Across the Winds of Time (12 page)

Darius chuckled, and his blue eyes twinkled.

“Do not fret, Molly. I am in good health. I have eaten from the surrounding crops and roots from the garden.” He blushed. “I will admit to sniffing some of the orange cat’s food that was left out for him, but the smell was quite distasteful.”

“The cat’s food?” I dropped my hands to my lap and began to giggle helplessly. “Oh, Darius! Surely not the cat’s food!”

“Yes, well, I was not certain what the ingredients were, so I opted to let it be. I do not know how the cat eats that nonsense, but he seems to enjoy it.”

I stopped my guilty laughter and studied Darius’s face. On closer examination, he did look a bit leaner around the face than when I’d seen him last.

“I’m so sorry, Darius,” I murmured. “Drink your hot chocolate, and I’ll see if there’s anything to eat.”

Either he was homeless or one of us was a lunatic. I hoped it wasn’t me—and I sincerely hoped it wasn’t him.

Darius picked up his cup and took a sip. I was halfway to my feet to find something for him to eat when he began to sputter and cough.

“Good gravy! What is this? Did you say it was hot chocolate?” He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand and peered into his cup.

“Yes. Instant hot chocolate.” I sat down again and eyed him narrowly.

“Well, it is positively dreadful. Instant, you say? What does that mean?”

“Instant. Ready made. Just pour it into a cup of hot water.” My foot began to tap. Sara would have told him that was a bad sign. Beggars really shouldn’t be choosy, I fumed.

“But where is the milk?”

“I don’t have any. I just moved in. I haven’t been to the store. I don’t have an
icebox
.” I arched an eyebrow as I glared at him. “You’re only supposed to mix this with water, not milk.”

“Oh, dear. I think I had better show you how to make a proper cup of hot chocolate...with milk and chocolate.”

“I told you.” I frowned. “I don’t have milk—or chocolate.”

He sat back in his seat and nodded, an irritating half smile on his face.

“When you get them, of course.”

“What if I don’t want to get them?” I dug in my heels...figuratively—hardly willing to reveal at this point that I wasn’t overly fond of instant hot chocolate either.

From the gleam in his eye, Darius seemed to be aware of my irritation, but he was not intimidated.

“Well, if you want a proper hot chocolate, you will get them.”

“Why don’t
you
get them?” Hah! I had him now—the arrogant man!

“I do not know that I can get down to the market.”

“Oh, really? And why is that?”

“Well, because I might very well be a ghost for all we know. I am unsure of what will happen if I try to go to the store.”

I pointed triumphantly. “That’s right. You probably
are
a ghost! So, you probably shouldn’t be telling me how to make hot chocolate, should you?”

Darius smirked. There were no other words to describe his expression.

“But why would I not tell you if you are making it wrong?”

“Because...Because...” I paused and gulped down a sip of my lukewarm, suddenly awful-tasting hot chocolate. “Because you’re a guest in my house, that’s why!”

Darius grinned and inclined his head. “You are right, of course. I am a guest in your house, and I have been rude.”

I gave a satisfied nod.

“Except...”

I shot him a glare. Would the man not give in?

“It is also
my
house.”

I sputtered and dropped my cup with a clatter on the glass top.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” I wagged my finger. “This is
my
house. I bought it. It’s mine.”

Darius tipped his head.

“It is
our
house, then. As it was always meant to be.”

I bit my lip. He wasn’t
exactly
wrong about that. It really was his house. I don’t think he sold it willingly.

“Well...” I pursed my lips and refused to say more.

“Molly?” He leaned forward to peer into my face.

“What?” I leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms and watched him through narrowed eyes.

“I am not your father. You do not need to glare at me so crossly. Is it
our
house?”

I tapped my slippered feet.

“What would that involve...exactly?”

Darius flashed white teeth and tilted his head in my direction in the most charming way.

“I am not sure. I could stay as long as I wanted?”

I gasped.
Stay here? With me?
Be careful what you wish for, I thought. Perversely, I pressed my lips together and shook my head in mute silence.

“Hmmm... I see your point. That might prove to be inconvenient for you.” Darius crossed his arms and tapped a finger against his lips in mock thought. “I can stay as long as
you
want?”

