An Earl In Time

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  But he later changed his mind when he sent Julian the missive warning him to never return to Nightingale Hall. What changed his mind? Did he figure out that Violet would pass the curse down to him? The missive she sent specifically said she was coming for him. She wasn’t ever going to come for his father. Maybe his father knew it.

  He either knew it, or he figured it out.

  What was it his mother had said as she went with him to London? “It’s nothing but superstition for your father to think he can’t leave this estate. He’s been like that since your grandfather died.”

  Julian’s grandfather must have known something important. He suspected his father had believed him. It was why Julian’s mother thought him mad and had thought to send him to the asylum.

  But his grandfather hadn’t been mad. And his father hadn’t been, either. Julian needed to find out what they knew. If it had something to do with that missive, he needed to figure it out. Otherwise, he and Willow might be in some kind of danger.

  He quietly got out of the bed and collected his clothes. When he reached the doorway connecting their bedchamber, he looked back at Willow. She was still asleep. He wanted a lifetime with her. He wanted it more than he could remember ever wanting anything. All of his longing to be gone from this estate so he could explore the world failed in comparison to his desire to be with her.

  He caught the flicker of a red and gold thread that shimmered between him and Willow. Willow let out a sigh and turned toward him, but she didn’t wake up. He blinked in surprise, and the thread vanished.

  Willow had mentioned that thread. It was just as she described it.

  He didn’t know what to make of that thread, but he was sure there was a reason for it. There was a reason for everything that was happening. And there was only one place he could think of to find the answers.

  Turning from Willow, he hurried to wash up and dress for the day.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  When Willow woke up, her mind was clear. The previous day had been like walking through a foggy day. Parts of it were filled with moments where she almost felt like she had slipped into a dreamlike trance, but other parts—the parts when Julian was with her—were the only ones that felt real.

  She still knew she came from the future. She remembered her parents and the other people she’d known. But the things that had been a part of that time had been wiped from her memory. Maybe it should have alarmed her, but it didn’t. When she made the decision to marry Julian, she’d made the decision to stay here permanently. Something about the magic that had brought her here understood that and had moved in to make her a part of this timeline.

  Up until the moment the vicar had united her and Julian together in marriage, there must have been a way for her to return to her time. It was something that would have probably shown up at some point, but it wouldn’t show up now. There was no going back.

  And that was fine with her. She had no desire to go back. She hadn’t realized it when she was in the future, but something had been missing. There had been a hole in her life. It was why it’d been difficult for her to establish anything permanent in that life. The only relationship that had seemed real had been the one she’d had with her parents, and they weren’t alive anymore.

  Willow sat up in the bed and glanced over at the spot where Julian had slept the night before, but he was gone. Her gaze went to the window. It was late in the morning. She slipped out of the bed and went to Julian’s bedchamber. He wasn’t there.

  She turned to leave his bedchamber when she noticed the glimmer of a red and gold thread on the floor. It went under the door of his bedchamber that led to the hallway. Curious, she went to the door and opened it. The thread continued down the hallway and went to the steps. She blinked in surprise. Did this mean she would always be able to find Julian regardless of where he was?

  That hadn’t happened before they married. It had to be linked to her decision to unite her future with his. She understood what it meant for her memories to fade away, but the thread didn’t make sense. There had to be a purpose for it. She was sure of it. Just as there had been a purpose for them to be stuck here and just as there had been a purpose for her to be able to cross into this time. Everything connected somehow.

  She hurried to get ready for the day then summoned the maids to take the tub away. She left the bedchamber and followed the thread down the stairs. It ended up leading her to the library.

  Julian had his head bowed over one of his grandfather’s journals. Other journals were next to him, also open. He was so involved in what he was reading that he didn’t notice her.

  Testing the magic, she willed him to look at her.

  He glanced up from the journal. As soon as he noticed her, he got up from his chair and went over to her so he could bring her into his arms and kiss her. She wasn’t sure if the magic had caused him to hug and kiss her, but she was sure he had looked at her because she wished it.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked when the kiss ended.

  “I feel great,” she replied. Giving him a smile, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. “I can’t remember a time when I’ve felt better.”

  He didn’t hide his relief. “That’s good. I was sure you were right about the magic taking away parts of your future that didn’t belong in this time, but seeing you this morning puts my mind at ease.”

  “I’m sorry I worried you.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. It was whatever the magic is doing. It did something to me, too. I’ve forgotten how long the past two centuries were for me. It all seems like a blur. I also remember so many things before that first June 17. It feels like I buried my father recently, and it feels like I last spoke to Francis only a month ago. I even remember getting that missive from Violet, or Rose, depending on what you want to call her. The footman said three men were here that night, but it was the one with bright green eyes who gave the missive to him.”

