Hearts Across Time (The Knights of Berwyck: A Quest Through Time Novel ~ Books 1 & 2)

by Sherry Ewing

  His features showed the same amount of horror from their encounter. “My apologies, Lady Emily,” Aiden replied awkwardly, with a small nod of his head. “I cannot explain it or even fathom the idea that as I kissed you…well…I felt as if…I fear as if…’twas, as if I kissed my own sister. Please, take no offense, but ’twas most unpleasant.”

  “None taken,” she said shortly. “Maybe there’s a reason why you and I come to blows and annoy each other so much. You remind me a little too much of my own older brother. My most obnoxious older brother, I should add.”

  “Then, I shall take over the duties of an older brother and watch over you, if you would grant me such an honor,” Aiden said sincerely.

  “I would like that,” she replied and held out her hand for him to shake. He gave her another unusual expression, so she took a hold of his hand herself, began to shake it up and down, and they sealed their bargain between them. Both promptly began to laugh.

  “Such a strange girl,” Aiden muttered.

  “Mister, you don’t know the half of it!” Emily laughed and thumped him on the back like an old time friend, or now a long lost brother, until she threw herself into his arms. “Thank you, Aiden. I don’t feel so alone now,” she said softly.

  Silence descended upon the group as each person seemed to be caught up with their own confused thoughts as to what the future would hold. Katherine fingered her jeans and could only think of the horror that would befall her, unless she found new clothing, and soon. Again, her hand was squeezed, and Riorden smiled at her. She had the feeling he knew where her thoughts were leading.

  “We should reach the village on the morrow. Perhaps, ‘twould be prudent that we procure the women a change of clothing suitable to our time, clothing that would be more in line with remaining unobtrusive,” Riorden said calmly.

  “What about our search?” Danior asked. “I must continue on, whether you aide me or not.”

  “It might be best if we split up in order that we cover more ground,” Gavin suggested.

  “’Tis not something I had not already considered. My main concern is for the safety of the women,” Riorden replied carefully. “I will not take the chance of them being injured, if we must engage Irish rebels.”

  “We could divide and meet back at Berwyck. ’Tis not that great a distance, once we reach the next village,” Aiden offered. “They would be safe with Amiria and Dristan.”

  “You can’t split us apart!” Juliana and Briana called out in unison.

  “Be at ease ladies. ’Twould not be for more than a few days, at most,” Riorden said reassuringly.

  Katherine protested. “There must be another way, Riorden. We have to stay together.”

  “We have already delayed longer than we should, and the trail grows colder with each passing moment,” Riorden answered.

  Brianna held back a sob, turning toward Gavin. “I can’t lose you now that I just found you!”

  “Time is of the essence, my lady,” Gavin added, taking a hold of Brianna’s hand.

  “Aye, Danior replied. “I must needs return to Bamburgh bearing my wayward prisoner in irons with all due haste. Else, I sacrifice more than just my lands forfeited over to an angry king…much more than I care to part with.”

  Juliana sobbed. “I won’t have Danior’s life be at stake just because we don’t want to be apart.”

  Emily huffed. “Just like Jewel’s to be the voice of reason. Wouldn’t we be stronger in numbers? Isn’t that how stuff like this goes?”

  Patrick tossed a stick into the fire. “We cannot ride as fast as we would like, if we have the women slowing us down. We could leave them at the inn and come back for them,” he suggested.

  “Enough, Patrick,” Riorden said with blazing eyes. “I will hear no more of such talk. You do the ladies a disservice by suggesting such an idea.”

  “My apologies, my ladies and my lord,” Patrick mumbled, clearly embarrassed he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

  “Well, I, for one, go nowhere without the Lady Emily,” Aiden said, putting a brotherly arm around her shoulder. “I did, after all, just now swear to protect her.”

  “Enough!” Riorden replied, holding his hand up to halt any further conversation. “We shall decide who goes with who once we have rested at the inn come the morrow.”

  “But, Riorden─” Katherine began.

