Against the Magic

by Donna K. Weaver

  Table of Contents

  Note to Readers

  Prologue

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 20

  Other Twickenham Time Travel Romances

  Author’s Note

  A Free Book

  Other Books by Donna K. Weaver

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  EMERALD ARCH PUBLISHING

  Reese Hamilton has big plans to help make the world a better place and a new job lined up to help her do it. Before starting work, she heads to England for a Regency immersive experience. She doesn’t expect her best friend to invite her heart-destroying brother to join them, and two years wasn’t long enough for Reese to forget him. Then fae magic rips them back to 1850. It’s a time when women have few rights. It’s also a time when a determined woman could make a difference, with the right man at her side. Reese finds she must make a choice between two men and two times.

  Jem Taylor messed up big when he walked away from Reese to pursue his dream job. He hasn’t been able to forget her and jumps at his sister’s invitation. Suddenly hurtled into Victorian England, he has the chance to woo Reese again. But to do it, he’ll have to fight the magic that brought her to that time—and an Earl with the means to keep her there.

  Note to Readers

  To receive a free ecopy of Hope’s Watch (Safe Harbors #1.5) and updates on new releases, click HERE.

  Against the Magic

  Copyright ©2018 by Donna K. Weaver

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, dialogues, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by Katharina Brendel

  Cover design by Steven Novak | Novak Illustration

  Author photo by Sherry Ward of SW Portraits

  ISBN Paperback: 978-1-946152-06-0

  ISBN eBook: 978-1-946152-07-7

  ISBN Audiobook: 978-1-946152-08-4

  Printed in the United States of America

  Donna K. Weaver’s author website is www.donnakweaver.com.

  To Canda, Deanna, and Laura for being willing to go on this adventure with me.

  Table of Contents

  Note to Readers

  Prologue

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 20

  Other Twickenham Time Travel Romances

  Author’s Note

  A Free Book

  Other Books by Donna K. Weaver

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  JEM TAYLOR FIGURED THIS TRIP home would either result in smooth sailing or swift sinking. He’d messed up rather spectacularly with Reese two years ago, so he expected the latter. Following the advice of his grandmother who’d always encouraged him to pursue his dreams, he’d decided to take her at her words: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

  Too bad gran hadn’t mentioned a sick feeling in the gut while out doing that venturing. But, he needed to see his family first and then seek out Reese.

  Taking a deep breath, Jem strode toward the front porch. He didn’t recognize the SUV in the driveway. Either his dad or his sister Kaitlyn had a new car. Jem had barely put his foot on the top porch step when a squeal rang through the open window.

  “Jem!” his sister’s voice shouted. “Mom, it’s Jem.”

  The door burst open, and Kaitlyn launched herself into his arms. As he returned her embrace, he found himself at the center of a skirmish as his parents joined her in what could only be called a giant group hug. Finally, his mother stepped back, wiping her eyes.

  “Jamison Taylor, why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” she asked.

  “Why didn’t you come two days ago?” Kaitlyn asked, her tone accusatory. “I came to your graduation, but you couldn’t make it to mine?”

  “Give him room to breathe,” their father said. “You’ll make it so he never wants to come home again.”

  He let them pull him into the house, knowing that he’d have to put up with the fussing before they would let him get a word in.

  “Well, let’s get him inside.” His mother looked him up and down while tugging on his arm. “Didn’t they feed you on that Broadway play?”

  His mother pestered Jem with questions but then never gave him a chance to answer any of them. His father took Jem’s backpack and set it down near the stairs to be taken up later. He smothered a grin, having forgotten about his father’s reputation for economy of movement. No point in making unnecessary trips up the stairs.

  Kaitlyn and his mother went to the kitchen to work on the last preparations of the evening meal and left him to help his father set the table.

  “Your sister has a point, you know,” his father finally said. “Why couldn’t you make it?”

  “Didn’t Kate tell you? I sent her a text explaining. The other stage manager had an emergency appendectomy. I couldn’t get away.” Jem straightened the fork by the china plate. “I did want to be here. You know how tricky it can get to take time off during a run. That’s why I never promised to come.”

  “I guess.” His father’s tone still carried disapproval.

  Jem had already fought this battle and had no intention of being drawn into it again. If he hadn’t managed to get the attention of a retired local celebrity and garnered a scholarship, Jem would have had to pay for his four years of theater school himself. His father had refused to help. The decision to go on the road with a traveling Broadway play had nearly given the old man a stroke.

  His father eyed him up and down, considering. “Even though we’ve talked every few days online, you look different in person. Older. More mature. You going out on tour again?”

  “I haven’t decided yet.” Jem folded a napkin the way his mother liked them and placed it under the fork. “The director has a new project starting in the fall, and she said she’s interested in working with me again as her stage manager. I just don’t know if I want to be on the road for so long.”

  “Your mother hates you being gone all the time, you know.” His father’s expression said that he agreed with his wife’s sentiments on the matter.

