by Sky Winters
“Well, I better get back to my desk. Those letters are not going to write themselves,” Tia said reluctantly.
“I'll see you tomorrow,” Mary said with a smile. She loved her friend’s visits but she was eager to get back to work.
“Do not stay here too late tonight,” her friend cautioned as she left.
“I will try not to,” Mary called after her.
Mary did not keep her word, of course. Hours later, when the only other person left in the museum was the security guard, she was still pouring over the jewelry, recording and photographing each of the pieces before depositing it in its proper place in the vault.
She saved the sapphire necklace for last. As she picked it up, even through the protective gloves that she wore, she felt a spark of electricity like nothing she had ever felt before. It was as if the piece was calling to her. She had to put it down to catch her breath. The pull to touch it with her bare hands; to put it around her neck, was so strong.
She managed to complete her notes and the photographs of the piece without giving in to the impulse. It was when she went to put it away that her resolve began to weaken. The thought of such a beautiful piece never being worn again suddenly seemed so sad. As she caught site of herself in one of the gilded mirrors stored in the vault, she could not deny that it would suite her beautifully because of her blue eyes and dark hair. Even the neckline of the shirt she had worn that day would frame it beautifully.
It was then that she decided to break the first rule in her entire time working at the Museum. She removed her gloves and allowed herself to lift the beautiful necklace, running her hands over the metal and the gem; both oddly warm though they should have been cool to the touch. She raised the necklace to her throat and fastened the delicate clasp behind her neck. She turned to look at herself in the mirror and barely caught a glimpse of herself before everything around her went black.
Chapter 2
As Mary began to come to, she was keenly aware of how terrible it would be if the museum security guard found her unconscious wearing such a valuable piece from the collection. She did her best to pull herself awake, but as she drifted closer to waking she realized that she was not lying on the tile floor of her work area. Instead, she was lying on grass and she could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin. When she heard the sound of hooves pounding towards her, she would have screamed aloud had she been able to.
She heard the horse pull up beside her and she heard a rider dismount. She heard footsteps rushing towards her and still she could not bring herself to wake up. It was not until warm, masculine hands gripped her and pull her up in to strong arms that her eyes were able to open. There, to her amazement, was Daniel Briar, Lord Smithmont, and he looked even more handsome than his portrait.
She spun her head around, taking in her surroundings. She was on a hillside, just off the side of what looked like a riding trail. She was still lying on the ground, but he had pulled her on to his lap as he checked her for a pulse.
“Where am I?” she asked groggily. She had many questions, of course, but that seemed the sanest to begin with.
“You do not know?” he asked, looking truly concerned. It was then that he looked upon her face and their eyes locked for the first time. They both froze. It was as if time stopped when her eyes met his. He seemed to feel it too, because he sat as still as stone, taking in every detail of her face.
“No. I do not understand,” she finally said when she regained the power of speech.
“Who are you?” he asked, as though he was still lost in the haze of emotions that he had felt when their eyes locked.
“My name is Mary,” she said hesitantly. Something about his eyes made her want to confess everything to him, how she had no idea how she was ended up there and that only moments before, she had been in the 21st century. Still, though, she held herself back. They were in the middle of nowhere and she had no idea what in the world had happened to her. She could not have the only other person there think she was mad.
“I am Daniel,” he said gently, still looking at her with concern. Clearly he was still worried that she might slip back in to unconsciousness.
“Daniel,” she whispered, still trying to take it all in. It was then that she looked down at herself and saw that the blouse and slacks that she had been wearing had somehow been replaced with a dark blue riding habit and a grey day dress. How, she had no idea, but she was very grateful. Had she been in her own clothing, she would have probably been thrown in jail for the scandal she might have caused.
“Were you on your way to our house party?” he asked gently, clearly eager to know what had brought her here to this hillside.
“House party...I do not remember…” she murmured, as she tried to sit up. Instantly, she grew light headed and fell back against his chest.
“Did you fall from a horse or hit your head?” he asked as he looked at her closely, trying to find some sort of injury.
“Maybe. It is all so blurry,” she answered as she lifted her hand to the back of her head. She felt no injury, but she must have hit her head. She must, she knew, be lying unconscious on the floor of the museum. This moment was just a hallucination.
“I am sorry. I should not push you. Let me help you up,” he said as he somehow managed to stand and pull her up with him without jostling her at all. She braced herself against him and he kept his arm wrapped around her.
“Oh my,” she exclaimed. Standing so close to him felt so right and just so dangerous that it nearly took her breath away.
