An Earl In Time

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  All the way back to the manor, Willow couldn’t stop crying, so Julian took her to the library and gave her a glass of sherry to settle her nerves. Once the tears weren’t coming so fast, he urged her to show him the passage in the book that addressed the topic of evil fairies. She protested, saying he didn’t want to read it, but he had to know what was going to happen if Rose succeeded in binding them. He couldn’t go on in ignorance about the threat they faced. He had a responsibility to do what he could to help them both.

  Willow finally picked up one of the books and searched through it for the passage he was looking for. He brought her a pillow and blanket from upstairs, put the pillow on his lap, and encouraged her to lay her head on it. Then he wrapped the blanket around her. He caressed her back until she drifted off to sleep.

  It was only then that he turned his attention to the book.

  The cost of obtaining magic from nefarious fairies can be something as insignificant as offering a gold coin to something as significant as offering one’s flesh and blood. The greater the magic one wants, the greater the price will be. Take great care before requesting anything from these creatures. If one is unable to give the payment required, the unfortunate soul will be enslaved to this creature for as long as the creature shall live.

  Anyone who finds himself bound to such a fairy will be compelled to do whatever fancies said fairy. These creatures are known for all sorts of dark deeds. They’ve been known to torment their captives for sport. Torment takes on many forms. It can be as simple as watching crows pluck out one’s eyes only to restore the eyes and watch the crows pluck them out all over again. Torment can be as complicated as sending the spirit of madness into the captive’s mind until the captive longs for the relief of death.

  But there are instances where the captive will be sent to do the fairy’s bidding. These particular fairies are known for craving precious jewels, so captives are often given the task of going into the belly of the Earth to retrieve them. At times, the captives will be sent to torment mortals who roam the world freely. This form of torment can be harmless pranks such as making the mortal think someone is calling his name or sending the mortal nightmares. Torment can also be something far more serious like sending out siren songs to lure sailors to a shore where they will starve to death listening to the haunting tune.

  What these nefarious creatures desire above all else, however, are human babies. The captives might be called on to kidnap them. A human baby is considered the best of all prized possessions because babies are full of innocence and light. It’s this innocence and light that these particular fairies need to sustain their lives. One human baby can provide them one hundred years. Human babies are their favorite feast. It is their ambrosia.

  Julian had to stop reading for a moment. He swallowed the bile that rose up in his throat. The things he had read up to now had been uncomfortable, but this last passage, especially the one about the babies, made him sick to his stomach. It was no wonder Willow had been crying.

  He closed his eyes and let the information settle in his mind. He had to stay strong. He had to fight.

  His grandfather didn’t say the situation was hopeless. Rose needed both him and Willow. She couldn’t just send one of them to the evil fairy. That gave him and Willow a slight advantage. Granted, it didn’t seem like much since neither he nor Willow were as cunning as a lady who was willing to sacrifice her own child for the sake of eternal youth.

  He caressed Willow’s cheek. If it were possible that just one of them would go to this evil fairy, he would go on her behalf. But they were linked together. They had been linked together from the moment that evil fairy told Rose she needed to bring him two heirs.

  What if he and Willow never invited her? Was it possible that they could keep her away for as long as they lived?

  No. All it would take was for someone or something that belonged on this property to invite her. That was how she was able to come onto this property in the future. The cat, owl, and horse belonged here. Rose had used them to come onto this property in the future. After that, she had either released them from their duties willingly, or she’d been forced to. One thing he was certain of was that those animals didn’t want to do her bidding. If they had, they would have invited her here already.

  He turned his attention back to the book he’d been reading. There were a few black and white illustrations of what the author claimed to be actual accounts from people who’d stumbled across the evil fairies.

  One illustration showed fairies laughing while they dangled food just above a person’s head. The man had gone without food for so long that he was abnormally skinny. The man was unable to reach the food. Hence, the torment they were putting him through. Another illustration showed a fairy putting a creature called a changeling into a crib while the other fairy stole a human baby. Then there was an illustration of a captive human being forced to fight another captive human while the fairies snickered at them. The last illustration showed a group of fairies dancing around open graves and, from the looks of it, eating cut up portions of human bodies.

  Julian closed the book. He couldn’t keep looking through it. It was frightening him to the point where he was tempted to never invite Rose here. And then what would happen? Would she die out? Or, if he and Willow had a child, would she just pass the curse on to the boy or girl? It was possible Willow would outlive him. Then what? Would she have to deal with Rose all by herself? Or would their child be the last heir instead of Willow? Obviously, a child would change things. Maybe the child would fulfill the requirements that she needed an heir living in this time period and needing the last remaining heir. Perhaps the child would unwittingly invite her here.

