The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance (22 page)

“Let go of me. I can walk myself.”

He eased his fingers away, but didn’t let up the pace. When they were a safe distance from the hotel, he stopped and drew her aside, out of the main flow of pedestrian traffic. She looked beautiful with temper flaring in her hazel eyes, colouring her cheeks. “Thank you for your help. But why?”

She threw up her hands, clearly agitated, for what reason he couldn’t fathom. “Look, no one is more perplexed about all this than me. I really don’t know. Call me crazy. It just goes with the rest of my day.”

Shaking his head, he chuckled. “Has it been so bad?”

“You have no idea.”

“Then it shall be my mission to make the rest of your day better, Miss . . .?”

An unwilling smile tugged at her lips. She held out her hand. “Cami Desmond.”

Seth took her hand, bowed low and gently kissed her knuckles. He straightened and said, “Seth Warner, at your service.”

“Wow. A real gentleman.”

Seth tensed, uneasy at the number of curious stares cast their way. “As much as I’m intrigued by your clothing, you should change into more . . . appropriate attire. You’re drawing unwanted attention.”

She looked down at her clothes. “Well, yes, I see your point, but I don’t have anything else with me.”

“I won’t permit you back to the hotel. It’s too dangerous.” He looked up the street, focusing on a storefront. He took her arm again, this time with less force.

“Allow me to provide what you require.”

Four

Seth led Cami into a woman’s clothing boutique. Even this “shop” appeared to be part of the set. It was small, quiet and totally Victorian. Richly crafted garments hung on hooks scattered throughout the room and several mannequins were dressed with complete outfits.

“Good afternoon, sir.” The woman who addressed Seth was plump, dressed to the nines in high fashion, from her lace-embellished pink shoes to the ornate hat decorated with ribbons and bird feathers perched on a mop of curls.

“What may I show your lady today?” The woman barely glanced at her, but Cami could hear sympathy oozing from her voice.

Seth turned to the proprietor and gave her money, probably as a tip. “I must see to an errand. Please outfit her with anything she needs.”

He bowed to Cami. “I shall return. I believe you are in good hands.” Cami watched Seth walk out the door, wondering if she’d see him again, or if another stagehand would come for her. Where was Gina?

“Shall I show you some day gowns?”

Cami turned her attention to the woman. “Yes, I suppose so. But maybe something less . . . elaborate than what you’re wearing.”

Cami spent the next hour trying on several outfits of varying fabrics, colours and styles. Standing before the large floor mirror, she couldn’t believe her transformation, even though it had taken some convincing to lace her into the tiny corset.

She’d chosen a simple walking dress in lightweight wool. The lichen-green, flared skirt draped to the floor. Her white silk blouse was high at the neck, buttoned at the side and fronted with lace. The matching fitted jacket had puffy sleeves that tapered to her wrists, a wide collar, and was accented with gold trim and darker green velvet, the colour reminding her of Seth’s eyes.

The shop owner had swept Cami’s hair high on her head, revealing her gold hoop earrings. But Cami had drawn the line at wearing a huge bonnet. Instead she chose a simple, tailored straw hat with one saucy feather tucked on the side. Cami twirled, the skirt flowing around her legs. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn a dress. She felt feminine and sexy, in a totally new way.

“I approve of your choice. You’re stunning.”

Cami turned. Seth leaned casually against the wall near the door. He pushed away and came towards her.

“Good, because I don’t think I’ll ever get out of this corset.”

A wicked gleam darkened his eyes. He whispered, “I could help.”

Cami felt her cheeks flush. “Confidence killed the cat, not curiosity.” She turned away and regarded Seth in the mirror. He’d also changed. His clothes were more casual, but he looked dashing in solid, light-brown trousers with a matching waistcoat, a darker brown vest and a crisp white shirt. Seth also wore a straw hat, his dark hair curling at the collar.

“Would you stroll with me on the boardwalk?”

“This dress-up time has been fun, but shouldn’t I get back to the hotel? They’ll be looking for me.”

He stood before her and touched her hair, just a light stroke. “Who will be looking for you?”

“My friend Gina.”

“Then I shall deliver you safely to her. Now that you’re less conspicuous, we’ll take the scenic way, along the boardwalk. I promised you an enjoyable afternoon. If possible, I intend to keep it.”

“Are you always this persistent?”

“When I want something.”

The corner of his sensual mouth lifted in a lazy half-smile, revealing a sexy dimple in his right cheek.

“What about my clothes?”

He held up a brown paper package tied by a string. “Any more objections?”

Cami smiled. She wanted Gina to see her walk into the hotel dressed in high Victorian fashion and with Seth. She
could
have fun.

Seth offered her his arm. Cami wrapped her arm through his.

“I’ll give you an hour.”

Cami walked with Seth down Pacific Avenue, relieved that the other actors were similarly dressed in period costumes. They turned right on to Kentucky Avenue which brought them to a wide wooden footpath. The famous Atlantic City Boardwalk. Yet it wasn’t. At least not the boardwalk she knew.

Nothing looked familiar. They walked past several hotels, some under construction, their signage identifying them as The Ambassador and Chalfonte House. Where were the larger casinos on the Boardwalk – Bally’s, the Taj Mahal and the Showboat? She understood the streets close to the hotel were made to look Victorian as part of the reality-show set, but they were well away from there.

A flicker of apprehension twisted her stomach. Something wasn’t right.

Cami studied the planks of the walkway. “These boards look new. I’d think they would be made to look old, like everything else.”

Seth looked at her speculatively. “Why would you think everything here is old? This city is the height of fashion and innovation.”

“Let’s just say it’s not what I expected.”

“The Boardwalk
is
new. A hurricane a few years back destroyed the old one. The city only recently finished its rebuilding.”

