CHAPTER 39

Kalli walked throughthe ruins with a new sense of wonder. She had been to this place countless times before, but this time, it was different. Now she knew something about their history. She had seen what they looked like in different centuries and was happy to note that not much had changed in three hundred years.

It was reassuring to see that some things remained unchanged. As sentinels through time and human folly. Since the twentieth century, the ruins had been under the protection of the National Trust, but they had done little to preserve them. Still, the stalwart hardiness of the building withstood against the elements. Her fascination with this pile of stones was such that her father built her a tiny cottage near them.

In her childhood and youth, she had spent wonderful hours in this secluded place. It was part of their parent’s land, so it was private. Although they allowed visitors to come see the ruins, few people cared to do so, or even knew this place existed. She felt as if it was hers alone. That they had chosen it as the place for their time travels made it even more special.

She ran her hands through the familiar stone as she walked, remembering Avondale’s words about this place. An unexpected pattern of grooves caught her attention, and she peered into the wall.

How strange. There were words carved into the stone. She carefully tore away bits of vine and moss that clung to the wall. Had this inscription always been here? She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t believe so.

When she had cleared the space, her heart slammed against her chest at what the letters revealed.

K

If Time could go backwards

To the moment I lost

I would leap through the times

To the woman I love

Avondale Dec 14, 1872

She ran her hands through the grooves in the stone, reading the passage several times. Then took out her communication device and snapped a picture, just to make sure she wasn’t imagining things.

Could it be what she thought it was? Was this a message from the duke? And did it mean that he wanted to travel in time to be with his beloved? What else could it be? What other meaning could it have? The date coincided with the time they visited. It was only a few days after their departure.

Yes, this was doubtless from Avondale. Maybe he had got the idea from the multiple hints she had dropped. But could she make good on her veiled promise? Her heart plummeted as she realized she did not have the resources to go back and transport him in time. Maybe Dariux could, but he would never bother. He had been adamant in his refusal to leave Olivia in the nineteenth century, even though that would have required no effort on their part. To undertake another mission, just to bring the duke to the twenty-first, was infinitely more difficult. There was no way he would agree to that.

Her spirits, unstable as they were of late, took a nosedive and crashed into the hard reality of the damage they had created. Were there any other messages from the duke? Or maybe even from Olivia? She searched frantically all around, but there were no more messages. If they had sent any others, the messages may not have survived. But it didn’t matter. This one had survived, and it was enough.

What to do? She looked down at her communication device. With one word, she could have Dariux on a virtual call in seconds. She could show him the message. Try to reason with him... No, she couldn’t do it. He was sure to reject the idea outright. Might even laugh in her face. She was not brave enough to face his indifference. The wound was still too raw.

She had spent two weeks in her cottage. She had meditated, read, and walked through nature. Had drunk as much herbal tea as was possible to consume and practiced yoga until her body felt as flexible as rubber. Yet nothing seemed to help with getting over Dariux.

Last night she had dreamt about him. More like a nightmare. In her dream, Dariux was in the middle of what seemed to be a harem full of perfect parbots, all tall, blond, and curvaceous. They were all naked. And he was fucking one of them, standing over her supine form, while another parbot embraced him from behind. As she watched, he looked up and their eyes connected. She wanted to scream, but no sound came from her throat, wanted to run to him and tear him from the arms of the parbots, but she couldn’t reach him. The army of blond parbots closed ranks around him, impeding her access. All the while, he kept looking at her and smiling while he thrust into the parbot.

She had woken up with a gasp to find her cheeks wet. She was crying even in her sleep over the cursed man! No, she couldn’t call him. Not yet. She couldn’t face him and see with her eyes his indifference towards love.

Before she realized where she was going, she had walked halfway to her mother’s house. The house wasn’t far. Just a fifteen-minute walk through a forest. As she approached, she spotted the shadowy silhouette of her mother in the conservatory, bending over the potting bench. She entered the humid and warm environment with a greeting that made her mother look up from her task.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting you today. Ran out of something?” her mother asked, looking up with a smile of welcome.

“No, I need to talk to you,” she said, going to kiss her mum’s cheek.

“Oh my, this sounds serious. I’m done here. Care to join me for a spot of tea?”

“Of course,” Kalli replied with a smile; every conversation was the perfect excuse for her mother to serve her favorite beverage.

Discarding her gardening gloves, Mum led the way out of the conservatory through a special passageway that connected it to the house.

“So tell me, what is it you want to talk about?” her mum inquired as she retrieved the perfectly brewed cups of tea from the tea maker and placed one in front of her.

As an answer, Kalli showed her the picture she had taken of the message in the ruin’s wall.

“Looks like a poem carved on the stone.” She looked up, bemused. “Is that what you wanted to talk about, an ancient poem carved on the ruin’s walls?”

“It is not a poem, Mum. It is a message. From a person we met in the past.”

“What?”

“Yes. And I am the intended recipient. See my initial? ‘Avondale’ signed it, and the date is just a few days after we left that time period.”

“Blimey!” her mother gasped as she read the inscription again. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

“I don’t know. How do you interpret it?”

“I think he is saying he wants to travel through time to be with the woman he loves. This is the duke from the nineteenth who fell in love with the woman from the twenty-first, isn’t he?”

“Yes, and that’s what I think, as well. It is not that hard to guess the meaning once you know the context. The problem is, what can I do? I want to help them, but I can’t travel through time by myself.”

“No, you can’t. It seems you need help from your man.”

“He’s not my man, Mum. That’s the whole issue.”

“You need to speak to him, child.”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

Kalli glared at her mother. “Do you need to ask me that? Do you think I want to feel the way I feel? You know what, I’m beginning to see his point. This love thing is hard, and it doesn’t feel good. I wish I didn’t feel it. I often think I was born in the wrong period. Nobody values love anymore. It is an outdated emotion, and that just makes it harder for those of us who still...” She trailed off because her throat closed up, choking her stream of words.

Her mother didn’t seem upset at her outburst. With infinite kindness, she stood up from her stool and came to envelop her in a warm hug.

“How does this feel?” Mum asked quietly.

“You know it feels good,” she mumbled against her mum’s bosom.

“That’s a demonstration of love. And that is what it does to people. It has the power to make us feel good. Yes, it is complicated. It hurts sometimes. But we need it. I would even dare say we can’t subsist without it.”

Kalli snorted. “Tell that to the millions of people who prefer parbots.”

“They are in the wrong. And in time, they will come around. You need to speak to your man, Kalli.”

“Stop calling him that. He is not my man.”

“He is. The two of you chose to get involved in a relationship. Now you need to talk and untangle your feelings.”

“There are no feelings on his part. He has already made that clear. And I don’t want to hear him say it again. It hurts too much.”

“Words are not always the best way to convey feelings. Actions speak louder than words, and from all you have told me, his actions speak of caring. Even if reluctant. Some people need more coaxing before they can express affection, Kalli.”

“He told me his father was abusive. And his mother was distant.”

“You see? Not everyone grew up in a safe home with loving parents. It’s likely he’s never had a good example of what a healthy relationship between humans should be. Give Dariux the opportunity to redeem himself. Don’t shut him out.”

“I won’t be able to avoid him forever. We have a hearing before the committee in less than a month. I will see him then.”

“Don’t wait until then,” her mother advised. “That would be an official occasion, and you two need a more intimate setting to talk things out.”

“Fine. I’ll call him tonight.”

She only hoped her mother was right, and Dariux cared. Otherwise, she was about to set herself up for a lot of pain.