Handfasted to You: Timeswept Soulmates (Timeless Brides Book 2) Read online

  “I love you,” she whispered lovingly. She took several deep breaths, just needing to breathe in his essence. Breathe him into her. The scent of sandalwood, sweat and sawdust tickled her nose. She never realized how much she would miss his very being until this moment. “I love you more than I ever realized I could love someone. If this is it, I need you to know how I feel.”

  “Emeline,” he murmured thickly, pulling her to him and capturing her lips with his. His warm breath tickled her lips and made her mindless to the surroundings for a few seconds. “I love you and thank God you came into my life, even if for a brief moment,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her in an embrace. The idea of them swinging beside each other in a noose or being labeled a traitor in the history books made her shake with fear.

  “I’m scared,” she whispered, and began to cry as he kissed the top of her head.

  “I know, love. I will protect you as long as I can. If you get the chance to flee, go,” he whispered in her ear. “Promise me, you’ll run if you can. Promise me!” he ordered. Nodding, she could feel his racing heartbeat as he held her, both of them knowing that this was the end. One or both of them would be imprisoned momentarily.

  She could hear footsteps rushing up the stairs. Those rampant thumps echoed her very own heartbeat, wild and undulating with fear. She expected to see powdered wigs and red uniforms coming through the threshold any moment now. Instead, Samuel’s dark head peered over the railing.

  “Are you two finished?” she heard Samuel’s voice break through the protective shell she was building around herself mentally. Her body had been preparing to either spring forth and run like hell… or to fight against being dragged from the house bodily by armed soldiers.

  “Samuel!” they both exclaimed together. William helped her stand and raced over to shake his hand. They stood in the bedroom that was becoming progressively smaller and smaller by the number of occupants coming to their aid. “You have to help me get Emeline out of here!”

  “Looks like you need a body hauled away,” he said wryly, staring at the soldier and giving him a swift kick. “Not dead yet?”

  “No,” William said. “But we both will be, unless he disappears. Or we do!”

  “Well, we can’t have one of our ammunitions experts leaving us when war is on the brink of beginning,” Samuel said, clapping him on the back. Emeline could see William’s fear for her in his eyes as he looked at her.

  “I can’t have her in danger,” he countered. “You need to get her to safety!”

  “No, I agree. We can’t have this lobsterback lying here bleeding everywhere,” Samuel concurred. “I think he should be on the next ship out of the colonies.”

  “He will come back for us,” William countered, shaking his head.

  “I have a remedy for that as well but it’s not for the ears of ladies,” he said politely towards Emeline. “Are you all right, Mistress?”

  “Yes, shaken and concerned. But I am all right thanks to my husband,” she admitted quietly.

  “Think you can clean the blood from the floor where your husband has had his revenge?” Samuel asked with a glimmer of laughter in his face. “William, I had no idea you had it in you, you sly fellow.”

  “No one will harm my wife while I am alive,” he repeated staunchly.

  “I can see this,” Samuel said, clapping him on the back. “There is a fighter in you hidden by your calm demeanor.”

  “Go, take his body from here and I will clean the mess,” Emeline said quickly, her voice shaking by the idea that soldiers could come at any time. “If soldiers come…” she trailed off, unable to voice the words.

  “I do not believe there was anyone else. However, Benjamin is downstairs as well as Dr. Warren. You will not be alone. There is no reason to be afraid,” Samuel instructed. “They will protect you with their lives if need be.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you are one of us, Mistress Spencer,” he said with a slight nod of acceptance. “Now, let us be off.”

  Samuel bent down to grab the soldier by the scruff of his neck and smiled at the swelling already starting on his bloodied face. “Again, good job, William. Remind me not to anger you,” he said lightly and dragged the limp body down the stairs behind him with not a care for if he was conscious or not. Each thump down the stairs made her flinch as she imagined his body parts hitting each riser, reminding her again how tall the stairs were.

