Always and Forever

by L. A. Fiore

  "But it isn't a location thing, it's more of a time thing," she tested the waters carefully.

  His look wasn't as comical as she imagined hers would have been if their roles were reversed so she forged on.

  "Moments before you came upon me I was standing on the river bank by Whispering Winds watching as Archer's ghost disappeared right before my eyes. The year was 2013." Suddenly Quinn remembered the ring she had found, a ring that she didn't have when she came to. Had she dropped it? She was going to need to look for that ring because maybe, like a port key in Harry Potter, it was her ticket back to the future.

  She looked at Thaddeus and realized he had turned an unpleasant shade of gray after she dropped that bomb. He didn't cross himself nor did he run, which Quinn thought were both good signs. His voice was oddly strained when he did finally speak.

  "I think I already knew that," he choked.

  She hadn't expected that but was glad just the same since it meant she wasn't going to have to try to explain that which was still rather unexplainable even to herself.

  "I was sent back through time for a reason."

  "Any idea what that reason is?"

  "I have a few theories. But what I do know is that Archer, for as hard as he tries to make people think he's closed off and unfeeling, is quite the opposite. He's also not a fool. So why would he agree to bind himself to the likes of Katherine? I think I can find the answers in London. But I need your help."

  Thaddeus seemed unsure and she could tell he was battling internally to make the right decision. She just hoped he would see things her way. She hated dropping this on Thaddeus but she couldn't tell Archer what she was up to because he would insist on coming and that would mean Katherine and her mother would join them as well. The ones she sought answers from were not going to open up if the Danvers were present.

  "Okay, I'll take you to London but I still think you should tell Archer of your plans."

  "It's not that I don't want to tell him but how do I explain to him my sudden wish to see his family? He'll see right through any excuse I come up with and know my intentions. He'll want to come and he can't make a move without Katherine knowing about it. And I definitely don't want her to know what I'm up to."

  "I see your point but you can't just leave without saying anything."

  Quinn exhaled as she rested back on the river's edge. "I know."

  "Fine, we'll tell him that I'm taking you to London to see the sights," he gave in.

  It was exactly what Quinn was hoping Thaddeus would say but she didn't say as much. Instead she sat up and wrapped her arms around him.

  "Thank you," she whispered.

  Thaddeus held her close for a moment then pulled away to reveal a broad grin. "Hold that thank you because when Archer finds out I'm taking you into London without him, he isn't going to like it."

  Thaddeus was not wrong about Archer's reaction. They waited for dinner that night to tell him, thinking with the others present it would curb his initial reaction but it was quite the contrary. As soon as the words were out of Thaddeus' mouth Archer pushed back from the table and stood as his hands came down so hard on the tabletop that wine sloshed over the rims of many of the glasses. His voice was very soft when he spoke, the contrast so great from that of his reaction, that it made his words seem almost ominous.

  "Absolutely not."

  Quinn noticed the suspicious look that passed between Katherine and her mother. It was a valid reaction to Archer's response because as far as the Danvers were concerned, Archer didn't like her. The fact that those feelings had changed was not common knowledge. Since her arrival he had been indifferent towards her, even downright rude, so why then would he care if she journeyed into London with Thaddeus or half of the men in the county?

  Her attention turned to Archer but the sight of his anger had her lowering her head. She understood completely where Archer was coming from, especially after what they shared in the woods. For her to even suggest leaving, and with another man, Quinn got his anger.

  The trouble was she wasn't sent through time to fall in love with Archer. Quinn truly believed that she had been sent here to save him, to give him and all Scarcliffs who came after him, their legacy. But since she also didn't know how long she had in this moment she had to act quickly. As much as she wanted to spend every waking moment with Archer, he needed to stay behind with Katherine.

  She kept her gaze adverted, even as his glare burned holes into her, since her courage seemed to have deserted her at that moment. It was heart-felt gratitude she felt toward Thaddeus when he spoke up.

  "Sara will be with us so it will all be very proper," he encouraged.

