Threaded Through Time, Book One

Sarah Ettritch

Chapter One

Pam muttered under her breath as she dug through her purse for her keys. The plastic bag dangling from her left hand—the hand holding her purse steady as she groped—slipped from her fingers and thudded onto the steps. Shit! She pounded on the front door. “Robin!” No answer.

“Robin!” she shrieked, not caring what the neighbours thought. Damn woman probably had her headset on. “Robin!”

She pulled out her phone and quickly dialled their number. “Come down and open the front door,” she barked, then hung up.

Fifteen seconds later, the door swung open. Robin glared at her.

“I couldn’t find my damn keys.” Pam picked up the bag and brushed past her. “We need to get the stupid doorbell fixed.”

Robin shut the door and locked it. “We’re in the middle of a boss fight and I’m the freaking healer,” she wailed, dashing for the stairs. She was halfway up them when she stopped and turned around. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?”

A date that would have lasted all of five minutes, if she’d had the guts to walk out instead of sitting through a boring dinner with a cheapskate. He’d shattered her visions of romance soon after the server had seated them: I know you modern women like to pay your own way. I can respect that, so it’ll be separate bills. Unless you’d like to pay for me. Smarmy bastard. On her way out of the restaurant, she’d given him the finger—surreptitiously. What was it about men today? Was there a man out there who knew how to respect women and treat them well? “We didn’t hit it off, so we decided to skip the movie,” she said.

“Oh.”

“I stopped in at Jake’s on the way back, picked up a couple of things.” She lifted the plastic bag so Robin could read the Mathers Mystic Marketplace emblazoned on its side.

“So it’s Jake’s now?” Robin rolled her eyes. “If it weren’t for you, he’d probably go out of business.” She thumped up the stairs.

Pam went into the living room and set her purse and the bag on the arm of the sofa. Now where were those damn . . . She fished around in her suit jacket pocket. Her fingers closed around metal. With a sigh, she pulled out her keys and dropped them into her purse. Today just wasn’t her day; it felt as if the universe were conspiring against her. Jake had understood, had known exactly what she needed. Too bad he was already taken. She grabbed the bag and headed upstairs.

As Pam approached Robin’s bedroom, she could hear her pleading, “I’m sorry. My roommate couldn’t find her freaking keys. You all looked fine when I left.” Pam stuck her head around the bedroom door. “Sorry,” she mouthed.

Robin glanced at her. “Look, do you want to take a fifteen-minute break, then try again?” she said into the headset’s microphone. “It looks like I’m in for more roommate aggro.” The responses must have been affirmative; Robin whipped off the headset and set it on her desk.

“Now they’re all mad at me,” she muttered.

“I said I was sorry.” Pam walked into the bedroom. “When you start playing again, do you think you can keep the shouting and swearing down? Jake recommended I meditate while holding rose quartz and tanzanite.”

“And let me guess . . . that’s what you just bought.”

Pam nodded.

“And I didn’t even have to tap into my psychic abilities,” Robin said sarcastically. “What else did he—” her fingers formed air-quotes, “—prescribe? That bag has more than crystals in it.”

“This is pretty cool.” Pam rested the bottom of the bag on the edge of Robin’s desk and slid out the large black book it held. She offered it to Robin. “What do you think?” Robin’s face screwed up as she waved her hand in front of her nose. “I think the last owner smoked.”

Pam sniffed the air. “Incense,” she stated. “But never mind that. According to Jake, this book contains sacred verses that were lost to us until they were rediscovered in the nineteenth century! They bolster the body, the mind, and reveal what the universe wants from us, the reason we were given life.”

Robin shook her head. “You don’t really believe all that crap, do you?” She set the book on her lap and gingerly lifted the front cover. “Ugh! The last owner drank coffee, too.”

“There are a few stains—which Jake pointed out to me. But I just couldn’t pass it up.” She couldn’t wait to recite the verses, either. Why not improvise? After meditating, she’d hang onto the crystals. The verses would be more illuminating if she read them while still in tune with her inner spirit. “Oh, apparently one set of verses will reveal the natural form of your spirit guide.” Robin barked a laugh. “I don’t know why you waste your time and money on this.”

“You’re one to talk, Miss Elf-Healer!” Pam held two fingers against each ear and stuck her teeth out.

“You look like a rabbit,” Robin said, her mouth twitching. “And you can take this smelly book back.”

“Pearls before swine!” Pam snatched the book away and slid it into the bag. “I want half an hour of quiet, all right? After I’ve recharged, I’ll go downstairs and watch a movie. You can make as much noise as you want then.”

“I’ll try to hold it down,” Robin mumbled.

“Why don’t you watch the movie with me? You can play with your elf buddies another time.”

“You know I don’t like old movies.”

“Well, I need one of those old movies tonight.” Pam clasped her free hand to her heart. “I want to watch Cary, or John, or Jimmy, or Humphrey, be swept back to the time when men were men and women were women.”

“Pardon me if I don’t share your enthusiasm for the old days.” Robin reached for her headset. “Lesbians weren’t exactly welcome back then.”

“I suppose that’s true.” She ruffled Robin’s hair. “But I wuv you, Robin. I do,” she cooed.

Robin groaned and leaned away from her. “Go do your meditation . . . thing, already.” Pam blew her a kiss from the doorway and chuckled to herself as she walked down the hall to her own bedroom. Robin should spend less time in her fantasy worlds and find a nice girl to settle down with. But then she’d move out, and the place wouldn’t be the same without her. Pam and Robin were more than roommates; they’d been best friends since elementary school. When Pam had inherited her mother’s creaky old house that was too large for one person, Robin had been the perfect solution. Pam had loved her for agreeing to move in, instead of being her usual pragmatic self and suggesting that Pam sell up and find somewhere else to live. Robin had taken some convincing, but she knew how precious this house was to Pam. And moving in had allowed Robin to finally pursue her dream. She’d denied herself too much for too long.

Pam dropped the bag on the bed, changed into a t-shirt and sweats, and lit a few candles to set the mood. After dimming the light, she sat cross-legged on the bed and cradled the rose quartz in her left hand and the tanzanite in her right. She closed her eyes and imagined herself walking along a beach on a warm summer morning, the sand squishing between her toes and the sun—

“I said pull, not bring the whole mob down on us!” Robin shouted in her bedroom.

Pam groaned. With that damn headset on, Robin couldn’t hear herself. It didn’t help that Pam’s door was open, but she hated meditating in a closed room. Air flow was important.

Openness was key. Fortunately the house had two floors.

A minute later, Pam was in the exercise room on the ground floor. Okay, they’d yet to exercise in it and their treadmill was currently serving as a place to stack boxes, but whatever.

She shooed Mitzy off the old chair in the corner and plopped into it, ignoring the dirty look the cat gave her.

Forget the damn meditation! Too keyed up, Pam looked down at the book in her lap, tracing the embossed gold letters of the title: MAGICAL MOON RHYMES FOR ALL TIMES. She opened the cover and flipped to the copyright page. Published in Toronto in 1882. Cripes. The book was old, yes, but more than age had yellowed its pages. Robin was right; this book had encountered a smoker, an incense burner, and someone who couldn’t hold a coffee cup steady.

She pulled the crystals from the pockets of her sweats, selected the rose quartz, and held it in her left hand. With her right, she flipped to the first rhyme and read its introduction: For those with too much time. She snorted. I wish! But she dutifully read it anyway and moved on to the next rhyme—though the first rhyme didn’t rhyme at all and, from the looks of it, neither did the second.

Pam was beginning to think that maybe the $35 she’d spent on the book hadn’t been a wise purchase after all, when she reached page 17 and read the next rhyme’s introduction: For those who were born before or after their time.

Oh my god! That’s me! She always said to Robin that she belonged to her grandparents’

generation more than her own. Pleased to finally come across a rhyme that resonated with her, Pam tightened her fingers around the rose quartz, then tutted when she noticed the coffee stain obscuring the verse’s last line. Fortunately someone had penned in the missing words.

She silently read the rhyme:

when in the wrong time

universe will not be kind

until you align

with swapping souls

What the hell did that mean? She read it again, this time aloud.

*****

1910

Margaret paced the length of her bedroom, dreading the knock at the door that could come at any minute. Why did she feel this way? Her married and engaged friends were thrilled for her, and her single friends were envious of her. Mother looked as if she were having heart palpitations every time she spoke his name. Father’s eyes shone every time the subject was raised at the dinner table. The only one who wasn’t excited was Margaret. And she should be! She was about to receive what every young lady desired: a marriage proposal, and from Jasper Bainbridge.

Oh, the hearts that had broken when he’d invited her to the annual merchants’ ball. That evening had been followed by the theatre, walks in the park, and quiet lunches in upscale cafés.

When the invitation to dine with his family had arrived, she’d known it was only a matter of time. Then, one afternoon last week, she’d returned home from a carriage ride with Helena in time to see Father shaking Jasper’s hand on the doorstep.

Helena’s mouth had formed an “O” and she’d quickly ordered the coachman to circle the block. “Congratulations, Margaret,” she’d crowed, her eyes bright with excitement. “I wonder what the engagement ring will look like. A diamond, surely. Lord knows he can afford it!” Margaret had hoped her answering smile didn’t look sickly. She’d sat in silence as Helena prattled on about when Jasper might propose, whether they’d marry in the chapel near the Bainbridge Estate, and who would be on the guest list. “I wonder if you’ll beat me and Teddy to the altar?” Helena had mused. Then she’d nudged Margaret’s arm. “Aren’t you excited? You’re going to become Mrs. Jasper Bainbridge!”

Yes, her fate had been sealed by a handshake. Jasper would ask her to marry him, but the question would be rhetorical. It would be scandalous to say no, and if she dared to respond that way, her parents would never speak to her again.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Jasper. She enjoyed his company, shared his views on many issues of the day, and trusted him. But she didn’t love him, and was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with her. She’d lied her way through all the breathless conversations with her friends about the boys, and then men, they’d kissed. To hear them talk, the kiss—touch—of a man produced some kind of delirious and pleasant state that couldn’t be achieved through any other activity. Everyone always squealed in recognition as they listened to a girlfriend describe her bliss when her date had passionately kissed her good night. Margaret squealed and nodded too, but felt nothing but bewilderment. When she kissed a man, or accepted a proffered arm, she didn’t feel blissful, or dreamy, or the titillating heat in her nether regions that Susanne always experienced on evenings out with Stephen. Nor did Margaret feel repulsed. She felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

When she and Jasper kissed, her lips—and the rest of her—felt dead, and when she slipped her arm through his, she felt no different than when she slipped her arm through Grandmother’s.

It wasn’t him; no male evoked the blissful state her friends raved about.

But she couldn’t refuse his proposal. She was already twenty-three and didn’t want to delay marriage any longer. Jasper would be kind; he would take care of her, and perhaps allow her to study at university—after she’d provided the requisite heir to the Bainbridge fortune. She, in turn, would be a dutiful wife and take care of him. As for love . . . she had to believe it would grow between them. He was certainly more interesting than all the other men she’d dated, and they were friends. Surely that was a solid foundation for marriage?

When a footman had arrived yesterday with Jasper’s card, announcing his intent to visit and asking for confirmation that she’d be home, Margaret had known what would take place. Mother hadn’t been able to sit still all day, and as the Wiltons’ two housemaids had dusted and polished in the drawing room, they’d chattered about the upcoming proposal and the celebrations that would follow. If only Margaret could feel as excited!

She turned to the full-length mirror and displayed a broad smile. “Why yes, Jasper, I would love to marry you!” Her smile wilted. But what else could she do?

Margaret tensed when she heard the expected knock. “Yes?” she called, then raised her brows when Mother swung the door open, rather than a housemaid.

“He’s here,” Mother hissed. She pressed her hands together as if praying and studied Margaret. “Oh, my baby. My sweet, sweet baby.” In a rare display of affection, she grasped Margaret’s shoulders and pressed her cheek against hers. “Go on, now. Don’t make him wait.” Her eyes were moist when she stepped back.

“Yes, Mother.”

Margaret descended the stairs to the drawing room, her heart sinking with each step. She briefly entertained the notion that perhaps she’d misinterpreted the handshake and the footman’s visit, that everyone’s excitement was misguided. After all, Father had never told her that Jasper had requested his permission to propose. But he’d told Mother, and her demeanour since then, especially her exuberant anticipation of Jasper’s visit, had told everyone else.

One look at Jasper chased away the last shred of hope to which Margaret still clung. He normally exuded an air of confidence, but not today. He paced the drawing room, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes on his feet. Not wanting to embarrass him, Margaret stepped away from the doorway and cleared her throat. When she entered the room, he smiled and stepped toward her. “Margaret.”

She extended her hand. He gently held her fingers and brushed his lips against her skin. “So nice to see you,” he murmured.

“And you, Jasper. Would you like me to ring for tea?”

“Not yet.” His Adam’s apple bobbed; his eyes closed as he gathered his courage. Margaret reminded herself that she couldn’t refuse him. What would she do? She had no money of her own, and no desire to work outside the home. Father’s property would go to her brothers. They’d likely see to her needs, but the stigma . . . the sense of failure . . . Mother and Father expected grandchildren.

Jasper opened eyes now bright. He shifted his weight. “Margaret . . . darling . . . ever since our first evening together at the merchant’s ball, my life has been blessed. Lately I find myself looking forward to our times together with an unbearable yearning. I admire your keen wit. You are pleasing to me in every way.” Margaret’s face flushed when his eyes left hers and travelled down her body, lingering an extra second on her breasts. He lifted his gaze, then dropped to one knee and pulled a small box from his inner jacket pocket. “Margaret, I would like nothing more than to have you as my wife.” He lifted the box’s lid and held the ring out to her. “Will you marry me?”

Her hand went to her throat; she stared at the glittering diamond. “Jasper—” A wave of nausea doubled her over. She clutched her stomach, surprised at the intensity of her physical reaction to Jasper’s proposal. She felt as if she were being pulled in ten different directions, and shot out one hand to steady herself. Then, as quickly as it had begun, her discomfort passed.

Gasping for air, she silently chided herself for being weak and childish. Jasper would think her mad! And be hurt. She must apologize, blame it on nerves, and accept his proposal.

“Margaret!”

She could hear the fear in Jasper’s voice and raised her head to reassure him that she was all right. But . . . nothing was as it should be. Jasper had straightened and was wildly glancing around, his expression mirroring her confusion. What—

“Holy shit!”

Margaret turned toward the foreign voice. A wide-eyed and oddly clad woman sat in a chair, an open book on her lap. “Robin, get your ass down here, now!” she shouted.

Margaret shrank into Jasper and screamed.

Chapter Two

Pam stared at the strangers who’d materialized right in front of her eyes. The woman’s scream snapped her to her senses. “Robin!” she yelled again, then drew back her arm, preparing to throw the rose quartz she still held in her trembling hand. “Don’t move, or I’ll bean you with this!” Though if they felt even half as petrified as they appeared, she didn’t have anything to fear from them. “Robin!” Could Robin hear her with that damn headset on? Pam wasn’t turning her back on these two! She lowered the rose quartz when footsteps thudded down the stairs.

“What is it now?” Robin shouted from the hallway. “It sounds like someone’s getting killed!

I’m going to get thrown out of my guild if—oh, sorry. I didn’t know people were over.” She stopped in the doorway and eyed the two strangers up and down. “Uh, you guys know Halloween’s still a month away, right?” she said with a smile. “On your way to a costume party?” She frowned when nobody spoke, and shifted her attention to Pam. “Do you want to introduce me to your friends?”

“They appeared out of nowhere.” Pam rested the crystal on the open book.

“What?”

“They just appeared—out of nowhere.”

“Yeah, you already said that.” Robin shrugged. “Okay, I don’t know what the joke is, but I’ve got to get back upstairs.” She turned away.

“No!” Pam shrieked. Something in her voice must have alarmed Robin, who spun around.

“What’s going on, Pam?” Robin’s eyes were now wary.

“I was sitting here reading my moon rhymes when these two just . . . appeared. Poof!” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that.” If not for the woman’s scream, she would have wondered if they were alive. They hadn’t said a word or moved a muscle since. They just stood and stared.

“You seriously expect me to believe that two people appeared out of thin air?” Robin drawled. “Are you telling me you don’t know them?”

“I’ve never seen them before in my life.”

Robin squared her shoulders and glared at the couple. “Okay, I don’t know who the two of you are or what you want, but if you’re not out of this house in five seconds, I’m calling the police. In fact, maybe I’ll do that anyway.”

“The police!” the man blurted. “There’s no reason to involve the constabulary. We mean you no harm. We’re as shocked as you are. We don’t know where we are.”

“We’re in my house,” the woman said quietly.

Pam pushed herself forward. “I beg your pardon! You are most assuredly not in your house.

You’re in my house.” Movement in the doorway caught her eye.

“Halfway house,” Robin mouthed, tipping her head to the left.

Oh god, yes! A halfway house for those with mental health problems was only a couple of streets away. But how had they gotten into this house? And why were they dressed in oldfashioned clothing? No, wait—they had appeared out of nowhere. Or had she somehow blacked out? Had they slipped into the room while she was in some sort of meditative state, and their movements had brought her out of it? But if they were creeping around the house, why would they enter an occupied room? Then again, if they’d wandered away from the halfway house . . .

The woman was murmuring to the man and pointing upward. Pam followed their gazes and squinted at the high, decorative ceiling. “And this,” she heard the woman say as the two strangers peered at the fireplace mantel.

Pam stiffened when she realized that Robin no longer stood in the doorway. Was this a weird dream? Who would appear or disappear next? Not wanting to alert the “guests” that she was alone, Pam tried to keep the rising panic from her face and silently willed Robin to return.

She released a relieved sigh when Robin stepped into the room and put her hands on her hips.

“Okay, both doors are locked and no windows are broken,” Robin announced.

“Did you call the cops?”

She shook her head. “I’m starting to think they are from the halfway house. I’d rather turn them over to the people there, not the cops.”

Pam understood why. Robin’s schizophrenic brother had spent a confusing night in the local lockup because officers had thought he was high. “But how did they get in?”

“We do have ears.” The woman’s voice was quiet but strong. “And this is my house.

Though the furnishings and decor have changed.”

“But when?” the man asked. “We were just standing in the drawing room.”

“I don’t know. But this,” she pointed to a chip in the wooden panel beside the mantel,

“happened when Uncle was demonstrating his golf swing and the club flew out of his hand.

Father never repaired it because he didn’t want to replace the entire panel for such a minor blemish.”

Pam no longer feared them; she pitied them, especially the woman, who seemed to be living in a fantasy world. “Listen, lady—”

The woman raised her hand. “No, no. I’m not a lady. You may address me as Margaret.” After rolling her eyes at Robin, Pam said, “All right, Margaret. My family has owned this house for over fifty years, and I don’t recall ever seeing you, your father, your uncle, or your companion here.”

“That’s impossible! Your family couldn’t have owned this house for that length of time. My father had it built and still lives in it.”

“My parents moved into this house in 1985,” Pam said patiently.

The man paled at the same time Margaret gasped and grabbed his arm. “Did you say 1985?” he asked hoarsely.

“Yep, 1985. So you must be in the wrong house. Now, I don’t know how you got in, but since you’ve been polite, I won’t involve the police. But do you know the name of anyone who’s been taking care of you in the big house a couple of streets over?”

“What are your names?” Robin asked. “Margaret what? And who are you?” she said to the man.

Margaret swallowed and placed her hand on her chest. “Something horrible has happened.

Jasper and I—we were just standing in this room, but in 1910. What year is it now?” Robin looked at Pam. “Great, they don’t even know what year it is. I’ll phone the halfway house, see if they’re missing a couple of people.”

“Wait!” Pam’s mind raced. “Robin, I know you’ll think I’m crazy, but they really did just appear out of thin air, right at the moment I was reading one of my time rhymes!” Oh my god, had she summoned people from the past? She grabbed her head. “I might have brought them here! Listen to this.” She lifted the book, allowing the rose quartz to slide onto her lap.

Jasper’s eyes widened and he pointed. “You practice the dark arts!” Pam chuckled and waved the silly notion away. “No, no, this isn’t magic.” Or maybe it was.

After all, she’d somehow sucked these poor people into the present—the future—no, the present.

“These are inspirational rhymes, meant to help attune you with the essence of the universe.” Robin and Margaret tutted, then looked at each other, startled. Robin cleared her throat. “So you expect me to believe that saying a rhyme brought these people here?”

“What other explanation is there?”

“I don’t know,” Robin said sarcastically, “maybe that one of the doors was unlocked and they waltzed in off the street?”

Pam shook her head. “I saw you lock the front door, remember? And we haven’t been out the back door all day. Or at least I haven’t.”

“Neither have I,” Robin mumbled. “And the windows have been closed all day, too.”

“And you keep denying what I saw with my own eyes!”

“And talking as if we’re not here,” Margaret said. “You also haven’t told us what year it is.”

“Two thousand and ten,” Pam said.

Jasper and Margaret gaped at her. Margaret recovered first. “I may be able to prove that I live here.” She frowned. “That I used to live here.”

Robin folded her arms. “Oh, this’ll be good.”

“Robin!” Pam wanted to throttle her. “Will you please give them a chance? How can you prove it?” she said to Margaret.

Margaret hesitated. “Well, I keep a diary . . . in the attic.”

“That’s a strange place for a diary,” Jasper said.

“It’s the only way to ensure privacy.”

“The housemaids?”

“No, Mother.”

“I’ve never been up in the attic.” Pam turned to Robin. “Have you?”

“I didn’t even know there was an attic. Where’s the access point?” Pam shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I do.” Margaret stepped toward the doorway.

“Whoa!” Robin thrust out both her hands.

“Oh, for god’s sake, Robin, if they were going to hurt us or steal anything, they would have done it by now. I believe them.”

“You would.”

Pam glared at her.

“Tell me where the attic is,” Robin said to Margaret.

Margaret pointed upward. “It’s at the top of the house.” Robin snickered. “I meant the access to the attic.”

“I know.” Margaret’s voice held a hint of contempt.

“I haven’t introduced myself,” Pam said, hoping to defuse the hostility rising between the other two women. “I’m Pam, and that’s Robin.”

“I am Jasper Bainbridge,” the man announced, “son of Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood Bainbridge, of the Bainbridge Estate. And this is Miss Margaret Wilton. Do you not have surnames now?”

“Oh yes, of course we do. My full name is Pamela Elizabeth Holden, and she’s—”

“Robin Tillman.” Robin’s smile looked forced. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Tillman?” Margaret glanced at Jasper. “The Tillman family used to live up the street from us—until Victor Tillman gambled away all his money.”

“They might not be any relation,” Pam said quickly. “Tons of people are named Tillman.” Including Robin Elenora Tillman. Pam couldn’t wait to tease her about leaving out the middle name she’d inherited from her great-grandmother—and hated. “Now, about that attic . . .”

“I’m delighted to meet you.” Jasper stepped forward and held out his hand.

Pam stared at it, then giggled and extended hers. “Oh, charmed, I’m sure,” she said breathily as he pressed his lips against it.

He turned to Robin. Pam stifled a grin as Robin grudgingly extended her hand. The moment Jasper’s head lifted, Robin pulled her hand away. “Now that we all know each other, where’s the access to the attic?”

“It’s in my room.” Margaret muttered something and shook her head. “The second room on the right.”

“That’s my bedroom!” Robin blurted. “You can’t get to the attic from there.”

“Yes, you can. If you’ll allow me to pass, I’ll show you.”

“Hold on.” Pam rested the book on the arm of the chair and the rose quartz on the book, then pushed herself up. “Let’s go.”

Jasper swept his arm out. “After you, ladies.”

“Oh, thank you.” The jerk at dinner could learn something about manners from Jasper! Pam felt as if she were in one of the old movies she loved to watch. She sighed when Robin stepped into the hallway and motioned for everyone to go ahead of her. “For all we know, he could knock us out the moment we turn our backs on him,” she whispered as Pam passed her. “And let her lead us to the bedroom, to see if she knows where she’s going.” Pam bit her tongue. Convinced that their two guests were indeed from the past, she wished Robin wouldn’t be so mistrustful. They were representing the twenty-first century, here!

“This is certainly . . . different,” Margaret said as they walked down the hallway. They climbed the stairs. Margaret didn’t hesitate on the landing; she walked to Robin’s bedroom and peered into it. “May I?”

“Be my guest,” Robin said.

“Be careful, Margaret.” Jasper waved his finger into the room. “We don’t know what those contraptions do.”

Did he mean the computer and the printer? Robin’s dirty laundry was more likely to harm them. “They won’t hurt you.” Pam walked into the bedroom and twirled once. “See?” Margaret took a couple of tentative steps, then walked over when Pam beckoned to her. “Now you, Jasper,” Pam said.

He shook his head. “It wouldn’t be proper for me to enter a lady’s bedroom.”

“Well, that’s all right, then. Robin’s not a lady,” Pam said with a giggle.

“And there’s no way you’re staying out here while we’re in there,” she heard Robin say.

“Very well.” He stepped into the room and clasped his hands behind his back.

Robin remained in the doorway. “Go on, then. Show us the access.” Margaret started to open the closet door.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Robin stepped into the bedroom, then stopped.

“The access to the attic is through here. Where did you think it was?” Margaret opened the door and surveyed the closet’s contents.

Pam peered over her shoulder. “What a mess! We’ll have to clear out all that stuff on the floor.”

“I’ll do it,” Robin quickly said. “You stand here. Both of you.” Neither Pam nor Margaret needed to be told twice. They silently watched as Robin threw shoes into a corner, rumpled shirts and pants onto the bed, and slid out a couple of boxes. She poked her head into the closet and looked up. “I can’t see anything. They should have added a light when they wired the rest of the house. We need a flashlight.”

“There’s one in the basement,” Pam said. “I’ll get it.”

“No! What about—”

“I’ll be quick. If I hear any screaming, I’ll call 911.” Shaking her head, Pam headed for the basement. If she had the slightest suspicion that Jasper and Margaret would hurt Robin, she wouldn’t leave her alone with them or go down into the basement by herself. Why would anyone dress up in early twentieth century clothing, break into a house, and pretend to be from the past?

Maybe they were from the halfway house, but Pam was inclined to believe her own eyes, and desperately hoped that Margaret’s diary was still there and would make Robin believe, too.

Otherwise two visitors from the past would be forced to wander the streets, confused, hungry, and homeless—and it would be Pam’s fault for being so careless with the power she hadn’t realized she possessed!

*****

Margaret listened to Pam’s receding footsteps and hoped she wouldn’t take long to retrieve the flashlight. The curious creature staring at them from the closet opening made her nervous. At first she’d thought Robin was a young man. Then Robin had stopped shouting and had spoken with a low but feminine voice, and Margaret had noticed her hips and smooth face. Not a man but a woman, and a rather suspicious and gruff one at that. Margaret and Jasper were the ones who had cause to worry, not these two women from the future. If Margaret’s diary wasn’t there because it had already been discovered and removed sometime during the past one hundred years

. . . Her heart thumped. There was no telling what Robin would do to them.

Of course, Margaret reasoned, perhaps she was dreaming, or had experienced a bout of nerves and was in a trance. It was hard to believe that she really had been transported to the future when she’d doubled over in the drawing room. Had her mind created this world to escape marriage to Jasper? No, she never would have imagined a world like this. Did all the women dress like men? Margaret hadn’t seen a single dress come out of Robin’s closet.

Robin’s bedroom didn’t look like a lady’s room. Where were the vanity and the full-length mirror? The blue walls were drab and masculine; a multicoloured rectangular cloth hanging on one wall stood out in contrast. Was it supposed to represent a rainbow? It was the wrong shape.

She glanced over her shoulder when she heard Pam climbing the stairs. Were Pam and Robin related? Where were their husbands and families?

