by Denise Daye
William got out of the carriage and offered her his arm. Emma took it without hesitation. She hated his touch, but there was no use in fighting him. It would only anger him, and who knew how that would end. She was afraid of him. Not because of what he could do to her, but because of what he could do to the people she cared about.
William and Emma were already halfway up the ramp to the first-class entrance when she noticed that Lily wasn’t behind her any longer. She broke loose from William and turned around. Lily was standing still on the dock, looking left and right, as if she was searching for something. William turned around as well.
“Oh, bloody hell, what is the matter?” he asked annoyed.
“I…I don’t know.” She really had no clue. What had gotten into Lily? Emma was far more devastated about leaving London than Lily was. With this impromptu vacation with William, she worried he might get comfortable pushing his limits and start asking for intimacy. And…it broke her heart that she would never see John again. So, if someone should have been standing on this dock, it should have been Emma, not Lily.
“Would you excuse me?” Emma said apologetically, leaving William behind and squeezing by two older women who were right behind her on the ramp, trying to board the ship. The ladies mumbled something in disapproval but let her slip by.
“She better hurry up or we shall leave without her,” William said loudly enough for her to hear, then continued up the ramp, followed by the two ladies and a few other passengers. Emma had to squeeze by a few more people before she finally reached Lily.
“What’s the matter? Skip said he wouldn’t see us off to avoid attracting attention.”
“That is not it…”
Emma looked up at William, who was waiting on the deck of the ship, keeping a close eye on her. “Then what is it? William is not a patient man, you know that.” Had Lily lost her mind? By now, she should have known that Emma would have to pay the price for behavior like this. Every time something displeased him, he took away from either Emma’s freedom or dignity, and soon there would be absolutely nothing left of either one.
“We just have to wait a little longer,” Lily said anxiously.
Emma felt a twinge of sadness as she began to suspect that Lily had decided to stay here. How could she blame her? If Emma had a choice, she would rather be in the poorhouse too than having to spend another day with William, who most likely was not only an abuser but a murderer as well.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to come along, Lily. I totally understand. I’ll send you and Skip money, I promise. It would make me happy to see you free.”
Lily’s face turned to shock as she huffed, “I would never leave you with this monster!”
Emma grabbed Lily’s hands lovingly. “Maybe you should. Just turn around and walk away, Lily. It would mean so much to me to see you free, away from this scumbag.” Emma turned around again to evaluate William’s mood, and although he was far away, it was clear that he was now beyond annoyed, becoming deeply angry.
“I have to go,” Emma said nervously.
“Please, just wait one more minute!” Lily begged her.
“For what? I can’t, Lily. You know how he is. I have to—”
“You are not going anywhere until we clear a few things up first,” Emma heard that all too familiar voice say in a tone that would not allow for a maybe.
She couldn’t believe it, but there, in between all those people, literally out of nowhere, was John! Emma felt tears starting to form in her burning eyes. Within seconds, they were running down her face. How did he get here? Was this a dream? All of a sudden, everything that had happened during the last few months came crashing into Emma like the car that had hit her on that devastating night that had changed her life forever. There was no stopping her anymore. To hell with it all. Just a few minutes ago, she had seen her life fading away at the side of an abuser like her father, but then, out of nowhere, the man she loved had come to save her like a knight in shining armor. Without thinking, Emma stormed toward John as if her life depended on it.
“John!” she shouted, throwing herself into his arms so forcefully it could have thrown them both onto the ground if John hadn’t been the strong man that he was. He wrapped his arms around her like a shield that would fight the whole world to protect her.
“It is okay. I am here now,” John said in that tender voice he reserved for her, melting her heart with each word.
“I’m so sorry. About everything. It’s all my fault…” Emma cried into his chest. This could very well be the end of her, but so be it. She was ready to sacrifice herself. Even if this feeling of belonging would only last for a short while, it was worth whatever price she’d have to pay for it.
“That was not a very wise move for such a cunning woman,” Emma heard William growl from a few feet away. His words hit Emma like a punch in the face, and she pulled away from John to turn around and look at him. William’s face had hatred written all over it. His jaw was clenched, and his brows furrowed. Emma had never seen him so angry before. William positioned himself, ready to attack, clenching his fists so hard they were shaking. Emma took a frightened step backward. John didn’t. Just like on the day they first met, he positioned himself in front of her like he was ready to fight to the bitter end.
“Come on, Blackwell! Do it! You cannot even imagine how long I have been waiting for this moment, so please, do me a favor and give me a reason to knock you right out of those fancy boots of yours.”
A few people stopped to see what was going on. It wasn’t like the whole dock went silent and everybody surrounded them, though—most people went on with their business. Only a handful paused their busy lives to become bystanders. William was trembling with rage now, but he didn’t move an inch. Emma couldn’t believe it. Why didn’t he say or do anything? Call Emma a swindler? Threaten her and Evergreen with ruin?
William just stood there, not making a peep. Was he afraid of John?