I gave him a dubious look.

Darius chuckled. “That is better. We are making progress. You did not shake your head this time. What if I promise to help you restore the house? Can I stay? Surely, you do not want me wandering about that cemetery at all hours of the night, do you?” His feigned look of injury was irresistible.

I burst into laughter, unable to hold back the image of handsome Darius with his golden chestnut waves haunting the cemetery at night.

“I can just see it now,” I choked out between peals of giggles. “The ladies of the town will line up to come see you and bring you cookies.”

Darius joined my laughter. “And why would they do that?”

“Because you are
so handsome
,” I gasped as I recovered my breath. “Who could resist you?”

A bright red flush bested the tan on Darius’s face, and he dropped his gaze. He picked up his mug and took a sip of his hot chocolate.

“Stuff and nonsense.” He put a hand over his mouth to cough, and my heart melted at his embarrassment. I changed the subject.

“So, what do you mean you’ll help me rebuild the house?”

“Well, if you can provide the materials, I will...em...freshen it up, strengthen its weak spots, shore it up for another hundred years.”

“Can you do that?” The image of this nineteenth-century man entangled in the cords of modern power tools and electrical wiring alarmed me.

“Of course, I can. I am a builder. I built the house, did I not? It is still standing, is it not? Though in sad repair, I must say.” He gazed around the shabby ivy wall-papered kitchen.

“The current owners said they didn’t have money to put into repairs. They haven’t lived here since they left home to marry. Their parents lived here until they passed away—probably about 20 or 30 years ago, but I understand they did no modernization.”

“Well, that is it then! The house just needs to be taken care of, and I will see to it.”

“Can you handle modern building supplies, electrical wiring, plumbing? I’m having some people come in a few days to upgrade the wiring and plumbing, but you would still have to deal with those upgrades.”

Darius waved a dismissive hand. “It should not be a problem.”

I gave him a skeptical look.

“Well, I don’t doubt that you can refurbish the house you built, but I wonder if you won’t have some difficulties.”

“I am up to the task,” he said in a self-assured tone.

“And where do you plan to sleep? Umm, that is...do you sleep?” I bit my lip and dropped a nonchalant gaze to my now empty cup.

“Yes, I do seem to need sleep. I have been sleeping in a corner of the living room. Not very comfortable on the floor, I might add. I should have used softer pine flooring instead of the hard oak, but little did I know I would require it for a bed.” The twinkle in his eyes matched his lop-sided grin.

I sobered up and swallowed a lump in my throat. How could I have left him so...alone? How could I have abandoned him without resources?

“You can take the couch for now. I don’t have an extra mattress or I’d let you have the spare bedroom upstairs.”

A thought struck me. Cynthia and Laura were coming to pick me up in the morning.

“Can other people see you?” I asked hastily.

Darius chewed on his lower lip for a moment and shrugged.

“I do not know. I thought it best to wait in the shed out back when the men came in the large conveyance to deliver your furnishings. This is a new experience for me.”

“Well, the previous owners of the house—who are actually relatives of yours, by the way—are coming to pick me up in the morning. Just in case, I think you should... uh... not be seen, however you can manage that.”

“Ah!” he nodded. “Certainly! I will hide in a closet if need be. And who might my relatives be?”

“Cynthia and Laura. Let’s see. I think they are your—great-great-grand nieces. Something like that.”

“Really! How fortunate. I still have family,” he beamed. “I would love to meet them.”

“No!” I barked. “Absolutely not! It’s bad enough that one of us is crazy. I’d really rather not have them think that both of us are.”

“Crazy...” He fingered his mustache thoughtfully. “I do not believe that
I
am crazy,” he stated with a thumb pointed toward his chest.

“Well,
I’m
not either, so there!”

“Exactly!”

“Fine!” I grabbed the mugs and jumped up to put them in the sink. “The only food I have to eat right now is some fruit and oat bars that I brought along on the trip. I haven’t been to the store yet. Do you want one?”

“Certainly. I’ll admit to being famished.”

I grabbed several out of a box on the counter and handed them to him. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything else. Will that be enough?”