“Here,” Pam said breathlessly, handing the flashlight to Robin.

She turned it on and swept it across the closet ceiling. “I do see what could be a trapdoor.” Margaret felt Jasper’s eyes on her and turned to him. His brows drew together. “You climb into the attic?”

Blood rushed to her cheeks. “There’s a stepladder in my closet. It’s been there since I was a child. I think everyone but me has forgotten about it.”

“We need a stepladder here, too,” Robin said.

Pam sighed. “How about a chair? And not yours. You could break your neck if it rolls away.” She snapped her fingers. “No, the stepladder we use to water the plants. I think it’s in the guest bedroom.”

“But what about your clothes?” Jasper asked Margaret, clearly struggling with the idea of Margaret scrambling into the attic to scribble in her diary.

Pam answered for her. “The closet’s practically a small room.” She jutted her chin toward Robin. “Remember how amazed you were when you first saw it?”

“I still don’t understand why you didn’t want this bedroom.” Robin stepped out of the closet.

“This thing’s wasted on me.”

“Because this was never my bedroom. I wanted my bedroom.” Pam had said the house belonged to her family. Margaret didn’t think Pam and Robin were sisters. Cousins? “Are the two of you related?”

Pam drew breath to respond. “We’re friends,” Robin said tersely. “That’s all you need to know. Are you going to get the stepladder, or what?”

“Yes!” With a sigh, Pam whirled.

Margaret didn’t expect her to be away for long, and she wasn’t. Robin took the stepladder from Pam and opened it inside the closet.

“I wonder what’s up there.” Pam sounded both fearful and curious. “If this were a crime show, a body would tumble out when we push that trapdoor open.”

“A body!” Margaret edged closer to Jasper.

Robin looked at Pam. “You’re scaring the guests. Do you want to go up? If I go, I expect you to keep an eye on them and not let them come up after me.”

“Oh, for god’s sake!” Pam climbed up the stepladder.

“Perhaps I should do it,” Jasper said.

Pam chuckled. “Jasper, you’ll find twenty-first century women are quite capable of doing things for ourselves.”

From her vantage point, Margaret could only see Pam from the waist down. When she heard a thud, she could tell that the trapdoor had opened slightly, then thudded shut again. It had done so many times for her, until she’d learned how much momentum to put behind her shove so that it would swing fully open.

“Harder,” Robin said.

A muffled crash told Margaret that Pam’s second attempt had succeeded. “Light!” Pam barked. Robin handed her the flashlight. “Mmmm. Nothing much interesting here.” Pam stood on tiptoe. “I don’t see a diary. I don’t see—aaaaah!” She leaped off the stepladder and dropped the flashlight. “Get it off me! Get it off me!” she cried, slapping at her head and making spitting noises. “Oh my god,” she wailed, blindly moving around the bedroom.

Margaret snagged the cobweb on Pam’s head, then ducked to avoid one of Pam’s flailing arms. “It’s all right. It’s just a cobweb.”

Pam’s arms stilled. She lifted her head and eyed the cobweb draped over Margaret’s fingers.

“Oh.” She slumped into Robin’s chair. “I thought it was a daddy longlegs. I hate the little buggers.”

So much for twenty-first-century women. Margaret deposited the cobweb in what looked like a trash bin.

Jasper smiled indulgently. “Let me do it.”

“No. I’ll do it.” Robin picked up the flashlight and cast a suspicious glance at him. “You might have a diary tucked in your jacket.”

“What, you’re not worried they’ll murder me while you’re up there?” Pam said.

“I’m taking my phone.” Robin snatched a rectangular object from her desk and slipped it into a front pocket. “One suspicious noise and I’m calling the cops.” Flashlight in hand, she climbed the stepladder. “Where’s this diary supposed to be?” she called, her voice muffled.

“Because Pam’s right, there’s nothing up here except cobwebs and dust.”

“One of the floorboards is broken,” Margaret said loudly. “Father didn’t want to replace it.”

“Father sounds like a cheapskate,” Pam murmured, followed by, “Sorry.”

“It’s all right. I share the sentiment.” Margaret raised her voice again. “Once you’re in the attic, walk along the southern side. You should spot it near the far end. Lift up the broken bit.” Robin’s feet left the stepladder. Her legs dangled. “Pam, come give me a boost.” Pam snorted. “I’ll try.”

“Allow me,” Jasper said.

“Yes, allow him, Robin. Please.”

Robin sighed. “All right. Just give me a push after I’ve hoisted myself up a little more.” Margaret craned her neck, but Jasper was blocking her view. When he stepped back, Robin was gone and footsteps creaked overhead, moving away from the bedroom. Margaret heard what she thought might be a muffled exclamation, then the footsteps grew louder.

“I’m coming down,” Robin shouted. Suddenly Margaret could see dangling feet. Jasper stepped forward and blocked her view again. She almost didn’t believe her eyes when Robin emerged from the closet, a brown book clutched to her chest. My Lord, they really were in the future!

Pam gasped. “Oh my god, you found it!”

“Don’t get excited yet.” Robin nodded toward Margaret. “Let’s see if she knows what’s in it.”

Margaret inwardly sighed. Would Robin ever be satisfied? Robin started to open the diary, then stopped and glanced behind her. “Um, why don’t you stand with her, so I’ll know you’re not reading over my shoulder and telling her what to say?” Jasper shook his head and walked to Margaret’s side.

“Okay.” Robin held the diary in front of her and lifted the front cover. “I have to admit, it looks old.”

Of course it’s old, it’s been there for a hundred years! Margaret wanted to shout.

Robin turned several yellow-edged pages with care, then shut the diary, flipped it over, and lifted its back cover. “Let me find the last entry,” she murmured. “And why don’t you tell me what the date will be? If you’re telling the truth, you should remember because you practically just wrote it.”

Margaret seethed at the invasion of privacy, but she needed to gain the woman’s trust. And Robin was right. Margaret had written an entry just last night, musing about— Her hand went to her throat and her cheeks burned. Her last entry was all about how she felt about Jasper’s impending proposal! It was supposed to be private! What if Robin read it out loud, or asked her to tell everyone what it said? What if she gave the diary to Jasper?

“Ah, found it. What’s the date?”

“September 18th, 1910,” Margaret said hoarsely.

Robin’s brows rose. “And let’s see what it says.”

Please, read it to yourself! Fortunately Robin did, but Margaret still wanted to die from embarrassment and couldn’t tear her eyes away from Robin’s face. The woman was reading her innermost thoughts—concerns, fears, and opinions that she never would have shared with anyone else. Robin would probably laugh, read Margaret’s words aloud, and berate her.

Margaret tensed when Robin finally raised her head. She forced herself to hold Robin’s gaze, when what she wanted to do was lower her head in shame. How stricken she must look!

“There’s nothing interesting in this entry,” Robin said. “Just stuff you probably wouldn’t remember, even if you’d just written it. I’ll look for a more interesting one.” Almost swaying with relief, Margaret let out her pent breath and silently thanked Robin, who had a heart after all. “Try June 23rd,” she suggested, partly to help and partly to prevent Robin from reading every word in her diary.

“That was the night we went to the theatre,” Jasper said.

“Yes.” He probably remembered because of the long kiss they’d shared in the carriage on the way home, a progression from the usual peck on the lips. Fortunately she hadn’t mentioned it in her entry. If she had, she would have expressed her ongoing bewilderment that Jasper didn’t affect her in ways he should.

Robin paged backward. “June 23rd,” she murmured. “Uh, yeah, you did go to the theatre, but what else can you tell me?”

“That a gentleman sitting near us fell asleep and snored loudly until Jasper shook him awake.” Margaret’s reason for recalling the evening. “And that I thought the actor who played the doctor wasn’t very good.”

Robin lowered the diary and looked at Pam. “That’s what it says.” Pam leaped to her feet and punched a fist into the air. “Yeah! And enough with the tests, Robin. Unless they somehow managed to sneak in here, get into the attic through your closet, and plant the diary—”

“And age it,” Robin said.

“They’re who they say they are—or rather, from where they say they’re from.” Pam’s mouth dropped open and she clutched her hands in front of her chest. “I summoned these people from the past. Incredible!”

Frankly, Margaret didn’t view her circumstances as a cause for celebration or wonder. She held out her hand. “Can I have my diary, please?” As Robin handed it over, she met Margaret’s eyes again. Heat travelled from Margaret’s neck to the top of her head. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

Robin nodded. “So now what?”

“I want to go home,” Margaret said firmly. “We don’t belong here.” Nor did she want to stay here, in her home that was not her home; in a strange world with strange machines; in a future in which women . . . Well, she didn’t know what to make of them. She’d only seen the two, but they were most unladylike—especially Robin.

“I agree with Margaret,” Jasper said. “Send us back.”

Everyone looked at Pam. “Uh—I—you see, the thing is, I don’t know how I brought you here. It wasn’t intentional. It just happened.”

“You said you were reading from that book,” Robin said.

“Yes! Maybe reading the rhyme again will send them back.”

“I doubt it. I think we’re stuck with them.”

Pam frowned. “Don’t be so pessimistic. It’s worth a try. Oh, but Margaret, first we should put the diary back where we found it. I don’t know what would happen if two copies of your diary ended up in 1910. I suppose it’s possible the entire universe would collapse.” Robin threw her hands into the air. “Great. Maybe I should make a few phone calls, to say good-bye. Then again, I guess there’s no point, if everyone’s about to wink out of existence.”

“Relax, Robin. I know what I’m doing. I watch Star Trek. Everything should be fine if we put the diary back.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Robin said slowly. “But let’s do it. I’ll put it back.” Margaret reluctantly returned the diary to her. It didn’t take long for Jasper to boost Robin into the attic and moments later, she emerged from the closet empty-handed.

“I didn’t memorize the exact position of the diary, so I did the best I could,” Robin said, shrugging.

“It’ll have to do.” Pam walked toward the doorway and motioned for everyone to follow her.

“Let’s do this.”

“I wasn’t downstairs when it happened,” Robin said. “I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but maybe I should be where I was when you . . . summoned them.” Pam grunted. “Good idea.”

About to follow Pam, Margaret turned back toward Robin. “It was a pleasure.”

“Yeah. With luck, we won’t see each other again.”

Margaret certainly hoped so!

Robin shrugged, almost apologetically. “But I think we will.”

“Enough with the pessimism, Robin!” Pam hissed.

“I’m not being pessimistic. It’s just—” She broke off. “It doesn’t matter. Good luck.”

“Good-bye, Robin,” Jasper said.

Already in the hallway, Margaret didn’t hear Robin’s response, if there was one. She couldn’t wait to return to the drawing room so Pam could return them to her drawing room. If Pam failed—Margaret couldn’t bear to consider the end of everything she knew. Except Jasper.

No matter what happened, she’d have him. She glanced over her shoulder. His smile reassured her.

When they reached the drawing room, Pam took charge. “All right, you two stand where you were when you arrived.” She pointed to the appropriate spot and when they were in position, Pam plunked into the chair and snatched up the crystal. “Right, then.” She moved the book onto her lap, opened it, and flipped to a page. “I was reading this rhyme, and I was holding the rose quartz in my left hand.” She looked up at Margaret and Jasper. “Safe travels.”

“It was a pleasure, Pam,” Jasper said.

Margaret echoed him, then wanted to shake her head when Pam’s eyes grew misty.

“Here we go, then.” Pam took a deep breath, then read what sounded like a nonsensical rhyme. Nothing happened. “Oh, last time I read it to myself first. Let me try again.” She was silent for a bit, then recited the rhyme aloud. Margaret wanted to cry out in frustration when they still stood in 2010.

“Robin!” Pam bellowed. “Are you sitting down?”

“Yes,” came the shouted reply.

Pam switched the rose quartz to her other hand. She smiled sheepishly. “One more try.” She lowered her head and, after a moment, said the rhyme again.

Margaret looked at Jasper, knew his resigned and sad eyes matched hers. Everyone—

everything—they knew was gone. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “We still have each other.”

“Yes.” She was grateful it was him, someone she cared for who was around her age.

Footsteps thudded down the stairs. Robin didn’t seem surprised to see them. “Didn’t work, then?”

Pam shook her head. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”

Margaret didn’t know at whom the apology was directed. And now what? Were they to start a new life here? How? What was outside the door? Where were they? In her home, or what used to be her home, but where? A lot could change in a hundred years. “Are we still in Toronto, in Canada?”

“What?” Pam said. Then, “Oh, yes, you are. Still Toronto, and still Canada, all ten provinces and three territories.”

Margaret exchanged a glance with Jasper. Not quite the Canada they remembered, but at least they were in the same city and country.

Jasper pursed his lips. “We’ll have to find lodging, though I don’t know if the bills in my billfold are worth anything.”

“Oh my god, you can’t go out looking like that.” Pam stood and tossed the book and crystal onto the chair. “You’ll have to stay here until we figure out what to do.” She thrust her chin out and looked at Robin, perhaps expecting defiance.

“What are we going to do?” Robin asked.

“There has to be a way to send them back. I have to talk to Jake.” Robin’s eyes widened. “You can’t tell him about them! We’ll have every freaking reporter in the world here.”

“I won’t. I’ll be careful.”

“And if we can’t figure out how to send them back?”

Pam swallowed. “Then we’ll have to help them settle here.” Robin’s hands went to her hips. “They don’t even have ID!”

“First things first.” Pam twisted to eye them up and down. “You have somewhere to stay, but you need clothes.”

Margaret frowned down at herself. What was wrong with her dress?

“I’ll have to measure you. And let’s figure out sleeping arrangements.” Jasper pulled out his pocket watch. “It’s only 4:15. Or rather, it was 4:15.” He frowned. “My watch has stopped.”

“Uh, it’s almost nine.” Robin leaned against the doorframe. “In the evening.”

“Oh.”

Pam smiled. “Not jet lag, time travel lag!” Her smile faded. “Doesn’t matter. So, um, are you two together, or do you want separate bedrooms?”

Margaret’s mouth dropped open; the tips of poor Jasper’s ears turned red. “Separate bedrooms!” he sputtered. “How dare you suggest otherwise.” Margaret put her hand on his arm. “It’s all right, Jasper. Perhaps the customs are different now.”

“Still. Margaret and I, we’re not married, we’re . . .” He turned to her.

She answered his unspoken question. “Engaged.”

“Engaged,” he repeated, beaming. “But wait.” He glanced around, then his eyes searched the floor near his feet. “What happened to the ring?”

“What ring?” Pam asked.

“I was proposing when you brought us here. I was holding the ring.” He fumbled in his jacket pockets, then shook his head.

“That’s interesting,” Robin said.

“That they were in the middle of getting engaged when I brought them here?” Pam clapped her hands. “I’ll say.”

“No, that the ring didn’t come with them.”

Margaret suddenly had a vision of Mother rushing into the drawing room, too impatient to wait for Margaret to emerge with the happy news, and finding nothing but the box with the ring lying on the floor.

Robin pushed herself away from the doorframe. “You’ll need something to eat. While Pam sorts you out, I’ll go get a pizza.” She left without waiting for a reply.

A pizza?

“You’ll like it,” Pam said, noticing their puzzled faces. “All right, we only have three beds, so Jasper, take the guest room. You’ll be more comfortable in there. Margaret, take Robin’s room. Robin and I can sleep in my room.”

“Are you sure Robin won’t mind? I don’t want to put her out of her own bedroom.” It would likely antagonize the woman, the last thing Margaret wanted to do.

“She won’t mind.” Pam’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, I’m going to make a wild guess here that the two of you don’t want to sit and eat pizza in your underwear. So . . . we’ll hold off on changing for bed. Jasper, would you mind coming upstairs with me? We’ve been using the guest room as a sort of storage area. Maybe you can help carry some boxes down to the basement.”

“Of course.” His hand brushed Margaret’s elbow as he passed her. “I won’t be long,” he murmured.

And then she was alone. In her house, but not her house; her drawing room, but not her drawing room. The nearby window drew her eye, but she wouldn’t dare lift the window covering, afraid of what she’d see. What would become of her and Jasper? They were nameless, homeless, and penniless, having no choice but to rely on two strange women either to send them home or help them adjust to their new circumstances. How could Pam have unintentionally brought them here? Were she and Robin practitioners of the dark arts, as Jasper had suggested?

Would they gain Margaret and Jasper’s trust, then sacrifice them as they lay sleeping in their beds?Margaret shook herself. She was allowing fanciful thoughts to carry her away rather than facing an unbelievable truth: she and Jasper were now in the year 2010. Their families, friends, hopes, and dreams . . . gone. Dead. All of them, dead. Her eyes welled with tears.

“I forgot to ask what you—oh.”

Margaret rubbed furiously at her eyes and kept one shoulder toward the door.

Robin approached, peered at her. “I’d feel overwhelmed, too,” she said softly. Her eyes were kind, not mocking.

“I’m afraid to look out the window,” Margaret admitted, surprising herself. But better for Robin to know about her fear than Jasper. She had to remain strong for him.

“Why don’t you save that for tomorrow, when it’s light? And why don’t you sit down? You can sit down in that dress?”

Robin’s absurd question brightened Margaret’s mood. A giggle escaped her throat. “Of course I can sit down!” Perhaps she shouldn’t be surprised that such a question had come from a woman who looked like a ruffian. “Don’t women wear dresses anymore?” Robin snorted. “I don’t. Wouldn’t be caught dead in one. But most women do. Not all the time, though. Sometimes.”

“Oh.” She had much to learn about 2010 women. Robin had shorter hair than some of the men Margaret knew. What about the men? Did they dress like women now and grow their hair long?

“Anyway, I forgot to ask what you and Jasper like to eat. I can choose what to put on the pizza. Ham, bacon, green pepper, mushrooms—”

Margaret didn’t care; she wasn’t hungry. “Anything. It doesn’t matter.” Robin shrugged. “Okay. I’ll go get dinner.” She strode from the room.

Margaret chided herself. Where were her manners? Just because she’d been hurled into the future didn’t mean she could behave like a lout. She should have thanked Robin, for her concern and for considering their basic needs. Because they were children here, incapable of taking care of themselves. Suddenly Margaret pinched the back of her hand, dug in her fingernails until the skin turned an angry red and droplets of blood formed. She looked around the room. No, she wasn’t in her bed, dreaming. She was still here, in 2010.

Chapter Three

Robin lowered her e-reader when Pam came into the bedroom. “They all tucked in?” Pam nodded. “I’ve stored Margaret’s dress in your closet, so be careful with it.” Robin’s brows shot up. “What do you think I’ll do? Wear it?” She smiled at Pam’s answering grin. “What are they sleeping in?”

“I didn’t have anything for him, so I guess he’s in his skivvies.” Or nude. “I gave Margaret that nightie my mother gave me a few years ago, the one I’ve never worn. It’s okay length-wise, but a little baggy. I tried to give her a t-shirt and sweats for tomorrow, but she wants a dress.”

“She’s going to sit around in a dress?”

Pam shrugged. “That’s what she wants. I’ll have to find her one that falls below the knee, so she won’t be too scandalized. Jasper will have to wear the same clothes until I get home.” She stuck her phone under Robin’s nose.

“You took pictures?”

“I had to. Her hair won’t stay like that. Somehow I’ll have to recreate the style when we know how to send them back. Or take her to Steve’s and show him this.” She gasped. “I’m going to look them up on the Net, see if I can find anything.” Robin set her e-reader on the nightstand, rolled over, and propped herself up on one elbow.

“Look for him. It sounds like he’s some type of aristocrat.” Pam typed Jasper Bainbridge and waited for the search results. She scanned the list.

Nothing jumped out at her, so she moved to the next page, and the next. “Oh my god, this could be something.” She clicked and waited for the old newspaper article to appear on the display.

Halifax Social Pages, December 1910

Wilton-Bainbridge Wedding

The marriage of Miss Margaret Wilton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.S. Wilton of Toronto, to Mr. Jasper Bainbridge, the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. S.T. Bainbridge of Toronto, was solemnized on December 15, 1910 at St. Mark’s Church. Mr. and Mrs. Bainbridge are honeymooning in New Brunswick. They will reside in Halifax.

Robin pointed. “Look at the date!”

“They certainly didn’t waste any time. And they moved to Halifax.” Excitement coursed through Pam. “And you know what this means? We figured out how to send them back! Or, rather, we will figure it out.” This time travel stuff was confusing.

Robin rolled onto her back and threw her arm across her forehead. “So she married him.”

“You sound surprised.”

“She doesn’t love him.”

Pam snorted. “And you know that how?”

“From the last entry in her diary.”

“Why? What did it say?” Pam gripped Robin’s arm. “Tell me.” Robin shook her head. “It’s bad enough that I read it. And because it was the last entry in her diary, I was pretty sure we wouldn’t figure out how to send them back.”

“No, don’t you see? She didn’t write in her diary again because she knew we’d eventually find it. And that’s why she left it there. She knew she’d need it in 2010, to prove to us that they weren’t lying.”

Robin grunted.

“I wonder why she didn’t write a message to us in the diary, though,” Pam said. “Like,

‘Dear Pam and Robin. You’ve just found this in the attic in 2010. A rhyme in a black book brought Jasper and me here. I hope this is enough proof for you, Robin.’”

“Maybe because she knew there wasn’t a message when we found it,” Robin said.

Pam had the feeling that if she thought too hard about Robin’s answer, her brain would shut down. Time to move on. “So she doesn’t love Jasper, eh? That sucks.” She turned off her phone and put it on her nightstand, then climbed into bed. “Maybe that’s why she quickly agreed that I could measure him. I told her she could do it, but she didn’t want to.”

“I don’t think they’re, uh . . . that familiar with each other.” Robin’s eyes glinted mischievously. “And maybe she wasn’t sure what you wanted her to measure.” Pam barked a laugh, then covered her mouth and giggled into her hand. If she were Margaret, she’d certainly be more familiar with Jasper. When he’d removed his jacket before helping her move the boxes . . . well, his cotton shirt had barely restrained his biceps when he’d lifted two or three boxes at once, and she couldn’t help admiring his ass as she’d followed him downstairs. His full head of sandy hair, neatly clipped moustache, and Roman nose contributed to his rugged handsomeness. And his red face when she’d measured his inseam had endeared him to her. Not wanting to embarrass him further, she hadn’t voiced her observation that he hung to the right. If only he wasn’t from 1910—and engaged. She felt a connection to him that ran deeper than physical attraction. It was his manner, his gentleness.

Out of all the people she could have summoned from the past, why them? Why him? Oh!

She abruptly turned and grabbed Robin’s arm again. “Maybe I was able to summon them because Jasper and I were lovers in a previous life!”

Robin snickered. “You wish! And not that I’m giving any credence to past lives, but wouldn’t that mean you could have been Margaret?”

Pam grimaced. “Right. Scratch that theory.” She let go of Robin. “Margaret’s a lucky woman. What I wouldn’t do for a man like Jasper.” He was worth ten of the jerks like the one at dinner. “Anyway, no point drooling over what I can’t have. Let’s talk about tomorrow.”

“What about tomorrow?” Robin asked, her brow furrowing.

“I have to go to work.”

“And I have to go to class.”

“We can’t leave them here alone! How many classes do you have?”

“Two.” Robin sighed. “But one’s a lab. I guess I can skip them.” She raised a finger. “But only this once. You have to figure out how to send them back.”

“I will! You saw the marriage announcement. Have faith!” She blew out some air. “Look, I’ll pick them up some clothes on my lunch hour. Saturday, we’ll all go to Jake’s.”

“All of us? Are you sure that’s a good idea? He can’t know about them.” Pam held up her hand. “I know. But Jake’s pretty intuitive.” She lowered her voice. “And I’ve heard he can see auras. He’s also a little psychic.” Robin’s face screwed up. “How can he be a little psychic? He either is, or he isn’t, and my money is on isn’t. And I’m not going into that store. If anyone sees me there, I’ll die.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll take them myself.”

“Good. By Saturday I’ll want some time alone, especially after babysitting all day Friday.” Pam reached over and turned off the lamp, so she could roll her eyes in the dark. She knew exactly what Robin would do when everyone else was at Jake’s—sit on her ass in front of her computer and yell into her headset. So be it. They’d be better off without Robin along on their field trip. Pam wouldn’t need Robin’s skepticism rearing its head every five seconds, especially in front of Jake.

“Good night,” she murmured, then closed her eyes and wondered if someone from the past could appear in her dreams. She hoped so.

*****

With a multitude of bags hanging off her arms, Pam struggled to unlock the front door. She breathed a sigh of relief when the key finally turned in the lock. The TV was on. A peek into the living room located their two guests, or at least the backs of their heads. She dumped the bags on the hallway floor and inhaled the aroma of garlic and onions—Robin was probably in the kitchen. Pam strode up the hall, her heels clicking on the wooden floor.

“Do you think it’s a good idea to let them watch TV?”

Robin looked up from the pot she was stirring. “What did you want me to do, lock them in a room all day? You’re taking them out tomorrow.”

Pam sighed and nodded. “I suppose we can’t shelter them.” She motioned for Robin to feed her a spoonful of the sauce. “Mmm. It’s good,” she said, savouring the sauce’s zing. “So it went okay today?”

Robin nodded. “The TV? A godsend. They’ve been enraptured from the moment I turned it on. They did eat lunch, but then they wanted to go right back into the living room.”

“Do they understand what it is?”

“Well, I explained it to them as best I could. They know about moving pictures, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch to explain that we can broadcast them. And they love it!” She frowned.

“They’ve been awfully quiet since the soap operas came on, though. I think they might have gone into some type of mental shock.”

“Which you were happy to leave them in.”

“What can I say?” Robin said with a shrug.

Pam sighed. “Did Mitzy come out?”

“I caught a glimpse of her a couple of hours ago, but no, she’s still hiding.”

“I’ll try to find her later. Anyway, I’d better go see if they’re all right.” Pam walked into the living room. “Good evening. How was your day?” Two bleary-eyed faces turned to her. Jasper stood and extended his hand. After a moment of confusion, Pam held out hers. She grew weak at the knees when he kissed it. She would have giggled like a schoolgirl, if not for Margaret’s presence. Looking at her made Pam want to call a chiropractor. “You can sit back, Margaret. You don’t have to perch on the edge like that.”

“I’m quite comfortable,” Margaret said. “You look lovely, Pam.”

“Oh.” Pam felt herself blushing. “Thank you.”

“Will Robin be dressing for dinner?”

“Dressing for dinner?” Pam sounded shrill. “No, Robin doesn’t dress for dinner. I normally don’t, either.” She glanced at Jasper and cleared her throat. “But I will tonight.” And Robin had better not say a damn thing about it. “Robin tells me you enjoy watching TV.” Jasper nodded. “We’ve been watching a rather melodramatic series of vignettes. I must say, I’m surprised at how many of them are of a carnal nature. I had to cover Margaret’s eyes.” Pam raised her brows. “Did you? Well, whatever you think is appropriate.” They would be going back to 1910, after all. Best not to corrupt the lady too much.

“What we’re viewing now, though . . .” Margaret slowly shook her head. “The level of depravity, the greed, the self-absorption and complete lack of regard for others—it’s shocking.” Curious, Pam turned to the TV, then chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry about that, it’s just the news.”

Robin leaned around the archway. “Dinner’s ready. We’ll eat in the kitchen.” Jasper smiled. “Ladies.” Pam jealously looked on as he offered Margaret his elbow.

“Aren’t you changing?” Robin said when Pam reached the kitchen.

“No, I am no t.” She hoped her tone was enough to silence Robin.

Fortunately Robin took the hint, but her amused eyes spoke volumes. She lifted two plates.

“Here, take these. They’re all the same, so put them anywhere.”

“All right.” Pam carried them over to the table, in time to see Jasper pull out Margaret’s chair for her. She set a plate down in front of Margaret. “Where are you sitting, Jasper? Next to Margaret?”

