The Time Keeper (The Guardians of Time Book 1) (12 page)

The walls of the hallway were covered in sheets of drawing paper, each of them depicting some kind of building, drawn in minute detail.  Emilia smiled when she got to the last piece of paper at the far end of the hallway.  She instinctively reached out and ran the tips of her fingers lightly over the pencil drawing of Seeworth Manor.  It was beautifully done, a perfect portrayal of the stately house they’d visited just last week.

‘I forgot about those,’ Seb said, his voice carefully expressionless.

Startled, Emilia spun to face him.  He was standing at the top of the hallway, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, his expression guarded.

‘I didn’t know you could draw,’ Emilia blurted out.  And then she remembered the sketchpad he’d hurriedly shoved away when she’d met him for coffee.  ‘Seb, these are incredible.’

He shrugged awkwardly, brushing off the compliment.  ‘I just mess around.’

Emilia shook her head.  ‘No.  This is
art
.  Really good art.’

He cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the compliment.  ‘Are you going to use the bathroom?  Because I’m starving and I thought we should go and get breakfast somewhere.’

He looked so vulnerable and she wondered if he’d received many compliments in his life.  It was yet another unanswered question, but she let the subject drop… for now.  ‘I’ll just be a second.’

*

They were both ravenous and for the first half of breakfast the only sound at the table was utensils scraping over plates.  Seb had almost finished when he raised his eyes to Emilia’s.

‘Why did you want to see my place so badly?’

Emilia contemplated how much she wanted to reveal, but if he was ever going to open up to her, she’d have to do the same with him first, otherwise they’d always be at a stalemate. 

‘You seem to understand a lot of things about me,’ she said carefully.  ‘But when I try to learn more about you, you won’t let me in and… well, I want to understand you better even if you won’t talk to me.  I thought seeing your place might help fill in some of the gaps.’

His mouth twisted.  ‘And what did you learn?’

‘Truthfully, I have more questions than answers.’  She slanted a quick grin in his direction.  ‘But I did discover a few things, not least of which is one of
your
hidden talents.’

His face closed off immediately, carefully blank.

Emilia sighed and told herself to let Seb set the pace of their growing friendship.  ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you talk about it now.  But at least I know a teeny tiny bit more about you.’

He grunted.

‘It makes you more
likeable
,’ she said pointedly.

‘You already liked me, Angel.’  He grinned and popped another mouthful of scrambled egg in his mouth.

‘It was a chore, but I was getting there,’ she teased.  She hesitated and then decided to dive right in and hope he took it the right way.  ‘You know, you’re always welcome at our place…
always
.  You’re pretty much part of the family anyway.’

A funny look crossed his face but he looked away before Emilia could quite figure out what it was.  He cleared his throat.  ‘Thanks.  That means a lot.’

Chapter 14

‘You want to play
mini golf
?  What are we, like, ten?’  Emilia faced her best friend incredulously.  ‘If you want to do something physically active, why don’t we go for a run?  Or we could hire kayaks and go out on the lake.’

‘You know you were much more amenable before you started hanging out with Seb,’ Stacey pointed out snootily, sprawling face down on Emilia’s bed and swinging her legs in the air.

‘Yeah and you told me I was being a doormat.  I listened.’  Emilia raised her eyebrows.  ‘I’ve been going through a period of personal growth.’

Stacey sighed mournfully.  ‘Sometimes I should just keep my big trap shut.’

Emilia laughed and tossed a pillow at Stacey’s head. ‘Like that’s ever going to happen!  Why mini golf anyway?’

‘Because I’m bored!’  Stacey tossed aside the magazine she’d been idly flicking through and flipped over to her back, propping herself up on her elbows.  ‘Kevin’s been working so many hours, saving like crazy for university.  You’re either working for your Dad or working out.  Even Maddie and Jess have got part time jobs and
I’m
left all alone for
days
!’

‘Maybe you should get a summer job too?’ Emilia suggested, but she already knew how Stace would feel about that.

‘Why would I want to work when it’s supposed to be the holidays?  Besides, I don’t need the money.’

‘Neither do I,’ she pointed out.  ‘It helps the time pass though.’

‘I just didn’t expect everyone to be so busy all the time and I’ve done everything I can think of to keep myself occupied,’ she pouted.

