Chapter Six
Everyone worked together to get things moving following Lexy’s decision. Ebbe appeared at dinner to tell her and Lukas that the group would leave at first light. Her excitement grew, watching Ebbe’s joy at the impending journey.
Unfortunately, though, the change of clothes and rest had not improved Lukas’s disposition. Nor had it increased his appetite. He picked at the food on his plate and she wondered for the first time what the relationship was like between Lukas and his father. Not a close one based on his earlier revelations.
“How did your errand go?” she asked.
“Not as well as one would hope.” Two full lips tightened into a firm line. “I prefer not to talk about it.”
“Okay,” she said, softening her voice in an attempt to set him at ease. “In that case, I need your help with something.”
He continued to gaze, but didn’t give a response.
She sighed and poked at her food. Somehow he’d managed to destroy her appetite as well. Putting her utensils down, she met his stare. “I know your father’s a duke and, since I’ve already confessed my ignorance of titles, I was hoping you’d teach me how to address him.”
He relaxed a bit. “You need not concern yourself with his entire title. I doubt he can recite it himself. As a princess, you are his superior. Therefore, you may address him as Culberton.” He nodded to where Ebbe stood. “Bixby will address him as ‘Your Grace.’”
She picked up a piece of bread and nodded. “That seems simple enough.”
“There is nothing ‘simple’ about my father.” He snorted and pushed more food around his plate. “Since you have admitted your ignorance, you should also know you may incline your head toward him for your greeting. You need not disgrace yourself by curtsying, although it would doubtless please him to no end to have you do so.”
Their relationship must be worse than she thought. “Lukas, I understand you’ve had a trying time the last few days. And I can tell that you’re not close to your father.” Her last words rushed out faster than she’d intended. “I…uh…wanted you to know that I’m praying for you.”
“Praying for me?”
“Yes, that you would recover from your errand and be strengthened for the one to come.” That you would understand how much God loves you, she wanted to add. It was clear to her God alone would be able to pierce through Lukas’s tough exterior. Or at least the exterior he portrayed.
“It is your breath, do with it what you will.” He stood up. “You are right in one regard. I do need to recover from my errand. Princess Alexia. Bixby. Please excuse me.”
****
She knew she’d made the right decision to remain in the sixteenth century, but she also knew there were many challenges ahead. The first of which would be to leave Lady Anne with a sense of closure. Walking to the stairs after dinner, she peeked into the drawing room, surprised to see Lady Anne inside. Tentatively, she knocked on the door before calling out.
Lady Anne looked up at her voice and stood. “Princess Lexy. I hoped to have a chance to talk with you before you left.”
Lexy walked across the dimly lit room to meet her aunt. “Lady Anne, I know it wasn’t easy to talk with me about…the past, and I appreciate your honesty. I assure you I hold you in no less regard for what you said. You’re my aunt, and I love you. And even though I never knew her, I feel certain my mother would say the same. You were forgiven long ago for any trespass you believe you may have committed.”
Speechlessly, Lady Anne threw her arms around Lexy and wept. “You are so like her,” she finally whispered. Pulling away, she dabbed her eyes and reached for Lexy’s hand. “Come here.”
At a small table, she opened a drawer and took something out. She placed it in Lexy’s hand, and Lexy wrapped her fingers around it. “I want you to have this.”
Lexy looked down and discovered a miniature portrait. She studied the woman portrayed and gasped, hand tightening around the wooden frame. “Is this…?”
Lady Anne gave a small smile. “Yes. It is Elisabet. Commissioned the summer she was here. The summer she met your father.”
Lexy ran a finger over the face of the woman smiling back at her. Tracing her long brown hair, she stared into the kind eyes. Her own eyes. “Lady Anne…I…I don’t know what to say. I never thought to see anything like this.” She paused. “It’s too much.”
“No, my child. It could never come close to being enough.”
She tore her gaze away from her mother’s picture and hugged her aunt. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Lady Anne drew her close. “No,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
****
Lexy bid a tearful goodbye to Lady Anne the next morning. Unsure when she’d see her aunt again, she hugged her close and whispered how grateful she was they’d spent time together. She held on longer than necessary, breathing in the faint scent of roses she’d come to associate with her aunt.
If the truth were told, she was apprehensive about meeting Lukas’s father that evening and wanted to stay at Hadden House longer. Unfortunately, they had already lingered more than what was advantageous to their plans and Ebbe expressed a great urgency to continue on their way.
With the horses rested, and another added to carry all the clothing Lady Anne insisted Lexy take with her, they were off. And not too long after first light, which made Ebbe happy. He told Lexy Hullington was a day’s travel from Hadden House. She rejoiced they faced only a day on horseback for the foreseeable future. He also indicated they would be residing there for some time.
Not long after they left, Lukas rode up beside her. “You and Lady Anne must have had the conversation you hoped for. Your exuberant embrace did not escape attention.”
“We did,” she answered, uncertain of his purpose in bringing up the subject. “I’m glad she finally worked up the courage to talk with me. She’d been walking around with unnecessary guilt and needed someone to tell her she was forgiven.”