“Across from her.”

Pam set the plate down on the other side of the table, then stifled a giggle when Jasper pulled out another chair. “Thank you.” She grabbed the glass Robin had already filled with water and gulped some down. Now what was Jasper doing, standing behind his own chair?

Robin set the remaining plates on the table. “Sit, Jasper. We went through this at lunch. You don’t have to stand at attention until I’m seated.” He stepped to his right. “And don’t pull out my chair. We went through that, too.”

He stopped moving and met Margaret’s eyes; she shrugged slightly and turned to Robin.

“Let me help you with the meals tomorrow,” she said.

“No, it’s okay.” Robin sat down. “I don’t mind cooking.”

“But I’d like to help. We’re imposing.”

“You’re not responsible for that.” Robin gave Pam a pointed look. “But if it’ll make you feel better, okay, maybe we can cook dinner together tomorrow night.” Margaret nodded. “I would like that.”

“Sounds like a plan, then.” Pam eyed her food and reached for her napkin. Why was everyone just sitting there?

Jasper cleared his throat. “Would you like to say grace, Pam?”

“Huh?”

“Yes, would you like to say grace, Pam?” Robin’s mouth twitched. “Just as we did at breakfast and lunch.”

Oh, dear. Pam had run out that morning without eating breakfast. Usually she had at least a piece of toast, but between showing Margaret and Jasper how to work the shower and finding Margaret a dress, she’d barely made it out of the house on time and had picked up a coffee and muffin on the way to work. “Breakfast and lunch, eh? Jesus!” Two heads bowed. Oh, shit. “Yes, Jesus, uh, our Lord, we thank you for this, um, nourishment your humble servant Robin has prepared.” She pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing when Robin’s shoulders shook. “Amen.”

“Amen,” Jasper and Margaret echoed.

“Let’s eat,” Pam announced, before I get myself into more trouble. She unfolded her napkin.

“So, I picked up a few clothes for you. We’ll have a little fashion show later. Margaret, I bought you a couple of dresses, but also casual wear. Just try everything on, all right? You might like the casual clothes.”

“I’ll have a look at them,” Margaret said.

“Well, good. That’s a start.” Pam wound spaghetti around her fork.

Jasper had already sampled his plate. “It’s very tasty. My compliments to the cook.” Margaret nodded. “Quite. But you’re not Italian, are you? You’re too fair. And Tillman isn’t an Italian name.”

“No, I just like Italian food,” Robin said.

“You prepare it well.”

“Thank you.”

Pam lowered her head and smiled at Robin’s flushed cheeks. It must be killing her to be so polite. Robin usually brushed aside compliments.

“So what’s the plan for tomorrow, then?” Robin asked. “If we’re lucky, Margaret and Jasper won’t need most of the clothes you bought. Not that I’m anxious to see you go,” she quickly added.

“After lunch, we’ll go to Jake’s, see what he has to say.” Pam turned to Jasper. “I want you and Margaret to come with me.”

“Who is Jake?” he asked.

“I bought the black book from his store. He’s an expert in the area of the . . . uh, mystical arts.”

Jasper’s face clouded. “A practitioner of the dark arts?”

“No. It’s a New Age store, selling spiritual books, and crystals, and relaxing music.”

“And black books that tear people from their own time.” He shook his head. “We won’t go with you.”

“You have to! Jake is . . . gifted.” She ignored Robin’s rolling eyes. “I need his advice, and having you and Margaret there will give him more to work with. He . . . senses things.”

“I don’t understand what he can learn from us. I gather it’s prudent not to tell others who we are and where we’re from.”

“Oh, definitely. We can’t breathe a word to anyone.” Pam rested her fork on her plate so she could gesture with both hands. “But Jake . . . he can see auras.” She touched her temples, rotated her hands. “He’ll pick up any vibes you’re emitting.”

Jasper’s brows rose. “It sounds like the dark arts to me. But if that’s what brought us here and what has to send us back, and you think this man’s knowledge can help—” Pam nodded vigorously. “Oh, it can.”

“Then I’ll go with you, but not Margaret.” He gazed across the table. “You shouldn’t be exposed to such a man, or his establishment.”

“I quite agree,” Margaret said with a shudder.

Pam could hardly contain her glee. An afternoon out with Jasper! “Well, I suppose having one of you with me will do. Robin, you won’t mind spending the afternoon in with Margaret, right?”

“No, of course not,” Robin said. “Margaret can watch TV.” Margaret shook her head. “I’ve had quite enough of that.” Robin frowned. “Oh.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something to do.” Pam smiled at her, hoping Robin would mask her displeasure by smiling in return. Robin did, but couldn’t hide the resignation in her eyes.

Chapter Four

Pam held onto Jasper’s arm so she wouldn’t lose him. “Oops, don’t cross on red, remember.” She pulled him back from the curb.

“My apologies, Pam. I was looking at that silver motor over there and forgot to pay attention to the light.”

So despite his charming manners, he wasn’t so different from today’s men, after all. Next he’d be scratching his crotch and demanding to watch hockey. “You have cars, don’t you? The Model T or something like that?”

“I do have one, and they’re becoming more popular. But I still prefer a horse and carriage when I’m out with a lady.”

Ooh, lucky Margaret!

“Laurence—one of my friends—insists that everyone will eventually have a motor. He’s a bit of a know-it-all, so I’m not about to tell him he’s right.” Jasper grinned.

Pam returned his smile and felt a lump in her throat. His confidence that he’d see his friend again was endearing. Feigned or genuine, she appreciated the support, and couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun on a man’s arm. Jasper’s almost running commentary had kept her entertained since they’d left the subway. He was so curious—and so brave! “Oh, green light. And the store we want is just around the corner.” They paused outside the window with Mathers Mystic Marketplace emblazoned across it.

“I didn’t expect the shop to be in such a busy area. Quite brazen.” Jasper peered through the window. “Are you sure this is necessary?”

“It’s a perfectly respectable store, as I keep telling you. That’s why it’s not hidden down a back alley.”

Jasper sniffed. “You wouldn’t find an establishment like this on a busy road where I come from.”

“Well, we’re not there, are we? And if you want to go back to where you came from, I need to talk to Jake.”

A man in a suit walked by them, pulled open the glass door, and disappeared into the store.

Jasper pursed his lips. “He looked like a respectable gentleman and he went inside.” Slightly miffed that a stranger in a suit mattered to him more than her opinion, Pam tugged on his arm. “Come on.” When he slipped his arm from hers, she opened her mouth to tell him to stay close, then realized he was opening the door for her. Her irritation with him fizzled. He was from 1910; it was only natural that a man’s actions would sway him more than a woman’s opinion, especially when it came from a strange woman from the future. She chuckled to herself and thanked him as she stepped into the store.

They entered an oasis from the hustle and bustle outside. The soothing music instantly relaxed her; she closed her eyes and quietly hummed, then almost yelped when Jasper’s fingers dug into her arm. Her eyes snapped open. “What?”

“Evil!”

She followed his gaze. “They’re tarot cards, Jasper. They’re just a bit of fun.”

“No respectable person would touch them!” His eyes focused on a point past the cards.

Crystal balls. Great. Before Jasper could open his mouth, she pulled him over to the Angel section. “Oh, look, angel meditations. You might like—” Shit! The Angel section was right next to the Pagan area. She’d browse another time. “Let’s see if Jake’s free.” The cashier directed them to the back room. Pam parted the strings of beads and knocked on the doorframe.

“Just a sec.” Jake’s eyes remained on the LCD as he tapped away at the keyboard. “There.” He swung his chair around; his face lit up and he sprang to his feet. “Pamela! Why didn’t you say it was you?”

She gave him a quick hug and offered her left cheek, then her right, for the obligatory air kisses.

Jake looked past her. “And I see you have a friend with you.” She noted the curiosity in his eyes with satisfaction. “Yes. This is Jasper. Jasper, Jake.” Jake lifted his hand to wave, then grasped the hand Jasper extended and pumped it. His attention shifted back to Pam. “So, what can I do for you, Pamela?”

“Ah, yes. Well.” Time to tell him the story she’d concocted on the way. “Remember that book I bought on Thursday? The moon rhymes one?”

His brows drew together. “Of course. Magical Moon Rhymes for All Times. Is there a problem? I told you about the coffee stains. Even in its slightly damaged state, I let it go much too cheaply. There are some powerful rhymes in there.”

No kidding. She put her hand on his arm. “No, no, I love the book, Jake. Love it! So much so that I wanted to learn more about moon rhymes. I came across an interesting site on the Net about people’s experiences with them, and one . . . um, woman posted recently to the forum, saying she had a bit of a problem. I didn’t know how to help her, but I thought, if anyone would know, it would be Jake.”

He nodded. “What’s the problem?”

“Well, you see, she was reading one of the rhymes, and all of a sudden a, uh . . . locket appeared on her lap. You can imagine how shocked she was. She figured it must have come from another time, so she desperately wanted to send it back to wherever it came from so that the, um, universal timeline wouldn’t be affected. But she read the rhyme again, and nothing happened. It didn’t go away, and she still has it. The poor woman is going out of her mind. Why isn’t the rhyme working?” She gazed at him, hoping he knew the answer.

He stared at her, then burst out laughing. “Pamela, Pamela, Pamela. I’m so glad you came to me.”

Her hopes rose. “Really?”

“Yes. You must be very careful when you’re on the Internet. This poor woman is obviously deluded.”

“What? No, she most certainly isn’t deluded.”

“You were there? You saw the locket appear?”

“Not exactly.”

He lifted his hands, palms up. “See?”

Jasper folded his arms. “You just told the lady the book you sold her contains powerful rhymes.”

Jake’s eyes flicked to Jasper. “It does. But the rhymes affect the spiritual realm. I’ve never heard of a physical object travelling through time.”

People were spiritual. “But you’ve heard of spirits travelling through time?” Pam asked.

“Of course. Spirits from the past grace us with their presence at séances.” But she’d thought spirits were outside time, in a different dimension. Wait—not when they were inside bodies! “Perhaps the locket contains spiritual energy!” Jake shrugged. “It’s possible, I suppose.”

“Let’s say it does. Why can’t she send it back? Does she have to read another rhyme?” Oh!

They hadn’t tried that. Maybe she should read all the rhymes out loud.

“No. But you said she used a moon rhyme, correct?”

She nodded.

“When does she claim the locket arrived?”

Pam cleared her throat. “Oh, two or three days ago.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Ah, well, moon rhymes are obviously associated with the lunar cycle.”

She waited for more. “So?”

“They only work once per cycle. Tell this woman she has to read the rhyme during the same phase of the next moon cycle.”

“So, if she read the rhyme during a new moon, she has to wait for the next new moon to send the locket away?”

He nodded.

Yes! “Oh. Thank you.”

“But, Pamela, the woman is putting you on. If she asks you for money, don’t give her any.”

“Don’t worry, Jake. She won’t.” She turned to Jasper. “Shall we go?”

“Oh, before you do, I want to show you something.” Jake motioned for her and Jasper to leave the back room, then led them to a display near the cash. “We received this new shipment of oils yesterday, and there’s one that’s just perfect for you.” He scanned the stacked bottles, picked one up, and read from its label. “Protective Oil. Rub on forehead to protect against scammers and con artists.”

“What does that mean?” Jasper murmured.

Pam turned to him. “It protects against, er, swindlers.” She wasn’t that gullible, but she didn’t want to dismiss Jake’s advice in front of Jasper. She turned back to Jake. “Is it scented?” Jake nodded. “I suggest you apply it before you go on the Internet.”

“Perhaps we should have rubbed some on our foreheads before coming into this shop,” Jasper said.

Jake’s eyes bulged. “Excuse me?”

Jasper tugged on Pam’s arm. “You don’t need that. Let’s go.”

“But—” Pam had no choice but to move or be dragged. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed to Jake.

“Next time, leave the overprotective boyfriend at home,” he snapped.

As soon as they were outside, she whirled. “What are you doing? Jake’s a friend.”

“You don’t need those kind of friends.”

“I’ll decide what friends I need, not you!”

“He’s a charlatan.”

“Jasper!” She blew out an exasperated sigh. “I know the oil is useless. I was just being polite, showing some interest before I said no. It’s a game.”

“It’s not just the oil.” He jutted his chin toward the store. “It’s the rest of it.”

“You can’t deny that the moon rhymes are powerful.”

“I suppose I can’t,” he admitted.

“I thought you believed in the dark arts.”

“I do. But perhaps their power has diminished over time, to the point that you people no longer take them seriously. Fun, indeed.” His brow furrowed. “What’s that aroma? It’s quite appealing. It smells like coffee, but . . .”

Pam sniffed the air. “It is coffee. Flavoured. It’s coming from the coffee shop on the corner.”

Jasper glanced that way, then gazed at her and bit his lip. “Can I try one?” Her irritation drained away. He looked like a little boy asking his mother if he could have an ice cream. Pam stifled a grin. “I could do with a coffee myself.” She grabbed his arm. “And while we’re out, let’s do a bit of shopping. Since you won’t be going home tonight, you’ll need more clothes.”

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” he said as they strolled to the corner. “I only wanted to protect you.”

“I know.” She patted his arm, then let go of it. “And I’d much rather have you protect me than rub oil on my forehead.” They grinned at each other. If he wanted to rub oil on her in more interesting places than her forehead, she’d be game. “Before we go in, let me call Robin, let her know what we’re doing. Otherwise she’ll worry.” Pam pulled her phone from her purse and dialled their number. “Hi, it’s me. We just left Jake’s.”

“And?”

“I’ve got good news! I think I know what to do.”

“That’s great!” Robin’s elation strained her voice.

“Well, there is one slight catch.”

“What is it?” Robin said quietly.

“The rhymes only work once per lunar cycle. So I can’t send them back until the next, um . .

. whatever phase the moon was in on Thursday.”

“Are you serious?”

“It’s not that bad. At least I know what to do now.” She heard typing. “Robin?”

“I’m just looking up what phase the moon was in. Ha! Figures. It was a full moon.” She sighed. “So you’re telling me they’ll live with us for a few more weeks? I can’t skip classes again, Pam. I have to go in on Monday. Maybe we should find them somewhere else to stay.” Pam stepped away from Jasper and lowered her voice. “We can’t. Nobody can know about them. I think we can trust them to be on their own while we’re both out. We’ll just make sure they know not to answer the door or the phone.”

“I don’t know. I’m still not convinced we don’t have two sophisticated con artists on our hands.”

“Robin, what will it take to convince you? The diary wasn’t enough? How about my own eyes? They appeared right in front of me!”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d have an easier time believing it if they’d appeared in front of me.”

“I wish they had!” Pam forcefully exhaled. “Listen, what would they want from us? We’re not rich. Okay, I have the house and Mom left me decent money, but I still have to work. And you make just enough to get by. What could they possibly want, that they’d go through this elaborate charade?” When Robin didn’t reply, Pam interpreted her silence as acquiescence. “I’m calling because we won’t be coming home right away. We’re going to have a quick coffee and then pick up more clothes for them.”

“How long do you think you’ll be?”

“A couple of hours, maybe? What’s Margaret doing? You’d better not be holed up in your bedroom.”

“I’m in the study, working on an assignment. Margaret’s reading downstairs.” Pam’s heart pounded. “Downstairs! Have you been checking on her? To make sure she’s okay, not to ensure that she hasn’t absconded with the silver!” Robin chuckled. “She’s not a child.”

“What’s she reading?”

“Dickens.”

“Why? She can read that anytime.”

“Probably because it’s familiar. I don’t think she’s very comfortable here.” No. Jasper was the more adventurous of the two. Pam admired his courage . . . and the way he carried himself. Nobody would ever guess that the relaxed, self-assured man watching the world go by was from 1910. And, ooh, she’d love to see him in a modern suit. If she could come up with a reason . . .

“Pam?”

She shook herself. “Why don’t you spend some time with Margaret, talk to her?”

“I’m not sure she wants to talk.”

“Then do something.”

Robin snorted. “Like what, needlepoint? Oh, I know, we can do a jigsaw puzzle!” Pam tutted. “If I were there, I’d slap you up the side of the head. All I’m asking you to do is keep her company until we come home.”

“She might prefer to read.” Robin paused. “But I’ll go down and see how she’s doing.”

“Good. Anyway, I should go. Jasper’s waiting.”

They said good-bye. Pam shoved the phone into her purse and rejoined him. “Okay, Robin knows we’ll be out for a while.”

“Did you tell her what Jake said about the moon rhymes?” Jasper asked.

Pam nodded.

“I hope she wasn’t upset.”

“She wasn’t.” Not really. “Shall we go in?”

“Of course.” He held the door open for her. As she brushed past him, she realized he hadn’t asked about Margaret.

*****

Margaret sighed and peered over the top of her book when footsteps thumped down the stairs.

She’d only just stopped shaking after the telephone’s shrill assault on her ears.

Robin bounded into the living room. “Still reading? Do you have enough light? This room doesn’t get as much sun in the afternoon.”

“Yes, I know,” Margaret murmured. She tensed when Robin crossed to one of the windows and reached for the curtains.

Robin suddenly stopped and turned. “Have you looked out a window yet?” Margaret swallowed. “No.” The curtains had remained closed when they’d watched TV, she hadn’t opened the blinds in Robin’s bedroom, and she’d managed to avoid the large windows near the rear of the kitchen, though unless she were to renege on her offer to help Robin cook, she’d soon have to face them. Blood rushed to her cheeks when comprehension dawned in Robin’s eyes.

“You’ll strain your eyes, reading in this light. Why don’t I open this curtain and then you can come over and have a look? There’s nothing scary out there. Jasper’s out with Pam.” And she was a coward who couldn’t look out a window. Her thought; neither Robin’s eyes nor her voice contained a hint of derision. “Open the curtain.” Light splashed onto the area rug. Margaret set the book on the coffee table and forced herself to stand.

Robin beckoned to her. “Come on.”

Fighting the urge to close her eyes, Margaret tried not to cringe as she tentatively approached the window. Robin’s presence bolstered her, gave her the impetus she needed to take the final few steps. And then she was there, surveying her road. The cobblestones were gone, and metal contraptions—motor cars?—lined the road, but she recognized the houses across the way.

“Some of it is familiar.” She pointed, then held her hand at shoulder height. “The last time I saw that tree, it was this tall.”

“And now it’s the tallest thing on the street.”

“And those are motor cars?”

Robin nodded. “We just call them cars.”

“Cars.” Margaret turned away from the window, quite pleased with herself. “Thank you for the encouragement.”

“Would you like something to drink? A coffee?”

Her throat felt dry, but she didn’t want to trouble Robin. “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

“I feel like a cup of tea, so I’m going to put the kettle on.”

“Tea?” Margaret blurted before she could stop herself.

“Would you like a cup?”

“Yes, please.” She hesitated. “I prefer tea over coffee.” Robin’s brows rose. “So do I. You should have said.”

“I don’t mind coffee. And you and Pam are being so kind.”

“But you’ve seen me drink—” Robin shrugged. “Never mind.” She looked past Margaret, then down. “You’re barefoot.”

She must have noticed the shoes near the sofa. “The shoes pinch. Don’t tell Pam.” Robin sighed. “I’ll at least get you a pair of socks. And don’t be afraid to speak up. You’ll be with us a while longer, so let us know what you need.”

“What do you mean?”

“That was Pam on the phone. Apparently the rhyme she used to bring you here only works once per lunar cycle. So she can’t send you back for a few weeks.” Margaret struggled to mask her dismay. Perhaps her hope that Pam would send them home today had been optimistic, but oh, how she’d wanted it to be true! “I’m sorry. Two strangers in your home must be the last thing you want.”

“It’s not your fault, Margaret. You didn’t ask to come here.” Robin smiled. “Why don’t you come sit in the kitchen while I make the tea? If we get to know each other, we won’t be strangers.”

The prospect of conversing with Robin intimidated her, but to decline Robin’s invitation would be rude. “Yes, let’s do that.” She followed Robin to the kitchen and settled into a chair that would allow her to watch Robin prepare the tea. If she and Jasper were to impose on their hosts for weeks, she had to make herself useful.

Robin filled the oddly-shaped kettle with water and pressed a button at its base. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

Margaret wondered if Robin had decided she didn’t want to converse after all, but Robin was back a minute later, a pair of socks in hand.

“Thank you.” She pulled them on. They looked ridiculous with her dress, but given Robin’s . . . attire, Margaret wouldn’t worry until Jasper and Pam returned. She’d squeeze back into the shoes then. “How long will it take for Jasper and Pam to return home?”

“Oh, sorry—Pam said that since you’ll be here longer, they’re going to shop for more clothes. They won’t be home for a couple of hours.”

Her feet appreciated the news. Jasper must be enjoying himself, or at least feeling comfortable enough in the city to want to experience more of it.

Robin had sat down. They stared at each other across the table. “It must be strange for you, being in this house,” Robin finally said. “I suppose, to you, we’re the ones out of place.”

“No, too much has changed. Pam said this is her house?” Robin nodded.

The same old questions ran through Margaret’s mind. Why did Robin live here? Where were their families? Why weren’t they married? Margaret was certain they were both older than her.

“Pam’s grandparents bought the house in 1958, and Pam’s parents took it over in 1985.”

“Do you know who owned it before 1958?”

“No. Pam’s lived here pretty much all her life. Unfortunately, her father was killed in a car accident when she was seventeen, and her mother passed away a couple of years ago.”

“That’s terrible!”

“Yeah.” Robin heaved her shoulders. “She’s an only child, so she inherited the house from her mother. She knows it’s way too big for her, but she’s emotionally attached to it. So she invited me to come live with her.”

One question answered.

“I’m sure she’ll eventually sell it. She’ll get to the point where she’s ready to move on. And she knows I can’t live here forever.”

“Why did she ask you to live with her?”

“We’ve been friends for years.”

“I see. How old is Pam?” Margaret asked, hoping to learn Robin’s age too.

“Twenty-six. How old are you?”

“Twenty-three,” Margaret said absently, still absorbing Robin’s shocking answer. Wasn’t Pam worried that she’d never find a husband? Wasn’t Robin?

“How old’s Jasper?”

“Thirty.”

“I’m the same age as Pam,” Robin volunteered.

Twenty-six. Margaret’s curiosity was too strong to quell. “Don’t you want to get married?” Robin shrugged. “Sure, one day.”

But she was already twenty-six! Had she not found the right man? Who would be right for Robin? Margaret had a difficult time picturing her on a man’s arm. “What type of man would you marry?”

Robin shifted in her chair and grimaced. “Um . . .” A click came from the direction of the kettle. “Water’s boiled.” She pushed away from the table. “How do you like your tea?”

“Just milk, please.” Robin’s discomfort when asked about the type of man she’d marry had piqued Margaret’s interest. She wanted to ask Robin again, but didn’t want to annoy her.

Robin carried two cups to the table and sat down. “So how did you and Jasper meet?” The change of subject didn’t surprise her. “Through mutual friends, I suppose. We would occasionally be invited to the same soirée and engage in conversation. And then he invited me to one of our annual balls.” She remembered her elation when she’d received the invitation. Finally, a handsome man who didn’t bore her. Surely she’d be swept off her feet; it would be her turn to entertain her friends with breathless accounts of the passionate kisses she and Jasper shared. But the stories she’d told them were just that—stories, with every passionate detail a lie. “We’ve dated since then.”

“And from the sounds of it, you were in the middle of getting engaged when you were rudely brought here.”

“Yes.” And Robin had read the last page of her diary! Margaret felt her face flush; she picked up her tea and sipped it, even though it burned her tongue. If Robin were to ask how she felt about Jasper, if she loved him, what would she say? She gripped her cup with both hands.

“If Pam does succeed in sending you back, I wonder if you’ll end up right where you left off, or a few weeks later, or . . .”

Margaret slowly let out the breath she was holding. “Arriving back in 1910 will be quite sufficient.” She wanted to talk about something else. Perhaps there was another way to find out what type of men would attract Robin. For some reason, Margaret longed to know. “It’s Saturday. Will you entertain callers this evening?”

Robin’s brow furrowed. “Callers?”

“Gentlemen.”

“Oh.” Robin quickly lifted her cup to her mouth, but not in time to hide her amusement.

“Saturday night is still a popular date night, but no, there won’t be a line of gentlemen callers at our door. I suspect we’ll watch one of Pam’s old movies. I usually bow out, but since we have guests, I guess I’ll make the popcorn and join you.”

She made it sound as if she were facing a harrowing ordeal. From what Margaret had gathered, a movie was a long TV show. “You don’t enjoy movies?”

“I don’t really like the old ones. They’re too traditional and sappy for me.” Robin’s eyes narrowed and she wagged her finger at Margaret. “But I’m thinking they’ll be just your thing.” Margaret had the sneaking suspicion she’d just been insulted.

“Do you want biscuits?” Robin asked. “I should have offered before. Sorry.”

“No, thank you.” She searched for a way to bring the conversation back to gentlemen without being obvious, but couldn’t think of one.

Robin leaned across the table. “I hope you won’t be offended, but I have the impression that Jasper’s family is quite well off.”

Margaret nodded.

“And you’re . . .”

“Upper middle class.”

“So you won’t have to work outside the home.”

“No!”

“And you don’t work now or go to university?”

“No.” Women in her time did go to university or work, but reasonable and respectable women were content to take care of a husband and family. Margaret had no intention of shaming her parents.

“So what do you do with your time, then?” Robin smiled reassuringly, perhaps because she sensed Margaret’s fear that anything she said would be mocked. “I’m just curious. Historians would kill for this opportunity. I mean, we know a lot about the early twentieth century, but that’s no substitute for actually talking to someone like you.” Margaret lifted an eyebrow. “You’re honestly curious?”

“Yes.”

She hesitated, then decided there wouldn’t be any harm in telling Robin about her hobbies, her afternoons out with her girlfriends, and her love of books. Robin peppered her with questions, wanting to know the tiniest details. It wasn’t until after Jasper and Pam had returned and interrupted them that Margaret realized she’d spent the entire time talking about herself and had learned absolutely nothing about Robin. When conversing with someone she didn’t entirely trust, Margaret would continuously ask questions so she wouldn’t have to reveal anything about herself. Was that what Robin had been doing? She did seem the suspicious type, and perhaps still didn’t believe that her guests were from 1910.

Next time Margaret had the opportunity to converse with Robin, she would ask the questions. And she dearly hoped there would be a next time, because Robin was different from any woman Margaret had ever met. Oh, Pam was too, by virtue of the hundred years that separated them. But Robin . . . she was both fascinating and frightening. Margaret felt drawn to her, in a way she never had to anyone else.

*****

Margaret stifled a yawn and tried to focus on the events unfolding on the TV. How Robin could ever have thought she’d be enthralled by this utter tripe was beyond her. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Pam reaching for another tissue. Margaret had used one earlier, and couldn’t understand why anyone would prefer something that felt like paper to a soft handkerchief.

“It doesn’t matter how many times I watch this scene,” Pam sniffled. “It gets me every time.”

Jasper turned away from the TV to murmur to Pam. Margaret had noticed how quickly Pam had claimed the place on the sofa to his left, leaving poor Robin with no choice but to squeeze in next to Margaret, probably the last person she wanted to sit next to. Robin had encouraged Margaret to sit back and relax. She had to admit, she was comfortable, especially since kicking off her shoes.

Robin was awfully still; she hadn’t crunched on popcorn for ages. Margaret gave her a sidelong glance. Robin was asleep! Margaret wanted to elbow her awake, so she wouldn’t have to suffer through this torture alone. Then she noticed that the half-full popcorn bowl on Robin’s lap had tipped to one side. She carefully reached for it and tried to right it without disturbing Robin, but Robin’s eyes snapped open. “Sorry,” Margaret mouthed.

