Always and Forever

by L. A. Fiore

  Quinn had no right to feel what she did, including the overwhelming sense of betrayal that he would choose duty over love, but even as she thought those words she knew she was being completely unfair.

  As the sun rose, Quinn hesitated to dress because she knew if she met Archer it was going to change everything. But she allowed her heart to overrule her head as she climbed from bed and quietly got dressed.

  By the time she slipped from the house, her nerves were strung tight and her stomach was doing flips. He was standing near their tree, his back to her, and he looked so right standing there waiting for her. The moment he turned to her and she saw his unguarded expression, one that looked as she felt, she lost a little piece of her heart to him.

  A small smile curved his lips before he whispered, "I wasn't sure you were going to come."

  "I wasn't sure I was going to come," she replied warily.

  "I'm glad you did."

  Quinn held his gaze and spoke from her heart. "Me too."

  They walked in companionable silence for a while until Archer stopped and turned to her.

  "I'm betrothed to Miss Danvers." His voice was harsh and filled with regret.

  "I know."

  "But I can't stop thinking about you. You're there when I'm working with my steward, when I'm riding through my lands, when I dream. I can't get you out of my head."

  "I can leave."

  "No!" Archer all but roared and then more gently he added, "To not see you at all I think would be even harder."

  In that moment he wasn't just Archer Scarcliff, the lord she was wildly attracted to, but Archer Scarcliff the man she felt she had always known. Looking up into his beautiful eyes, it was like remembering the perfect memory. When she moved forward and pressed her lips to his, it was the most natural thing in the world and at the contact the sensation she always experienced when entering Whispering Winds washed over her: she was home. She felt his hesitancy, as if he was warring with himself over the right thing to do, and then she felt when he gave in to his want for her as he molded his lips to hers. There was one thought that was foremost in her mind when they finally pulled away from each other, the thought that escaped her lips to hang in the air between them: "I've kissed you before."

  And based on Archer's expression, she wasn't the only one to think so.

  Chapter Four

  After their kiss, Quinn and Archer stayed away from each other. Being together was like holding a flame near a powder keg. The fact that they were under the same roof was dangerous enough, and when you added the presence of Katherine, it was practically volatile.

  Quinn spent her days with Nickie and her nights in her room documenting all the things she'd learned since she arrived in this time. For an archaeologist seeing in living color a lifestyle she had only ever read about was a prodigious experience.

  Her thoughts detoured to the Viscount. She was tempted to just walk right up to him and tell Derek she saw through his ruse but that would be unwise. If the Viscount was indeed Derek then his involvement had somehow changed the course of history and had a direct consequence on Whispering Winds and the Scarcliff family. She needed to uncover what he was up to and stop him, but doing so meant she had to continue with his charade. He had to know that she was at least suspicious of him but he was quite a good actor. She needed to think more about how to handle that situation.

  What she tried not to think about, but failed miserably in her efforts, was Archer's kiss. Not just the kiss, which was fabulous, but how it was possible that she knew just how his lips would feel on hers and how she knew the taste of him. Maybe it was just her being fanciful, and based on his kiss -- by far the grandest kiss she had ever experienced -- that wouldn't be hard, but she didn't think so. It was on an elemental level that she knew, unequivocally, that she had known him before. Normally, she would dismiss this out of hand but she was currently residing in his 18th century castle having come from the 21st century. Not to mention a man she knew in the future was possibly spending some quality time in the past. Based on all this, anything was possible.

  But what was the connection? How did she know Archer? What kept bringing her to Whispering Winds -- now and in the future? And was Derek another link that tied her to Archer? Quinn knew the only way to find the answers was to learn all she could about the gorgeous lord.

  Of all the people she had met, Mrs. Hamston seemed the most likely to talk so Quinn decided to seek her out.

  Mrs. Hamston was in the kitchen helping Cook peel potatoes when Quinn entered. She took a seat across from Mrs. Hamston, grabbed a few potatoes and a knife and started to peel.

  "What do you want to know?" Mrs. Hamston asked with a hint of humor in her voice.

  "Am I really that easy to read?" Quinn asked with a smile on her face. Then, "What can you tell me about Lord Scarcliff?"

  Mrs. Hamston's voice was incredulous when she asked, "The father?"

  "No, Archer."

  Her smile reminded Quinn of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.

  "He was a good boy, focused on his studies, eager to learn but there was a restlessness about him and a passion that drove his father crazy."

  "What about his mother?" Quinn asked.

  "Poor dear had no say in the raising of her own child. The late Earl took his position very seriously and when Archer was born he was trained from infancy the duties and responsibilities of being the next Earl. It was all the father taught him, the only topic the old man thought worthy of teaching. There were no moments like the one last week when Archer went fishing with his son. No, that was frivolous and a waste of time as far as the old man was concerned."

  She was quiet for a moment before she added, "I should not be so forth coming with you but I've seen the shared looks between you and his lord and honestly I would like to see him happy for a change."

  Quinn couldn't hide the smile in response to that sentiment causing Mrs. Hamston to smile in return before she continued.

