An Earl In Time

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  She let out a disgusted grunt, and he turned his gaze to her. “What is it?” he asked.

  “I couldn’t help but notice how easy you made getting on your horse look,” she replied.

  He grinned. “I’ve been riding since I was a lad. When you’ve been doing this for years, you don’t even think about it. You’ll get used to it.”

  He thought he heard her mutter, “Not without pants I won’t,” but since she was focused on staying on the horse, he decided not to reply in case he distracted her and she lost confidence.

  She was willing to keep riding, and that was what mattered. Over the centuries, he had wanted to give up, but he kept trudging through the days. One right after another until he was sure he was going to lose his sanity. But he hadn’t lost his sanity. He was still here, and that time in his life had finally—mercifully—passed. Like the rain once it stopped, things were better. He had no doubt that Willow would adjust to being in this time. Eventually, riding a horse, even in a sidesaddle, would be something she’d do without thinking about it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Willow set the book down and yawned. She turned from where she’d been reclining in a chair and glanced at the clock. It was almost five in the afternoon. She looked down at the page she was on. She’d only made it halfway into the tome, and she didn’t know what information she could possibly use, which made it difficult to know what parts she should pay attention to and which she shouldn’t.

  The reading was dry and boring. It was like a documentary meant to put a person to sleep. She’d thought once she was done with school, she was never going to have to subject herself to learning this way ever again.

  If Julian’s grandfather had kept this book, though, there had to be a reason for it. But how much in this thing was even real? The author of the book had presented a lot of theories about leprechauns, but even he didn’t know if any could be believed. She was surprised there was over 400 pages worth of information about this particular mythical creature.

  She marked her place in the book and stood up so she could stretch.

  “Did you find anything interesting?” Julian asked from where he sat at the desk with an open journal and some paper sprawled out in front of him.

  “Not really. I’m taking a break.” She walked to the desk and saw that Julian was making notes. “What are you working on?”

  “A timeline of my grandfather’s activities.” He put the quill into the inkwell. “He was gone a lot. My grandmother wasn’t happy about it, but he was determined to find a fairy, and from what I can tell, he decided the only place he was going to find one was in Ireland. So he did some research, went to Ireland, came back for more research, and went back. So far, I have him doing this for six years.”

  Willow couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “He believed fairies were real?”

  “He did. I’ve come to the conclusion he was either right or he was a madman. From how meticulous he was about keeping track of everything he was doing, I’m inclined to think he was right.”

  “You think there are fairies?”

  “There might be. There might even be leprechauns. I wouldn’t have believed any of it before I spent two centuries stuck here, but it’s hard to deny the possibility.”

  “I suppose if magic exists, then things that we grew up believing were fake can exist, too.”

  Julian took out another journal and opened it. “Look at this. He made up his own maps based on everything he read. He was sure one of these would lead him to the Faerie Stiobhard Sept. That was supposed to be one of the group of fairies who inhabited wooded areas. He was very specific about the one he needed.”

  “Just how many fairies did he think there were?”

  “A lot. He wrote there were more fairies in Ireland than there were people, and they could be anywhere. They were able to mask their dwellings from the idle passerby who didn’t know what he was looking for.”

  “What do you need to look for in order to find them?”

  “He hasn’t said yet,” he replied. “I don’t even know if he was successful or not in finding them. All I know is that he was extremely thorough and willing to spend the family’s fortune on this quest. He was like an obsessed gentleman.”

  “That sounds foolish. Even if you think there is a fairy, why waste all of your money trying to find one?”

  “He didn’t explain why he wanted to find the fairy. At least, not yet. Did you find anything helpful in Leprechauns and Gold?”

  “I don’t know. I think the author of the book is more interested in exploring the origin of the leprechaun myth than presenting anything he believes is true. He goes into a lot of detail about the different legends about them. Depending on what story you want to believe, they can be playful and fun or downright evil and cruel. There’s no one consensus about them. To be honest, I don’t think the author believed in any of those stories, though he presents the book as nonfiction.”

  He leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. “There are times I don’t even recognize what’s normal and what’s not. Sometimes I wonder if London even exists. What if there is nothing beyond the barrier? I know we can see past the bridge, but what if that’s an illusion? What if nothing is really there?”

  She shivered. That was even more frightening than being stuck here. The three crewmen who were now animals were bound here through some magic. She had no idea where Violet was or how she was connected to them. All she knew was that they didn’t like her. But they had been able to leave the property and come back. Mr. Thompson had brought her here, and he’d left and returned without any problems.

  Reassured by that, she said, “London still exists. The people out there still exist.” Recalling that she had been able to come to this property in the future, she added, “Time still exists out there. I came here from the future. I flew into London. If everything ceased to exist out there, how would I have made it here?”

