by Annie Seaton
“But what about age? Look at me. I’m still twenty-five, or I think I am. How can I go forward and still be my age? I’m not even born yet.” Megan shook her head and clutched David’s arm. Panic strained her voice. “And Bear and Slim? They looked exactly the same when I met them the other day as they did in 1971. And you should be—what—how old?”
David put his hand on hers. “Age stays the same through the gates. I’ve done a lot of reading on it since Alice took me through the first time.”
“Alice? Beth’s Aunt Alice?”
“Yes, Alice showed me the gate when I lived next door to her. Her family has always known about it.”
“Well, I don’t think they know about it now. Beth hasn’t ever been over here.” Megan folded her arms across her chest. “So you’re telling me that anyone who touches this stone can go back in time? And come back again? So why aren’t there hundreds of people doing it? And why isn’t it known about?”
David shook his head. “No. There seems to be some sort of mystical connection needed with others who have gone through. The only others I know who have crossed are Bear and Slim…and Alice who owns your cottage.”
“So where is she?” Megan put her hand up to her face. “Is she here? Or there? Shit, I don’t even know where here or there or then is anymore. It’s just too much to take in.” Thoughts were whirling through her head. “So what’s the connection?”
“Bear and Slim and I are connected with our music. We started playing right before the 1970 festival. The first time I crossed I only stayed in 2008 for a few weeks. It almost did my head in. I know exactly how you’re feeling now. But trust me, once you accept it, it gets easier.”
“I know my music history. The Davy Morgan Band was formed in 1970 and played for the first time to a small crowd in Glastonbury the same week.” Excitement trilled through her as she realised what had happened. “Do you mean to tell me I actually witnessed the Davy Morgan Band at their first big performance after the first album? The first non-pub performance? The actual Davy Morgan Band?”
“We actually did play a small set at the 1970 festival. It was more like busking. But 1971 is our big festival when we take off…or when we took off.” He grinned. “And yes, you did see our first big performance, apart from the pub tour. And we were bloody good, if I say so myself.”
Excitement rippled through Megan and she swallowed and put her hand up to her throat as she sought to understand. “I can’t understand it. You—Davy Morgan—live in my time in the Cayman Islands. There are never any current photos of you. I’ve kept an eye out for years. I had a massive crush on you in my teens.”
“That must be the connection between us. You knew me and my music.” He stared at her and her lips parted as she waited for him to continue. “That’s probably how the time gate opened for you.” David held her gaze. “As much as I resisted it, I was drawn to you the instant I tripped over you on my porch. I guess that completed the connection between us that let you go through.” He shrugged. “It’s all an unknown. I just need to keep you safe.”
“What was the connection between you and Alice?” She stared at him and he was the first to look away, and she wondered if they had been in a relationship. She waited for him to run his hand though his hair. She’d already figured out he did that when he was stressed. But he was looking past her, past the stone, and she couldn’t see the expression on his face until he turned back to her.
“Alice supported me through a very hard time after our first record.” Megan frowned at him and he held her gaze. “Last year, 1970. I took the blame for something. And she was a true friend when I needed one.” David glanced up at the sky and the shadow moving across the front of the marker stone. “Come on. It’s almost time to go.”
Megan shivered and rubbed her arms as a cloud crossed the sun. “So how do we know where we are going to end up in the next few minutes?” She looked up at David.
Can I trust him? Her heart said she could, but her logical brain was screaming, No.
David put his arms around her and held her close. “All we have to worry about now is getting back safely.” He lifted his head and squinted at the cloud obscuring the sun. “We have to make sure there is as little shadow as possible when we touch the stone. The less shadow and the closer to midday we can get, the smoother the transition. It’s about two minutes away.”
“Are you sure we can get back?”
David nodded. “Yes, I’ve done it many times now. Alice sent me alone, and Bear and Slim know the way themselves. I just haven’t done it with anyone else so I’m not sure whether we’ll go together or one at a time.”
“And you’re sure we will go back to where we came from?” Megan swallowed at the thought of ending up in some unknown time and place. It was bad enough here with no shoes and no money, but at least she’d found David and he knew what was going on. No wonder he’d been so frantic to find her.
“Yes, I’m sure.” He pulled back, grasped her waist, and lifted her down to the grass. “Come on, it’s time to go.”
He touched her cheek gently. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”
Chapter Eighteen
Kathy threw the phone to the bed and crossed to the window. She put her hand to her stomach and took a deep breath, trying not to stress. It wasn’t good for the baby.
“Still no answer?”
She shook her head as Tony came over and put his arms around her. It was a bleak winter afternoon and rain droplets were running down the window panes. It made her feel like crying.
“It’s okay, Kath. Megan will be fine. We know she got there safely.”
“I’ve just got this feeling that something’s wrong.”
Tony stepped back and sat on the side of the bed. “There is. I’m getting nowhere with this appeal. I’m coming up with a dead end everywhere I look.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Either Megan’s guilty or we’re dealing with someone who’s covered all bases. The university have judged her on the evidence there is, and I won’t lie to you. It’s bad.”