  Emeline was aghast at how cold and vicious that seemed, but this was the beginning of an era that would have many things she felt were brutal. People here had already tarred and feathered one man, hangings and brandings were a form of punishment. The idea of dragging a limp body down the stairs shouldn’t surprise her, but it did. She was softer than she realized, she thought as she stared at the unreal scene.

  “Emeline? Are you all right, my love?” William asked, pulling her into his arms.

  “Just shaken,” she admitted. “What will Samuel do with him?”

  “I don’t know, but I trust the man with my life,” he answered, “and yours.”

  Nodding, she kissed him quickly at hearing Samuel yell up for William. She stared at his back as he took off after Samuel. She slowly descended the stairs and nodded at the two men that sat calmly at the table talking. When she walked in the room, the both stopped talking.

  “I’m fine. Just getting something to clean upstairs,” she said quietly, standing still. Dr. Warren came over and handed her a cup of ale. Nodding, she took a sip and set it down on the table. “I will be back to finish my drink once that mess is cleaned up. Perhaps, I will have something a bit stronger,” she lamented, staring absently at the cup.

  Grabbing a wooden bucket and a small cloth, she poured water from a pitcher into the bucket. Benjamin offered to get more water for her should she need it and she just nodded. It seemed so strange not to be able to turn the tap and fill a sink. Numbly, she moved slowly up the stairs carefully and mopped up the splattered blood. As she dunked the rag in the bucket, she realized that a man had almost been beaten to death for touching her. He would have taken her, had William not rescued her. Her tender William had been so angry at him for attempting to harm her, it was heady and humbling at the same time.

  She felt herself give in to the range of emotions that were boiling inside of her. Fear that they could have lost their lives, rage that because the soldier decided her home was property of the king they could take everything, including her! This was deemed acceptable in this time period? Helplessness, that she had not been able to fight him off. Shock, that William had beaten the Redcoat to a pulp, mindless in his own fit of rage. She stared at the bloody rag she held and the dark water, her hands shaking. She wanted that sense of comfort and peace that William brought her. His presence gave her such a sense of peace that she had never known before. She felt whole when she was near him.

  Emeline finished wiping the floor and rejoined the two men downstairs. Feeling bereft, she listened vaguely as they talked around her, not to her… but then again, she really wasn’t much company. Sipping on the bitter ale, she felt a bit more relaxed physically. But inside, she still felt anxious.

  She wanted her William.

  “About that? I think I made a mistake,” Eve said stepping forward. Emeline glanced up to see that the men were completely frozen and not moving.

  “What do you mean you make a mistake?”

  “Well, I have never really been one for details and I just realized that I might have crossed a few wires. Too many cases I’m working on,” she waved her hand carelessly.

  “You drowned me, you dumped me here and now you said you made a mistake? I was almost raped and arrested for treason tonight. William is out there and might still be arrested. How on earth did you make a mistake?”

  “1770 is easy to confuse with 1870,”

  “No, it’s not. That’s a century apart.”

  “It’s a detail I missed.”

  “How did you miss that? A century, Eve! There’
s a century difference! One hundred years! That is outdoor plumbing versus indoor plumbing,” she said angrily.

  “You ready to go?”

  “Hell no! I’m not going anywhere!”

  “Language, Missy,” Eve said quickly, and cleared her throat nervously. “This isn’t going quite like I expected.”

  “What did you expect? Me to leap right into your palm and away we go?”

  “Well you jumped right in the sack with your new husband,” Eve countered.

  “Hello? He is hot and incredibly attractive! Have you seen him?”

  “Yes, yes. He is a dapper-looking fellow.”

  “Dapper? Really? You sound like an old woman.”

  “A fine young man. Okay? You are getting picky over details and, frankly, a bit insulting.”

  “One of us has to pay attention to details!! It’s not your strong point, obviously.”

  “Why on earth are you still yelling? I’m starting to think you are angry with me.”

  “I am angry! If you made a mistake, I am happy with it. You aren’t taking me anywhere and if you do?” she said, getting to her feet angrily.

