Past the Ages: Book Two (7 page)

THIRTEEN

CLERGYMAN JEFF

THE DUKE
of Vladimir had an extensive estate. Situated near the edge of London proper, the acreage went on and on. Behind the expansive house were the stables, and a rather immense pond with a small pier. A white rowboat lightly tapped against the wood planks.

“We should take a turn around the lake,” Lucy said as they passed it.

“Right now?” Will asked.

“Perhaps tomorrow and we could pack a picnic?”

“I like the sound of that.” He trotted his bay stallion up beside hers. “Want to ride toward that building? It looks like a church.”

She sat up, looking over the swelling hills in the distance. A white building gleamed in the dimming evening light. “I’ll race you,” she said, giving him a mischievous grin and pressing her knees against the horse’s sides. “Yaw,” she yelled, encouraging her gelding. The dappled gray horse bounded forward. The immediate rush against her cheeks and the wind in her hair caused Lucy to laugh. Her heart felt lighter than it had in days.

Will came up behind her fast. She heard the pounding of his horse’s hooves against the ground. Desperate to stay ahead, she bent over her horse and dug in her knees. “Faster, boy.” Her horse obliged and they bounded up one rolling hill and down another.

Lucy thought she might win, but it was fleeting. Will’s horse was bigger and faster. He pulled up beside Lucy for an instant and had the gall to wink before rushing past.

“No.” Lucy encouraged her horse onward, but she felt the gelding beginning to tire. Will was already near the peak of the next hill. She reined her horse in. “It’s okay, boy.” The horse slowed to a trot, sides heaving.

Will waved from the top of the hill and blew her a kiss. “See you at the church, Miss Channing.” He waved and turned his horse, disappearing down the other side.

When Lucy and her horse reached the top, she looked for Will. He was already in the church and speaking to someone. She couldn’t tell whether the man was the clergyman or a stable hand. She eased her horse down the hill. But before she reached the halfway mark, the clouds opened up and dumped rain upon her. The horse whinnied. Lucy lowered her head, trying to see through the cloudburst. Sudden dense fog made it impossible to see more than a foot in front of her. She slowed her horse even more, worried about the animal tripping.

“Lucy!” She heard Will calling, but she couldn’t see him.

“I’m here!” Lucy shouted, though that did neither of them any good. The horse leveled out, making it apparent they’d reached flat ground. The church couldn’t be too far away, but she worried about going in the wrong direction. “Will?”

He appeared like a ghost in the night. “There you are,” he said, relief evident on his face. He helped her off the horse and took her hand, keeping hold of the reins in the other. Then he led the horse over to the waiting stable hand. “Please make sure both horses are thoroughly rubbed down before you feed them,” he said, patting the gelding on the side.

“Yes, sir.”

Up close, Lucy could make out the stable hand was actually more the age of a boy. Barely above ten or eleven.

“Thank you,” she said.

Will led Lucy inside the church.

“Welcome,” the clergyman said. He was an older man with tufts of gray hair poking out on either side of his head. Salt and pepper eyebrows hung out over his eyes. He had jowls and sunken in cheeks. His robes were black and his only jewelry was the large crucifix hanging to the middle of his chest.

“Would you by chance have any towels?” Will had removed his riding jacket and placed it around Lucy’s shoulders.

“Of course. I’ll return momentarily.” The clergyman walked down between the pews to the front, veered left and disappeared through a doorway.

Will turned Lucy to him. Lucy’s teeth were chattering. The sun was completely obscured by the clouds and she was cold. “We need to get you warm.” He rubbed the palms of his hands up and down her arms vigorously.

“And to make matter’s worse, I’m famished.” She tried to laugh, but her teeth only chattered more loudly.

“Me too.” He walked her over to a pew and helped her sit.

“You think we could find the duke’s house in that fog?”

“I think it would be a bad idea to try. If we leave the estate boundaries we might be accosted by the KPID. Worse than that, we could accidentally head right into the lake.” Will took her hands in his and blew into them.

“Here are some towels,” the clergyman said.

“Excellent.” Will took them, removed his wet coat from Lucy’s shoulders, and wrapped the towels around her.

His eyes dipped toward her chest causing Lucy to glance down. The heavy rain had soaked her muslin gown, and not only was it see through it was also hanging dangerously low. “Oh, good heavens. I apologize.” She tightened the towel around herself.

“Not to worry, dear.” The clergyman patted her lightly on the head. “You need to get out of those wet clothes before you catch your death.”

“It would be nice, but we didn’t bring anything to change into.” Will crossed his arms and Lucy realized he was chilled too.

“You’re in luck. I have extra clothes from some of my parishioners. They’re in my lodgings at the back of the church. I was about to take the clothes to the orphanage. Of course I can’t with all this darned fog.”

