Forgotten Time (Ravenhurst Series, #1) A New Adult Time Travel Romance (14 page)

She shivered. Her heart began to ache as tears swelled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. She picked up the paper and shoved it into the drawer, trying to banish the horrid feelings coursing through her body. What in the hell was she going to do? She shook herself, trying to get her emotions under control. She took an unsteady, reviving breath; she knew she had a riddle to solve, not only for her sake, but apparently a few others’ as well.

<>*LB*<>

…Later that morning, at Ravenhurst

Dishes clattered as the liveried footmen cleared them away. Another setting was placed on the stark white, linen tablecloth. A pair of white-gloved hands polished the silverware gently with a cloth before placing it on the table beside a fine porcelain plate. Crystal glasses were filled with juice and water from pitchers, the condensation dripping on the table and fading away. Toasted bread lay inside the slots of a sterling rack beside a jam jar. Serving trays of food rested on the sideboard nearby.

Sebastian summoned the footman to refill his cup with more coffee. The rich aroma filled the room. He wiped his mouth, settled back, and picked up the paper.

Hearing the dishes clattering and the smell of fresh coffee, Katherine practically ran into the room. She was not prepared to see Sebastian at the table, and stopped mid-step. He lowered the paper, her breath caught in her throat. He was so good-looking… too good-looking.
Where were men like this in my world
? she thought grimly.

Sebastian folded his paper and set it back on the table. He lifted his eyes to Marguerite’s, as she stood awkwardly in the doorway. She looked like she was ready to turn back around. She really was a pretty girl. How could he not have noticed before?

Perhaps it was the simplicity of the gown she was wearing, which made her so appealing. He acknowledged her presence with a simple tilt of his head.

Katherine took a breath and tried to curtsy, but sucked at it. She knew she must have looked afflicted, so she gave up and walked heavily over to the table. A footman appeared out of nowhere to pull a chair out for her. She thanked him as he disappeared from view once more. She tried to sit on the edge of the chair, just as any genteel lady should, but
unfortunately failed at that as well. Her face turned red. He was staring directly at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

Sebastian adjusted his folded the paper on the table. “Good morning. I hope you slept well.”

A footman reappeared from nowhere and filled her cup with coffee. “Ah, yes I did, thank you,” she replied nervously, her voice shaking. 

He watched her chewing on her lip; a nervous gesture that he never noticed before. “I am glad to hear that.” He smiled at her, she looked utterly adorable.

The smile he gave her was unnerving. Why was he being so nice? She tried to gauge his mood, but a footman blocked her view as he placed a heaping plate of food in front of her. Her stomach growled obnoxiously, and she pushed on it, her face turning red.

“You are obviously famished. Please eat,” he urged, waving his hand towards the food, smiling.

Katherine’s face was on fire. She tried to smile back, but it ended up looking forced and awkward. Her stomach twisted as his smile faded. He lifted back up his paper. She shifted on her chair, wringing the napkin in her lap. Why did he stop smiling? She thought about the strained smile on her face and almost fell over; she probably looked like she needed to go to the bathroom.
Great.
Perfect
.

She suddenly hoped he would leave so she could eat. She glanced nervously at him to find the paper covered most of his face. She quickly grabbed the fork, filling it with eggs and shoved the bit into her mouth. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth as she tried to chew the oversized bite, she crammed in her mouth. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

Of course, Sebastian was watching; he watched the way she ate, as well as the way she drank. The way she kept blowing a stray hair from her eyes, and the rise and fall of her breasts in her conservative morning gown were not unnoticed by him. He even caught her darting glances to see if he was looking at her. Of course, he was, but she didn’t know that. She was nervous. He was glad. He watched her shut her eyes, as her dark lashes fanned across her high cheekbones and her full, pink lips met the delicate porcelain cup. His body began to react again. He was aghast at himself. These urges were getting bloody ridiculous. He cleared his throat. “I see you are thoroughly enjoying your meal,” he said, smiling. “If you will excuse me, there is something I need to attend to.” He stood up and straightened his jacket. “I will let you finish breaking your fast with some semblance of tranquility,” he commented casually as he walked towards her, stopping right beside her chair.

Katherine could see his boots closing the distance between them, stopping next to her chair. She had the feeling he wanted her to look up at him, but there was no way in hell she would do that. Her stupid stomach already made her sound like a pig, and she was sure her face would make her look even more like one.

He leaned forward, trying to see her expression. “I will see you in the library once you have finished,” he added, his voice sounding awkward. He shook his head. “Very well, then, I will leave you to your breakfast.” He gave her one last look before exiting the room.

Katherine exhaled a huge breath, trying to get her emotions under control. When she could no longer hear him walking away, she stood up. No big surprise, she suddenly lost her appetite. She looked down at the front of her borrowed gown and noticed it had a large spot of coffee on the front.
Unbelievable.

She eyed the footman. He was staring straight ahead like a sentinel. Grabbing a biscuit for later, she made a break for it.

