A World Apart (The Hands of Time: Book 3) (10 page)

Louisa Whitfield bit her lip in concentration as she composed the note.  It had to be just right; not pleading and not overly demanding.  She just wanted to meet Tom one more time before Charles took her home the following day.  Just one more kiss was all she wanted.  She smiled to herself, hoping it would be more than a kiss.  Her whole body quivered every time she remembered Tom’s fingers probing her so skillfully.  She folded the note and slipped it under her pillow before saying her prayers and climbing into bed.  She would pass the note to Tom at breakfast. 

Louisa closed her eyes,
replaying that afternoon’s encounter.  She shyly slid her hand into her nightdress, cupping her breast and running a thumb over her nipple.  It didn’t feel the same, but it was nice, so she closed her eyes, picturing Tom’s face.  She felt a strange sensation between her legs as she continued caressing her breast.  What would it feel like to do what he had done?  Would God punish her for being so wicked?  He probably would, but Louisa was too curious to stop now.  She slowly moved her hand down, sliding it between her legs.  She tried to imitate what Tom had done.  It felt new and exciting, and oh so good.  She heard a noise outside and abruptly yanked her hand back, afraid of being caught.  What she was doing had to be wrong.  Men and women copulated to produce babies, so their union was blessed, but what she was doing was surely a sin.  Besides, she wanted Tom to do it.  She patted the note under her pillow and tried to sleep.  Tomorrow was another day.

**

Louisa purposely chose a seat facing the window as she entered the parlor with her work basket.  Annabel was already there, surrounded by a pile of garments that needed mending.  Louisa couldn’t concentrate on embroidering her chemise, so she offered to help Annabel with her sewing, choosing one of Harry’s gowns.  He still wore a long frock since he just turned one and wouldn’t be allowed to wear breeches until he was fully toilet-trained and able to tie and untie the laces on his own.  He was so sweet with his golden curls and blue eyes.  Did Tom look like that when he was a child?  Louisa allowed her mind to drift while she carefully mended the torn hem, looking up at the window periodically.  What if he read the note but decided not to come? 

Louisa finally
spotted Tom in the garden and laid down her sewing, craning her neck to get a better look.  She smiled sweetly at Annabel’s look of surprise as she rose from her seat and nearly ran into the garden, going straight for the hedge. Tom came at just the right time, well before Annabel left to put Harry down for his nap.  Louisa rounded the hedge, her heart beating wildly with anticipation.  Tom stopped his pacing and smiled at her, pulling her into his embrace. 

“I couldn’t resist
your summons.  I was tormented by dreams of you last night,” he whispered into her ear as he kissed her urgently, his hands cupping her buttocks.  Louisa leaned into him, moving her hips against his, enjoying the sensation of his manhood hard against her pelvis.  She pulled down her bodice slightly, pushing his head down to her breasts.

“Good God in Heaven!  What’s all this?”  Annabel appeared behind the hedge, her face frozen in a mask of horror.  “Louisa
, cover yourself this instant, and you…”  She was shaking with anger, her normally pale cheeks blazing with color.  “How dare you touch her, you scoundrel?  She’s naught but a girl.  Louisa, go in the house this minute.  I would have a word with my brother in private.” 

Annabel scarcely looked
at Louisa as the girl ran past her, so she didn’t see the satisfied smile that lit up her face.  Her plan had worked perfectly.  Now all she had to do was wait for Annabel to tell Uncle Charles.  She ran to her room and fell onto her bed, gleeful as only a fourteen-year-old girl could be. 

Kit led the horses out of the stable, letting them graze at will.  In the past, he would have given them some oats, but oats were in short supply and were to be saved for people.  He’d muck out the stalls, then see to the rest of the livestock.  Help was scarce these days.  With Alec and Valerie gone, and Louisa caring for the baby, only Minnie and Bridget were on hand to help.  Minnie had already milked the cows and taken the milk to the springhouse, and Bridget was last seen collecting eggs.  She looked pale in the early light of the morning, circles under her eyes.  Louisa had mentioned that Bridget had been unwell, but this was the first time Kit had noticed for himself.  He offered to collect the eggs, urging Bridget to go get some breakfast and a hot drink.  She argued for a while, but eventually relented, thanking him profusely.  Kit didn’t mind the work.  It gave him something to do, especially since his mind was in a whirl. 

He was still coming to terms with Louisa’s revelations, trying to reconcile himself to the idea that his wife had lived four hundred years in the future.  How was such a thing even
possible?  He asked her endless questions about life in the twenty-first century, grappling with the pictures her words painted.  The things she described just seemed like fantastical fairy stories; products of a fertile imagination. He was mesmerized by descriptions of mechanical contraptions used to transport people at incredible speeds, and the notion of being able to use something called a “telephone” to speak to someone miles away.  It was like magic. 

