Brushing his lips over hers, he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. He couldn't get enough of her. She responded instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck and returning his kiss with all the love she held within her. Hopefully Ariel would remember their love, this kiss they were sharing.
He stepped forward, one eye on Mamie's back as she led the way through the darkened house, holding a lantern high. At the door to the library, Seth paused and looked down one last time on his Anna.
She was beautiful. Her fiery tresses were loose, something she'd never allowed before. Her eyes were sad, but determined as they met his.
Stepping into the library, he stiffened as Anna laid her head on his shoulder. She was growing weak, more limp in his arms as they crossed the room. He laid her on the hard leather couch as gently as he could.
Mamie was there in an instant, chanting and swaying and working her magic. He moved to the windows and looked out. This side of the house faced west, away from the sunrise. He couldn't see anything beyond the glass, but that wasn't why he remained there. He couldn't watch. Didn't want to see Mamie release Anna from the body they'd waited so long for.
Unfortunately, the room's reflection was clear in the window. His eyes observed, spellbound, as Anna's spirit rose like a white cloud from the body of the young woman. The smoky fog wrapped around him, the sweet scent of lilacs engulfing him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the scent. And then she was gone, drifting through the closed windows toward the otherworld.
She should have gone to the other side years ago. But had she'd died at her time, he wouldn't be here now. He would never have met Ariel and had the chance to live in this future time.
"Goodbye, my love," he whispered, placing one hand on the glass.
"Major, suh, we all be goin' now. That evil man died and when we go, and the spell is broke, his body will turn to dust. It'll be jes' you and Miz Ariel now," Mamie spoke to his back. "You take good care of that girl now, ya hear?"
"Yes, Mamie, I'll behave myself."
"Oh, Miz Josephine wanted you to give this to the girl. It's her wages. Not as much as she's supposed ta get, but all that Miz Josephine had in the house. She also wanted you to have this," Mamie handed him a heavy leather pouch and a slick leather wallet. "It belonged to that John man. You might need his papers and such."
"Thank you, Mamie."
With a nod and a long steady look, she was gone, leaving him with a wild woman who didn't have a notion on how to behave like a lady. But maybe that was what this time was about. Maybe it wasn't her fault. He would have to do some exploring to find out if all women were like this one or if she was a rebel.
Weak from the evening's excitement, Seth settled into the chair close to the couch. Then he popped up to close the library door and repositioned the candles so he could study this woman more closely.
She did look like his Anna, but there were differences as well. Even in sleep, she was more alive, more vibrant. Her hair was a shade or two brighter, her nose a touch longer with more of a point to it. Her jaw was definitely more stubborn. She might prove to be the challenge he'd spent his youth looking for.
He thought he'd found love with Anna though she wasn't the fire-haired wench he'd first thought. By the time he figured it out, he'd fallen in love with her sweet and gentle ways. He had a lot of learning to do about the twenty-first century. The first lesson would be whether or not he and this redheaded temptress could get along.
Ariel woke and knew without opening her eyes she wasn't in her bed. She was lying on a hard, lumpy, slick surface, not the cloud soft mattress of her bed. Opening her eyes, she looked around without moving.
She was in the library, lying on the couch the Major had occupied. Had it only been the night before? It felt like she'd been asleep for much longer than just a few moments. Glancing around, she found the Major sitting in a chair across the room. The chair Miss Josephine had been in before.
She remained where she was, taking a moment to study the man. He was pale, almost gray with exhaustion. Was he waiting for her to wake up? Why didn't he just jostle her to consciousness if he needed to talk so badly?
Sitting up, she swayed, the room swimming in front of her eyes. Catching herself before she landed face first on the floor, she stiffened every muscle in her body to remain upright. A moment later, the room shifted back into position. Looking up from studying the cabbage roses on the carpet, she met the man's dark gaze.
So much was conveyed in that single look; passion, hunger, friendship yet to be discovered. It was a look she'd always wanted a man to send in her direction.
Taking a deep breath, he stood. She rose as well, then stepped forward, gliding across the room in the manner which had become second nature. They stopped an arm's length apart. Their gazes remained locked. Neither seemed sure how to begin. After all, they had so much to talk about, to catch up on, to learn, to share.
Finally, she broke the silence that swirled around them like a warm velvet cape. "Hello."
"Good morning. It's truly a pleasure to meet you. In the flesh, that is." Seth's smile was warm, and his self-mocking joke helped break the ice.
Ariel smiled, then curtseyed deeply in response. "Major, it is an honor to finally meet you, sir. But I must know, do you have a name to go with your rank?"
She straightened from her awkward curtsey when he burst out laughing. He threw his head back and the joyous sound rang through the room, filling it. It was a most pleasant sound. Especially since it came from a man who'd just recently been laying on the couch behind her, essentially dead.
"Oh, my dear, I will enjoy your company. I'm afraid we have yet to be properly introduced. Seth McConnelly Majors at your service." He emphasized his first name. "Everyone here has called me Major for so long, we almost forgot I had any other name." He looked delighted, yet exhausted from everything that had happened since being rejoined body and soul.
