Love Lost in Time (Victorian Time-Travel) (21 page)

An hour later,
the duchess came into her room. She walked to Halle and took hold of her hands.

“Miss Chapman, you gave us all such a fright. I’m so relieve
d you are safe now.”

“Thanks to Andrew.”

The older woman smiled and nodded. “He remembered his training from when he was in the military. I’m so proud of him.” She squeezed Halle’s hands. “He must think you are a very special woman. Georgi tells me he charged after you like a man going into battle.”

Heat crept up Halle’s face that had nothing to do with the temperature from the fire.
“I’m glad he thought me important enough to save.”

The older woman released Halle’s hands. “How do you feel? Are you up to coming downstairs and talking with my husband? We are eager to hear about these men who kidnapped you.”

Halle took a deep breath, slowly releasing it. Had Andrew talked with his father yet? The only way she would know would be to go downstairs for their talk.

“Certainly,
Your Grace. I feel up to it now.”

Andrew’s mother turned and patted Georgiana’s ringlets softly. “As for you…you’ve had quite an eventful afternoon. I would like you to go to your room and lie down. We don’t need you getting yourself sick over all of this, now do we?”

Georgi frowned. “No, we don’t.” She turned her eyes to Halle. “When I’m finished resting, let us do something this evening. I am in the mood to play a card game.”

Halle grinned. “That sounds like the perfect ending for our stressful day.”

Georgi hugged Halle again before quitting the room. Halle followed the duchess downstairs and into the sitting room. Both Andrew and his father were there. Andrew stood by the hearth staring into the fire, as the duke sat in his favorite chair.

When she walked in, Andrew swung his head and looked her way. She wanted to ask if he’d had the talk with his father, and tried to communicate with him through her eyes. She switched her attention between him and his father quickly before meeting Andrew’s stare again with a questioned look. Slowly, he shook his head and frowned.

Funny how he could read her so well and knew what she was thinking.

“Sit, Miss Chapman.”
The duke motioned to the sofa. “I must say you look remarkably refreshed now.”

“Yes, I do feel much better.” She sat and Andrew’s mother sat beside her.

“Georgi was so distraught that she couldn’t give us very many details about what happened. She told us that you tried your best to protect her.”

“I did.” Halle nodded. “I was not about to let those two dimwits take Georgiana.” She glanced at Andrew and his eyes were warm with emotion as he watched her.

“Georgi told us,” the duke continued, “that you instructed her to return with the coach and let us know you’d been kidnapped and which way they went.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Actually,” Andrew said, “the driver was able to give me better directions. Georgi was so upset she couldn’t remember half of what happened.”

“Yes, I can imagine she would be.”

“So then,” the Duke of Harrington said as he leaned forward, “what exactly did happen?”

Taking a deep breath, she prayed for guidance on how to tell the story without letting them know it was her very own father who was the ring leader.

As she explained, she took her time and thought of her words before speaking them. She let them know that they weren’t after Georgi…but Halle.

“Pardon me?”
the duke gasped. “Why would they want to take you and hold you for ransom?”

Halle shrugged. “They never told me, my lord. But I think they really didn’t mean to harm me at all—or
Georgi. I think they allowed your daughter to return home because they knew how hysterical she’d be, which would then fuel you and Andrew into action. And I think that’s why they didn’t have any qualms about leaving me there for when Andrew found me.”

“Father,” Andrew said as he moved away from the hearth. “They are making threats against our family. We must put a stop to them immediately.”

The duke glanced at his son, then moved his focus back to Halle. “Did they tell you what they were after?”

She nodded. “They said it was the family treasure. I heard them say they thought it should be
their
treasure, not the Merrick family’s.”

“Were these the men you saw at the party that one night—before you came here?”

“I don’t know, my lord. The men who kidnapped me wore masks. All I could see was the color of their hair. One had brown hair, and one was…um well, almost the color of mine.”

