Page 34 of The Girl Out of Time
Theo propped up a pillow and leaned on it. Since he was in England, he should contact Lord Wescott, but at the moment, it was hard to focus on his duty. Dread solidified in his guts, threatening to weigh him down and make him sink.
Like the ship did.
It wasn’t hard to put two and two together. Escaping the aftermath of the battle, they were on a ship in a storm—somewhere in the Channel, surely, if Jean-Baptiste had found a passage from the coast of the Netherlands back to Brittany.
I found you on the beach, nearly drowned.
They got attacked by a British gun-ship. Their own ship went down. Perhaps, in the storm, they got carried close enough to the coast he washed up on the shore. But it was only him. No mention of Jean-Baptiste or anyone else. Not even a mention of the wreck.
He reached for the locket around his neck.
It was gone. He’d lost it.
So instead, he only clenched his fist, leaned his forehead on it, and silently cried.
Chapter 9
He didn’t remember her.
Emmeline let her feet take her back to the foyer while she ran over the conversation with Leon. Or was it Theo now?
For two days, she’d waited for him to wake up, only for him to not even know who she was. She’d yet to decide whether that made it easier for her—since she didn’t have to explain she’d somehow transported him to the past—or harder. It certainly didn’t make her happier, though.
And what was with the name? Did he use Theo as a cover, or was this his actual name? And if it was, was he even still Leon, or simply a man who looked like him? That would make more sense, considering he didn’t know her. Perhaps he was Leon’s distant ancestor; that would explain the physical similarities. It seemed impossible she could’ve plucked Leon from her time, sent him here, and given him a different life.
It also seemed impossible she could’ve done that for herself, but at least she still remembered who she was.
“You look awfully lost in thoughts.” The duke’s voice brought her back to Earth, and Emmeline realized she’d been standing by the foot of the staircase for several minutes.
She quirked an eyebrow. “Perhaps I am.”
“Hmmph. You can use those flirtations on younger men,” he said, eyes shining with mirth. “Come for more reading? Perhaps something lighter this time?”
“I wouldn’t mind that,” she said, cheering up. She’d had enough ofDebrett’s Peeragefor at least a month.
Inside the library, they went over a few shelves until she spotted a familiar name on a row of neatly stacked books. “Miranda Stormcliffe! I had no idea you had her novels.”
“A fan, hmm?”
“I have her entire collection at … home.” Pushing the thought of her books abandoned far away, she skimmed the titles.The Specter of Cunningham House, The Heart of the Moors, The False Heiress—they were all there.
“Pick whichever one you like,” the duke said.
“I’m afraid I’ve read them all. Several times.”
The duke squinted and raised an eyebrow. “I see. What aboutThe Visitor in Scarlet?”
“That’s not one of hers.”
“I beg to differ. It looks like your collection might be incomplete, Miss Grey.”
Impossible.“There’s another book?”
“Miss Grey! Oh, here you are. Good morning, Papa.” Louisa whooshed into the library, the untied ribbons of her bonnet swirling behind her. She pecked the duke on the cheek and looked at Emmeline. “Ready for us to go to Redbridge?”
Right.They were supposed to go shopping for new clothes today. “Sure.”
“I’ll have the book sent to your quarters,” the duke said as Louisa dragged her out of the library.