‘Like what?’

‘I’ve read all the latest magazines, even the really trashy ones, rearranged my closest, shopped until there is literally nothing decent I haven’t tried on.’  Stacey flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling mournfully.  ‘I go out for coffee everyday but that doesn’t take long when there’s no one to talk to.  I’ve even been going for walks just for something to do.  So today, I want to do something different.’

Emilia swallowed a laugh at Stacey’s frustration.  ‘Alright then, mini golf it is.  Let’s go.’

‘Thank you!’  Stacey scrambled off the bed.  ‘And coffee and cake afterwards, maybe followed by bowling.’

‘Nuh uh, I draw the line at bowling.’  Emilia grabbed her car keys and followed Stacey down the stairs.  ‘You cheat.’

‘I do not!’

Emilia just looked at her.

‘Okay, well maybe I do sometimes.  But only if I’m losing!’

‘Exactly.  The buffer pads are meant to be for the little kids.’

They drove to the mini golf course, where Emilia, who was terrible at mini golf, proceeded to lose with good grace. 

‘Have you been seeing much of Justin?’ Stacey asked when they were about halfway around the course, in much better spirits now she was winning.  ‘At least
he’s
not working.’

‘Maybe you should bury the hatchet and you’d have someone to hang out with,’ Emilia suggested wickedly.

‘Not a chance!  I don’t know how you and Kevin see any good in him.’

‘He’s got a lot of good qualities; he just keeps them well hidden from you for some weird reason.  Why do you two hate each other so much anyway?  You’ve never told me.’

Stacey looked away to line up her next shot.  ‘Do you remember when I had a crush on Aaron a few years ago?’

‘Do I ever!  If you’d been old enough to do it without parental permission, you would have tattooed his name at the base of your spine!  That wasn’t a crush; it was an obsessive infatuation.’

‘Yeah, well, I was young and dumb.  I got over it.’  Stacey swung and executed a perfect hole in one.  Emilia wondered if she’d been coming here on her own to practice while the rest of them were occupied.

‘What’s that got to do with Justin?’

‘Justin had a crush on
me
apparently.  He’s so full of himself he couldn’t fathom that I was crazy about someone other than him, so when he asked me out and I turned him down, he didn’t take it well.’

Emilia nodded slowly.  Now that she thought about it, she vaguely remembered Justin staring avariciously at Stace across the classroom whenever her friend was looking in the other direction.  She hadn’t realised he’d actually asked Stace out though.  ‘No, I don’t imagine he did.’

‘To get back at me, he told Aaron I was a real slut and that he and half the football team had had a go at me.  You know Aaron – he’s
uber
-conservative!  So the next time I tried to talk to him, he completely blew me off.  He wouldn’t even look me in the eye.’  Stacey swung her club viciously at a twig that had fallen on the course.  ‘I was only fifteen, Em!  I hadn’t had sex with
anyone
, let alone half the football team.’

‘I know.’  Emilia bit her lip.  That was a really rotten thing Justin had done.

Stacey glared resentfully in her direction.  ‘In fact, I’m probably going to be one of those people who only ever has sex with one person, because Kevin is the
only
guy I’ve slept with and he’s my forever.’

‘I get it now, why you hate him so much.’

‘I know it’s in the past and I don’t care about Aaron anymore.’  Stacey looked at Emilia steadily.  ‘It’s his selfishness that bothers me, Em.  He doesn’t think about how his actions affect anyone else; he only cares about making himself feel good.  And that’s why I worry about you being with him.  So please, just think about it, okay?’

Emilia nodded.  ‘Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?’

‘Actually I thought you knew.’  Stacey stared thoughtfully into the distance.  ‘Although, I was probably so busy crying on your shoulder about Aaron rejecting me that I completely forgot to tell you
why
.  Damn… if I’d told you, maybe you wouldn’t have started going out with Justin!’

Emilia smiled ruefully.  ‘I was so infatuated with him when he first took notice of me it probably wouldn’t have made a difference.’

Stacey studied her shrewdly.  ‘Are you saying you’re
not
so infatuated with him now?’

‘I…’ Emilia frowned.  Was she?  ‘I don’t know.  Let’s just say I’m analysing our relationship a bit more closely at the moment.’