  Archer's voice was so flat that Quinn couldn't help glancing up at him and when she did she wished she hadn't. There was no emotion at all on his face. It was the same blank look he had given her the first time he'd met her. He was once again firmly behind his mask of indifference.

  "Go then." And with that he turned and left the room.

  She waited until later, after the women retired, before she sought out Archer in his study. She saw his large frame stretched out in a chair by the fire as soon as she entered. There was a bottle of scotch on the table at his side, a filled glass sitting next to it, but it didn't look as if he had taken a single sip.

  "Archer."

  She knew he knew she was there but he made no attempt to acknowledge her. She walked over and lowered herself in front of him, resting her hands on his knees.

  "You know that I don't belong here," she began. "We don't speak of it, we try to ignore it, but it's there all the same. I have to believe I was sent here, sent to you, for a reason and as much as I would like nothing more than to spend every moment with you, I can't because there's too much at stake. I need answers and I need Katherine away from me as I seek out those answers." Quinn reached for him and pressed her palm to his cheek. "There will come a day when I will no longer be here. I need to do this so that when I do leave, I'll know that you will be okay after I'm gone."

  His gaze never left hers and when he spoke his voice was barely heard over the crackling of the fire. "How can I be okay without you?"

  Tears burned her throat at the sight of his pain -- a pain she shared -- but she knew there was no good answer that she could give so instead she stood and quietly left the room, leaving his question hanging unanswered between them.

  London circa 1704 was exactly how Quinn always imagined. The harbor with the large masted ships, the dock workers eagerly unloading goods, fashionable ladies in their finery escorted by dashing gentlemen all looking very Jane Austen-esque. Horses and carriages crowding the dirt streets with shops, looking very much like those of Ebenezer Scrooge's time, lining either side of it. It was sheer wonder and awe in Quinn's voice when she whispered, "It's wonderful."

  "'Tis loud, dirty and crowded," Thaddeus muttered but even his jaded opinion couldn't ruin the beauty for her. She had read countless accounts of old London society and how it evolved through the centuries but to actually have the opportunity to see it first hand was truly magically.

  "We'll have to have some gowns made for you," Thaddeus explained. "The ones you have are fine for the country but not nearly elegant enough for the balls of the Ton."

  Quinn felt a rush of excitement. The Ton, how the people of the time described London's high society. She was going to be mingling with those same people. She couldn't hide her pleasure when she asked, "We're actually going to attend balls?"

  Thaddeus clearly couldn't understand her excitement but Quinn didn't care, she was about to experience what she had read about in countless romance novels. Were the women of the Ton really has catty as they were so often depicted in fiction? Were the men as outrageously handsome and debonair? Quinn was going to find out.

  Thaddeus instructed the coachmen to Madame Beaufort's boutique which was located in a very posh part of town. Upon entering the shop, a large woman with red hair elegantly twined around her crown and dressed in a beautiful green and
gold silk gown, greeted them.

  "Bon jour. May I help you?" Madame Beaufort asked as a smile curved her red lips.

  "We are in need of several evening gowns, a few day gowns, a riding habit and well…everything else," Thaddeus offered.

  He blushed at the thought of "everything else" while the Madame looked at him pointedly. Quinn quickly offered, "My cousin doesn't seem to understand that I'm not a little girl anymore."

  It was true that Quinn was twenty-seven and considered, in this time, firmly on the shelf but being petite she tended to look much younger than her age. For the first time in her life, this was a good thing.

  With the cousin relationship firmly established, the Madame warmed up to them and proceeded to have her staff bring in bolt after bolt of beautiful fabrics: silks, satins, velvets, laces in stunning colors of deep greens, blues, richly-toned reds and purples, and a silver gray silk that matched Quinn's eyes perfectly.

  After Quinn was sized and styles were discussed, the Madame packed a trunk with several chemises, silk stockings, petticoats, night rails and slippers.

