ANDREW AND CHRISTOPHER stood as Hannah walked into the parlor.
“Where’s Gwen?” Andrew asked.
“She’s upstairs. She’s a bit upset.” Hannah moved to Christopher’s side. “I’m not sure if she feels well.”
“What? Why?” Andrew frowned.
Hannah smiled gently. “I really couldn’t say.”
Rushing out of the room, Andrew took the stairs two at a time. He knocked, but didn’t wait for an answer and opened the door. Finding Gwen sobbing on the bed, he went over to the bed, sat down beside her and brushed hair off her wet cheeks. “Gwen? Sweetheart? Why are you crying?”
“Our wedding is ruined!” She cried into the pillow.
“Ruined?” She nodded and Andrew turned her to face him. “Why is it ruined?”
Her lower lip formed a pout. “I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
She sniffed. “It’s personal.”
“I’ll be your husband in three days, what could possibly be too personal to tell me?”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m embarrassed.”
“Beautiful girl, you can tell me anything.”
It took her a few minutes, but she finally took a deep breath and nodded. “I might have my—”
“Your?”
“My monthly,” she whispered, blushing crimson. “On our wedding night.”
“I already figured that out sweetheart,” he whispered back.
“What? How?”
“I do have three sisters.” He wiped a tear away with the pad of his thumb.
She burst into tears again. “What are we going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I will have certain wifely duties that I won’t be able to fulfill.” Andrew laughed and Gwen smacked his chest. “Why are you laughing at me?”
“Gwen, I’m not laughing at you!” He stroked her cheek. “If we can’t have our wedding night on Saturday then we’ll have it when you’re feeling better.”
Gwen bit her lip. “You won’t be disappointed?”
“Sweetheart. I love you. Of course I’ll be disappointed. I cannot wait to make you my wife in every sense, but I would never be disappointed in you.”
Gwen sat up. “Are you certain?”
“Everything will be fine, Gwen. You’ll see.” He pulled her from the bed. “Now, splash some water on your face, and let’s go and see our new home.”
Once Gwen felt more together, they walked downstairs and met Christopher and Hannah in the foyer. Christopher handed Andrew his hat. “I thought I might have to retrieve you.”
“Ready?” Hannah reached for Gwen’s hand and pulled her out the front door.
Gwen glanced behind her with a look of concern, but Andrew smiled brightly and winked and she turned back to listen to whatever it was that Hannah was saying.
They walked two doors down and stopped. Andrew chuckled. “When you said close by, I wasn’t expecting this close.”
The seller’s representative, Mr. Smith, met them at the door and gave them a tour of the home. Gwen could hardly contain her excitement.
The front door led to a small outer ease way with another door. They went through the second portal and it led to a spacious foyer. It consisted of a black and white marble floor and there was a narrow staircase to the left of the entryway that led to the second story.
To the right of the foyer was a small parlor and further down the hall was the kitchen, which appeared to be an efficient workspace with a large fireplace. There was also a small library and office on the first floor that would be perfect for Andrew.
The representative led them up the stairs to the second floor, which housed three spacious bedrooms, two dressing rooms, and a bathing room. Andrew squeezed Gwen’s hand as the tour continued. It was perfect for them and he was thrilled with Gwen’s enthusiasm.
“Is there a place for our horses?” Andrew asked.
“Yes, sir. Follow me. We have a nice carriage house that has three stalls and a small room for equipment.”
They followed Mr. Smith to the back of the house and although the carriage house was small, it had ample room for their needs. Andrew turned to the representative. “Thank you for the tour, Mr. Smith. We’ll let you know shortly.”
They made their way back to the Butler’s and as soon as the front door was closed, Gwen grabbed Andrew’s hands. “Andrew, it’s perfect!”
Andrew grinned. “Yes, it is. I have to agree.”
“We’d all be close.” Hannah rested her hands on her stomach. “I’d love to have my sister close when the baby comes.”
Gwen clapped her hands. “Andrew, can we please buy it?”
“Yes, of course we can.”
“Truly?”
“Yes, sweetheart. I’ll work out the details.”
