Page 62 of The Girl Out of Time
“If Ihappenedto go on a hunt, and a gun went off …” Louisa mused.
“But what about the statute?”
Louisa playfully smacked her on the hand, and Emmeline laughed.
“And then Papa.” Louisa shook his head in disappointment. “As if I’d ever marry a man whose favorite duel is Hamilton versus Burr!” She waved her hand and, still muttering, left for her room.
As Emmeline entered hers, she noticed a neatly sealed letter left for her, its crumpled edges indicating it had traveled quite the distance. She unfolded it while she pulled the pins out of her hair and sat down.
Daughter,
I will assume your impersonal, curt response is due to the quarrel we had before you left …
Emmeline’s heart jumped into her throat, letting out a pang of homesickness that almost made her cry out, until she realized the writing wasn’t that of her father. The signature at the end of the brief letter confirmed it—it was Lord Grey. The letter she’d sent about her delayed stay must’ve reached him by now.
But in time, you’ll realize my choice was for the best. A match with Marquis Farenham will strengthen our position and save you the arduous task of having to find a husband yourself …
As Emmeline’s fingers shook, she chucked the letter onto her bed. So, Maria was no happier about the match than Daniel has been. She was right.Maria had been intending to run away that day. Perhaps she’d even lied about her illness to give herself time to escape. And she’d almost done it, until Emmeline accidentally made her escape into another time.
Yes, she’d been pretending she was Maria Grey, but in a way, she’d also been covering for her.
The homesickness burned inside, leaving behind a simmering feeling of indignation at the words in the letter. Once she got a grip on her powers and returned home, Emmeline could be back on theTitanicmere minutes after she’d left, and her parents would be none the wiser.
And they would still treat her the same.
Would they do something similar to what Viscount Grey did, once they returned to New York? Find a suitor for her that fittheirideas, to save her from her “awful decisions”?
Would they ever understand her?
She clenched her fists in her lap, crinkling her fine evening gown. Louisa’s words echoed in her head.Your life is perfect.But the said life was a conglomerate of two—her own, and Maria’s. Daniel only knew her, not Maria. Louisa thought ofheras a sister, not Maria. If Maria had escaped, Daniel and Louisa would’ve never met her, anyway.
Emmeline dropped her face into the pillow. What had she done—taken over another woman’s life, or over a vacancy? What would happen when she got Maria back? Emmeline would pay the price, of course. One that was too terrifying to think about.
And Maria would have to face the destiny she didn’t want, unless she ran away again.
But how could Emmeline break the deception now? How could she tell them she’d accidentally fallen into impersonating a woman who didn’t want to be here?
Perhaps the wedding wasn’t such a bad thing. She’d still find Maria and bring her back, and maybe they could reach an accord. Because as stolen as they were, bits of this life were worth fighting for. If Emmeline married Daniel, her parents wouldhaveto accept that.
She turned over to her back and gazed at the curtains decorating her bed, blueish-green in the shadows of the ceiling.
In the end, only one thing was certain. If this was the life she’d stumbled into,shewould make her own choices in it. Nobody else.
Now she only needed to figure out if the wedding was the right choice.
Chapter 16
Emmeline twisted around, extending her arms toward the sea visible over the cliff side. “Open!”
A seagull squawked nearby, but no shimmering appeared.
She turned toward the castle ruin, this time waving her hands in an approximate circle. “Passage, open!”
Nothing.
“Oh, come on.” She stomped the grass. “What do you want from me?”
The castle didn’t respond.
