A World Apart (The Hands of Time: Book 3) Read online

  “Alec, we must go after him. I won’t lose him. I won’t!” Valerie screamed. “We must go now. He can’t be far. He’s probably lost and confused. He’ll be somewhere close to the house. We must go NOW!”

  “Will someone tell me what’s happening?” roared Kit over the din. “Who’s gone where?” He pulled Louisa to her feet, searching her face for answers. “Louisa, what is it? Who is gone?”

  “Kit, Finn has gone to the year 1775. Please, don’t ask me to explain now. I just can’t put it into words. Just believe me.” Louisa averted her eyes from Kit’s, unable to face his disbelief.

  “Darling, allow me to escort you to bed. You are obviously unwell, and you must feed Evie. She’s crying. Can’t you hear her? We’ll sort everything out in the morning. Finn will be back from 1775 or from wherever he is. Come, dearest.” Kit was trying to maneuver Louisa toward the stairs, but she wasn’t budging.

  “Don’t speak to me as if I’m insane. I am telling you the truth. Just ask Alec and Valerie. They know.” Louisa pushed Kit aside and ran down the stairs to fetch Evie, whose hungry howls were growing louder by the minute. She welcomed the distraction. Anything to get away from the horror of what was happening. Anything to get away from the look in Kit’s eyes.

  “Alec, please explain. I’m afraid I’m at a loss.” Kit looked to Alec, who was running his hands through his hair, his eyes far away. “Alec!”

  “Kit, step outside with me. I can’t explain here. Valerie, go lie down for a bit. I’ll be back shortly. We need a plan.” Alec was about to go down, but Valerie grabbed his arm, hissing urgently.

  “We need to go NOW! He’s getting away. Alec, please!”

  “Sweetheart, we can’t just leave. I must prepare. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone or what I’ll encounter. I must give instructions to Kit. Please pack me a change of clothes.” Alec tried to sound reasonable, but Valerie wasn’t having it. She grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to turn back and look at her.

  “You? How long you’ll be gone? Do you really think you are going alone? I’m coming with you. I won’t lose both of you and just sit here waiting, going crazy. You are not going without me.”

  “Valerie, we have our daughter to think of. We can’t both disappear.”

  “Louisa will stay here with Lou and Kit. She’ll be fine. With any luck, we’ll be back very soon. We’ll just get him and come back. He won’t have gone far.”

  “Bloody hell. Will someone explain?” Kit was quickly losing his patience. He looked from Alec to Valerie, then to Mr. Taylor who appeared in the door of the attic bedroom, a strange object in hand.

  “Kit, we don’t have time for a detailed explanation. Louisa will tell you the rest. Both Louisa and Valerie came from the future, as did Mr. Taylor. The object in his hand is a time-travel device which Finn used to transport himself. I must prepare. I trust you will take care of everything until my return. Please, say nothing to Charles. He doesn’t need to know.” Alec gave Kit a searching look, imploring him to understand and comply with his request, but Kit was looking at Alec the same way he’d looked at his wife a few moments earlier.

  “You expect me to believe that three people have dropped in from the future? You actually believe this?” Kit looked at Alec bewildered. He always found Alec to be a man of sound judgment, so this revelation was about as plausible as Alec suddenly announcing that he came from the moon.

  “Kit, my grandmother came from the twentieth century. I knew of time-travel long before Valerie showed up. Mr. Taylor is a man of science who was able to build a time-travel device. I don’t know why he’s here now, but I don’t have the time to find out. I must prepare and go after my son. Kit, please believe me. You’ve known me long enough to know that I’m as sane as you. Just ask Louisa. I must be going.” With that Alec sprinted down the stairs, followed by Valerie, leaving Kit open-mouthed and stunned.

  “Christopher, they are telling you the truth. I came here to offer them a chance to go back. I felt it was my duty to give them that opportunity before it was too late. You see, it’s because of me that they’re here.” Mr. Taylor looked up at Kit, who was much taller than him, craning his neck, looking for understanding.

  “Too late for what?” asked Kit bemused. “You knew my wife in the future?”