Pam chose that moment to groan at whatever was happening in the movie. “Oh, the poor man. I almost can’t bear to watch this part,” she said with a sob.

Robin caught Margaret’s eye; her mouth twitched. Laughter bubbled up within Margaret.

She pressed her lips together, covered her mouth, and leaned forward.

“It’s all right, Margaret,” Jasper murmured. “Would you like a tissue?” His misguided concern almost had her in stitches. She could feel Robin shaking and didn’t dare look at her. Jasper interpreted her silence as affirmation and snapped a tissue from the box.

Margaret accepted it with her free hand, keeping her other hand firmly over her mouth. The dam still threatened to burst. She squeezed the tissue until she’d mastered herself, then leaned back and dabbed at her moist eyes.

Robin nudged her arm and tilted the popcorn bowl toward her. Margaret scooped out several kernels. She popped one into her mouth and tried to pay attention to the movie, but a heightened awareness of Robin kept intruding. Margaret noticed every time Robin shifted, reached for popcorn with her long fingers, yawned, breathed! It was as if Robin’s senses were connected to her own.

Chapter Five

Margaret pushed a book into the bookcase and pulled out another one. At this rate, she’d finish rereading all of Dickens’ work before Pam sent them home. Normally she read in bed, not in the afternoons, when she’d be out with friends or entertaining guests with Mother. She wasn’t used to spending so much time alone.

Yesterday had begun with a bizarre church service she and Jasper watched on TV. What was the point? Wasn’t church about community? She’d expected Pam and Robin to watch the service with them, but they’d both insisted that they had things to do that couldn’t wait. After lunch, Pam had monopolized almost all of Jasper’s time, though she wasn’t entirely at fault. Jasper had offered to fix a loose door knob here and a wobbly chair there, and Pam hadn’t dissuaded him.

Margaret could have spent time with them after supper, but they’d both wanted to watch another one of those horrid movies, so she’d decided to read in the kitchen instead.

If Robin would have been there to silently laugh with her, maybe she would have joined them, but Robin had passed most of the day behind a closed study door, and the evening shut away in her bedroom. “She’s in elf-land,” Pam had said when Margaret inquired about the occasional muffled shouts. “It’s a game people play over the computer. She’s yelling at her teammates. Don’t worry if you don’t understand it. I don’t, either.” When Robin had finally emerged from the bedroom and come downstairs, all she’d said was that the room was free for Margaret and good night, much to Margaret’s disappointment. Robin didn’t want much to do with her and Jasper; she was polite but mainly kept to herself. Pam, on the other hand, appeared eager to play the host, especially with Jasper. It had crossed Margaret’s mind that Pam might have a special interest in him, but what if she did? They were engaged.

Jasper was an honourable man. This morning he’d reminded her that they would spend time alone under the same roof, which would be inappropriate back home, and that they must observe the proprieties of their time—as if she’d intended to behave any differently. Margaret only had reason to worry if Pam couldn’t send them back, but she refused to consider that awful possibility.

Would she and Jasper arrive back in 1910 on the same day and at the same time they’d left, or was the time they were passing here also passing in 1910? If the latter, what did people think had happened? Had she and Jasper seemingly disappeared into thin air? Had her parents called in the police? Did people think they’d eloped? What if they arrived back in a different year? What if they ended up further into the future, with people not as hospitable as Robin and Pam? What a ridiculous situation! She’d be certain it was a dream, if everything didn’t feel real and events since they’d arrived here weren’t so coherent.

Jasper came into the living room, wiping his forehead with his arm. “I’ve finished sanding that old chair. I hope Pam brings home the right stain.”

“I’m sure she will.” And Margaret would spend another day reading while Jasper laboured in the basement. But if it wasn’t the chair, it would be something else. He clearly wanted to make himself useful, and his idea of observing proprieties meant avoiding being in the same room with her, though he’d sat with her to eat the sandwiches she’d made them for lunch. “What time is it?” He pulled out his pocket watch. “Just after five.”

“I’d better start preparing dinner. You should wash up.”

“Yes.” He hovered a moment longer, then cleared his throat and went upstairs. She couldn’t blame him for feeling uncomfortable. At home, they’d see each other perhaps once or twice a week. Jasper would be busy working with his father, spending time at his gentlemen’s club, and engaging in sports activities with his brothers and friends. Here, they were in each other’s pockets and slept only a room apart. Under any other circumstances, their behaviour would be scandalous. Perhaps it was best to limit their time together when they could. After all, familiarity sometimes bred contempt. Best to save that until after they were married.

Margaret busied herself in the kitchen, and had just finished setting the table when Pam strode in, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor. “Oh, the table looks lovely. But we only need three places.”

“Three?”

Pam nodded. “Robin won’t be joining us for dinner. She’s out with a friend.”

“Oh.” Margaret’s disappointment and curiosity surprised her. Was Robin dining with a gentleman? It shouldn’t matter to her, but it did, perhaps because Robin hadn’t answered the question about the type of man who attracted her.

Margaret was rather proud that she’d managed to prepare dinner on her own, and graciously accepted Pam and Jasper’s praise. As they ate, Pam described her day, and told them more about her job in human resources. Her complaints about her duties and her superior, and the “bitch sessions” she apparently frequently had with her colleagues, reinforced Margaret’s conviction that women should only work if they had to. Pam should find herself a husband and be done with it.

After helping Pam load the dishwasher—Margaret could understand the machine’s popularity—they decided to play cards, much to her relief. They’d been playing for about an hour when Robin came home. “What, no movie?”

Pam shook her head. “We can watch a movie tomorrow night.” Margaret could hardly wait.

Robin picked up the kettle and carried it to the sink. “Anyone want tea? Margaret?”

“No, thank you.” She restrained herself from asking about Robin’s evening; it was none of her business.

“Can you put coffee on?” Pam asked.

“Sure,” Robin said. “I heard it’s going to pour tomorrow.” Pam nodded. “Sue’s pissed because she’d booked the day off to play golf.”

“Golf?” Jasper said. “I love golf.”

“Do you?” Pam picked up a card from the stack in the middle of the table and slid it into her hand. “So do I. We should go.” She glanced at Margaret. “All of us. Robin, check the weather for Friday. I could take the day off, have a long weekend.”

“I’ll check, but I’m not going. I can’t just book the day off.” Robin leaned against the counter near the kettle and peered at her phone. “It’s supposed to be nice, but that could change.”

“I’ll book Friday off anyway. If we don’t golf, we can do something else.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea!” Jasper smiled broadly. “I hope we can golf. Are the rules different? The equipment? I’m looking forward to finding out.” Pam twisted in her chair. “What about you, Margaret? Do you play?”

“I tried it once. I didn’t enjoy it,” she admitted. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to leave the house and be swallowed up by 2010. She already knew too much about the future. Nothing she’d learned had diminished her longing to return home, or caused her to question the norms of her day, but what if she learned something that did? She had to return to 1910; the less she knew about 2010, the better. Frankly, she felt that Jasper should shelter himself as well, but it wasn’t her place to question him. “Why don’t you go with Pam, Jasper? I don’t mind staying here.”

“No, Margaret,” Jasper said as Pam shook her head. “You can’t stay here alone.”

“Someone might come to the door,” Pam said.

Someone could come to the door while she and Jasper were here alone. What did it matter if one or both of them were inside? “I know not to answer it.”

“Why don’t you come with us?” Pam said. “You don’t have to play.”

“What will she do while you’re playing?” Robin asked. “You can’t leave her to fend for herself while you and Jasper are out on the course.”

“And I don’t think Margaret should go,” Jasper said. “Some of the sights I saw on Saturday aren’t suitable for a lady’s eyes.”

Pam’s brows shot up.

“A lady of 1910,” he quickly clarified.

“That’s better,” Pam murmured. “Oh well, maybe we can go another time, when Robin will be around.” She sighed. “Of course, the weather’s only going to get worse.” Margaret held her cards in front of her face and blinked back tears. Why didn’t they trust her to stay here by herself? She wouldn’t mind if Jasper and Pam went off to play golf; she would be perfectly fine on her own. They were treating her like a child! And yet she felt guilty because they refused to golf with her but wouldn’t golf without her!

“If I could swing most of Friday afternoon off—no pun intended—would that help?” Robin asked.

“You just said you can’t book the day off,” Pam said as Margaret slowly lowered her cards to peek at Robin.

“Well, I can’t be home the entire day. I have a class at 11:00 and a lab at 1:00. But if I sit in on Thursday’s lab instead, I could be home around 12:45.” Pam’s face lit up. “That would work! Are you sure?”

Robin dropped a teabag into a mug. “It means I’ll be home a little later on Thursday, but yeah. I’m sure.”

“And you don’t mind staying here with Margaret?”

“No.”

“All right, then. I’ll book Friday off. I’m glad it worked out.” It had worked out for Pam and Jasper. Robin had only offered to rearrange her schedule when it had become clear that they needed a child-minder. Margaret wished she were home.

Here, everyone seemed more sophisticated, including Jasper. She didn’t belong.

“Your turn,” Jasper murmured.

She slid a card from her hand and tossed it onto the table, but her heart was no longer in the game. Robin quietly left after making her tea, and when Pam won the game and got up to make coffee, Margaret seized the opportunity to retire early. She picked up her Dickens book from the living room and trudged up the stairs.

On the landing, she could see Robin working in the study. Margaret hesitated, then walked to the open door and knocked on it. Robin looked up. “Thank you for agreeing to stay with me on Friday,” Margaret said.

“Sure.”

“I’m sorry that you’ll have to rearrange your schedule.”

“No, it’s fine, really. I don’t mind.”

Margaret’s grip tightened on the book. “Are you working on something for your class?” Robin nodded. “I’m reading a scientific paper. I have to critique it.”

“Oh.” Margaret swallowed. “I won’t keep you. And I’ll try not to disturb you on Friday.

Good night.” She turned away.

“Margaret.”

Margaret turned back.

“Let’s do something on Friday.” Robin smiled. “Not a movie. I’m sure we can find something else to do.”

“But your work . . .”

Robin shrugged. “I’d normally be in a lab, and I’ll have the weekend to do homework. So let’s spend the afternoon together. Even if we just talk.”

“I would like that.” Margaret’s heart was pounding so fast that she barely got the words out.

Robin wanting to pass the time with her was the last thing she’d expected—a wonderful surprise!

“I’ll look forward to it. Good night.” Robin’s head bowed.

“Good night.” Margaret’s step was light as she walked to the bedroom. The heavy spirit she’d dragged up the stairs now soared.

*****

From a window, Margaret watched Jasper and Pam walk down the front path. When she could no longer see them, she let the curtain go and turned to the empty living room. Her heart sank.

When Robin had come home, she’d eaten a quick lunch, said good-bye to Pam and Jasper, and gone upstairs. No mention of spending the afternoon together, just a wave as she’d passed the living room on her way to the kitchen.

Margaret fought her disappointment. She and Jasper were imposing. Robin and Pam led busy lives, though Pam seemed eager to make time for Jasper, who would never golf alone with another woman if they were in 1910, not after their engagement was announced. Margaret should be upset, but she wasn’t. Since Pam would send them back to their own time in mere weeks, nothing would come of her friendship with Jasper. But if Pam failed and they were doomed to remain in the future—no, Margaret refused to entertain that possibility. Pam would succeed.

They would return to 1910, announce their engagement, marry, and eventually wonder if this interlude had been a dream, a shared temporary madness.

Margaret was almost grateful for Pam’s willingness to occupy Jasper’s time. He was running out of ways to busy himself and they both felt awkward, residing under the same roof and becoming too familiar with each other’s habits before God had joined them together. When they returned home, they must never breathe a word of this time to anyone, not only because nobody would believe them, but because Jasper’s family might refuse to accept her, even though she’d committed no impropriety. Oh, why couldn’t it be a full moon tonight?

With a sigh, she went over to the bookcase, and was debating whether to try someone other than Dickens when footsteps thumped down the stairs. “They gone?” Robin asked.

Hope rising within her, Margaret nodded.

“I just wanted to get a few emails—letters—out of the way, so my afternoon would be clear.”

Pam had explained how people could instantly send letters from one place to another.

Margaret could appreciate the efficiency of the method, but not its impersonal nature. When she wrote a letter, she always selected the stationery with great care. Each letter she sent was personal, and she always valued the ones she received, viewed them as keepsakes.

Robin went to the window and gazed out. “They certainly couldn’t have asked for better weather.” She spun around. “Would you consider going for a walk?” Margaret gulped. “I—I shouldn’t. I know Jasper wants to experience . . . the present, but I feel I should remained sheltered, so it won’t be such a shock when I go home.” Nor potentially disappointing.

Robin folded her arms. “That’s prudent of you. But I’m not suggesting we go downtown or anything like that. We’re not that far from the lake.”

“I know.” She often strolled along the boardwalk with her friends.

“Of course you do,” Robin said sheepishly. “So you know we can walk there. You won’t see anything spectacular. You’ve seen cars. Um . . . people will be dressed differently to what you’re used to. Signs, maybe? But that’s all. So what do you say?” She wanted to please Robin, and couldn’t deny the excitement that mingled with her fear of stepping out into the future.

“You’ve been here a week. You must be tired of being cooped up inside.” She wanted to—but no, she couldn’t. “You can go for a walk, if you like. I’ll be all right here on my own.”

Robin shook her head. “Pam and Jasper would kill me if they found out. And I’d like your company.” She dropped her arms to her sides. “But if you don’t want to go, I’ll understand.” And be disappointed, no doubt. Margaret swallowed. “Jasper wouldn’t want me to go.” Robin lifted an eyebrow. “Who said anything about telling Jasper? He’s out playing golf.

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

Dare she? She wanted to. She was tired of her own company and would feel guilty if Robin had to share her confinement on such a beautiful day.

“I promise I’ll stay right next to you,” Robin said. “I won’t let you out of my sight.” Her desire to not disappoint Robin was too strong to resist. “All right.” Robin smiled. “Great! Do you want to change into the pants Pam bought you? Okay, maybe that’s asking too much,” she said with a laugh; Margaret’s horror at the thought of wearing trousers must have shown on her face. “But put on running shoes, at least.” Running shoes?

“Shoes like mine.

Margaret looked down at Robin’s feet.

“You can’t go out barefoot.”

Robin must think her vain for wearing shoes that hurt when Jasper was here.

“You can wear Pam’s old pair. They’re on the mat. I’ll get you a pair of socks.” Robin bounded up the stairs.

Margaret went into the hallway and peered at Pam’s running shoes. Perhaps she should reconsider leaving the house, but what would Robin think? If Margaret changed her mind, Robin would never offer to pass the time with her again.

“Thank you,” she murmured when Robin returned and handed her the socks. While Margaret pulled them on and squeezed her feet into the running shoes, she could see Robin hunched over one of the end tables in the living room, writing on a piece of paper.

“A map from the boardwalk to the house,” Robin announced. “In case we do get separated and the route isn’t the same as it was in 1910.” She inspected Margaret; her mouth turned up at the corners. “All you need is a coat. Take one of Pam’s. It’ll be a little big, but who cares?” Margaret wouldn’t. The running shoes already made her feel mannish.

Robin rummaged through the coat closet, pulled out a full-length fall coat, and held it out to Margaret. She slipped into it and hoped she didn’t look ridiculous.

“Put the map in your pocket,” Robin said. “And I’m giving you my phone. If we do get separated, don’t talk to anyone, and don’t go anywhere with anyone. I don’t care how nice they look or sound. Either follow the map, or phone here. I’ll come back here and wait for your call.” Margaret quaked inside. This would be her last opportunity to do the sensible thing and stay here. But she wanted to go with Robin. “How do I—”

“Here.” Robin showed her how to use the phone, then had her practice a few times.

“Ready?” When Margaret nodded, Robin threw on a black leather waist-length coat. “Let’s go.” She followed Robin outside and paused on the doorstep to get her bearings. As she’d discovered the first time she gazed out the window, the surroundings were strange, yet familiar.

If the cars weren’t there, the road cobbled, and the trees not so tall, she’d almost believe that the front door led to 1910. Her eyes settled on Robin. Except women dressed like women, where she came from.

Robin walked to the end of the path and beckoned to her. Encouraged, Margaret walked down the steps. “You all right?” Robin asked when Margaret reached her.

“Yes.” She fell into step with Robin. The warmth of the sun on her face and the light breeze in her hair were welcome sensations; she felt more alive than she had in days. Her decision to accompany Robin was reckless, but the alternative would have been to pass yet another afternoon reading by herself. She was outside and not alone! Robin’s desire for her company was rooted in politeness, but Margaret was grateful for her thoughtfulness and would tell her so later.

She didn’t mind that Robin shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and only spoke when they had to cross a road. For now, she wanted to stroll next to her and imagine that she was out with one of her girlfriends.

A wave of melancholy washed over her when she spotted the lake. If she blocked out the people, the strange noises, and the storefronts, she would forgive herself for believing she was home.

Robin’s hands came out of her pockets. “I was thinking we could pick up a couple of teas and then find somewhere to sit. It’s breezier here, but if we get chilly, we can walk.” Margaret readily agreed, and stayed close to Robin in what appeared to be a café—once again strange, yet familiar, though her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she read the price list. Inflation, indeed. “Can I see that?” she asked when Robin pulled out a bill from what looked like a man’s billfold.

Robin handed her the five-dollar bill. “That’s Sir Wilfrid Laurier,” Margaret said. “He’s the prime minister.”

“Not anymore,” Robin said with a chuckle.

Of course. How silly of her! But . . . “I saw him not too long ago. We were in Ottawa for the weekend.”

“Your family?”

“Yes! Not me and Jasper.”

Robin took the bill from her and used it to pay for their teas. She pressed a hot paper cup into Margaret’s hand and they found a place to sit, on a bench facing the boardwalk. A woman sat reading a newspaper at one end. Robin motioned for Margaret to sit at the other end and settled in next to her.

“Has it changed much?” Robin asked.

“The lake looks the same.” Had it only been last week that she’d walked down to the lake with Mother? To her, yes, yet it had been a century ago! Mother was dead! Father, her brothers, everyone. Intellectually she understood that, but she couldn’t accept it. They were very much alive; she thought of them in the present tense. She could remember every detail of her walk with Mother. They’d spoken of Jasper, of what a suitable husband he’d make. Jasper had visited Father the very next day. Had Mother suspected that Jasper intended to ask Father’s permission for her hand? Father and the Bainbridges belonged to the same gentlemen’s club. So had Victor Tillman, until he’d been tossed out on his ear for defaulting on his dues.

She gave Robin a sidelong glance. Was she related to that Tillman family? The Tillmans had been quite respectable, until Leo Tillman died. His sons were all misfits, especially Victor, the eldest. It hadn’t taken him long to gamble away his inheritance. From a stately home on a respectable road to a working class townhouse—what a comedown! Pam had been quick to say that Robin wasn’t related to Victor Tillman, but was she sure, or had she been worried that Margaret’s comment would cause offence? Normally Margaret wouldn’t dream of blurting out something so crass, but normally she wasn’t dropped into the middle of a conversation with two strangers from the future, either. “Do you mind if I ask you about your family?” she said to Robin. “We spoke about mine last time we took tea together.”

“There’s not much to know.” Robin sipped her tea. “My parents are divorced, and I have an older brother.”

Divorce? That must have been difficult for Robin’s mother. How had she managed? “That’s unfortunate about your parents.”

Robin shrugged. “They divorced when I was fourteen.”

“Are your grandparents alive?” Margaret asked, seeking a piece of information that would either connect her to Victor Tillman, or eliminate him as an ancestor. She didn’t want to remind Robin of her crass comment by asking outright.

“My mom’s mom is still alive and kicking. My father’s parents are both around too, but I haven’t seen them in years. I’m not close to my father.”

“Oh?”

“He travels a lot. Me and Chris—my brother—we have dinner with him occasionally, when he passes through town. As a matter of fact, we’ll be meeting up with him in a couple of weeks.” Margaret wondered why Robin didn’t sound too happy about it. “You must be looking forward to seeing him.”

Robin’s mouth tightened. “We don’t have a lot in common.”

“Do you see your mother often?”

“I try to drop in at least once a week, mainly to see my brother. They don’t live far from the university.”

Why would Robin live with Pam when her family lived closer to the university? And how odd that Robin lived outside the home and her brother didn’t. “Why don’t you live with them?” Robin lifted her cup to her lips. “Boy, you don’t mess around with the questions, do you?” Margaret drew breath to apologize, but Robin shook her head and, after gulping down tea, tossed her cup into a nearby wastebasket. “It’s only fair. I asked you a lot of questions the other day.” She sighed heavily. “It’s easier living with Pam than living at home. And cheaper. Since Pam owns the house outright, she doesn’t charge me room and board. I couldn’t go to university when I was living at home. I had to work, to help out. That’s why I’m only in my second year, even though I’m twenty-six.”

“What about your brother? Wasn’t he supporting you?”

Robin snorted. “No.”

“Why not?”

“It doesn’t work that way now, Margaret. And even if it did, he wouldn’t be able to support me.” Robin twisted to face her. “Do you know what schizophrenia is?”

“No.”

“It’s a mental illness. Chris is schizophrenic.”

“You mean he’s retarded?”

Robin stared at her for a moment. “If you were anyone else—” She sighed. “No, he’s not retarded. It’s an illness, like any other illness. As long as he stays on his medication, he’s okay.

And he does occasionally manage to hold down a job for a while, but the sort of job that pays him barely enough to support himself, let alone me. Mom doesn’t work, either. She’s an alcoholic, and not very good at hiding it. She was fired from one too many jobs.” Margaret hoped her dismay didn’t show on her face. Robin’s family sounded just like the 1910 Tillmans!

“So after I graduated from high school, I worked. They’re on social assistance, but that’s barely enough to get by.”

“What about your father? He should be caring for his family.” To Margaret’s surprise, Robin barked a laugh. “It didn’t take long for Mom to drink her way through her divorce settlement, and Dad’s,” she wiggled her fingers in the air, “obligation to me and Chris ended the second we turned eighteen. He remarried and had two more kids, so he has another family to worry about now.” She examined her fingernails. “Doesn’t matter. We’ve managed okay without him.”

But Margaret could see that it did matter. Up to that point, she’d thought Robin unflappable.

“You stepped into his shoes, tried to care for everyone.”

“You sound like Pam.” Robin gazed out at the lake. “If you ask her about our living arrangement, she’ll make it sound like I’m doing her a favour, when it’s really the other way around. If it wasn’t for her, I’d still be working two jobs and dreaming about going to university.”

As far as Margaret knew, Robin no longer worked at all. “Does Pam pay your tuition?” Robin shook her head. “I have a student loan. And I make pocket change on the Internet.

I’m willing to work part-time, so I can pay Pam rent, but she won’t let me. She said we’ll talk about rent after I graduate.” Robin smiled. “And she’s been very stubborn about sticking to that.” Her smile faded. “I wish we could have gone through university together. And I wish I could have gone to university while living at home. It’s not that I don’t like living with Pam, I do. But I worry about Mom and Chris.”

Confused, Margaret opened her mouth to ask a question, then realized she hadn’t drank any tea. She took a sip, felt the still-warm liquid run down her throat. “I don’t understand. If you wanted to stay home to help your family, couldn’t you have worked part-time and gone to university? Forgive me if that doesn’t make sense.”

“If I’d still managed to get a student loan, yeah, that might have worked.”

“Then why didn’t you do that?”

Robin avoided Margaret’s eyes. “I couldn’t,” she said quietly. “Please don’t ask me why.” Margaret nearly burst with curiosity but didn’t want to pry, especially when Robin shoved her hands back into her pockets and blinked out at the lake. She drank more tea and waited for Robin to speak.

“Anyway, enough talk about me.” Robin straightened. “You must be sick of Dickens by now.”

So Robin had noticed.

“I could bring the newspaper home for you to read.”

“No, thank you. I want to remain sheltered.”

“Right. But you did watch TV that day.”

“I wish I hadn’t. I mainly did because Jasper liked it.”

“Okay.” Robin pursed her lips. “Last time we talked—” her mouth turned up at the corners

“—last time we took tea together, you said you like to knit. Why don’t we see if we can find a craft shop? We can pick up whatever you need to make something.” The idea appealed, but . . . Margaret eyed Robin’s clothing: the leather jacket with its worn elbows and sleeves, the faded and frayed trousers, and running shoes that had clearly walked miles. How much of that pocket change ended up in her mother and brother’s pockets? “No, that’s all right. But thank you for offering.”

“Oh, come on. You must want something else to do. It sounded like you really enjoy knitting.”

She did; it soothed her.

“Let me buy what you need.”

Margaret could see that Robin wouldn’t allow her to decline the offer without an explanation, one Margaret didn’t want to give. “All right. But . . . would you let me knit something for you?”

“You don’t have to.”

“I would like to.” Earnestly.

Robin hesitated. “Okay.”

“I’ll knit something for Pam, too.” Margaret pondered a moment. “Perhaps a shawl.” She cocked her head, felt the beginnings of a giggle. “Would you like a shawl?” She wanted to laugh when Robin started to stammer a response, and controlled her mirth with difficulty. “No, I don’t suppose you would.”

Robin’s eyes narrowed. “Are you teasing me, Margaret?”

“Perhaps.”

They gazed at each other, Robin’s amused expression mirroring Margaret’s. “Winter’s coming. What about a tuque and mittens?” Or a sweater, scarf, or nice warm socks. “I’m sure I can knit something that will meet with your approval.”

A smile spread across Robin’s face. “I’m sure you can.” Warmth flooded through Margaret, and it wasn’t from the tea; the cup was now cold to the touch. She could grow fond of this odd woman from the future and wished they could be friends, a prospect she never would have imagined when she’d first set eyes on her.

“Shall we walk a little?” Robin asked.

“Yes.” Margaret stood and deposited her cup in the wastebasket. They strolled along the boardwalk in companionable silence. More people walked, cycled, and ran along it than before, out enjoying the afternoon sun. A woman with two dogs straining against their leashes hurried past; Margaret wasn’t sure who was walking who. She glanced over her shoulder and watched the woman’s receding back, then faced forward and stopped. A young man was heading toward her, but he wasn’t walking, he was standing on a board . . . with wheels? One of his feet left the board; he pushed it against the boardwalk, then stood on the board again. Margaret watched him race past, then followed him with her eyes as he wove around people. She suspected it took some skill, but he made it look effortless.

When she could no longer see him, she turned to Robin to ask—Robin! Where was Robin?

Frantic, Margaret searched for her, but found only strange faces. Her heart pounded. Recalling Robin’s instructions, she dug her hands into the coat pocket, feeling for the map and phone.

“Margaret!”

She shook with relief when Robin was suddenly there, and resisted the urge to grab onto her.

“I—I’m sorry. I stopped to look—” Her voice choked off.

“No, I should have noticed you weren’t next to me. As soon as I did, I backtracked.” Robin peered at her. “Are you okay? Do you want to go home?”

Yes! Home! To 1910! She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. “I’m all right.”

“You sure?”

She nodded. “Let’s continue our walk.” It really was a beautiful day and, quite taken with the idea of knitting something for Robin, she wanted to visit a craft shop. “I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t stop again.”

“Well, that’s no fun. Why shouldn’t you stop if you see something interesting?” Robin shoved her hands into her pockets and extended her right elbow. “Here, take my arm and don’t let go of it. If something catches your eye, I’ll know right away.” Margaret slipped her arm through Robin’s and rested her hand on Robin’s leather sleeve.

Her breath quickened; her free hand went to her throat. They walked, but Margaret no longer took heed of her surroundings. She couldn’t, not when all she could think about was Robin next to her, the warmth of Robin’s arm, her body . . . good Lord, what was wrong with her?

Margaret’s face burned. Her heart raced. She felt as if she might crumple to the ground at any second.