“Right. Well, thank you, sir.”

“Call me Jeff.”

Will raised an eyebrow and Lucy covered her smile with her hand. They followed Jeff, waiting while he unlocked his door.

His rooms were small, but homey. “I’ll start a fire,” Jeff said.

“Allow me.” Will went over to the stack of wood. “Building fires is one of my specialties.”

“Wonderful. While you do that, I’ll find the two of you some dry clothes.” Jeff went over to a large pile of clothes arranged near the kitchen. “Have a seat, dear.”

There was a chair directly behind Lucy, but unlike the pews in the chapel, it’d been covered in cloth. “I don’t want to get it wet, I’ll ruin it.”

“Nonsense,” he said, rifling through the clothes. “That chair has been through years of all sorts of wear and tear. A little rainwater isn’t going to hurt it.

“Thank you,” she said, but continued to stand. She took the time while Jeff was busy to study her surroundings. The living, dining, and kitchen areas were all together in one room. A doorway off the dining area led to what Lucy guessed was the bedroom. Books were stacked everywhere, including one on the chair next to the fireplace. It lay open, making it obvious he’d been reading before they’d interrupted.

“Here you are,” Jeff said, handing Lucy a drab brown garment. “You can change out of your wet things in there.” He pointed to the tiny bedroom.

“You are too kind.” She went in and shut the door, then remembered she would require help to get out of the dress. “Excuse me,” she said, embarrassed, poking her head through the door.

Will had the fire going and he stood. “Allow me.”

Jeff coughed, giving him a questioning glare. “Not to worry, Jeff. I’m her husband.” He quickly crossed the room. “Nothing in there I haven’t seen before,” he added.

Lucy felt herself blush scarlet. After she closed the door behind them, she smacked his arm. “Do you think it’s a good idea to lie to a clergyman? You might as well be lying to God.” She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

He shook his head. “Do you want to get out of that wet rag or not?”

She turned her back to him and sighed. “Yes.”

“That’s what I thought.” He made quick work of loosening the dress. “And it doesn’t have to be a lie.”

The dress began falling off her shoulders. She held it to her chest and turned. “What are you saying?” Her heart was beating out of control, like the fluttering of hummingbird wings.

He shrugged. “The way I feel about you is never going to go away and I know I’m never going to feel it again. If I were ever going to marry, it would be to you, and only you.” He got down on one knee.

With her free hand, she tried to pull him to his feet.

“Does this mean no?” He looked shocked.

“No, I mean yes. I mean, I’m half naked, and I look like a drowned rat.” She pushed him toward the door.

He opened it, but glanced back.

Even soaking wet, he was the handsomest man she’d ever seen. “Ask me again.”

“What? Now?” He faced her.

“No, not now. I’m still dripping wet,” she said, flustered. “But yes.” She couldn’t help the huge smile that spread over her face. She kissed him on the cheek. “Now, get out.”

“I’m not even going to pretend to understand the female species,” Will said, shaking his head.

Before the door closed, Lucy heard the clergyman say, “I highly recommend you don’t even try.”

Lucy pulled the rough cotton dress over her head and tied the ribbon in back. Then she went over to the mirror and tried to do something with her hair, which was plastered against her face. She pushed it back and used her fingers to comb it out. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do. The whole time she had a smile on her face. She couldn’t help it. She even tried to force herself to stop smiling but she couldn’t.
Will wanted to marry her!
Their situation might be a difficult one, but it didn’t matter. She loved him and he loved her. “Marriage,” she whispered to her reflection. “Mrs. William Godwin.” She posed, trying to look like a married woman. Then stuck her tongue out.

When she returned to the living area, she quickly became aware that Will and Jeff were gone. “Hello?” She went through the door and down the hall, back into the church. Will had already changed and he and the clergyman seemed to be in a deep discussion. She didn’t want to interrupt. Quietly, she went back to Jeff’s rooms and over to the fireplace. She sat on the hearth and was immediately warmed.
What were they talking about?
she wondered roaming the room, perusing all of the clergyman’s books. She found one of her favorites. “Well, it seems you and I have something in common.” She picked up
Pride and Prejudice
, sat at the chair the clergyman had been sitting in and began to read.

FOURTEEN

THE WALTZ

LUCY READ
for the better part of an hour, picking out her favorite passages and revisiting them. When the clock chimed seven she decided she would perish if she did not find something to eat soon. Saving her spot, she left the book on the arm of the chair and found her way into the church. Clergyman Jeff and Will were still deep in discussion.

“Mr. Godwin, I wondered if I might have a moment of your time.”

