"Oh, how delightful, my lady. What are their names? It’s been ever so long since we’ve had children around here."
"Tyler and Bethany," she said, an ache in her heart. "But they’re teenagers now. Not so little."
For some reason, this made the maid giggle. "Oh, but you are young enough to still have more if that is your wish."
Ariel smiled at her words. "Yes, I supposed I am."
"How long will you be staying, m’lady?"
"I…don’t know. I haven’t decided as yet."
"How did you meet Lord Montgomery? Was it romantic?"
Now what? Just as she feared, questions which couldn't be answered by her. She supposed it was romantic, really, but her heart raced, and butterflies danced in her stomach as she tried to navigate the questions in her mind. Finally, in a panic, she said, "I am so sorry, but I am exhausted and cannot think straight. Please forgive me, but I just need sleep."
"Of course, m'lady. I’m so sorry. Cook says I’m a magpie of chatter. I'll be here in the morning to help you dress. Just ring if you need anything. A tray is on its way up with some cold cheese and some of the cook's bread," the maid said as she dropped a shift over Ariel's head. After Ariel's clothing was properly taken care of, she began putting Ariel's jewelry into an ornate wooden box.
"What's that," Ariel asked her.
"My lady? It's your box that came with your things. I was told to put it on the vanity for your jewels and such."
Ariel nodded her thanks. The servant probably thought she'd lost her mind not recognizing "her own" things. "Oh, wait. What's your name?"
"Mary, m'lady."
"I'm tired from…" Her mind blanked. From shopping and banking and prepping for the masquerade party in her own time? Ha! She sounded like a flighty lady. "Shopping and banking and prepping for the masquerade party and volunteering. It's been a long day."
"Cor, my lady. That does sound like a full day. And you found time to volunteer? And banking? They let you bank?"
"Of course. How else am I supposed to take care of my finances?"
"I don't know many women of quality who take care of their money, if you don't mind my saying so, my lady. They have someone who does it for them."
"I like to know where I stand at all times. Ever since my husband…died, I've been doubly glad I insisted on learning." She'd nearly slipped up. Something about Mary caused her to confide. Plus, good practice for her accent, she reminded herself. Ariel found it surprisingly easy how well she'd slipped back into it with the maid.
"I see. I'm glad you are able to take care of things, what with your husband gone."
Mary efficiently undressed and redressed Ariel into a muslin nightgown while they talked. The ambience of having candles instead of electric lights made everything softer, less garish than her own time.
"Thank you, Mary. Good night."
Mary bobbed a short curtsy. "Good night, my lady."
Ariel breathed a sigh of relief when the oak door shut behind Mary. Though they had someone come in to help clean and a nanny once in a while during hectic schedules, she never had a personal servant to dress her. She thought she'd lay awake all night trying to figure things out, but the comfortable bed, soft pillows, and the night's excursion proved too much for her exhausted body. She fell into a deep hard sleep. When she awoke, light barely touched the sky. Sleepily thinking to go back to sleep, she suddenly remembered she needed to look in the chest. She jumped up out of bed and opened the lid. Inside lay her jewelry plus a couple understate pieces she didn’t recognize, and a miniature painting of her daughter and son, along with a note.
Chapter Five
"We love you. I will miss you, but I want you to enjoy yourself in your new life, Mom. I may be only sixteen, but I will be fine. Tyler will too, I promise. No guilt, Mom. I mean it. Have some fun."
Tears streamed down her face at the thoughtfulness of her daughter. She didn’t know if she could have been as selfless in giving her mother a chance at a better life when she’d been a teen. Tracing her fingers along their faces, she finally set it down against the box that kept it visible from her bed. Ariel crawled back in under the comforter and lay so she could see her children’s faces. When she next awoke, it was to find Mary flittering around her.
"My lady, you must hurry. Lord Montgomery is here and wishes to confer with you. He has said that you will go out riding after and I'm to find you your riding clothes."
