The band started playing and Benjamin took Mia’s hand and led her to the dance floor.
He admired her as she gracefully twirled, her full skirts swinging out around her, her ringlets bouncing with the movement. Watching her now, it was difficult to believe that she hadn’t been dancing like this for months.
The evening progressed smoothly. By the smiles on people’s faces, Benjamin measured the ball as an absolute success, and he knew his father must be beaming with pride after all the planning that had been required.
In between dances, Benjamin met up with Mia and asked, “Would you like some refreshments?”
“I would love some.”
He led her to the refreshment room, and they drank tea and snacked on sandwiches and cakes.
Benjamin heard the dance coming to an end. He knew he had promised the next dance to a young lady who tended to be a wallflower. “Please excuse me, Mia. I have promised the next dance to Mrs. Planter’s daughter.”
“Of course.”
***
No sooner had Benjamin left than Matt approached Mia.
“Having fun?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “Are you?”
“I am. I just wished I could dance every dance with Emily.”
“I know what you mean. It’s much different from the twenty-first century.”
“Tell me about it,” Matt groaned. “Do you hate it so very much then?”
“Hate it?” Mia asked, surprised. “No, I don’t hate it. It’s just different from what I’m used to.”
“Ben doesn’t want you to leave, you know.”
“He said that?” she asked.
“He didn’t have to. I’ve known him his whole life. Believe me when I say that he doesn’t want you to leave.” Matt drank a sip of tea and rested his eyes on Mia’s face. “Would you consider staying?”
Mia bit her lower lip. “Matt, I can’t. Of course, I don’t want to leave Benjamin, but I have to return to my mother. I can’t leave her stranded by herself. She needs me.”
“He needs you.”
She saw the earnestness in Matt’s face, heard it in his voice. He cared greatly for Benjamin.
“Mia, he’s waited so long,” Matt reasoned softly, watching her intently as if he were silently begging her to stay for Benjamin’s sake. “Ben’s the kind of guy that always puts other people first. He never considers what he needs, what he wants. I know he would never ask it of you, so I’m asking for him. Would you consider staying?”
She felt tears shimmy in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mia.” He broke eye contact with her, glancing at the floor. He exhaled, and then looked at her again. “I didn’t mean to put any pressure on you. I just think you should know how happy you’ve made him. I’ll be worried about him when you leave. I know your mother needs you, and you must return to her. I just wanted you to know how much he needs you, too.”
She nodded her head and pursed her lips, unable to speak for fear that the tears would spill over and slide down her cheeks.
“He loves you.”
She stared at Matt, dumbfounded.
Matt pointed his finger in the air, slightly toward her, and wagged it. “Now that, he did tell me.”
She could no longer control her tears. They spilled onto her cheeks and she swiped them away with her gloves.
***
Benjamin approached Matt and Mia, relieved that his duty had been fulfilled and he could rejoin Mia.
He saw the glistening tears on Mia’s cheek. “What’s wrong?” he asked, alarmed.
He turned to look at Matthew. “What have you done to her now?” he asked, barely concealing the anguish in his voice.
“I just told her the truth. For your own good, Ben, I told her the truth.”
“Meaning what?” he clipped out between clenched teeth.
“I told her that you love her.”
“That bit of information wasn’t yours to tell,” Benjamin spat out caustically.
Benjamin turned to Mia. “Let’s slip out into the garden,” he whispered.
He guided her outside to the cover of nightfall, and they sat on their favorite stone bench under the maple tree.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Is it true?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s true, but I didn’t want to make things more difficult for you. I know that you need to be with your mother, and I don’t want to stand between you and your real life.”
She smiled through her tears. “This is real life, too. What I feel for you, Benjamin, is real. And as much as I don’t want to leave, I can’t abandon my mother.”
“I know.” He took her gloved hand in his. “I know, Mia, and I would never put you in the position to have to choose. That’s why I thought it better not to tell you that I had fallen completely and totally in love with you.”
“You have?” she asked, almost hopefully.
“I have,” he whispered.
“Benjamin, I love you, too.”
He had longed to hear those words from her lips. He caressed the side of her face with his fingertips and wiped away her tears. Then, he kissed her gently, memorizing every detail, every sensation, so that he could carry the feeling with him for an eternity.
“Why don’t you come with me?” she whispered against his lips, when he had finally pulled away.
“I want to be with you, Mia, but I can’t leave my father. I saw what that did to him once. Now that history has changed, I can’t do it again. I just can’t.”
She nodded her head. “I understand. It just seems so unfair.”
He pulled her into his embrace, her head resting against his shoulder. “Let us be thankful for our time together. When I first met you, I just longed to be able to touch you, to kiss you. Fate has brought me much more than that. I will truly cherish these memories forever.
“I have a gift for you,” Benjamin said, pulling something out of his interior suit pocket.
He dangled it in front of her. “I know it’s difficult to see in the dim light, but it’s a golden locket. I have a small clipping of my hair in it, so that you can carry part of me with you always.”
