Belmary House 6

by Cassidy Cayman

  Ariana made a face. “I suppose all of you will have a lot to say about how it’s decorated and refurbished because I didn’t buy it for myself.” She took a deep breath, suddenly nervous about their reactions. “I bought it for you.”

  “Who?” Cousin Dexter asked. “Your parents?” He turned to her mother. “Are you lot staying in this time?”

  “For all of you,” Ariana clarified. “Mum and dad and the boys, even if they only come once in a while, and you and Emma and Dahlia and the new baby.” She turned and eyed the massive place. “It’s big enough to divide in two and everyone will have plenty of room.”

  Emma’s mouth hung open as she held onto her baby bump like it might fall off. Ariana could tell she was already remodeling in her mind. She knew they’d need a bigger place once the baby arrived and she also knew they worried about money.

  “It’s big enough to divide four times and we’d all still have plenty of room,” she said. “This is too much, Ariana.”

  Ariana clasped her hands and tried to explain her feelings. “I swear I’m not trying to manage any of you or anything like that. I just ask for a room if you can spare it.”

  “I accept,” Dexter said while everyone else still goggled. “Right, Em? We accept?” She nodded, turning to Dahlia, who’d been mostly silent and sullen since they arrived. Now her face split into a huge grin.

  “Are you joking? This place is brilliant! We can have horses.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Cousin Dexter answered.

  They boys came back from wherever they had been exploring and noticed everyone’s shock. They scrambled all over one another to ask what was going on now.

  “Your sister’s purchased this massive pile of rubble for us to live in if we like,” her father said, scowl firmly in place.

  Her brothers whooped madly and ran in circles, demanding to pick out their rooms at once and wagering who’d be the first to see a ghost.

  “Settle down, heathens,” her father boomed. “It will take months for this place to be sorted enough for you to choose a room and I’m telling you now there are no ghosts.”

  “Does that mean we can stay?” her mother asked breathlessly. “In this time? Where my mom and Gran are? With cell phones and boiling hot running water and vaccinations against diseases?”

  “It’s not as if we have a home to go to in our time,” her father said.

  “Still too soon, Ashford,” her mother replied.

  “Yes, about that,” Cousin Dexter piped up. “It’s because of you that Emma and I are both out of jobs.”

  “All the more reason you should be happy to accept,” Ariana butted in before her father could say something grumpy. “And we have loads and loads of money thanks to my savvy investing.” Her father made a noise but she barreled over him. “It really is your fault they’re out of work, Father.”

  “I could start that book on the mysterious Alexanders that have never been pinned down in historical records before,” Cousin Dexter said jokingly. At least Ariana hoped he was joking because her father wasn’t laughing.

  She also noticed that Aunt Serena wasn’t only not laughing, she was quietly crying. Uncle Kostya had his arm around her and looked equally distraught.

  “What is it?” Ariana asked, hurrying to hug her. “What’s wrong?”

  “We’ll miss you,” she said, dabbing her face with her modern sleeve. “What will we do without you?”

  Kostya nodded in mournful agreement. “The farm won’t be the same without you.”

  “Oh, bloody hell,” her father said. “The farm is better off without me, as well you’ve known for many a year. If we’re in for a penny, we’re in for a pound. You’ll visit whenever you want and we’ll visit you whenever we want. If we’re going to be doing magic, let’s just do it right.”

  “Or you could divide the house three ways,” Dahlia suggested. She’d taken a liking to Serena and had shyly asked that morning if she could call her aunt as well.

  Uncle Kostya blanched. “I think I could agree to visiting, but I could never live in this time. Twice a year or so, like we do anyway?”

  “I’ve lost control of this horse, Kostya,” her father said. “I’m just hanging on and hoping for the best now.”

  “It will be the best,” Ariana assured them. “Do you want to go back inside and look at it again now that you know it’s yours?”

  Ariana let them rush in ahead of her, taking time to enjoy seeing everyone together, carefree and joyous and full of hope for the future.

  ***

  Owen sat on the park bench near the posh inn they were staying at while in this London he never would have believed if he hadn’t experienced it himself. He’d thought London in his own time was something to see, but the lights, the crush of people, the sheer amount of everything boggled his mind. He’d walked past the large steel and glass building that took the spot of Belmary House but had refused to go in. His mother and Aunt Tilly had gone in happily enough, returning to the inn a few hours later laden with shopping bags.

