CHAPTER 31

The next morning cametoo soon, and not soon enough. She had slept little, despite the comfortable accommodations. The anxiety about the morrow and the spiking emotions pervading the house kept her from her rest. Everything seemed expectant. As if time itself was holding its breath, waiting for the next chapter in this drama.

She got out of bed and dressed quickly in her own modern clothing. When the knock on her door came, she was ready. Dariux looked surprised to see her up and dressed already.

“Well, you are ready early.”

“So are you,” she replied, her eyes running over his attire.

The sleek, form-fitting jumpsuit molded to his muscular physique and emphasized the breadth of his shoulders. She knew the clothes were designed for comfort and practicality, not to entice. But damn. He hadn’t worn twenty-second century clothes in over a month, other than to sleep. She had almost forgotten how good he looked in the fashions of their time. But then, the man looked good in anything he wore.

“I thought I would have to wake you,” he drawled, as he surveyed her with the same interest she had studied him.

“Nope. I’ve been up and ready for a while now.”

“How did you sleep? Do you feel well?”

“Yes, of course. Never better.” What was it with the questioning?

“How about... morning sickness? Do you feel nauseous?”

Her eyes rolled of their own accord. She knew it was rude, but she couldn’t help it. “I’m fine, Dariux. You can stop alluding to it. I told you the nausea I felt yesterday was caused by the motion of the train. Not by an unlikely pregnancy.”

“Not so unlikely, given the activities we engaged in.” His words had a bite to it.

“Stop it, please. I’m going to believe you almost want me to be pregnant.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I am just being realistic. You can’t deny it is a possibility. And have you considered the effects time travel could have on an embryo? If you are pregnant,” he added when she was about to protest.

“Are there any negative side effects?” she asked, suddenly concerned. She didn’t think she had conceived, but if she had...

“I don’t know, Kalli. Nobody knows. We are the first humans who have attempted this, so we are in uncharted territory.”

“Well, there’s nothing for it then. We would have to take the risk and deal with what may come later. The alternative is what? Staying here until I find out for sure if I’m pregnant or not? That could take weeks. Months, even. My periods have never been regular.”

He humphed but relented. “Let’s go, then.” He rubbed the back of his neck, and for the first time, she noticed he looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes.

“Did you sleep well? Forgive me for saying it, but you don’t look so great.”

“I have slept little for several days now. Last night was the worst. Good thing this will soon be over.”

With that, he turned and marched down the corridor. The duke had shown them where his room was, and Dariux went and knocked on the door. He didn’t wait for them to open, but must have got a response, for he returned to her.

“I’m going to check on our luggage. Make sure we loaded all the equipment into Olivia’s car.”

That was hardly necessary. They had personally placed all their equipment inside the car the night before, keeping only small bags with their essentials for one night, but she guessed he needed something to do. So did she.

“I’ll go with you.”

They made their way through the silent house, exiting through a side door and proceeding to the shed behind the stables where Olivia’s car was stored. Just as expected, everything was in order. The duke and Olivia joined them soon after.

Kalli studied them. The duke was stoic and hard to read. But Olivia looked on the verge of a breakdown. Kalli felt like crying herself. After they all got in the car, Olivia drove towards the ruins. They had decided on that spot for it was remote and uninhabited even in their times. But still close enough to their original starting place. They should have used the ruins as the starting place. Maybe then this whole debacle could have been avoided.

She still had not found a way to keep a communication line with Dale or Olivia. She had considered different methods, but none were good enough. A hidden place where they could bury a message on the ground? Too complicated. And the marker could be removed any time in the next three hundred years. She would never find it. Besides, she could not promise anything, especially not with Dariux listening.

As the ruins came into view, the idea dawned on her like the rays of the sun kissing the weathered stones. The ruins! Of course. These walls were still standing in her time. Little altered. Immune to the passage of time. She had visited these ruins countless times during her life and had wondered what stories had taken place within its walls. How many lives had come and gone in the many centuries they had stood here, as an impassive sentinel. Her imagination had always conjured romantic tales in bygone eras.

Now, in the shadows of these walls, she was witnessing two love stories taking place. Yes. These stones would carry the message through time. She just had to let the duke and Olivia know. And be subtle about it.

As soon as the car stopped, they got out. All except Dariux, who stayed inside setting up the time machine. He had some fancy name for the technology, but she had never bothered with it.

She turned to the duke. “These ruins are still standing in my time. Isn’t that amazing? Do you know how old they are?”

The duke shrugged. “The original castle is over a thousand years old,” he replied without enthusiasm. It was obvious he didn’t care to talk at the moment. She could empathize. It was difficult to converse with your heart trampled and bleeding inside your chest. And yet, this was important. So she persisted.

“Is that so? How fascinating. I knew it was old, but I did not realize how much. Do you know anything about its history? I must admit I’m fascinated. I’ve always lived near these ruins. Sometimes I visit this place to walk through them and think about bygone eras and how the castle must have been in its heyday. I think it’s what sparked my interest in time travel. But in my time, nobody knows about the history of this place. Nobody cares either. So it’s been a mystery.”

There. She hoped that would give him enough information. He didn’t realize it now, but this conversation was transcendent.

The duke sighed. Clearly uninterested in the conversation, but too polite to refuse.

“The castle has been damaged and rebuilt several times. The last time was in the sixteenth century, when it was attacked during the dissolution of monasteries. Subsequently, the family lost favor with the crown, so the castle was abandoned. It was not until some fifty years later that the next Duke of Avondale returned, intending to rebuild. But by then, the castle had fallen to ruin, and it was not worth rebuilding. He built the Hall instead. For which I am grateful, as these old castles are notoriously drafty and gloomy. In contrast, the hall is so much more comfortable and modern. So, the castle has lain in ruins for three hundred years or so.”

He recited the information from memory. As if it was something that had been engraved on his brain by force of repetition.

“Fascinating,” Kalli said, running a hand over the old stones. “I will forever look at it with new eyes, now that I know a little about its history. I wish I could stay longer. Find out more. Not only about this but also about so many other subjects from our past that my society seems to have purposely forgotten.”

Dale nodded distractedly. She hoped she had given him enough information so that if he ever thought to communicate with them, he could do it. Olivia didn’t look like she had heard anything at all. Kalli wanted to say more but didn’t dare. And she had lost what little attention the duke had spared her. He had gone to his love.

Their embrace was beautiful and heartbreaking to watch. Opening his greatcoat, he pulled her close against his chest and enfolded her in his warmth. Olivia buried her face in his chest. And they stayed in that position until Dariux said they were ready.

For a moment, neither of them moved. And Kalli wondered if they had even heard Dariux. Or if they could not bear to part. But then the duke slowly loosened his arms and stepped back.

“Goodbye, Livvy. Be happy.”

Olivia’s were not the only eyes flooded with tears at the poignant words.