by Dawn Brower
“I told you he’d come,” Aubriella said. She pinned a strand of her rose-gold hair behind her ear. “Better late than never.”
Genevieve turned and glared at her.
“Hey, it could be worse. You could have my two stepsisters and stepmomster.”
“Peyton and Serenity aren’t that bad,” Genevieve said and then hiccupped. “Though you have me on the stepmomster part.”
Trenton rubbed his temples. It could be worse, but he was at a loss as to how. He had to help them both up to bed. Neither one was in any condition to do it themselves.
“I think you both need to sleep off the alcohol you imbibed.” He picked up one of the decanters and stared down at it in disgust. “How much did you two drink? Never mind, I am not sure I want to know.”
“You’re not the boss of me,” Genevieve said angrily. She stood and wobbled over to him, then started to poke him hard in the chest. “In fact, I am done listening to you and your excuses. I waited and waited.” She stomped her foot and almost fell backward. “For what? You to come in here and look down your nose at me in disgust? Well, I have news for you. You’re far from perfect yourself, mister, and I’m through with lingering around like a piece of trash you forgot to discard. If you don’t want me, come out and tell me. I can take it.”
“Eve…” God, that was the last thing he wanted. Would she even remember this when she woke up? “Why don’t we have a long talk in the morning? This isn’t the time to hash this out.”
“Wimp,” she said and attempted to knee him in the balls she missed, but not without still doing some damage. He fell to the ground so she wouldn’t try it again. Best to let her think she was successful. “Be a man and tell me how it is.”
“Have mercy,” he begged.
“No,” she replied. “You don’t deserve any. I’m leaving.”
She stomped out of the room, her path one huge zig zag of movements. He had to stop her before she hurt herself. She couldn’t leave as drunk as she was. She’d get hurt and he couldn’t allow that to happen.
“Let her go,” Aubriella said. “Haven’t you done enough to hurt her?”
Genevieve had tried to knee him in his man parts, and her cousin had sucker punched him with one statement. How was he ever going to make any of it right again? He’d hurt the love of his life. Something he’d vowed to never do.
“I can’t,” he said. “She’s my everything—my end and my beginning. I’m nothing without her.”
“Don’t tell me, you ass.” She took a swig from the decanter. “She’s the one that needs to hear it.” She set the bottle down and glared at him. “What the hell are you waiting for? Go after her before she does something stupid.”
Women. Would he ever understand them? Aubriella was right though. Trenton couldn’t go on without telling Genevieve how much she meant to him, and he hated that he’d hurt her. He wished he could undo a lot of what he’d already put her through. There wasn’t a clear way how to fix the mess he’d created, but he’d find a way.
Trenton stood and headed out of the room. He ran down the hallway and stopped short in the foyer. The door was open wide and wind was blowing into the manor. His heart froze in his chest. Please... If she’d gotten behind the wheel of a car he’d never survive the terror. He ran outside and noticed her silhouette in the distance. She was heading toward the cliffs. Not much better, but he could work with it. He set off after her, running as fast as he possibly could. When he caught up to her she was standing on the cliff’s edge looking over the side.
“Eve,” he said as calmly as he could manage. “Could you please take a step back?”
“It’s so pretty. Look at the waves as they crash to shore.”
His heart beat rapidly against his chest. She wobbled a little but kept her balance. One wrong move and she’d tumble over. “Darling, I’m begging you, please come over here by me.”
Genevieve glanced up at him and smiled. “Oh, there’s a pretty white bunny.” She lifted her hand and pointed to her right. He glanced over but didn’t see any damn rabbit. That was a mistake because when he turned back to her, his heart about burst inside his chest. She wobbled on the edge, arms flailing in the wind. He dashed to her side to catch her, but was too late. His throat became raw from screaming as she tumbled over the edge and fell to her death. For as long as he lived, he’d never forget the horror on her face as she fell or the moment when she disappeared before his eyes.