Both the girls squealed and moved into the parlor. They spent the next two hours making plans for the house and what they would all do together.
“We must do dinner every Sunday,” Gwen said.
Hannah nodded. “Yes, one week at our place and one week at yours! Clayton and Emma must join us as well.”
Gwen nodded. “Absolutely. How wonderful it will be.”
Hannah grinned. “And when it snows, we’re still close enough to walk to each other.”
“Yes, which will be good with the baby.” Gwen slid her hand into Andrew’s. “What color are you going to paint the nursery?”
“I was thinking yellow. It’s a good neutral color.” Hannah smiled. “Of course, I’ll need to find paint without lead in it.”
“Why?” Gwen asked.
“It’s very dangerous for children to be exposed to it.”
Gwen covered her mouth with her hand. “I had no idea.”
Hannah glanced at Christopher quickly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled at Gwen. “It’s a relatively new discovery.”
“Oh, my.” Gwen nodded. “Well, then, yes, no lead.”
Hannah stood. “Do we have time for a late lunch before you go?”
Andrew shook his head. “If we’re going to make it back by dinner, we need to be on the three o’clock train.”
Gwen wrinkled her nose. “Not even something quick, Andrew? You must be hungry.”
Andrew smiled. “No, sweetheart, we need to go.”
Hannah wrapped an arm around Gwen’s shoulders. “We’ll see you in the morning, Gwen. Just think. In less than three days, you’ll finally be married to your dream man,” Hannah whispered.
Gwen giggled. “Yes, I will.”
They said their farewells and took off for the train station. The couple arrived in Maryland at five-thirty, retrieved their horses, and made it to the Butler’s home just before dinner. Andrew and Gwen were able to steal a few minutes alone after dinner, which included a walk around the grounds and a stop at the gazebo. He pulled her down next to him and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Are you happy with the house?”
“Andrew, I love it. It’s perfect. Thank you.”
He grinned. “I’m relieved.”
“Why are you relieved?”
“I had the down payment delivered to Mr. Smith an hour ago.”
Gwen frowned. “Oh, in that case, it’s entirely unsuitable.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes.” She swept her hands into the air. “I want something bigger and perhaps with gold fixtures. Pure gold. And diamond door knobs.”
Andrew grinned. “We can change all of that when we move in, sweetheart.”
Gwen leaned forward and began to massage his knee. “You haven’t limped as much today.”
Andrew laid his hand on her back as she dug in further. “My knee is remarkably better.”
Gwen glanced up at him. “Tell me why you were so quiet on the ride home.”
Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Was I?”
Gwen sat back and turned to face him. “You know you were.”
“I can’t hide anything from you, can I?” Andrew ran his finger down her cheek. “I have something to tell you that I think you’ll find strange, but you still need to know.”
Gwen’s eyebrows puckered. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, it’s nothing bad, simply unbelievable. I informed your brother today that I would tell you.”
“Chris knows?”
Andrew nodded. “Yes. A few people know, but it’s something you can never tell anyone or discuss publicly, even with me.”
Gwen bit her lip. “Tell me.”
“Hannah is not from this time,” he whispered.
“What does that mean?”
He sat forward. “She is from the future.”
Gwen giggled. “What?”
“She’s from the year 2018. Somehow, she was sent back to this time and ended up in your barn.”
Gwen’s head whipped up. “Is this a jest?”
Andrew shook his head. “No, sweetheart. I’m not telling you an untruth.”
“How is that even possible?”
He shrugged. “No one knows. However, there’s more.”
“More?”
“She’s not the only one.”
Gwen stared at him, mouth open in shock.
“Jamie, Sophie, Emma, and Dr. Paxton are also from the future.”
She rose to her feet and started to pace. “I don’t understand, Andrew. Why? Is there a reason they’ve been sent back? And how did you get involved in this?”
Andrew stood and closed the distance between them. “There was a plot to kill Sophie, and I stepped in to assist Jamie. We caught the men, so she’s safe now.”
Gwen laid her hand over her chest. “That sounds dangerous.”