“I could hardly breathe! I felt as if I was dying! If a doctor had taken my temperature, he would have rushed me to the hospital!” All her friends had squealed and nodded, and so had Margaret, even though she’d never reacted that way when strolling with Jasper, or any other suitor. She hadn’t related at all to what her friends described, had never experienced it . . . until now. But—it didn’t make sense! Robin was—she— Margaret should let go of her arm—

immediately! But she didn’t want to, and not only because she was afraid they’d be separated.

Dear Jesus in heaven, she was attracted to Robin.

But this wasn’t the first time she’d slipped her arm through a girlfriend’s when out for a stroll, yet she’d never, ever felt like this. Something terrible must have happened to her when she was pulled through time! She wasn’t one of those wicked people she’d heard whispers about.

Depraved, sinful creatures! She wasn’t one of them! Back in 1910, she’d be normal again.

Robin pressed against Margaret when she sidestepped to avoid bumping into someone. Heat flared in Margaret’s chest. She tightened her grip on Robin’s arm.

Chapter Six

Pam groaned when her ball landed far short of the target green. “I told you, I’m terrible at this.”

“That’s why I suggested we end the afternoon on the driving range.” Jasper leaned on his club. “It’s your posture.”

“My posture?”

He nodded. “Your back isn’t straight. Look.” Jasper slipped his club behind him and held it with both hands just underneath his bum, parallel to the ground. “Now if I hang onto the club and then lean forward, my back will remain straight.” He demonstrated. “Do you see?” She lifted her sunglasses and eyed his firm ass. “Uh-huh.” It looked damn good, considering it was technically 130 years old.

“This is the position you want. You want to bend from the hips, and you don’t want to be back on your heels. If your posture is right, everything else will follow.” Pam sighed in disappointment when he slid the club from behind him. “If you have the right posture, just let your arms hang and that’s exactly where you should grip the club.” He assumed a golf stance and smiled at her. “Do you want to try again?”

“Only if you won’t be disappointed when I hit the ball exactly where it just landed.” He frowned. “You have to have more confidence, or you’ll never improve.”

“You’re right.” She teed up another ball, then felt a bit silly as she mimicked Jasper’s demonstration by holding the club under her ass and bending forward. Since she couldn’t hold the club in that position when she entered her stance, she didn’t see much point—except to please him. “I think I understand.” All right, pretend I’m hanging onto a club under my ass. She assumed her stance, hoped her arms were hanging right, then swung.

Jasper shielded his eyes. “It looks good.”

Did it? She watched in disbelief as the ball arced through the air and landed on the edge of the target green. “I did it! I did it! Oh my god!” She dropped the driver, leaped into Jasper, and hugged him. Oh shit! She pulled back. Wait, his arms were around her too, and he didn’t seem in a hurry to let her go. She reluctantly pushed away from him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get carried away.” But given half the chance, she’d be in his arms again.

His eyes met hers. He looked . . . pensive. Confused. The moment passed. He tore his eyes from hers and stooped to pick up his club.

Pam cleared her throat. “I think we should call it a day.” But she didn’t feel like going home to play cards or watch a movie. Okay, maybe she wanted Jasper to herself for a while longer.

“Do you want to have dinner out? There’s a decent pub nearby. We can eat and then play pool, or darts.”

“Pool? You play billiards?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“I’ve never played with a woman before.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Then I’ll warn you that I’m better at pool than I am at golf. If you can’t handle being beaten by a woman, maybe you should pass.” He scoffed. “I’m not worried about being beaten.”

“We’ll see, won’t we?” she said with a wink, thrilled that he was interested in playing.

“But what about Margaret and Robin? We said we’d only be out for the afternoon.” So they had. “I’ll call Robin. I don’t think she has any plans for tonight, so she probably won’t mind. Let’s take these clubs back.”

Fifteen minutes later, she dug her phone out of her purse and dialled home while Jasper visited the men’s room. Funny, nobody was answering. “Hi, you’ve reached Pam and Robin. We can’t—” Pam hung up. Robin had better not be sitting upstairs with her damn headset on. She’d said she was going to spend time with Margaret.

Pam called Robin’s cell, and was about to hang up after eight rings—why wasn’t it going through to voice mail?—when Robin said, “Hello.”

“Why aren’t you answering the damn phone? I tried home first.”

“Oh, was that you? I was, uh, in the bathroom. I only heard the cell when I came out.” Pam could hardly hear her. “What’s that in the background?”

“What?”

She sighed. “Never mind. Listen, Jasper and I have finished golfing, but we want to go to the pub, have something to eat and play pool. You’re not going out tonight, right?”

“Nope.”

“Do you mind if we stay out, then?”

“Just a second.” Pam heard muffled voices but couldn’t make out any words. She waited for Robin to remove her hand from the phone. The background noise returned. “Margaret says she doesn’t mind.”

“Great, we’ll see you later, then.” Pam quickly rang off, guilt snaking through her for not considering how Margaret would feel about it. But it wasn’t as if she and Jasper were going on a date, and Margaret had him to herself while Pam was at work. She was probably grateful for the break.

Pam looked in the direction of the men’s room and waved when Jasper emerged. As she watched him approach, she felt herself smile. Margaret was one lucky woman. If not for Jasper’s engagement and that little “from 1910” thing, Pam would be working her charms on him. They had so much in common, more than he did with Margaret. And they weren’t doing anything wrong by enjoying each other’s company for a day. No harm would come from it. According to the announcement she’d found on the Internet, Jasper and Margaret wouldn’t waste any time getting married once they returned to their own time.

Hmm . . . did their brief trip into the future have anything to do with their quickie wedding?

Pam wouldn’t dare tell Jasper about the historical record; who knew how the universe would be affected? But curiosity drove her to dance around the subject as they enjoyed a beer after stuffing themselves on wings. “So have you and Margaret set a wedding date?” Jasper shook his head. “We didn’t have an opportunity to do so. I was in the middle of asking for her hand when . . .” He looked pointedly at her.

“When I rudely interrupted,” Pam finished for him. “I didn’t mean to, honest.” Despite the music and the myriad of chattering voices, she lowered her voice and leaned over the table. “I had no idea the rhyme had the power to transport people through time.”

“I wonder why it chose us.”

“Probably because you were in the same house, the same room.”

“But why not someone from another time period?”

Pam shuddered. What if a younger version of her parents had appeared in front of her—or herself as a child? No, her gut told her that only one of her could exist in the universe at a time.

But seeing her parents? As much as she missed them . . . creepy! “Maybe the one hundred year gap is significant. Jake might know.”

Jasper’s grimace clearly conveyed his opinion of Jake. “He belittled you, Pam. He doesn’t believe the rhyme holds any power, certainly not the power to move objects—or people—

through time.”

“But he told me about the rhyme only working once per lunar cycle.”

“To humour you.” Jasper glanced down at his beer, then reached across the table and touched Pam’s arm. She swallowed, fighting the desire to cover his hand with hers. “Don’t be upset with me, but I’ve—” His lifted his shoulders. “I’ve considered the possibility that Margaret and I may be here for good.”

“No, Jasper. I’ll send you back.”

“I know you believe you can, and it’s not you I doubt. You’re a formidable woman. If anyone can send us back, you can.” His gentle tone, the warmth of his touch . . . if he didn’t move his hand away soon, she wouldn’t be responsible for her actions. “But I have to consider the possibility that whatever happened when you read the rhyme was a fluke that won’t be repeated.”

“I’ll send you back,” she said firmly. “The rhyme will work.” The historical record proved it.

Jasper’s fingers tightened around her arm. “I admire your conviction.” Since she couldn’t grab him, she grabbed her beer and gulped some down. When he finally lifted his hand from her arm and leaned back, the sensation of his touch lingered. If the rhyme’s effectiveness depended on how strongly its reader wanted it to work, they could be in trouble!

But no, it couldn’t. She’d unwittingly brought them here, so her emotional state and desires weren’t a factor.

“You and Margaret will return.” They would marry. And Pam would continue to search for a decent, considerate man who could appreciate an independent woman and be gracious.

Unfortunately she’d measure everyone against the man across from her, and probably find them falling short. She inwardly sighed. No point wanting what she couldn’t have. Yep, Margaret was one lucky woman. “And you’ll get married!” She forced a smile. “I know you didn’t have a chance to set a date back in 1910, but I thought maybe you’d talked about it here.”

“No. Neither of us has broached the subject. I suppose we want to see what happens.” She knew he meant whether they’d make it back to their own time. “Assuming you do return, when do you think you’ll marry?”

“I’d like a summer wedding, and I’m sure the idea will appeal to Margaret, as well. So perhaps July or August.”

“July or August 1911?”

He nodded.

But . . . “Where do you think you’ll live?”

“Toronto, of course. Both our families are here.”

But . . . “Is there any reason you wouldn’t live in Toronto?” His brows drew together. “No. Why would we live elsewhere? We both like the city, and we wouldn’t want to leave our families. I’ll eventually take over the business from Father. That’s years away, I hope, but I need to be here.”

Maybe the marriage announcement she’d found wasn’t Jasper and Margaret’s. No, it had to be them. How many Jasper Bainbridges and Margaret Wiltons would there be in 1910 . . . and married to each other? “So there’s absolutely, positively, no reason you and Margaret would move away from Toronto?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m just trying to, uh, learn about the customs of your time.” She swilled around the remains of her beer and downed it.

“I can’t see any reason why we’d move. As for customs, generally speaking, people move for all sorts of reasons.”

“Is there anything that would make people move in a hurry?” Jasper drained his beer as he pondered the question. He set his empty glass on the table. “A scandal can sometimes force people to another city, so they can get a fresh start where tongues aren’t wagging.”

A scandal? God, Margaret wasn’t pregnant, was she? Pam dismissed the thought when she remembered how they’d reacted to the notion of sharing a bedroom. But now they were alone together all day. What if . . . even if they were, Margaret wouldn’t be showing in December. She wouldn’t even be sure she was pregnant. Did they have pregnancy kits in those days?

“Of course, we’d never be involved in a scandal. I would never dishonour my family, and I chose Margaret because she has an excellent reputation.”

“And you love her.”

He cocked his head. “I have great affection for her.”

That didn’t sound like love. “But you don’t love her?”

“You sound surprised.”

“Why would you marry someone you don’t love?” If Robin had accurately interpreted the last entry in Margaret’s diary, Margaret was in the same boat.

“Because I want a good wife, and Margaret will be a wonderful wife and mother to our children.”

“But what about love?”

Jasper picked up his glass, even though it was empty. “Father says the ideal wife will put me and the children first, that it’s not necessary that I love her, only that I respect her.” He stared into the glass; his voice grew wistful. “That affection will always outlast passion. That marrying for love is a mistake.”

The way he suddenly aged before Pam’s eyes, the longing in his voice . . . “You wanted to marry someone else, but your father disapproved of her,” she stated.

He put the glass down. “Yes.”

She gasped. “Who? When? Why didn’t he like her? Does Margaret know?” Jasper shook his head. “I shouldn’t speak of this.”

“Why not? Come on, Jasper, you can tell me. Who am I going to tell that matters?” She leaned across the table. “I won’t breathe a word to Margaret, I swear. What was her name?” She watched his face as he struggled with himself. His shoulders slumped. “Emily.” His eyes grew distant for a minute, then brightened. “I met her at a baseball match. I couldn’t help but notice her. She sat right behind me and kept shouting at the players. I managed to ignore her, until she spilled lemonade on my shoulder. I turned around to express my displeasure . . . and fell in love.”

Pam hated her already.

“She insisted on having my jacket cleaned, I insisted on buying her another lemonade, and we were soon inseparable. Oh, she was wonderful, Pam. The spirited discussions we had, the matches we watched together, the rides around the park. She golfed, swam, shared so many of my interests, and never let me get away with underestimating her because she was a woman.” He met Pam’s eyes. “You remind me of her.”

Blood rushed to her cheeks. She was sure he meant it as a compliment. “So what happened?

Why didn’t your father approve of her?”

His face slackened. “Because she was too independent-minded, as he put it. Emily and I discussed marriage. She wanted to marry, but not then. She’d just started university. Father said she’d always put herself before me. And he’d noticed that I was questioning my role in the family business. He blamed her for that.”

“Why?”

“Because I told her that investments aren’t my passion. She encouraged me to do what I really wanted to do.”

“Which is?” Pam blurted when it looked as if Jasper wasn’t going to tell her.

“Carpentry. More specifically, cabinetmaking.”

His answer failed to surprise her. “Then do that! You did a beautiful job on our chairs, and the doorframe.”

“I can’t. Father would be incensed if I backed out of the family business to be a lowly tradesman.”

Father sounded like a bastard who had his son desperate for his approval. Jasper wasn’t the first man she’d met who wanted to please daddy; it certainly wasn’t a condition limited to early twentieth century men.

“Emily said the money, my position in society—it didn’t matter to her.” Okay, maybe Pam liked her a teensy little bit.

“I told her I would be satisfied working with my father, especially if she was my wife. I would have married her. I would have waited. But . . .” He blinked rapidly.

“But what?” Pam asked quietly, wanting to reach out and comfort him.

“Father told me to get rid of her. I told him I wanted to marry her, but he said she wouldn’t make a suitable wife. He spoke to her father, told him we were . . .” he shifted in his chair “ . . .

having carnal relations.”

Carnal relations? Pam coughed into her hand, then cleared her throat. “Of course, you weren’t.”

He didn’t reply.

“You were!” Maybe Margaret was pregnant. “You and Margaret, are you, um—” Jasper’s eyes widened. “No! Absolutely not. Margaret will be my wife.”

“You wanted to marry Emily, but that didn’t stop you,” Pam pointed out.

“We loved each other. I don’t regret a second we had together, but we were reckless. I didn’t consider her reputation. I should have. We were discreet, but foolish.” No wonder he didn’t want Margaret’s stay in 2010 to tarnish her. “How did your father find out?”

“He didn’t. He said whatever he thought it would take for Emily’s father to put an end to our relationship. It worked. She transferred to a university in the United States.”

“When did all this happen?”

“When I was twenty-four.”

“And Margaret doesn’t know?”

He shook his head. “And she will never know.”

Message received, not that Pam would have said anything. “Has there been anyone since then—apart from Margaret?”

“A few dalliances here and there.” Jasper’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Last year, Father left a newspaper clipping near my breakfast plate. Emily married an American.” The muscle near his right eye jumped.

“I’m sorry.” This time Pam patted his hand, and refrained from asking if he’d thought of going after Emily when she’d left for the States. Defying daddy would have been beyond him, so why twist the knife of regret deeper?

“A couple of weeks later, Father had a talk with me. Said it was time to settle down, that I was almost thirty. He suggested several suitable women, Margaret among them. I eventually met them all. I liked Margaret the most.”

Cripes, it sounded like an episode of that silly reality TV show in which a bachelor chose who to marry.

“I know you probably think badly of me, but I am fond of Margaret, and I’ll take good care of her. What I’m doing isn’t unusual, especially for a man in my position. And Margaret belongs to a respectable middle class family. I doubt love was her primary concern when she considered who would make a suitable husband.”

Apparently not. “I don’t think badly of you, Jasper. I’m sad for you. Your father’s approval, your position . . . money. It isn’t everything. Don’t you want to be happy?”

“I will be happy.”

“No, really happy. Fulfilled—work you enjoy, and a wife you love, truly love, with passion.

The universe wants you to be happy. It doesn’t want you to settle.” And so she wouldn’t, no matter how many jerks she had to go through before she met Mr. Right.

Jasper gazed at her. “You sound like you believe that.”

“I do.”

“Are you happy, Pam?”

His question caught her off guard. “Well, yes, for the most part. I admit, I’d be happier with a man in my life. If I didn’t have Robin, I’d be lonely. But I haven’t settled for someone I don’t love just so I won’t be alone when Robin moves out. I’d rather be lonely than settle.”

“But you want to marry.”

“Oh, yes. Definitely.”

Jasper grunted. “Robin’s a queer woman, isn’t she?”

Shock made her voice shrill. “What makes you say that?” Wait. “Oh, you mean odd.” When he nodded, her heart stopped pounding.

“She’s not . . . feminine,” Jasper said.

“Why, because she wears her hair short and prefers pants to dresses? That’s not unusual today, Jasper. Okay, she doesn’t wear makeup or jewelry either, but so what? She’s her own person.”

“I didn’t mean to criticize her,” Jasper said, motioning for Pam to calm down.

“Then don’t judge her by how she looks!” Pam took a deep breath, reminded herself that she was sitting with someone from another time. “Listen, I can see how she might seem unusual to you. But I love her to bits. I know we’re not blood-related, but she’s family, the only family I’ve got. I’d do anything for her, and I know she’d do the same for me. So I can get a little defensive about her.”

“I apologize. Robin is a most gracious host. And so are you.” Flattery would get him everywhere. “Apology accepted.”

“Do you think she’ll marry?”

“I hope she does.” Robin would probably marry before Pam did—if she stopped worrying about her useless family and started living for herself. Jasper’s lost love, his future tepid marriage to Margaret, Robin eventually meeting a nice woman and moving out . . . what a depressing conversation! “But enough chit-chat. Let’s shoot some pool. Or are you afraid of losing?”

He snorted and pushed back his chair.

Pam’s phone rang. She lifted it from her purse and glanced at the display. “I should take this. Hi,” she said to Brenda, a co-worker and drinking buddy. “What’s up? Did something happen at the office today?”

“No, I’m calling about my party. I need to know how many are coming. You said you’d let me know by today.”

“Oh, right.” Damn, she’d forgotten about the party. Jasper and Margaret would still be here; it was on October 16th, the weekend before she’d be trying to send them back. If she didn’t attend, she’d miss too much gossip and appear antisocial, especially since she’d skipped Sue’s party last month. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Great! Will you be bringing someone?”

She eyed Jasper, and ignored the rational voice that always insisted on butting in at times like this. “Yes,” she said, “I probably will.”

*****

Margaret raised her hand to pull a pin from her hair, then stopped when someone knocked at the closed bedroom door. “Margaret, are you decent?” Pam bellowed.

Of course she was decent! What kind of question was that?

“Margaret? Can I come in?”

“Just a minute.” She glanced at the dresser to make sure Robin had hidden all the wool in its bottom drawer. Pam couldn’t know about the wool until Robin had told her about their outing.

“Yes, come in.”

The door swung open. Pam stepped into the room. “Oh good, I’m glad I caught you before you went to bed. Did you enjoy your day today?”

“Very much.” What did Pam want? She hadn’t stepped foot in the bedroom since she’d helped Margaret the evening they’d arrived. “I gather you and Jasper also had an enjoyable day.” Upon their return home, Margaret had shared a coffee with them and listened to their spirited banter about their golf game and billiard matches. They’d included her in the conversation, but she’d felt like the odd one out. Constantly wondering what Robin was doing hadn’t helped.

“Yes, we did.” Pam’s smile was fixed. She shifted her weight. “Um, I want to ask you something. A favour. And don’t feel you have to agree to it.”

“All right,” Margaret said, her curiosity piqued.

“You see, one of my work colleagues is having a party in a couple of weeks. I missed the last one, so I don’t want to miss this one, too. It would be nice if I didn’t have to go alone, because everyone else will be there with someone. I was wondering if . . . well, I thought it might make sense if . . .”

“You want Jasper to escort you.”

Pam nodded. “But only if you agree.”

Why was Pam asking for permission now? She hadn’t asked for permission to spend today with him, or to monopolize his time every evening. Perhaps the difference was that their attendance at the party would be more like a date.

She should refuse Pam’s request. She’d seen the way Jasper and Pam looked at each other, had sensed the attraction between them. If they were all in 1910, she’d worry that Jasper might call off their engagement. But if they were all in 1910, he never would have met Pam, and even if he had, they wouldn’t be spending so much time together. They certainly wouldn’t be living under the same roof! “Have you spoken to him about it?”

“Not yet. I thought I’d ask you first. There’s no point asking him if you don’t want him to go with me.”

Did she have a choice? Pam said she wasn’t obliged to agree, but she was living in the woman’s house, eating the woman’s food, and wearing clothes the woman had bought for her.

Refusing her could cause tension between them. Margaret didn’t want that, not when they still had to live together.

“And if you agree, I’ll have to talk to Robin, see if she’ll be around that night.” As much as she wanted to, Margaret couldn’t deny that she’d look forward to an evening alone with Robin. What was wrong with her? Could whatever was affecting her also be affecting Jasper? Was that why he was attracted to Pam? If Robin was a man, would Margaret be stepping out with him right under Jasper’s nose? She shook herself and tried to focus on Pam’s request.

“Are you sure it will be prudent to take Jasper with you? I assume he’ll have to converse with the other guests.”

“Yes, but what’s the worst that can happen? They might think he’s a little strange, but nobody’s going to think, ‘Oh my, he must be from 1910.’” No, she supposed not.

“I’ll be at his side all evening.”

Of that, Margaret had no doubt. Oh, what harm would one evening do? She and Jasper would return to 1910 and their time here would feel as if it had been a dream. “Then I agree.

When you speak to Jasper about it, please tell him that I don’t mind.” If he asked.

Pam’s face lit up. “Thank you, Margaret. I’ll take good care of him and have him back before he turns into a pumpkin, I promise. Good night.”

“Good night.”

The door clicked shut. Troubled, Margaret sank onto the edge of the bed. She should be jealous of Pam, but she wasn’t. She should be furious with Jasper if he readily agreed to escort Pam, but she wouldn’t be. She shouldn’t hope that Robin would be free and that they’d pass the evening of the party together, but she did.

Pam would send them home on October 23rd, and it couldn’t come fast enough. If they didn’t return . . . Margaret couldn’t bear to consider the consequences! She wanted everything back to normal again, including herself. That rhyme had better work.

Chapter Seven

Pam tossed her last card onto the pile, whooped, and thrust her fist into the air. “I win!” Jasper added the remaining cards in his hand to the pile, facedown. “Good game.”

“Yes, good game,” Margaret murmured, hoping they wouldn’t want to play again. Aware of Robin upstairs, she couldn’t focus. Her mind was too busy trying to come up with an excuse to speak to Robin, but at the same time, Margaret didn’t want to disturb her. Perhaps a quick question was the answer? She’d knitted that afternoon, while Pam was at work, and would like to do so this evening, especially since Pam had already suggested a movie. Robin must have told Pam about the wool and their outing by now—she’d had ample opportunity—but it wouldn’t hurt to check with her to make sure. If Margaret were to start a sweater, she’d also need an idea of Robin’s size.

“So, movie?” Pam said cheerfully.

Jasper nodded. “How many movies do you have?”

“Enough that you won’t see them all before you go back.” Margaret stifled a snort. How disappointing!

“You watching with us tonight, Margaret?” Pam asked.

“No, thank you.” She knew she wouldn’t be missed.

Pam pushed herself up from the table. “I’ll put the coffee on, then we’ll choose a movie,” she said to Jasper.

Margaret helped Jasper collect the cards, then gathered her courage and went upstairs. Oh, the study door was ajar, not open. Robin probably didn’t want to be interrupted, but the compulsion to see her was too strong for Margaret to resist, and she only wanted to ask a simple question. She tapped at the door.

“Come in,” Robin called.

Margaret pushed the door open. “I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you, but I was wondering if you’ve told Pam about Friday. I’d like to knit tonight, if I can.” Robin dragged what appeared to be a thick pen across a line in the book she was reading, colouring the line yellow. She looked up. “Sorry, I should have mentioned it to you. Yes, I told her.” Her mouth turned up at the corners. “She wasn’t exactly happy about it, but what could she say, given that she’d spent almost the entire day out with Jasper? So go ahead and knit. She won’t ask you where the wool came from.”

“Thank you.” Margaret hovered, reluctant to leave. Oh . . . “I want to start knitting your sweater, but I don’t know what size you are. Can I show you the pattern? It lists all the measurements.”

“Sure. And you can always measure me.”

Her breath quickened. “Let’s try the pattern first,” she said faintly. “I’ll fetch it.” Were her cheeks as red as they felt? The thought of wrapping a measuring tape around Robin had her all aflutter! She hurried into the bedroom, snatched the pattern from Robin’s desk, and returned to the study.

Robin took it from her and studied it. “I remember this one, it’s the last one we printed.” On Friday night, they’d sat in front of Robin’s computer, searching for and printing out patterns. Margaret had marvelled at how one could instantly obtain patterns, just like that! “You said you like it,” she reminded Robin.

“I do. And . . . I’m a medium.”

“Medium,” Margaret repeated, disappointed that she wouldn’t need the measuring tape, but certain it was for the best.

Robin handed back the pattern. “Are you sure you want to knit me a sweater? You don’t have to.”

“I’d like to, very much.”

“Then, thank you.” Robin touched Margaret’s arm.

Margaret swallowed. “It will be my pleasure.” She didn’t want to leave. “Would you like a cup of tea?” At least that would give her a reason to come up and see Robin again.

“I’d love one. But only if you’re having one, as well. In fact, why don’t you have your tea with me up here? I could use a break.” Robin cupped her hand around her ear. “And is that a movie I hear starting downstairs?”

She didn’t need to be asked twice! “I would like to have tea with you, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work.”

Robin shook her head. “Like I said, I need a break. By the time you’ve made the tea, I’ll have finished this chapter.”

“I’ll go put the kettle on, then.” Now eager to leave before Robin changed her mind, Margaret returned the pattern to the bedroom and went down to the kitchen.

The sensations she felt around Robin were most pleasant . . . and wrong. Now she understood why her friends swooned, yearned to see their suitors, and struggled to retain their innocence. But their feelings were normal. Hers weren’t. If she could feel half as drawn to Jasper as she was to Robin, their marriage would be filled with passion. Perhaps returning to 1910

would redirect her attraction to him, where it belonged.

For now, she should avoid Robin, not indulge the . . . longing for her. But it was as if someone had cast a spell over Margaret, making it impossible to resist her desire. And so here she was, willing the kettle to boil so she could make the tea and hurry back upstairs. She must be careful to never let a hint of her feelings for Robin show. If Robin even suspected, she and Pam would throw Margaret out onto the street, and deservedly so. The most generous of hosts would refuse to harbour a deviant.

*****

Margaret rested her knitting on her lap and glanced at the time on the machine Pam used to play her movies. 10:45. Would Robin be home soon from the late dinner with her father? Margaret had missed their nightly ritual this evening. The tea she’d taken up to Robin last week had been the first of many. She’d easily fallen into the habit of sipping tea with her for fifteen or twenty minutes, then settling into the comfy armchair in the study and knitting while Robin worked.

Tonight she’d knit in the study alone, only coming downstairs when Jasper and Pam had retired.

She should be in bed too, but knew she wouldn’t sleep until Robin was home. Her feelings were a curse! Yet she couldn’t resist them.

She picked up her knitting, then froze when a key turned in the front door lock and the door opened and closed. Margaret expected Robin to come into the living room when she saw the light on, but Robin strode past the living room archway and down the hallway, still wearing her jacket. She didn’t go upstairs, though; it sounded as if she’d gone into the kitchen.

Margaret dithered over what to do—whether to remain in the living room and hope Robin noticed the light when she left the kitchen, or go into the kitchen under the pretense of wanting a glass of water. No, she wouldn’t force her company on Robin. There was always tomorrow. But when Robin was still in the kitchen ten minutes later and the house sounded completely silent, Margaret’s curiosity got the better of her. She left her knitting on the coffee table and went to the kitchen. Odd, the kitchen light wasn’t on. Had Robin quietly gone to bed?

Disappointed, Margaret turned to go upstairs, then decided that she actually wouldn’t mind a glass of water. She flicked on the kitchen light. The unexpected sight of someone sitting at the table made her gasp in fright. “Oh my goodness, I’m sorry!” She stared in astonishment as Robin quickly dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “It’s all right.