  “You made it in the timeline that passed on without me,” he replied. “My cousin came here and couldn’t find me or any of the servants. This property and the things on it still existed. But the servants and I seemed to have disappeared. You told me that yourself.”

  Yes, that was true. Mr. Thompson had told her the tragic ending Julian’s cousin faced in her timeline. “What about the coachman? He left here with that letter you wrote to your cousin.”

  “He might have left, but does he still exist here in this timeline, or was he removed from this world we are in and slipped into an alternate world where you will one day be born?”

  She thought over his words. She supposed this was a parallel time period. It was possible that meant they were in a parallel universe or something equally bizarre. But she really didn’t want to entertain that idea. It was just too horrific to think about. “London has to be out there. The rest of the world has to still be out there. It’s not possible that we’re stuck in some kind of limbo where we’re the only people who exist.”

  “Even though magic has us trapped here? What do we know about magic? There must be rules to it.”

  “But we’re in a different day. My coming here changed things. You said so yourself.”

  He considered her words and softly said, “I did say that. Things are different. It’s just impossible to know how they are different. I can’t even be sure if the coachman will find my cousin. This timeline you started up might not be the same one my cousin was in. What if he is still going to die because he comes here and finds me and the servants missing? What if something bad happened to the coachman? What if he passed some barrier where nothing exists and just vanished?”

  “You can’t think that way.” Seriously, if he kept it up, he was going to scare her. “Thinking the worst will do no good. You’re no longer trapped in the same day. Things are better. We shifted something in the magic. My coming here triggered something. That means we’re not passive in this whole magic thing. We can do something about our situation we couldn’t before.” She glanced at the books an
d journals. “The answer has to be in them somewhere. Your grandfather seemed obsessed, but he knew something no one else did, and he probably left these behind with the hope it would help us. More specifically, you. I don’t think I’m a direct part of this.”

  “He might not have thought you’d be, but you are since you’re the one who made time resume for me.”

  “All because I pulled down a sheet from what I thought was a mirror. Anyone else who did that could have done the same thing.” She tapped her foot on the floor and thought over the things she had learned in the past two days. “All right. So I’m here. That means I can help. It means you’re not alone. Two heads are better than one, right? Between the two of us, we’re going to figure a way off of this property, and then we’ll know what’s beyond this place.”

  After a long moment, he nodded. “That sounds like the best way to proceed.”

  “At least it gives us something to focus on.”

  There was a knock at the partly open door, and the two turned to face it.

  “Dinner is ready, my lord and Miss Knudson,” the butler said.

  Julian looked at her. “We’ll focus on it after we eat.”

  Feeling better, she smiled. She was sure the world still existed in this timeline even though they were bound to this property. It had to be. To think otherwise would drive her insane. She couldn’t imagine being stuck on this property for the rest of her life. Sure, it might be a nice place to stay and she was enjoying her time with Julian, but at some point, they had to be able to cross the bridge and be a part of the rest of the world. She just couldn’t let her mind contemplate the other possibility. Maybe Julian had been strong enough to stay in limbo for two centuries, but she wasn’t. Somehow, someway, they were going to figure out how to break the magic barrier.

  ***

  Three days later, Julian was about three-fourths of the way through his grandfather’s journals. At times, progress was slowed down by having to reference the maps his grandfather had drawn. Most were maps of the same area of Ireland. Only the slight variations in each map distinguished one from another. His grandfather hadn’t just done broad outlines of the different sections of Ireland. He had gone into detail, marking every hill, cave, river, valley, and wooded area.

  Willow had already read through the books his grandfather had saved over the years. She probably knew far more about the Irish myths and legends than anyone else in London at this point. He had anticipated reading the books himself, but the task of sorting through his grandfather’s journals had taken up far more time than he’d expected.

  More often than not, Willow would stay in the room with him, but sometimes, she would venture off to another room when she was exhausted from reading. The servants still didn’t seem all that thrilled to have her there. To their credit, though, they were mindful of their duties and treated her with the same respect one would treat a noble lady.

  Julian supposed Willow was nobility since she had been the rightful heir to this place in her time. It was just a shame there had been no living male relative to pass the title to. As a lady, she couldn’t become an earl. Maybe titles weren’t meant to last forever. Maybe, at some point, they all ended up becoming extinct.

  Willow entered the room with a riding outfit. “We’ve been cooped up in this room for too long. I insist you take me horseback riding.”

  He felt a smile tug at his lips. “You insist?”

  “I’m not insisting in a bad way,” she said, offering him a smile that hinted at flirtation. “Look at how beautiful it is out there. The morning rain shower is gone, and the sun is out.” She went to the open window and took a deep breath, and though he tried not to notice, her breasts stood out more prominently. “There’s nothing like the way things smell after it rains, and it’s nice and warm out there. I’m telling you, you don’t want to miss it by being stuck in here all day.”