  “Nay, Katherine, I will hear no more of this discussion,” Riorden interjected, taking her hand and giving it a quick kiss. “My mind is set. Trust me.”

  Katherine nodded, knowing Riorden would look out for their best interests, but she was still uncertain if splitting up was such a good idea. Gazing at her friends, each of them had a look of pure misery at the thought of not being together. She was sure her own reflection looked much the same. She was trying to figure out how to bring the group back to a more pleasant conversation, when Patrick edged slightly closer to her. She grinned as she looked into his youthful face.

  “My lady?” he asked with all the curiosity of the young at heart.

  “Yes, Patrick?” Katherine asked, trying not to broaden her smile. She just knew where this conversation was going.

  “Could you not show us something in your satchel from this future of yours? Something to prove you are not from this time?”

  She stole a glance at Riorden, who nodded his consent. There were so many options between the four of them, it was hard to know where to start. “We must be careful, Patrick, and keep this only between us. Do you understand?”

  “Aye, milady!” Patrick replied eagerly.

  “Well, ladies, what should it be?” Katherine asked her friends. “Shall we break it to them gently, or hit them…how did that song go? Hit me with your best shot, was it?” They all laughed.

  “A magazine?” Emily supplied.

  “Pens and Paper?” was Juliana’s contribution.

  “Music!” Brianna sighed.

  “Music? From the lute, or did you have something electronic in mind?” Katherine smirked, causing Emily and Juliana to laugh aloud.

  “Cell phones! Definitely get your phone out, Katherine” Brie said excitedly. “Wait until you hear this, Gavin. It’s going to freak you out.”

  Gavin had a moment of doubt cross his face. “Do I wish to be…freaked out, Brianna?”

  She laughed, again. “Sure! Why not?”

  Five medieval heads drew slightly closer and watched intently as Katherine began digging around in her purse for her phone, which was buried at the bottom of everything she carried. She felt a candy wrapper and knew what she would bring out next. Pulling out the purple plastic, she saw she had their undivided attention as she placed it on her lap. She had been keeping the power turned off to conserve what energy she could.

  She pushed the power button, and the white apple lit up on the screen. Patrick began to ooh and ah, much to Katherine’s amusement.

  “Is there a faerie living in the box, Lady Katherine?” Patrick asked in awe and began to cross himself.

  Before Katherine could answer, she noticed Aiden fingering his dagger. She quickly reached out and grabbed her phone, bringing it up to her chest. The phone continued to power up, and now the men could see how a light was illuminated around the box and on her shirt.

  “Maybe a couple of rules should be in order,” Katherine said sternly as she saw Aiden now had a firm grasp on his dagger, holding it in front of him as if the phone would attack him. “First and foremost, this phone does not get jabbed, poked, stabbed, thrown, tossed into the fire, or anything else that may be your first gut reaction to what I’m about to show you. Understood?” She watched in satisfaction as Aiden returned his dirk to his boot and the other men nodded their acceptance of her terms.

  “So, what’ll it be Katie?” Emily asked smartly, trying really hard and failing to hide the grin that lit her face, knowing what was about to happen. “Hard rock and roll?”

  Juliana swatted her friend. “Don’t be an idiot, Em. They hear that, and Katie’s rules w
ill be broken within a matter of seconds.”

  Katherine gave a bit of a giggle. “Maybe some jazz. That wouldn’t be too devious on our parts, would it?” She picked out a tune that was upbeat and pretty danceable then turned up the volume.

  The men watched in earnest fascination, and they gathered closer around the small device Katherine had placed on the log. She hit the tiny arrow to play the music and stepped back to stand next to her friends. They all took a step backward and out of the way of the men investigating their first modern marvel.

  The first notes of the horns sent all the men upright, and they instinctively drew their swords from their scabbards. Riorden was the first to remember her rules. As the electric keyboard and guitar began to join in on the melody, the men began to put away their weapons. The women roared with laughter at the looks on the men’s faces and began to dance in time with the music. Katherine wasn’t sure which amused her more…their shock at what was coming out of her phone, or their astonishment at the women dancing a very modern dance, which basically was move any way they wanted, with no particular pattern.