You didn’t know I was here.”

Again, Margaret dithered. She’d intruded on a private moment and should leave Robin in peace, but she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t noticed Robin’s distress and walk away as if she didn’t care. Concern and curiosity propelled her farther into the kitchen. When Robin didn’t shoo her away, Margaret pulled out a chair and sat down. Her heart ached at Robin’s hunched shoulders, her hands clenched around the tissue, and her downcast eyes. This wasn’t the confident, assured woman she was used to.

The urge to comfort Robin by touching her was overwhelming. Margaret tucked her hands underneath the table and gripped her dress for good measure. “Did the dinner with your father not go well?” she asked gently. Robin hadn’t seemed enthusiastic about seeing her father, both the first time she’d mentioned it and when she’d reminded Margaret about it last night.

To her surprise, Robin smiled. “Well, you could say that, but then, it never does.” She drew a shaky breath. “I don’t know why he bothers. I guess he just can’t pass up any opportunity to tell us how perfect his second family is.” The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable.

“Why would he want to do that?”

“I guess he’s glad to be rid of the drunk and the schizo.” Robin sighed. “And me. Though he likes to see me and Chris every once in a while, just to make sure we don’t forget what a wonderful life he has now.”

He sounded like a horrid man! But something Robin had said bothered her. She could understand, though not condone, his abandonment of his wife and son. Life with an alcoholic wife and ill son must have been difficult, and perhaps he was unable to overcome a lingering resentment toward them. But why hurt Robin? Why resent her? “Why is he glad to be rid of you?” Margaret blurted before she could change her mind. She shouldn’t ask, but she wanted—

needed—to know. “He should be proud of you,” she said when Robin didn’t answer. “You’re in university, you’re kind-hearted.” Margaret swallowed. “You’re a lovely woman. Why would he

—”

Robin abruptly pushed back her chair and stood. “I appreciate your concern, Margaret, I really do. But you’ll be gone next week. You don’t need to get mixed up with my problems.” She shoved the tissue into her jacket pocket. “I’m going to bed.”

“I’m sorry if I offended you,” Margaret quickly said, not wanting them to part on a bad note.

“You didn’t, not at all. It’s my fault. For some reason I feel comfortable talking to you about personal stuff, maybe because I know you won’t be here for long. I don’t know.” Robin shrugged. “I just know I shouldn’t take advantage and whine to you. I’m sorry.” She pressed her hand against her chest. “I hope you’ll still bring me tea tomorrow.” Margaret’s throat tightened. “Of course I will.” She wouldn’t miss her time with Robin for the world.

“I’d miss it, if you didn’t.” Robin walked toward the hallway and stopped when she reached it. “I’d miss you, too. Good night.”

She was gone before Margaret had a chance to respond—not that she would have said anything. She was too busy reeling over Robin’s parting words. Was Robin being polite, or had she meant it? For the first time, Margaret realized that returning to 1910 would bring her sadness as well as joy. She would spend the rest of her life missing someone who hadn’t been born.

*****

Pam jumped when the bedroom door swung open; when Robin strode in she lowered her book and tried not to wince at Robin’s red eyes. “Another wonderful dinner with daddy dearest?”

“I don’t know why I bother.” Robin shut the door, then sat at the end of the bed and pulled off her shoes.

“Neither do I. Next time he wants to grace you with his presence as an afterthought as he’s passing through town, tell him to fuck off.”

Robin twisted around. “He’s my father.”

“So what? All he does is tell you what a disappointment you are because you’re gay. And did he tell Chris to dump his meds again, that all they are is a crutch and he needs to man up and make something of himself?” Robin’s silence answered the question. “The man’s a complete ass.

I’m sorry, I know he’s your father, but he is.” Was it wrong to wish that he’d died in a fiery crash instead of her father? The world would have been better off, especially Robin and Chris. “So honestly, I don’t get these dinners. He’s not going to suddenly turn around and tell you and Chris that he loves you just as you are. So forget about him already. Stop hoping the next dinner will be the one when he admits that he has two damn good kids, and I’m not talking about the brats.” She could tell from Robin’s face that her words weren’t making any difference. “My god, what is it with grown adults wanting the approval of their parents? Jasper’s the same way. The two people I care—” Her brain overruled her tongue.

Robin pointed at her. “You were going to say the two people you care about most.” Pam cursed herself. “No, I wasn’t.”

“Yes, you were.”

“Stop trying to change the subject. How is Chris, anyway?” Pam said, changing the subject.

“He’s good.”

“I hope he’s not going to listen to your father.”

Robin shook her head. “I think he tunes Dad out now.”

“Good. You should do the same.”

“He has a girlfriend.”

“I hope you mean Chris.” She wouldn’t put it past Robin’s father to have a mistress and brag about it.

Robin nodded. “I met her a couple of weeks ago. She seems nice. He met her at group. She’s schizophrenic, too.”

“Oh god, let’s hope they don’t both hear voices at the same time, or things could get interesting. Imagine the arguments.”

Robin chuckled. “I’ve been meaning to mention her to you.” She paused. “But you’re always busy.”

Was Robin scolding her?

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to take Jasper to the party with you?” So Robin was upset about Jasper. “I asked Margaret and she doesn’t mind.”

“That’s not what I meant. But now that you’ve mentioned Margaret, they are engaged.”

“And they’ll get married and live happily ever after,” Pam snapped. “You saw the marriage announcement. Oh, and I’ve found something else on the Net since then.” Robin’s brow furrowed. “What did you find?”

“A graduation announcement for one Elizabeth Margaret Bainbridge, parents Jasper and Margaret Bainbridge. Look.” Pam grabbed her phone from the nightstand and brought up the historical newspaper website she’d found. “And she graduated from Dalhousie, so I guess they were still living in Halifax.” Robin rounded the bed to sit nearer to Pam and peered at the phone’s display. “You see?” Pam said. “They get married, they have a family, everything’s hunky-dory. Remember you said that Margaret doesn’t love him?” Her attention still on the phone, Robin nodded.

“Well, Jasper doesn’t exactly love her, either. It’s sort of like an arranged marriage, except they arranged it themselves.” With their fathers’ help. “So who cares if Jasper has one last hurrah before he plays the dutiful husband for the rest of his life? It’s not as if I’ll come out of the woodwork later and destroy their marriage.”

Robin looked up at her. “Just what type of hurrah are we talking about?”

“Going out for an evening with someone other than Margaret, that’s all.” And with a woman who truly felt for him, and, if Pam’s reading of the situation was correct, a woman he truly felt for.

“I’m not going to tell you what to do,” Robin said.

“But?”

Robin was silent for a moment. “They’re going back in just over a week. Don’t get too attached.”

Yeah, she was painfully aware of when they were going back. Robin’s advice was too late.

“And they might not love each other now, but I’m sure they’re hoping love will grow over time. Don’t make that more difficult by being the perfect woman he’ll measure Margaret against.

It’ll be hard to compete against a woman he was sort of on vacation with for a month, too short a time to see her bad side.”

“Well, thank you very much!”

“You know what I mean.”

Pam stuck out her tongue.

“Did you find anything else?” Robin asked.

“No. I could poke around on one of the genealogy sites, but you have to pay for those to see anything interesting. And, uh . . .” Pam cleared her throat. “I could search cemetery records.” Robin grimaced. “God, no. I don’t think I could deal with that. Maybe after they’ve been gone for a while, but now? No.”

“Yeah, the thought made me shudder too, so I haven’t. I figure it’s best not to know.” She set the phone back on the nightstand. “I didn’t tell Jasper about the marriage announcement—I wouldn’t,” she quickly added when Robin gave her a look, “but I asked him a few questions, like where they’d live, that sort of thing. They’re not planning a move to Halifax. He made it sound like something unusual would have to happen to make them move, like a scandal of some sort.”

“It would have to happen pretty quickly, given when they got married. I hope it has nothing to do with them being here.” Robin pressed her lips together. “Nah, if they went around telling people they’d visited 2010, they’d end up in a lunatic asylum. And whatever they do here, stays here. Something unexpected must happen.”

But what? Maybe after they’d returned, Pam would really dig around and see what she could find out, even if she had to shell out a few bucks to access records or slog herself down to a library to view microfilm reels.

“Do you ever wonder if this is actually happening?” Robin asked. “Maybe this is one long dream, something our brains are cooking up to comfort us as we’re slowly dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.”

“And we’re both in the same dream, talking to each other and going about our daily lives? It feels too real and too rational.”

Robin snorted. “Except for the ‘we believe we’re living with two people from 1910’ part.”

“Yes, but the fact that we occasionally think we’re nuts means we’re not, right? If we were really nuts, we wouldn’t think we were nuts.”

“Or maybe that’s what we want to believe. Sometimes I wonder if this is how it is for Chris.” Robin stood. “Anyway, I should get ready for bed.” She lifted her pyjamas from the top of the dresser and left for the bathroom.

Pam was certain her life for the past few weeks wasn’t a delusion. If her brain had built this world, Jasper would be sharing her bed, not Robin.

Chapter Eight

Pam sipped her wine and watched Jasper fill his plate with goodies available at the snack table.

When another party guest approached him, she didn’t rush to his side. Not only did the Bainbridge family often host soirées, they were on everyone’s guest list—and it showed in the skill with which Jasper worked a room, even here in 2010. If he didn’t get a joke, he laughed anyway. If he didn’t understand a cultural reference or question, he pretended he hadn’t heard and deftly steered the conversation back to the other person. People loved to talk about themselves, and Jasper had little trouble encouraging them to do so. The guest who’d joined him near the table was already happily chattering away while Jasper nodded and stuffed his face.

She turned to her left when someone nudged her arm. “So where did you find him?” Brenda asked. “He’s so charming.” Her eyes narrowed. “You’ve never mentioned him before.”

“Oh, he’s one of my mother’s friend’s sons, in town visiting. It was a last minute thing. I said I’d show him around.”

“I can see the sparks flying.”

Pam leaned closer and dropped her voice. “It’s too bad he’ll be leaving next week.”

“It’s nothing to hop on a plane these days. If you don’t mind a long-distance relationship,” Brenda said from the corner of her mouth.

“Unfortunately, he’s spoken for. Engaged.”

“Oh,” Brenda mouthed. “Too bad.”

Pam loved how she could tell the truth and make perfect sense as long as she didn’t mention 1910.

Another guest joined them. “Brenda, I just love the chocolate cake. Did you make it?” Pam lightly touched Brenda’s arm and murmured, “I’ll talk to you later,” then hovered near Jasper until he noticed her and politely ended his conversation. “Enjoying yourself?” she asked.

Chewing on something, he said, “Mmm,” and held out his plate. She chose one of the two remaining sugar cookies. Jasper made fast work of the other one. “Conversations haven’t changed much. Work, people, hobbies. Same old thing. Oh, the military came up. I didn’t quite understand what was being said, but I gathered that we were involved in an overseas campaign in Europe at some point.”

He didn’t know about the world wars, and she wasn’t about to tell him. When selecting movies to watch, she’d passed over those that made mention of them. The First World War would start a mere four years after he returned. If he enlisted, did he survive? Maybe finding out what had happened to Jasper after he returned wasn’t such a good idea. She’d rather imagine him happy, raising children with Margaret and then enjoying his grandchildren, not dead on a battlefield, and Margaret a war widow with young children to care for. “It’s best you not know.” He accepted her answer with a nod, as he had the handful of other times she’d decided to withhold information. Out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed Mike and Angela, two of the few guests who smoked, coming back into the living room from the balcony. She grabbed Jasper’s arm. “Come on, I want to show you something.” She allowed him time to set his plate atop the dirty stack at the end of the snack table before dragging him outside, and grinned from ear to ear when his mouth dropped open.

Jasper went to the railing and looked down. Pam remained a few steps behind him, her stomach flip-flopping. She wasn’t terrified of heights—she was out here—but she wasn’t brave enough to stand at the railing. “Quite the sight, eh? We’re up thirty-five floors.”

“It’s magnificent. The lights . . . everything looks so small . . .” He was silent for a moment, then turned around. “Don’t you want to see?”

“Uh, well, I’m okay here.” She smiled sheepishly.

He held out his hand.

Oh god. Not wanting him to think her a coward, she forced herself to take it and walk to his side, her insides quaking. Don’t look down, don’t look down! She gripped the railing with her free hand and clung to Jasper with her other. The warmth of his hand reassured her and she felt safe, but if the light breeze suddenly gusted, she was outta here. His hand wasn’t enough to keep her warm, though. Her thin blouse didn’t stand a chance against the chill. Shivering, she wanted to rub the goose bumps from her arms, but she wasn’t about to let go of the railing and Jasper’s hand!

“You’re cold.”

When Jasper loosened his hold on her hand, she tightened her grip. “No! Don’t let go.”

“I want to give you my jacket. Look at me.”

“I’ll look at you from over here.” She moved away from the railing, clinging to it until she had to let go, and stopped where she was sure a strong wind couldn’t blow her off the balcony.

Only then did she let go of Jasper’s hand.

She chuckled to herself as he removed his jacket. She’d had a hell of a time persuading him to forgo a tie and not button his shirt up to his chin. They’d sounded like her parents when Mom was dressing Dad for an evening out—an old married couple, affectionately bickering.

A lump rose in her throat when Jasper placed his jacket around her shoulders. She hugged it to herself. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

Their eyes met. “You can look out a bit more, if you like. I’ll just stand here,” Pam said.

He didn’t move. Did he feel it too, the yearning to close the short distance between them?

She tried to tear her eyes away from his, but couldn’t.

“I’m starting to wonder how it will feel, to be back home,” he said quietly. “I’ve seen wondrous sights, glimpsed how inventions from my time shaped things to come, and seen machines that even my children will probably never have the opportunity to use. I’ve lived the future! But the sights, the machines, the changes—they’re not what I’ll remember the most.” Pam couldn’t breathe when he gently ran his finger down her cheek and cupped her chin. “I’ll miss you.”

Unable to resist any longer, she let his jacket fall to the ground and threw her arms around his neck, then closed her eyes when she felt his arms tighten around her. Relief, sorrow, and lust mingled together as she pressed her cheek against his. God, she’d miss him too. It was a good thing she couldn’t control what would happen when she read the rhyme; otherwise she’d be tempted to send Margaret back and keep him, marry him and raise a family, argue with him about stupid ties, and want to bash her head against the dashboard while teaching him how to drive in 2010.

“Pam—”

No, she didn’t want to talk, not anymore, when they had so little time left. She pressed her lips against his neck, his jaw, moved to his mouth when she felt him respond. But the second her lips touched his, they both pulled back and stared at each other, the heat between them still raging. “We can’t do this.” She swallowed and relaxed into him, but pressed her right hand against his shoulder, ready to push away if she felt herself weakening. “As much as I’d like to, we can’t,” she whispered.

His chest heaved against hers. “I know,” he said huskily. “If we were both from the same time . . .”

Her heart ached; their lips were almost touching. “But we’re not. So when you’re back, forget about me. You have Margaret, and I want you to take care of her and be a good husband to her, you understand? I’ll be watching you,” her lips trembled, “from wherever we are before we’re born.”

If she looked at him any longer, her actions would belie her words. Pam patted his chest, then stooped to pick up his jacket. She didn’t protest when he took it from her and draped it around her shoulders, or when he put his arm around her and pulled her into him. She slipped her arm around his waist, laid her head on his shoulder, and blinked out at the blurred lights.

*****

Margaret stroked Mitzy’s head and cooed at her when she purred. For the first couple of weeks, Mitzy had wanted nothing to do with her. Now she leaped onto Margaret’s lap at every opportunity. Margaret was especially grateful for Mitzy’s company now, and kept her attention on the purring cat while Robin pulled on the knitted sweater. When Robin said, “It fits,” Margaret lifted her head.

Robin stood with her hands on her hips. “What do you think?” That Robin looked gorgeous in the snug sweater that accentuated her small breasts and matched her blue eyes. “Is it too tight?”

“No. It’s perfect. Thank you.”

“Try on the tuque and mitts.”

Robin picked them up from the coffee table and pulled on the tuque, then the mitts. She flexed her hands in front of her. “Wow, I’m actually colour coordinated,” she said with a laugh.

“I love them. I’m not usually big on hats, but I might actually wear this one. Wise decision, not adding a pom-pom.”

Margaret inwardly smiled. If she’d knitted the tuque for anyone else, it would have a pompom.

But Robin? No. “There will be a scarf and socks to go with them by the time I leave.” To her dismay, Robin’s smile wilted. “If you don’t want them—”

“I do want them. I know I’ll love them. It’s just that . . .” Robin rounded the coffee table, plunked down on the sofa, and shifted position to face Margaret. “Well, I have to admit, I’ll feel a bit sad whenever I wear anything you knit. You are leaving, and you’re going somewhere I won’t be able to email or phone you.” She paused a second. “I bet you’re eager to get back.” For the most part. Her family and friends—her life—were in the past. Margaret dearly missed them and looked forward to seeing everyone again. Jasper was here, but though they’d lived under the same roof for weeks, she felt less close to him than she had in their own time. But with Pam and Robin no longer in their lives to distract and occupy them, Margaret was confident they’d easily resume their socializing and comfortable friendship, especially with all the fuss their engagement would bring. Jasper’s . . . dalliance with Pam, Margaret’s . . . fascination with Robin—both would soon be in their pasts, despite having taken place in the future. Their brief stay here would forever bind them together, and perhaps infuse their relationship with the passion it had thus far lacked for her. She fervently hoped so. If she could feel for Jasper what she felt for Robin . . .

She believed that returning to 1910 would remedy her abnormal feelings for Robin, but couldn’t deny that, right now, those abnormal feelings made the thought of returning home almost unbearable. She’d worry about Robin, someone who hadn’t been born, and wonder how her life would turn out. Would she finish her degree, marry, have children, work out her problems with her family? When the items Margaret had knitted wore out, would Robin keep them or toss them aside, her visitors from the past a distant memory, or perhaps forgotten?

Margaret hoped Robin would always remember her, as she would always remember Robin.

She shook herself. No, when she returned to 1910, she’d be normal again, remember? She’d never forget Robin and Pam and her time here, but Robin wouldn’t monopolize her thoughts, as she did now. Jasper and their impending marriage would.

The motion of Robin’s hand stroking Mitzy brought Margaret back to the conversation. “I am looking forward to returning. But I’ll miss the two friends I made here.” She wanted to add,

“I won’t forget you,” but didn’t want to sound sentimental.

“I’ll have all these beautiful things you’ve knitted to remember you,” Robin said, making Margaret wonder if she could read minds. “If you could take something back with you to remember me by, what would you want?”

You. Margaret pushed the inappropriate and impetuous response from her mind. Robin in 1910 was the last thing she’d want. “A photograph of you and Pam.” As long as it was a good photograph of Robin. No, that wasn’t fair. Pam had been a gracious host and, despite her friendship with Jasper that was stretching the bounds of propriety, Margaret liked her. But a photograph of the two of them still wouldn’t be her first choice.

“Really? That’s what you’d want?”

No, it was her polite answer, and one that wouldn’t betray her feelings. If she could, she’d have a more personal item of Robin’s.

“Is there anything else you’d want? You’ve practically made me a whole outfit, here.” Dare she? It could be a way of expressing how she felt without explicitly saying it, and would be obscure enough that she could deny her feelings, if Robin somehow guessed at her true motivation for wanting the items. Margaret stroked Mitzy for moral support, then plunged ahead.

“I’d want a page of your study notes. One that’s handwritten.” When Robin didn’t react, she continued. “And your leather jacket.”

Incredulity was written all over Robin’s face. “My jacket? That’s the last thing I expected you to say. Why would you want that?”

Because she’d never forget the moment she’d slipped her arm through Robin’s—the delicious sensations that had stirred when she’d felt the warmth of Robin’s body, and the smoothness of the leather under her hand as it had rested on Robin’s sleeve. Nor the way her heart leaped every time Robin came through the front door, waved hello, and took off her jacket, and the longing she felt after Robin had slipped on her jacket and left for a day at university.

Margaret would cherish that jacket until the day she died. “You said something to remember you by,” she said, sure that poor Mitzy must feel harassed by her incessant stroking. “Your jacket would certainly remind me of you.”

She held her breath when Robin stared at her, worried that she’d revealed too much. Then Robin smiled. “My lack of fashion sense, I suppose.”

Relieved, Margaret slowly exhaled and chided herself for losing her head. She must be mad!

“And considering you sit with me most nights, I can understand why you’d want a page of my notes.” She frowned in thought. “I’d gladly give you one, but I’m wondering if we should risk it. It might interfere with sending you back.”

“You’re right,” Margaret quickly said, hoping Robin would drop the subject.

Robin’s brow furrowed. “I wonder if your memory of being here will be wiped out.” She hoped not. Her feelings for Robin were wrong, but not remembering them . . . that would be wrong, too. She didn’t want to lose a month of her life and what she’d learned. Now she understood the conversations with her friends and knew what she’d eventually feel for Jasper. Being in 2010 had somehow twisted the experience—she wished those feelings had first stirred for Jasper, or another man. But no matter. Once home, everything would return to normal, and it was best that she not have anything of Robin’s with her. She’d probably wonder why on earth she’d asked for the items, then remind herself that her “2010 self” would have cherished them, but her “1910 self” didn’t.

Robin pushed herself away from the back of the sofa. “Well, thank you for your wonderful knitting. I really appreciate it. I think I’ll keep the sweater on for now.” She pulled off the tuque and mitts. “Do you want a cup of tea?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

Margaret watched her walk from the living room. She couldn’t believe that in a mere week, she’d never see her again, that it would be as if Robin had never existed. How could feelings so wrong be so precious?

*****

Concerned that she’d missed a couple of stitches, Margaret double-checked the sock pattern on her lap and groaned. If she wasn’t rushing, she wouldn’t make such stupid mistakes. She could afford to slow down; she’d already finished one sock and had the rest of the morning and the entire afternoon to finish this one.

A knock at the study door startled her. She jerked her head up. “Oh, is it time for lunch already?” she asked Jasper.

“Not quite.” He hovered a moment longer, then came into the study. Margaret’s mouth tightened when he sat in Robin’s habitual spot. She put down her knitting and waited while he cleared his throat and studied his hands. “We’re going back tomorrow,” he said, finally looking at her. Did her eyes look as sad as his? “I thought we should talk about that.”

“What would you like to talk about?” Was he going to call off their engagement because of Pam? That wouldn’t make sense.

“We should prepare ourselves for the possibility that nothing happens when Pam reads the rhyme.”

Margaret didn’t want to entertain the frightening possibility that she could be trapped here in her abnormal state, nor her suspicion that, should the future become their permanent home, Jasper would cast her aside for Pam. “Perhaps we should save that conversation until we need it, Jasper. It’s one we should have with Pam and Robin. We would need their advice.” And their help.

When Jasper slowly nodded, his ready agreement to drop the subject made Margaret wonder if he really wanted to talk about something else. “I think we did right, not spending every moment together,” he said, deepening her suspicion, especially when his attention shifted to his hands again. “I know I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Pam—”

“We’ve been caught up in unusual circumstances.” How could she resent the attention he’d paid to Pam? At least his feelings for her were normal! Being in the future had obviously affected them both. It was good that they’d limited their time alone together—their moral fibre was obviously distorted, so who knew what might have happened? She wished Jasper had isolated himself more from 2010, rather than stepping out with Pam and watching TV and movies, but it was too late to do anything about that now.

“I’d rather talk about what will happen when we do return. What if we suddenly appear in the middle of the drawing room and there are others present? What if we’ve been missing? What if we return in 1911 or 1912?” Sudden panic drove her to her feet. Her knitting slid to the floor.

Jasper came over and put his arms around her. She leaned into him, but felt nothing—and thought of Robin. If Robin’s arms were around her, Margaret would be a puddle on the floor.

Lord have mercy on her!

“Just as you didn’t want to have the conversation about what we’ll do if nothing happens, let’s wait and see where we end up,” Jasper murmured.

“But what if we end up somewhere with people who aren’t as hospitable as Pam and Robin?

What if Pam sends us further into the future?”

“Let’s assume we’ll arrive back when we left, or very close to it.” Jasper stepped back and smiled reassuringly. “No matter what happens, we’ll announce our engagement immediately, of course.”

She nodded, grateful, but not surprised, that he’d stand by her. If they didn’t arrive back exactly when they’d left, everyone would assume they’d been away together. Her parents would insist on a hasty wedding, and Jasper would have to defend her when his family questioned whether she’d still make a suitable wife. And what explanation would they give for running away together the moment they got engaged and then returning unmarried? It would be an absolutely rash and stupid thing to do. If they hadn’t eloped, why on earth had they run away? Or was that the answer? If they discovered that time had elapsed in 1910 while they were in 2010, why not marry before facing their families? They could then explain their absence in a way that made sense and preserved their moral character. To add authenticity to their story and account for the fact that nobody had seen them around town, they’d also have to leave Toronto and marry elsewhere, before returning home

Oh, what would tomorrow bring? If fortune smiled upon them, they’d end up in the drawing room in 1910, with Jasper on his knee proposing. And when she thought of Robin and he thought of Pam, it would be with innocent affection and the wistfulness one feels when missing friends, nothing more.

*****

Pam kicked off her slippers and climbed into bed, but didn’t turn off the bedside lamp. Robin was lying on her back with her hands behind her head, staring into space. She’d been unusually quiet during supper, too—not that Robin was ever a chatterbox, but she usually threw more than a couple of words into the conversation. “Okay, I knew I’d feel like shit.” Pam rolled onto her side and propped herself up on one elbow. “But I thought you’d be dancing around with joy.

This time tomorrow, they’ll be gone.”

Robin sighed. “It’ll be nice not having to make up excuses anymore about why I can’t go out. Everyone’s convinced I’ve fallen in love with someone online and I’m spending all my time chatting with them. And I’m sure my guild thinks I’ve quit the game.” She paused. “And yeah, when they first arrived, I couldn’t wait for them to go back.”

“But they grew on you?”

Robin hesitated a beat. “It feels like they’ve always been here, and now, poof, they’ll be gone. I’ll miss the nightly ritual with Margaret. It’ll be funny, not hearing the clicking of her knitting needles.”

“I can always bring you tea,” Pam said with a chuckle. “But don’t expect me to knit.

Anyway, I’m surprised you’ve tolerated that while you’re working.”

“She’s wanted company while you and Jasper are cuddling on the sofa, watching your movies.”

“We don’t cuddle!” Pam said indignantly.

“You don’t, huh?” Robin snorted. “Well, while you’ve been busy doing whatever it is you’re not doing, it’s been lonely for her. I haven’t minded keeping her company.”

“You were taking care of her, like you take care of everyone else? You know, children of alcoholics have a tendency to do that.”

Robin glared at her. “You know I hate it when you do that. You’ve been taking care of Jasper.”

Point taken.

“It’s good they’re going back tomorrow. Any more time here and we’d have a mess on our hands,” Robin said.

“What mess?”

“You know what mess. I hope you haven’t done too much damage already.” Pam opened her mouth to protest, then shut it. Guilty as charged. If she hadn’t known that Jasper and Margaret didn’t love each other—yet—would she have still spent so much time with him? Allowed herself to fall for him? Taken advantage of his fiancée’s predicament? She’d like to think not, and it took two. Maybe she should think less of him for not discouraging her, but he’d play the dutiful husband for the rest of his life. As she’d previously said to Robin, what was wrong with one last quasi-fling, one that couldn’t hurt him or Margaret in their own time?

“Okay, I admit it, I really like him, I’ve enjoyed every moment with him, and yeah, I didn’t think much about Margaret.”

Robin’s eyebrows shot up. “At least you’re honest.”

“It doesn’t matter. They’re going back tomorrow.”