  “I did. Louisa came to me, asking me to help her find her sister. I transported her to the seventeenth century. That’s why I’m here now. I thought she might like to go back.”

  “But she has me and Evie. How can she go back? What are you saying, old man? Are you suggesting that she leave us?” Kit leaned against the wall for support. He was finding all this too much to take in. The strange old man was peering up at him, imploring him to listen.

  “I wasn’t suggesting that she leave you. I was merely offering Louisa and Valerie a chance to return to the future if they wish it.” Mr. Taylor took a step back, watching Kit. “Maybe you should sit down. You don’t look well.”

  “I don’t wish to sit down. I might never get up. So, what happened tonight? Maybe you can explain it before I go question my wife.”

  “It appears that young Finn found the time-travel device and activated it. I don’t know what made him choose that particular year, but he seems to have transported himself. Thankfully, he had the presence of mind to leave the device behind; otherwise, he’d be stranded there, and I would be stranded here. I will give the watch to Valerie and Alec to go in pursuit of their son. They can’t return without it.” Mr. Taylor continued to watch Kit. He thought the man might just hit him, and took another step back just to be on the safe side.

  “And what will you do if they take the device?” asked Kit, his eyes narrowed.

  “I must stay here until they return. There’s no way for me to get back to my time without it. I’ll stay with you, if I may.”

  Kit just glared at the old man. At the moment, he wasn’t feeling very hospitable. He wanted to grab him by his shabby coat and shake him until his anger had abated or the old man’s head flew off, whichever came first. Kit ran down the stairs, suddenly feeling as if he couldn’t breathe. He needed to get outside where things were still as they had been a few hours ago and the world made sense. Kit strode toward the lake, his long legs covering the lawn in record time. He felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach, and kept punching him until he couldn’t take the pain. His brain was on fire, unable to accept what he’d just found out. He wasn’t sure what to address first, so he stomped around the lake, trying to get his thoughts into some kind of order, but the facts just kept coming at him mercilessly, leaving him helpless and devastated.

  Kit felt an actual pain in his heart that squeezed the life out of him with its intensity. His wife had come from the future and withheld the truth from him all this time. He’d trusted her with his heart and soul, but she didn’t trust him enough to be honest with him. All of them had known and treated him like a fool, keeping him in ignorance while they all talked about their past life behind his back. Alec, whom he trusted and loved like a brother, had not seen fit to tell him anything, leaving him to believe that all was as it should be.

  Kit took a deep breath, but the ache in his heart only grew worse. He and Louisa had had plenty of arguments in the past, but he’d never doubted her love for him. They were just minor disagreements that were usually resolved with a few sweet words and a kiss, but not this time. She’d lied to him for years, played him for a fool. They all had. And now she was thinking of going back. Had she even considered him?

  Kit stopped walking and turned to the lake. The pale orb of the moon was reflected in the glassy black surface of the lake, its perfection occasionally marred by floating leaves. Frogs croaked loudly, creating a cacophony of sound that blended seamlessly with the sounds of nature. The muddy smell of the bank was strangely comforting, as was the rustling of leaves in the gentle evening breeze. Kit sat down on the bench, staring at the still water, his mind focused on the day Evangeline was born. The baby had been past term, according to
Bridget, and Louisa was cranky and tired, anxious about the wellbeing of the infant. She paced the house like a wild beast in captivity, wearing out the floorboards and herself. Kit tried to calm her, but nothing worked. Bridget had suggested taking long walks to bring on the labor pains, but the walking didn’t seem to help. Louisa was getting more frustrated by the moment, her agitation spreading through the rest of the house like an illness.

  Kit had been in Alec’s study composing a letter to his sister when Louisa came in. She was so large that she barely fit through the narrow door; her belly arriving a few seconds before she actually entered the room. She had a smile on her face and a look of determination that Kit knew only too well. He laid down his quill, all his attention on his wife.