Ariel blinked her eyes open. "What?" Then last night's events hit her, and she sat straight up, staring at the twittering maid.
"He's here. He's waiting in the blue room, but he is pacing!"
"Mary, calm yourself. He is mortal as is the rest of us. Now help me into something appropriate."
She swung her feet over the side of the bed. Somehow, she figured they had at least the basics for her after what Anna told her last night, and the maid would know better than she what the appropriate attire would be.
Mary's eyes widened before she rushed to an enormous oak wardrobe and began sorting through it. She laid some items on the bed, then fluttered over to a dresser drawers finished to match the wardrobe and took out stockings and corsets.
Ariel shuddered thinking of wearing a real corset. The maid prompted her to stand and carefully dressed her in riding clothes. The material felt softer than she'd anticipated. For some reason, she expected the material to be more rough hewn, but then again, paintings showed some beautiful, sumptuous gowns from the past, and 1814 wasn't so long ago for textiles, she guessed.
"Everyone is after Lord Montgomery. It is quite the thing that he is here this morning and asking you to ride. All the kitchen staff and maids are excited. I've told them of your loveliness and goodness, and we are happy our lord has finally found such a woman to be interested in."
"What?"
"I'm sorry, my lady. I don't mean to be too forward. I was just excited."
"Mary, you are a delight. I do not mind you sharing. I just don't understand."
"Oh." Mary's eyes brightened. "I shall tell you anything you wish to know. But we've had women who have pretended to have carriages break down as they passed by, so he'd be obligated to let them stay. Most of the time, he sent them on their way to the nearest inn with promises to help have the carriage fixed in morning. If it was really late and unseemly to have them on the road, he went to the inn himself."
Ariel rolled her eyes. "Woman are the same no matter what time they're in."
"Yeah, morning, noon, and night, women have been trying to trap Lord Montgomery. We've been worried he'd have to marry one out of honor and duty, but he managed to escape their tricks."
The flash of jealousy at these unknown women surprised her. "I am glad to know he is smart at avoiding women's snares. I've become jaded about men's abilities to avoid conniving women's wiles."
"Yes, m'lady. He is. I know you're a widow and all, but I hope you'll give him a chance. I like you, if you don't mind my impertinence."
"I'm flattered you would want me as woman of the house, Mary."
"You're ever so kind. I've told them all in the kitchen that very thing. You don't treat me as bad as some that think they're better than me." Mary sniffed as if something rotten lay under her nose.
Ariel smiled, happy to be liked, but nervous about her upcoming time with Lord Montgomery. She didn't know how to act around the nobility. After much grunting on Ariel's side of things, Mary finally had her in respectable morning clothes for her ride. She wished her daughter could see her now.
A smile flashed across her face as she thought of Bethany's reaction. Her daughter would have loved seeing all the details in the clothing like the embroidery and in the room she'd slept in as she was besotted with historical things and the different eras. Her son was too, but not as openly as it garnered too many cracks about him being gay. Nevertheless, Tyler would be attending college to be an archeologist. At least that was the current plan if his dad didn't talk him out of it.
Thoughts of her husband too
k away some of the happy glow and slapped her with reality. His blatant lack of attention to her emotions came across as a cruelty she frequently excused. No more. Whatever happened, when she arrived back in her own time—if she could—she'd be filing for that divorce. Determined to enjoy her time in the past as much as possible, she twirled for Mary.
"How do I look?"
"Lovely, my lady. Follow me, I will take you to him."
"Lead on, Mary. I find I am quite excited about the prospects of a morning ride." A giggle tried to escape, but she smothered it and kept her lips pressed together. She wasn't a young girl anymore.
Feeling as a princess in a fairy tale, Ariel walked down the halls and a few twists and turns—had she come that way last night?—to the elaborate staircase. As she descended behind Mary, she paid careful attention to not tripping over the hem of her dress and wool cloak. About halfway down, confident she had the hang of it, she looked up. A pair of eyes, a blue so light she thought of lazy summer nights, intensely focused on her.