  He had a responsibility to protect Willow and any children they had. He was going to have to invite Rose here. He was going to have to deal with her himself.

  Granted, it was going to put Willow in harm’s way, but there was nothing he could do about that. All he could do was hope he’d be able to stop Rose before she could get to Willow. He just needed to get the wand and give it to the green fairy before Rose could bind him and Willow.

  He released an uneasy breath. He wasn’t without magic. The blue fairy had given him and Willow some protection. He bet it was why he and Willow started seeing the red and gold thread connecting them since they married. It was why they were able to see the green fairy when they touched each other in the gazebo. It was probably why the cat, owl, and horse were able to help them.

  He closed his eyes. He was going to have to do this. He didn’t know how he was going to tell Willow, but he was going to have to do it. Tomorrow. He’d tell her tomorrow. She’d been through enough for one day. He didn’t need to burden her with anything else. He opened his eyes and rubbed her back in gentle, soothing motions, pretending he didn’t notice the heaviness that lingered in the air.

  ***

  “You want to invite Rose here?” Willow asked the next morning.

  She turned from the window in the drawing room and looked at Julian as he finished pouring tea into their cups. He set the teapot on the tray and straightened up.

  After they ate, Julian had asked her to join him in this room, but he had waited until the butler left them with the tea before he told her what was on his mind.

  It was no wonder he had been unusually quiet the previous evening. She’d known everything the blue fairy had revealed to them was on his mind, but she never imagined he had reached the conclusion that they should let Rose cross the bridge.

  Julian walked over to her and took her hands in his. “I don’t want to do it. I feel like I need to do it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s not going anywhere. If she doesn’t come for us, she’ll probably come for the children we’re going to have.”

  Willow felt a shiver crawl up her spine. “What do you mean she might come for our children? We’re the only ones the curse affects.”

  “My grandfather didn’t me
ntion us by name.”

  “He did so. He referred to you several times by name.”

  “He addressed me by name as he gave me the message, but he didn’t specify I had to be the one Rose came for. He just said that she needed an heir in this time and the last heir. If you think about it, a son could fill both of those requirements now that we’re married.”

  She shivered again and crossed her arms in a protective gesture. “I don’t like where this is going.”

  “I don’t, either, but I don’t want her posing a threat to us or our children forever.”

  “Certainly, there will come a time when she’ll have to die. As long as she doesn’t satisfy that evil fairy, she will keep aging. If we just tell our children what’s happening, they’ll be careful. We’ll instruct the servants not to invite any ladies here. The horse, cat, and owl don’t want her here. They won’t bring her over to this side of the bridge.”

  Julian gave her a look that told her that, while he understood why she was resistant to the idea, he was determined to follow through with it.

  “Why must you do this?” she asked.

  He paused for a moment then said, “Because while I’m alive, I’ll be the one who has to confront her. I can’t leave you or our child with that possibility.”

  Tears filled her eyes, and one of them slid down her cheek. She brushed it away and willed the others to stop, but she couldn’t seem to quit crying. She’d had such a difficult time calming down yesterday, and today might not be any easier, especially with this new information.

  Julian brought her into his arms, and she clung to him.

  “I’m frightened,” she whispered.

  “I am, too,” he admitted, “but it has to be done. We need to end the curse.”

  As much as she hated to know the answer, she needed to prepare herself. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced out, “When do you plan to invite her?”

  “I was thinking of doing it in a couple of days. I don’t want to wait too long, but I want a little more time with you, just in case…”

  Her heart sank. Just in case Rose succeeds. It was too terrible to say aloud, but it was a very real possibility.

  “I love you, Willow. If I could make it so that I was the only one she was coming after, I’d do it. Then, at least, you could be free to live on in peace.”

  “I don’t want to live without you. I might not remember the details of my past, but I know I was lonely. I just didn’t know it until I met you. Whatever happens, I want us to be together.”

  He tightened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes and continued softly crying into his shoulder.

  ***

  A couple of nights later, Julian held Willow as she slept. He had tried to make the most of the past three days, but there was an air of heaviness that hung between them. It’d been there ever since they learned why Rose had bound them to the same property in the same time. She’d been patient. For two centuries she had waited for this opportunity.

  Julian let out a heavy sigh. He couldn’t put it off any longer. He was going to have to send the invitation after the sun rose. There was no use in holding off the inevitable. Not when the sense of doom was pressing in on him and Willow from all sides.

  Willow lifted her head. “You can’t sleep?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Do you know what time it is?”

  “I think it’s around three.”

  “That late?”

  He shrugged. “Or early, depending on how you think of it.”

  “Sometimes I wish you and I could be stuck in the same day forever. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about her.”