The days afterward were nothing but hell. Trenton couldn’t eat or sleep after Genevieve disappeared. There had been search parties out looking for her—but not as a rescue. They were on full recovery mode. The fools were looking for a dead body. Trenton had watched as she fell, helpless to save her. His eyes hadn’t played tricks on him as everyone had suggested. There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d give up on finding her because he alone knew the truth.
Genevieve never hit the ground. She didn’t die. He refused to believe anything else. Wherever she ended up she was living a happy life. It didn’t matter that he lived his life without her. When he closed his eyes, she visited him in his dreams. His heart broke each time his mind wandered to thoughts of her, but he wouldn’t change it for anything. How could he when she was the only thing he had to live for? How did a man forget the love of his life? Trenton didn’t know because he’d forever have her inside his heart. Every night when he closed his eyes, he found a way to happiness. In the land of dreams, she’d never left him. It was the two of them wrapped in each other’s arms without a care in the world.
When he opened his eyes, reality set in. All the mistakes he’d made. The things he hadn’t said or would never have a chance to say. Living without her was pure hell. But he moved on and did his best to make the best of his situation. He tried to love again.
But he was a fool for even doing that much. Genevieve haunted him and always would. She was the ghost of all his regrets. Until he found a way to make peace with that, he’d never have a chance of anything more. He would often go to the cliffs edge and scream at the injustice of it all. There was a time he’d pulled out the engagement ring and contemplated throwing it. What would be the point? He stopped carrying it after that. Maybe one day he’d still be able to give it to her.
He was aware he was slowly going insane… Even that didn’t stop the pain ravaging through him.
“Wherever you are, my love, I’ll always be yours. It doesn’t matter how much my heart breaks, I’ll wait for you. I’m sorry I took you for granted. I promise, if you find your way back, I’ll do better.” He hit the ground as tears filled his eyes and drenched his cheeks. “Please, come back to me…”
Chapter 1
Trenton Quinn stared down at the open journal on the desk. None of it made any sense. It was almost as if the person who had written it decided to describe their findings in the most convoluted way possible. At the rate he was going, he’d never find Genevieve. The task had been daunting from the start, and now it actually started to feel hopeless. He stared down at the journal again and frowned. Was he asking the impossible?
He scrubbed his hands over his face. Something had to give soon or he’d have to accept he’d never find Genevieve. All he wanted was for her to be safe and happy. If she still loved him… He wouldn’t think about that. He’d messed up, and it was because of his actions that she’d disappeared. Nobody had believed him when he said she’d faded before his eyes. His father had insisted he seek therapy and come to terms with his loss. He’d gone through the motions, but in his heart he’d never truly let go. Regina was one of his failed attempts to move on… His ex-wife surprisingly had a forgiving nature and even at times aided in his search. They had a decent relationship as far as ex-spouses went. He’d never have pegged Regina as the sort to overlook his misdeeds, but she’d done it without much thought. Of course, she was also happily married to another man, his stepbrother.
Regina should be happy, and he was glad she found it with someone who loved her as she should be. Trenton had never lov
ed her enough. He cared about her though. If he could reach out and grab his own happiness... His life wasn’t at all how he’d planned for it to be. Nothing had gone as it was supposed to.
Genevieve was lost…
It was up to him to find her, and he’d failed her at every turn. He glanced down at the journal once again and the gibberish greeted him.
“This is useless,” he shouted as he picked it up and tossed it against a nearby wall.
“Easy tiger,” Aubriella said and ducked in the doorway as she dodged the flying journal. “I come in peace.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Great. Just what he needed—Genevieve’s judgmental cousin to make him feel even worse than he already did. Who let her in anyway? She shouldn’t have had the opportunity to sneak in on him.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m not welcome at Weston Manor any longer?” She lifted a brow and then snapped her fingers. “That’s right, I never really was, but too bad. I’m here to help you even though you keep turning me down. This is what I did my dissertation on, remember? History is my thing.”