"My lord," Mary gasped, obviously flustered. "I was bringing her to you, I swear."
"No need, Mary. I became quite restless."
Ariel finished the descent, praying with all her might to every goddess in the universe that she wouldn't fall and make a fool of herself. When she reached the bottom unscathed, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Come, the clothing cannot be that bad." He laughed, tilting his head toward her and putting out an elbow for her to take. "You are doing fine. You ready to go riding?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Oh, I pray you do not do that. If you call me my lord, I have to call you my lady, or Duchess, or something equally boring. Call me Richard while we are at home."
Ariel stole a glance at Mary. The maid's smile showed she approved. "Wouldn't that be a bit forward," Ariel asked, wary of making a faux pas.
"Terribly forward. Absolutely scandalous that I asked." Again he laughed. This time, though, he started walking, one hand over hers in the crook of his elbow. "The stables are this way. I've had Roland prepare the horses for me."
Ariel shook her head. "Why do I get the feeling you're quite incorrigible when you choose to be?"
"Because you're a smart, intelligent, intuitive woman?"
She snort-laughed. "You can't possibly know that from our brief acquaintance."
"Oh, but I could. However, your daughter, who says she is sixteen, also thinks so. I happen to concur with her assessment of you."
Ariel blushed. "One day, you will have to tell me how it is you know my daughter some two hundred years hence." Her daughter was way more mature than she’d been at sixteen. They slowed their steps as they arrived at their destination. The stables were grand, luxurious, and she couldn't wait to ride, even with the mystery surrounding how he knew her daughter.
"I will tell you all I can. I…time lines. Things need happen how they have to happen, or maybe they won't happen correctly. I've been struggling with this momentous task."
"Wibbly wobbly timey wimey. Time isn't as linear as we think…" Ariel mused.
His laughter rang out, causing the stable boy to stare. "It seems that it is not for you are here."
Ariel started to say something, but stopped as she gazed around his stable. Prime horseflesh surrounded her. The whinny of one close to her drew her in. "Can I touch them?"
"Of course. How else are you to ride them?"
"You know what I mean." She reached a hand out and stroked the white star on the bridge of the horse's nose.
"Do you like her," he asked quietly.
"I love her."
"Then she's yours."
Her head whipped so their eyes met. "Mine? Really? It's…"
"A gift. Come, let's ride out. I'll show you my place."
The rest of the morning flew by as they alternately walked and trotted the horses, checking out the land. Vast, it held old forests, ponds, rivers, and grasslands. Cattle and sheep dotted the pastured areas here and there, and the crofters cottages were well kept, the people on the land happy.
Toward mid-morning, they made it to a road and walked the horses as they talked. For the first time in many years, a deep sense of wellbeing filled her. And perhaps for the first time ever, she felt safe emotionally. Something told her he'd never hurt her the way her husband had, wouldn't disregard her feelings, would respect her.
They ate lunch at a nearby inn, then headed back. He kissed her on the cheek and said he'd meet her for dinner in the great room. The food left her speechless. Smells wafted to her, even before the meal appeared as if by magic. Fresh yeasty smell of bread permeated the whole wing shared with the kitchen. The roasted duck melted in her mouth. The carrots were glazed with a sugar-like coating that augmented the duck nicely. The golden bread crunched as she bit in, then the warm softness filled her mouth with the exquisite taste that only homemade bread possessed. Apple pie for dessert rounded things out. The bright colors of the tables and napkins contrasted brightly with the white china.
Their days fell into a bit of a routine after that. He made her a part of his life, showing her the major things of his time. Her accent became more and more natural so that she didn't have to think about it anymore. Dinners consisted of his mother, her, and sometimes a guest or two. He took her into town a few times, shopped, showed her around. The months flew by.
Oh, she missed her children, but somehow, time seemed unreal in the present day she found herself in, the other life but a dream. Their kisses turned more passionate, and each time, she wanted more, to give more. When children on his lands came to him, he treated them with respect, gave them attention. He talked with those who worked his land, listened to them, took care of them. But he was firm.
