If Chloe had had any doubts she’d traveled through time, seeing the clothing the people wore, hearing the way they spoke, watching men fighting with real swords—all of those things together reinforced the truth. The stones had sent her through time. She was in an honest-to-goodness working castle. There wasn’t any visible electricity. Not a single car, motorcycle, boat, airplane, or train. Not even a bicycle. Horses were the only mode of transportation, though she had spotted a few wagons and one carriage. The carriage did not look comfortable the way the big wheels jolted the carriage when they hit ruts in the road.

Chloe was so busy taking everything in, trying to commit every detail to memory so she could tell her granda, that she hadn’t even noticed they’d stopped until the beast lifted her off the horse, like she weighed less than a bag of groceries, and set her firmly on the ground.

A young girl was waiting to greet them.

“Merry,” he said. “Fetch blankets and spiced wine. The lady is going to break her teeth if we do not warm her.”

“Aye, my lord.” The girl scurried away to do his bidding.

“Come.” He didn’t wait to see if Chloe followed him as he strode into his home. Well, he certainly had the bossy lord thing down pat. Chloe couldn’t feel much of her body as she stumbled into his home and into a huge room.

The great hall was bustling with activity. What looked like old, weathered wood picnic tables were in the process of being pulled away from the walls and set up in long rows with benches on either side for seating. Her stomach grumbled again as the delicious smell of food filled her nose.

He led her to the kitchens. The warmth made her want to curl up in front of the roaring fire. Chloe groaned as the tingling spread from her toes and fingers through her body as she defrosted, dripping water onto the stone floor while steam rose from her clothes.

“Rest, mistress.” The young girl Chloe had seen outside set a cup of wine in front of her, the wood tabletop worn smooth by countless hands over the years. The smell of spices hit her nose, making her mouth water.

“Merry, right?” Chloe took a sip, the warmth spreading through her veins. “Thank you.”

Chloe looked to Richard, who was standing with his feet shoulder width apart, arms crossed over his chest, and the hood was still up. She could tell he’d suffered some kind of injury but couldn’t get a close enough look to tell what kind.

“I cannot thank you enough for saving me from those awful men.”

Finally warm, she pulled the heavy cloak off and hung it on a peg near the fire to dry.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Merry, but the girl quickly averted her eyes.

Richard, however, thoroughly looked Chloe up and down.

“We will have speech tonight. There is much to discuss, Mistress Chloe.” She saw his lips move as he read her shirt. He blinked several times.

“‘I’m not antisocial, I’d just rather read.’ What is ‘antisocial’?” Richard frowned at her shirt. “Why do you have words on your tunic?” He looked her up and down again, his eyes taking in every detail.

Chloe had the urge to smooth down her hair, but she resisted.

“Why are you dressed as a man? I have not seen such strange garments or shoes.”

The wine went down fast, considering she didn’t drink—wasn’t old enough—but she’d been cold and it warmed her up, even though it tasted a bit like fruit and vinegar. Tart. Chloe held the cup up, grateful when Merry refilled it.

This man was too observant for his own good.

“Let me see. Antisocial means I like to be alone.” She held up two fingers. “Where I come from, lots of people have words on their clothing. It is a way to express yourself.” The third finger went up. “All women wear pants and shoes like mine. Your garments look odd to me.” She smiled sweetly at him. “Any more questions?”

“Where is your escort, mistress?”

That was what she got for asking instead of keeping her big mouth shut. Luckily, Chloe was saved by her own stupidity. She’d put the cloak too close to the flames, and it had caught fire.

There was a commotion, everyone jumping into action to put out the fire before she burned down the kitchens. “I’m so sorry. I’m just exhausted. It’s been a horrible twenty-four hours.”

“You needs rest. I will see you to a chamber before you set fire to the rest of my home.”

Chloe stuck her tongue out at his back, knowing it was childish, but happy when Merry and another little girl giggled. An adorable kitten ran past them as he led the way. Chloe wanted to pick up the cute little cat, but Richard was walking so fast that she practically had to jog to keep up. The guy was six two or six three to her five six, and he had long legs.

He still hadn’t removed his hood, making her desperately curious to know what had happened. They wound around and around up the dim stairs to the second floor.

“Watch your step; many of the chambers have not yet been repaired.” He sounded gruff and embarrassed.

They came to a stop at the end of the long hallway that was lit with actual torches. Though the walls were bare stone, they hadn’t been painted, and there weren’t any paneling or tapestries on the walls, either. Was he one of those nobles with a title but no gold?

The heavy wooden door swung open with a creak.

“Your chamber.” He stepped into the room and made quick work of building up the fire. Chloe wanted to tell him to slow down so she could figure out what he did, but he was already finished. She’d have to hope one of the servants would take care of it or show her what to do. Especially because she’d lost the small book of matches somewhere along the way.

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

He nodded. “More snow will fall this night. You would have frozen outdoors.”

He crossed the room but paused in the doorway. “Rest. I will send someone to wake you before supper.”

“Thank—” she called out, but he was already out the door. Guess he wasn’t one for small talk. Neither was she. It wasn’t a bad trait, except when she wanted lots of information.

The room was a bit small. The bed had linens and pillows, along with a wool covering, but they all looked shabby. Like they’d been in storage a long time and moths had gotten at them. But at least the room was clean. There was a pipe sticking out of the wall with running water. Chloe drank deeply, grateful for the water. There was a ewer and basin on a table, and a small trunk at the foot of the bed. Outside the window, she could see the woods, the landscape silver and white in the fading afternoon light.

Exhausted, she climbed into bed, only stopping to kick off her shoes. She was asleep before her head hit the down-filled pillows.