“You sound confident about that.”

“I am! You read the marriage announcement. Not only that, they had a daughter, and probably other children. What I’m hoping doesn’t happen is that they leave and others arrive.” She gripped Robin’s arm. “If my parents show up, I’m running out of the house screaming.

You’ll have to deal with them.”

“If your parents show up, I’m running out of the house screaming and staying with my mom until you send them back. They wouldn’t need us to take care of them. Even if they arrived from 1985, they could take care of themselves in 2010.”

Oh my god! “Mom couldn’t go out. Half the freaking street was at her funeral! Imagine the headlines,” Pam wailed.

Robin slid one of her hands from behind her head and patted Pam’s arm. “Don’t panic. I doubt your parents will show up. Margaret and Jasper will go back, and we’ll carry on with our lives.”

Pam closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm herself. If she’d kept up her nightly meditation time, maybe she wouldn’t fly into a tizzy at the slightest provocation. But that would have meant time away from Jasper. She let out her last deep breath with a groan and opened her eyes.

Robin stared at her. “You okay?”

She nodded. “I’ve been thinking about tomorrow,” she said briskly. “I think we should try to create the same circumstances as when they arrived, so you should be in your bedroom.”

“Okay.”

“And let’s do it around 9:00. We’ll have to have an early dinner, because I need time to do Margaret’s hair. It won’t be perfect, but good enough. And hey, if they arrive back when they left, everyone will probably assume they sealed their engagement with a passionate kiss and her hair got mussed up.” Her smile felt fake, and was. “The pictures I took of her will come in handy. Oh, will you take one of me and Jasper before they go? And let’s take a few of him and Margaret in their old clothes.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. The less of them left here, the better.”

“I’m not dumping the shawl Margaret knitted for me. It’s beautiful.”

“I’m not suggesting you do. But pictures?” Robin frowned. “I don’t know. What would we say if someone else saw them? That they’re photos of long dead relatives? In colour?” Pam swallowed. She’d been trying to avoid the reality that the moment Jasper disappeared tomorrow, he’d literally be dead to her. “Do you want to do something on Sunday? We haven’t spent a day just hanging out together in a while. Let’s go out, stroll, have a coffee and tea somewhere and talk.”

Robin blinked at her. “Grieve together?”

Her eyes welled up. “Yes. And don’t laugh at me if I cry tomorrow.”

“I won’t!” Robin’s voice softened. “I’ll be missing them too.” Her throat tight, Pam nodded. Afraid of blubbering right there and then, she twisted and turned out the light.

“Good night,” Robin murmured.

Pam silently thanked her and said, “Night.” She lay down and closed her eyes, expecting sleep to elude her for a while and then to toss and turn all night. Yep, tomorrow she’d ball her eyes out. She knew Jasper had to go back—that he did go back. But if the historical record was wrong and the rhyme somehow failed? That was one outcome she wouldn’t cry about.

Chapter Nine

Pam waited in the hallway as Jasper said good-bye to Robin, then beckoned for him to follow her. She glanced at her closed bedroom door as she passed it, to reassure herself that Margaret was still inside making last minute adjustments to her hair. “We don’t have much time,” she whispered to Jasper when they were both inside the guest room.

She almost couldn’t bear to look at him. The sight of him in his old-fashioned clothing reminded her of the shock and confusion she’d felt when he and Margaret had suddenly appeared right in front of her eyes. In a few short weeks, one of those potentially menacing strangers had become the man she’d always dreamed of meeting and spending the rest of her life with. And now he was leaving, to marry someone else, have children, and die, all in the blink of an eye.

That she was about to lose him—the horror of it—paralyzed her.

His face more drawn than usual, Jasper stepped toward her. “There won’t be a day that goes by when I won’t think of you,” he said quietly.

A million responses raced through her mind. To hell with them! She threw herself into his arms and hugged him so tightly that he probably couldn’t breathe. “I’ll always cherish the time we had together,” she murmured into his ear. “I wish we’d had more.” Her eyes closed when he said, “Me too,” and his cheek flexed against hers.

They held each other, both fighting for composure. If Pam knew how to manipulate time, instead of being at the mercy of a rhyme, she’d stop time right now, keep him here, never let him go. Life wasn’t fair!

She heard the door to her bedroom opening down the hall, and pecked Jasper on the cheek, then quickly stepped back. She met Margaret in the hallway. “Ready?” Her voice sounded too cheerful and shrill.

Margaret nodded, then looked past Pam. She couldn’t have helped but notice that Pam and Jasper had both emerged from the guest bedroom, but her expression remained neutral. Her eyes settled on Pam’s face. “Thank you for your hospitality and kindness.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. I’m the one who brought you here, and I’m sorry about that.” She hesitated, then forced out polite words. “I hope you and Jasper have a lovely life together.”

“Thank you.” Margaret paused. “That’s very generous of you.” Blood rushed to Pam’s cheeks. She could really like the woman, if she wasn’t resentful that Margaret would have Jasper for the rest of her life. “Shall we go?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a minute to say good-bye to Robin.” Mind? She’d relish a few more minutes alone with Jasper. “Sure, we’ll meet you downstairs.” When Margaret moved aside, Pam brushed by her, trusting that Jasper was right behind her.

As she descended the stairs, everything felt surreal. She’d entered that defensive zone the body created to cushion the psyche from the trauma of a dreaded event, otherwise known as the I can’t believe this is happening zone. At the bottom of the stairs, safely away from Margaret’s eyes, Pam took Jasper’s hand. They walked to the exercise room in silence. She avoided looking at the book and rose quartz she’d placed on the chair earlier. She wanted to gaze at him, and took his face in her hands, determined to commit every detail to memory. This was the man who’d forever changed her life. Everyone else would be measured against Jasper and fail to impress.

Life wasn’t fair.

Tears threatened. Nope, not allowed, not when Margaret could come downstairs at any moment. Plus, Pam wanted to read the rhyme in a clear and steady voice. Blubbering through it might hamper its effectiveness. She steeled herself and nodded, then drew strength from Jasper’s answering nod and the trust he was placing in her. She lifted her hands from his face. The book and the rose quartz beckoned. With a heavy heart, Pam settled herself into the chair, flipped to the rhyme, and held the rose quartz in her hand.

*****

Margaret remained in the hallway until Jasper and Pam reached the bottom of the stairs. Only then did she gather her resolve and walk into Robin’s bedroom.

Robin stood near her computer, facing the door with her hands in her pockets. Her eyes widened. “Wow, I’d forgotten how you looked. Sort of drives it home, you know? You’re really going.”

Margaret’s heart ached. “Yes.”

“I heard you say you were going to say good-bye to me. I would have come out, otherwise.” She twisted toward her chair. “I was sitting down when you arrived, so Pam said to make sure I’m sitting when she reads the rhyme, not that I’m convinced it matters.”

“I imagine you’ll be pleased to have your bedroom back.”

“I was starting to think of it as your bedroom.” Robin chuckled. “And I guess it truly will be in a few minutes.”

A few minutes. To be among her family and friends again, and in her house, would bring Margaret much joy . . . and much sorrow. No, she had to believe that travelling through time again would return her to normal. But at this moment, knowing that she would no longer bring Robin tea, that she couldn’t offer support regarding Robin’s family, and that she’d never know what happened to her, grieved Margaret almost more than she could bear. While in Pam’s bedroom, she’d thought about what her parting words to Robin would be, but her carefully crafted, cautious remarks fled her mind. “I’ll miss you. I hope you’ll think of me on occasion.”

“Of course I will.” Robin pulled her hands from her pockets and pointed to her right. “I’ll think of you every time I’m in the study and every time I wear one of the lovely things you knitted for me.” She smiled, but was the bleakness in her eyes genuine, or what Margaret wanted to see? “I’m glad I met you, Margaret. I didn’t think I’d say that when you first arrived, but I am.

You became a good friend. I’ll miss you very much.”

Oh, if only she could tell Robin what was in her heart! But what good would that do, except to ruin Robin’s memories of her? Margaret wanted to leave Robin as a good friend, not as a deviant. To ensure that would be the case, she spoke the most difficult words she’d ever said.

“They’re waiting. I should go.”

Robin held out her arms. “Can I hug you good-bye? I promise not to mess up your hair.” Desire and politeness overruled better judgement. Margaret willingly went to her, intending to lean in and give her a quick embrace—the type of impersonal hug she shared when greeting a friend, but this time meaning so much more. But when she touched Robin, felt the warmth and pressure of Robin’s hands against her back . . . Robin . . . she would never see her again . . .

Margaret pressed against her and held her closer than she’d ever wanted to hold anyone. She felt so at home, so alive, in Robin’s arms; if only she could remain here and hold her forever.

Robin’s neck was so soft and warm, so tantalizingly close to Margaret’s lips. She swallowed, and

— No! What was she doing?

It took every ounce of willpower to slide her arms from around Robin’s neck, determined to end their embrace before she betrayed herself further. But as she stepped back, her lips brushed Robin’s cheek . . . and Robin chose that moment to turn her head . . . and Margaret couldn’t stop herself. Her last rational thought was about how delicate Robin’s lips felt compared to Jasper’s, then she utterly lost herself to that blissful state she’d never before experienced—until Robin’s fingers dug into her shoulders.

God, forgive me! Margaret pushed herself away from Robin and stared in horror at her shocked face. “I’m—I’m sorry,” she stammered. “Oh, Robin, I’m so sorry.” On the verge of tears, she wheeled and fled the bedroom.

“Margaret!”

No, she had to run, get away, escape back to 1910 where she’d fall in love with Jasper, marry him, and forget about her time here and the corruption it had wrought. As she raced down the stairs as quickly as she could without tripping over her dress, she wished she could take the kiss back, not because she regretted committing such a despicable and morally bankrupt act, but because Robin would forever remember her as a deviant. What was wrong with her? She should be concerned about her moral character, not with what Robin thought of her!

Pam and Jasper looked at her when she hurried into the drawing room. She rushed over to Jasper and clung to his arm, taking solace in the familiar. Please, please, Robin, don’t come down. Please allow me to go back to my life—my normal life—without humiliating me and forever turning Jasper against me. After what she’d just done, she had no right to ask for or expect such kindness. All the same, she was relieved to hear no footsteps pounding down the stairs.

“Margaret, you’re trembling!” Jasper peered at her. “Are you all right?” Pam leaned forward. “You okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Just anxious to get home.”

“Robin, you ready?” Pam shouted.

“Yes,” Robin shouted in reply.

Thank you, Robin.

Pam sat back, appeared about to say something, then nodded and looked down at the open book on her lap.

Hurry!

Pam read aloud:

when in the wrong time

universe will not be kind

until you align

with swapping souls

A loud rushing sound filled Margaret’s ears. Nausea suddenly wracked her; she clutched her stomach, doubled over, squeezed her eyes shut at the incessant noise—and then as quickly as it had started, the nausea passed. The deafening noise ceased. Margaret slowly straightened and forced her eyes open.

Jasper was on his knee, staring up at her and holding out a box with a ring. The clock on the mantel said 4:15! The newspaper on the table was dated September 19, 1910! She was standing in her drawing room! “We’re exactly where we were when we left,” she breathed.

“Holy shit!”

She twisted toward the voice. Pam sat on the floor near the piano, her mouth agape.

Margaret met Jasper’s startled eyes, then quickly went to the door and pushed it shut. When she turned around, Jasper was helping Pam to her feet.

“I don’t freaking believe it!” Pam cried. “Why am I here? Only you two were supposed to come back.”

Hoping against all hope, Margaret said, “Since you’d be reading the rhyme in a different time, perhaps you don’t have to wait for the next lunar cycle. You could try reading it again right now.”

Pam nodded. “There’s only one problem.”

“What?”

“I don’t have the book.”

No! Margaret frantically searched the area around Pam, to no avail. “Do you remember the rhyme?”

“Only bits of it. And who knows what will happen if I say it wrong?”

“We can’t risk it,” Jasper said.

Was it that he didn’t want to risk it, or that he didn’t want Pam to go back? Margaret’s engagement could be the shortest one on record, and not because the future bride and groom couldn’t wait for their wedding day.

Pam clutched the sides of her head and screwed up her face. “I’m pretty sure the book was published in the 1800s, and in Toronto. If we can find a copy here . . .”

“What about the rose quartz?” Jasper asked.

“To be honest, I doubt we need it. That was just my own little improvisation I threw in.”

“Then let’s find a copy of the book, though it may take time. We’ll have to look in the . . .

seedier areas of town.”

“You can’t stay here,” Margaret said. “I would gladly host you, if I could. But I doubt my family will be as understanding as Robin was.” Robin. Margaret was horrified when she felt a pang of longing. Those feelings weren’t supposed to have travelled to 1910!

“I’ll put her up in one of the guest houses on the estate,” Jasper said. “But she can’t go out looking like this. Margaret!”

She shook herself. “I’ll go fetch a dress for her. Pam, somehow you’ll have to leave the house without—”

Someone rapped sharply at the door. “Margaret? Is everything all right in there?” Mother! She crossed to the door and opened it a crack. Mother hovered anxiously outside.

“Yes, Mother. I’ll be out in a moment.” She lowered her voice. “Jasper asked me to shut the door. I believe he’s about to propose.”

Mother’s eyes lit up. “I’ll just sneak away, then.”

An idea struck her. “Why don’t you gather everyone in the back garden? We’ll come out and tell everyone the good news.”

“I’ll have Sally bring up a bottle of champagne.”

“Yes, do that.” Her heart racing, Margaret waited until Mother was out of sight. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said over her shoulder. She pulled the door closed behind her and headed for the stairs. Sally was coming down them. “Mother’s looking for you in the kitchen,” Margaret said. “Mr. Bainbridge and I are about to make an announcement in the back garden.”

“Oh, I see,” Sally said with a knowing smile. “I’ll go see what she wants.” She scurried off.

Margaret blew out a relieved sigh. She carried on up the stairs, swung her bedroom door open, walked to the closet, and froze. She could have sworn . . . She slowly turned toward the figure she’d glimpsed from the corner of her eye.

Robin stood near the vanity with her arms folded. “Am I where I think I am?” she said flatly.

“Yes. Pam is here too.” Margaret shut the door. “She’s in the drawing room.” Robin’s eyes briefly closed. “Thank god. She can get us back.”

“The book didn’t come with her.” Margaret flinched at the fear in Robin’s eyes. “But we’re going to try to find a copy here. Until then, you’ll stay in a guest house on the Bainbridge Estate.

I came up to get Pam a dress.” Wanting to hide, she opened the closet door and stepped inside, burning with shame. She had no doubt that once Robin recovered from the initial shock of being in 1910, she’d warn Jasper about the deviant nature of his future wife. She was surprised Robin could bear to be in the same room with her; under any other circumstances, Robin would probably refuse to speak with her. Perhaps travelling to the past had somehow cleansed Robin’s memory of her last terrible moments in 2010, though Margaret remembered every luscious detail.

She forced herself to focus on the task at hand and selected a dress for Pam. What about Robin? Despite the certainty that her life was ruined, Margaret felt like giggling. If not for the rift that now surely existed between them, she’d tease Robin by asking which dress she’d like.

But if the goal was to not draw attention to the two visitors from 2010 as they travelled to the Bainbridge Estate, putting Robin in a dress wouldn’t do; she probably wouldn’t make it down the front path without the neighbours pointing!

Margaret laid the dress she’d chosen for Pam on the bed. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said without looking at Robin, and true to her word, returned a minute later with one of her brother’s jackets and a cap. “Here, put these on.” She cursed the feelings that stirred as Robin silently complied. Oh, what about a hat for Pam? No, Mother would notice if one went missing from the hall tree, and Pam only had to walk to the motor car.

Picking up the dress, Margaret said, “Follow me.” Aware of Robin behind her, she opened the door and peered into the hallway. Empty, and the house sounded quiet, too. “Come on.” They made it to the drawing room without running into anyone.

“Robin! Oh my god, not you too.” Pam hugged her, the sort of hug Margaret had intended to give her when saying good-bye. “Oh, is that my dress?”

Margaret nodded and draped it over Pam’s outstretched arm. “Just wear it over your clothes.

By the time you’re ready, it will be safe for you to leave.”

“My motor is right outside,” Jasper said. “Wait for me on the veranda. I shouldn’t be long.” Robin remained silent, her rigid posture and tight face making Margaret wonder if she was angry, and why. Was she upset at being in 1910, in the same room as a deviant, or both? “We should go,” she said to Jasper, worried that Robin might divulge her secret right there and then.

“We know where the front door is,” Pam said. Her attention shifted to the dress.

Outside the drawing room, Jasper said, “We’re forgetting something.” Margaret frowned. “What?”

He dug the ring box from his pocket, opened it, and lifted out the ring. “This.” She held out her hand, feeling as if she were performing a role in a play. As he slipped the ring on her finger, she tried to muster excitement, but failed. “Everyone’s waiting,” she said, to spare them both the indignity of pretending to be happy.

Nodding, Jasper returned the empty box to his pocket and offered Margaret his arm. “That was a good idea, sending everyone out into the garden,” he said as she took it.

“Thank you,” she murmured, not looking forward to the excited and happy faces that would greet them when they stepped into the back garden. When Robin finally spoke about what had happened and Jasper explained to Father why he was breaking their engagement, those faces would become shocked and angry. What would happen to her? Would Father put her on a train to relatives in another city? After word got around, no family here would have her, and a scandal of this magnitude would spread like wildfire. Or would Father commit her to one of those awful lunatic hospitals? For a moment, she wanted to go back to the drawing room and beg Robin not to tell anyone, but it was too late for that. Jasper was already opening the back door; rushing back now would be as good as telling him.

Margaret pasted a smile on her face. She might as well try to enjoy what could be her last champagne. Then she’d wait for the inevitable to happen and face a life in tatters.

Chapter Ten

Pam pressed her hand against the car door to steady herself as Jasper made a sharp turn onto a dirt road. As they’d driven to the Bainbridge Estate, she’d felt as if she were in a movie about the early twentieth century. She and Robin had an advantage over Jasper and Margaret; travelling to the past wasn’t as disorienting as travelling to the future. Okay, if she and Robin had arrived in ancient Rome, she’d probably be freaking, but here? They’d seen photos of this time period, watched the documentaries, visited the museums, read the prominent writers and sat through the plays. That wasn’t to say that she could sashay into town, blend in, and fend for herself, but she wouldn’t have to contend with an overwhelming number of unfamiliar sights, sounds, and objects. She’d cope.

She gave Robin a sidelong glance. Oh boy. Robin was still sitting as if she had a stick up her ass; Pam could almost see the smoke coming out of her ears. She hadn’t said a word since they’d left Margaret’s. If Pam discounted Robin’s terse one-word responses and grunts out on the veranda, she hadn’t said anything since coming down to the exerci—drawing room.

Jasper pulled up outside what Pam assumed was the guest house, though it looked more like a cottage. Her exit from the car was far from graceful, despite Jasper opening the door and offering a supportive hand. She tripped over Margaret’s beautiful long dress, and would have to practice walking in it if she were to venture out dressed like a lady. Ever the gentleman, Jasper pretended she hadn’t almost ended up with her face in the dirt and walked her to the cottage’s entrance. Robin waited near the front door, still looking pissed.

They followed Jasper into the small living room. “Here we are,” he said. “It’s not as modern as you’re used to.” Pam chuckled along with him, but Robin remained stone-faced. “But there are two bedrooms, and a fire to keep you warm. Oh, but I don’t think the pantry is stocked. I’ll bring round a hamper from the house, but I might not be back for a couple of hours. I’ll have to dine first.”

Not wanting to appear uncomfortable, Pam resisted the urge to rub her arms and chase away the chill. “Don’t worry, Jasper, we’ll be fine.”

His forehead creased. “Will you? I wish I could be here for you, like you were for us. I feel awful, running out on you, but I’m expected for dinner.” She smiled reassuringly. “We’ll manage, won’t we, Robin?” Robin grunted.

“It’ll be like staying in a cottage out on the lake. We used to do that all the time when I was younger. Robin used to come with us occasionally. You always enjoyed yourself, didn’t you, Robin?”

Another grunt.

Pam inwardly sighed. “I guess I’d be optimistic if I looked for light switches.” Jasper nodded. “You’ll have to light the lamps. The main house is connected, but not this one. I chose this house because it’s in the farthest corner of the estate. Nobody should bother you here. You can even go for a walk, if you want to.”

“I’m tired,” Pam said, then covered her mouth when her words evoked a yawn. “It’s night for us. And you’ll be having a second supper.”

“So I will.” He clasped his hands in front of him. “All right, I’ll bring you round a hamper in a little while. Tomorrow we’ll start searching for the book. We’ll go, Pam. I’ll send a note to Margaret tonight, see if she’ll come keep Robin company and bring you more clothes.”

“What about Robin?”

“Oh yes, I’ll have Margaret bring her clothes, too.”

Pam quickly spoke up when Robin’s face grew darker than it already was. “Um, didn’t you say you have a younger brother? Maybe when you drop off that hamper, you can bring a couple of his shirts and pants for Robin, if you think they’ll fit.” Appearing nonplussed, Jasper hesitated.

“Please, Jasper.”

“All right. But she can’t go out dressed like a boy.”

“I’m not dressed like a boy, I’m dressed like me,” Robin snapped.

“When we were in your time, we had to dress in accordance with the norms of your time,” Jasper said. “Now that you’re here—”

“We’ll worry about that if Robin has to go out,” Pam said, hoping to head off a heated discussion. “Maybe she won’t. Assuming it doesn’t take us too long to find the book, when’s the earliest we can go back? The rhyme seems attuned to the full moon.” Oh my god. “When’s the next full moon? What phase of the moon are we in? There’s no Internet here,” Pam wailed.

“You could always try looking outside later on,” Jasper said.

“Of course! We’ll look outside!” She felt like a complete ass.

Jasper grinned, felt inside his pocket, and pulled out his pocket watch, which he’d set in the drawing room. He frowned at the time. “I have to go. Oh, let me light the fire.” He also lit the lamps in the living room. “Make yourselves at home. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” When he reached the front door, Robin said, “Jasper.”

He turned.

Pam expected her to apologize, but she said, “Can you tell Margaret I’m looking forward to seeing her?”

He nodded. “I’ll tell her.” Then he left.

When she could no longer hear the car, Pam took a deep breath and faced Robin. “Okay, I’ve got us into a bit of a pickle.”

Robin gaped. “A bit of a pickle? That’s what you call this?” She whipped the cap off her head and threw it onto a chair. “We could be stuck here for the rest of our fucking lives!”

“We won’t be. We’ll find the book and get ourselves back.” She wandered into one of the bedrooms.

Robin followed her. “And what if we don’t find the book? What then?” Pam caught a glimpse of herself in the antique full-length mirror. She turned sideways and sucked in her stomach. She looked rather fetching in Margaret’s—

“Will you stop admiring yourself in the goddamn mirror, already? Jesus, Pam! Maybe this is a big adventure for you, but for me it’s a nightmare! I don’t belong here. I’ve got to get back.”

“We both have to get back,” Pam said calmly. “And we will.” She gasped. “Mitzy! Oh my god! Nobody will be feeding her. Oh my god!” She covered her mouth with both hands as she imagined returning to a skeletal mummy near the food bowl.

“Don’t worry about Mitzy. She won’t even exist for another . . .” Robin scrunched up her face “ . . . ninety-seven years. Worry about us. Please!” Robin’s pleading tone finally brought Pam to reality. She couldn’t deny that spending time in 1910—on Jasper’s arm and dressed to the hilt—appealed, but once the novelty wore off, she’d miss the comforts of home, probably when she caught her first cold or had a toothache. And Robin . . . my god, Robin couldn’t stay here. She’d have to constantly deny herself. What sort of life would she have? If they were trapped in 1910, Pam could and would eventually adjust, but Robin . . . to adjust would likely mean living a celibate and lonely life on the fringes of society.

And it would be all Pam’s fault. She met Robin’s eyes. “No matter how long we have to search, we’ll find the book and go home.”

“I hope so, because staying here won’t just be a problem for me and you. We have Margaret and Jasper to consider.”

“You think I’ll break them up.” Pam put her hands on her hips. “They get married, remember?”

“Yeah, in Halifax. They leave Toronto. We didn’t think it was because of us, but now that we’re here . . .”

“You don’t think they leave because they need to get us out of Toronto, do you?”

“Maybe they leave to get away from us,” Robin suggested.

“Why would they do that?” She expected Robin to say, Because you’re coming between them.

But after a moment, Robin shrugged. “I don’t know, I’m just thinking out loud. Do you want to check out the other bedroom and decide which one you want?”

“Sure,” Pam said, happy to drop the subject and counting the minutes until Jasper returned.

*****

Margaret spooned the last of her pudding into her mouth and dropped the spoon into the dish. Its clang drowned out Mother’s voice. “Pardon.”

“I said, we’ll have to set the date and visit the dressmaker’s.” Since Mother hadn’t stopped talking since they’d sat down for lunch, she’d hardly touched her pudding.

“I expect we’ll have a summer wedding,” Margaret said, suspecting there wouldn’t be a wedding at all. Her life, ruined for committing a single indiscretion—a moment’s insanity!

Despite the anxiety that had unsettled her since returning home, she stifled a yawn. She hadn’t slept a wink last night; she kept reliving the kiss over and over again, perhaps trying to figure out whether she’d imagined it. When the note had arrived from Jasper, who still stubbornly refused to use the telephone, she’d cringed as she’d slipped the paper out of the envelope, sure it would convey harsh, shocked words and a warning that he would be paying a visit to Father. But it had simply said:

Dear Margaret,

My guests have settled into one of the guest houses. I would be obliged if you would lend Pamela clothing, as the railway has misplaced her trunk. I would also be obliged if you would call on Robin tomorrow afternoon while Pamela and I go into town. I will come for you at two o’clock.

J.B.

Either Robin hadn’t told him about the kiss, or it hadn’t happened. Could Margaret’s desire have somehow possessed her mind as she’d travelled from 2010 to 1910? No, the kiss, Robin’s lips, the delicious sensation of their bodies pressed together—Margaret grabbed her water glass and gulped the cool liquid down.

“Are you listening to me?” Mother barked.

“I’m sorry, Mother.” She set the glass on the table.

“You’re still all aflutter about yesterday, I suppose.” Mother smiled indulgently.

Margaret smiled in return. Mother had spoken the truth—in a way—but she wouldn’t smile when Robin finally broke her silence. Was Robin planning to tell everyone this afternoon, so Margaret would be forced to watch the horror on Pam and Jasper’s faces as comprehension dawned?

The prospect of seeing Robin excited and terrified her. Her lapse of judgement had ripped away her mask. Robin knew her exactly for what she was—could be—no, she wasn’t one of those depraved people. Robin was an exception; Margaret’s attraction to her a warped representation of normal attraction, perhaps born of the unusual circumstances in which they’d lived for almost a month. Once Robin was gone, Margaret’s feelings would subside and she would never feel that way for another woman again.

Mother’s eyes brightened. “Oh, in all the excitement, I forgot to tell you what happened when I was out strolling with Violet a couple of days ago.”

“What happened?” Margaret asked, grateful for the potential distraction.

“You’ll never guess who accosted us, demanding that we speak to him. Victor Tillman!” Mother thundered. “Bold as brass and stinking like a distillery. At eleven in the morning!

Wanted to walk with us. Can you imagine?”

Margaret felt strangely defensive on Tillman’s behalf. “You used to be friends.” Until everyone in his former social circle had dropped him the moment his financial woes became common knowledge.

“Used to be, Margaret. The man is a disgrace! The whole family is a disgrace!” Mother picked up her spoon and gestured with it. “There’s only one way to deal with a Tillman, and that’s to carry on as if they’re not there. Do you hear me? If Victor Tillman, or any other Tillman, approaches you, walk the other way. You don’t want the Bainbridges to think that you socialize with rabble. Victor and his ilk should stick to their own kind, and their own neighbourhood.”