However, what Kit found less than magical was the morality of the twenty-first century.  Louisa informed him that young men and women began “dating” once they reached their teenage years
, and were frequently intimate with each other without the benefit of marriage.  Women had children out of wedlock and were still respected and accepted by society, while men openly lived with numerous women without offering them their name or protection, not even if the women became pregnant with their offspring.  The concepts of honor and duty had been entirely done away with, replaced with selfishness and indifference.  Kit didn’t think he’d like to live in such a world, no matter how technologically advanced it was. 

Kit was polite to Frederick Taylor, but secretly wanted to strangle the man.  Why did he have to drop into their lives, bringing such unexpected
troubles?  He wished the man would just go away, but of course, he couldn’t go back without his time-travel device.  At least he made himself scarce, exploring the estate and chatting to Cook while she worked.  He seemed to feel more comfortable in the kitchen, not that Kit blamed him.  He was the source of all this trouble, and he knew it.

Kit’s thoughts were constantly on Alec and Valerie, and especially Finn. 
Where was the boy?  They hadn’t come back in a week, so things weren’t looking good.  The longer they were gone, the fewer chances of finding Finn.  Kit sighed, attacking the stall with renewed vigor.  He was sweating profusely, his boots covered with muck, and his hair falling into his face.  He’d need to clean up before he went back into the house.  Louisa was fanatical about hygiene, especially since Evie was born.  He smiled thinking of his daughter.  She’d smiled at him when he held her that morning, something she’d never done before.  He couldn’t wait for her to start walking and talking.  They would have many adventures together, just father and daughter.

The sound of hoo
ves pounding dry earth distracted Kit from his thoughts, as he left the pitchfork leaning against the wall of the stable and came out into the chilly morning air.  His heart leaped with joy at the thought of it being Alec and Valerie, but his hopes were quickly dashed when he made out the figure of Charles driving the trap with little Louisa seated beside him, holding on for dear life.  Charles was driving like a madman; his hat jammed onto his head, his hair flying in the wind.  The grim set of his mouth only confirmed Kit’s suspicions that something was terribly wrong. 

The trap came to an abrupt halt in front of the house as Charles jumped down, dragging Louisa with him. 
He’d never known Charles to be angry with his niece.  He doted on her, teasing her and making her smile as he called her “petal”.

“Where is my brother?”
Charles snarled at Kit, pulling Louisa into the house.  Kit forgot all about his dirty boots and followed them inside, anxious to see what all the fuss was about.

Mrs. Dolly and Bridget were already in the hall, gaping at Charles as he pushed Louisa into the parlor, motioning for Kit to follow.  Charles slammed the door
shut, turning to Kit. “Where is my brother?  I urgently need to speak to him.”

“Charles, you know Alec is not here.  Can I help?”  Kit looked over at Louisa, who sat demurely in a chair, her eyes downcast,
a small smile playing on her lips.  She didn’t seem overly upset or worried.  What had gotten Charles so worked up?

“You can tell me what to do with his daughter, who has
dishonored herself with my brother-in-law.  I’d like to have the foolish pup whipped for what he’s done, but I wanted to consult Alec first.  She’s his daughter, so he should mete out the punishment.”  Charles was pacing the room, covering the space between the unlit hearth and the door in a few strides, then retracing his steps.

“Can you tell me what
happened?”  Kit turned in relief as his wife entered the room, her eyes full of anxiety.  She’d handed over the baby to Bridget, who could be seen in the doorway, peering into the room; her eyes round with curiosity. 

“Charles, what’s happening?  Louisa, are you all right?”  The girl just nodded, refusing to meet her aunt’s eyes.

“It seems my sweet little niece has been playing the whore to Tom.  She’s been meeting him behind a hedge in the garden, permitting him unspeakable freedoms.  Annabel caught them at it yesterday afternoon but didn’t tell me until this morning.  I think she was afraid of my reaction.  Well, she had every right to be.  Tom denies any wrongdoing, but I think the evidence speaks for itself.  She’s been despoiled, and something must be done.” 

Kit never imagined Charles being this upset about anyone being deflowered, but he supposed this was different.  Louisa was just a child, not yet fifteen.  Her chances of a good marriage would be forever ruined if anyone found out about this
transgression.  There could be consequences.  Maybe she was already with child. 

“Wait a minute,” his wife stepped in.  “I would like to speak with my niece.  In private,” she spat out.  “Please leave us.  Charles, go to the kitchen and have a cup of ale.  You seem
in need of it.  Kit, make sure he doesn’t kill anyone.”  With that, Louisa pushed them out the door, turning to her niece.

“Sweetheart, are you hurt?”  The girl shook her head, still not looking at her aunt.
  Her hands were demurely folded in her lap, but she didn’t seem hurt or scared.

“Did he seduce you?
  I’ll personally rip his bollocks off if he did anything to hurt you.”  Louisa now took over Charles’ pacing route.  “The cad.  The absolute cad.”

“Aunt Lou, Tom
didn’t do anything to hurt me,” she said miserably.

