Wings of the Storm (34 page)

My mommy."

He stroked her hair, gentling her. "Soon. Soon," he promised.

She collapsed against him, burying her head in his

abundant chest fuzz. This was so frustrating! She wanted it so bad. And he was amused at her. She could tell. His chest was quivering with suppressed laughter. She looked up again, meeting his eyes.

"How soon?"

He looked up at the storm-darkened window.

"Soon as the weather clears," he said. "Storms still play havoc with the apparatus. On either end of the search."

34

"Interested in what became of Sibelleand Stephan?" he questioned as they crossed the hall hand in hand to join the couple seated at the high table. The lord and lady of Passfair were sharing a breakfast trencher, talking to each other in low, inti-mate whispers. The screen had been moved to one side and the doors flung open. A fresh, rain-washed breeze was blowing into the hall. The sky outside was a bright, clean, cloudless blue.

She stopped David just a few feet from the stairs. "How do you know what happened to them?" she asked very quietly.

"We've started picking up some extensive data from this area," he replied. "I looked them up when I was in the office catching up on paperwork."

Stunned shock covered Jane from head to foot. The look she turned on him was not friendly. She said very slowly, "When you were in the office . . . when?"

His Adam's apple bobbed hard as he gulped.

"Uh . . . yesterday morning?"

Sibelle was looking their way. Jane plastered a false smile on her lips, saying, "I'm going to kill you, you know."

"They lived happily ever after," he rushed on, try-ing to divert her. "Ten children. Most of them lived.

Their family still lives in Kent. The Devrays are some of the most famous dog and horse breeders in Eng-land. Famous for it for centuries."

"Probably also the rightful heirs to the throne," she muttered to herself. Did King Charles know about the Plantagenets hiding out in Kent? "In the office yesterday?" She wasn't going to be diverted so easily.

He gave her an abashed look. "And talking to my counselor," he added. "There's one on staff who does nothing but remind me I'm not Daffyd ap Bleddyn, world-class savage, when I'm back in my own period.

You'll get debriefed, too, love," he added. "Believe me, you'll need it. Even after only three months."

She believed him. And she was relieved to know he was smart enough to make sure he didn't let himself become totally lost in the role he played in the thir-teenth century.

"Just how do we get back, anyway?" she asked him. She'd take up the discussion of his walking off into the future without her once they were safely returned to an environment where she could throw lamps, cups, crystal sculptures, or any other hard, breakable object she could lay hands on at him. Preferably expensive objects belonging to him. "Dear."

"First rule is we don't disappear where anyone can

see us. Or where we might accidentally take some-thing with us. You sure there's nothing you want to bring along?"

"Not a thing. Stephan and Sibelle are welcome to all my treasure. I owe them a lot. I'm going to miss them," she added. She looked around the hall. "You see Nikki and Vince anywhere?"

"Who?"

"My dogs."

"No. I don't see those mongrels."

"Probably ran off and hid somewhere. Poor things are scared of storms. I think we better join our hosts."

He kissed the back other hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Let's not stay for breakfast," she suggested strongly. He was sniffing hungrily as they approached the table. Well, to each his own, she reminded herself.

He looked disappointed but said as they reached the table, "My lady and I start for Lilydrake this morning. We wish to bid you good-bye."

"We'll miss you," Sibelle said, hurrying around the table. Stephan was right behind her. Sibelle hugged them both, planting kisses on both their mouths. "Go in peace," she told them. Tears brimmed in her large blue eyes.

The look Stephan turned on Jane held equal parts joy and regret. "It was merry while you were with us,"

he said, taking both her hands in his big, square one. "We will miss you."

"But we will see each other soon," Sibelle said. "Lilydrake's not so far."

David and Jane exchanged a quick glance. David turned back to the young couple. "It might be a while,"

he told them. "After we visit Lilydrake, I plan to take Jehane to my family in Wales. We may be there for quite some time."

"I'm with child," Jane said quickly. "Daffyd wishes his children to know their homeland." She gave David a quick, questioning look. It was possible. He shook his head and touched the spot on his inner elbow where a contraceptive implant would be. Oh. Well, they'd work on kids after they got home and had a nice, screaming fight.

Sibelle clapped her hands for joy. "A double bless-ing, then." A sad sigh followed. "Then you won't be here to stand godparents to our first child?"

"Maybe we'll be back for the second," Jane said. She gave David another look.

Well, why not? If he could just pop in and out, why couldn't they visit sometimes? She could go on with her research that way. A detailed biography of Rosamunde Clifford, perhaps?