  He had wondered at their sense of loyalty but then he finally worked up the nerve that morning to walk past Maria’s house. It took him three times walking up and down the street to be sure he was in the right spot, everything was so different. He’d stood and stared at what had once been an imposing, stately home and was now a cluster of three buildings about six storeys tall, advertised by a discreet placard at the front gate as the Mainleigh Condominiums. After a half hour or so of standing, staring, and trying to conjure up any kind of feelings, a posh couple gave him a wary look before secretively poking at a numbered pad that opened the front gate.

  He moved on, in his heart as well as with his feet. He’d enjoyed the excitement and furtive nature of what he’d felt with Maria, but it hadn’t been real. He hoped she would fully recover from what he’d put her through but had given up any hope she’d ever forgive him. He still struggled with forgiving himself.

  A fresh crowd hurried past him, bringing him back to the park. He kept his eyes trained on the Tube station exit until Ariana finally spilled out with the rush of other people. Surprisingly, she fit right in. Out of breath and smiling widely, she plopped onto the bench beside him.

  “How can you go down there on your own?” he asked, still befuddled by the Underground maps that were as intricate and unreadable to him as hieroglyphics. “Aren’t you worried about getting hopelessly lost?”

  “How can we ever be hopelessly lost, Owen?” she asked seriously, waving her fingers to show that all they’d need to do was a location spell.

  He frowned, still wary of magic, but feeling more confident with each passing day now that his father was working with him.

  She leaned her head on his shoulder and pulled out a bag of biscuits, promptly tossing some crumbs to the ducks before offering him one. Within seconds they were consumed by a quacking swarm and they had to hurry away to another bench further away from the small, decorative lake that was clearly manmade.

  “Did you show them?” he asked after they finished the biscuits in peace.

  He had to smile at Ariana and her schemes, still wanting to make luxurious residences for everything and everyone she loved. He supposed it wasn’t such a bad quality, but he had decided to stay out of it.

  “Yes. It took a minute, but they’re so excited to stay and start a new life here. And if you say a single word about rabbits or cages I will pop you one.”

  He smiled some more that she had nearly read his mind. “I had no intention of saying anything of the sort. You’re taking to speaking like that miscreant Dahlia.”

  “Dahlia is my cousin and she’s delightful,” Ariana said. “This time is delightful.

  “This time is rubbish,” he said sourly. “I can’t believe you want to stay. I know I could never hack it.”

  “Oh, I won’t be staying in this time,” she said mischievously. Too mischievously for his liking.

  “I take it you’re coming back with us?” he asked, hardly daring t
o hope.

  “Sure. For a while anyway.”

  He groaned and shrugged her head off his shoulder. “You can’t be serious.”

  “We have the ability to go anywhere in time,” she said as if that was the end of any possible argument. She put her hands on his arms and turned him to face her. “Think of the possibilities.”

  In truth she was beautiful most of the time, but the glow of doing something nice for her family made her radiant. Also, the hint of excitement she couldn’t hide. He wanted to groan but he couldn’t because it was contagious.

  Damn it, but he felt it, too. That inexplicable draw to the unknown. The thing that had made him venture down into that old wine cellar to find the family spell book in the first place. But only with Ariana by his side.

  “I need to go back to the Povest village and make things right there,” he said stubbornly.

  “I’ll go with you. That can be our first stop. I’m sure they can teach us so many things we’ll need to know before we decide what our next trip will be.”

  “How many times do you need to almost get killed before you learn your lesson?” he asked, making a last ditch effort to be responsible.

  She smiled at him. “I guess we’ll find out.”

  He leaned closer, trying to look stern, but failing utterly. “We?”

  She leaned closer still, trying to keep from looking gleefully victorious but also utterly failing. “Are you with me?”

  Their lips touched for the briefest moment. Peace settled over him like a blanket, mixed with an eagerness he’d never known. He pulled away to see the sparkle in her eyes reflecting the happiness he felt.

  “Of course, Ariana. Do you even have to ask?”

  The End

  Thank you for reading the Belmary House series!

  This is currently the end of the series, but if you’d like to see more time travel adventures with Owen and Ariana, you know what to do! email me at cassidycayman@gmail.com

  Looking for your next time travel romance read? Have you tried The Cursed Painting series?

  If you’d like to join my private Facebook reader group for advance reading opportunities, click here!

  Or join my mailing list so you never miss a new release.

  More books by Cassidy Cayman