Page 71 of The Girl Out of Time
“I was wondering if I could borrow your necklace. The one belonging to your mother.”
It was good she clarified, because for a second, he thought she knew he’d taken the duke’s pendant.
“All right.” He fished it from under his shirt, handing it to her with slight hesitation.
Emmeline held it, closed her eyes, and scrunched her nose in the most adorable way.
He opened his mouth to inquire what was going on, but stopped. As it always was with Emmeline, he’d be in for a surprise, but he’d catch up eventually.
He was going to miss that.
“A-ha!” She opened her eyes. About three feet in front of them, one of her passages opened.
“Not back to the castle,” he weakly objected.
“It’s not the castle. I hope.” She leaned forward, inching her head toward the passage. “Looks good. Come.”
They passed through into another bright, summer day. They were still in a glade, but this one led to a pond, water lilies blooming on its calm, deep green surface. Little patches of grass grew around it, intercepted bya few round rocks. Further ahead, a gravel road winded through a neatly cut lawn, ending at the raised entrance of a grand manor, standing tall and proud with its red brick and white ornamented facade.
Before Theo could wonder whose house this was—because it certainly wasn’t Lennemere—he caught movement by the pond. Partially hidden behind a tree was an easel, and behind it, a young woman dressed in a gown of a few decades past—a light green corseted bodice with three-quarter tight sleeves ending in a waterfall of lace and a matching skirt gathered at the back.
Emmeline ducked behind a bush, pulling him with her. “It looks right, doesn’t it?”
Theo wanted to ask what looked right, but was interrupted by a shout from the direction of the mansion.
“Julia!” Another young woman with light brown hair and a similar-style dress ran toward the easel. “Mama said to come back and get ready. The Miltons will be arriving soon.”
“Thank goodness.” Julia put down her brush. “If I have to deal with this thing for another ten minutes, I’ll throw it in the pond.”
“Is that a frog?”
“It’s a leaf.”
“Oh.” The other woman laughed. “Well, don’t be late!” She bounced back toward the house.
Julia.Subconsciously, Theo leaned past the bush to see the woman better. That name, them being in the past, Emmeline using his pendant as some sort of guidance—the equation worked.
“Maman,” he whispered.
Emmeline gently touched his shoulder. “Go to her.”
“I—no. I can’t.”
“You don’t have to tell her who you are! Go.” She gave him an encouraging smile.
Theo straightened up and, as if in a dream, headed around the pond, aiming for the nearby road.
“Good day,” Julia greeted as she spotted him. “May I help you?”
He approached slowly, taking in her face, framed by soft strawberry blonde curls. Her green-blue eyes glinted with a hint of mischief, and a promise of a restless soul hiding underneath. Uncle had never met Theo’s mother in person, so he couldn’t tell him how she looked like; but Theo was sure he wouldn’t have been able to do her justice anyway.
“Sir?” she prompted again, and he realized he was gawking in a rather rude manner.
“Apologies.” His voice choked up even on the simple word. “I’m new to the area. Might’ve gotten lost.”
“Not to worry. This is the Bentley estate. The nearest village is Hamworth. The road over there will lead you to it.” She pointed with the paintbrush. “If you’re feeling adventurous, though, I’d suggest you take a detour—the first path on the right as you follow the road. You’ll still get to the village eventually, but you’ll cross a hill with an amazing view and a circle of standing stones.” Her mouth quirked. “Don’t try to jump from one to the other.”
“Personal experience?”
