Page 39 of The Girl Out of Time
“If you’d ever like to practice, I can help,” Theo said. “I asked to do some work on the estate, and they had an opening in the stables.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. You don’t need to work just because I told them”—she checked the others for eavesdropping—“that you were my servant.”
“I wouldn’t want to sit idle. Besides, it’s not a burden. I like working with horses. Uncle always allowed me to care for them back at the farm. He said they were the calmest with me.” He looked off into the distance, a bit of melancholy shadowing his eyes.
Since the other servants were still fully occupied with their own chatter, she dared to ask, “You lived on a farm back in France?”
“With my aunt and uncle, yes.”
“You must be eager to get back to them.” She wished she could help, chase that forlorn look off his face, but she didn’t even have the means to send a single letter.
“I would’ve liked to.”
“So, you can’t?”
He knitted his eyebrows. “My situation doesn’t allow me.”
He was all about those elusive answers, wasn’t he? Did that mean he didn’t have the funds for it, or something else? She tried to go by guessing the former. “I’ll see if I can get some money from the family. They paid for my clothes, so surely they’re not too stingy.”
“No,” he said, with a lot more fervor than she’d expected. “I wouldn’t want to be in their debt.”
“Technically, the debt would be mine.”
“Miss Grey, you don’t need to do it. Definitely not for me.” He clenched his jaw. “I’ll sort out my own problems.”
Emmeline slumped her shoulders. She had to keep reminding herself she shared no history with this version of Leon. He was just a man from this time who looked exactly like her friend from the other time.
“How are you enjoying your visit here?” he asked after a few minutes of silence as the cart swung down the country road.
For a moment, with her thoughts still lingering on the memories of Leon, she thought he somehow knew of her time travel. But no—he only meant Miss Grey’s visit to the ducal family. “It’s been nice. I’ve always wanted to have a friend like Louisa, and the duke has been very kind to me, letting me borrow all the books from his library …”
“You don’t miss your family?”
She snorted. “No.” Here, she was free. And once she figured out her abilities, honed them to the same precision Lady Scarlet did, she could return home without a minute gone. Her family would never know she’d been missing. Never find out about the adventure she’s had.
But even if she could do it right now, she wasn’t ready to leave her Neverland yet. And because of Maria, she couldn’t, anyway.
She playfully nudged Theo’s shoulder. “So, that locket. Did someone special give it to you? A girl you fancy? A fiancée?” She squished a twinge of jealousy rising at the thought—he’s not Leon, remember.
“My mother.”
“That’s lovely. Like a birthday present?”
“No. She …” He scrunched his nose. “Uncle gave it to me later. She died giving birth to me.”
Oh, no.“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t.” He managed the tiniest smile, meant only for her reassurance. “It’s all right. I don’t remember her, and therefore I can’t miss her.” He didn’t sound entirely convinced, though.
“Your father must’ve been heartbroken.”
“He died before I was born.”
How did she manage to dig herself even deeper? “I—”
“You don’t need to apologize for that, either.”
She sighed. At least her family was alive and well. She might enjoy her time without her parents’ supervision, but growing up without them would have been awful. Theo had his aunt and uncle back in France, but he couldn’t even return there.
