Love Lost in Time (Victorian Time-Travel) (2 page)

Chapter One

Gloucestershire, Present Day

“Oh good heavens... Would you look at that?”

Halle Chapman nodded slowly at her friend’s comment, her mind still whirling in amazement.
Mouth agape, Halle gazed upon a sight she’d never seen before except in her dreams. The thirteenth century manor rose majestically from the rolling greenish-brown flat of the surrounding yard and gardens. Earthen stones blended with the towering forest behind the ancient house as though the peaks and angles of the roof were not man made at all, but a natural piece of the landscape.

“Here ye are. Buckland Manor.” The taxi driver pulled to a stop. He climbed out, opened the
doors for his passengers, then moved around back to open the trunk and pulled out the suitcases.

Beside Halle, her friend, Samantha Beck, climbed out
of the taxi. The third in their trio, Colin Reynolds, exited his side. Halle stumbled over her feet as she hurried out of the vehicle. She fixed her gaze on the beautiful manor. How long had she pictured herself at a place like this? Too long to remember, that was for sure.

As a little girl, she loved learning about history, especially England. Her father—a man she’d never met, but kept in touch with through letters—had been here. And disappeared a month ago. Winter break came at the perfect time, and she talked her friends into coming with her to England for a week to find her father.
Now, staring at Buckland Manor gave her a sense of belonging. Of peace. This was where she would find answers.

Serenity filled her as she glanced at the grounds.
The trees were bare and some lightly covered with the snow that had fallen a few days before. Wooden benches and birdbaths stood empty, however most of the trees and walkways were lit with Christmas lights. Off to the side of the manor, a large tree towered over the area like a giant mother protecting her children. Kneeling underneath it, tending to the nearly dead lawn, a man watched Halle and her friends as they collected their luggage and headed toward the manor. He appeared quite handsome, but his skin was paler than she had expected to see for a gardener, and she wondered if he was perhaps sick.

Halle lagged behind a few steps, still taking in everything about the place, but for some reason her gaze kept returning to the man who continued to stare at her. He knelt in the tree’s shade, but
from the distance, his gaze nearly pierced clean through her.

Made u
ncomfortable by his close perusal, she shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her, hurrying to join her friends climbing the stone steps. A waiter and maid in black uniforms trimmed in white cuffs, scurried across the terrace. The cheerful porter with a brown Labrador at his heels, whistled while he tended to some chores, and a gardener trundled his wheelbarrow toward the side of the house.

As Halle and her friends entered the lobby, the
ir footsteps echoed in the spacious room. Against a far wall, the hearth blazed with a strong fire, warming the room considerably. Historic pictures of manors and people hung on every wall framed with authentic gold-leafed wood. They passed a few open doors and Halle couldn’t resist peeking inside. The rooms appeared to be parlors, and immediately she pictured gentlemen wearing black suit jackets and white neck cloths while they sat and awaited their lady-loves to join them. Remarkably, Halle could even picture these imaginary men drinking port and smoking cigars, just like the 19
th
Century gentlemen she’d read about.

“Welcome to Buckland Manor.” A
man with a slight dusting of gray in his hair smiled warmly, greeting them from behind the check-in counter.

Colin set his luggage down and rested his arm on the tall countertop. “Hey dude, we’re here on vacation and we have a reservation.”

The older man raised a bushy eyebrow and gave a stiff nod. “You may address me as Nigel,” he said in a snarky tone.

“Nice to meet you, dude.” Colin put forth his hand in greeting.
“We’re from the United States.”

Halle almost laughed out loud. Of course the man knew they were Americans. Not only did they dress differently, but they talked with American accents. If they were from England, they would have said they were on
holiday.

The man behind the front desk shifted his gaze between Colin’s face and his hand for a few awkward moments before rolling his eyes. He ignored Colin’s outstretched hand and proceeded to check them in.

It didn’t take long before porters showed them to their rooms. Halle hurried inside and closed the door behind her. Letting out a squeal of delight, she launched into the air and landed on her bed. She hugged the throw pillow and grinned. This was such a dream come true and only promised to get better.

She rushed through unpacking, anxious to tour the grounds. Immediately, her mind
returned to the man by the tree. What was it about him that made her thoughts go to him? He didn’t really give her an evil glare. In fact, the way he looked at her was like he knew her, which was impossible. Unless…

She stopped and gazed out the window. Maybe the man knew her father and had seen a picture of her at one time. How she hoped she would find someone who knew something.

Once she placed the last garment in the wardrobe, a knock came at the door. “Come in.”

Colin and Samantha entered, each wearing a grin almost as wide as the room.

“Are you ready?” Colin stepped ahead and glanced around. “Get a load of this. Your room is bigger than mine.”

Halle laughed and studied her reflection in the mirror as she fluffed her hair and checked her make-up. “Oh, I’m sure our rooms are the same size, but with different furnishings it probably
just looks bigger.”

“I don’t know,” Samantha whined from the bathroom. “My room doesn’t have a je
tted tub.”

“What?” Halle tore away from the mirror and entered the spacious bathroom. “Wow! This is awesome. I’ll never want to leave this place.”

“I thought the inn would give us that feel of being back in time.” Samantha tilted her head and her long, blonde hair streaked with dark brown strands fell over her shoulder. “So far all that makes me think I’ve gone back in time is looking at the pictures on the walls.”

“Hey, did you read the inn’s pamphlet?” Colin picked one
up as he passed by Halle’s bed. “It says that on Friday there will be a costume party that evening. We get to dress up like people from the Victorian age and the festivities will be centered around the mid 1800’s.” He glanced in the mirror on the wall, running his fingers through his deep brown hair. “Do you think I’ll pass as a Victorian dude?”