One day, they came across a man beating his wife. "Halt," Richard ordered as he galloped down on them."
"’Tis none of your affair," the man growled at him.
While the man's attention was on Richard, Ariel went over to the woman. The arm hung at an unnatural angle. "You need a doctor," Ariel whispered.
"Nay. He will kill you and me if you suggest it."
"You are on my land. Speak your name, Ruffian."
"I do not recognize your right to own land. You are nothing." The man spat at Richard's boots.
"I am the master of these parts. You will be brought before the magistrate."
The man laughed, showing rotten teeth. "None will charge me for hitting my wife."
"Then I will charge you for trespass and anything else I can see fit. But you will stop."
The man's eyes flared. "No man will tell me what to do with my wife."
"I will," Ariel said, righteous anger flowing through her like the Thames through London.
"Who are you?"
"I am the woman who is going to take your wife to the doctor."
"You will not. She has no need of a doctor."
"You've broken her arm! She will see a doctor while the police take care of you."
The man charged Ariel, lifting the thick cane-like stick he had been beating his wife with.
Richard stepped in front of him, threw an arm up to block the blow, while tripping the man away from Ariel and the injured woman.
"Now you will go to gaol. You have attacked a noblewoman on a nobleman's land." Richard, stood over the fallen man with the stick. "Ariel, get me the rope off my saddle. I will use it to bind him."
They tied up the man. After securing him tightly, Ariel used the cane which had caused the injury to support the broken arm, using her pieces of her undergarment she tore off to hold it in place. They walked the rest of the way to the inn. When they came across one of his people, Richard sent them to find other runners, one for a doctor, one for the magistrate, and one for the Dowager Duchess, Anna.
Ariel thought it a bit odd he wanted his mother at the moment, but didn't question him about it, concentrating instead on making the woman comfortable. The man's filthy mouth bothered her, but she studiously ignored it. After many minutes of his cursing and s
pitting, things were suddenly silent. She peered around, realizing that the night had settled in as they waited. Then she saw the man they now held prisoner. Someone had tied a cloth around his mouth. She laughed. Good.
The woman cried off and on, afraid that her husband would kill her when he was freed. "They always free him. I 'ave quit tellin' anyone like cuz no one stops him, then he be meaner to me."
"What's your name?"
"Gina, my lady. Gina Smith."
"Well, Gina, he won't touch you again. I swear it."
"How can you? You're but a woman too."
"But I am a woman with money and power."
"It's your husband's power and money, not yours, with respect, my lady."
"No," Ariel said quietly, spooning food into Gina's badly bruised and swollen mouth, suddenly aware of the huge gesture Richard had made in giving her her own money and titles. "That is where you are wrong. I am Scottish. My title is Scottish, and I am a widow. It is my money and power that I will use. And if that is not enough, I shall prevail upon Lord Montgomery."
"Oh my lady. But what will I do?"
"You will work for me. Mary needs help taking care of things for me."
The lady's eyes swam with tears. "You are too good to me, my lady. Not many as kind as you, I say."
"Nonsense. Plenty are. Just not many know how to use their kindness for the betterment of others. Hush now. Sounds like every horse in the county is here. My guess is that everyone sent for has arrived all at once."
She turned out to be right. Anna helped her with Gina as the doctor probed her. The magistrate took the husband, John, away with promises of strict charges being laid for his attempted attack on Ariel as well as the grievous bodily harm to his wife.
"You can't," the man bellowed. Apparently, the gag had been removed whilst she dealt with Gina. "I can beat my wife if I want."
The magistrate shoved him hard toward the door of the inn. "That's where you're wrong, John. Even common law only allows slim sticks and three hits. You've broken her arm by your own admission. And you attacked a noblewoman—again by your own admission."
Under the Mask: A Multi-Genre Collection Page 26
