by Kit Morgan
“No, you got here in the nick of time. He … he was going to though …” she trembled in his arms.
Aldrich glanced over his shoulder at the open door just as the wagon slowed to a stop. Her rapist still lay in the road, unmoving. Aldrich turned back to Tory. “Be right back, darling.” He still had to take care of the driver. Was it Hughes?
She nodded as her gaze met his. “Punch his lights out.”
Aldrich smiled. Yes, definitely Hughes. “I will.”
“Please.” She grabbed his arm. “I don’t normally like a lot of violence. Except on TV, but …”
He grinned at her like a loon, climbed out and closed the wagon door. If Hughes had a pistol, he didn’t want him getting to Tory to use her as leverage. Besides, it was probably best she didn’t see what he’d do to him. But could he hold himself in check? Could he let the man live? Aldrich wasn’t sure.
* * *
“Any word?” Duncan asked.
“None, Your Grace,” Barnes offered him a tray.
“Eat, Duncan,” Cozette urged. “You’ll need your wits about you when they return.”
Duncan nodded and took a sandwich off the tray. “There will be a terrible scandal.”
“Nonsense. Aldrich will be fine.”
“No, dear one, I’m afraid he’s going to have his hands full.”
“He will leave.”
“Leave Kent? But that’s his home, his land. He’ll not want to go.”
“If he loves her, he will. Besides, did not Lany say he would take Aldrich and Tory someplace safe?”
“Yes, but I thought that would be temporary.”
“No, Duncan. How can it be?”
Duncan thought a moment. She was right. Once Aldrich married Tory Phelps, he might as well be walking around with a target on his back. But where would he go, what would he do? Didn’t he have relatives in Scotland? Hmmm, he supposed that might work…
“Aldrich!” Cozette jumped to her feet. “Tory!”
Sir Aldrich and Tory stood in the grand hall. Duncan launched out of his chair. “Aldrich, what happened, where did you find her?”
Aldrich wiped at his mouth with one hand as he limped into the drawing room, Tory at his side. Dried blood covered his chin below a split lip.
“You’re hurt,” Cozette said. “Barnes!”
“Here, Your Grace,” Barnes said, took one look at Aldrich and grimaced. “I’ll get some hot water, shall I?”
“And bandages if you have them,” Tory said. She looked at Aldrich and winced. He also sported a black eye. “You big oaf. I told you not to fight him.”
Aldrich touched the small gash on his forehead. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“What happened?” Duncan demanded.
“Your village magistrate decided to make some money off me with trumped up charges,” Tory explained.
“We know you were arrested,” Cozette said. “One of the tenant’s children … she told her father.”
Tory smiled. “The little blue-eyed girl. She delivered my message!”
“Yes, she did,” Duncan put in. “But what happened?”
Tory gave Aldrich a flat look. “Do you want to tell them or shall I?”
Aldrich arched an eyebrow. “As I’ll no doubt be hearing about this for years to come, I might as well let you start regaling others with the tale now.”
Tory smiled. “Thank you.” She turned to Duncan and Cozette. “He fought a big Scotsman.”
Duncan and Cozette’s mouths flopped open. “He what?!” they said at once.
“Yeah, apparently the guy didn’t think Aldrich should beat up Hughes the magistrate.”
Duncan glanced at his wife. “More like kill him. See, I told you, scandal.”
She waved off the comment with a hand. “Then what?”
“He was determined to keep Aldrich from him,” Tory said. “But not until after Aldrich socked that crooked magistrate a few good ones.” She reached up and gently touched Aldrich’s face. “I had no idea you were such a stubborn man.”
“I had no idea the Scot had such a swing.” He gingerly moved his jaw back and forth. “I suppose I should thank him. After all, it wouldn’t do for my future wife to have to watch her husband hang for murder.”
Tory’s eyes went wide, leaving her speechless as Cozette gasped. “You tried to kill him?”
Aldrich looked at the duke and duchess. “I wanted to. It’s well that your big friend MacDonald showed up when he did.”
“Wait a minute,” Tory said in surprise as she gathered her wits. “You know that guy?”
“We are acquainted,” Aldrich said. “But enough about him.” He took her hands in his, got down on one knee and gazed up at her.
Tory gasped. “Aldrich!”
He gave her a wide smile, or as much as he could muster with a split lip and bruised jaw. “I know we haven’t known each other long and that you do things differently where you come from. But Tory Phelps, I would be honored to have you as my wife. To protect you, provide for you and keep you safe with all that I am until I die.” He kissed her hands. “Say you’ll marry me.”
Tears filled her eyes as she smiled. “Yes, Aldrich. Yes!” She fell to her knees and threw her arms around his neck.
He grimaced in pain at her tight hold, embraced her and held her close. And while he held that one of a kind woman in his arms, he silently vowed to never lose her again. Ever. She would be his, no matter what happened next. He’d see to it. They would be together always. And were.
Epilogue
Stockton, California, October 2018
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Tory asked.
Aldrich wiped his hands on his pants. No, that wasn’t the right word. Jeans. Yes, jeans. “I’ll be fine. It’s just … the speeds this conveyance is capable of … will take some getting used to.” He swallowed hard. For a moment he thought he was going to die, but he wasn’t going to tell her that.