She bet he wouldn't mind playing Daffyd ap Bled-dyn now and then, either. It was a cunning plan.

They'd talk.

"We must go," she said. "Get as many miles in as we can while the light is good and the weather holds."

There were more farewells. To the serving women and Bertram and Raoul DeCorte. The time went by both too fast and far too slowly before they were able to get on David's ungainly gray gelding and ride out the gate. They even made a stop in one of the fields where Cerdic was working to say good-bye.

And Switha met them just before they reached the track leading into the forest. She smiled and handed up a pair of tiny cloth bags on leather thongs. The bags were full of some fragrant blend of herbs.

"A charm for fertility," she told them, adding, "I haven't any children of my own." She looked at them with a cryptic smile. "Not exactly." She shrugged, then headed down the road toward the village.

They looked at each other. And shrugged.

Jane directed him toward the tower where she'd first arrived. It seemed fitting, somehow.

It was cool under the trees. Branches shed rainwa-ter on them as they passed. She held on to David's waist, riding pillion for the last time. Enjoying it far more than she had the first.

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm very happy," she told him.

"Try not to fall off" was his loving reply.

They reached the edge of the clearing, and David stopped and got off the horse. They were taking it with them. Apparently, it normally grazed on the grass over the acceleration ring at Feynman.

Jane was sliding down also when she heard the sound of running bodies coming up the trail toward them.

She froze. This was still the thirteenth century. Just because Hugh of Lilydrake was dead didn't mean all danger was over. What if the outlaws were coming again? Her mouth went dry. She saw David had drawn his sword.

All she wanted was to go home, she thought, trembling more from frustration than fear as two long, sleek forms broke from the cover of the trees. The beasts moved with lightning speed. Speed bred for chasing down swiftly fleeing deer. David raised his sword.

"No!" she yelled, bumping his arm.

"What? Oh!"

"Nikki! Vince! What are you doing here?" she demanded as the deerhounds screeched to a halt in front of her.

Nikki barked, while Vince jumped, trying to put his paws on David's shoulders so he could lick his face.

David pushed him down.

He gave Jane an annoyed look. "Apparently they followed you."

"Well, they are my dogs." She smiled at him.

He backed a step. "Oh, no." He pointed a stern fin-ger at her. "We are not taking these monsters with us." She kept smiling. "I couldn't afford to feed them even on my salary." Her smile turned toothy. "I'm not sharing a bed with them."

"National Enquirerstill publishing?" she asked conversationally. She polished her nails on her kirtle.

"Wonder what the media will think of my little adven-tures in Never-Never Land. Besides," she added rea-sonably, "you've got the horse."

"Yes, I've got the horse. All right," he capitulated. "We'll take the dogs."

She kissed him, even though Nikki growled a little as she did so. She could deal with Nikki and Vince.

Get them a nice big doghouse and a couple of fenced-in acres to run in. Everything would be lovely. Just lovely.

"Let's go home, David," she entreated, her arms still around his neck. He nodded. His hand dropped to his sword hilt. He twisted the pommel to the right. "What do you do, just say 'Energize,' or something?"

The world went very weird. She was sucked upward through a sea of what felt and looked and, yes, tasted like blue paint.

"Or something," he agreed as the blue paint disap-peared.

She, David, the dogs, and the horse they rode in on were now standing in a blue-walled room.

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She stepped away from him. The recessed light-ing was fluorescent. She touched the wall. It felt like cool steel. There was a thrum of air-condition-ing in the background. It sounded loud in her ears. Air conditioning and other things. Her perceptions had definitely changed over the last few months. There wasn't much to see, but it all looked so ... odd. She shuddered, suddenly afraid of this alien environment.

David's arms came back around her. "It'll be fine," he soothed. "We'll get you debriefed and you'll be fine. Then hot showers and chocolate and all the cof-fee you can drink."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

A door opened and several people dressed in beige coveralls came into the room. Some of them carried boxes with lights and dials. She didn't pay any atten-tion to them. Neither did David. The dogs immedi-ately tried to find someone to pet them. The horse lifted its tail and casually did what horses tended to do.

Jane hugged David tightly. "Get me to your shrink, then. As fast as you can."

He held her close to his side as they walked into a long corridor. "David?" she asked as they approached an elevator. She was a little uncertain about doors that opened and closed by themselves and little boxes that went up and down. She supposed she'd just have to cope.

"Yes?" he asked.

She rested her head on his shoulder. "How should we celebrate our eight hundredth wedding anniversary?"

"Hmm? How about with a good night's sleep?"

"Suits me." Together they walked into the little moving box.

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