  "When Archer went off to University, he rarely came home and when he finished his schooling, he immediately started building Whispering Winds. We didn't see much of him but the rumor was that he had fallen in love and married. Mr. Tilward and I were asked to join his household after the construction was completed but then he got so ill after his son was born that I moved in earlier than planned to care for him."

  "He was so confused after the illness and his wife, I never believed the rumors of a love match because she was absolutely useless to him. When she died, he didn't mourn her at all but there was a sadness in him, one that was very painful to see. From then, he never treated his son as his father had treated him, but it was almost as if the kindness had been trained out of him."

  "Nicholas was immediately handed over to his nurse so Archer was free to concentrate on the work of making his vast holdings even more so. He attacked his responsibilities with such a single-minded determination that at times I had the sense he was running from his demons." Mrs. Hamston paused for a moment before she added, "He seemed like a man who had lost the love of his life yet he held no tender feelings toward his deceased wife."

  "When did he meet Miss Danvers?" Quinn asked as casually as possible.

  "A few years ago he went to London to sponsor his sister for the Season. Miss Danvers was also on the hunt and by the end of the Season he had offered for her."

  "Years ago? He's been betrothed for years? Isn't that a bit odd?" Quinn asked.

  "Yes, well, I think he asked for her hand because he thought he should but I suspect he hasn't been able to go through with it because, deep down, he doesn't want to marry her."

  Quinn felt almost giddy in response to that little tidbit. "Will she bring lots of land and money to the marriage?" she asked.

  The snort from Mrs. Hamston was completely unexpected. "I don't know what the Danvers are telling the nobility, but the truth is there's something off about them. Servants talk, yet no one talks about them. Another oddity is their clothing. Based on what I've seen of the
ladies' fashions, they are all last year's or older. Their shoes are well-worn and their unmentionables have been repaired many times. It would seem they barely have two pence to rub together and what little they have the Viscount spends carelessly."

  There was something about the entire situation that just felt off. If the Viscount really was Derek, then who were Lady and Miss Danvers and why did Archer bind himself to them?

  The women had retired for the evening while Thaddeus and Archer adjourned to his solar for an after dinner drink. Thaddeus watched his friend and wondered why he would continue his farce of an engagement to Katherine when he had such an obvious attraction to Quinn? He was curious but he knew his friend well enough to know that if Archer wasn't ready to talk about it then he wouldn't. So instead he decided to find out just how strong Archer's feelings really were for Quinn.

  "I know I said I thought of Quinn as a sister but I'm thinking about asking her to court me," he lied. "She is quite the handsomest woman of my acquaintance."

  At those words, Archer abruptly stood and began prowling around the room. Thaddeus feigned ignorance and continued on.

  "She has such a fire in her soul. I do believe a man would never grow tired of her company. I know you are not altogether fond of her but I am quite captivated."

  Archer stopped pacing and turned to Thaddeus. "Fond of her? My God since the moment Quinn entered my house I have wanted her. I can't think of anything but her. It's driving me insane. I want to cry off my engagement with Katherine and take Quinn to my bed and keep her there until this overwhelming hunger for her is sated."

  "Then why don't you?" Thaddeus said in response to Archer's outburst.

  Archer turned to the fire and Thaddeus knew his next words weren't offered lightly. "I've made a promise and am duty bound to honor it. But if there was anyone who could make me forget my duty, it's her."

  He turned and leveled a resigned gaze on his friend. "I think I would do just about anything for Quinn."

  The following morning Quinn and Nickie headed into the village. She felt it important that Nickie interact with other children his age and since there were none at the castle, they would seek them out in the village. She didn't run that morning, hadn't been doing it as religiously since Archer had stopped coming after their kiss. She craved a bit of exercise and decided to kill two birds with one stone with a horseback ride into town. When they arrived at the stables, Quinn was surprised by the age of the stable master.

  "Morning, Miss. Master Nicholas," he called cheerfully.

  "Hello. Please call me Quinn and you are?"

  "Tommy," the stable master offered.

  "Hello, Tommy," Quinn replied.

  His smile came in a flash and in that moment, Quinn could see the man he was going to grow into. Oh boy, he was going to be a heartbreaker.

  "What can I do for you, Quinn?" he asked.

  "We would like to ride into the village."

  "Should I hitch up a team?"

  "No, thank you. We were hoping for a ride this morning."

  "I'm afraid we don't have any side-saddles," he responded sadly. "The Lady and Miss Danvers do not ride."

  Quinn had been riding since she was four and preferred riding bareback. She doubted she would have been able to pull off a side-saddle anyway.

  "I'll ride astride and Nickie would like his pony Champ saddled."

  Tommy looked over at Nickie before he said, "'Tis a fine pony, Champ."

  Nickie all but beamed at the compliment and Quinn felt a wave of affection toward Tommy for his kind words. She didn't miss the look he gave her though, but she wasn't sure if it was one of surprise that she planned to ride astride or worry that she was going to hurt herself. She reached for his hand to reassure him.

  "I've been riding since I was a very small girl. I'll be fine."

  He seemed to relax at that and immediately disappeared into the stable only to return minutes later with a pitch black pony and a beautiful roan mare.

  "Oh he is magnificent, Nickie, and she is a beauty," Quinn offered as she ran her hand down the mare's flank.