At her words, Will’s head came up. The clergyman stood, checking the pocket watch tucked within his robes. “Dear Miss Channing, I apologize for the delay. The time seems to have gotten away from us.” He patted Will on the back. “The two of you must be famished. I’ll fix you some eggs and biscuits.”

“You’ve already done too much, sir. Perhaps Will and I should be getting back.” She glanced at Will. “The duke might have need of our help.”

“She’s got a point.”

“I see. Well, let me feed you first.”

“It really isn’t necessary.”

“I must insist. Come. Come.”

Will and Lucy followed Jeff back to his rooms. Lucy stoked the fire. Will took her hand, kissing her fingers. “What were the two of you talking about?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise.” Will didn’t say more, but moved toward the kitchen where the clergyman was banging pots and pans. “Can I help?” He took a bowl from the cupboard.

“Nonsense, Mr. Godwin.”

“Maybe it is, but I want to.” He took the eggs Jeff held and shooed him out of the way. “Why don’t you let me do this? I’m the master of the kitchen.” The last part he said with a low growl and a funny face.

Lucy giggled. She couldn’t help it. This was a new side to Will, and she liked it. “I didn’t realize you could cook.” She leaned against the counter, patting his hand.

“It seems Mr. Godwin is much better in the kitchen than I am.” He came around the counter and sat in a stool beside Lucy.

Will and Lucy exchanged a look. “I hope you don’t mind,” Will said, cracking the eggs into the bowl.

“Not at all. Please.” The clergyman had an amused look on his face.

“I like to cook. It’s the one domesticated chore that took when I was growing up, probably because growing up, I spent more time with our family cook, Mrs. Givens, than anyone else. Especially when I became a teenager. I was constantly hungry, which meant I was constantly in the kitchen. Mrs. Givens took pity on me and decided to show me how to make a few of my favorites. Omelets being one of them.”

Jeff crossed his arms. “I’m looking forward to trying an omelet, whatever that is.”

“I am as well,” Lucy added, watching his hands work with fascination.

For the next twenty minutes the three of them chatted about the weather, food, and the clergyman’s love of reading. Lucy found it amusing that a man of the cloth had such a fondness for books so often considered taboo. It was incredibly entertaining to listen to his take on the precarious situations the characters found themselves in. Jeff, Will, and Lucy also debated Will’s extraordinary cooking techniques: the way he chopped the tomato and onion, his interesting way of shredding a block of cheese and finally his use of butter. The aroma in the kitchen had Lucy’s mouth watering.

After grace, they ate in silence. The omelet was the best food Lucy had ever tasted. Clergyman Jeff agreed. Once they finished, Will wrote down the recipe so Jeff could make it again. Then Lucy hugged the man, thanking him for his hospitality.

When they finally climbed back on their horses, the sun had completely set. “Perhaps we should wait until morning? We could get lost, or walk our horses right into that pond.”

“You doubt my sense of direction, woman?” They were riding side by side at a leisurely pace.  

“Not at all,” she said, but bit her bottom lip, worried.

“The fog has cleared as have the clouds. I can get us back.”

“All right.” Will was right about the cloud cover. Millions of stars shone overhead, making travel less precarious than it could’ve been.

They headed up the first hill. At its peak, Will pointed out the large estate shining with lots of lights in the distance. “See. That house is so bright, it can probably be seen from space.”

She took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders to ease the tension. The air smelled fresh as it always did after rain. “I hope the duke and Harriet haven’t been too worried.” She urged her horse to follow Will’s.

“I guess we’ll know soon enough.”

They rode in contented silence. It’d been a nice day. Lucy had needed the relaxation. They both had. But the closer they came to the house, the stronger her anxiety became. There was still much to do.

After taking the horses to the stables, they went inside the house through the back entrance and headed into the library. Sebastian and Harriet were there as was Dashel.

At their entrance, all three heads came up.

“Where have you been?” Harriet was the first to voice the obvious concern they’d all been harboring.

“I thought you’d ride for an hour and be back,” Sebastian added.

“We only rode to the church. The rain and fog kept us waylaid for a few hours longer than we’d planned.” Will wrapped his arm around Lucy’s waist protectively.

“What are you wearing?” Dashel asked, taking Lucy’s hands and giving her a once-over.

“The rain had us both soaked.” Lucy glanced at Will. “And clergyman Jeff was kind enough to give us some dry clothes.

Sebastian chuckled. “Clergyman Jeff is a good man. I am glad he was there to assist you in your time of need.”

“Me too,” Will said.

“You should have a hot bath. It won’t do if you catch your death,” Harriet said, obviously still worried.

“I’m fine, Harriet. Really.”

“Have you eaten?” Sebastian asked. “I can have the cook whip you up something warm.”

