Page 66 of The Girl Out of Time
She ran after him. “Are you going to be in trouble?”
“For the—”
“Being away from the stables.”
He continued to walk, and eventually said, “It’s fine. I’ll take care of it.”
She cleared her throat.
He said nothing more.
It was fine. They didn’t need to talk about it. He clearly didn’t want to, and she knew why he’d done it: to boost her emotions, probably surprise her, so that they’d have a better chance of her opening the passage. And it worked.
But in those few eternal seconds of the fall, when their lips met, she’d felt like that night back in the study. Every cell of her body alive, yearning in expectation, sighing in content, relief, perfection.
And as right as it had felt moments ago, now, it felt wrong. She was marrying Daniel; in part, because of that kiss in the study. Why was she having the same reaction to Theo?
“What was wrong with the first passage?” Theo asked. “It looked strange, and when you dipped into it—”
She was glad to redirect her thoughts to other, more important matters. “It was so cold.” She touched her chest at the memory. “Whatever it was, you saved me by pulling me out, or I would’ve fallen … somewhere.” She’d rather not think about it. “Perhaps it was corrupted. Perhaps I did something wrong in opening it. That’s why I need Lady Scarlet! She has to teach me the correct method, before I mess something else up. Speaking of which …”
She brought out the piece of paper from the castle. “Her message. It looks like a riddle.”
Theo leaned over, close enough she felt his warmth. As if he’d realized the breach in propriety, he drew back a few inches. Together, they inspected the note.
To my two lovely shadows
It’s time for you to quit the past
So we can properly meet at last
No need this time to leave your era
Find me where the view is fair
She may have slain the chimera,
Now she’s a different monster’s lair
But before you tie the knot,
Make sure you’ve cleansed the rot
“She’s here,” Emmeline said. “She must’ve been here all along!”
“She’s not very straightforward, though.”
“I wonder why she’s playing games with us. And who locked us into that room.” If it had been de Villiers, going after them and Lady Scarlet, did that mean he didn’t get to pursue the other man? Perhaps Lady Scarlet’s lover had survived.
Either way, for once, Emmeline didn’t mind beingoutof an adventure. But it wasn’t over yet. She ran over the poem again. “The first three lines are clear enough. Fair view—somewhere high up, where there’s a nice view? The castle ruins, maybe?”
“I hope not,” Theo said. “I’d be perfectly fine with never seeing that place again.”
“And chimera … as in the monster from Greek mythology?”
“I assume.”
“But who isshe? Chimera was slain by—”