  "Her name is Majesty. Lord Scarcliff only just recently purchased her."

  Quinn smile faltered. "Perhaps then I shouldn't ride her?"

  Tommy grinned as he slipped on the saddle. "His lordship left instructions that if you asked to ride, I should give you Majesty."

  Quinn couldn't help the little thrill that lit along her nerves at those words. Archer might be ignoring her but he was still thinking about her and that made her ridiculously happy.

  "Then I shall ride her," Quinn announced with authority.

  After thanking Tommy, Quinn and Nickie set off and before long they found themselves in the village that Quinn had visited in the 21st century. She wasn't surprised to see that it looked remarkably the same, almost as if the three hundred years that past hadn't touched the place. They climbed from their mounts and wrapped the reins over a branch.

  "Here Nickie," Quinn offered him an apple for Champ while she fed one to Majesty. Cook had prepared a basket for their trip into the village since apparently many of the villagers had a weakness for Cook's sticky cake.

  "Shall we find some people to share Cook's cake?" Quinn asked as she held out her hand to Nickie.

  "Yes. The school is up that way."

  "Perfect."

  Quinn noticed that there were more people in the village now than in the future and the landscape was dotted with the small dwellings of the tenant farmers. As they walked along, people gave her side-ways glances but no one seemed to want to make eye contact with her. Nickie noticed this too and pulled on her hand. Quinn lowered her head to his.

  "Lady and Miss Danvers came into town a fortnight back," he confided.

  That explained the looks. Katherine and her mother no doubt made it clear to the masses that they would be reigning over them soon. It was just something those two wicked women would do, looking down their noses on these hardworking people while they shamelessly sponged off of Archer. It wouldn't surprise Quinn to learn that they had even insisted these people pull out their finest offerings -- provisions that were being saved for special occasions -- just to wield power over them.

  "That certainly explains their reluctance to see us," she muttered as they reached the town center where a group of children were all sitting around a young woman. This was obviously the school and though it was primitive by modern standards, the children were clean and what books they had were in good condition.

  "Good morning," Quinn offered cheerily.

  The children stayed quiet but the teacher offered a greeting albeit weakly.

  "Morning, Miss," she answered with her eyes turned down.

  "I'm Quinn, Nickie's friend. Would you mind if he sat in on your lesson?" Quinn knew this was completely unheard of, nobility mingling with commoners, so it wasn't a surprise when the teacher was rendered mute. Quinn took that opportunity to lift the lid of the basket and pulled out the sticky cakes.

  "We brought treats to share." And just like that, she broke the spell of fear with Cook's cakes.

  Hours later, Archer and Thaddeus arrived into town concerned for Quinn and Nickie but stopped short at the sight before them. Quinn was sitting on the dirt road surrounded by children: two little girls on her lap, Nickie pressed up against her on one side and another little boy on the other. Whatever she was saying had gained the rapt interest of not only the children but the parents that had formed a circle around her. In unspoken agreement Archer and Thaddeus dismounted and quietly approached, being careful to stay unseen so as to not break up the impromptu gathering. They stopped and listened when they were close enough to hear.

  "The evil witch cursed the young babe and vowed on her fifteenth year she would prick her finger and fall down dead but a wise woman, wishing to bestow a gift on the child, changed the prophecy; the princess will not die but fall into a deep sleep."

  "In the years that followed, the King and Queen protected their daughter who grew up happy
and safe. So many years had passed that the curse was nearly forgotten. On the day of her fifteenth birthday, the King threw a party to celebrate. The evil witch didn't forget though and she disguised herself as an old lady and entered the castle as a guest. She lured the young princess to a spinning wheel where she pricked her finger and fell into a deep sleep." Quinn paused and Archer was surprised to find that he was like everyone else, hanging on her every word, waiting to know what happened. So when his son spoke the words he himself almost voiced, he couldn't help but smile.

  "What, what happens?" Nickie all but screamed.

  "Well, the evil witch wins and the princess stays asleep forever," Quinn teased.

  The disappointment was palpable; even Archer found himself stunned by the story's ending.

  "Bloody bad ending," Thaddeus concurred from next to him and Archer grinned to himself.

  The uproar that her ending caused had Quinn shouting over the raised voices.

  "You don't like that ending?"

  "NO!" came the yell in unison from children and adults alike.

  "Are you sure? Because the princess was very tired."

  "No!"

  Quinn feigned defeat with a hearty sigh. "All right. A hundred years passed when a young prince came to the Kingdom. He had heard tales of the princess and her Kingdom that was under a curse and was curious to see if the tales were true. The castle walls were covered in roses so thick he almost could not gain entrance. He passed through the courtyard where dogs, horses, guards and guests were all lying upon the ground in a deep sleep. He entered the great hall, up the stone steps, and down the hall until he reached the room of the princess."

  "He pushed the doors open to find her lying peacefully upon her bed. He reached her and looked down at her lovely face before pressing a light kiss upon her ruby-red lips. He pulled back just as her eyes started to flutter open and then..." Quinn paused leaving everyone in suspense before she added softly, "...they lived happily-ever-after."