“Nothing for you to worry about. Especially not before our wedding. The threat is behind us.” He pulled her into his arms. “It’s a happy time, beautiful girl. Let’s focus on that.”
Gwen rolled her eyes. “Andrew.”
“Gwendolyn!” Her mother called from the porch.
“Coming, Mama.” Gwen groaned. “This conversation isn’t over.”
“I understand.” Andrew squeezed her hand. “Let’s enjoy dinner, get some sleep, and we can talk to your brother tomorrow.”
Andrew kissed her once more before they made their way back to the house for the night. They enjoyed a leisurely dinner with her parents and Jacob, and then the five retired to the parlor for a game of cards. Despite her nap, Gwen felt heavy and tired. She couldn’t concentrate on which card she was supposed to play.
“Gwen.” Jacob tapped her arm. “Your turn.”
“Oh, sorry.” Gwen forced herself to sit up and tried to hide another yawn.
“Gwendolyn? You looked tired, dear. Perhaps you should turn in,” Wilhelmina said.
Gwen shook her head. “No, mama, I’m fine.”
Andrew leaned over to her. “Sweetheart, your mother’s right. You should sleep.”
Gwen wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to miss anything.”
He turned to her parents. “I’ll walk Gwen to her room and turn in as well, if that’s all right with you?”
“Yes, son. It’s fine with us,” Vincent answered.
After bidding goodnight to her parents, Gwen followed Andrew out to the foyer. He took her hand and led her up the stairs, stopping outside her door and kissing her cheek. “Goodnight, beautiful girl. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Gwen nodded and let herself inside. After closing her door, she quickly undressed. Her ruse appeared to have worked, but she had another plan tonight and there was no way he was going to stop her. She climbed into bed to wait for her mother to check on her.
She feigned sleep when she heard her door open. Keeping her breathing steady, she tried not to squeeze her eyes shut too tightly. She waited several minutes after her door was closed before opening her eyes. She felt fortunate her parents never deviated from their schedule. Her mother would check on her, her father would douse the lamps in the hallway, and then once they turned in, they were in for the night.
Gwen waited another twenty minutes before climbing out of bed. She slowly eased open her door and poked her head into the corridor, where she saw that most of the sconces had been doused. She padded quietly down the hall and opened Andrew’s door. He was sitting in the chair facing the unlit fireplace, his bare feet resting on the opposite chair. “Andrew?”
He stood and made his way over to her. “Gwendolyn! Go back to bed.”
She wrung her hands and frowned. “I just wanted to make certain you were comfortable.”
Andrew smiled gently. “Ah… my little worrier.”
“Little worrier?”
Andrew grasped her hands and lifted them to his mouth. “You wring your hands when you’re worried.”
Gwen sighed. “Oh.”
“You need to go back to your room, sweetheart. I’m fine and you need to sleep.”
Andrew gave her a gentle kiss and pushed her out the door. Gwen reluctantly made her way back to bed and did her best not to worry.
* * *
Andrew woke early the next morning, surprised to find he’d slept the entire night without dreaming. He got up and washed his face, then gathered the meager amount of items he’d brought with him and made his way downstairs. When he checked the dining room, he found Wilhelmina and Gwen.
“Good morning.” Gwen jumped up to greet him.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” He leaned down to kiss her chastely on the cheek, then turned to her mother. “Mrs. Butler.”
“How did you sleep?” Wilhelmina asked.
“Very well, thank you.” He winked at Gwen.
“Come and have some breakfast. Daddy and Jacob have already taken care of our luggage, so we’ll leave right on time.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” He made his way to the buffet and prepared a plate.
Jacob and Vincent walked in just as everyone pushed their plates away.
“Is everyone ready to go?” Vincent stood at the head of the table and addressed the group. “The buggy is out front and your horses have been tethered.”
“Thank you.” Andrew pulled Gwen’s chair out so she could stand.
The family made their way outside and climbed into the carriage. Andrew took Gwen’s hand and squeezed it gently as he sat next to her. They arrived at the train station with plenty of time to get their horses settled, so Andrew left Gwen with her brother and walked them back to the stable car. Vincent directed the porter to their bags and left his family on the platform briefly.