“I have already sent for the magistrate. I hope he will arrive shortly so you can give him a description of these men.”

“I will do all can to help, my lord,” she said.

“
And between your experience, and Andrew’s description of the cottage, I pray the magistrate will be able to find these men soon.”

“One more thing, Father.” Andrew stepped up to his father’s chair and placed his hand on his father’s shoulder. “There was someone
else at the cottage when I arrived.”

“Indeed? Why did you not tell me this before?”

Andrew switched his gaze from Halle, to his mother, then back to his father. “Because I’m not quite certain how it fits in with these men and the kidnapping, but…” He took a deep breath. “Edward was there. He was secretly meeting a lady friend.”

“Oh, dear,”
the duchess gasped and covered her mouth. Her eyes grew round with interest…and yet disappointment.

“Do I dare ask who Edward’s lady friend was?”
the duke asked.

Andrew met Halle’s gaze again. She wasn’t sure…but she had a sneaky suspicion what name Andrew would reveal, and she couldn’t wait much longer for him to say the woman’s name.

Chapter Nineteen

Andrew knew he shouldn’t have said anything, but he worried about was the safety of his family. If Edward wasn’t going to be a man and stand up to help the family, that was his own problem. But Andrew would not cower. He’d
never
cower.

His
hands moistened, anticipating his father’s reaction. Yet he was also fearful of how his father would take the news.

“Father, I believe it was
Lady Agnes…the very lady you told Edward not to propose to until…later.”

His father’s eyes bulged as his face grew red with anger. “You
believe
?” His voice rose as he stood and glared at his son. “Are you saying you do not know for certain the identity of this lady?”

Andrew frowned. “No, I do not know, but I assume—”

“You are going to slander a lady’s name and possibly her reputation just because you
assume
?” His voice turned louder.

Andrew gritted his teeth and held his temper. He hated when his father did this to him. Edward was always the son who could do no wrong—in their father’s eyes. And Andrew was fed up with being treated as if his opinion didn’t matter.

Instead of backing down from the conversation as he’d always done when his father was this irate, Andrew squared his shoulders and glared back at his father. “Yes, I would slander her name and possibly her reputation, especially if it meant getting some answers to why Halle was kidnapped.” He took a deep breath. “Keep in mind that if Halle hadn’t been there with Georgiana, those men could have taken your daughter instead!”

His father narrowed his stare on Andrew; red
blotches still covering his face and neck. Andrew waited for his father to say something, but the older man was quiet as he kept his attention on him.

Finally his father nodded. “What did Edward have to say about all of this?”

“Edward denied knowing Halle was in the cottage…until I found her in a cold and darkened room. I must admit, my brother looked shocked to see her there, so I honestly don’t believe he knew anything about it. Edward arrived just before I did.”

“And what of his lady friend? Was she there?”

“No. Edward mentioned she hadn’t arrived.” He took a deep breath. “But father, it’s too coincidental that Halle was there the very same time Edward was going to meet his lady friend.”

The older man shook his head. “We also cannot jump to conclusions and point a guilty finger without knowing for certain.”

“Yes, but—”

“No buts, Andrew,” his father clipped. “There will not be another mention about Edward’s lady friend. He will need to speak with her to see if she knows anything.”

“Then will you ask him to speak with her?” Andrew questioned. “My brother doesn’t listen to me.”

“Yes, I will have a talk with him.”

He glanced back at Halle who sighed with relief. He, too, felt a little more relieved, but he still needed to speak to his father about the other thing…about the treasure and the tree. Sighing heavily, he looked back at his father. The older man had moved away from Andrew and stood at the window.

“Father? I need to talk with you…in private.”

His sire didn’t move, but only turned his head to peer at him. “About what?”

“Other business…that relates to the threats being made against our family.”

His father switched his attention to Andrew’s mother and gave her a nod. She stood, along with Halle. She gave him a small smile as she followed his mother out of the room, closing the door behind them.