  “I know why you say that, but you don’t want to relive the same day over and over. It was like living in a nightmare. There were days I was sure I was going to go mad.”

  “Why does Rose need eternal youth? Why can’t she just be content to live out her life like everyone else does?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe the thought of death is too much for her to take.”

  “Maybe. I don’t suppose it matters. She already made her bargain with the evil fairy. She brought a green fairy here to put us both under a curse. She must not care who she hurts as long as she gets what she wants.”

  Julian caressed Willow’s cheek. “We have to believe we’ll get that wand to the fairy in the gazebo. We can’t be fatalistic. If we believe we’re doomed, then we’re already defeated.” He shifted so that he was facing her. “Rose isn’t the only one who has magic. We do, too. We must remind ourselves of that. My grandfather brought the blue fairy here for our protection. He gave up this land and years of his life in order to help us.”

  “You’re right. He sacrificed a lot for us. And your father had to live with the fact that he killed your uncle in that duel. That couldn’t have been easy.”

  “It wasn’t. My father tried to act as if everything was pleasant, but as I got older, I could tell he wasn’t happy. I just didn’t know why. As difficult as it is, we need to have faith in our ability to overcome this curse. We’re not alone. We have help.”

  “I’ll try to have faith.”

  He couldn’t blame her for struggling to believe they were going to be all right. He would have to have enough faith for both of them. He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her. Being with her strengthened him. Even with the heaviness of the curse hovering over them, he felt much more hopeful about their future when they were together. He could use that closeness right now.

  He took his time in making love to her, doing everything possible to give them both the most enjoyment from their time together. He let his hands trace all of her. He kissed parts of her he hadn’t thought to kiss before.

  After some time, he realized that she didn’t seem so worried anymore. The spark that existed deep within her found its way to the surface. That was good. Even if it was for this moment, it was good that she had something to enjoy, something to get pleasure from. He waited until she was satisfied before he entered her. Then he took his time in completing the act.

  Afterward, he experienced a peace that enabled him to believe that things would work out in their favor in the end. Good was going to win. He and Willow had a love match, and that had a power in itself. He couldn’t think of anything finer than true love. Their love might be the very thing that was going to give him the strength to do whatever he had to in order to get that wand to the green fairy.

  Feeling much better, he was finally able to drift off to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Are you sure you want to do this with me?” Julian asked as he and Willow stood before the invisible barrier at the bridge.

  Willow tucked the cloak closer around herself. Despite the fact that it was summer, the task ahead of them gave her a chill. Even the sun didn’t warm her up. One might suggest that the wind cooled things off considerably, but, deep down, she knew it wasn’t the wind that made her shiver.

  She took a deep breath and released it. “Yes, I’m sure.” She held her hand out to him.

  He took her hand and squeezed it. “We’re not alone. We have help.”

  She wished she had his faith. She tried to believe that everything was going to be all right. But no matter how hard she tried, there was a part of her that kept telling her she and Julian were no match for someone who had been using magic for over two centuries.

  Julian, however, was right. They couldn’t live their lives with the burden of this curse hanging over them. Nor could they allow their child, or children, to be in harm’s way, should Rose make another deal with that evil fairy. This had to end, and it had to end with them.

  She squeezed Julian’s hand. “I’m ready. How do you want to send the missive?”

  “I was thinking we’d place it on the ground and then push it over the barrier.”

  “All right.”

  They knelt on the bridge, and she waited as he took the rolled-up missive from his pocket. It had his seal on it. With a
glance at her, he placed it in front of the barrier. They pushed the missive forward, and it went across the barrier without a hint of resistance.

  He took her by the arm and urged her to move back as if he expected Rose to come through that very second. She put her arm around his waist, and he held her. They stood there for a couple of minutes, waiting for something to happen.

  Except, nothing did. She could see the missive resting on the bridge. It remained untouched. Her gaze went to the path that marked the way to London. No one was on it. She scanned the area beyond the property. She didn’t see anyone. She didn’t even see any living creatures like a bird or a rabbit out there. Maybe that should have reassured her, but it only spooked her all the more.

  “I suppose there’s nothing to do but wait,” Julian whispered. “We might as well do that inside.”

  Since she couldn’t think of anything else to do, she nodded.

  They went to their horses in silence. He gave her a kiss then helped her onto the sidesaddle. Despite her effort to be brave, her hands were shaking as she gathered the reins. She took another good look at the bridge.

  Nothing.

  Even the missive was still there.

  Was it possible that Rose wasn’t out there?

  Julian turned his horse away from the bridge, and after a moment, she followed him. Halfway to the stables, he said, “When she comes, I think it’d be best if we stayed separated. I intend to get the wand from her and get it to the fairy. I don’t want you to get involved. I want you to hide.”