Chapter 12 #3
For a moment he just stared at her, his dark eyes unreadable. “Agreed.”
“There is something…” She hesitated. “Something I want to ask you.”
“You may ask.” He tilted his head a fraction as he studied her.
“Where you came from, there were two little girls. I believe they were arrested on charges of witchcraft. Their names were Bridget and—”
“Hester,” he interrupted. “I remember. What is your question?”
“Why did you let them go?” she whispered as she watched the play of emotions across his striking face. “Why save them? I know you let them escape even though it was against the vows you swore as a Witchfinder.”
“You know I was a Witchfinder?” His body stiffened.
“Yes, but that’s not important right now.” She shook her head. “What I want to know is why?”
“Why?”
“Why you let them go,” she clarified.
“Why does it matter?” His voice hardened. “Why do you care about one insignificant event?”
Her lips tightened. “Because I do.”
Just for a second, his expression slipped, and she thought she saw deep sadness but it was fleeting, gone as quickly as it appeared.
“Why did you let them go?” she pushed. She wasn’t sure why she was so determined to get answers when it was obvious he didn’t want to respond, but she couldn’t help herself. If she had to take responsibility for this stranger, she had to hear the truth of what happened from his own lips.
Finally, he let out a slow breath. “Because I would not murder children in the name of God. No matter what they were accused of, standing by and allowing them to be tortured and killed was wrong.”
She rose slowly from her seat and after a moment, she nodded. “Good enough.” But as she moved to step away, his hand shot out and grasped her wrist, stilling her movement and forcing her to look at him.
“Tell me why it matters to you.”
She hesitated for a moment, torn by indecision, the words hovering on her lips as Sam’s words echoed in her mind.
“Because she was mine,” she whispered.
“What?”
“The youngest girl,” Olivia replied. “Her name was Hester West. I’m directly descended from her. If you hadn’t saved her, I would never have been born.” He drew in a sharp breath and his gaze dropped to the table in front of him.
“I’ll go and speak with the doctor about getting you out of here,” she told him. He dropped his hand, releasing his grip on her wrist.
He turned his head and watched her walk away, helpless to do anything else.
The woman tied him in knots, there was no doubt about it.
His gaze traveled the length of her body.
She wore some sort of tight-fitting clothing.
It was indecent the way her garments clung to every curve and dip of her body, unlike the shapeless smocks and dresses the women of his time had worn.
He closed his eyes and turned deliberately away from her retreating form, unable to control his physical reaction to her.
His insides churned raw as he fought for control.
She was nothing like he imagined, the woman he had dreamed about for most of his life.
She was beautiful, there was no doubting that, and her body, it was soft and curvy, and there was no use denying that he wanted his hands on her desperately.
He swallowed against the dryness in his throat, knowing that lustful thoughts were a sin, but when she had looked into his eyes, her own burning like gold, his heart had almost stopped.
Her words churned over and over in his mind.
She was directly descended from the child he had saved.
He had never thought for one moment that such a small act of kindness could have such consequences.
If he hadn’t saved that little girl, this woman might never have existed.
It caused his gut to tighten uncomfortably.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the time pass until Olivia reappeared with the doctor he’d seen when he was first admitted to Riverside.
The short, portly man wore a pinstriped shirt tucked optimistically into a pair of pants that were at least a size too small for his ample frame.
His white doctor’s coat was slightly rumpled, and the breast pocket bulged with too many pens.
He pushed his dark-framed glasses up his nose, but they just slipped straight back down again, as if the gradient of his nose was too steep to hold them up correctly.
Approaching Theo, he tossed him a small indulgent smile one might give a slightly slow child.
“And how are you feeling today, Mr. Beckett?”
“Very well, Doctor, thank you,” he replied quietly.
“Your sister would like to take you home.”
“My sister...” he repeated, his gaze flicking over the doctor’s shoulder to Olivia, who threw him a warning glance. Lying was a sin too; what was this world he’d found himself in?
“Doctor, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get Theo home.” Olivia drew the short man’s attention back to herself.
“Excellent.” He pushed his glasses back up again.
“Well, as long as you have Mr. Beckett’s identification with you and everything seems to be in order, I think it will be fairly safe to release him to your care.