“You did this?”
She cut her glance sideways to look at him better. “I did. She’d been in torment for over twenty years. What else could I do?”
“You think yourself perfect? Traipsing through the countryside and forgiving everyone? Most would find it a character flaw.”
Hot tears sprang to her eyes at his hurtful comment, but anger quickly took over. Who was he to question her character? She bit back the insult dancing on her tongue and prayed for patience.
“I’m far from perfect. I just do the best I can,” she said after calming down.
His look of shock quenched any remnants of anger. She’d handled that one well, setting her anger and hurt aside to answer in a way that gave him pause. All her interactions with him would have to be handled that way.
After a time, he dropped back to the end of the group and she spurred her horse forward to Ebbe. They talked of the twenty-first century. He listened intently to all she shared and asked many questions.
“What do you miss the most?” he asked at one point.
She thought hard before answering. “I guess the first thing that comes to mind is electricity and indoor plumbing. It’s one of those things you just take for granted until you have to use a chamber pot.” She paused. It probably wasn’t proper to talk about such things, especially with a male. She glanced at Ebbe and, as expected, he had blushed.
She decided not to dwell on it and continued. “I miss my friend Cara. She’s like a sister to me. We never went a day without talking, and it’s odd not having her nearby.” Content for a moment to sway with the gentle movement of her horse, she paused and wondered what Cara was up to.
“I miss my Bible,” she admitted. “I’d read it every morning and evening. Even though Lady Anne had a huge collection of books, I couldn’t find a Bible anywhere.” The horses kept moving and she shook her head. “I don’t know, Ebbe, maybe it’s best not to think about it.”
****
Later that afternoon, not long after a short break to e
at, they were riding along when Ebbe came to a sudden stop. “Everyone into the woods,” he ordered.
Lexy followed everyone into the cover of trees, bewildered. “What…” she started before Ebbe held a finger to his lips.
They stood soundless as a group of four men passed on the path toward Hadden House. Dressed in disheveled military apparel, they made no attempt at silence. An unpleasant scent struck Lexy as they passed, and she resisted the urge to cover her nose. Doing so would rustle the branches. Not that the ruffians would hear, she decided.
The group finally passed by and after waiting a few minutes, Ebbe sneaked out from the hiding place. When he motioned the group out, she led her horse to where he stood.
“Who were those men?” she asked.
“I don’t know their names, but they were Severon’s men.” He still looked toward where they disappeared. “Did you see the colors they wore? Black and red? The colors of the imposter to the throne of Dresdonia.”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid all I noticed was the fact that they needed a bath. Why would they bother us, though? They wouldn’t know who we are.”
He held her horse while she mounted. “They know me, my lady. And with you looking so similar to your mother, word I was traveling with a young lady of five and twenty would have made it to Severon by noon tomorrow. That is, if they chose to let us continue on our way. They might well have decided to take us with them.”
His words hit her in the stomach, along with the magnitude of what she was doing. “They aren’t going to Hadden House, are they? I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Lady Anne.”
“They have no reason to bother Lady Anne,” he reassured her. “They are probably journeying to Dresdonia.”
She breathed a small sigh of relief. That such men could have taken her captive cast her decision in a new and frightening light.
“Puts everything in a new perspective, does it not, Princess Alexia?” Lukas said, a strange expression on his face.
Determined not to show him any weakness, she spurred her horse forward. “Shove it, Lukas.”
****
Twilight had started to fall when Hullington came into view. It was smaller than Hadden House, but still impressive. Its two stories stretched high over the sculpted lawn.
Her heart lifted when she dismounted. The joy of knowing she would be staying in one place momentarily overshadowed her apprehension in meeting the Duke of Culberton.
The majestic stone house appeared welcoming enough, she decided as the group made their way to the door. A housekeeper ushered them into the main hall, the contrast to their reception at Hadden House made apparent at the booming of a loud voice.
“Is that you, Lukas? You have kept me waiting for a week, and I am most displeased.”
At the end of the hall, a tall man stood. He walked to join them, stopping a few feet from her.
Lukas moved to her side. “Princess Alexia, my father, the Duke of Culberton. Father, may I present Princess Alexia.”
She knew at once where Lukas got his handsome features. She could also tell the coming years would no doubt be kind to Lukas. He was nothing but a younger image of his father.
The Duke of Culberton had both Lukas’s steely eyes and his dark good looks. He stood proud with the confidence of one who not only knew what he wanted, but more often than not, got it. She noticed, however, that Culberton did not share his son’s aversion to color. His richly appointed outfit was done in deep greens and blues, bringing out the hue of his eyes.
He took her hand and brought it to his mouth for a quick kiss. “Your Highness. I am honored to meet you.”
“Culberton.” She inclined her head and resisted the urge to snatch her hand back. “The honor is mine.”
The duke’s gaze pierced through her. “Your talk is rather strange, Princess Alexia. From whence have you come?”