  Thaddeus paid for everything then gestured to the footmen to take the trunk as he led Quinn from the shop. Madame promised the gowns in a week's time which had Quinn hoping she was still in the same century when they were done! Quinn reached over and took Thaddeus' hand into her own once they were settled in the carriage.

  "Thank you. You've taken on quite a bit with me and I wish there was some way I could repay you."

  Thaddeus brought his other hand to rest on top of hers. "It has truly been my pleasure. I'm honored to have been so singled out."

  Quinn squeezed his hand before she leaned back and smiled at him from across the carriage.

  They stopped in front of a beautiful townhouse and as the footmen pulled their trunks down, Thaddeus helped the women depart the carriage. They climbed the steps to the front door and Quinn realized, to her surprise, that she was nervous. What if she was all wrong about Archer's family? What if there was no secret behind why Archer chose Katherine? What if his mother and sisters were just as cold and vain as Katherine and he chose her because it was all that he knew? Doubt pounded through her as the door was pulled open and standing just behind the butler were three very beautiful, and very excited, women who immediately stepped forward to surround Thaddeus with warmth and welcome. Thaddeus turned to her to make the introductions and she knew one thing with absolute certainty: these women were nothing like Katherine.

  Thaddeus had told her a bit about them during the ride into London but seeing them for herself and knowing this was Archer's family made her yearn to know them better. Lady Scarcliff had her son's black hair but her eyes were not clear green like Archer's but instead hazel in color. Her hair was bound in a loose bun at the nape of her neck and she was dressed in a gown of golden silk that hugged her tiny waist with a full skirt that fell to the floor. Rosalind, the elder daughter, at twenty-two, also had black hair and hazel eyes. And though she didn't have the beauty of her mother or brother, she was still an exceedingly attractive woman. But it was the younger sister, Cecilia, who was only just eighteen, that was positively gorgeous. Long, curly black hair that fell to her waist, large emerald-green eyes that were fringed with thick, black lashes, skin that held the beauty of youth, smooth and creamy white and full red lips. She was petite, probably just over five feet, but her hour glass figure was that of a woman. Quinn was pulled from her silent study of them when Thaddeus finished the introductions.

  "And this Ladies Scarcliffs is my very good friend Miss Quinn Shaughnessy."

  Quinn could see the questions on their faces but they welcomed her into their house with grace and kindness. And then Thaddeus answered their unasked questions when he added quite on the sly, "Arch is in love with her."

  Quinn wanted to kick him. What the hell was he thinking dropping that bomb? With great effort Quinn forced herself to look directly at Lady Scarcliff, who was studying her most intently. "And are you in love with him?" Lady Scarcliff asked pointedly.

  Quinn answered honestly, "Yes."

  "You do realize that he is betrothed to another?" Lady Scarcliff queried.

  "I do know that," Quinn replied.

  There was no reaction to this and Quinn found that she was holding her breath. Then quite suddenly Lady Scarcliff declared, "Thank God."

  And that quickly all of Quinn's fears evaporated.

  She was shown to her room where a bath was immediately brought up for her. After bathing and changing, she headed downstairs to join the others in the music room. She was the last to arrive, Thaddeus meeting her at the door and escorting her to a spot on the divan across from Lady Scarcliff. Lady Scarcliff addressed Quinn while Thaddeus brought drinks to everyone.

  "Thaddeus has told us much about you, Miss Shaughnessy."

  One look at Thaddeus confirmed that he really had told them much. Oh great, she was going to get tossed from the house before she ever had the chance to ask the questions she came here to ask!

  "Don't worry, Miss Shaughnessy, we aren't going to pile up a bunch of sticks just yet," Lady Scarcliff teased.

  "That's very comforting to know." Quinn muttered which earned her an honest laugh from Lady Scarcliff.

  "I'll hold judgment until I understand why you're here. What is it you wish to know from us?"

  "I don't understand why Archer entered into an agreement with Miss Danvers."

  Lady Scarcliff's eyebrow rose as she asked, "You don't think he would have asked for her? She is a remarkably beautiful woman."