  “Have the pains started?” Kit asked, rising to his feet. “Is it finally time?” He’d been as eager as Louisa to welcome this baby into the world, but he tried to contain his enthusiasm in order not to upset her further. He hoped it was a son, but a daughter would be just as wonderful. He’d longed to be a father for so long that the anticipation was killing him. Over the past few weeks, he’d had dreams of holding a newborn babe in his arms, waking with a feeling of euphoria until he realized that his arms were still empty.

  “Not yet, but I know something that will help. Will you join me?” She gave him a cryptic smile and left the room, heading for their bedroom. Kit followed obediently, happy to do whatever it took to help. Louisa shut the door behind them, turning to him with a seductive smile.

  “Make love to me – hard.” She was already unlacing her bodice, her eyes never leaving his.

  “Are you mad? It will harm the baby. What kind of man would swive his wife when she’s about to give birth?” He was stunned, but Louisa seemed to be serious.

  “The kind of man who wants to help her go into labor. Now, will you unlace those breeches or do you require help?” She’d already pulled off her bodice and skirt, remaining in her chemise and cotton stockings. Louisa reclined on the bed, pulling the chemise up to her waist. Kit’s breath caught in his throat. She was like a ripe fruit, ready to burst with its sweetness. His traitorous body responded immediately, his cock straining against the fabric of his breeches.

  “Please, Kit. It won’t hurt the baby, and it won’t hurt me. It’s perfectly safe. I need you.” She spread her legs further, the smile never leaving her face. “You know you want to.”

  Kit finally gave in, going to her. It had been a while since they’d made love, and he was as desperate for her as she was obviously for him. He tried to hold back, but Louisa wasn’t having it.

  “Give it to me hard, Kit. Harder.” She was grinding her hips against his, driving him mad with need.

  “Woman, have you gone daft?” he asked, panting as he thrust harder per her request.

  “Stop talking and fuck me, husband,” she answered. That was all it took to break through his reserve. Kit gave her what she wanted, conscious only of the hunger between them, and the feeling of completion when he finally rolled off her, sweating and sated.

  “Was that to your liking, madam?” he asked, looking over at her. Louisa didn’t answer. She was looking down at the wet spot between her legs.

  “My water broke,” she announced gleefully, sliding off the bed. “It won’t be long now.”

  She’d been right. Evie arrived a few hours later, screaming and red, black fuzz covering her little head. Kit’s breath caught in his throat as Bridget placed the swaddled baby in his arms, smiling at his wonder and joy. He’d forgotten all about wanting a son. His daughter was perfect, as was his life.

  Kit rose from the bench and threw a stone into the lake, watching the distorted reflection of the moon as the still surface rippled and rolled. How naïve he’d been. His life wasn’t perfect now. His wife had deceived him, and now she might leave and take his daughter with her. He knew he had rights as a father, but all she had to do was activate the device and just disappear, and all his rights would disappear with her. She’d be gone forever, to a place where he couldn’t follow. Would Alec and Valerie go too, leaving him alone and heartbroken? Kit felt a sudden rage tear his soul as his hurt turned into terrible anger. He spun around and marched back to the house. He wouldn’t be a pawn in this game.

  Chapter 6

  A bitter moon shone down from the heavens, bathing the house in a silvery glow. Finn wasn’t sure what woke him, but he couldn’t go back to sleep even if he tried. He felt his guts twisting with anxiety as he walked to the edge of the wood and stood there, looking at the dark, eerie building. This wasn’t his home, and his family wasn’t inside. He wasn’t hallucinating or imagining things. This was frighteningly real. Finn leaned against a tree, gazing at the silent house. He’d complained of being treated like a child, and now he felt like one. He was scared, confused, and desperate for his parents to make everything all right, but that wasn’t going to happen. He had to think like a man and act like a man. What would his father do in this situation?

  Finn did the only thing he could think of; he began walking toward Jamestown. His only hope was to find Charles, if Charles was still there in his house. What if Charles and his family were gone as well? He’d go to Agnes and Richard if he failed to find Charles, but that would probably be futile. If Charles was no longer there, chances were that Agnes and Richard wouldn’t be either. Richard had set up as a carpenter in Jamestown, using an outbuilding behind the house as a workroom. Finn had visited them once since they got married, but he remembered exactly where their house was. As of now, that was the plan.