“Will cooked,” Lucy said, to the surprise of everyone in the room.

“What did he make?” Dashel seemed the most amused.

Lucy proceeded to explain omelets and how good they were. When she finished, she asked, “Is there more research to do? Can I help?”

“Sebastian wanted us to verify the spell you found was the best one. We also went through several books looking for the whereabouts of one of the items. We still aren’t sure where how we’re going to get it.” Dashel went back over to his book and picked it up. “I’m thinking we might need to travel to South America.”

“What is the ingredient?” Will asked.

“A piece of gold from the famed El Dorado.”

“But I thought that was a fable? Untrue.”

Sebastian gave Will a fatherly smile. “Dear boy, how do you think stories are turned into legends? People discover something or they can only partially prove it, so it becomes a legend instead of a fact. But I can tell you with upmost certainty that the treasure exists.”

Will’s face lit up. “You know that finding expensive and elusive items is my job?”

“I did not.” But the look on Sebastian’s face told Lucy he knew more than any of them realized.

“Do you know where in South America it’s located?”

“I do.” Sebastian closed his book and came over to Will. “The problem is that travelling there would you take too long. As much as I appreciate your skills, I’ll need to ask someone else to do it. Otherwise we will be too late.”

Will nodded. “So what can we do?”

“I’d recommend you get cleaned up and changed and then come down and have a brandy and a round of cards with the rest of us.”

“We’re to play?” Will looked shocked and that was exactly how Lucy felt.

Neither of them was the type to sit around and simply let life happen. They wanted to be in charge of their own destiny.

“You need to spend as much time with Miss Channing as you can. That’s the only thing you can control. Everything else is out of your hands, I’m afraid.” Sebastian went to the library door. “I shall return in a few moments. Go change, relax, and let my people do the work this time.”

Will nodded, but Lucy saw the way he ground his jaw.

Heeding the duke’s advice, Lucy took a bath, had Harriet plait her hair and help her into a sea green evening dress. Afterward, Lucy managed to coax Harriet into a dress in soft pink. Then Lucy played lady’s maid and braided Harriet’s hair and put a little color on her cheeks. Ready at last, they went to the drawing room.

The men had changed as well.

Will looked especially handsome in a cream pair of breeches, tall black boots, a white shirt, and a sky blue evening jacket. Lucy complimented him as she made her way to his side. “You look very handsome,” she said.

“As do you, Miss Channing.” The chairs and tables had all been pushed along the edges of the room. Musicians had set up near the window and were playing a minuet.

“You think the duke wants us to dance?”

“It would appear so,” Will responded. “Shall we?”

“Do you know how to dance?”

“Oh, yeah, watch this.” He walked Lucy to the middle of the floor and began to dance, rocking his hips and moving to the music. When he stopped, he cracked up. “What’s wrong?”

“That’s dancing?” She looked horrified.

“In my time, yes,” Will said between laughs.

“I see.” She clasped her hands together. “Do you know the quadrille? It’s a new dance and quite fun.”

He shook his head. “I do know the waltz, but I’m not very good.”

Her eyes got large in surprise.

Sebastian clapped his hands loudly, causing the musicians to stop. “Play something we can dance the waltz to.”

The musicians looked uncomfortable, but only for a moment before striking up a livelier piece. “Wonderful.”

“Shall we?” Will asked, pulling Lucy to him.

Her cheeks got hot and her heart raced with excitement. She liked moving so close to him.

After a few seconds to find one another’s rhythm, they finally got it. So close, Will leaned in and whispered, “You look very beautiful, Miss Channing.”

She glanced down, staring at one of his gold buttons. “You’re very kind, Mr. Godwin.”

In response he kissed her cheek. She closed her eyes, leaning against him.

“I think you take to much advantage,” she said just to be cheeky.

Will growled. “I don’t think so.” He pulled her closer so their chests were touching. His cheek rested against the side of her head. “I can’t get close enough to you, Miss Channing.”

She felt herself melt into him.

“Do you want to have children?” Will asked.

“Of course,” she answered easily.

“Until I met you I never wanted children. They seemed like too much of a hassle. And all I could see were the problems we’d give them. My arrogance, my imagined wife’s selfishness. Now I’ve found myself thinking about a daughter having your beautiful lavender eyes and the smile to match. Not to mention your kind heart and the way you see the world. I think with you I could do anything, Lucy.”

She met his eyes. “Tis true, we could.”

They danced like that—eyes locked on one another—as though they were seeing the lives they could have through each other. They kept going, even when the music stopped.

The duke cleared his throat. “Would anyone care for a game of cards and a drink?”

Lucy sighed. “Shall we?”

“Absolutely.”