Page 31 of Promises Made at Midnight
“You can ask me anything, Ulrick, and I’ll give you an honest answer,” she said and waited for him to continue.
“What is Sir Godfrey to you?”
Her eyes narrowed, obviously not prepared for this question amongst so many others he might have asked.
“You haven’t spoken or been near me for how long and you wish to ask me about another man?” she huffed. Her eyes now blazed with unsuppressed anger.
“You had told me you would tell me about him, but we never had the conversation,” he replied, as though this would justify his words.
“There are a lot of conversations we have yet to have, but Godfrey is the least thing we should be worrying about.”
Her feet braced apart, Ulrick wondered if she realized how she appeared like the fiercest of shield maidens in her stance. “Will you tell me?”
She gave a heavy sigh, looked around to ensure no one would overhear their conversation and began. “If you must know, Godfrey is identical to a man I used to date back in my own time. His hair and eyes are different colors, however. This twelfth century version is younger than the Brad of my time, but a lot of his mannerisms are identical.”
“Surely you jest,” Ulrick muttered, whilst his attention moved toward the Garrison Hall to watch Godfrey disappear within the now closed portal.
Bridgette shook her head. “Nope. Same annoying guy no matter the year, although his manners have improved of late since we danced that one night.”
“’Tis uncanny and hard to image how someone could be the same, centuries apart.”
Bridgette laughed, causing a smirk to cross Ulrick’s lips. “Well… we call them doppelgangers in my time. Others may call it reincarnation, if you believe such things. I suppose since you and I both know time travel can occur, then why not identical people no matter how many centuries apart they are?”
“You have given me much to think about, Lady Bridgette,” Ulrick said, before running his hands through his hair.
She watched him, seemingly enthralled when his tresses fell back into place. She then moved her hand to push back a lock of his hair from his forehead. She hesitated near his cheek before she reluctantly let her hand fall back to her side. “Is this all you wish to speak to me about, or is there something else I can answer to cease any troublesome thoughts running through that gorgeous head of yours?”
A guffaw left him, when he heard she thought him handsome. “We have much to have speech about, but not where everyone can listen in on something that should be done in private.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” she remarked, with another sweet smile. “Perhaps you should figure out soon what you want out of life before you don’t have a choice in the matter.”
He frowned at her words, as though she was making him come to a decision about his life he was not ready to deal with. “What is this you are talking about?”
She surprised him when she reached out and quickly took his hands in her own. Tingling sensations ran up his arms, as though the blood pumping in his veins suddenly came alive at her touch.
“Do you feel that or don’t you?” she asked, gazing at him as if his visage would give her the answers she needed. “When we touch, I come alive with burning like currents racing up my arm. It’s as though you’ve found me or, more importantly, that our souls have found one another. It’s a reminder that we’re supposed to be together.”
A low rumble escaped his lips as though to deny what was happening between them. “I cannot explain this connection between us, my lady.”
A tear escaped her eyes before she pulled her hands from his. “If you continue to deny this sweet confusion that consumes us whenever we are together, then you deny the miracle that has brought us together in the first place. If you persist in this direction, then what is the point of me being here? I might as well attempt to find our ghostly matchmaker and ask her to return me to my own time. I know I’m right here in this place and exactly in this precise timeonlybecause of you.”
“I was not looking for a wife,” he growled in frustration.
“And I wasn’t looking for a husband in the twelfth century but here we are standing on the brink of something that could be so incredibly magical if you but allow your heart to open up to the possibilities of finding love.”
“I know nothing of this emotion called love,” he grumbled in denial.
“And I’ve never experienced the depth of emotion when I am with you. To me… that’s love, but if you don’t feel the same way then I suppose my time here at Berwyck must come to an end.” Tears rushed down her cheeks and he could feel her sadness as though it were his own.
“Bridgette…” he began, before she started backing away from him, her chin jutted out in self-righteous anger. Her eyes, however, never left his face.
“My previous life may not have been all that exciting, but I gave up everything, including my friends and family, to be with you,” she sobbed. She shook her head as though to clear her thoughts, then wagged her finger at him before continuing. “And stop being jealous of a man who means nothing to me and figure out what… or who… you want, Ulrick, before it’s too late.”
The lady gave him no time to respond. Instead, she left him standing alone in the inner bailey. He watched her disappear into the keep.Jealous?Him? A snort escaped Ulrick. He had to admit he was bitter about the past connection she had with Godfrey… or thisBradperson. He finally went into the keep, up to his room and spent the remaining part of the day contemplating his life and exactly what it would mean without Bridgette filling his days and nights.
CHAPTER21
Bridgette threw another log onto the fire of the hearth in her bedchamber. The day, and evening for that matter, had been long and stressful. Earlier, she had sat next to Ulrick as they shared a trencher during the evening meal. The silence stretching between them had worn on her nerves. She swore she’d soon be running and screaming from the hall if this stubborn medieval man didn’t soon realize what he was about to lose.
