An Earl in Time

by Lisa Kumar

  “Full-time? Surely, that’s not necessary.”

  “It’s standard protocol,” she said.

  “Well, I’m changing your protocol.” He leveled a piercing stare at her. “I don’t want you alone in a strange man’s residence, invisible or not.”

  Yeah right, the earl was probably more worried she’d escape if he let her use her invisibility transmitter. “Why? Lord Pendlebough is married, and he wouldn’t even see me.”

  “He’s a libertine of the first order.”

  “So? He wouldn’t see me if I were invisible. Anyway, how are you such an authority on the guy?”

  He smirked. “Because I was a libertine, too. I don’t want you around one, even if you’re invisible, for an extended period of time.”

  She gave a snort of laughter. Could he not see the irony? “Oh, that’s rich. I’m in your townhouse, unchaperoned.”

  “Yes, and if anyone found out, that would be enough to ruin your reputation, though it sounds like women of your era no longer worry about such things,” he said derisively.

  She shook her head in disbelief. “For a self-admitted Casanova, you sure have your double standards.”

  “Women are held to a higher code of behavior than men.”

  “Talk about hypocrisy.”

  He shrugged. “It is what it is.”

  Even in her day, such hypocrisy existed, though not to this extent. It rubbed her nerves the wrong way to be in a place where woman were seen as being little better than chattel. Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to put up with it for long. “So how am I going to get into their townhouse?”

  “When is the ring stolen?”

  “July 26th, sometime after 10 pm, according to the Pendleboughs,” she said automatically.

  “That evening there’s a rout at the Pendlebough’s. We’ll be going.”

  We? As in he was going with her? “We will?”

  He sent her a satisfied look. “And we will find out the identity of the thief.”

  While she was no historian on Regency-era manners, she knew that an unchaperoned young woman appearing out of thin air, with no pedigree to speak of, would arouse more talk than would be wise. She needed to be inconspicuous, not the center of gossip. “I don’t think this would be feasible. I’ve no standing here and don’t have time to get the proper papers to fake an aristocratic upbringing.”

  “My grandmother will claim you as her guest from the States, the daughter of an old friend.”

  Surprise mingled with alarm. He wanted to get his grandmother involved? She was sure her jaw was hanging on her lap. Was he that serious about courting her? “What will you tell her?”

  “The truth?”

  No. “We agreed you wouldn’t—”

  “My grandmother wouldn’t do anything to endanger me— or you by extension of that. Anyway, we need her. As you’ve pointed out, you need a chaperone. There is no one else I’d trust with this.”

  “I never said I needed—”

  “You know you do, though. I won’t have anyone besmirching your name.”

  The firm finality in his voice told her he’d brook no argument. She sighed. He was right, anyway. If she couldn’t be invisible, she’d have to play by Society’s rules. They were quite unforgiving to young, unmarried women who spurned them.

  But she worried what his grandmother would think. To involve another native… “I concede your point. However, won’t your grandmother think we’re both insane, unless you mean to show her my devices?”

  He leaned back in his chair, amusement all but leaking from his pores. “My grandmother is known to be… eccentric. I highly doubt anything I say will faze her one wit.”

  As another thought came to her, she gave a smug smile. “What if I mentioned you were keeping me here by duress?”

  He waved a hand in dismissal. “Again, I don’t think my grandmother would be shocked. She knows I’d do nothing to hurt you and would trust me to release you after a week, if that is what you would want.”

  Another hope shot down. “Fine. But I think you’re complicating this tremendously by not letting me use my transmitter.” By the end of her last sentence, she was practically whining, but she didn’t care. He could deal with her less than pleasant mood.

  “I’ve given my reasons.”

  “I think it has more to do with my escaping than anything else.”

  He smiled laconically. “There is that.”

  “So when do we see your grandmother?” She wanted to get this farce started. Plus, not being alone with him was a smart choice. She was all too human, not that she feared she’d sleep with him. No, what concerned her was getting her emotions involved.