“Oh, Benjamin,” she whispered in the darkness, reaching for the necklace. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
They sat in silence a moment longer, embracing. Finally, Benjamin stood and held his hand out to her, “I believe you owe me a dance, Miss Randall.”
“It would be my pleasure, Mr. Richards. But first, would you put my necklace on for me?”
She turned, presenting her back to him. He reached around her, fastening the clasp, then rubbed his fingertips along her slender neckline and across her shoulders, and kissed the nape of her neck.
Silently, he moved beside her and placed her hand in the crook of his elbow, leading her back into the ballroom, just in time for the last dance of the night.
***
Benjamin awoke with a start. He swiped at the perspiration on his brow, hoping that his nightmare involving Old Green Eyes was not a portent of what was to come. Tonight, Mia would be returning to her world.
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and rose into a seated position. He stood and walked to his second-story window that looked over the back of his father’s estate. His sleek, black stallion, Thunder, grazed lazily in the pasture.
Benjamin had not ridden him since Mia had traveled through time with him, and a small stab of guilt twisted in his gut.
Today was his last day with Mia. The knowledge assaulted his body like poison, slowly seeping through every appendage, making him want to writhe in pain.
He thought of Mia asking him which was easier, knowing someone and losing them or losing them before one knew them. He clearly remembered telling her that he would gladly endure a thousand nights of pain to experience the joy of being loved for just one night. Knowing that he would lose Mia forever when the sun sank below the horizon, his opinion did not change. He was a better person for having
loved her and for having been loved by her. He would miss her terribly.
He watched Thunder a moment more, whinnying and shaking his head, as he walked to the shade of an oak tree.
He refused to wallow in his melancholy. If this was his last day with Mia, he wanted to make the most of it.
He dressed quickly and took his carriage to the hotel. While his driver waited, he rushed to Mia’s door and knocked urgently.
When she didn’t answer, he took the elevator back to the lobby and rushed out the doors that led to the garden. He spotted her sitting on the stone bench in an olive green dress.
As he began walking toward her, she looked up and spotted him.
“Benjamin!” she greeted. She rose and met him along the path.
“Hello, Mia.”
“I wanted to thank you for last night. I had a great time,” she said, fingering the locket around her neck.
“I’m glad. I was hoping you might join me today. I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
“Really? Who is it?”
“You’ll have to wait and see,” he teased.
“Don’t keep me in suspense. Let’s go.” She tugged on his arm.
“My carriage is out front.”
She turned to look at him, surprise etched on her face. “Oh, we’re leaving the hotel?”
“Yes,” Benjamin grinned. “I refuse to bring him here. He’s not sophisticated enough for our clientele.”
“He’s not?”
“No.”
“Is he a moonshiner?”
Benjamin laughed. “Many moonshiners have been through this lobby. And some of them, you’d probably never suspect. But, no, he’s not a moonshiner.”
“I guess I’ll have to wait and see.”
Once they reached the front of the hotel, Benjamin helped Mia into the carriage. He gave the driver instructions and climbed into the carriage, too, taking the seat directly across from her.
“So how do you like 1863?” he asked.
“It’s hot,” Mia answered, fanning herself. “I’ve been spoiled by air conditioning. But I have enjoyed my time here.” She held his eyes with her own. “My time with you.”
“I’m glad,” he said. “I hope to give you one last day filled with enjoyable memories.”
“Where are we going?”
“To my father’s estate. It’s not far from here.”
“We’re going to your house?”
“Yes. He’s waiting for us there. We’ll arrive momentarily,” he said.
A few moments later, the carriage pulled up the long, tree-lined drive and stopped in front of Benjamin’s home. He helped Mia from the carriage and watched as she scanned her surroundings, soaking in the view. The lawn stretched across the vast estate. The home was a white plantation style home with large, white pillars that spanned two full stories. A veranda on the second floor looked out over the front of the estate.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Not as beautiful as you,” Benjamin whispered back, grinning.
She smiled.
“Come on,” Benjamin urged, grabbing her hand and tugging her around the side of the house.
“Where are we going?” she demanded, laughing, as she lifted her skirts to keep up with him.
A few minutes later, they had reached the stables. Benjamin had taken the scenic route, giving Mia a brief tour of his father’s grounds and allowing his driver, Abram, to arrive before them.
“Abram, is he ready?” Benjamin called.
“He be ready, Mr. Benjamin,” Abram confirmed, walking toward them with the sleek horse saddled.
Benjamin introduced Abram and Mia, and then turned his attention to his horse while Abram walked to the back of the stables, giving them privacy. “Mia, I want you to meet Thunder.”
“He’s a beauty,” Mia said, delicately touching his muzzle.
Thunder stepped forward, nuzzling Mia’s neck.
“He likes you,” Benjamin said. “Do you want to go for a ride? Abram could saddle a gentle mare for you.”
Mia shook her head. “I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“You’ve never been on a horse?” Benjamin asked in disbelief.
“Never. My mom has a car. I usually just use that when I want to go somewhere. While it does drink gasoline, it doesn’t require food, and it never poops in the yard.”