  “Honey, can you come finish the platter?” Jem’s mother called.

  His father left the table, and Kaitlyn came to take his place.

  “Did I hear that right?” she asked. “You might go out again?”

  “Not from you too,” Jem said, already weary. Why didn’t they realize he had to do what was best to further his career?

  “Please don’t go away again.” Kaitlyn tugged at his arm and took on the little-girl whiny voice she’d used as a child, but the twinkle in her eyes told him she was teasing. “Mom missed you. Dad missed you. Even I missed you.”

  A surge of affection for his teasing, irritating, charming little sister filled him, and Jem pulled her into a hug. She didn’t hesitate to encircle his waist with her arms. “I’ve missed you too, kiddo.” He pulled back and glanced down at her. “You know I did want to come to your graduation, right?”

  “Well, I know the other stage manager didn’t rupture his appendix just to ruin my graduation experience.” The whining in Kaitlyn’s voice sounded real this time when she said, “I don’t know why you’re always so closed-mouthed about your travel plans, always showing up at the last minute. Without any notice. Even the o
ne Christmas you made it here, we had no idea you were coming until you showed up at the door.”

  “You know how Mom is.” Jem kept his voice low, his eyes darting to where his mother stood tossing a salad. “I didn’t want to set her up for disappointment if I couldn’t get away. Better to let it be a surprise.”

  “All it did was drive us all crazy,” Kaitlyn whispered. “Can’t you find work closer to home?”

  “This is ready,” Mother said as she came out of the kitchen. “I hope you have a good appetite, Jem, because I’m going to fatten you up while you’re here.” She scrutinized him with a hard glare. “And how long might that be this time?”

  “Let’s sit down, and we can talk about it over dinner.” His father put the platter with the meat, carrots, and potatoes beside the salad and other side dishes.

  They spent the next hour getting updated since the last time they had talked online. Whenever his mother pressed Jem for an answer about how long he planned to stay, he redirected the discussion. He knew she was letting him do it, but both Kaitlyn and his father pinched their lips every time he did.

  Jem didn’t know what to tell them. A part of him knew it would be a great thing for his career to work with this director again. She was going places, and he had no doubt that it wouldn’t take long before she was on Broadway rather than just over a traveling show.

  He enjoyed the backstage work, loved the way a disparate group of people could collaborate to pull together a play. He might not be on stage himself, but Jem got a thrill when the actors and the audience connected. A part of him still wanted to be an actor.

  “Are you even listening, Jem?” Kaitlyn asked with an indignant scowl. “You just barely got here, and we’re already boring you to death?”

  “You’re hardly boring me to death.” He pushed back a little from the table and stretched out his legs, clasping his hands behind his head. “I was just focusing on this amazing food. That’s the best food I’ve eaten since I was last home.” Kaitlyn and his parents watched him expectantly, and he remembered that he had zoned out for a few seconds. He straightened and rested his elbows on the table. “So, while I was stuffing myself, what did I miss?”

  “I’m going to England next week.” Kaitlyn practically squealed as she said the last two words. “I just wish it was possible to go back in time and actually experience Regency England. But we’ll come as close as we can. We already have a list of places we want to visit, so it’ll be as close as we can get while still being in the 21st century.”

  “We?” Jem asked.

  “Reese is coming too.” His sister shot him a knowing look.

  Jem’s pulse sped up, both at the mention of Reese’s name and at the way his sister was watching him. He hadn’t thought she knew about his feelings for her friend. That had been part of why he’d left and not made an effort to contact Reese again. She’d begun to take over all his thoughts.

  His sister and Reese had been best friends since junior high. The thought of trying to break into that group had stopped him dead. If things didn’t work out between him and Reese, then what? And that had been assuming she would have been the least bit interested in him.

  Too often over the last two years, especially when he was missing his family, Jem had regretted the decision not to push his luck and take a chance with Reese. Especially after that kiss.

  “And don’t forget Cora,” Mother said.

  “Who’s Cora?” Jem asked.

  “A new roommate.” His mother rose from the table. “I understand how excited you all are to go on this trip, Kaitlyn, but I’ve seen those Taken movies, you know. I just worry about three young women going off to England with only one man to watch out for them.”

  “One man?” Jem asked. “Who’s going?”

  “Cyrus,” Kaitlyn said. “He wants to check out the architecture.”

  Another friend from their childhood. The trip was sounding even better.

  “How long are you going to be gone?” Jem asked.

  “Four weeks. Would you like to come? You could room with Cyrus,” Kaitlyn said, even more excited. “Do you still have your passport?”

  “It should be in the boxes in the garage with the rest of my things.” Jem’s heart jumped at the possibilities, the important one being a chance to spend time with Reese again. He looked at his dad. “You guys didn’t throw away my stuff, did you?”

  “Of course not. We’ve always hoped you’d come home,” his father said. “It would make your mother feel a lot better about this trip if you went along with them.”

  “It’ll fit perfectly with my goals.” Jem got to his feet with a grin. “I’ve always wanted a chance to work on my English accent.”