“Please, call me Lexy.” She couldn’t explain, but for some reason she didn’t like anyone calling her Alexia but Lukas. Not even his father. And she had no choice but to ignore his question after thinking back to her American history. America had most certainly been known in 1580, but had not yet been colonized if memory served her. She doubted he’d believe her anyway, no matter how odd her Texas accent sounded.
His smile told her he hadn’t been fooled. He nodded to where Lukas stood scowling. “I trust my son has been enjoyable company?”
“It’s been an absolute joy getting to know him.” She caught Lukas’s gaze and smirked at him. He narrowed his eyes.
“Excellent.” He looked to Ebbe and Lukas. “I know you must be tired after your journey, so I have sent dinner on to your chambers. We shall all talk on the morrow.”
With that, Lexy considered herself excused and made her way up to her room, following behind Margaret and a servant who appeared from nowhere.
****
The next day she rested from her journey. She knew the men had plans to discuss and thought it best to leave them to their business undisturbed. Her suite was pleasant, furnished with both a large sitting room and adjoining dressing room. A window in her sitting room looked out over an expansive garden, but it was not, she thought, as large as the garden at Hadden House.
It was noon before she met up with Culberton, Lukas, and Ebbe in the dining room. The duke’s table was most impressive and the meal an elaborate affair with various courses. She wondered if all meals were to be held in such a manner. If so, a lot of her time would be spent eating.
At times during the meal, she noticed the duke’s gaze on her. He behaved well enough, asking what she thought of Hullington and questioning her on her stay with Lady Anne, but the internal alarm of the previous day remained. It seemed to her he didn’t know she was the reason they were delayed. Which might be a good thing, she decided. What could I say—I was trying to decide if I should stay in 1580 or return to the twenty-first century?
When the last plate had been cleared, Culberton spoke to his son. “Lukas, you will come with me to my study.” He nodded in her direction. “Princess Lexy, please feel free to sit in the drawing room if you like.” It came out as a suggestion, but she had the feeling it was anything but.
Not long afterward, she stood in Culberton’s drawing room. Glancing around, she removed her mother’s miniature from a small pocket in her dress. She had just started her study of the picture when a loud disturbance from the next room caught her attention. Not wanting to pry, but finding herself unable to do anything else, she strained to hear what was going on. It seemed as if a passionate argument was being held. Between Lukas and his father if she heard correctly.
She caught sight of a door and, deciding it led to Culberton’s study, walked toward it. A loud crash caused her to jump and stop halfway.
The shouting paused for a minute and then picked back up. The thick walls made it impossible for her to hear the argument, but she tried anyway. Ebbe walked in from the hallway, obviously coming to see what the commotion was about. She opened her mouth to speak when the door to the study flew open.
Lukas burst out, red-faced. The wrath of his expression forced her to take a step backward. Over his shoulder, the Duke of Culberton stood, a sly smile on his face.
“It is my father.” Lukas spat the words out as if he could no longer bear the taste of them. “He is insisting we marry.”
Chapter Seven
She heard the slow tick of a clock behind her and blinked. The expression on Lukas’s face hadn’t changed. She must have heard him correctly. “I’m not going to marry you.”
“I know,” he shouted. She winced as his words hit. “That is what I have been trying to tell him!” He waved an arm at his father.
She stepped backwards. “Don’t yell at me. I’m on your side.”
“Princess Lexy. Lukas.” Culberton spoke softly, much more so than what she heard through the study wall. Her gaze shot over Lukas’s shoulder to his father. “I have obviously shocked you with my suggestion. However, I am quite certain after you
think on it, you will come to see its many benefits.”
Benefits? To marrying Lukas? She opened her mouth to object again.
Lukas spoke first, spinning to face his father. “Suggestion? Those are far from the words you used three minutes ago. Why are you trying to sweeten them? The truth will come out eventually.”
“I am appalled at your behavior, Lukas. Can you not understand I do this for you?” The Duke of Culberton spoke calmly, but his tone could not hide the anger woven through his reply.
“For me? How dare you imply this absurd idea is for me?” Lukas clenched and unclenched his fists. “This suggestion is a ploy you thought of to benefit yourself. Do not make it about me. I shall have naught to do with it!”
Watching Lukas, she wondered for the first time who had thrown the unknown object against the wall. He balled his fists again. His hands were huge. How had they escaped her attention before?
“Spare me your pathetic attempt at martyrdom. The part does not become you.”
Father and son stood almost nose-to-nose, the tension between them strung so tightly, the room vibrated. She feared the situation would come to blows.
“Gentlemen, please. Suppose we all have a seat and sort this out.” Everyone turned in surprise at Ebbe’s voice. The man had been so quiet, she’d forgotten his presence. Apparently, so had everyone else.
She studied the older man. Was the current conversation a surprise to him or had he known about it the entire time? Knowing what she did about the man, she thought him unlikely to be involved. His character would not have allowed the concealment of such a plan.
Lukas stomped to a chair near the fireplace. With Culberton choosing one across from his son, and Ebbe picking the one closest to Culberton, Lexy was forced to sit beside Lukas. She looked down to her skirt and fingered the soft fabric. Her fingers shook. From fear or anger she couldn’t tell.
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