"Happy to meet you, Seth Majors. Welcome to the year two-thousand and one. I believe the first order of business will be for you to take a nap. Once you’re rested, we'll go from there."
Linking her arm through his, she escorted him through the house to her bedroom. "You can rest here. I'll be downstairs, trying to figure out how to explain you." Grabbing up an armful of clothes from the closet, she backtracked to the door. "I'll see you when you wake up."
"All right. But don't let me sleep too long. I have a lot of catching up to do." He followed her retreat with eyes that glowed with amusement.
"Sleep as long as you need to. You've had a rather strenuous few hours." With that command, Ariel pulled the door closed.
It wasn't until she closed herself into the bathroom that she realized the nightgown she'd pulled on the night before was practically transparent.
Once she'd changed into her own underwear and the favored yellow gown, she started exploring the house anew. It was quiet, too quiet. Silent as a tomb, she thought morbidly.
Exploring the house, she found all the doors opened under her hand. They swung open without a squeak or squeal to finally reveal the rooms across the back of the house. The first was definitely masculine with lots of leather and wood and dark colors. The next was equally feminine with lace and flowers everywhere. Between them was a sitting room, a combination of the two on either side of it.
The room Miss Josephine disappeared into so many times was open as well. It wasn't a bedroom at all, but a sitting room. There was a lounging chaise, a dresser and full-length mirror in one corner. Half hidden behind a screen in the opposite corner stood an antique bathtub. This was Anna's sitting room, not Miss Josephine's bedroom. But why had the elderly lady claimed it for herself? Why hadn’t she used Mrs. Bradley’s room?
After exploring the rest of the house and finding it equally empty, Ariel wandered to the enclosed back yard. Nothing had changed here, except the people, and animals, had all disappeared. Picking a ripe tomato from a bush nearest the barn, she snacked on it as she continued on with her exp
loring.
By noon, she was starving but didn't want to leave Seth alone while she ran out to get lunch. Returning to her bedroom, she paused. He'd looked so tired. Would he be awake yet? Or could she leave and return without him missing her?
Timidly reaching for the doorknob, she gasped when it turned before she even touched it. Then the door swung inward.
There he stood. Seth Majors. The man who might be able to answer some of her questions. A man who had to have a book of questions of his own.
Reaching out with one finger, she touched the end of his nose, several inches above her own. His skin was warm. So warm, she wondered if he might be running a fever. But he looked well enough. His bronzed skin glowed with good health, there was a slight roughness to his jaw from the lack of a razor and his clothes were slightly rumpled. He looked like he'd just stepped from the cover of a historical romance novel. His expression held amusement and understanding mingled with curiosity.
She relaxed, realizing he was indeed a solid, living, breathing human being and not a figment of her imagination. Then he reached out and touched her nose with his own finger. At his touch, a spark flew through her, as if he were wired for electricity and she was the opposing current.
He brushed calloused fingertips across her cheek, then slid his hand around to the back of her neck. He purposefully turned her around and with one hand still resting on her neck, under her loose hair, he guided her away from the bedroom door, and down the stairs to the living room.
He settled her on the hard, lumpy sofa and took the leather chair opposite her. They continued to stare at one another, the silence comforting them against the loss the day had brought about.
Finally, he broke the silence. "They're all gone, aren't they?"
"Yes. I think so. I couldn't find anyone. The back enclosure is empty of the animals as well," Ariel stated bluntly. This man would want his answers straight up with no fancy coatings.
"Mamie told me it might happen that way. She'd never had any experience with that exact bit of magic before. She thought since they'd lived well beyond their time, they would leave this morning, along with the final threads of the spell." Seth said. "What about John? What happened to him last night? What happens now? Will you disappear as well? What about me, about us? How do we go on from here?" Ariel asked, her questions tumbling out of her like a dam overflowing.
There were so many things she wanted to ask, to hear and understand. If they only had a short time together, then she would rather hear about him and his time, than about what had happened the night before.
She felt things she'd never felt before. Love, want, need. What would he do if she threw herself across the room at him and begged for his love? Shaking off such wanton thoughts, she concentrated on his words.
"As far as I understand, I won't be leaving anytime soon. Mamie explained that once my spirit reentered my body, it would be as if only one night had passed not a hundred and fifty-some years. The only difference is that I remember everything that happened while I was floating around the house. Not that much ever really happened." His words sounded casual, but Ariel knew he was anything but. There was something in his expression that brought to mind a caged animal wanting to break free of its enclosure yet afraid of what lay on the other side of the bars.
Before she could speak, he stood abruptly, digging into his pocket. "Miss Josephine said you were to have this. She said Miss Anna would have wanted you to have it since you were kin and all." He handed her a necklace, a pearl and gold necklace. Just like the one she had in her bedroom! Did this mean she really did have roots? A past that intertwined with this family, with this house?
"She also said to give you this, your pay for the time you've been here. She said she hoped that this would be enough." He pulled the pouch from his other pocket and handed it to her.
Opening the leather thong that held the bag closed, Ariel dumped the contents into her palm. Twenty-dollar gold pieces, dated 1835 to 1840. Shiny, brand new twenty-dollar gold pieces. She looked at Seth with wide eyes. "Do you know how much these are worth?"