‘I’ll settle for that.’  Stacey sighed.  ‘It’s not like I want to sabotage your relationship, Em.  I just want you to be happy and with someone who really deserves you.  I’m never going to like Justin, but if he truly made you happy I’d be okay with it.  But I don’t think that’s the case.’

‘I’ll think about it, okay.’  Emilia picked up her ball, which she’d finally got into the hole after several tries.  ‘Now, can I get back to losing this game spectacularly?’

Chapter 15

‘Mmm.  Wouldn’t it be great if life could always be this peaceful and simple?’

Emilia was stretched out on a sun lounger on the deck of Justin’s yacht, sheltered from the sun’s burning rays by a huge umbrella but still able to enjoy the delicious warmth.  The yacht bobbed lazily in the lake, the subtle swelling motion lulling her close to sleep.

‘It could be.’  Justin sat on the lounger beside her, idly scanning the shoreline with a pair of binoculars.  ‘Obviously I want you to come to Stanford with me, but you don’t actually have to study.  You could spend your days shopping, going to the gym, whatever you feel like.’

Emilia’s eyes snapped open.  ‘Are you serious?’ she asked in horrified disbelief.

Justin seemed to miss the sarcasm.  ‘Dad’s already commissioned a new yacht for me for the West Coast, so you can have this life as much as you like.’  He gestured at the luxurious yacht.

‘Justin, I think you’re missing the point.’

He rolled to his side, one hand supporting his head as he rested serious eyes on her.  ‘I know things have been a little… awkward lately.  But I have a ten year plan, Em, and I’d really like you to be part of it.’

‘Really?’ Emilia eyed him warily.

Justin sat up abruptly, nodding enthusiastically.  ‘Yes.  Sure, we’ve only been together a few months, but I see you in my future, Em.  It’s going to be a hard slog at Stanford and you might not see me much.  It’s important I’m in the top one percent of law school, so I’m going to have to work hard.  But I need you to be there to help me network.’

‘Justin, I’m not exactly a social butterfly.’

‘That doesn’t matter.  You just need to be by my side while I make the right connections.  I’m not planning on working in a law firm, Em.  The long game is a career in politics – Congress, Senate, maybe even the Oval Office one day.  And for that I need the right kind of wife.’

‘You’re thinking of marrying me?’ Emilia blurted out.  ‘Justin, I’m very fond of you… I like you, but I’m only eighteen and marriage isn’t something I’ve even contemplated at this stage of my life.  But when I do get married, it’s going to be to the love of my life and I don’t know if that’s you.’ 

She wondered if she was being harsh, but hoped a little honesty would slow down this talk that was, quite frankly, freaking her out.  Oh, yeah, and she hadn’t told him she wasn’t going to Stanford yet.  No doubt that piece of news was going to go down a treat.

Justin shook his head, unfazed.  ‘I did say it was a
ten
year plan, Em.  I’m not planning on marrying you until I’m done with law school and we’ve established credibility as a couple.  But I do want you to be prepared for what our life is going to be like.  You can live a life of leisure, maybe get involved in charity work or something, as long as it’s totally above board.  Which I don’t think is going to be a problem for you since you’re not exactly a party animal.  All you’ll have to do is play my hostess, speak intelligently when you’re called upon but without drawing the focus to you.’

‘Ahhh.’  Emilia finally understood what he was getting at.  She wasn’t even surprised.  After all, Stace had warned her often enough how self-centred Justin was.  The conversation they’d had just the other day came to mind – how right Stace had been.  And finally she grasped exactly what her best friend had been trying to tell her – she didn’t have to be so
grateful
Justin had picked her, because she actually deserved to have someone who appreciated the real her.  ‘You want me to blend into the background, smooth things over for you… is that the gist of it?’

‘Exactly!’  Justin grinned and for the first time Emilia didn’t find his smile at all attractive. 

‘You want me to be your arm candy,’ she said frostily.  ‘And if I’m good enough at it, you’ll reward me with a wedding ring.’

Justin’s smile dimmed as he registered she wasn’t exactly delighted with his plan.  ‘You don’t even have a plan for your life, Emilia.  I thought you’d be glad I’m including you in mine.’