  “I remember him. He’s the cat.”

  “Yes, that’s what you told me. Do you still remember him as a man?”

  She nodded. “I remember coming to this estate, but I don’t know how I got here. It must have been in a carriage.”

  “I don’t know. You mentioned something about being able to travel without horses.”

  “Then maybe I walked. All I know is that when I crossed the bridge, I saw these purple and pink colors, and Violet was here cleaning the manor to get it ready for me. Or maybe she was getting that mirror ready so that I would join you in this time.”

  “I never saw her,” Julian said. “The only reason I know what she looks like is because of the memory the fairy showed us.”

  Willow nodded. She recalled that memory, too.

  “I learned something this morning while going through my grandfather’s journals. I’ll tell you in a moment.” He released her and went to shut the door. When he returned to her, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the desk.

  She smiled at how playful he was being. He sat in the chair and held her securely on his lap.

  “Remember when we did this before?” he asked.

  “Yes, and I remember you taking liberties with me though we were not married yet. You were quite wicked.”

  His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Wicked? Me? You just got through telling me about how people in your time sat on each other’s laps and how both ladies and gentlemen showed off their legs in a piece of clothing called shorts. You said you’d even worn shorts.”

  She stared at him in shock for a couple of seconds before she recalled telling him that. “Maybe I told you that, but I must have been teasing you. Surely, I didn’t actually go out naked in public.”

  “You were serious when you told me about it.”

  That must have been one of the things she’d forgotten ever doing. “I can’t imagine doing something like that.”

  “I won’t lie. I feel much better with you here than in that time. I wouldn’t want you showing your legs to others.
One of the benefits of being your husband is that I’m the only one who is allowed to see them.”

  “Of course, you’re the only one allowed to see them.”

  She simply didn’t understand how she could have shown such little care about baring so much of her body for others to see. Quite frankly, her nonchalant attitude toward the whole thing was appalling.

  She didn’t want to think of it. She pushed that peculiar conversation from her mind and glanced at the journal on the desk. She blinked. She was sure the handwriting had been challenging to read when she saw it before. But the words were easy for her to read now.

  She leaned toward the journal. “Your grandfather found a fairy?”

  “Yes, that’s what I wanted to tell you. He finally found a family of fairies in Ireland and brought one to this estate.”

  She turned her gaze back to him. “Where is it?”

  “I don’t know. He said if he gave the fairy’s location away that he might put it in danger.”

  “Is this a different fairy from the one that’s in the gazebo?”

  Julian nodded. “My grandfather wrote that he knew Rose had trapped and hidden a fairy somewhere on this property, though he had no idea where it was.”

  “Rose? He didn’t call her Violet?”

  “No. There’s no mention of Violet in here. Rose is the only lady’s name he mentions.”

  “But she is the same person.”

  “In your time, she was Violet. In this time, she is Rose. Just as the seal and image on the missive she gave me suggests, she goes by both names.”

  “That’s why the two colors we see at the bridge and on the bars of that fairy’s cage are pink and purple. As you said, it’s her calling card. Her colors designate her brand of magic.”

  “We seem to have our brand as well,” he said. “Red for you and gold for me. Except our magic only seems to work when we’re together, such as holding hands in the gazebo.”

  “It’s gotten stronger since we married.”

  “I noticed that.”

  “There has to be a reason for it.”

  “I think so, too.” Julian paused for a moment then added, “My grandfather wrote that he brought the fairy here for protection. He couldn’t stop Rose. All he could do was offer us something to help us defeat her.”

  Willow’s eyebrows furrowed. “Us? As in ‘you and me’?”

  “My grandfather wrote that the fairy he brought here would give some of his magic to two people. One was me. The other person was the last living relative in the family line. That person is you. My title became extinct when you inherited the estate. My grandfather wrote that when Rose placed the family under a curse, part of that curse was killing off the title, and the only way to do that is to make sure there are no male heirs left to inherit it. The fairy also told him the last remaining family member would cross over into this time, and at that point, the fairy would show us what we need to know to break the curse we are under.”

  When Julian didn’t continue, she asked, “Is that it?”

  “He thought the less he revealed in the journal, the better. He said the fairy would give us the answers we were looking for.”

  She supposed someone who was aware of the threat Rose posed would not want to divulge too much in a journal where Rose could potentially find it and destroy it. It was best to keep the information locked away with a fairy who could make sure the right people received it.

  Willow took a deep breath. “We need to look for a fairy.” She scanned the room. “Do you think it’s in the manor or outside?”

  “I thought we’d see if the cat, owl, and horse might know where it is,” Julian replied.

  “They were used by Rose to do her bidding.”

  “Yes, but they hate her. They are no longer men. They are back in their animal form. And, they showed us where the other fairy is.”

  “That’s true.”