Benjamin laughed. “Well, even so, you’re in for a treat. Come on. We’ll ride bareback, and you can ride with me.”
Benjamin removed the saddle. “I’ll help you up.”
Benjamin helped her onto the horse’s back, steadying her while she shifted to a comfortable position with both legs dangling off the same side. He swung up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, and with a flick of the reins, Thunder was moving.
She smelled of lavender, and he caught himself leaning closer to breathe in the heady scent. She was all feminine in her rustling skirts, fragrant smell, and golden brown curls.
He walked Thunder to a pond, hidden behind a copse of trees.
As the pond came into view, Mia shouted, “Look at the baby ducks! They’re so cute!”
Seven fuzzy, little, yellow ducks paddled furiously after their mother. Mia delighted in them, and Benjamin’s heart felt lighter watching her laugh and point.
He walked Thunder to the edge of the pond, determined to sear this memory in his mind. If things were different, he would gladly spend the rest of his life with her. He was enchanted by her.
Reluctant to release her from his embrace, he slowly dismounted and assisted her from Thunder’s back. They left Thunder to graze and began to walk.
He guided her to a quilt that had been spread beneath the boughs of a dogwood tree, a large, woven picnic basket nestled in the center of it.
“Benjamin!” she exclaimed. “You had this all planned out, didn’t you?”
“I want to make today special,” he explained. “I want you to remember me when you get back to your world.”
She inhaled sharply, a sound of surprise escaping her full lips, and turned to him. She lifted her delicate hand to his face and whispered, “Benjamin, every day with you is special, and it simply wouldn’t be possible for me to forget you, ever.” She drew up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. It was a gentle kiss that lasted no more than a few seconds, but its implications were of great magnitude. Her words moved him, and he knew with every passing moment, it would be even harder to let her go. But what choice did he have?
He opened the basket and distributed the food between them. They ate sandwiches, apples, and cheese.
After they finished eating, Benjamin cleared the blanket, moving the basket to the surrounding grass. They stretched out on their backs and watched the clouds shuffling through the sky in the gentle breeze.
“I wish I could stay here forever,” Mia whispered in the wind.
Benjamin took her hand in his and squeezed it. “I wish you could, too.”
“If I didn’t have to go, what would we do then?” she asked.
“I would teach you how to ride a horse for one thing,” Benjamin laughed. “Then we could ride together, galloping across the field, feeling the wind in our face, the strength of the beasts beneath us.”
“I would like that,” Mia said, adjusting her skirt as she rolled over on her stomach and glanced at his face. “And I would take your picture while you were riding Thunder.”
“You would?”
“Yes. I wish I had my camera with me now.”
“You know what else I’d like to do?” Benjamin asked.
“What?” Mia queried, watching him with her intoxicating blue-gray eyes as she awaited his answer.
“Spend afternoons like this. With you by my side. We could watch the sunset, watch the stars as they illuminate in the night sky one by one.”
“We could dance the Spanish Waltz in the moonlight,” Mia added with enthusiasm.
Benjamin imagined her in her ball gown, bathed in moonlight, her silky
curls bouncing as they danced. “I should like that very much.”
Benjamin lay with one hand tucked behind his head. With his free hand, he reached up to push an errant strand of hair from her face, blowing gently in the summer breeze, and tucked it behind her ear. Then, he cupped her behind the neck and gently pulled her face to his, eager to take advantage of another opportunity to kiss her.
Tonight, he would let apprehension slip into his soul, but for now, he would think of nothing but Mia.
Chapter 10
Thunder boomed overhead, and lightening rent the sky. Torrential rain pelted the earth furiously. Heavy storm clouds filled the sky, cloaking the bright, full moon and the stars.
Soaked to the bone, Mia pushed the wet hair from her eyes and followed Benjamin as he led her toward the portal. Matt was directly behind her, and the three of them sloshed through the field blindly as they fought the downpour with no light to guide them other than the lightening’s brief illumination and the occasional peek of the moon.
Mia had snuck out of the hotel in breeches, disguised as a boy, her long hair tucked under a cap. She had long since lost the cap, and her hair cascaded down her back in thick, wet clumps.
She had always loved thunderstorms. The one thing she didn’t love was the thought of running into Old Green Eyes.
Benjamin had prepared her for the thought. In fact, he was quite positive that they would run into the frightening creature, unless the gatekeeper happened to be chasing someone else away from the portal.
“Are we close?” she yelled to Benjamin over the howling wind. She shivered, although she wasn’t sure whether it was from fear of running into the gatekeeper or the cold rain.
Benjamin stopped and turned to her. “Yes, it’s just over there.” He pointed to the edge of the woods, now visible from where they stood.
Matt caught up to them and stood on the opposite side of her, taking a few steps away and turning his back as if to give them privacy.
Benjamin raised his hand to her cheek, pushing back the wet hair that kept blowing back to her face. He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I love you, Mia. Thank you for giving me this time with you.”
Ghostly Encounter (Ghostly #1) (Ghostly Series) Page 12