  Finn fought waves of nausea, punctuated by pangs of hunger as he ambled down the road in the direction of the town. The moon periodically hid behind clouds, leaving the world dark and cold. The October night was chilly, so Finn walked faster, trying to warm up, praying all the while that Charles would be there. He would help him make sense of things. Charles would know what to do. He always did. Oh, please be there, Charlie, Finn thought as he saw the dark outline of buildings in the distance. Be there.

  Finn’s hopes were dashed as soon as he got closer. The houses began much sooner than he anticipated, many of them made of brick and mortar rather than wood. The street was paved with cobbles, and not the mud that was usually churned by passing wagons and sometimes ankle-deep after rain. Finn stared at the houses that appeared like mushrooms after rain since the last time he’d been to town. Finn passed shops shuttered for the night, and several pubs, disgorging their last customers into the cool air of the night. He heard laughter from an open door as light spilled into the street, two gentlemen stumbling onto the pavement, reeling drunk. Finn desperately wished he was drunk because that was the only thing that could explain what he was experiencing.

  His attention was distracted by loud screams coming from what he thought would be the center of town. The two drunks suddenly perked up, nearly running toward the noise. Finn decided to follow. Charlie’s house was in that direction anyway. More and more people appeared as he drew closer, the light of torches illuminating the odd scene. Several men were dragging something from the house in the square, their faces covered with a sheen of perspiration in the light of the torches. The onlookers roared in approval, yelling something Finn couldn’t understand. He inched closer, trying to get a better look. The thing dragged from the house appeared to be a middle-aged man. His nightshirt billowed in the wind, exposing pudgy white legs as his wife hovered in the doorway, her fist pressed to her mouth as if to suppress a scream. The man was obviously terrified, begging his attackers to let him go. His nightcap fell off his head, instantly trampled by the mob as they followed the procession, still chanting.

  “Go back where you belong, English scum. We have no room for Royalists here.” The men dragged their victim along toward the docks, bystanders trying to kick him as he passed by.

  “You’ll be on the next ship to England come dawn, and don’t try to return. We’ll lynch you if we catch you back here. Give our warmest regards to King Georgie.”

  Finn pressed
himself against the wall as the mob passed him, intent on the pursuit of the hapless man. King Georgie? What happened to King James? Finn turned a corner to put distance between himself and the mob, and trudged along to Charlie’s house. He knew it wouldn’t be there before he even reached the correct address, but he dutifully walked up and down the street, looking at the darkened windows of the houses that hadn’t been there last week.

  Finn began to walk. He had no idea where he was going. Nothing looked familiar. Going to Richard and Agnes was pointless now, so he needed a new plan. Maybe he would go to the docks and see if one of their ships was in the harbor. He knew it was an exercise in futility, but he had to do something, anything. A broadsheet fluttered in the wind, twirling like an autumn leaf, about to land on the ground. Finn snatched it up before it landed in a pile of muck and held it up, trying to read it by moonlight. It said something about Royalists and revolutionaries, but he wasn’t sure what it meant. A date at the top of the sheet caught Finn’s attention. October 2, 1775. Finn stared at the black ink, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. How could it be 1775, and why did that number look familiar?

  Suddenly, Finn felt as if someone punched him in the stomach. The number looked familiar because he’d entered it into the odd object he found. Seventeen rabbits, seven possums, and five foxes. 1775. Finn started to run. He had no idea where he was going, but he couldn’t stop. His heart was hammering in his chest, and hot tears ran down his face, obscuring his vision. He got a stitch in his side, but he continued to run as if a pack of wolves was after him and would tear him to bits if he stopped. He had to keep moving, because if he stopped, he would go mad. Maybe he was mad already. Finn hadn’t even noticed when the town fell behind and the cobblestone street turned into a dirt road, dark and silent. The tree line was barely distinguishable from the inky sky, and there wasn’t a glimmer of light or sign of life anywhere in the distance. Finn lost his footing a few times as he slid on some mud or stepped into a depression in the earth, but he kept running, for stopping would mean having to face the reality of his situation.