  “What? You will what, little girl? Threaten me?” Eve asked with a knowing smirk.

  “No, I don’t know what I will do but you will not remove me from here. I am married to a great guy. A guy that you placed me with! For a set of Stanley tools, no less!”

  “You are getting ready to go to war and will be stuck in the middle of it.”

  “That was what you dropped me off to do from the very beginning – so why are you wanting to drag me from here now?”

  “Drag is such a harsh term.”

  “Mistake is a harsh term. ‘Oops, I drowned the wrong girl’ is a harsh term. ‘Oops, you just fuc-‘”

  “That’s enough, young lady. I get your drift. You are quite the spitfire, aren’t you?”

  Nodding silently, she crossed her arms over her chest. Standing there, she planted her feet wide apart as if it would keep her from being taken away. She glared daggers at Eve. “I’m not leaving William, even if you silence me.”

  “Well, what am I supposed to do about your vacant spot?”

  “Fill it with someone else. Go find another victim to drown.”

  “You are still tender about that, aren’t you?”

  “Hello? It hurt like H-E-double hockey sticks.”

  “What’s that?”

  “HELL! It hurt like hell! Okay? Sheesh! No cursing, but you can’t spell? I’m trying to protect your little virgin ears.”

  “I will let that one slide,” Eve said magnanimously, studying her nails.

  “Well, that is big of you,” Emeline quipped sarcastically.

  “I am a generous person.”

  “You’ve told me that before.”

  “It’s true.”

  “Now, you have been generous with me giving me my soulmate… why don’t you pair up someone else in the next century. Give someone else a chance.”

  “Are you sure about that? Cause I am giving you one heck of a chance. He is a hottie, too.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “No. N. O. Don’t move me. My ‘puzzle piece’, as you call it, fits just fine here.”

  “You sure? I have a cowboy to pair up and… oh, an astronaut! This should be fun!”

  “Eve, I am sincerely happy here. Don’t move me. It sounds like you have a challenge on your hands pairing up those two.”

  “Should I?”

  “Should you what? Seriously woman, are you senile?”

  “I could pair up those two but, then again, there is a ballerina and a princess, too. Maybe I should pair them up?”

  “You are the divine creature, remember? Relocation specialist?”

  “Yes! Yes, I am. Simply divine, I like that. Are you ready to go?”

  “NO! Pair someone else up! Leave me here, Eve,” she said with conviction, sitting back down with finality. “Don’t change my placement. I’m home.”

  “You sure?”

  “YES. Don’t move me, I love my William.”

  “I love you, too, Emeline.” She heard his tender voice carry across the room, washing peacefully over her. Standing abruptly, she almost spilled the ale she had been sipping on. She had been nursing that mug for some time just waiting for him to come home. She was exhausted, she couldn’t imagine how tired he must be. William was still healing from his bullet wound, although it didn’t seem to hamper him earlier when he was beating the snot out of the soldier. She realized she didn’t even know that soldier’s name, but then again - it simply didn’t matter. William was all that mattered to her now.

  “Come in and sit down. Let me get you something to drink.” She rushed over, fussing over him.

  “Thank you, my love.”

  “So, you were announcing how much you care for me to Benjamin and Dr. Warren?”

  “I guess I couldn’t help myself.”

  “I like that about you,” he whispered. “When you can’t help yourself, and lose control.”

  “Mmmm, maybe later. We have company now.”

  “Not for long if you two are going to act in this fashion,” Dr. Warren countered with an approving smile. “Come along, Benjamin. I believe the newlyweds need to be alone.”

  “I should say so!”

  It was eerie to see how Eve could pop in and out of a room at will. It was even creepier that she could freeze the occupants to where they couldn’t see or hear her. Emeline guessed that Eve was content with her refusal to leave since she up and poofed out of the room just as quickly as she appeared. The thought of being dropped in the wrong time period did not sit well with Emeline. But when she heard William’s voice, she knew that this was absolutely right. She couldn’t imagine anything better.