Hurricane? She hadn’t heard of a hurricane destroying Atlantic City. That would have made the national news, like New Orleans. She wiped her damp palms on her dress.

Seth led Cami across the wooden footpath to walk along the ocean side of the boardwalk. She said, “You must live here. You seem to know the city well.”

“No, I have small farm near New York City. I’ve made several excursions to the Boardwalk recently. Where do you call home?”

“Iowa, a little town near Des Moines.”

“You are very far from home. Little wonder that at the hotel you looked lost.”

Cami watched the waves welling up from the deep blue ocean, lapping at the ankles of sunbathers wading in the surf. The women and girls wore dresses, stockings and shoes, even in the water. The men had rolled up the legs of their trousers or wore knee-length knickers and suspenders. They couldn’t be part of any reality show. It was too far from the hotel and the people playing in the water were not acting.

A thought hit her. What if she wasn’t in her world any more, but in theirs?

Cami stumbled and then doubled over, a whalebone from the corset jabbing her in the ribs. Seth’s grip on her arm tightened.

“Are you ill?”

“Yes. No. I’m not sure. Let me catch my breath.”

“On your left.” The voice called out close behind.

Seth’s gut clenched. He grabbed Cami and whirled her away in time to avoid being run over by a cart on wheels racing down the boardwalk at breakneck speed.

“Hey, slow down,” she yelled at their backs. “Give me your cell phone. I’m calling the police. They’re going to kill someone.”

Seth nestled her closer to him, enjoying her pliant body. He could feel her heart racing. “Do you always attract so much trouble?”

“Apparently.”

“I don’t know what you meant by cellophone, but the police are not necessary.” He tipped her chin to meet his gaze. “I’ll keep you safe.”

“Safe maybe, but what about sane?”

She clutched his arm, her expression deadly serious. “Seth, tell me about this year. Don’t ask why. I need to know.” Her voice sounded strained. Did she regret walking with him?

“There’s not much to tell, except it’s the year of the great World’s Fair in Chicago. It begins in a few days.”

“Oh God. That makes it really 1893.” She buried her face in his shoulder and trembled. “Gina won’t be waiting for me. It can’t be. I can’t be here.”

Seth held her tighter. “Yes, you can. Forget those men. No one will hurt you. You’re with me now.”

“You don’t understand. The future’s been decided. I shouldn’t be with you.”

He didn’t understand her distress, but wanted his future to include her. He ached to kiss her. But a small insistent voice at the back of his mind told him this was not the right time.

She shifted restlessly, her movements a whisper of silk against wool as she pulled away. “This has been a nice diversion, but I must get back to the hotel.”

He brought his hands to his chest and covered his heart. “Oh, Cami, you wound me greatly. I’ve only rated a ‘nice’ when my goal has been ‘spectacular’.”

She grinned, his teasing breaking the visible tension on her face. “Seth, it’s not you. You’ve been nothing but kind.”

“Is someone other than Gina waiting for you? Perhaps a husband or fiancé?”

“No. There’s no one waiting for me now.”

“Then I can’t possibly let you go without gaining a higher rating. Permit me one last chance to win your heart.”

Five

At the next street corner, Seth drew Cami into a small candy shop. “Wait here. I have a surprise.”

Where would she go? It wasn’t as if she could board a bus or train and ask to be taken to the twenty-first century.

A few moments later, Seth returned holding a small bag. “No one can resist famous Atlantic City saltwater taffy.”

He offered her a piece. Cami took one and began walking again. She’d spent way too much time with him. She was worried.

Silence, as thick as mud, oozed between them as they chewed the taffy.

Cami kept her voice even, distant. She didn’t want to become too involved with his life. “Why was that poker game so important to you?”

Seth sighed and furrowed his brows. “I wanted to do something I believed in. That game was my last chance to help my nephew, but it no longer matters. I’m done.” The wistful sound in his voice caught her off guard.

“Why doesn’t it matter? If you believe in something, you should fight for it. Don’t give up.”

“It’s too late. Tomorrow is the last day I have to get the bank loan I need to open a new school in New York, a special school to help my nephew. Although I won the card game, it wasn’t enough. It’s over.”

Cami didn’t think she’d heard him right. “Who are you?”

“Seth Nathanial Warner.”

“Warner . . . Warner, oh my God. You’re
the
Seth Warner. I should have put it together before now. You’ve got it all wrong. You’re the beginning of the Warners who’ve built several schools for needy children in
this
area, not New York.”

“Whoa, slow down. I don’t know who or what you’re talking about, but it’s not me. I only desire to open one school to help my nephew and maybe a few others.”

“I know. It’s how they all started.”

“How what started?”

Cami stopped speaking. If she revealed what he ultimately accomplished in his life, would she have a negative influence on the present? She had to take that risk. It must be the reason she was here: to inspire Seth and prevent him from quitting.

She took his arm. “Come with me. I have something I want to show
you.”

Cami led Seth back across the boardwalk and down several quiet side streets. She wasn’t sure she could find it again, but knew it was near the lighthouse. They passed many summer cottages, elaborate two- and three-storey homes, displaying beautifully coiffed lawns and wide porches.

Cami continued walking, scanning each house. Halfway down Artic, she stopped. “There it is.”

“There what is?”

“Your new school.”

Seth groaned. The dilapidated, three-storey house needed fresh paint, the roof was riddled with Swiss-cheese holes and the wide, wraparound porch sagged in several places.

“No. It’s too small.” He shook his head. “It isn’t at all what I had in mind.”

Cami grabbed Seth’s hand and pointed to the house. “Yes. This is – could be yours. Imagine the possibilities. You can’t give up on your dream now. Not when you’re this close to success.”