The Hands of Time (17 page)

“You beat her?”  I asked
,
incredulous.  “You actually whipped her?”

“And enjoyed every minute of it.  She
will not
be sitting down for a long while without remembering my name.  Do
do not
look so horrified.  I didn’t
cause
her any permanent damage.  She needed to be punished for what she
had
done.  She got off pretty easy, if you ask me.  She tried to kill you, remember?  You and your child.  She seemed to know you were carrying a baby.”

How could she have known when even I didn’t suspect?  I was glad she was leaving.  Having her around me after what happened would have been unbearable
,
and I was glad she would be gone by the time Finn came home.  If Alec gave her a whipping, Finlay would have likely gutted her and skinned her alive, especially when he found out about the baby.  I put my hand protectively over my stomach.  Was it really possible? 
Was there a little life growing in there
,
oblivious to everything that happened in the past twenty-four hours? 
What if the doctor had been wrong?  I felt a
moment of panic before remembering his words.  He said that
the
baby’s heartbeat was strong.  He might be ignorant compared to the doctors of my time, but I was sure he could tell when someone was pregnant. 
I love you, little one
, I thought, smiling to myself.

Alec reached out and took my hand without saying anything.  We remained that way for a while until I
drifted off
to sleep, still feeling the strength of his hand keeping me safe.

Chapter
2
7

Finlay dug his heels into the flanks of his poor stallion urging it to go faster.  He knew the horse was
exhausted
, but it wasn’t far now
,
and he was anxious to get home.  He left Robbie behind miles ago, his horse not being able to keep up.  He would get there when he got there.  Finn
could not
wait for him.  The lad had found Finlay aboard
Lady Violet
,
having a drink with the captain and sharing the
latest
news.  Finlay had been in good spirits, having located the priest and unloaded the cargo in
good
time.  He was still waiting for a delivery from Lord Weston to be loaded for shipment back to
Virginia
,
but Captain
Wally would have to supervise that for him now, since he had to leave so abruptly.  Robbie was not meant to tell him everything, but the lad spilled the story at the first opportunity
,
and Finn took off immediate
ly
, only stopping by the inn to collect his things and pay his bill. 

He
had
to admit that he was glad Alec had dealt with Nell.  No matter what he did to her, it was not near
ly
as bad
as
what he himself would have done.  He would have gladly broken that
scrawny
neck of hers
and enjoyed it
.  To think that she nearly killed Valerie and their child because of him.  He would have never
forgiven
himself if they died.  The thought made his heart constrict with sudden pain
,
and he took a deep breath reminding himself that
they
both survived, Thank You Oh Lord in Heaven.  He had never even looked at the girl, much less promised her
anything.  He noticed her looking at him and blushing
.  S
he always volunteered to mend his clothes
and bring him breakfast in bed
, but he didn’t think anything of it.  She was just a servant, nothing more.  How could she think that he would marry her?  Surely
,
the girl was mad. 
And how did she know about the baby?  Had Valerie known she was with child?  She would have told him. 

The thought of the baby made him smile.  He imagined holding his son in his arms
,
and his heart gave a leap of joy.  He would have a legitimate son to carry on his name.  A daughter would be nice too, provided she was followed by a son.  It
is
quit
e
possible that he was already a father, given his history, but no one had every presented him with a bastard
, so
he assumed this would be his first offspring.

He wished he had time to pick up a gift for his bride in Plymouth, but getting to her quickly was more important than buying her a trinket.  There was time for that. 
He was grateful to his brother for being there and nursing her back to health. 
It should have been him
,
and he didn’t need Alec sharing such intimacy with his future wife.  He knew perfectly well that his brother was in love with her
,
and didn’t want the situation to get any more difficult than necessary.  Alec would get over it in time and hopefully remarry.  It was time he found himself a woman as long as it wasn’t Finn’s.  He was pretty sure he tumbled some woman at the
b
all.  That was a start.  He just needed to follow his
instincts
more. 

Thinking of the
b
all reminded Finn of his conversation with Fawkes.  He had become so absorbed in the argument
,
that he hadn’t realized he left Valerie alone for two
hours.  There had been two other men as well, Robert Catesby and Thomas Wintour.
  They joined in later, trying to feel him out, drawing him into their plans.  The men were seeking devout Catholics
,
who were willing to carry out a mission of faith. 