  “Your accent. Right.” Kaitlyn shot him a knowing smirk.

  “Yes. My accent.” He kept his tone neutral, hoping the heat on his face didn’t show.

  “Oh, Jem.” His mother threw her arms around him. “Thank you so much. I can sleep now, knowing the girls will be safe in your hands.”

  “They’d be safe with Cyrus,” he said. “And if I have to renew my passport, I’ll only be there for part of the time.”

  “I know.” His mother shot him a look similar to Kaitlyn’s, and he was struck by how much alike they were.

  ***

  The kickboxing video ended. Breathing heavily, Reese bent over to pick up her towel. She wiped her face and grabbed the water bottle on the floor. She hoped she’d be able to get in some exercise while they were traveling.

  This trip to England both excited her and made her nervous. She’d never had an opportunity to travel outside of the US before, and every couple of days, she’d pull out her shiny new passport, almost as though she needed to see it to believe she really had one. Even the tickets they had purchased together didn’t seem as real as that passport did.

  Her phone chimed with Kaitlyn’s ring. Reese flung the hand towel over her shoulder and picked up her cell.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “You know how freaked out my mom’s been about us going on this trip, right?” Kaitlyn asked without any other intro.

  “Yeah. Is she giving you a hard time about it again?” Reese asked.

  “No. She’s perfectly happy now.”

  “Okay.” Something in Kaitlyn’s voice made Reese pause. “What’s changed?”

  “Jem!”

  “Um . . .” Reese’s words died out. “Like your brother?”

  “Of course, my brother. Seriously, how many guys do you know named Jem?”

  “But, what does he have to do with our trip to London?”

  “His tour finished, and he showed up this evening. He’s coming with us. Isn’t that awesome?” Kaitlyn’s words came out faster. “I’ve missed him so much, and when we started talking about it, Mom went off on her sob story.”

  “Did your mother invite him along?” Reese asked, unsure. She had once thought herself in love with him, but that was ancient history. Then how come her heart was beating so quickly?

  Jem, the buddy that she and his sister played with growing up. Being a couple of years older, he had turned into the cool one who’d run with so many different social groups. She’d felt like she had stayed the gawky Amazonian friend of his kid sister. All those years, in spite of her crush on him, Jem had never shown any signs that he thought of her in any other way than platonic, until the evening before he’d left on the Broadway tour.

  She cast that memory aside. Two years could change people a lot, especially when one of them had been traveling around with a bunch of Broadway-level actors. And it wasn’t like he’d made any effort to contact her. The kiss had meant nothing to him. It should mean nothing to her.

  “No, Mom didn’t invite him,” Kaitlyn said. “I did. He seemed really interested when he found out about the trip, so I asked if he’d like to come along.”

  “And he said yes.” Reese didn’t know how she felt about his inclusion. “Does he even have a passport?”

  “He does, but it’s expired,
” Kaitlyn said. “He’s going to pay to expedite it and should get it in two to three weeks.”

  “All right then.” Reese knew it was too late to throw a fit now if he had already agreed to come. It would be a plus not to have to worry about Kaitlyn’s mother nagging her all the time.

  “I’m hoping he’ll get there in time for the Regency Ball, but it might not be until after,” Kaitlyn said.

  “The ball,” Reese said flatly. She had agreed to go along with the week-long Regency immersion experience, but she wasn’t thrilled about the dancing. Unless it was exercise-related like Zumba, she had never been into dancing. Besides, her height never made her a desirable partner. A Regency ball. Her stomach dropped as a thought occurred to her. “Were you able to order me something to wear?”

  “I checked. Our clothing comes as part of the package,” Kaitlyn said. “They’ll fit us once we’re there. The hostess—she said everyone should call her Aunt Nellie—will have period gowns for us, and she’ll provide lessons on how to dance and act and everything. This will be so much fun. Hey, I have to go. Talk to you later.”

  Reese cringed internally and wiped her face with the towel. She hadn’t been looking forward to this part of the trip anyway, but now Jem was going to be there. The ball would be the perfect place for the too-tall American to make a total fool of herself.

  In front of Jem.

  Chapter 1

  REESE TRIED NOT TO FIDGET. Again. She didn’t want another one of old Ashface’s disapproving looks. Reese had no idea where their hostess, Aunt Nellie, had found the comportment teacher, who had a killer ability to make everyone around her feel less. Or, in Reese’s case, more. More stupid. More clumsy. More the Amazon. The woman’s attitude reminded Reese of Professor Snape with the way she sucked all the self-esteem and confidence out of her students.

  For Aunt Nellie’s Regency Ball, Lady Ashdown had determined to transform the lowly Clarisse Hamilton into a “lady of quality.” Reese sighed. She had learned to hate that particular phrase. Until this immersive vacation, she used to think skinny jeans came as close to wearing a corset as modern clothing could. Um, no. And it wasn’t even the waist that gave her the most trouble.