He sat behind his desk, a stack of papers on top of it, untouched. He was supposed to be taking care of the affairs of the household, but instead, he was lost in his thoughts. He tried to mentally prepare himself for the conversation with his betrothed about their upcoming nuptials. He was not sure how she would react to his plans to leave Ravenhurst without her shortly after the ceremony.

Perhaps he was being too hasty, or was it cowardice? He was unsure how he felt about all of it; distance seemed the best avenue at this point. The rest would come to him in time.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt, rather than saw, that he was not alone. Turning, he fully expected to find Marguerite in the doorway, but instead, it was Renquist. Blast the man for his poor timing. What in the hell did he want this time? He just saw him a day ago.

“Good morning, de Winter,” Renquist said, entering the room and walking over to the fireplace to warm his hands.

Sebastian rolled his eyes, running his hand through his hair in irritation. “So, Renquist, what brings you out and about at this hour in the morning?”

Devlin ignored his question. “Goodness, I have to say there is quite a chill in the air. I wouldn’t be surprised if a blizzard was on its way.”

Sebastian frowned, confused. “What?”

“Yes, I do believe a blizzard is about to descend on us all. I took the liberty of letting the staff go home to their families to ready themselves.”

“You did what?” Sebastian asked in disbelief. Since when was Devlin a paragon?

“Oh, I know it was a selfless act on my part. Not many people would sacrifice themselves as I did for the benefit of others…” he paused, looking pointedly at Sebastian.

Sebastian’s mouth dropped open from the insinuation.

Devlin smiled. “Well, that is neither here nor there. Who am I to judge?”

“Well that is um… gracious of you.” Sebastian ground out. It killed him to compliment the man at all. But damn, he had no warning of a blizzard, else he too would have done the same.

“I say, de Winter, be a gracious host and ring the maid for a pot of tea, and perhaps some of your cook’s biscuits. I must admit I am starving.”

Sebastian would have liked to do more than starve the man; he would have liked to shove his ass right out of his house. “Certainly,” he said, walking over to pull the cord for the maid.

Devlin helped himself to a splash of Sebastian’s finest. He took a sip. “So I take it Marguerite is still abed?” Devlin asked casually.

Sebastian looked over at the door. “No, she is right behind you.”

Devlin turned so quickly, his drink sloshed on the carpet, darkening another spot with the amber liquid.

Katherine made it to the library in record time; she didn’t want to keep Sebastian waiting. Now she stood in the doorway, dreading the conversation she would have with him. She knew she would have to make everything up as she went along. She couldn’t tell him the truth, at least not now. She had a feeling he would get rid of her for sure. She hadn’t realized anyone else was in the room, and her breath caught in her throat when another man turned towards her. Even from where she stood, she could see he had the blackest eyes she ever saw. They were piercing, unreadable. A chill ran up her spine.

“Ah… um… Good morning,” she said stupidly, rushing into the room headlong.

Devlin’s mouth dropped open when she ran at a dead heat across the room, her full breasts bouncing slightly, and straining against the soft fabric of her gown. He shook his head, smiling, when she threw herself into the tall-backed chair in front of the fire. Her hair was falling from the makeshift ponytail she gathered it into. She was so beautiful. He almost forgot…
almost
.

Sebastian walked over to the front of the fire, blocking Marguerite from Devlin’s salivating stare. “Look who decided to stop by.”

Katherine’s eyes widened, holding onto the arms of the chair so tightly, she lost all feeling in her third finger. She had no idea who in the hell that guy was.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
She knew she was going to be busted for being an imposter. What to do? What to do? A little voice echoed in the air, in her ears alone,
Lie, lie, lie to them
, it whispered. She cleared her throat, “How wonderful!” she exclaimed with just the right amount of fake exuberance.

Devlin was caught off guard by her eager display. She acted as if she held no animosity towards him for the small incident that happened before. Her eyes sparkled in the firelight, and the blue in her gown made them look darker, deeper than normal. She smiled shyly at de Winter, the gesture causing his stomach to twist in knots.

He cleared his throat, pulling her attention towards himself. With his most rakish smile, he glided a gentle hand through his hair. “May I say you are looking even lovelier than the last time I saw you…” he trailed off. He walked towards her, lifted her hand in his, and leaned forward to kiss it. Her lashes lowered demurely as he pressed his lips against her sweet, soft skin.

“Tea’s here,” Sebastian practically yelled from across the room. He gritted his teeth, watching Devlin slobber all over Marguerite’s hand.

He always wondered what Renquist’s intentions were towards his betrothed. And he always wondered if the obvious attraction was one-sided. After finding them alone with one another on far too many occasions, it could not be simple coincidence. Renquist had always watched her every move, when he thought no one was looking. But Sebastian was. He saw it all. He did not like it one bit, either.

“So Devlin, where is my aunt… your wife?” Sebastian questioned, accentuating the word “
wife
” more than necessary.