  “Actually, I have fortuitous news. Her townhouse in Mayfair is undergoing remodeling, and as she hates the dust and hammering, she’s staying with me.”

  “So we’re not alone.” He’d led her to believe they were. Well, he would have servants in the townhouse, but they weren’t deemed as respectable chaperones in most cases, except for short excursions in certain areas of town.

  “We aren’t?” He raised a brow and glanced around the room.

  “You know what I mean. There’s a chaperone in the house.”

  He shook his head. “Not in here, and we’ve been alone long enough to ruin you. If caught, I’d have to do the right thing and come up to scratch,” he finished with a roguish grin.

  She frowned. He had her there. Better to change the subject. “When will you tell your grandmother?”

  A knock interrupted the relative silence of the room. He drummed his fingers on the desk. “I think right now will do.”

  Her hands fluttered in her lap. She gave a jerky nod, half turning in her seat to face the door, and waited for his grandmother to enter.

  A stately, middle-aged woman glided into the room, a lovely smile on her lightly lined face. Silvery blond hair peeked out of her cap. She looked too young to have a grandson the earl’s age, whatever that was. He was probably almost thirty, though.

  The woman’s gaze swung over to Julia, and to her credit, her smile remained firmly on her face. “Who is this, James?”

  Chapter Four

  James stood up from his seat and went to his grandmother’s side. From the corner of his eye, he saw Julia rise from her chair, looking beautiful and nervous.

  “Grandmother, this is Miss Julia Avers, newly arrived from the States.”

  The grin on his grandmother’s face grew. “America? How wonderful.”

  He turned to Julia, who moved to stand beside him. “This is Abigail Allenson, the Duchess of Hartfield.”

  Like always, his interminable grandmother took over the conversation. She winked at Julia. “Just how did you come to be with this rascal?”

  Julia’s mouth opened and closed, and she appeared to be floundering for words to say. Some part of him wondered why she didn’t offer up the truth. A little hope took root in his chest. Could she be fonder of him than she admitted and was, therefore, trying to protect him?

  “I’m keeping her captive until Lord and Lady Pendlebough’s rout.”

  Abigail blinked but kept the smile on her face. “Really, how intriguing!”

  Sometimes, he positively adored his grandmother. “Yes, indeed, and I need you to be Miss Avers’ chaperone.”

  “I’d be delighted.” Her jolly voice grew more serious, “Now, you didn’t compromise the poor girl, did you?”

  He rolled his eyes. Next to him, Julia sputtered. Most people had to become acclimated to his grandmother, so he wasn’t surprised. “No, Grandmother, I’ve been a perfect gentleman.”

  “Most of the time, you are.”

  “You know me too well. So, will you act as Miss Avers’ chaperone?”

  She waved a hand airily. “Of course. But what is the rest of the tale here?”

  James wanted to be startled by her perceptiveness but couldn’t. Her sharp eyes missed nothing, and he hadn’t expected anything less. “Mad as this may sound, Miss Avers is not… from around h
ere.”

  His grandmother’s gray eyes twinkled. “I guessed that when you said she was from the States.”

  He smothered a curse. Abigail’s quick wit had struck again. “While that is true, I’m actually referencing a time, not a place.”

  She lifted a finely arched brow. “Oh? You mean to say she’s not from our time?”

  A twinge of surprise hit James. Had she guessed so quickly? “You are correct, though I’m astonished you figured it out in mere seconds.

  “The phenomenon of time-travel isn’t new to me.”

  A heavy feeling grew in his stomach. He shook his head to dislodge her words. It didn’t work. His grandmother had been keeping secrets? And she knew about time-travel? The possibilities that arose from that prospect smacked him in the face. Could she be from the future? No, surely, that wasn’t possible. Telling himself it wasn’t true, he tried to make light of her response. “You always did favor the bluestockings and their quest for knowledge.”