“I don’t want you here.” She was a reminder of everything he’d lost. Looking at her was a stab deep in his heart. Her lilting Irish tone was so similar to Eve’s. He swallowed down a lump in his throat. “I’ve been clear on that point.”
“And I believe I vetoed that already.” She walked over and picked up the journal he’d thrown against the wall. “Is this any way to treat a priceless artifact? I have half a mind to tell the Marquess of Seabrook how you’re treating his family’s journals.”
“That one doesn’t belong to him.” Why was he explaining any of this to her? He wanted her gone. “Give it to me.”
She ignored him and opened the journal. Damn it. He didn’t want her reading it. What if she found something he didn’t want her to know? Then he’d never be able to get rid of her. She’d be dogging his heels until he had no choice but to let her in. Aubriella had to go. He had enough reminders of his failure at finding Genevieve. Her cousin’s presence was enough to make him not just tumble over the edge, but to freefall into oblivion. It might be the only choice left to him at the rate he was going.
“You just found this?” Excitement filled her voice.
Fuck. “Why do you ask?”
She was flipping through the pages more rapidly now. “Oh, this is so interesting—if I’d had this when I wrote my thesis…” Aubriella chewed on her bottom lip and stared down at the pages. “Do you know what this means?”
He wished he did, but he was clueless. Some of it had made perfect sense, but the rest… “Why are you still here?” He reached for the book and almost had it from her. She jerked back before he could manage to fully grasp it.
“I’m not done reading this.”
She lifted her hand and brushed one of her rose-gold locks behind her ear. Her focus was completely on the journal. If he allowed it, she would become so engrossed in the contents she’d forget he was anywhere near her. Aubriella was right in one regard. This was her specialty. She’d studied history as an undergrad and finished her doctorate after Genevieve disappeared. However, she was also wrong. How could she help when she didn’t understand the nuances of time travel? What could her history degree possibly do for his search? Locate where she was in time? Maybe… But it did no good if he couldn’t actually go there.
“Aubriella” She continued to ignore him. “Damn it, Brie, give me the journal.”
Her head jerked up and she met his gaze. “You want to travel though the mirrors.”
So she’d read that far had she? Too bad he couldn’t figure out how to actually use them to get where he needed to be. He’d read everything he could get his hands on, and this one journal had the key. If he could find out how to unlock it... Trenton looked away from her and at a full-length mirror on the other side of the room. Would any mirror work?
“According to this journal, Elizabeth Kendall had the ability to push her hand through the mirror here at Weston Manor, but she never did more than that. It freaked her husband out.” She frowned. “I can’t say I blame the guy. Anything of a supernatural nature must have been disconcerting to someone in the nineteenth century.”
“Actually, he was from the eighteenth century,” Trenton said drolly. It appeared as if he’d never get Aubriella to leave. If she was going to stay, he might as well give in and accept her help.
“Come again?” She raised an eyebrow. “The date on this journal clearly says 1840. That’s the nineteenth century. Are you sure you read this right?”
The corner of his lip quirked upward. The urge to mess with her was growing. It wouldn’t do him any good to give into it though. The best way to clarify it would to point at another journal or two and she’d get lost in history. She was a sucker for it, and it was her biggest weakness. He lifted his hand over his heart and said, “I’m wounded. You think I’m that dumb?”
She narrowed her eyes and studied him. “Are you drunk?”
Sometimes he wished he was. It might make it easier to fumble through each day without Genevieve. Unfortunately, he was stone-cold sober. He sighed. “Lady Elizabeth Kendall married the Duke of Whitewood, otherwise known as Captain Jack Morgan, a time traveling pirate from the eighteenth century.” He moved toward her and snatched the journal—finally. “And no, I’m not drunk.”
She practically danced in place as she asked, “How do you know this?”
A movement at the door caught his eye. He turned as Regina entered the room, platinum blonde hair falling down her back in waves. She was heavily pregnant with her first child. She glanced back and forth between them. “What are you doing?”