  He chuckled. “You must be bored if you’re this excited about going for another ride on a horse.”

  “Well, there is no such thing as the internet or TV in this time.”

  “Internet or TV?”

  “Exactly.” She returned to him and gave him a pointed look. “You have no idea what I’m talking about. And while I could read another book, my eyes need a break. I’ve read so much in the last couple of days that the words are starting to blur together.”

  “You might need spectacles.” When her eyebrows furrowed, he explained, “Special glasses to put on your face so you can read the words clearly.”

  “Oh! I know what you’re talking about. In my time, they’re called glasses.”

  Surprised, his gaze went to the glasses next to the decanter. Why would anyone call spectacles ‘glasses’?

  She tapped his arm in a playful gesture. “Come on. Those journals will still be here when we return. Unlike June 17, you won’t get another chance to live this day again.”

  He glanced at the parchment he’d been writing on and then the journals he had open all around him. She was right. He needed to remember there was more to life than searching for fairies. His grandfather had become so obsessed with it that his grandmother couldn’t take it anymore and took their two sons to London. Their marriage hadn’t been the same after that. Before then, his grandfather had seemed to have a normal life. He had loved his wife, and from the way his grandfather had written about her early on in the journals, she had loved him as well. She and their two sons were the most important people in his life. And then something happened that made him obsess over Ireland and fairies. He became so focused on his quest that he was like a gentleman who’d been possessed.

  Julian didn’t want to get so caught up in the magic binding him and Willow to this property that he wasted the rest of the life he had. He would age now. The passage of time would affect him like it affected everyone who progressed from one day to the next.

  “All right,” he said as he marked his place. “I can come back to this later.”

  “Good! I was hoping you’d say yes. I’ll wait in the drawing room while you change clothes.”

  He offered her a nod, and she left the room. He couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. He’d been sure the last thing she’d want to do was ride a horse, but he supposed if she was bored enough, she could be convinced to give it another try. And, if he was honest with himself, he’d rather go horseback riding with her than stay in a room all day.

  He got up from his chair and hurried to change outfits.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Willow found it easier to ride Scarlet Glow the second time around. Good. Maybe she would manage better in this time period than she initially thought she would. She was starting to get used to the gowns, and she had to admit that the time and attention her lady’s maid spent decorating her hair did make her feel like a model about to hit the runway or to be photographed for a magazine. It was enough to make up for the lack of a flushing toilet and hot shower.

  This time, Julian led her around the back of the property. Unlike her first horseback ride, she noticed that the cat followed behind, stopping once in a while to run after whatever had distracted him, only to run and catch up with them a few minutes later. Then she noticed that the owl flew from one tree to another. A couple of times, she focused in on them to see if there was something they wanted to communicate with her, but they didn’t give any indication that they had a message to give her. Instead, they seemed more intent on finding out where she and Julian were going. Maybe she should have taken Julian’s father’s horse for a ride. Maybe he would have liked to be a part of this.

  “I wonder if I should ride your father’s horse next time,” Willow told Julian.

  Julian glanced over at her, eyebrows raised. “You don’t like Scarlet Glow?”

  “I like her, but the animals who were human men in my time are following us,” she said in a voice low enough to prevent them from hearing her. “They didn’t follow us last time. What makes this time different?”

  Julian shrugged. “I have no
idea what to think about them. My grandfather didn’t put anything in the journals about the animals on this land.”

  His answer didn’t surprise her, though she had read of a few myths and legends of shapeshifters. But the cat, owl, and horse weren’t the type of shapeshifter that seemed able to change their form on their own. They hadn’t become human since she’d been in this time. They looked the exact same as they had three days ago when she first saw them. Whatever had caused them to become human had to be something else. If she had to guess, she’d say Violet had used the magic to accomplish the feat.

  “Did your grandfather mention anything about a woman named Violet in his journals?” she asked.

  “No, I haven’t seen that name anywhere. I remember you mentioning her. You said she was with the animals who were human in your time.” He glanced over at the cat that was still keeping its distance from them. “I don’t see what use she had for them.”

  “They maintained the property. I suppose they were doing so all along, though no one realized they never aged. If they came from this time, they had to be pretty much immortal to still be around in my time. To me, they were middle-aged men. They looked well under two centuries old.” After a moment, she added, “If they are here, then she has to be, too, right? I mean, it stands to reason she would come with them.”

  “I’ve never met anyone named Violet.”

  “Maybe she’s an animal. Maybe she’s not in human form.”

  “With everything else that’s happened, I’d say it’s a definite possibility, but I wouldn’t even know where to find her.”

  “I wouldn’t, either. None of the animals remind me of her.”

  They rode on in silence for a few minutes until she caught sight of a rainbow that spanned across the sky and seemed to disappear behind a hill in the distance.

  “Two of the books I read said that there’s supposed to be a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow,” she mused.