“Car, Aldrich. It’s called a car. More importantly,” she said with a smile. “It’s called a Mercedes. What a great wedding present! Mr. Mosgofian has good taste.”
He gave her a sidelong glance and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans again. “Indeed.”
“Just wait until I teach you how to drive. You’re going to love it!”
He swallowed hard and eyed the, what did she call it? Steering wheel? “Is it hard to operate?”
“Not at all. But first you’ll have to study for your driving test.” She un-fastened her seat belt and turned to face him. “I love you.”
Aldrich smiled. “And I would go to the ends of the Earth for you.”
“Does that mean you love me?” she teased.
“You know I do.” He leaned over, cupped her face with one hand and kissed her. He’d been kissing her and then some ever since they were married six weeks ago. The lanky Mosgofian had taken care of everything and saw to it that he and Tory were not only wed, but enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon in Paris. Followed by New York, Philadelphia and finally San Francisco. He got to see all the places he wanted and was about to do it all over again. But this time, in Tory’s century.
“I hope you like it here,” she said. “We can always go back if you want.”
“To Kent? No, Duncan said it’s too dangerous right now. There might be people looking for us.”
She hung her head. “I know, but …”
“What?”
She looked at him and smiled. “One day, when we have children, I … I think I’d like to raise them in your time.”
He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. He kissed her again. He was never going to tire of doing so. Not even when they were both old and grey. He broke the kiss and said, “If you wish, my love. Anything you want.” He glanced around. “What is this place?”
“My neighborhood.”
He cocked his head slightly. “You … you live here?”
She nodded. “Uh, yeah. Right there.” She pointed at an odd looking house
they were parked in front of. “I hope Benny’s home.”
“Your brother, do you think he’ll believe you?”
She looked at him in shock. “I’m not going to tell him. We talked about this, remember? He doesn’t need to know where … when you’re from. Just that you’re from England.”
“I don’t know, darling. After what you’ve told me about him, perhaps we should take him back with us. A few years working the fields on my estate might do him good.”
“Ohhh, don’t tempt me,” she said. “Besides, the nineteenth century isn’t ready for the likes of Benny.”
“Nothing good hard work won’t take care of, darling.”
She smiled. “Yes, but what about the rest of your world? I can’t imagine Benny at a social function. Come to think of it, I never got the chance. Too bad the house party got cancelled.”
“Yes, so we could plan our wedding, remember? Hmm, maybe I could hire your brother a tutor?”
She laughed. “One thing at a time. Let’s just see if he’s home, first.”
“Very well. I’ll concede to your good judgment on the matter. You know your brother best.”
“Thanks.” She un-fastened his seat belt for him. “Let’s go say hi.”
Aldrich got out of the car and stretched. It was a beautiful looking machine. Many of them were. They were also the scariest things he’d experienced so far.
Suddenly a loud roaring noise caught his attention. It was getting louder and Aldrich spun a full circle, looking for the source of the sound.
“Look up,” Tory said.
He did. “Good Lord!”
“It’s an airplane. I told you about them.”
He swallowed hard. Okay, so cars were now the second scariest thing he’d seen since coming to the twenty-first century.
She smiled at him. “You know, I think Benny’s really going to like you. Once he gets used to the idea that you’re his brother in-law.”
“He’s had no father. I know the feeling. Mine died when I was twenty. Though I was a man, it was still hard. Your father died when you and your brother were much younger. That’s far worse.
“Thank you,” she said. “For saying you’ll be patient with him, giving him a chance. He’s not the easiest person to get along with.”
“You’re welcome. He just needs some … training.” He took one of her hands in his. “And thank you.”
She smiled again. “For what?”
“For believing in me, in us. For being you.”
She put her arms around his neck. “If I wasn’t plain old me, would you still have fallen in love?”
“What sort of a question is that?”
“Aldrich, we’re from two different centuries. In fact, we’re as different from each other as two people can get.”
He took her hands in his and kissed them. “True, but centuries between us cannot dampen love. Nor can they keep two people meant to be together apart.”
She gazed into his eyes. “What do you mean?”
He smiled. “Love found a way, Tory, and brought us together.”
“Gee, I thought Mr. Mosgofian did that. With a little help of course.”
“Love has many helpers, my beautiful wife. Many helpers indeed.”
“That it does.” She kissed him then turned to the door, opened it and stepped inside. “Oh Benny! I’m home!”
The End
All of Kit Morgan’s books can be found at her website www.authorkitmorgan.com. Be sure to sign up for Kit’s newsletter to learn more about upcoming books and special surprises!
About the Author
Kit Morgan, aka Geralyn Beauchamp, lives in a log cabin in the woods in the wonderful state of Oregon. She grew up riding horses, playing cowboys and Indians and has always had a love of Westerns! She and her father watched many Western movies and television shows together, and enjoyed the quirky characters of Green Acres. Kit’s books have been described as “Green Acres meets Gunsmoke,” and have brought joy and entertainment to thousands of readers. Many of her books are now in audio format, performed by a talented voice actor who brings Kit’s characters to life, and can be found on Amazon, Audible.com and iTunes.