“The rest of the party should be along any minute. I rode ahead,” he explained. She had clearly regained her balance, but he made no effort to leave her side. Instead of trying to move away from her, it seemed to her that he was holding her tighter. Normally, it would have been Mary who pulled away from someone who was forward enough to hold her so intimately, but she decided that since it was all in her imagination anyway, she might as well enjoy it.
Soon enough, she heard more horses approaching. A group of very well dressed people perched on the finest horses that she had ever seen soon came over the top of the hill.
“Daniel,” an elegant woman with silver hair said sternly.
“Mother, come quick,” he said, ignoring the tone of disapproval in her voice.
“Who is this?” the woman asked as she dismounted her horse and approached.
“Her name is Mary,” he said, his eyes returning to her then, protectively.
“Who is she?” his mother whispered.
“She has no idea,” he explained in a low tone.
“You have no idea?” his mother exclaimed in shock.
“Do not badger the poor girl. She has obviously had some sort of accident,” he said, pulling her even tighter against him as she began to sway again with her lightheadedness.
“Perhaps, but look at how she is dressed. She is clearly a lady,” his mother pointed out.
“Of course. There is no question about that,” he said, smiling encouragingly at Mary.
“Daniel, perhaps you should let one of the married men support her,” his mother whispered. It was only then that Mary realized just how inappropriate a picture that they made, especially for the time period.
“Not a chance,” he said, leaving no room for further negotiation. The protective tone in his voice was quite thrilling to her. She could not remember a time when any man had made her feel so protected. Even in the midst of the uncertainty and chaos swirling in her mind, she knew that she was safe with him.
“Fine. We need to get her back to the estate. Maybe if she lays down she will come to her senses,” his mother suggested.
“She will ride in front of me,” he said as he used his free hand to grad the reins of his horse.
“That is not proper Daniel,” his mother whispered, her voice full of disapproval.
“Mother dear, when have I ever concerned myself with proper?” he smirked.
“You are impossible,” his mother said indulgently.
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br /> “I try my very best to be,” he said with a laugh. “My dear, can you stand on your own?” he asked as he turned back to Mary.
“Yes,” she whispered, not entirely sure that it was true.
With that, he removed his arm from her waist and swung up in to his saddle. She did not even have time to miss the physical comfort that he provided though. As soon as he was seated, he reached down and gripped her shoulders firmly, pulling her up in to the saddle with him. He sat her across his lap, using his right arm to support her while he gripped the reigns with his left.
He held her tightly against him, ensuring that she would not fall if she lost consciousness. The feeling of his warmth surrounded her and she felt so secure that she allowed herself to close her eyes. He rode slowly, trying to make sure that she was not shaken. Had her eyes been open, she would have seen a look of attraction on his face that it would likely have startled her. As it was, though, she drifted back in to slumber expecting to wake up back at the museum.
Chapter 3
When Mary next opened her eyes, she had expected to be back on the floor of the museum. Instead, she lay in the most lavish bed she had ever seen. She opened her eyes to canopy of white, airy fabric swaying from the ornately carved four post bed. The bed itself was piled high with down pillows and blankets.
She was so warm and cozy that she did not realize that she was not alone. It was not until Daniel shifted his position in the chair in the corner of the room that she realized he was even there. Slowly, she sat up and he rose to cross the room and sat on the edge of her bed. She knew that his behavior was highly improper, especially in the time period they were in. In fact, she had written an entire paper on the proper relations between men and women in Regency England. Still, she could not bring herself to be alarmed by his presence there. His proximity was so comforting to her.
“Where am I,” she whispered, not wanting to alert anyone in adjoining rooms to the fact that she was not alone.
“You have forgotten me already? I am wounded,” he said with an ease laugh and a quick smile. She could not help but return his smile.
“Oh no, you certainly are not forgettable,” she said, giggling like a school girl.
“That I am glad to here,” he answered her with a wink that sent her heart fluttering in a way that she was sure that it never had before.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, sure that there must have been something more interesting happening at the house party than watching her sleep.
“Well, when the doctor left my mother banished me from your room. Can you believe that? She said she drew the line at me sitting by your bedside. She is a little afraid that she will never manage to marry me off if I continue my scandalous ways. I, however, had another plan. Your appearance has been the only interesting thing to happen during this entire event mother has cooked up. I had no intention of missing the moment when you woke up, so I climbed the trellis and let myself in. Mother thinks I am out riding,” he explained, looking rather proud of himself.
“You snuck in my room?” she asked, surprised but not frightened.
“Quite clever, is it not?” he said, making no effort to hide his amusement at the entire situation.
“I suppose,” she said honestly, unable to even feign that she was scandalized by his actions.
“You are not scandalized?” he asked, even more amused than he had been before. He reached out gently and brushed a stray curl from her cheek.
