Secrets of My Beloved: Linked Across Time Book Twelve

by Dawn Brower

  They walked to the door and exited the house. After a few moments passed, his father turned his attention to him. “It hasn’t escaped my notice you’ve been anxious of late. You need something to occupy your time. Have you considered all your options?”

  He would not reply with a sarcastic tone. He wouldn’t. Nicholas gritted his teeth. “I have.” His father meant well, but he couldn’t possibly understand what was driving him. Hell, Nicholas wasn’t certain he did himself. “Nothing is…appealing.” Except taking a page out of his mother’s book and doing the time travel experience. He was certain his father didn’t include that in his options though.

  He nodded gravely. “Have you thought about learning land management?” Nicholas opened his mouth to nix that idea, but his father held up his hand to stop him from speaking. “Don’t rule it out without listening to me. Weston is meant for Christian. I understand why you don’t want to take an active interest in it, but there are lands that will belong to you.”

  He sighed. “Aren’t they run as part of the Weston estate?”

  “Currently, yes,” his father said. “Because you’ve taken no interest in taking control of them. They were always meant to be yours upon reaching your majority. You’re five and twenty, well past the time to claim your inheritance. What is stopping you?”

  He didn’t want it. Nicholas was a spoiled brat. He realized there were many individuals that would gladly trade places with him. There must be something fundamentally wrong with him. He didn’t feel like he belonged… He shrugged and met his father’s gaze. “Why bother changing how things are run. The land is in good hands with you at the helm.”

  “I won’t always be here,” his father said quietly. “And it’s not fair to your brother to leave everything to him.”

  Nicholas glanced away. He hated to think about his father dying. His heart hurt whenever he thought about his father being gone. And yet… He also couldn’t wait to run away to a place his father couldn’t go. Yes, he was incredibly messed up inside. “I’ll consider it.” That was the best answer he could give. If he went through with his plan, the land would revert to Christian either way.

  “All right,” his father said. They finally reached the stables and went inside. A groom was there with his father’s horse. “Nicholas is joining me as well. Please prepare his horse.”

  “Yes, Your Grace,” the groom said. The duke took the reins of his horse and led it to a mounting block. He slid on to the horse’s back and waited for Nicholas.

  It didn’t take long for the groom to saddle his horse. Nicholas mounted and they took off. He hoped the morning went by quickly so he could corner his sister later. He was already done with his morning ride, but he’d made a commitment and he’d see it through. Even if his father kept throwing him disappointing glances…

  Nicholas strolled down the garden path toward the gazebo near the roses. A maid had directed him there. He hoped to locate his sister…alone. He didn’t want any one else to be privy to their conversation. It might complicate his plans if the wrong person overheard it. He rounded the corner and found her sitting on a bench with a book in her lap. She held her face toward the sky with her eyes closed as she basked in the sun. Her blonde hair was neatly back in an elegant chignon and her bonnet thrown back with the straps holding it in place around her neck.

  “What has you so lost in thought?” Nicholas asked. He’d like to say he wouldn’t have interrupted her if this wasn’t so important to him, but that would be a lie. He’d always liked poking at his sister and disrupting her whenever the moment presented itself.

  She lifted her hand to her chest. “Nicholas,” she exclaimed. “You startled me.” Her lips twitched as she met his gaze. “Why are you lurking in the garden? No young miss to entice into a dark corner and steal a kiss.”

  “Another day, perhaps,” he said and then flashed her a wicked smile. “Today I only have eyes for my dear sister. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you. How is that blackguard you call a husband treating you? If he’s done something dastardly, say the word and I’ll make him walk the plank.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Jack is a wonderful husband. You know he left his pirating days in the eighteenth century. He’s a perfect gentleman now.”

  Jackerson Morgan Carwyn, the Duke of Whitewood, was a former pirate known as Captain Jack Morgan. Of course, that had been in the eighteenth century as his sister mentioned. He’d been thrown through time and settled in the nineteenth century with relative ease. The king had awarded him a dukedom after he’d saved his life. “If you say so,” he said and sat on the bench next to Elizabeth. “I’m glad I found you though.” As if he hadn’t gone looking for her.