  “James, that was not what I meant, and you know it.”

  He swallowed hard. “Then pray tell, what did you mean?”

  “I’m from America, but one that is hundreds of years in the future. I’m sure our lovely Miss Avers has heard of Intellitravel?”

  He closed his eyes for a brief second. She’d said what he’d feared. A sharp intake of breath drew his attention. Julia still stood beside him but now stared at his grandmother with wide, wondering eyes. He understood the feeling only too well. His well-ordered world teetered on the verge of collapse. Had his life been based upon one lie after another? Not an appealing prospect.

  Spearing Abigail with his gaze, he asked, “Why have you never mentioned this before?”

  His grandmother had the grace to look a little sheepish. “There was never reason to before. After all, it’s not something one just casually blurts out. For all intents and purposes, I’d left that life behind.”

  He raked a hand through his hair. A headache was forming between his eyes, and he suspected it would only intensify as the evening went on. “Ladies, why don’t we sit down? I have a feeling this will be a long discussion.”

  ****

  “Why don’t you allow Julia to use her invisibility transmitter?” asked Abigail from her place on the settee located in a corner of the earl’s study.

  Julia smiled at the woman sitting next to her. She loved the earl’s grandmother, who had been a former research scientist, just like her. But most important, the woman had sense and wasn’t afraid to use it on James. Julia shivered inside. Why had she taken him up on his demand she call him James when they were in private? Stupid move on her part, and no way to maintain a professional distance between them.

  James took a while to respond. “What would stop her from trying to escape?”

  Abigail raised a brow. “Her word?”

  “Trust that from a woman?”

  “James.” Abigail reached across the divide that separated the settee from the wingback chair he reclined in and smacked his arm. “I taught you better than that.”

  “My apologies.”

  Julia frowned. He didn’t seem contrite. “I’d give my word. Anyway, the most important part of the mission is the night of the rout— the last day of my stay. If I want to leave by the end of that day, I’ll be able to.” She sent James a nasty smile. “You gave your word. So what’s the difference?”

  “The difference is I don’t want you alone in that residence. We’ve been through this before.”

  “I won’t be alone. I’ll go to the rout with you and your grandmother. Once we’ve mingled for a while, I’ll slip away and use my invisibility transmitter to sneak into the study where the jewelry is said to be locked up.”

  James’ face remained impassive, but she sensed he was seriously thinking about her proposition. “It might work,” he said grudgingly.

  Julia coughed to hide her snigger. He was such a man. To them, the only good idea was the one they thought of. If someone else had the audacity to suggest a feasible plan, the idea was only passable at best, at least until the man in question found a way to claim the plan as his. She chanced a glance at his grandmother, and by the amusement on her face, it was clear Abigail’s thoughts mirrored hers.

  Abigail tapped her bottom lip in a thoughtful manner. “How old are you, Julia?”

  “Twenty-four, almost twenty-five. Why?”

  The other woman’s face relaxed. “You’re past the age where you need to be presented to the court and have a coming out party. Thank goodness you’re too old. I thought you’d be. A research scientist needs a bachelor’s at the very least, so I knew you were probably twenty-one at a minimum.”

  Julia laughed. It wasn’t very often a woman could be happy she was too old for something.

  James interrupted her mirth. “I’d like to learn more about this modern world you both come from. And what’s a bachelor’s?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

  “It’s a college degree,” Julia said. “In my time, lots of women go to college alongside with men.”

  James’ mouth rounded. “What do the women study?”

  Abigail smiled wickedly. “Everything that men do. One of the hardest things about moving here when I married your grandfather was getting used to the status of women. In Julia’s time, women in the United States and Europe have all the same freedoms as men. Well, in theory. While continued progress was made in my time, there were always disparities.”

  James shook his head. “Such a forward-thinking place. I don’t know what to make of it.”