“What is the matter, Blackwell?” John yelled at him, taking a step toward William, but William did absolutely nothing. John took another step toward him. “What the hell are you waiting for? Come on! Come on, William! Let us finish this, once and for all. You and me!”
But still, William stood silent. He didn’t even yell back.
“Just as I thought! Underneath all the glamour and shine is nothing but a coward.” John laughed dryly, shaking his head in disgust at William before turning to Emma and Lily. “Let us go. This buffoon is done amusing us for today,” John said, loud enough for William and the bystanders to hear.
He offered Emma and Lily each an arm, then gently steered them through the crowd, straight to his carriage, which waited only a few feet away, right next to a tavern. Lily and Emma constantly looked over their shoulders, as if they expected William to jump out of the crowd and stab them in their backs—literally.
John instructed the driver to take them to his townhouse. The carriage ride was quiet, and John stared at Emma the entire time. Now that her nerves had calmed down a bit, Emma stared back at him. Maybe it was the fact that he had just saved her from a life of misery, but Emma couldn’t believe how handsome he was. He was wearing a black day suit, which highlighted his tall, athletic figure. His brown eyes were studying her from head to toe with an intense gaze, causing her to blush. She had no idea what he was thinking, but she knew that he was expecting some answers when they got to a more private place.
The carriage pulled up to the front of a white row house straight out of a historical movie. It must have been a fifth of the size of William’s townhouse, but she felt safe and cozy the moment she stepped foot into it. Lily was smart enough to excuse herself when John led Emma from the entrance hall into a room that must have been the tearoom. It had a fire going in the midst of several chaise longues and was tastefully decorated with green wallpaper and several paintings. John closed the door behind them and walked over to the fireplace. He waited for a few seconds before turning to face Emma.
�
�I think you owe me an explanation.”
Emma knew he was absolutely right but didn’t know where to begin. It didn’t help that they were alone in the room, and John looked so incredibly sexy in his slender suit.
“I do. I just don’t know where to start.”
“The beginning. Please start at the beginning. Who are you?”
Emma wasn’t surprised by this question, but it was easier asked than answered. How could she ever tell him the entire truth without sounding like a lunatic? But now that William would ruin both of them, she had to. Especially before John could hear parts of the story elsewhere.
“I would like to start at the end, if that’s okay?”
“If it pleases you.”
Emma lowered herself to perch on a chaise longue next to the fireplace. It felt amazing to sit down in a safe place. Like she had been running for months, never able to rest. She took a deep breath.
“I had to get engaged to William Blackwell because he blackmailed me. He has damaging information on me and threatened to use it to ruin both of us.”
John sat down across from her. “Why would he want to ruin me?”
“Because I refused to marry him. I ran from him. That night that I disappeared, I found out that he knew my secret, and I was afraid of him, so I ran. When he found me, I was at a point in life with little left to lose. The threat of ruin did not scare me at all, so he had to change his strategy. He knew how much I cared for you—”
“Are you saying you agreed to marry that monster in order to save me from ruin?” John interrupted her. He looked shocked.
“I had already hurt you and your family enough. I knew I could never marry you, but at least I could let you and your family live in dignity and peace.”
“Peace? I have not slept since the night you disappeared, leaving nothing behind but a thank-you note, Emma! I blamed myself for everything. My whole life, I have never cared for nor touched a woman. You were the first I ever wanted to be with, so I took things too far too soon. Then you left in the middle of the night, and after what had happened between us, I thought it was all my fault. I hated myself. I combed through London one street at a time, always one step behind Blackwell…not knowing if you were okay...if I was the reason you were running. Does that sound peaceful to you?”
Emma shook her head.
“And now I find out that all of that was to save my reputation? To hell with my reputation—I loved you!” John was angry. Understandable, considering what Emma had done to him.
She started to wonder if she had made the right decision when she tried to protect him. She had made decisions for him, hidden who she really was, treated him like a little child who needed protection when, in reality, she was the one who needed protection. As her mother always said, selflessness is good as long as it doesn’t hurt others.
“I’m so sorry, John. I should have come to you, talked to you. It was just that…” Emma stopped. It was so hard to tell him the truth. What if he hated her? She wasn’t sure if she could survive that.
“What, Emma? Just tell me. If you cared for me, why was it so impossible to consider marriage to me? I sure as hell would have made a better husband than Blackwell. I mean, we slept with each other, for God's sake!”
This was it. Now or never, Emma.
“I faked the robbery to get Lord Blackwell to fall in love with me and marry me.” She was just as shocked hearing those words out of her mouth as John was. It made her sound awful. Like the worst person on this planet.
John just looked at her without saying a word.
“But then I met you, and it didn’t seem right to marry him. So, I rejected his proposal. I really loved you, wanted to be with you. You do believe me about that, John, don’t you?” Emma stood up and took a step toward him, as if she wanted to see if he would still be able to tolerate her. John didn’t move, not toward her but also not away from her.