Emilia pulled herself upright and swung her legs over the side of the lounger.  She picked up her shorts and drew them over her bikini bottoms.  ‘Do you know me at all?’

‘Of course I do!’

‘What do you know about me, Justin?’  She yanked her t-shirt over her head and then pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail.

‘I know you’re beautiful, you have great eyes and legs that go on forever even though you’re not very tall.  I know you’re bright but not in a pushy way and you’re a supportive, caring girlfriend.’  He frowned.  ‘Though not as much as you used to be.  You’ve become kind of argumentative lately, which isn’t like you.’

Well at least he’d picked up on something!  ‘That’s the new Emilia 2.0.  I’m working on being more assertive,’ she drawled.

‘What’s going on with you, Emilia?’  He rose to his feet, his expression confused and frustrated.  ‘I liked you just the way you were.  You don’t need to change.’

‘Actually I haven’t changed; I’ve just been letting a bit more of the real me out every now and then.’  Emilia sighed.  It wasn’t really Justin’s fault she’d suppressed so much of her natural personality, so she could hardly get mad at him for being confused now she was finally setting it free.  ‘The thing is, you don’t really know much about me, mainly because you haven’t been particularly interested in finding out what makes me tick, but also because I haven’t let you in.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘I think we need to –‘

Her phone pinged with a different tone than she was used to.  Frowning, she bent down and picked it up from the deck.  The sender was blocked and all it said was
Henri Gaspard, August 1944, Paris
.

Emilia’s heart quickened with nervous excitement.  This was it – her first mission.

‘Emilia?’ Justin’s expression was sullen.  He didn’t appreciate her attention straying from him to her phone.

‘Sorry, that was –‘

Her phone rang and she jumped, startled.  It was Seb.  She raised an apologetic hand to Justin as she lifted the phone to her ear.

‘Did you get it?’ Seb asked immediately.  His voice was tense and she realised he was probably freaked about taking her into the thick of World War Two.

‘Yes.’

‘Good. I’ll come around to your place tonight so we can talk about it.’

‘I’m about to head home now.  Come for dinner?’

‘What are you making?’

‘No idea.  Does it matter?’

‘No.’  She could hear the smile in his voice.  ‘Everything you make is amazing.  See you soon.’  He hung up.

‘Who was that?’ Justin demanded immediately.

‘Seb.  We’ve got a new assignment from Dad.’  Lying to Justin and all her friends sucked.  But since she couldn’t tell them the truth, she had settled for the closest thing.  At least they
were
studying periods of history of potential archaeological significance.

‘How come he gets to come around for dinner?  You never invite me around,’ he whined.

‘I asked you around several times when we first started dating and you always made excuses,’ she explained patiently.  ‘I got the hint and stopped asking.’

‘Maybe I could come tonight,’ he pressed.

Emilia shook her head.  ‘Seb, Dad and I are going to be working.  Can we go in now?’  She gestured to the shore.

It wasn’t until she was taking a quick shower before preparing dinner that she realised she hadn’t finished her conversation with Justin about his ten year plan.  Since it was likely she was going to be busy researching for the next few days, it would have to wait until after Paris.

*

‘That was good, Emmy.’  David leaned back in his chair with a groan.  ‘I shouldn’t have had a second helping though.’

Seb, who was serving himself thirds, snorted derisively.  ‘You’ve got no stamina, old man.’

Emilia smiled and rose to collect the dishes.  It had been a simple lasagne with crisp green salad and garlic bread, nothing complicated.

Seb’s hand shot out and snagged her arm.  ‘Sit down.  I’m cleaning up,’ he said between mouthfuls.

‘Thanks.  I’ll make coffees while you finish up.’  She dumped the dishes in the sink and turned the coffee machine on.  While it warmed up she watched Seb finish off his third helping of lasagne.  He ate with relish, savouring every bite.  Her Dad had always been appreciative of her cooking, but Seb’s enjoyment of whatever she prepared for him was on a whole different level.  It made her wonder again what his childhood had been like.  Had his mother cooked for him?

He scooped the last bit of cheese sauce off his plate.  Emilia watched, mesmerised, as his lips closed around the tines of his fork.