  “You don’t think women should have rights?” Julia asked in challenge, looking for a good reason to dislike him.

  “Rights? Yes. But equal? I don’t know.” He gave a wry smile. “To tell the truth, I haven’t really ever thought about the matter.”

  He knew how to spout off a diplomatic answer. Julia would give him that.

  Abigail chuckled. “To think I have a grandson who isn’t sure women should have equal rights.” Then she sobered. “Still, you’re more open-minded about the subject than most men of your time period and station.” She grimaced and corrected herself. “Your time period? Isn’t it my time period, too, since I’ve been living in it for decades?” She flung her hands up in the air. “Oh, it hurts my head.”

  “This is your home, Grandmother, in every way,” James said firmly.

  Abigail smiled at him. “What a good boy you are.”

  Red crept up his cheeks, and he said in a hard whisper, “I’m not a boy.”

  His grandmother rolled her eyes. “So says every boy to their grandmother who knows better.”

  Another point to the grandma. It was awesome how Abigail could make James blush. Maybe Julia would have to see if she could bring out that charming color on him.

  After she and Abigail had a good laugh at a sulking James, Abigail patted the hand Julia had resting on the cushion. “Now that we have all this solved, I suggest we have the housekeeper escort Julia to a guest room near my quarters.”

  The earl appeared ready to protest for a moment but then nodded. “I’ll ring a maid and tell her to take Julia to a room near yours. Please stay, Grandmother, I have a few more things to discuss with you.”

  A mysterious smile played over Abigail’s face, and for a moment, she reminded Julia of Carson. “I thought so.”

  ****

  James watched as the housekeeper led Julia out of his study. His grandmother cleared her throat. He sighed and came to stand by the settee. “Ask whatever you want.” Not that he could stop her even if he wanted to.

  “Why are you holding the girl? It can’t be only for her protection. She’s safe enough with her invisibility transmitter.”

  “I want her, Grandmother. She’s unlike any other woman.”

  Abigail rose from her seat. “She is until you have her. Then she’s like every other woman.”

  An agitated sigh escaped him. He had to make his grandmother understand. If she were firmly on his side, Julia would likely give
in all the faster and stay. “No, you don’t understand. Everything… came together today. I’m tired of my life. Even the idea of a wife and children isn’t so abhorrent anymore.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” she said in her driest tone but then grew serious. “Define what you mean by everything coming together.”

  “Besides what I’ve mentioned, the strongest sensation of change washed over me. Near knocked me off my feet.”” He shook his head in awe and knew his grandmother would understand. She was the one who taught him to listen to such feelings.

  “And then Julia arrived?” she asked softly.

  He nodded, feeling vulnerable and exposed. It wasn’t a feeling he liked. “Julia arrived.”

  “You believe she’s the one for you?”

  “As sure as I can be after less than a day. To be truthful, I don’t know why I want her so much. All I know is I do, but it’s different than just wanting to bed her.”

  His grandmother didn’t bat a lash at his less than polite terminology and gave a thoughtful hum. “She’s here for such a short time.”

  He would have to fight against time itself to convince Julia to stay. “Yes, that’s why I need your help.”

  Surprise flashed across her face. “My help? I’ve agreed to chaperone, so I don’t know what else I can do.”

  “You can put in a good word for me while being a confidante to Julia.”

  She regarded him with a frown. “I wasn’t aware I was going to talk badly about you in the first place.”

  “You know what I mean,” he said, turning the words she’d used earlier on him against her.

  “Fine. I’ll do everything I’d planned on doing. Are you satisfied?”

  He was suddenly reminded of Julia. Though their acquaintance had been short, he already knew she loved the word fine when she was miffed. The two women in his life were so similar, he wondered if they realized it. For the most part, he knew how to handle his grandmother. Maybe the same tactics would work on Julia. A slow smile spread over his face as he considered the possibilities.

  Chapter Five

  “Will you need anything, miss?”