  “Oh?” She lifted a brow. “Why is that?”

  “I found mother’s journal a while back. It’s been interesting reading some of her entries.” The whole family was aware of time travel. It was hard to ignore when their mother was the first to arrive at Weston from another era, but considering Elizabeth’s husband had too… Well, it would be foolish to believe differently. “I didn’t realize you had your own experiences with, um…”

  “Time travel,” she supplied. “I haven’t. Not exactly. Jack would have had a fit if I’d done more than look into the mirror. It was tempting though.” She tilted her head to the side and studied him. “Why are you so interested.”

  He shrugged. “It was entertaining for a moment. It’s been…”

  “Bored, are you.” She blew out a breath. “It’s not something to play with, little brother.”

  “I never said…”

  She held up her hand to interrupt him. “Don’t try that with me. I know you. You wouldn’t be asking if you hadn’t thought of all the possibilities. Time travel is risky. You don’t know where you would end up or if you have the ability to do it.”

  “How do you even know if you do?” That was the part he hadn’t worked out with all the reading. No where did it explain any of it. “How can some manage to travel through time and others are perpetually stuck where they were born?”

  “I have a theory,” she said. “I’ve written in my own journals about it, but I have no real way to prove it. I’ve always had these weird visions—mostly in mirrors. It’s how I first saw Jack…”

  Nicholas hadn’t known that. “Fascinating. What does that have to do with time travel?” Normally, he’d ask about that in length but he had other interests at the moment.

  She shook her head in annoyance. “You’re a pest, you know that?”

  “But you love me,” he said cheekily.

  “I do, you imp,” she agreed. “To answer your question, I believe that, in order to access the ability to travel through time, you must have another ability. Mine is visions, mother has a photographic memory, Jack can see in mirrors like I do. I’m not certain that is his only ability since he doesn’t like to think about it.”

  Nicholas wasn’t sure if he had any extraordinary abilities. Did that mean he couldn’t travel through the mirror? He had more questions than answers after this conversation.

  “You’re wondering if you have an ability.” Her lips twitched a little as she smiled at him. “You do. If you think hard enough, you’ll realize what it is. Christian has one too.”

  It irritated him that she knew what it was but wouldn’t tell him. “Is that so? What ability does he have?”

  “It’s called claircongnizance,” she said with conviction. “That’s a fancy way of saying his instincts never fail him. You, my dear brother, have something much subtler and hardly ever utilize it.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure I believe you. That sounds like a figment of your imagination.” Though there were times Christian had done something that seemed entirely wrong to him, but had gone exactly as his brother had predicted. He didn’t want to admit that Elizabeth could be right.

  “It isn’t,” she reassured him. “Do you remember when you were a child how you drew pictures all the time.”

  He did. “What of it?” Drawing
isn’t that special…almost all children doodled.

  “That’s your gift. Mother told me that you drew an automobile once. She’d never told any of us what it was. You see things and draw them without thinking. It’s a type of psychic ability, and since you gave up drawing, you don’t use your gift anymore. It’s sad, really. They were really good.”

  He shrugged. “It doesn’t appeal to me anymore.” But now he was curious. Perhaps he might get some more art supplies. It might help him to understand this supposed gift of his. His sister was trying to make him feel special. It was a bit of nonsense and he didn’t want to believe it to be true. If he did, and it turned out to be false, it would hurt too much. “It was nice speaking with you.” Nicholas stood. “I hope you’ll visit Weston for a while. It’s never the same here without you.”

  “Don’t do something foolish,” she said as she narrowed her gaze.

  “Me?” He flashed her an innocent smile. “I’d never do anything of the sort.”

  “You don’t fool me,” she said, then sighed. “Truly. Don’t take that risk. Find something else to entertain you.”