  "Yes and an ice princess. The man I know wouldn't have pledged himself to her voluntarily. My guess is something forced his hand, had him once again doing what he believed was his duty."

  "You seem to know my son very well for someone who has known him for so short an acquaintance."

  Quinn held Lady Scarcliff's gaze as she offered, "I can't explain it but I do know him. I know his heart and his mind and that's how I know that nothing, outside of duty, would have him pledging himself to someone as horrid as Miss Danvers."

  Quinn saw it, the look of pain that flashed across Lady Scarcliff's face.

  "You are right. It was a very painful time for us, one that could have broken us as a family, but somehow only made us stronger. Since it isn't really Archer's story to tell…" Lady Scarcliff looked over at her daughters a moment and Quinn noticed the slight nod given to her before she continued "...and if what I tell you can help keep him from marrying that woman, then I shall break the silence."

  "We met Miss Danvers and her mother three years ago when Rosalind was in her first season. Katherine was older yet still unwed and it seemed that almost from the beginning she had set her cap for my son. Archer was completely uninterested in marriage especially since he already had his heir in little Nicholas, so all Miss Danvers attempts to lure my son went completely unnoticed by him. We were living here in London for the Season. Cecilia was only fifteen and too young to come out so while Rosalind, Archer and I made the rounds, Cecilia stayed home with a trusted companion."

  Quinn looked over at Cecilia and she knew, from the younger woman's sad expression, the secret had to do with her.

  "Maybe you shouldn't tell me," Quinn backed off. "I don't wish to make you relive a painful memory."

  A warm smile touched Lady Scarcliff's lips before she said, "And because you truly seem to care I shall tell you. It turned out that our trusted companion wasn't so trusting, allowing Cecilia to accompany Lady and Miss Danvers on a shopping trip. But it wasn't shopping that they had in mind. They orchestrated the ruin of my young daughter to ensnare my son into marriage."

  "What?!" Thaddeus had turned a worrisome shade of purple.

  "They lured her to an unsavory place and put her in a situation that could have been so much worse. The fact that she escaped with just an unwanted kiss and not the loss of her virtue was a miracle. The damage was done though because one word from the Danvers and my daughter, who wasn't even out of the school room yet, would
have been ruined. A social pariah."

  Quinn felt her own temper flare. "So they blackmailed Archer and told him if he married Miss Danvers then they would keep their silence about the alleged lover's tryst."

  "Yes," Lady Scarcliff said defeated.

  Quinn forgot for a minute where she was as she stood and started to pace. "So he took one for the team," she said under her breath. She whirled around to look at the occupants of the room. "He can't do it. They have to be stopped." Quinn was pacing again so she didn't see the looks that were being passed between the others in the room. Suddenly, she stopped and turned. "You said from the beginning it seemed that Katherine had singled out Archer for her attention, yes?"

  "That's right."

  "You were already living in London."

  "Yes, for many years."

  "And did you know, prior to Archer joining you in London, that his wife was dead?"

  "No. Why? What are you thinking Miss Shaughnessy?"

  "When exactly did Archer's wife die?"

  "Shortly before he came to London," Lady Scarcliff offered.

  "How?"

  "They found her in the river. She couldn't swim and drowned."

  "So, it wasn't common knowledge to the other members of the Ton that Archer's wife had passed?"

  Lady Scarcliff seemed confused by the question. "No, there hadn't been enough time for it to circulate and Archer refused to mourn her. You must understand she was a truly cold and hateful woman, so Archer joined us in London instead of staying home for the traditional year-long mourning period."

  Quinn felt a chill go through her before she asked her next question. "So how did Katherine know that Archer was once again on the marriage mart?"

  There was hardness in Thaddeus' voice that Quinn had never heard before when he answered her, "She had to have known that his wife was dead, but since she lived in London, the only way she could have known about it is if she had a hand it in."

  Quinn turned to Thaddeus. "If she killed his wife, and was willing to ruin his sister to claim him, then there is no telling what she'll do to keep him."