” He turned back to Theo, once again speaking slowly to him.
“It’s likely you’ll recover your memories quicker if you are surrounded by familiar things.
If you have any other concerns, please feel free to call us. ”
“Thank you, Doctor, we appreciate it.” Olivia smiled at him.
“Well then.” He cleared his throat. “If you will just come with me, there are a couple of forms to sign. Mr. Beckett here can get changed while we sort out the particulars.”
“Ah.” Olivia frowned. “I didn’t bring any clothes with me. I’ve just got back from out of town. As soon as I found out what had happened, I headed here to straighten everything out.”
“Oh, well, never mind.” He once again adjusted his glasses. “Maybe we can find him something.”
“Not to worry,” Olivia answered. “We don’t live too far from here. He can just shower and change when he gets home.”
“Well, if you’re sure.”
“I am.” She took his arm. “Why don’t we go and get those forms signed.”
“May I keep the book?” Theo asked, indicating the sketch book in front of him.
“Of course.” The doctor nodded, glancing down at Theo’s work. “You’re very talented.”
“Thank you,” he mumbled, his cheeks reddening as he closed the book and stood.
In no time at all they were both stepping out of the main entrance. The late afternoon sun dipped low on the horizon, and a cold early-evening breeze tugged at Olivia’s jacket. Pulling it closer, she turned and regarded Theo.
“I should have brought you a coat.” She frowned.
“It’s not that cold.”
“I suppose you’re used to hard winters,” she mused. “No central heating.”
“What is central heating?”
“Never mind.” She shook her head and descended the few steps onto the main concourse, heading past the gardens at a clipped pace. Theo followed alongside her, still in his pajamas and slippers, his art book tucked under one arm and his thin blue robe flapping in the breeze.
“Where are we going?” he asked, his eyes widening as he took in his surroundings.
“To a friend’s.” She glanced back at him. “You’ll be safe there, and we’ll have time to figure this all out.”
Theo came to an abrupt stop, watching a bus and several cars pass them by.
“This must be really strange for you,” Olivia murmured at his fascinated gaze.
“What are they called?” he whispered.
“Cars,” she replied.
“Cars,” he repeated, trying out the word. “How do they move with no horses to pull them?”
“Come on.” She smiled. “It’s too cold out here for a lesson on the internal combustion engine.”
“The what?” He blinked.
“Exactly.” His dark eyes locked on her lips as she laughed. She tugged his arm, and they both started walking again.
“You’re going to be busy for a while,” Olivia told him with a hint of seriousness. “You have over three hundred years’ worth of history to catch up on, but lucky for you, I’m an historian, so I’ll try to make it as painless as possible.”
“An historian?”
“Someone who makes a living from studying the past,” she explained.
“It’s a profession?” he asked, puzzlement drawing his brows down.
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand.” He scowled. “Do you not have a father or a brother to care for you?”
“Oh boy,” she sighed. “I don’t have any brothers, or sisters for that matter, and as for my father, that’s one thing I’m not prepared to discuss.
I specialize in the history of the New England colonies, particularly during the seventeenth century, so I am aware of the role women played in your society.
But you have to understand there have been three centuries of progression.
Women don’t need men to support them. In my society, women can inherit, vote, own property.
We have the right to the same education, and we hold positions of authority in many professions.
Most of us work for a living and support ourselves. ”
He blinked rapidly as if trying to comprehend the foreign idea as they entered a parking lot.
“It seems very strange to me. Caring for our families, for our wives and sisters and daughters, isn’t a burden. It’s a duty, yes, but it is also an expression of love.”
“For some, that might be the case.” Olivia shrugged. “But we value the right to choose one’s own path.”
“I can understand that,” he murmured.
She stopped beside her car and turned to him. “I suppose in your society you wouldn’t have had much choice either.”
“I had a choice,” he replied after a moment. “I just made the wrong one.”
“Well, lucky you,” she answered as she unlocked the car. “You’ve just been given something a lot of people would kill for.”
“What’s that?”
“A second chance.” She slipped into the driver’s seat and leaned over to pop the lock on his side. He climbed in and closed the door, taking in the interior of the car. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess,” she apologized. “Put your seat belt on.”
“My what?” He frowned in confusion.