  His smile fell. “I promise I won’t do anything without careful consideration. It’s the best I can offer you.”

  “All right.” She stood and wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. “In case I don’t get the chance again. I love you, little brother.”

  “I love you too,” he said and hugged her back. He did adore his sister. “Now, I promised Christian I’d beat him in billiards. Have a good afternoon.” He stepped out of her embrace and left her alone in the garden. She’d given him much to think about.

  Nicholas stepped into the game room at Weston. Christian was already there, loading the balls onto the table. “Oh good, you decided to show up. I though you had forgotten about our afternoon game.”

  He held his hand over his heart. “You wound me, brother dear. Would I ever leave you waiting for long?”

  Christian met his gaze. “It’s me. You don’t have to act like you’re not a wastrel and rogue.”

  “One forgotten appointment, and you’re bound to hold it over me for the rest of my days. How much of a penance must I pay before you absolve me of my guilt?” Nicholas adored his brother, and of all the people he would leave behind, Christian was the one he’d miss the most. They did everything together, but it was inevitable they would go their separate ways one day. Nicholas didn’t think it would be him to go first.

  “How much time do you have to give me,” Christian deadpanned.

  “For you?” He moved farther into the room. “About an hour, and then I have to leave you to your important bookkeeping.”

  Christian sighed. “A duke-to-be always has something to do.”

  “Truer words have never been spoken before,” Nicholas agreed. “Would you like a drink? I could use a snifter of brandy.”

  “Yes,” Christian said. “Pour me a double.”

  Nicholas went to the bar and poured brandy into two goblets, then walked over to Christian and handed him one. He sipped the amber liquid and leaned against the side of the billiard table. This would be his last game with Christian. He hoped his brother would always know how much he meant to him. Maybe, once he was gone, his brother would find happiness and love. Sometimes he believed Christian thought more about taking care of Nicholas than himself.

  “What’s troubling you?” Nicholas asked him.

  “Nothing. Everything.” Christian lined up a shot and hit the ball hard. He earned a point and continued onto the next shot. “Father thinks its time I marry.”

  Nicholas lifted a brow. “Does he now?” He was surprised he hadn’t suggested the same to him when they were visiting the farms earlier. “Why?”

  “He’s not pressuring me, if that is what you’re thinking. It’s more…” His voice trailed off as he searched for the right words. “He wants me to be open to the possibility. At some point I’ll need a wife, and as he puts it: I won’t know when the right one will present herself to me, and if I’m an idiot, I’ll let her slip away.”

  “Ah,” Nicholas said noncommittally. “How does one know the right woman to marry?”

  Christian shrugged. “You’re asking the wrong person. So far, I haven’t encountered this mythical creature. Of course, I could have been stupid and not recognized her. So I suppose there’s that.”

  He chuckled. “Then I’m equally moronic. Most females exasperate me as soon as they start speaking. Don’t let father’s words annoy you overly much. I’m sure you’ll acknowledge the love of your life when you meet her. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a woman travel through time for them like father.”

  It was Christian’s turn to laugh. “Don’t let father hear you say that. He doesn’t like mother’s origins spoke aloud.”

  “Too true,” Nicholas said. Christian missed his shot and handed the billiard stick to him. “Are you ready to lose?”

  “As if you could beat me,” Christian scoffed. “Do your worst.”

  Nicholas attempted to hit one of the balls and missed his shot. “I guess it’s not my day.” He handed the stick to Christian. Normally he was competitive, but today he’d decided to let Christian win. It was his last gift to his brother before he left.

  They finished their game with Christian the victor. “Congrats,” Nicholas said. “Luck was on your side.”

  “There was no luck,” Christian told him. He lifted a questioning brow. “What is bothering you? You’ve never played that badly before.”

  “Nothing,” he answered. He hoped his answer would satisfy his brother, but he feared Christian could read him too easily to fool him. “I’m a little tired. I had trouble sleeping. Perhaps I’ll rest a bit before dinner.” He patted his brother on the back. “Rematch later?”