  “I think when you came into this time, they got their free will back.”

  She nodded. “All right. We’ll probably need to ride a horse since the fairy could be anywhere. I should put on my riding outfit.”

  “I will, too, but we should get something to eat first. We could be out all day. I’ll ask Cook to make something while we change into our riding outfits.” He gave her a kiss before he went to speak with the cook.

  ***

  Willow’s eyebrows furrowed when she realized Julian intended for them to ride the same horse. She didn’t mind taking the horse who had once been a person in her time. That was logical, but up to now, they had taken two horses.

  “You want us to ride your father’s horse together?” she asked him as the stablemaster went to get a double saddle.

  “If we are together, we’ll be touching. Touching is how we saw that fairy in the gazebo.”

  “I didn’t think of that. That’s a good idea.”

  He gave her a sly smile. “It’ll also be nice to have you in my arms.” His fingers brushed hers, and she shivered from the pleasure of the light touch.

  She wrapped her hand around his and returned his smile.

  He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.

  “Everlasting Gypsy is ready, my lord,” the stablemaster said as he came up to them.

  Julian took the reins and thanked the stablemaster.

  She thought Julian might release her hand, but he didn’t. Instead, he let his thumb trace hers in a way that excited and calmed her at the same time.

  “Will you ask the horse, cat, and owl if they know where the other fairy is?” Julian asked.

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you assume I’m the only one who can communicate with them? I’m sure you can, too.”

  His eyes grew wide as if he hadn’t thought that he might be able to do that.

  Before he could try it, the cat approached her, sat down, and looked expectantly at her. She blinked in surprise. Well, maybe Julian was right. Maybe the animals could only deal directly with her. Maybe there was something in the magic used on them that would only allow them to understand her because they’d been able to talk to her as people in her time.

  She glanced at the horse, and it seemed to be waiting for her to speak. The owl hooted from the rafters above their heads. When her gaze went to it, it also seemed to be waiting for her.

  She searched for the stablemaster, but, thankfully, he was too busy to pay attention to them. She cleared her throat. “Julian and I believe there’s a second fairy on this property. Do any of you know where that fairy is?”

  The cat glanced at the owl and the horse. The horse shook its head and neighed. The owl cocked its head to the side in what seemed to be a thoughtful gesture but didn’t give a hoot to say it knew where the fairy was. The cat purred and then headed for the doors of the stable.

  Julian hurried to help her onto the horse and then got up behind her. She turned to the side because of the dress she wore, and he put one arm around her waist and held onto the reins with his free hand.

  The cat glanced back at them and meowed.

  The horse snorted in agreement and followed after the cat.

  The owl waited until they were out of the stables before it joined them. The cat and horse stopped after they were outside the stables. The owl flew in circles over their heads.

  Willow watched as the cat sniffed the air. She found it curious that the cat seemed to be the one who took the lead. Perhaps there was a trait cats had that made them better suited for this particular task.

  The cat let out a meow and ran up the side of the stables. Willow frowned. Should cats be able to do that? She knew they could climb trees, but were they so skilled at climbing that they could go up the side of a building like that?

  The cat reached the roof, and the owl joined his friend. They could probably see the entire estate from how high up they were.

  Willow was beginning to think that finding the other fairy wasn’t going to be easy when the cat let out a meow and leapt down from the roof. At first, Willow thought it was go
ing to suffer harm, but it landed on its feet.

  Julian’s grip tightened around her waist, and before she could ask him why he’d done that, the horse went into a full gallop after the cat. The owl hooted and followed after them.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It turned out that the cat led Willow and Julian to a group of trees that were on the back of the property. Something about the group of trees seemed familiar. She recalled seeing these from her time. She went to the recesses of her mind. Would this be one of the memories that were forever gone, or would this be one that she would be able to remember?

  After a few moments, the memory came to her. She’d been walking along the property, and she’d taken note of the trees. Most of them were scattered, but there was a particular group of them that had caught her attention. The scattered trees weren’t as tall as she remembered. The group of trees, however, hadn’t grown at all in two centuries. They looked just as they had when she first saw them.

  She focused in on the group of trees, and after a moment, she detected a slight distortion in them. She renewed her hold around Julian’s waist and focused in on the trees. The area began to send off a soft ripple of blue colors.

  “Do you see the blue color coming from the trees?” she asked Julian.

  “Yes, I see it.”

  As they got closer to the trees, the swirl of blue colors became more pronounced. There was no doubt about it. The other fairy had to be somewhere in those trees.

  They reached the trees, and the horse slowed to a stop. Julian got off the horse first then helped her down. She thought the horse would go with them into the trees since the cat and owl did, but he didn’t make a move to go in there. Perhaps he wasn’t as inclined to explore new things like his companions were.