They
did not
tell him the details, but he got the impression they were planning something huge.  He had been invited to a meeting in London in a
month’s time
to learn more.  At first he wasn’t sure he cared to
attend
, but once he
found
out about Valerie’s near death
,
he changed his mind.  It would be nice to take her to London, buy her something nice
,
and take in a play at one of the theaters. 
He had some friends in London
,
and it would be nice to see them again and introduce them to Valerie. 
She would enjoy the
trip
,
and he could leave her at the inn and go listen to what these men proposed.  It
did not
obligate him to anything
,
and he was disgusted enough with King James to want to cause some mischief. 

The castle came into view
,
and Finlay put the King out of his mind desperate to see his bride.  He erupted through the gates and tossed the reins to John Dobbs, running inside.  Valerie was sitting in the drawing room, a book in her hand.  She was a trifle pale and thinner than before, but otherwise she looked well enough.  He pulled her into his arms, feeling her heart beating
against
him steady and strong.  “I am sorry I
was not
here, my love.  Are you all right now?”  He held her away from himself
,
looking down at her belly and smiling.  “How is my son?” 

“You realize, of course, it could be a girl,” she said giving him a
disapproving
look.

“Aye, I do, but a man can dream.
  I
cannot
believe I nearly lost you,
”
he said
hoarsely
,
as Valerie
walked
into
his arms, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around him.  He felt h
er sobbing and stroked her hair, whispering endearments until she calmed down.  London would definitely be a good idea.  She could use a distraction, he thought
, and he would enjoy having her all to himself
.

Chapter
2
8

Present Day

Luisa stared out of the tiny window of the airplane, not quite seeing the fluffy white clouds sailing past.  It was almost the end of July
,
and she was finally returning home to New York
,
having completed her
assignment
at the
m
anor.  There was no reason to stay any longer
,
and she had to admit she was glad to be going
back
.  She missed her parents and her boyfriend, Doug, who came to England to visit her shortly after Val’s disappearance. 

Last week
,
Plymouth police officially closed the investigation into the disappearance of Valerie Crane.  Louisa had to grudgingly admit that they
’
d done everything they could.  Every inch within a ten mile radius of the village had been searched
,
first by officers
,
then by cadaver dogs.  The river had been dragged
,
and the current had been followed to see if the body might have washed up somewhere downstream, but there was nothing.  Nothing at all. 

Lou’s parents were planning a memorial service for next Saturday
,
and
m
om said that Michael asked for permission to come.  He felt the need to express his condolences
,
so
m
om had given him
the O
.
K
.
to attend.  Louisa would have liked to strangle the bastard, but she would be civil out of
respect
for Valerie. 
At least he wasn’t bringing his new wife. 
She hoped that the service
would give her some kind of closure, but she doubted it.  There wasn’t a day that she didn’t think of Valerie, missing her as one misses an amputated limb.  Life would never be the same
,
and not knowing what happened to her made it even worse.  At least if they had some answers
,
they might be able to put her to rest.  As
it
is, she would always walk among them, silent and sad. 

Chapter 2
9

August 1605

I forgot all about my sore butt and aching back as the carriage rattled into the city of London. 
Seventeenth century
travel was certainly not the stuff of romance.  We
’
d been on the road for
several
days
,
and I was tired, achy
,
and mosquito bitten from having to squat in the bushes to relieve myself.  The inn we stopped at for the night was comfortable enough with a hot supper and a soft bed, but now I was beginning to itch
,
probably as a result of being bitten by bedbugs.  As usual, Finn didn
’
t seem to be affected in the least
,
and I didn’t bother to complain.  I was thrilled to be here. 

Finlay had suggested the trip to London as a sort of honeymoon
,
and I agreed before he even finished the sentence.  He insisted on a week’s recovery period after my near death experience
before making the trip to Plymouth to seek out the priest.  Our wedding was as intimate as intimate gets
,
with just the two of us, Alec and Father Stephen.  The priest was staying with
the
family of a feed merchant in town and performed the ceremony in the cellar of the house
,
donning his cassock only after he ascertained that it was safe
,
and the door was locked from the inside.  It was short and sweet
,
and a few minutes later I emerged from the cellar as Mrs. Finlay Whitfield, a respectable
seventeenth century
matron. 

The brothers took me to a tavern near the quay
,
where we were given a private dining room and a delicious supper
;
after which Alec went to the docks
,
and Finn took me upstairs to perform his husbandly duties with single-minded determination. 

Now, Finn smiled at me indulgently as I looked out of the window of the carriage, my head swiveling on my shoulders.  I
’
d been in London only a few months before when Louisa and I flew into Heathrow
,
before continuing our trip to Devon.  We
’
d spent two days sightseeing and exploring the city, enjoying the best that
the
cosmopolitan metropolis had to offer.  Now I was here again, four hundred years before
,
seeing the city as it had been long before either one of us
was
even born.