“Brie has a keen interest in your niece and her husband.” Trenton jerked his hand toward Aubriella.
“Niece?” Aubriella’s head turned toward Regina. “Lady Elizabeth Kendall is related to you?”
“In a roundabout way,” Regina said as she rubbed her belly. “I suppose she’s related to Bradford several times removed.”
Trenton could use their discussion as a way to escape, but it wouldn’t work for long. Regina wouldn’t allow it. She’d come drag him back down to the study and make him work. With her so close to delivering the baby, he didn’t want to stress her out and did whatever she said. If he didn’t, her husband, Bradford might murder him.
“I’m so confused,” Aubriella said. “Can we start at the beginning?”
“You’re slowing me down,” Trenton scoffed. “I thought you wanted to help.”
The tale of how Regina’s sister, Alys, travelled in time to fall in love with Bradford’s ancestor would take forever. Then to get to Regina’s parents, and her nieces and nephews… They didn’t have that kind of time. Not if he wanted to find Genevieve.
“My parents adopted Alys when they thought they couldn’t have children. I was a surprise blessing. So technically, yes, Elizabeth is my niece as she is my sister’s daughter.” Regina bit her lip. “I know it is all rather confusing. Alys travelled through time in a similar manner as Genevieve. Trenton’s been studying it for quite a while now.”
Aubriella’s mouth fell open. “So you all believe time travel is for real? I thought that this entire time Trenton had lost his mind. I honestly came here to humor him and help him accept reality. Genevieve wouldn’t want him to suffer.”
“I deserve it,” Trenton said adamantly. “I failed her, and until I make that right it isn’t fair for me to have any happiness.”
What he wouldn’t give to go back and do things differently. He’d solved his father’s embezzling problem but had lost the love of his life in the process. If second chances were possible he hoped one found a way to give him Genevieve back.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Regina said. “I think Aubriella is right. Torturing yourself is not the answer, and you can’t tell me that is what Genevieve would have wanted for you.”
“She wouldn’t.” Aubriella nodded. “She loved—loves you. If she is tr
uly lost in time, that wouldn’t have changed.” She tilted her head a moment and then reached for the journal in Trenton’s hand. “Give that to me. Something I read makes me think I know how the mirror works.”
Trenton handed it over reluctantly. She flipped through it and was scanning the pages. She glanced up at Regina and said, “This doesn’t make sense to me. You told me that Alys traveled to the nineteenth century. What does that have to do with the pirate duke? Are you certain it’s the same man?”
“My mother confirmed it,” Regina said. “When she saw his portrait in the gallery. They met when he and his pirate crew plundered a ship she was sailing on.”
Aubriella closed the book and looked at Regina. Her mouth fell open. “Does everyone in your family travel through time?”
“Well, no,” she said sheepishly. “Well, almost all of them. I’m the one hold out. I’m happy where I am. My father found my mother in 1722 and brought her back to his time. Alys—well, you know about her.”
“And your niece has the ability too,” Aubriella said. “And her husband?”
“It’s all convoluted, isn’t it?” Trenton said. “I’ve had a lot of time to study it all, and it still amazes me.” He turned to Regina. “I forgot to tell you. Captain Jack is actually your uncle.”
“What?” She groaned. “Maybe this time traveling stuff is in our blood. How is he my uncle?”
That was the part he’d found fascinating. At first, he’d jumped to that conclusion too. If it was in their blood, that would explain a lot, but Alys was adopted, so that couldn’t be the determining factor. “He’s your mother’s half-brother. A by-blow from their father’s indiscretions—and one he never claimed. Elizabeth put it in detail in her journal.”
“I think I know how to do it,” Aubriella said excitedly.
“You do?” Trenton turned to her as amazement filled him. He hadn’t really believed she’d be able to figure it out when he’d handed her the journal. What were the chances she’d actually discovered something he hadn’t? Maybe he should have had her come sooner. Why hadn’t he? He made so many damn mistakes… “How?”