Halle snorted a laugh. “Not if you keep talking like you’re still in high school.”

Samantha barked out a laugh and Colin nudged her with his elbow, and scowled.

“I wonder
,” Halle continued, “if there’s a place in town where we can rent some costumes.” She picked up her purse and grabbed her room key. “Let’s take a tour around the estate and ask questions. I’m sure someone will know.”

“We still have four more days. What’s the rush?” Samantha asked.

Halle faced her friend. “The rush is that we don’t want to wait until the last day to get the costumes, only to find out there are none left.”

“Fine.” Samantha flipped a hand through the air.

They exited the room and wandered around each floor. Halle tried to imagine what it would have looked like in 1800. She majored in Architectural History in college, and she thrived on reconstructing houses to look like they did back in those days. She was lucky enough to land the perfect part time job while still in school—decorating with antiques.

On the main floor they found the library, stocked with books as well as DVD’s. She smiled
, wondering what the Victorian people would have thought about the future’s form of entertainment. Instead of reading a book, having friends over for tea, or holding a ball, people could read things from the Internet and become just as educated.

Halle slowed as they reached the dining
room. It was so very long and spacious. The table and chairs in this room were definitely antiques, and she smiled in awe of the place. There were several walnut stained hand-carved chairs with stitchery-cushioned backs and seats. In one room, there was a pianoforte; the wood and keys were very old, and it was roped off from anyone to touch.

If she closed her eyes right now she could picture what it was like to live here...to be the lady of the manor and be in charge of
a dinner party. Friends from all around would come, and the manor was large enough to hold them all.

Sighing dreamily, she realized she’d been born in the wrong era. She could have lived in the 1800’s and loved every minute of it. She might
have had parents who stayed married…and who didn’t die so early in life.

Sadness pierced her heart
as she stepped outside with her friends. Slowing her footsteps, she placed her hand to her chest and frowned. Her mother had died too early, and her father…she had never met face-to-face.

Colin stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. His brown eyes narrowed and he frowned. “Hal, are you all right?”

After taking a deep breath, she nodded. “I’m fine. Just feeling nostalgic right now. And is it any wonder?” She glanced around the yard, from the bush by the tree, to the birdbath waterfall, then to the rolling acres of manicured lawns. “My mother would have loved this place. It’s…like heaven.”

Samantha
placed a gentle, comforting hand upon her arm. “I’m sure your mom would have been very happy about you coming here.”

Halle chuckled and hugged Samantha. “Not if she knew I was coming to
find my father and meet him face to face.”

She tucked her hand
through her friend’s elbow as they turned to walk around the side of the manor. Immediately, the sickly gardener with the piercing eyes appeared carrying a bag of dirt. He stopped quickly as if trying not to run into her. His eyes widened before scanning over her in a slow perusal.

His deep blue eyes held her attention.
For a moment, she thought his age younger than what she’d originally guessed. But the gray tones of his skin, and his thinning hair made her believe he was a middle-aged man. So then why did his eyes appear younger? Seeing him this close, she could tell he’d once been very handsome. Black hair waved down past his ears, and his face held a day’s stubble.

Slowly, he nodded as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. A twinkl
e lighted his eyes. “Good day, Miss.”

“Thank you. I believe it’s a perfect day.”

He set the bag of dirt by his feet and straightened to a good head and half taller than her. He swept his hair off his forehead. “I hope you and your friends enjoy your stay here.”

“Oh, I’m
sure we will, thank you again, sir.” She glanced away from him only long enough to see Samantha and Colin heading around the back of the house. Meeting his stare, she smiled. “If you’ll excuse me—”

“Pardon me.” He gently placed his hand on her arm.

Instead of frightening her, a strange warmth crept up her limb.               “Yes?”

“I fear I’m at a loss for words. I feel as if I know you, but I don’t recall how or where we have met before.”

She nearly melted. Not from his words, but his accent. Gads, how she loved a man with an accent and deep voice...sounding as if he walked right out of the pages of a Victorian romance. True, men in the stories she read were much younger than this one, but still, there was something about him that made her heart skip a beat.

“Well, I don’t think you know me since I’ve only been to England one other time
. I didn’t stay long, and I didn’t stay here. Have you been to America, perhaps?”

“No.” Sadness touched his eyes, and they lost the spark she noticed a moment ago.

“By chance, do you know a man by the name of Will Chapman? He is my father, and a month ago, he was here at this manor.”

“I fear I cannot recall being introduced to a man with that name.”

She frowned and shrugged. “Well, then I suppose we don’t know each other.”

“Will you be so kind as to introduce yourself anyway?”

“Sure. I’m Halle Chapman.”

His smile returned and he gave her a small bow.
Dreamily, she sighed softly.
What a gentleman!

“I’m Drew Merrick.”

Should she shake his hand? Usually the men offer their hand first, but it was as if her hand had a will of its own and reached for his. Quickly, he withdrew his glove and placed his palm against hers in a warm handshake. Warm, calloused, fingers swept across her skin, stirring a strange feeling inside her.

“Hal? Are you coming?”

She glanced at Samantha, who looked irritated to think Halle would talk to this man. She nodded. “Coming.” After stepping back, she shrugged. “I guess I better catch up with my friends.”

“Of course.” He nodded. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Chapman.”

“And I was happy to meet you as well, Mr. Merrick.” She took a step to leave, then remembered the question she’d had on her mind earlier. “Oh, before I go, can I ask you a question?”