  “Absolutely,” Christian said. The lift of his brow suggested he hadn’t believed a word Nicholas had uttered. His brother apparently respected his wish to keep his thoughts to himself though. Nicholas would take it and make a hasty exit before Christian changed his mind. “I suppose I’ll return to all those ledgers. Enjoy your nap.” With those words, Christian exited the game room.

  Nicholas’s smile faded. He’d miss his twin, but he had to leave. He felt that deeply in his bones. Once he was certain Christian had settled back into the study, Nicholas left the game room. He didn’t go to his room though. Instead, he went to the library and stood in front of the floor length mirror. He had no idea what he was doing or if it would work. What if ignoring his ability had made him immune to the magic of time travel? He set his hands on the mirror. Nothing happened… There was no gray mist like his sister had described.

  He closed his eyes and blew out a breath. So much for time travel… He’d said all his non-goodbyes for nothing, and he was still stuck in the nineteenth century. Nicholas was about to give up when something pulled at him, he lost his balance, and fell forward through the mirror. He flailed his arms, trying to grab on to something, anything, but there was nothing for him to hold on to. What the hell had happened and where was he heading?

  Chapter 3

  Peyton Drake stared at her reflection and didn’t like what she saw. Her skin was still too pale, and her normally bright cherry-brown hair seemed dull. Even her blue eyes had a sallow appearance. She hated being sick. Sure, she was in remission, but her illness had taken an awful toll on her body. If not for her sister, Eve, she would have died a year ago. Her hair had finally grown back, but it was barely shoulder length.

  “Quit over-analyzing yourself,” Eve said as she strolled into the library. “You’re beautiful, I promise.”

  “I’m not certain what you’re looking at, but I promise you it isn’t me.”

  They had set the library up for the bridal party to prepare for the wedding at Weston Manor. Today was Eve’s wedding day. She was finally marrying Trenton Quinn, the man she’d loved for, well, forever. It had taken a lot for them to find each other again. Eve had been trapped in the past, uncertain how to return home
, and Trenton was determined to find her no matter the cost. If not for her other sister, Serenity, Trenton might not have been successful. Serenity had taken him back to find Eve. Peyton had needed Eve to donate her bone marrow to save her life, and Serenity was willing to do almost anything to ensure Peyton lived. So, Serenity had stayed behind while Eve and Trenton came back to the present.

  She was happy for Serenity. Her sister had found love with the Duke of Branterberry, exactly where she belonged. Peyton was in remission, and now Eve was getting married. Sometimes, Peyton was jealous of her two sisters. They had both found men who adored them, and they loved them too. She wished she was that lucky…

  “No,” Eve said, interrupting her thoughts. “You are beautiful, and I won’t have you talking bad about my wonderful sister.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. I may disagree with you, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

  “You’re very much welcome,” Eve said. She clapped her hands excitedly. “I cannot believe I’m finally getting married.”

  “You shouldn’t have waited,” Peyton told her. It hurt a little to think about all Eve had that Peyton didn’t. She shouldn’t be jealous, but she couldn’t help it. “You love him, and it shouldn’t have taken a year for you to finally say your vows.”

  “You know why we waited,” Eve said softly. “It was important to me that you were there by my side, sharing my day with me. Are you sure you’re up to this?”

  She pasted a smile on her face and prayed it was enough for her sister. Eve was a good person. Peyton would not ruin Eve’s wedding day with her own self-doubts. Somehow, she would find a way through her melancholy. In the meantime, she’d fake it long enough to make Eve’s special day as wonderful as possible. “I’m fine. Quit worrying. My last doctor’s appointment gave me the all clear. I’m cancer free and ready to live life to the fullest. Now shoo,” Peyton said. “Go finish getting ready for your wedding. I’ll fix my makeup and dress, then meet you in the bridal chamber. We don’t want to keep your groom waiting. He’s waited long enough, don’t you think?”