“But you know yourself that we paid for her ticket to London. You can prove that one.”
He shook his head slowly. “Would you believe it’s not on my Visa statement.”
“What?” Disbelief ran through Kath. “It has to be. You booked it online didn’t you?”
Tony ran his hand though his hair. “I did. But trust me it’s not there. I’ve called the bank and they’re looking into it.”
A shiver ran down Kathy’s back. “Tony. If someone goes to those lengths to make Megan look bad, he wouldn’t try and hurt her, would he?”
Tony shrugged. “I wasn’t going to say it. I didn’t want to worry you, but the same thought crossed my mind. Thank goodness, she’s overseas.”
“I think it’s time I went to the police. It’s time they started looking into the activities of Greg Cannon. Christ, if he can log into the bank records what else is he capable of?”
“And why is he doing it?”
Fear filled Kathy as Tony shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t think it’s got anything to do with getting that job at the university. I am starting to think the guy’s a nutter. I think he’s done it because he can.”
“You be careful, darling.” Kathy put her arms around her husband.
“I’m going to go to the university now, and then I’m going to the police station. You keep trying to call Megan.”
“I will. Just be careful.”
Chapter Nineteen
A thrill of anticipation shot through Megan as they crossed the last field to the three large stones. Brooding and dark despite the midday sun, the ancient structures were silhouetted against the bright sky. For the first time, she noticed the row of small stones that completed the line. If David hadn’t been holding her hand tightly, she knew it would have been fear consuming her rather than anticipation.
Would this strange connection between them last when they crossed back to her time
? Or was it only because they were in the seventies? She hoped it wouldn’t disappear. They had some unfinished business and the thought of that sent an exquisite pulse of heat shooting through her.
David stopped in front of her and pointed to the stones. “I’ve experimented over the last couple of years. Each of the stones works in exactly the same way.”
“But what if you go the wrong way in time…in the wrong direction? You could end up anywhere.”
“I know, I’ve thought of that. But there’s only me. I live alone in the Caymans and no one depends on me for anything. I suppose I would look at it as an unexpected adventure.”
“I know the feeling,” Megan murmured.
“In fact, when we went to Taunton the other day, I was thinking how good it would be to go back to Norman times,” he said. “But Alice warned me not to experiment.”
“Don’t confuse me. Just take me back home.” Megan took a single step towards the stone but David pulled her back.
“No wait. We’ll go together.”
Securing his guitar firmly on his shoulder, David led her to the middle stone. They were close enough that the warmth of the stone heated her skin and an almost imperceptible humming filled the air. He turned and took her face between his hands.
“Don’t touch the stone or lean against it until I say so. Okay?”
Megan nodded as she looked up into his dark eyes and his breath warmed her lips.
She stretched up on her toes and lightly brushed her lips against his.
“One kiss…just in case.”
With a soft groan, David pulled her closer and his mouth ground against hers. She opened her lips and welcomed him as his heat filled her. Anticipation quivered through her as his tongue tangled with hers and she pushed against him, her breasts aching with the need to feel his bare skin against her. Reaching around, she ran her hands beneath his shirt and ran her fingers along his sun-warmed skin.
“Fucking hell.” His words were hot against her lips. “How do you do this to me, Megan? You’re a witch.”
The need in his voice sent heat rushing through her, and she pushed closer to him. “I don’t know,” she said and her voice trembled. “I just know I need to touch you.” The warm scent of his skin and the tight grip of his hands on her waist sent her head spinning. She knew he wanted her…or needed her…as much as she needed him. It was a physical craving and she’d never experienced anything like it before. She needed to be satisfied now.
“Quickly, let’s go back, ” she said, need lacing her words.
David pulled away and stared at her intently for a long minute before he dropped his hands from her waist. She stepped back and the urgency of her sexual need faded a little as the physical connection between them was broken.
His voice was ragged and he gulped deeply as he turned to the middle stone.
“Go around to the back side in the shadow and put your hand against the stone. I’ll follow you.”
##
When Megan woke it was dark. Disoriented, she looked around the unfamiliar room. Fear crawled through her stomach as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was silent except for the loud ticking of an old-fashioned clock on the table in the corner of the room.
She was alone in a large bed, and it wasn’t the bed in her room at Violet Cottage.
“David?” she called softly.
But all was quiet. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she grasped the edge as her head swam. Her eyelids began to droop and she forced them open.
She had to find out where she was. Or more importantly, when she was.
Pulling herself to her feet by holding on to the cold metal headboard, she fought the waves of weakness that washed over her. For a moment, her stomach roiled and she swallowed as saliva filled her mouth and she thought she would vomit. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and the feeling slowly receded. Letting go of the bed, she stood, opened her eyes, and the room blurred in front of her.
Forcing herself to move towards the door, she took short steps as the room swayed around her.