“Pray tell, what was so important you had to speak with me alone?” His father sauntered back to his chair and sat, resting his arms on the armrest as he drummed his fingers against the wood.

“How could other people who are not in our family know about the ancient treasure we’ve had in our possession for so many years?”

His father shook his head. “I don’t know, son. But even my father and his father before him were threatened. Somehow this information gets out.”

“What did my grandfather do to stop these men?” Andrew moved to the sofa and sat, facing his father.

“I was just a lad when it happened. All I know is my father took care of things.”

“Unfortunately grandfather isn’t here to tell us how to stop these madmen, so we need to do it ourselves. Father, they are going to try and kill us, are you aware of that?”

His father’s bushy brows creased as a frown tugged at his mouth. “Why do you say this? What have you heard?”

Closing his eyes, Andrew rubbed his forehead. How could he tell his father…without actually telling him? Indeed, this was not going to be an easy conversation. He exhaled slowly and looked at his father. “Because I know. I’d rather not tell you how exactly I know, but one day a mob will march onto our lands and try to burn our house. They will kill most of us.”

Andrew waited for his father’s expression that would be laced with pity for having a son insane. Yet, the longer he waited in silence, nothing happened as he’d figured.

“I will repeat my question,” his father said. “
How
do you know?”

There was no other way. Andrew must confess… “Because I know about the tree.”

Finally, he received a different expression from his father, but it was one he hadn’t planned on. The other man’s eyes widened and his throat jumped as if he’d taken a hard swallow.

“What do you know about the tree?”

Running his fingers through his hair, Andrew took a deep breath. “I know it’s not a normal tree. I know it’s a device for people to…” Good grief, he couldn’t say it. But he had to…

“To what?”

“To travel to another time,” he answered in a low voice.

His father’s eyes widened even more and he leaned back, steepling his fingers under his chin. The man’s eyes never left Andrew’s.
This was how his father acted for the next several…very long and annoying…seconds. Andrew wanted to shake the man…or say something, but he waited—again—for his parent to speak first.

“How do you know?” his father finally asked in a calm voice.

Andrew breathed a little easier. Apparently his father did know about the tree as Halle had suggested. “Because that is how Halle came to be here.”

Once again, his father
appeared shocked as he rapidly blinked his wide eyes. “Miss Chapman? She is not from our time?”

“No, she is from the future. But Father,” he leaned closer and placed his hand on his father’
s knee, “apparently I go forward in time to when she is alive, because
you
send me there the day our home gets attacked and our family dies.”

The older man slapped a hand over his mouth and jumped to his feet. He paced the small
area between his chair and the window. “Let me understand this correctly. On the day we are attacked, I send you to the tree.”

“Correct.
I think you did that because you thought I could try and stop us from being attacked somehow.”

“And you travel forward in time to Miss Chapman?”

“Correct again.”

He stopped and looked at Andrew. “So then how did she get here?”

Andrew scrambled his mind, trying to remember if she ever told him, but he came up blank. “She never mentioned how she came here…just that she did, and it was through the tree. She thought she was sent to our time so she could help us to protect ourselves from those who attack us.”

“Oh, Andrew…Andrew…” he muttered and shook his head, resuming his pacing. “You don’t understand. Miss Chapman doesn’t understand, either.” His sire stopped and faced him. “We cannot alter time. It
is impossible.”

Andrew’s heart sank and worry clenched his chest so hard it hurt to breathe.
No!
His father couldn’t be right. There must be a way to change history. “But…” He shook his head. “The kidnapping. Halle told me that originally it was Georgiana who was kidnapped. So didn’t we just change history?”

“Not really, son, because there was still a kidnapping.”

Growling, Andrew rose from the sofa and raked both hands through his hair, massaging his scalp. “No…no. Father, I cannot believe. I will
not
accept that. If we can’t alter time, then why was Halle sent here?”

His father stopped his pacing and faced his son. “What are your feelings for this woman?”