“Why would you do such a thing? For money? Then why turn my proposal down as well? Sure, I am not as rich as Blackwell is, but I am not struggling either.” John threw both of his arms up, pointing out the fine room they were sitting in as proof of his financial stability. “None of this makes sense, Emma. What is it you are not telling me? You are not a fortune hunter. I know that. So why would you fake a robbery to get to money and privilege?”
Emma threw her face into her hands. “Because I’m not who you think I am. I’m not from the America you know. I’m from a different America. A different time…I’m from the future!” Emma shouted in despair, looking back up to see how John would process this confession.
He stood up silently. Panic hit Emma like a hurricane making landfall. Was he leaving? Calling the police to lock her up? Maybe into an insane asylum? But John did neither, calmly walking over to the fireplace to look into its flames for a few seconds before he turned around again.
“From the future…” he repeated, shaking his head.
Emma hastened over to him. “I know this sounds crazy, but you have to believe me.”
“Emma…I…” John started, staring at her with brows raised, as though he was looking for words.
Emma interrupted him. “Just think about it. All those games I taught you and your family that you have never heard of. Think of all those stories every night about airplanes and dinosaurs. Those aren’t stories from America in 1881. Those are real things from the future. Well, not the dinosaurs, but everything else I told you about.”
“Yes, but—”
“And the penicillin. The medicine I gave your mother and used to cure the women in the slums of London, how would I know about such a miracle cure? It won’t be discovered until 1928,” Emma said in a tone that sounded incredibly desperate. As crazy as she knew she sounded, John appeared to actually be thinking about what Emma was telling him, as if he was debating with himself whether she was telling the truth or not. He could have burst out in laughter, called her insane, told her to leave. All understandable and natural reactions, considering all she had said. But not John.
Emma grabbed her purse from the chaise longue and pulled her cell phone out. Looking at the cell with all the curiosity in the world, John came closer as she turned it on. The familiar welcome sound rang, and the screen lit up, displaying a picture of Emma and her dog.
Emma handed it to John. “This is called a cell phone. Where I am from, everybody has one.”
John turned and twisted her cell, touching the screen with an expression that could only be described as pure marvel. Emma swiped over the display to unlock it. She went into her picture gallery and showed him how to swipe through the pictures. This was something she and Lily had only done when they were desperate for something to keep them going, as she was always worried about her battery life.
“This is my world, John…see for yourself.”
John fell backward onto the chaise longue, staring at the phone in disbelief. He flipped through the gallery, pulling up pictures of Emma with friends, at the park, and many other places. He stopped at a photo that showed Emma in a car with her mother. “Is this your mother?”
“Yes.” Emma felt that all too familiar knot in her throat. Her poor mother must think her dead. Just like everybody else. “She is still in the future. I came here alone.”
“How…what…what happened?”
Did that mean he believed her? Emma sat down next to him. “I don’t know. I walked home from a party and was hit by a car. All I remember is waking up here, in London in 1881. Lily found me when that Flinch guy tried to rob me.”
“A car?”
“That thing here,” she pointed at the picture. “It’s like a carriage without a horse, powered by an engine like a train. It hit me and made me come here. How, I don’t know.”
“So, you tried to get Blackwell to marry you to be able to find a way back home?”
“Yes. Where I’m from, women are allowed to study and make money on their own. Enough to support themselves.”
“Something that is a privilege only to wome
n of society in my time. So that is why you wanted to become Lady Blackwell.”
“It wasn’t an honorable plan, but I was desperate. I just wanted to go back home. Then you came along, and I…I fell in love with you. That night in your room, I wanted to tell you the truth, to let you choose for yourself if you still wanted to be with me. But then you talked about Elise and how she was not the woman you thought she was.”
John smiled sadly. “And that reminded you of yourself, thinking I would not want anything to do with you anymore.”
“Pretty much.”
John put her cell next to him on the chaise longue and turned to Emma.
“Emma, there is a big difference between a woman cheating on her fiancé and then deliberately trying to destroy his family out of spite, and a woman who was torn away from her home and loved ones, trying desperately to go back home under circumstances that force her to lie.” John moved closer to her, taking her hand into his.
Emma’s heart began to thud as she finally let herself feel true hope.
“Emma, I do not even know what to say. This must have been so hard for you. All of it. So far from your family, living in poverty, Blackwell…me…it breaks my heart to think about all the pain you must have been through.”
His words touched her, and the warmth of his hand around hers made her feel beyond grateful. Tears started to roll down her face, though she tried to be strong. “I’ve survived worse…plus, you were one of the few people who kept me going.”
John moved closer to Emma and took her into his arms. It felt so good to finally be held as the woman she was, by the man she loved. Not an heiress from America looking for an estate but Emma Washington, a PhD student from the twenty-first century.
John leaned back a bit to be able to look into her eyes. “Emma, I still love you. I always have and always will.”
She felt those butterflies in her stomach again. That incredible feeling she had only felt with John before and thought she would never feel again. She could feel his breath on her. Her heart was beating faster and faster.