Taking her hand, he counted the coins. "About four hundred dollars. I know she'd promised you more, but this was all she'd had in the house."
Ariel carefully placed the coins back in the bag, pulled the strings tight and laid the bag aside. Then she began to laugh. "Four hundred dollars. That's funny. They're worth a whole lot more than four hundred dollars. But that can wait until later. Right now I'm hungry. How about you?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. It's been quite a while since my last meal." He realized his stomach was growling with displeasure. "I'll cook if you like."
"No, we can just run out for McDonald's." Ariel stood up, ready to dash out for a meal. She watched Seth stand as well, a strange look on his face.
As a man of the nineteenth century, she knew his idea of fast food was a biscuit left over from the last night’s dinner. She tried to explain the concept so he would understand, but he looked just as confused as before. Finally, she gave up. The easiest way to explain would be to show him. Later. For now, he could cook.
Hopefully, they would have weeks, or years together , to discuss all the things he needed to learn. Right now they needed food. Then they would go outside for some fresh air, away from the rooms he'd been imprisoned in for such a long, long time and begin exploring this world and time Ariel lived in.
15
In all the excitement, Ariel forgot about Emily Robbins and her threats of taking over the house. But when she noticed a strange car pull in the driveway and a determined woman crossing the lawn, saving the house became the top priority in Ariel's worries.
"Seth, could you please see if there's anything in the kitchen to eat? I'll be there in a few minutes so you can teach me how to use Mamie's stove." She stammered, praying for a miracle.
Maybe Emily Robbins would fall through a black hole before she reached the front door. Or maybe their visitor was a member of the Welcome Wagon. She could only hope. In the meantime, she needed to maneuver Seth out of hearing range. She didn't need him jumping in, trying to save the day when he didn't understand either the situation or the freedom women now owned and used on a regular basis.
Seth nodded, but turned back when a loud knock echoed through the first floor. Ariel jumped six inches off the floor looking nervous. Very nervous. When she didn't move he started across the foyer, intending to greet their guests. It had been a long time since anyone had come to call at the Bradley House.
Ariel jolted into action when he moved toward the door. "I'll get that. You go on into the kitchen." Her words rushed out.
"I think I'll stay and see who our guest is. From my experiences the past twelve hours, my services may be needed in keeping you out of harm's way."
Ariel narrowed her eyes with a frown. He met the glare with a smirk. With a swish of her skirts, she turned and stomped to the door. His smirk turned into a smile of approval. He was impressed. This woman was a fiery version of his sweet, gentle Anna. Just the type of female he'd been looking for. He approved of the changes time had made in women.
Anna would never have attempted to order him around. If he'd growled at her, she probably would have fainted dead away. While this woman was a physical copy of his love, she was emotionally someone quite different. He would have to remain firm or she would run him over and have him fetching and stepping to her tune. If all the women were like her, how did the men in this age survive?
Flipping open the lock, Ariel grabbed the handle and yanked the door open.
She tried to block keep the door from opening fully. That way, Ms. Robbins might understand that she wasn’t welcome. Nor would she see Seth, a living breathing piece of history, standing at his chauvinistic best in the middle of the foyer.
She refused to let this interloper see she was flustered. It wouldn't do her any good. Unfortunately, she forgot she wasn't wearing sneakers. The door slammed into the side of her foot and sent a shaft of pain up her leg. She gritted he
r teeth to fight down a howl of pain and blinked rapidly to fight down her tears.
Finding three people on the porch, she swallowed back her angry retort. She met their astonished gazes and wasn't surprised when they looked over her shoulder into the foyer, where Seth stood, waiting patiently.
"Hello, may I help you?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"I'm Emily Robbins. You're not supposed to be here."
The woman leading the pack was the picture in the dictionary under the definition of a modern day Southern belle. Her hair was styled in a perfect bob that just brushed her shoulders, bleached ash blonde with quarter of an inch of dark roots showing. Her makeup was flawless, and she wore a summer suit that emphasized the fact that she spent hours at the local gym with a personal trainer. These women looked down their noses at the rest of the world and wore their husband's importance like it was their own. Narrowing her eyes, Ariel hated her on sight.
Behind her stood a young woman in a deputy sheriff's uniform, her hair pulled back in a braid that ended at her collar. Except for the clothes, she was a cookie-cutter copy of Ms. Robbins, obviously a daughter or niece or society belle wannabe. In any case, Ariel shifted her into the same category as the woman she shadowed.
"Come in, I'd like to talk to you about this impression you have of taking control of this house," Ariel stepped back, allowed the two women to enter.
Jeffrey Gaines nodded silently in recognition and followed, until she laid a hand on his arm and whispered. "Whose side are you on?"
"Yours, of course. I have some paperwork you may find interesting. Now let's not leave these two alone else they'll have the house catalogued and up for auction."
Jeffrey took her arm and led her to the dining room where Seth had seated the two ladies at the far end of the table. He retreated to a place behind Ariel's right shoulder, leaning casually against the wall. Jeffrey claimed a chair to her left. As soon as he was seated, the lawyer pulled out a thick file and spread the top several sheets across the table.
Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances Page 125