  The song ended after a couple of minutes, and Patrick came and bowed low over Katherine’s hand. She dropped into a formal curtsey, or at least her best effort of one. He bent down and whispered in her ear.

  “A love song?” she asked merrily, wondering where he heard of Barbara Celine. “Oh...you ran into that lovely family we met, who offered to share their dinner. It’s a song called Tell Him, sung by two of the most renowned singers in the twenty-first century. Brie, would you mind playing, and then we all can sing? We’ll let you listen to the original version after we’re done, if that’s okay.”

  Brianna picked up the lute and strummed a few cords then nodded to the women who gathered around her. Two sang the parts of Celine Dion. The other two, of Barbara Streisand. Their voices sang in perfect accord. Katherine’s full attention was focused only on the one man who had captured her heart. She poured out her very soul into each word until the melody at last came to a close. The men began to clap in appreciation, and from the pleasure expressed on their features, it was clear they had enjoyed the performance. They all took a seat, and Katherine played the song in its original format.

  Riorden leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I must admit, I enjoyed your singing, my lady, but if you continue to gaze upon me as you just did during your presentation, I shall never make it to our wedding night.”

  Katherine giggled nervously and reached for her purse again to draw out a brightly colored orange wrapper. “I have dessert, but we’ll have to share,” she exclaimed enthusiastically.

  She opened the wrapper and passed out three of the beloved chocolate peanut butter cups. Each of the women divided it in half to give a taste to the man sitting next to her. Katherine gave her share to Patrick, who looked on it as if it was poison. “Trust me…you’re a kid, and you’re gonna’ love it!”

  Patrick took a small nibble and then stuffed his half completely into his mouth, chewing in delight. The same could be said of the others around the fire.

  “’Twas kind of you to give Patrick your share, Katherine,” Riorden said as he held out a smaller portion of his treat. “Here, you may have part of mine.”

  She noticed a small piece of chocolate lingering in the corner of his mouth. Instead of taking the proffered chocolate, she sat up on her knees, placed her hands upon his shoulders and started kissing him. Her tongue flicked out of her mouth to capture what had originally captured her attention. He caught her about the waist and kissed her more fully.

  “Feisty wench!” Riorden rasped when he at last was able to manage a conversation. He pulled her down into his lap, giving her a fierce hug. “Keep that up, and I shall need to go find that stream.”

  She placed her head on his chest. “Eat your candy, Riorden,” she whispered with a sigh of contentment.

  Katherine grabbed the edges of the blanket Riorden placed around her to keep her warm while he hummed a medieval melody softly in her ear. His deep baritone voice was beautiful, and she became completely absorbed listening to his song. She sighed, satisfied with how the evening had progressed. Riorden’s arm tightened around her and caused her to smile…again…for what must have felt like the hundredth time since this crazy journey began. Life felt so very complete.

  * * *

  Tiernan backed away from the edge of the trees, removing his clenched hand from the hilt of his sword. Emily was safe, but he swore jealousy consumed him when he witnessed her flinging herself into the arms of that redheaded knight. It had taken every bit of control not to hurl himself into their campsite and demand Emily come away with him. Who the devil was he anyway?

  He began running to catch up with his group, although thoughts of envy coursed through every fiber of his being. He had beheld strange things going on this night and had no logical answer for the noise coming from the oddly colored box at their camp. Emily’s voice, however, had been pure bliss.

  At least he knew where they were headed. He quickened his pace, promising himself that he and his errant lady would have words when she got to her next destination. She had much to answer for.

  Chapter 23

  Katherine lost count of the hours in which she had endured the endless torture of bouncing atop Beast while their horses galloped north. The scenery had become but a blur as they flew like the wind across the countryside. From time to time, one of the men would scout the area ahead or on the ground, looking for clues as to the direction they should continue on in their journey. With every mile passing them by, Emily became more quiet and reserved. It was clear, she was indeed thankful Tiernan had evaded capture. Emily’s happiness, however, became Juliana’s nightmare, with visions of Danior’s head sitting on a pike outside the king’s gate. It seemed neither lady would win in this pursuit.