“
What exactly did Annabel see?”

“She saw him kissing me behind the hedge.  My bodice was not exactly covering my bosom,” replied Louisa.

“Exactly how much of it was actually covered?” asked her aunt, already guessing at the truth.

“
Not very much.”

“Did he touch you anywhere else, Louisa?”  Having a teenage daughter was apparently difficult in any age, not just in the modern world. 

“Just a little, but only with his hand.  Aunt Lou, Charles fell in love with Annabel when she was fifteen, so I thought we could be betrothed for a while before we married.  I know father would never allow me to be wed at fourteen, but maybe by sixteen.  Where is father, anyway?”

“Your parents are not here at the moment.  Uncle Kit and I w
ill have to sort this out.”

“What will happen
, Aunt Lou?  Charles wouldn’t let me speak to Tom before he dragged me off this morning.  I don’t know how he feels.  He hates me, most like.”  The girl began to cry, wiping her eyes with a hanky that she pulled out of her sleeve.

“What reason would he have to hate you?  He’s the one to blame for this mess.  He’s eighteen.  He should have known better.”  Louisa realized just how ridiculous that sounded.  What eighteen-year-old boy said no to some kissing and groping behind a hedge?  Her
niece was beautiful.  With her dark curls, amber-colored eyes, and pouty lips, she would be desired by any young man, especially in a place where there weren’t many young women to choose from. 

“Sweetheart,
why don’t you go up to your room while I deal with Uncle Charles?  He seems more distraught than you are,” added Louisa with a chuckle, going across the hall to the kitchen, where Charles was nursing a cup of ale, glaring at Kit balefully.

“Charles, it seems nothing happened.  Louisa is
young and foolish, but she’s still a maid.  I think poor Tom deserves an apology.”  Louisa accepted a cup of ale as she sat down across from Charles.

“It’s too late for that,” said Charles quietly.

“What do you mean?”  Kit and Louisa stared at Charles.

“I mean that I lost my temper.  Several neighbors heard me
shouting at Tom and saw me dragging Louisa from the house.  The only thing that can save her from ruin is a betrothal.  Otherwise, her reputation will be in shreds.  Alec wouldn’t forgive me that.  With him not here, I’m her closest male relative.  She will have to marry Tom, which is what she wanted in the first place, I think.  I had no idea she’d grown into such a sneaky little minx.”  Charles drained his cup and slammed it onto the table.  “I must go face my wife, her father, and the reluctant bridegroom.”

“Charles, surely that isn’t the only option.  They both swear nothing happened.”  Louisa looked from Charles to Kit, who was rubbing his stubbly jaw. 

“Louisa, I’m afraid Charles is right.  The truth doesn’t really matter.  What matters is what people believe the truth to be.  If people believe that something untoward occurred between Tom and Louisa, her reputation will be ruined.  In a community as small and tight as Jamestown, everyone will know within the hour.  Louisa will be shunned and ridiculed, her chances of a good marriage forever destroyed.  Alec and Valerie wouldn’t want that.  We must have them betrothed as soon as possible.”  Kit put his hand on Louisa’s arm, but she yanked it away.

“You must be joking.  She is fourteen
.  This could only lead to disaster.  I can’t believe you’re in favor of this, Kit.”  Louisa stormed out of the kitchen.  This was ridiculous.  Valerie would crucify them all when she got back for allowing this to happen.  Damn Frederick Taylor for showing up on their doorstep.  None of this would have happened had Finn not disappeared.

**

Louisa was still raging when Kit came into the room a half-hour later, cleaned up and carrying Evie.  He handed the baby to Louisa, then sat down on the bed, watching as she unlaced her bodice, putting the baby to her breast. 

“You look murderous,” he said softly.  “I was only stating the
obvious.”

“
And what if this was Evie?  Would you be so calm and rational?” Louisa demanded, still angry.

“Evie is an infant.  I can’t
even conceive of her lying with someone, but I suppose I’d want to do whatever it took to protect her future and reputation.  Louisa made her bed, my sweet.  At least if she is truly still a maid, there’s no need to rush to the altar.  They can announce their betrothal and wait for Alec and Valerie to come back.”

Louisa wasn’t even sure why she was so angry.  She knew that what Kit was saying was right. 
Kissing and touching might be perfectly acceptable for teens in the modern world, but here it was as good as actually having intercourse.  It didn’t matter that her niece was still a virgin.  She was now tainted, and the only thing that could save her was a marriage to the man who despoiled her.  Louisa had made her bed, and now she would have to lie in it with an unwilling husband, who might be full of resentment and anger.  She didn’t envy the girl.  On the other hand, Tom should have known better, so he had no right to blame anyone. 

Louisa sighed.  She was thinking with her twenty-first century brain, but Charles and Kit weren’t.  They knew the reality.  Louisa only wished they could wait for Alec and Valerie
to return.  It didn’t seem right to make a decision of such magnitude without them.