“I am not easily shocked,” she said, though her breath caught as she spoke. It had nothing to do with shock though. It had to do with the effect that he had on her.
“Bravo my girl. You may make this weekend bearable. Do you remember who you are?” he asked as though he did not at all care whether she had or not.
“Not yet,” she said, her guard going instantly back up. She still could not afford to tell him what had really happened to her. She was beginning to believe, as impossible as it was, that she was not dreaming or hallucinating. If some twist of fate had sent her hurdling through time, she could not risk telling anyone, not even a man with eyes dark enough a woman could get lost in them.
“Well, then is really will be an adventure. I do hear my mother coming though, so I really will need to go. I will see you again soon,” he said as he made his way to the window, turning to look at her one last time.
“I suppose you will,” she said with a smile, earning her a grin in return before he swung himself back out the window.
Not thirty seconds later, there was a light known on her door. Without waiting for an answer, it opened to reveal Daniel’s mother, Lady Smithmont.
“Hello Miss,” she said gently as she closed the door behind her.
“My name is Mary,” she answered gently, doing her best to appear calm, despite the fact that the woman’s son had only moments before swung himself out her window.
“Mary, then,” the older woman said with a warm smile. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“A little rattled I suppose,” Mary admitted. She decided that keeping as close to the truth as she could would be her best bet. That would be less deceptions that she would need to remember for the duration of her stay in their time, however long that might be.
“That is to be expected. The doctor said that you seem to be fine enough. He thinks that if you get back to regular activities, your memory will come back to you,” Lady Smithmont said as she patted the back of her hand gently.
“I am not sure how to do that,” she said. She knew enough about the time to fake her way through a few days but if she was stuck any longer, she would be in real trouble. Perhaps if she could find the necklace and touch it again, it would send her back.
“Well we will all help you. We are having dinner in a few hours and you will join. That should be a good place to start,” the woman said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“If you think it best,” Mary agreed, knowing that if she involved herself more in the activities of the party, she had a better chance to find the necklace and make her way home.
“My maid will be up to help you prepare in a bit. Until then, rest easy my girl,” she said sweetly, but Mary had the distinct impression that the woman was up to something.
“Thank you,” Mary said, sure that she would have been quite lost without the woman’s help. If she did not accept her, no other member of the party would.
“She will bring you a dress to wear,” Lady Smithmont said with a sly smile.
“That is too much,” Mary said, already feeling a bit like a burden to these kind strangers.
“Nonsense. You cannot wear that stained thing,” she said as she gestured to the dress that she had been found in, flung over a chair, “and you certainly cannot come without a dress. The nightgown you are wearing now will not do for a formal dinner,” she said with a laugh, quite pleased at her own humor.
“You are right,” Mary said, feeling silly that she had even suggested that she did not need a dress.
“I usually am. You will come to realize that,” the wily old woman said as she left the room.
Chapter 4
She took the advice of the lady of the house and continued to rest until her maid arrived to dress her for dinner. The woman was nearly Lady Smithmont’s age and quite the warm presence. The first thing she did was rush Mary in to a warm bath, which she was grateful for. Then, she fussed over every detail of Mary’s appearance and curled and pinned her hair until it was quite unrecognizable. Only then did she help her in to the dress that Lady Smithmont had selected. It was a lovely dress, pale pink with touches of lace at the neckline and the sleeve. As she helped her in to a pair of matching gloves, the maid explained that the dress had been made for the Smithmont’s daughter as part of her bridal wardrobe, but that it and several other garments had not arrived until after she had left for her honeymoon.
She looked at herself in the mirror when the other woman had finished with her work and she barely recognized herself. If was then that
Lady Smithmont arrived at her door to escort her down to dinner. When they arrived, she was grateful to see that Lady Smithmont had decided to bend the rules of social gatherings and kept Mary seated next to her throughout the dinner. Each person that she spoke to was caring and sympathetic, but she felt rather like some sort of science experiment, with them all staring at her and waiting for her to faint again or to go stark raving mad and run from the room. The only one who did not look at her in such a way was Daniel, though he did often look at her. His gaze, though, was one of reassurance and support. Knowing that both he and his mother were there for her, she tried her best to recall what she knew of Regency customs and carried herself with all the grace that she could muster.
The evening went as well as could be expected. Once the dinner was over the men retired to the study and the women went to the parlor where one of the young ladies in the group, Marla, played the piano divinely to entertain them all. Soon enough, the evening was over and Lady Smithmont dismissed the group, calling her maid to help Mary back to her room. The only thing that disappointed her was that she never had a moment alone to speak to Daniel. His mother seemed to be doing her best to keep them at opposite ends of the group.