Andrew chuckled, although humor was not the emotion. But thinking about his feelings for Halle made his mind whirl…and his heart melt. “When I first met her, I felt connected to her somehow. The more I talked with her, the more interested I became because I knew she was different from most women. But now that I know what a kind, giving, and selfless woman she is, I cannot help but have feelings of love for her.”

“Is this the reason you’re so determined to change history?”

“Yes, and because I don’t want my family killed.”

The older man released a deep sigh as sadness etched his expression. “How I wish I were wrong, but I’m not. There is no way to change history.”

“But, what if you are wrong?”

“I
’m not.”

“How do you know?” Andrew raised his voice in frustration.

Sighing, his father shook his head. “My older brother was in a terrible accident when he was returning from one of society’s functions. The carriage accident killed him.”

Andrew nodded. “I remember you telling me that story.”

“My father never got over the heartache…and confusion. There was no reason for my brother’s carriage to careen out of control down a hillside and plummet into a ravine. So one day my father decided to do something about it. Father knew about the tree…that’s how I was told. Father’s plan was to go back in time and fix things.” He frowned. “It never happened.” He placed his hand on Andrew’s arm. “If our family is to perish, then our fate rests in God’s hands.”

Andrew’s head pounded so hard that it churned his stomach. Frustration built inside
, and he wanted to scream. “Do you expect me to just stand around and do nothing? Forgive me Father, but I cannot do that. I must stop this somehow.”

Ending the conversation, h
e marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him. With every step he took toward his bed chambers, his heart ached that much harder.

There was no way he could give up. Ever!

* * * *

Andrew was suspiciously absent from the evening meal, which worried Halle. But Edward wasn’t. In fact, he looked so chipper she wanted to slap
the smile off his face—in front of his family, no less.

The stress of the day had exhausted her mentally and physically, yet she didn’t want to retire for bed
too soon. There was still a lot that had to be accomplished first. Too many people to talk with…and too many questions needing answers.

But before she could make any plans, she had to talk to Andrew, which meant canceling her time with Georgiana tonight.

Once the meal was finished, she explained to the young girl how today’s adventure had taken its toll on her energy level and she wanted to retire for bed. Thankfully, Georgiana said she was exhausted as well.

Halle said good night to everyone then hurried up toward her room, but then quickly detoured down the other hallway to Andrew’s. She knocked softly and whispered, “Andrew? It’s me.”

Within seconds footsteps resounded on the floor mere moments before the door was opened. Andrew grasped her hand and yanked her inside, closing the door behind them. He looked…terrible. He wore only his white shirt—minus the collar—and it was wrinkled as if he’d been sleeping in it. He wore his trousers, but no socks or shoes. And his hair was messed and sticking up in places.

Lines marred his forehead, around his eyes and mouth. Why was he holed up in here by himself instead of coming to talk to her?

“Oh, Andrew. I just had to come see you—”

Immediately, his arms wrapped around her and he buried his face in her neck. She gasped, but just as soon as the surprise from his quick movement, she sighed and held him tight, closing her eyes. “We are in this together. Don’t forget that.”

He withdrew only enough to look into her eyes. “Then it’s just the two of us. My father will not do anything to help. He doesn’t believe we can change the past…or in this case, the future.”

“I’m assuming he did know about the tree?”

“He knows, but he doesn’t believe we can change the future.”

“He is wrong. We’ll prove him wrong.” She offered a reassuring smile.

“How?”

She stroked the side of his face, wishing she could take all of his worry away. “I’ve been thinking that we need to find
Lady Agnes and talk to her. Just us.”

He scrunched his forehead and stepped back. “Are you jesting? What makes you think she’ll talk to us? And what if Father is correct—that it wasn’t
Lady Agnes at the cottage earlier?”

“Hmm… You do have a point.” She tapped her finger on her chin and walked further into the room. “Then we won’t talk to her. Instead—” she turned and faced him, “we’ll spy on her.” She grinned, liking the idea the longer she pondered it.