David cleared his throat loudly and Emilia’s gaze snapped guiltily to her father’s.  He winked knowingly, a huge grin on his face. 

Seb looked up and caught the grin.  ‘What?’

‘Just sharing a moment with my daughter,’ David said innocently. 

‘So Dad, Paris is an awfully big place,’ Emilia interjected hurriedly before Seb could ask what the moment had been.  ‘How do we go about finding this guy?’

Seb got up and began stacking dishes in the dishwasher, while Emilia finally got the coffees going.

‘I’d start by researching his ancestry, sourcing his birth certificate, that sort of thing.  You need to know as much as possible about him.’  David shuffled closer to the table and wrapped his hands around the mug of coffee Emilia placed in front of him, before settling back in her seat.  ‘Seeing as how it’s World War Two you should be able to find out what he was doing during the course of the war.  He could be convalescing in an army hospital, working for the Germans, gathering intelligence for the Allies… it could be anything, but you need to pinpoint his activities because that will give you a location to start with.’

Seb finished wiping down the bench and sat back down at the table.  ‘I got an email with a bit more information.  It didn’t give us much, but it said an attempt is going to be made on his life in late August 1944.  Our task is to get him to a safe location and make sure he lives to see September.’

‘Hey!’  Emilia punched him in the shoulder.  ‘How come you didn’t tell me about this earlier?’

He winced and rubbed the spot she’d hit.  ‘It only came through as I was leaving my place.  You’ve probably got the same email waiting in your inbox.  It’s not my fault if you don’t check!’

‘I was busy cooking you dinner!  A little communication wouldn’t hurt, Sparky.’

David threw back his head, a great gust of laughter erupting from his chest.  ‘You two are going to have a very interesting relationship,’ he said when he could catch his breath.  He got to his feet and shoved the chair back under the table.  ‘I’ll be in my study if you need me.  In light of the extra information that an attempt is going to be made on Henri’s life, I suspect he was either a member of the resistance or helped the resistance.  Either way, the Nazis would have wanted him dead.’

On that uplifting note he headed out of the room.

Seb sat still, his clasped hands resting in front of him on the table.  He raised troubled, serious eyes to Emilia.  ‘Nazi occupied Paris.  The French Resistance,’ he intoned hollowly.  ‘It doesn’t get much more dangerous than that.  I think you need to learn how to use a gun, Em.’

Emilia groaned.  Not that again.  ‘Dad!’ she called.

David’s head popped back around the kitchen doorframe.  ‘Yes?’

‘Are you comfortable with me shooting someone with a gun?’

David frowned and took a moment before answering.  He stared at Seb’s glum face and then Emilia’s exasperated one.  ‘If Seb thinks that’s best, then I will reconcile myself to it,’ he said quietly, and disappeared towards his study again.

‘Traitor,’ she muttered.  Expecting a smug retort from Seb, Emilia spun combatively towards him ready to do verbal battle.  The words died in her throat at the look on his face.  Stress radiated from every pore of his body and he was wound tight as a spring. 

Leaning forward in her chair, Emilia wrapped her hand around his much larger ones.  ‘It’s going to be okay, Seb.’

He shuddered and she realised he was completely terrified for her; terrified he wouldn’t be able to protect her.

‘I know you’re tough, Angel.  You’re skilled in hand to hand fighting.  But that’s not going to do you any good if you’re looking down the barrel of an enemy soldier’s gun.’

Emilia slumped back in her chair with a mournful sigh.  She could make a stand and he would respect her decision, albeit reluctantly.  Or she could concede and help him breathe more easily.  It wasn’t much of a choice.  Just because he taught her how to use a gun didn’t mean she actually had to shoot someone with it… at least she hoped not!  ‘If it will make you feel better, you can teach me how to shoot.’

‘Thank you,’ he said quietly.  He shoved his chair back and rose gracefully to his feet.  ‘I’ll pick you up at seven for a run and then we’ll get started on the research… and the lessons.  Thanks for dinner.’

‘Sure, no problem.’

He ruffled her hair and disappeared out the door.  Emilia smiled ruefully.  When he played tough it was easy to fight him, but when he got all serious and scared for her, her resistance melted in the space of a heartbeat.  If she wasn’t careful, he’d have her wrapped around his little finger.