“Yes, this looks...delicious.” Darius bent his head to study the package. He pulled it apart successfully and tasted the bar. I watched with apprehension. Would he like it? Had we been in the big city, I could have run to an all-night grocery store, but I seriously doubted Lilium had any such thing. At any rate, had I been in a big city, I probably would not have met Darius.

He smiled broadly and bit it into it. I relaxed. He seemed to like it. At least, he wouldn’t starve for tonight. I had no idea what the future would hold.

“This is excellent,” he pronounced with another bite.

Aware of a desperate need to separate myself from him at the moment to sort out my racing thoughts yet hating to be away from him for even a moment, I surprised myself by announcing I was going to bed.

“So, I’ll leave out an extra pillow and blanket for you.” I bit my lip. “Do you need those? Do you get cold?” I wrapped my arms around myself and fought off a shiver of my own. “I don’t know...”

Darius rose. “A blanket and pillow would be lovely, thank you, Molly. Right now, I am feeling all of the urges I knew when I lived. Thirst, cold, hunger...” He tilted his head with a brazen smile and directed a pointed look at me. I caught my breath and turned away.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with Sassy wandering around. She’s a night owl, and I don’t usually let her in my bedroom.”

Darius chuckled. “She and I will do fine. And the orange cat?”

“Oh, yes, Marmaduke. At least, that’s what I call him. I don’t know how he’ll settle in the house at night. He might want to go outside where he’s used to living. For a while anyway. He’s going to be fixed next week.”

“Fixed?”

“Neutered?”

“Good gravy! Why would you do that to him? He seems such a fine fellow.”

“Because he doesn’t need to be getting all the female cats in the neighborhood pregnant.”

I watched as Darius’s face colored again. He pressed his lips together and dropped his gaze to studiously examine the fruit bar in his hand.

“I see.”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry.” I bit my tongue—and it hurt. “That’s probably not a word you all used that often back then, was it? What did you used to call it? Expecting? In the family way?”

Darius coughed behind his hand. “I am sure
I
never had occasion to use the term at all.” He mumbled and turned away but swung back almost immediately. “I was wondering...”

I waited, but he seemed to be struggling for words.

“Well, that is...I was wondering if I might borrow a towel?”

“What? You want to take a bath?” I stared at him.

“Well, it has been...em...some time since I bathed. It did not seem to matter when I was alone. Rinsing my face and hands with plain cold water can only do so much. As long as I am up and about, as it were, I would like to be presentable. And since I am near you...” His eyes twinkled again.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—or throw myself into his arms and offer to wash his hair.

“I-I...I never thought of it.” I shoved my hands deeper into my robe pockets. “Do you
feel
dirty?” I reddened at the unfortunate wording. “I mean...does it feel like you haven’t bathed in...what?...a hundred and thirty years?”

Before I knew what was happening, Darius moved to stand beside me, his face only inches from mine.

“What do you think? Do I smell as if I need a bath?”

I would have jumped back except that I was pressed up against the sink with nowhere to go. I closed my eyes against his penetrating gaze, and inhaled. He smelled of the outdoors—like freshly mowed grass...with a hint of sweet chocolate on his breath.

“Ummm...no, you don’t smell like you need a bath, but you’re welcome to one.” I pushed past him and hurried into the living room. “I’ll just get the towel, blanket and pillow for you,” I called over my shoulder as I tripped up the stairs, willing my erratically beating heart to slow down.

I ran into the bathroom, scooped up my discarded clothes from the floor and tidied a bit before grabbing a clean towel out of the moving box and setting it on top. Did he need a razor? Did ghosts shave? I shuddered, and dived back into the box to pull out a disposable razor and shaving lotion, placing them by the towel.

Then I headed to my bedroom, found a spare blanket and pillow in another box, and carried them downstairs.

“Your cat...Sassy, is it?...and I are getting along just fine.”

And indeed the independent feline, who accepted only the occasional odd caress from me, luxuriated on Darius’s lap as he sat on the incongruous modern orange sofa. A fierce whirring could be heard from Sassy’s general direction as Darius stroked her ears.