  The small village of Tinsbury came into sight, and Katherine at last sighed with relief when Riorden pulled on the reins, causing Beast to slow his gait. She was beyond thankful, she would finally dismount off this animal that surely originated from the depths of hell. Everything hurt from the rigor of sitting on a horse for hours on end. Riorden had tried to see to her comfort as best he could by having her continually change her position, but it was no use. She just wasn’t cut out for riding, at least not at this pace for a first go at it. There wasn’t an inch of her body that wasn’t tender in some way from the jostling she had endured. Along with her backside aching, and everything in between, she swore even her hair was bruised. Her only consolation, from the abuse she had received, was that Riorden had promised her a hot bath once they were settled at the inn.

  Raising her head from her ever present placement on his shoulder, she spotted the first signs of civilization in the form of a small, thatch roofed dwelling on the outskirts of town. Katherine saw another and looked ahead in excitement at her first real glimpse of a thriving medieval village. Instead, she should have remembered her history and the conditions in which people at this level of a fiefdom lived. She could find no words to what she saw, and her own look of horror was mirrored in the eyes of her friends. Emily, for sure, looked as if she was about to pass out cold in Aiden’s arms.

  The road, if that is what it could be called, was little more than a mire full of muck, slime, and God only knew what else. She soon learned what the ‘what else’ was, when Riorden quickly maneuvered Beast to the left while the contents of a chamber pot were poured out of an upper floor window. If they hadn’t moved, those contents would have splattered all over them. Katherine almost gagged at the stench engulfing her senses.

  If the streets themselves weren’t enough for her to take in, the conditions of the people were almost as horrible. Bad hygiene, bad clothing, and bad teeth were evident. One man, who smiled wide at her, had most of his teeth missing, and the few remaining were rotting away in his mouth. She could only pray that not all of medieval England was in the same condition, but she had the God awful feeling that wherever they traveled, conditions would be pre
tty much the same. It didn’t seem to affect the men of their group as much as it did their modern ladies.

  They slowed their pace as they neared what was most likely a market square. At least it appeared in slightly better condition than the outskirts of the village. Tinsbury was obviously a thriving place of commerce, and Katherine could see several small shops were set up in the heart of the town. Hawkers began calling out their wares and showing off their goods in proof that their merchandises were the best to be found in the area. It was clear to the merchants that nobles who had coin to spare were in their midst. They wasted no time in trying to get the group’s attention to buy their goods.

  Riorden halted in front of a seller where he examined a bolt of golden-yellow fabric. He flipped a coin to the merchant, who easily caught it, and instructed him to have the cloth delivered to the Black Bull Inn. They continued on while Katherine was amazed that he so easily spent his money, as if he had more than plenty.

  She continued to study his features until he turned his gaze to her own, which conveyed her obvious, unspoken question as to what he had planned for such a costly fabric.

  “The color would be most favorable on you,” he said indifferently, as if he had read her thoughts. “You can fashion a garment from it.”

  “Me? Sew?” Katherine said stunned. “You must be joking?”

  “Women of your time do not sew their garments?”

  Katherine rolled her eyes at the thought of even sewing a button that had come loose, let alone a whole outfit. “I suppose some still do, but we buy everything that is already made. You just pick out your size off a rack.”

  “’Tis costly then,” Riorden assumed.

  “Yes, it can be, but I still wouldn’t even know where to begin. I’d hate to ruin such lovely fabric.”

  “I will see then, whilst here in Tinsbury, if we can procure you and the ladies something suitable to wear for the short distance to Berwyck.” Riorden suggested. “’Tis not much farther if we follow the shore. But I fear that if we continue our journey this day, the gates will be closed for the eve by the time we arrive. When we reach Berwyck on the morrow, Aiden’s sister Amiria will see that a gown worthy of you is fashioned from the cloth.”