cruel?

  The minutes stretched into hours, but no one came. No one would. Everyone believed her to have run away with James. There was no hope.

  Chapter 70

  The darkness was absolute. James lost track of time days ago. His throat was parched, and he was disoriented and weak. He could barely move. His leg hurt like the devil, but he hardly noticed anymore. He reached out and touched Elise’s face. It was already cold. She was gone. He was grateful that she was finally out of her misery. The past few days had been harrowing, emotionally and physically. Edward had chosen their punishment well. No easy death for them. He’d inflicted as much suffering as he could manage to punish them for a few stolen hours of happiness. And now it was James’s turn to go. He could feel life slipping from him, its grip on his heart loosening as the beating grew faint, and his mind seemed to produce phantom flashes of light. He inched his way closer to Elise and pressed his lips against hers in a final kiss.

  “Sleep well, my love,” he whispered as his eyes closed. They would lie together for eternity, locked in a kiss of love and devotion. James let out a final breath as his heart stilled.

  Chapter 71

  December 2013

  Surrey, England

  Quinn dropped James’s belt buckle and collapsed into Gabe’s arms, sobbing her heart out. “Oh, Gabe, he just left them there to die. It took days. They died of asphyxiation and dehydration, but most of all, they died of a broken heart. James blamed himself for Elise’s fate, and Elise died believing that her son would despise her and never know how much she loved him. And she had been pregnant.”

  Gabe held Quinn close and kissed her tenderly. At this moment, he understood why she hated her gift. James and Elise would have died centuries ago anyway, but seeing their suffering in her mind was like having them die all over again and feeling a terrible helplessness at the inability to help them.

  “It’s all right, love. They are long gone, but you will bring their story to life. Their names will be heard again. And maybe there are descendants.”

  Quinn shook her head. “There are none. I looked and looked, but there’s no record of Charles anywhere. Lord Asher died a decade later, and his estate went to a distant cousin, but there was never any mention of a son. Charles must have died in infancy.”

  “And Barbara?”

  “Barbara died two years after her father. Of neglect, I imagine. Poor girl. No one would have cared enough to look after her after Edward was gone. He despised her, but he did see it as his duty to see her provided for.”

  Gabe held Quinn nestled in his arms until she finally calmed down. He was glad that this particular story was over, but Quinn was committed for two more hour-long episodes of the Echoes from the Past series. She was also determined to find the man who might be her father. Gabe tried to dissuade her from pursuing this quest, knowing that it could lead to nothing but heartache, but Quinn was adamant, driven by a desire to find out where her strange gift came from. He supposed he would feel the same if he were in Quinn’s place. All he could do was offer his love and support, something he was prepared to do unconditionally.

  “How about a nice hot bath?” Gabe asked, hoping Quinn would agree. A bath always put her in a favorable frame of mind.

  “All right,” Quinn sniffed.

  “Be back in a moment.”

  Quinn lifted a soapy arm out of the tub and took a sip of her wine. It was cool and crisp, which made it even more delicious since she was warm and drowsy. A dozen candles
flickered in the steamy bathroom, and soft music played in the background. Quinn leaned against Gabe, and his arms encircled her as she closed her eyes in contentment. She still grieved for Elise and James, but Gabe was right—they were long gone and there was nothing more she could do for them. Once the program was filmed and their remains buried, it’d be time to move on and put them to rest.

  Quinn hardly noticed when Gabe lifted her left hand out of the tub. She felt an odd weight on her finger and forced her eyes open to see what Gabe was up to. An antique diamond ring sparkled on her finger. She’d seen that ring before. It had been in Gabe’s family for generations, and Quinn felt her stomach clench with apprehension. She couldn’t possibly accept a ring that had belonged to countless women who’d come before her.

  “Gabe, I . . .” Quinn protested as she made to remove the ring before images of owners past assaulted her.

  “It’s brand new. I had a copy made. The only memories associated with this ring will be your own, if you agree to marry me, that is.” Quinn smiled as she felt Gabe’s heartbeat accelerate and heard the intake of breath. He was nervous, poor man.

  She flipped over, splashing water all over the floor in the process, and wrapped her arms around Gabe’s neck as his arms came around her, holding her tight against his naked body.

  “Yes,” she said simply. “Yes. When do you want to get married?”

  “Next week works,” Gabe joked. He smiled hugely and kissed her, his worries of a few moments ago forgotten.

  “How about in the spring? We do need a few months to plan a wedding.”

  “Spring, summer, whatever you want.”

  Quinn reached out of the tub and grabbed her phone, which was lying on a low bench. “I have to call my mum and dad,” she said breathlessly.