  Seeing the two men leave into the dark night, she turned and looked at William. Really looked at him. His warm, beautiful eyes drew her right in. She couldn’t imagine staring at another face, another tender expression with such love she felt in her heart right now. Oh yes, he was the right one for her.

  “Keep looking at me like that, love, and I will be tempted to take you to bed.”

  “Who says we have to be in bed, Husband?” she said huskily. Emeline was supremely satisfied to see his shocked look quickly turn into one of passionate desire. He was incredibly attentive to her needs in bed. She could only imagine how he would react if he knew she was interested in all he had to offer.

  “That would be quite… ah… sinful, Emeline.”

  “Who would know?” she whispered, enjoying the internal struggle she saw in his eyes as she stepped out of his arms and pulled the window panels closed from prying eyes. She moved to fasten the door and was surprised to have him suddenly behind her, his hands splayed over hers as she fastened the door closed.

  “Sinful,” she hesitated, catching her breath, “is outside of marriage.” She glanced over her shoulder at his smoldering eyes that watched her every move a mere hairsbreadth from her. “Inside of our marriage is... pure bliss.” His face looked strained, his eyes molten as he watched her. Giving a shy smile, she turned to him. His arms locked around her as he trapped her within his personal space. “Anything done in love… is right,” she whispered tenderly. “And I love you.”

  “I would never harm you or make you regret our handfasting,” he admitted softly, as if he knew the conversation she had with Eve not long ago. “I would die for you, for your love and happiness.”

  “I would do the same,” she agreed with a knowing smile. Been there, done that, wrote the book. “You are everything to me.”

  She watched his dark head as it descended towards hers. That sexy smile that made her melt and agree to this crazy charade from the very beginning. His lips hesitated only a moment before making sweet, delicious contact. From the first touch to the end, she seemed to leap from her body towards his beautiful form, losing complete awareness of where she was or what she was doing. It was incredibly wanton to feel that closeness, such co
mpletion in his arms.

  Emeline knew that she was trying to hold herself back to keep it from being over too soon but she was fighting a losing battle. Every touch sent her blood boiling. Every groan made her knees weak. His fingers flew across the front panel of her dress, pulling her breasts forward within his reach.

  “I’m sorry they are so small,” she whispered, embarrassed. Glancing down, she saw that she was blushing so much even her bosom had turned pink.

  “I adore these,” William said reverently, caressing each delicate tip with his finger. “Perfect in every way and mine for the tasting tonight.” He picked her up and placed her on the table. Staring, she noticed her hands were trembling as she slowly opened his shirt, exposing his chest.

  “Maybe you should rest instead and let this heal,” she countered, noticing the angry scar on his side. “There will be time for this when you are feeling back to normal.”

  “I need your touch. Would you deny me?” he teased, licking her taut nipple. “Tsk, tsk, telling a hungry man no, Wife?”

  “Never,” she sighed in contentment as he peeled the rest of her dress back down to her waist. A cool breeze touched her bare skin as he gathered up the heavy skirts and bundled them on the table next to her. Emeline felt so very exposed and her body quivered with excitement as she watched him let his pants fall, his body ready for hers. Stepping forward, his expression was that of love. She adored how open he was with her. His hand cupped her head, pulling her towards his. His lips devoured her as his other hand touched her body, stroking it and preparing her for him. At her cry of ecstasy, they joined. Her warmth received him, causing both of them to gasp at the sensation.

  “Incredible,” he breathed.

  “Perfect,” she agreed.

  “I believe I want to savor this moment, love.”

  “Take your time. I am in no hurry for this to be over.”

  “Neither am I,” he admitted huskily, sliding forward again into her. Each thrust caused a burst of pleasure that made her feel as if her soul were climbing and climbing, higher each time. Her fingers dug into his hips, encouraging him forward into a faster pace as she felt the sensations building.