Where the hell am I and where is David?
The doorknob was icy beneath her hand. She turned it and let out a sigh of relief as the door opened. She peered around into a narrow corridor with a set of wooden steps at the far end. Faint light shone in from a small lace-covered window high in the wall above the steps. Her head steadied and she let go of the doorknob and walked slowly towards the stairs. A brighter light shone up from the room below.
“David?”
There was no answer and a sliver of fear trembled down her back. She definitely wasn’t in her own cottage—or rather Alice’s cottage. She could see that much in the dark. Walking quietly down the narrow staircase, she listened for any sound coming from below.
But all was quiet.
As she stepped onto the bottom step, the old timber groaned and a tall figure appeared from behind a sofa.
“Hell, Megan. You scared me. I thought you were still asleep.” David’s voice came across the room. She put her hand on her chest as her heart thudded hard and she took the final few steps to the old sofa in the middle of the room. David sat up against the cushions and the faint light shining in from the window reflected off his bare chest.
“What time is it?” Megan stood beside him and put her hand up to her head.
“Are you okay?” David stood and pulled her to him and the warmth of his skin rubbed against her bare arms. The horrid nausea and dizziness had taken all of her energy and she hadn’t even looked to see what she was wearing when she’d woken upstairs alone. She was still in the same clothes she’d had on since she’d left the cottage.
However long ago that had been.
“Just a bit shaky. Like I felt when I woke up in the first aid tent…whenever that was. But not as bad.” Megan leaned into him, and the shaking that had taken hold of her limbs slowed down and her heart slowly resumed its normal beat. “Where are we? Did it work?”
“We’re at my cottage. You went out like a light when we came through the time slip.” Although she stood in the circle of his arms, David’s face was in the shadow and she couldn’t see the expression on his face.
“I carried you back here and put you to bed so I could make sure you were okay. It’s been a long night and I didn’t want to wake you, so I slept down here.”
“The night? How long have I been out?”
David dropped his arms and turned to the window. “Hear the blackbirds? Sun’s about to come up.”
“I lost half a day and a whole night?” Megan lifted her head and for the first time since she’d woken, the room didn’t spin. Although her energy was coming back slowly, she was disoriented. It was like waking from a bad dream.
“Or did I? I feel so crazy asking this but…when are we?”
“Back where you started.” David dropped his arms and Megan walked across to the window. The sky was a soft apricot and she could see the yellow roses tumbling over the fence between the two cottages. Mist hung low over the fields and the spire on Glastonbury Tor rose above the fingers of mist drifting beneath the hill.“You’re back where you belong. I’ll put some coffee on, or would you rather go back to your cottage for a shower?” David’s voice was polite and Megan sensed he was trying to put some distance between them. The frantic need that had consumed her at the stones had gone and heat rose in her cheeks as she remembered the urgency of her demand that he take her back quickly. The sooner she got out of here the better. She needed to get her head together and figure out what had really happened to her.
“I’ll just go back to my cottage, thanks. I’ll have a coffee over there.”
David gripped her arms and shook his head. “I want you to come back here. We need to have a talk about what happened and set some rules.”
“Rules? What sort of rules?” She had no idea what he was talking about.
“You can’t tell anyone what happened to you.”
Megan laughed but there was no humour in it. “Y
ou think I’m going to go around telling the world I’m a time traveller? Give me credit for some sense. I’d be locked away.”
Bitterness filled her as the events of the last couple of days came rushing back to her. “There’s no need for me to talk about it. Your secret is safe with me. I’ve got enough problems already without adding to them.”
So all he was worried about was his secret getting out. No mention of the closeness they’d shared. She’d foolishly thought there’d been something special between them. Before they’d come through the time gate, she’d felt so connected to him.
Sucked in again. I do it every time.
A shaft of sunlight speared through the window and she turned to the door without looking at David. She didn’t want to see the coldness that she knew would be in his expression. He’d gotten what he wanted from her, now that he’d gotten her safely back to the cottage. So now she would leave him to his own world. There was no need for him to make rules. No way was she going anywhere near that field again.
She still couldn’t quite get her head around the whole David Morgan/Davy Morgan and the band thing, even though he’d explained it to her. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but if he was going to withdraw from her and treat her as he had that first night, she’d find out another way. She’d go back to her laptop and look at all the files she had. There were tons of articles from the music magazines of the seventies.
“Suit yourself.” His voice was clipped and he didn’t smile. He walked over to the side of the room and picked up a T-shirt. “I’ll walk you over just in case you’re still a bit shaky on your feet.”
Opening the front door, he stood back to let her through.
“Whatever.”
By the time they reached Violet Cottage, the sun had cleared the eastern horizon and the morning had brightened. Megan ignored the arm that David held out to her and she strode around the side of the cottage. Her composure had come back quickly and she didn’t need to hang on to him as she did before. She crossed to the garden and picked up the cup she had been drinking from the other day. It was still lying where she had dropped it when he’d disappeared.