Oh, how she’d love to tell Mother that a Tillman was currently staying on the Bainbridge Estate, albeit covertly. Margaret glanced at the time on the grandfather clock ticking away in the corner. “I must go, Mother.” She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin and hoped her churning stomach wouldn’t bring up her lunch. “I’d like to freshen up before Jasper arrives.”

“The poor man can’t bear to be a day without you.”

No, that would be Pam. “Fortunately Helena wasn’t too put out when I cancelled our afternoon tea.” Margaret had cursed at her busy appointment book, then had laughed at herself for thinking that she could otherwise have spent more time with Robin. She would soon be sent away, and Robin wouldn’t want anything to do with her. Why was Robin keeping her silence?

Margaret was still turning that question over in her mind when Jasper arrived. Her heart in her mouth, she went down to the drawing room to greet him. She relaxed slightly when he smiled and kissed her hand. So Robin still hadn’t said anything. “How are your guests?”

“In fair spirits. I lunched with them.”

“Did you discuss anything interesting?” she asked as casually as she could.

“Nothing you’d consider remarkable. Questions about the guest house, the estate—oh, they might stay almost a month. It will depend on the weather.” If she understood him correctly, they had almost a month to find the book before the next full moon; otherwise Robin and Pam would be trapped here for another month. It would be easier if they could speak plainly, but Mother sometimes hovered outside when callers were in the drawing room.

“Have you selected the clothing you’ll lend to Pamela?” Jasper asked.

“Yes.” Margaret saw herself walking into the guest house carrying several dresses and then dropping them when Robin and Pam pointed at her and shouted deviant! “Are you sure Pamela should go with you? Perhaps we should go. You can take the clothing to Pamela when you call on them later.”

“You’re not a book collector, Margaret, and our search may take us into the less desirable neighbourhoods, ones in which you don’t belong.”

He wouldn’t feel that way when Robin finally spoke up.

Jasper shifted his weight. “Don’t you want to call on Robin? I had the impression the two of you are friendly.”

Startled, she searched his face and concluded the remark was innocent.

“Robin is expecting you,” Jasper said. “She said to tell you she looks forward to seeing you.

I forgot to include that in my note.”

“Robin said that? That she’s looking forward to seeing me?” He nodded.

Margaret didn’t know what to make of it. Had she imagined the kiss?

“Shall we go?”

“Yes. I’ll fetch the clothing. Why don’t you come to the bottom of the stairs? I’ll bring down the dresses and then go back for the other items.”

Twenty minutes later they drove into the Bainbridge Estate. Margaret had sat quietly on the way, revelling in the familiar surroundings, but unable to ignore the nagging apprehension that now gripped her. She held the dresses in front of her as she stepped into the guest house’s living room, wishing she could hide her face behind them. When she glimpsed Robin and Pam, she swallowed and tried to smile.

“You’re back!” Pam declared, shooting up from one of the wooden chairs near the fire. Her eyes widened. “Oh, those dresses look beautiful. Will you help me dress, Margaret, so I can get the look right? I may actually speak with people today.” She reached out and fingered one of the dresses.

Robin stood behind Pam. “When they’re gone, I’ll make us tea.” Bewildered, Margaret struggled to find her voice. Not brave enough to speak to Robin, she gave Pam her attention. “Shall we go into the bedroom?”

“Yes, let’s.”

Margaret followed Pam into “her” bedroom and listened to her chatter as she helped her dress, grateful that Pam was practically holding the conversation on her own. To delay her time alone with Robin, she fussed over every detail, only relenting when Pam grew restless.

Pam gasped when she saw herself in the mirror. “Look at me! You don’t have a fan and a parasol, do you?” She giggled. “You know, when I first saw this mirror, I thought it was an antique, but it’s not, not here.”

“Do the shoes feel comfortable?”

Pam lifted the dress and stuck one foot out. “They remind me of my grandmother.” Her hand went to her mouth. “Oh, sorry. I forgot. I mean—”

Margaret waved away her apology. “It doesn’t matter.”

“They’re a tad big.” Still hitching the dress up, Pam swung her leg. “But they won’t fall off, and I’m planning to take it slow.” She let the dress fall, then glided into the living room when Margaret, who didn’t want to go first, stood aside and motioned for her to pass.

“Wow. I’d almost believe you’ve lived here all your life,” Robin said.

Jasper appeared struck dumb, and stared at Pam with an intensity Margaret had never witnessed. “You look—”

Beautiful, Margaret thought, finishing the sentence for him.

“—authentic.”

“Authentic?” Pam lifted an eyebrow.

“Time to find the book,” Robin said, perhaps feeling, as Margaret did, that Pam and Jasper would rather be alone. Margaret should care, but she was more worried about being alone with Robin than about any juicy conversation her fiancé might have with another woman.

“Do you remember anything about the publisher or printer?” Jasper asked.

Pam shook her head. “I read the copyright page once. I only remember the year because it was published in Toronto, and I thought that was interesting.” Jasper shrugged. “Then we’ll start near the docks. Shall we?”

“See you later, girls,” Pam cheerfully said.

Her heart pounding, Margaret went to the window and watched as Jasper helped Pam into the motor. Even though she knew they wouldn’t notice, she waved as they drove off, and continued to stare out the window, only turning when the clink of a cup meeting a saucer told her that Robin had gone into the kitchen. Torn between avoiding Robin as long as possible and wanting to be with her, she compromised and walked nearer to the fire, but was too agitated to sit down. Would they pass the afternoon with no mention of her transgression? Had the experience been so traumatic for Robin that she’d blocked it from her mind, wanting to pretend it had never happened?

When she heard the sound of tea being stirred, she forced herself to face the kitchen.

Continuously having her back to Robin would be rude and impractical. Robin strolled into the living room. “Do you want to sit in the kitchen,” she smiled, “or is that not done?” Focusing on her for the first time, Margaret realized that Robin was wearing a man’s shirt, probably on loan from Jasper or one of his brothers. On any other woman, it would have looked ridiculous and bordering on indecent, but Margaret couldn’t imagine her in anything else. “The kitchen will be fine. Usually we don’t have, um, tables to eat on in the kitchen, but this house is too small to have a dining room.”

“It’s warmer in here,” Robin said over her shoulder as Margaret settled into a chair. Robin set a cup of tea in front of her. “I hope it tastes all right. The tea here is a little stronger than I’m used to. I don’t know if I’ve compensated correctly.”

Margaret lifted her cup and took a tentative sip, surprised at her steady hands. She said what she would have said whether the tea had tasted delightful or horrid. “Thank you. It tastes fine.” She expected Robin to sit across from her, but Robin set her tea down at the place to Margaret’s right and pulled out the chair.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Margaret sipped her tea again, even though it was still too hot to comfortably drink. “Jasper showed you how to operate the stove?” Robin nodded. “We sort of already knew. I think this is less jarring for us than it was for you and Jasper. In some ways.” She paused. “At least we have some knowledge of this time period.”

“Yes.” They lapsed into silence, but not the companionable silence they’d enjoyed the evenings Margaret had knitted while Robin worked. This silence was uncomfortable, fraught with tension and unsaid words. Why had she kissed Robin? Why hadn’t she had the strength to deny herself? Margaret stared miserably at her tea.

“Do you want to talk about it or forget about it?” Robin asked softly.

Feeling as if her heart were leaping from her chest, Margaret lifted her head. Robin’s eyes contained only sympathy, not the condemnation Margaret had expected to see. “I owe you an apology,” she stammered. “I don’t understand what came over me. I—when you—I couldn’t help—” Her voice choked off as the shame of it overwhelmed her. She buried her face in her hands.

“It sounds like you want to talk about it.” Silence. “Margaret?” Still covering her face, Margaret nodded. The conversation would be excruciating, but she desperately wanted what she didn’t deserve: Robin’s forgiveness. “I know what you must think of me,” she said, removing her hands from her face but avoiding Robin’s eyes. “I would—” Robin cut across her. “If we’re going to have an honest conversation about it, let me say something first.”

Certain that she was about to hear exactly what Robin thought of her, Margaret clenched her hands on her lap and braced herself. “All right.”

“Okay, bear with me, because I don’t know what words you’re using right now for people who are attracted to members of their own sex.”

“I am not a deviant!” Anger, shock, and a touch of fear had Margaret quaking inside.

“I am,” Robin said.

Flabbergasted, Margaret gaped at her. How could she sit there and admit it so calmly and unapologetically? Robin? No, she couldn’t be. Margaret had lived with her for a month. She would have known, spotted signs of Robin’s sickness. Robin was normal—but did dress like a man. Then again, so did Pam at times, and so had many of the women strolling along the boardwalk and shopping in the crafts store. “You’re lying! Why? Are you trying to provoke me into saying that I am? I’m not! Something happened to me when I travelled through time. I—” She hesitated. “I have never felt for a woman what . . .” Oh, what was the point of denying her feelings for Robin? The kiss had already betrayed her. “What I feel for you. It won’t happen again.”

“I’ll go back to 2010 and you’ll go back to normal? For your sake, I wish that were true.”

“It is!”

“So up to this point, you’ve only ever been attracted to men?” A reflexive and vehement yes! died on her tongue as the many times she’d sat bewildered and confused during those conversations with her friends came rushing back. She’d never experienced what they described—until Robin. If she was a deviant—she wasn’t, but if she entertained the hypothetical notion for a minute—why had she never been attracted to any of her girlfriends?

She balled a handful of her dress within her hands as another memory surfaced: her loneliness and despair when Ruth’s family had moved to Montreal. Mother had chided her, told her that she had plenty of other friends and that she and Ruth could write to each other. But as Ruth quickly forged new friendships, her letters became few and far between, then stopped altogether. Hurt that Ruth had so easily cast her aside, Margaret’s longing had turned to resentment. She’d rashly cut up Ruth’s letters and thrown them into the trash, only to regret it later. But when she and Ruth had sometimes linked arms when out for a walk, Margaret hadn’t reacted in the same way she had with Robin. Had she been too young? Or had she not allowed herself those feelings in her time, but had in 2010, where she’d expected—wrongly—that anything she felt and did would have no bearing on her real life back in 1910.

“I read the last entry in your diary. I know you don’t feel anything for Jasper. Well, not anything you should feel for the man you’re engaged to, anyway.” Robin sipped her tea.

How could Robin sit there and drink tea as if they were discussing the weather? The conversation was tying Margaret in knots. “If you were a man, I would feel the same way about you. I’m—I’m attracted to you, not your—” Margaret hunched her shoulders “—body.”

“I told myself that at first, too. But when I kept being attracted to only, uh, women-persons, I had to admit that the woman part was important. And if what you’re saying is true, wouldn’t you be attracted to Jasper? You seem to like him and enjoy yourself when you’re out with him, so if it’s all about the person and not whether they’re a man or a woman, why aren’t you attracted to Jasper?”

“Why aren’t I attracted to everybody whose company I enjoy, then?” Margaret snapped. “I should be in love with half of Toronto!” Her face flushed. She’d said too much!

Robin held up her hands. “Hey, you’re the one who’s claiming you’re attracted to the inner person, not me.”

“And you claim you’re a—” No, she wouldn’t use such a disparaging term for Robin. “One of those people, yet you told me you want to get married.”

“I do, eventually. To a woman.”

“Now you’re being ridiculous!” Tears sprang to Margaret’s eyes. “Think what you will, but don’t laugh at me. I am sorry, I truly am. I don’t know why I feel what I feel for you, just that I do. I’ll understand if you never wish to see me again, but I . . .” She swallowed. “I would ask your forgiveness. If you could extend me that one kindness. I wish I hadn’t revealed how I feel because I’d hoped you’d remember our time together fondly, but I suppose that’s no longer possible. Please, forgive me, and then I’ll leave you alone. You can tell Jasper and Pam that I wasn’t feeling well and went to the main house.”

Her soul bared, Margaret stared at her teacup and waited for Robin to absolve her of her sin and ask her to leave. Either way, she’d have to live with her indiscretion for the rest of her life.

Most people regretted transgressions in their pasts. She’d regret a transgression that had taken place in the future, and one for which she could never make amends. Years after her body had been returned to the earth, Robin would think ill of her. The clothing Margaret had lovingly knitted for her wouldn’t be worn and evoke cherished memories, but be discarded, an unpleasant reminder of a kiss Robin would rather forget.

When Robin leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table, Margaret wanted to flee the house so she wouldn’t have to listen to words that would cut. But this may be the last time they spoke, and her desire to remain with Robin was too strong. She was truly lost.

“You don’t need my forgiveness, Margaret. You didn’t do anything wrong. You surprised me when you kissed me, but that’s not a cardinal sin.” Robin raised her hand when Margaret twisted toward her. “And I wasn’t being facetious when I said I’d marry a woman. A lot’s changed—will change over the next hundred years. I can marry a woman, back in 2010. And if I do get married, that’s exactly what I’ll do. It’s also why I need to get back. Here, I’m a deviant and would constantly have to hide who I really am. At home, I can be me. Sure, there are still those who wish we’d go away, but there will always be idiots.” Her face lit up with amusement.

“That hasn’t changed, and probably never will.”

It was as if Robin were speaking a foreign language. She could marry a woman? She didn’t have to hide her deviance? But she had. “If that’s true, why didn’t you tell Jasper and I about yourself?”

“There was no need—or at least, I thought there wasn’t. If everything went according to plan, you were only going to be with us for a short time. I honestly didn’t have to hide anything.

I don’t conduct secret rituals in the study every night or anything like that. I didn’t volunteer the information, that’s all.” Robin shrugged. “I had the advantage of knowing about your time, about what the attitudes are toward so-called sexual deviance. I figured you and Jasper wouldn’t be comfortable sharing a home with a, uh, deviant. I didn’t want to create a tense atmosphere.” Margaret admitted that if Robin had told them when they’d first arrived, they probably would have treated her rudely.

“Unfortunately you’re a deviant in your time, though I wouldn’t call you that.”

“What would you call me?” Margaret asked. She understood why Robin raised her eyebrows. While Margaret couldn’t suddenly embrace her deviance, she wouldn’t deny it, either, especially when this could be her only opportunity to have a truly honest conversation about a part of herself that nobody else would ever understand or accept. She didn’t want to squander it.

“A lesbian.”

How queer! “The meaning of the word must have changed. We don’t use it that way.

Lesbianism, yes, but we don’t refer to such women as lesbians.” Robin’s mouth twitched. “Women like me, you mean?” Her brow furrowed. “I read about the history of the word once. Give it a few more years.” Yes, to Robin, this was history. Yet it wasn’t, because the future hadn’t happened yet. Was Margaret wrong for wishing that Robin’s history would ultimately become Robin’s present? Her conscience shouted, Yes! It was the height of selfishness to wish such a thing for Robin, to want her trapped in a time when her kind—their kind—were, at best, mentally ill, and at worst, filthy sinners whom God and respectable folk rejected. Jasper and Pam had better find that book, and soon. “Does Pam know about you?”

“Of course.”

They’d shared a bed! Was Pam feigning her attraction to Jasper, perhaps to protect herself and Robin? “Is Pam . . . like you?”

“No! Pam’s as straight as they come.”

“What do you mean?”

“Heterosexual.” Then, when Margaret shook her head, Robin added, “Attracted to men and only men.”

Oh. “Does your family know?”

Robin’s face grew wary. “Yes.”

Margaret recalled Robin’s distress after the dinner with her father. “Is that why you and your father don’t get along?”

Robin heaved her shoulders. “One of the reasons, yes.”

“But you said things have changed.”

“I also said there are still idiots.” She waved a dismissive hand. “But if it weren’t that, he’d find something else to criticize.”

“What about your mother?”

“She doesn’t care.”

Robin sounded so bleak that Margaret wasn’t sure if she meant that her mother didn’t care about her deviance or her in general. When Robin drank some tea, Margaret did the same, wanting to finish it before it grew cold. She set the cup back in its saucer and tried to sort out the multitude of questions running through her mind. One in particular begged to be asked: how did Robin feel about her? Dare Margaret ask it?

Robin eyed Margaret’s empty cup. “If we’re to do the sensible thing, you’ll go to the main house, as you said, and then never come to see me again.” Shocked and wounded, Margaret stiffened and blinked back tears. Robin would send her away? Then . . . she must not feel the same way, and Margaret was a fool. It was too late to mask her distress, but she lowered her head anyway and wiped her eyes with her hand.

“I’m thinking about what’s best for you,” Robin said softly.

A glimmer of hope welled within her. “Then answer one question, and answer it honestly.

Do you want me to leave and never come back?” Not brave enough to face Robin, she kept her head down. But when no answer came, she looked up.

Robin stared at her, chewing her lip. Was she searching for more diplomatic words than a simple yes? Perhaps she was weighing the merits of lying to avoid hurting Margaret’s feelings—

after all, assuming they found the book, she’d soon be gone. Or did she want Margaret to stay, but was struggling to put aside her desire for what she believed would be best for Margaret?

“Answer me honestly,” Margaret said again, in case her latter guess was correct.

After what felt like an eternity, Robin sighed. “I don’t want you to leave.” Margaret sagged with relief, but one burning question remained unanswered, and she might as well ask it. If she horribly embarrassed herself or the air grew too awkward between them, she could still do the sensible thing and flee the guest house for good. “If I—” She faltered. Perhaps she should be grateful that Robin still wanted to see her, and leave things as they were. Courage!

If she didn’t ask, she’d only wonder. She gulped and forged ahead. “If I were from your time—

living in your time—would you call on me?”

Robin’s brows drew together. “Take you out, you mean? Like, on a date?” Margaret nodded and held her breath. Once again, the silence stretched as Robin fought an inner battle. She grimaced, downed the remains of her tea, and blew out yet another sigh. “Yes.” The word had never sounded so beautiful to Margaret’s ears, nor had her smile ever been wider. “Then don’t ask me to leave and never see you again. Assuming they find the book, that awful time will come soon enough. If I could, I’d come see you every day. Unfortunately my engagement book is full, and I can’t offer excuses for everything without causing a fuss. But I’ll reschedule what I can. I know that once the search for the book has successfully concluded, we won’t have an opportunity to be alone.”

Disappointing, yet in a way, she was relieved. According to the standards of her time, she’d already behaved scandalously and recklessly by admitting to and openly discussing her feelings for Robin. She couldn’t deny her elation—but to go further, to act on those feelings in a physical manner . . . She no longer regretted the kiss and would kiss Robin again in a heartbeat. But to do more . . . as much as she might desire it, turning her back on the norms of her society would be difficult, despite her love for Robin. Even if that weren’t so, the possibility of Jasper and Pam coming back at any moment would deter her. Robin would return to 2010—oh Lord, Margaret’s heart ached—and when she did, Margaret would desperately need a semblance of a life to return to, her reputation intact, if she weren’t to hopelessly despair for the rest of her life. “It will be enough to be in your company.” She moistened her lips. “I’m not sure we should risk acting upon our—I would want to, but—”

“As you said, it will be enough to be together.” Robin hesitated. “But when we’re alone, like we are now, maybe you’ll let me hold your hand while we talk.” She smiled, her eyes bright. “If we stick to that, I won’t have to worry about messing up your hair.” Thoughts of how Robin might mess up her hair intrigued and excited her. “I would like that,” Margaret said faintly, then felt a rush of heat as Robin’s fingers touched, then curled around hers, under the table. Yes, best not to do anything beyond this, or her reputation, be damned!

“This is a little strange for me,” Robin said.

“Holding hands?” What did women normally do together in Robin’s time?

“No, having to worry about it. I hope knowing that people like you—like us—will be accepted in the future will help you accept yourself. But I guess knowing that we can live openly as lesbians in the future will be small comfort to you.” Margaret silently agreed. What type of life would she have? She’d never feel for Jasper what she felt for Robin. She’d hoped—assumed—that, over time, love would grow between them. It still might, but for her, it would be the love she might feel for a cherished friend, not a lover. She had no choice but to marry him, though. Not true, she told herself. She could break off their engagement, defy her parents, and have all her friends believing she’d lost her mind. But to what end? To spend her life alone instead of marrying a decent man and a good friend? Things had been distant between her and Jasper lately, but that would change when Robin and Pam were gone. Not only would they be planning their wedding together, but who else could they talk to about the two people who’d so touched their lives in such a brief time?

Theirs would be a marriage between two friends, and under other circumstances could have served them quite well, especially Jasper. Perhaps if he hadn’t met Pam, he would have fallen in love with Margaret eventually, but not now. Any happiness they might manage would always be marred by his longing for Pam and her longing for Robin. She wouldn’t be the only one settling for someone she’d never love.

Robin was correct. The knowledge that people like them didn’t have to hide their preferences in the future wouldn’t do her much good. “I suppose since you can marry, you can truly be yourself. How did that come about?”

Robin pursed her lips. “There’s no harm in telling you, I guess. But would you like me to make more tea first?”

“Only if you’ll take my hand again when it’s ready,” Margaret quickly said, bringing a grin to Robin’s face.

“I most certainly will.”

Margaret spent the rest of the afternoon listening in fascination to Robin and peppering her with questions. When the sound of a motor reached her ears, she reluctantly let go of Robin’s hand. They both went into the living room.

Pam stumbled inside and plopped into a chair. “My poor feet,” she moaned.

“Did you find the book?” Robin asked.

She shook her head.

“Damn it, Pam!”

Jasper leaped to Pam’s defence. “We’ve only just begun our search. I said this could take a while.”

Pam kicked off her shoes and massaged one of her ankles. “We spoke to a printer who suggested a couple of places we might find it.”

“We’ll go out again tomorrow,” Jasper added.

“I won’t be able to keep you company tomorrow,” Margaret said to Robin. “But I’ll see you soon.” Her heart fluttered at Robin’s answering nod.

“If we don’t find it tomorrow, we’ll have to wait until Friday,” Jasper said to her. “We have that tea at the McManuses’ on Thursday afternoon.”

“Oh, yes.” She would do everything in her power to reschedule whatever was in her book for Friday afternoon, especially since they wouldn’t search for the rhyme book over the weekend. Margaret would visit Robin and Pam with Jasper on Saturday or Sunday, but she didn’t want to wait a whole week before she could hold Robin’s hand again. If they found the book tomorrow, she’d persuade Jasper to take Pam out for a drive on Friday. She doubted it would take much coaxing.

Jasper stood near the open front door. “I’ll drive Margaret home and then drop in again, to make sure you have everything you need for dinner.”

“Maybe I’ll be able to walk again by then,” Pam mumbled.

“Good-bye,” Margaret said.

Still focused on her feet, Pam waved.

“I enjoyed the afternoon,” Robin said.

Margaret inclined her head. “As did I.” She left the guest house in front of Jasper, feeling as if she were walking on air.

Chapter Eleven

Pam stifled a groan as she and Jasper approached the dilapidated shack a woman had pointed to from the corner. This was worse than the last one, where the proprietor should have handed out hardhats at the door, along with a map that directed customers around the maze of junk piles.

“Should we even go in?” she said to Jasper. “What are the chances he’ll have the book?”

“We’re running out of places,” Jasper pointed out.

Two weeks of slogging from half-decent shops to market stalls to hovels like the last

“store,” and still no book. If Robin didn’t kill her, her feet would. “Lead the way,” she murmured, knowing he’d open the door for her and she’d have to be the one to step inside and wrinkle her nose first. She could barely read the handwritten sign hanging in one of the grimy windows: Balms and Powders. “It doesn’t say anything about books.”

“It will only take a minute to ask.” Jasper turned the handle, pushed the door open, and waved her through.

Cringing, she stepped through the doorway and . . . wow, she could see the wooden counter from here, and the inventory was neatly stacked on shelves. Her nose wasn’t convulsing as it tried to keep out the stench, either. Only mothballs, incense, and smoke assaulted it, not the usual odour that told her rodents called the place home. The proprietor, however . . . he stooped behind the counter, his face gaunt, gray hair thinning, and skeletal fingers clutching a lit pipe. Oh, god.

If Jasper bellowed, he’d blow the poor man over. As she walked with Jasper to the counter, she glanced around for any sign of books, but found none. Why had that woman directed them here?

The proprietor warily eyed them. Pam pasted a smile on her face. Jasper would do the talking. She was here to look pretty.

“Good afternoon,” Jasper said.

“Afternoon, sir,” the proprietor said around his pipe. “Nicholas Stone at your service. What can I do for you?”

“A woman suggested your shop to us, but we’re looking for a book, not medical aid.”

“I have a few books in the back, sir.”

“I see. Would you have a book called Magical Moon Rhymes for All Times?” Stone’s eyes narrowed. He removed the pipe from his mouth. “Now why would you be looking for a book like that?”

Excitement coursed through Pam. “You know of it?” Jasper said evenly.

“I might. But if you’ll pardon me, sir, you don’t look like the sort of folk who dabble in such activities.”

Not the stupid black magic thing again. Pam groaned inwardly. The book was merely a collection of rhymes that didn’t even make sense. Okay, one had the power to hurtle unsuspecting people through time, but that didn’t make it bad.

“We’re the sort of folk who spend good money when we want something,” Jasper said.

“And we really want that book.” Pam broadened her smile and batted her eyelashes.

Stone’s eyes flicked from Pam to Jasper, then back to Pam. “Let me have a look in the back.” He shuffled into an area that doubled as a storage room and bedroom, from what Pam could glimpse through the doorway. Her breath caught in her throat when he returned with a black book and set it on the counter. Shit. There it was. MAGICAL MOON RHYMES FOR ALL

TIMES.

“May I look at it?” Jasper asked, following the script they’d agreed upon if they found the book.

Stone nodded.

Pam leaned in as Jasper lifted the cover. This book was in much better shape than the one she had in 2010—duh. Cripes, it wasn’t the same book, was it? It could be! She wanted to grab it and flip to page 17, but had to restrain herself as Jasper turned each pristine page. Pages 12 and 13, 14 and 15—she held her breath—16 and 17 . . . For those who were born before or after their time. Holy shit. Their ticket home. “This seems to be what we’re looking for,” she said.

Jasper closed the book. “How much are you asking for it?” Stone stuck his pipe back into his mouth and chewed on it. “Are you sure you want it? Not many printed, and even fewer survive. Book’s cursed.”

“And yet you have it.”

“A friend wanted to burn it, but burning books . . . I couldn’t go along with that, so I took it off his hands, said I’d take care of it. I’ve never opened it, though. It’s sat back there for near on twenty years. I’d forgotten about it—until today.”

“Why do you think it’s cursed?” Pam asked.

Stone shifted his attention to her. “Well, I’m not sure it is cursed, Miss, but I thought I’d better warn you, in case the stories were true.”

“What stories?”

“They might be tall tales.” Stone leaned over the counter and lowered his voice. “But apparently some who came into possession of this book disappeared. Gone, just like that, into thin air. Never heard from again. Happened to a man and his wife, right in this very neighbourhood.” He shrugged. “Now, I’m sure they just ran from their troubles—if they disappeared at all. I’m just repeating what I heard.”

Pam almost blurted, “They must have read page 17!” but stifled it by covering her mouth.

Jasper guffawed. “Tall tales, indeed. Stop frightening the lady.”

“Oh, but that’s not all,” Stone said. “Around the same time, a couple of strangers appeared in the neighbourhood. That’s not unusual, of course, but these strangers . . . they didn’t last here long. They’re either dead or still shut away in the lunatic asylum, shouting about how they’re from the nineteenth century and don’t know how they got here. Poor sods.” He suddenly barked a laugh, making Pam jump. “Never saw them myself, of course. The gentleman is right, they’re only tall tales, and I have no use for the book.”

“Then you’ll sell it to us?” Jasper asked.

“That I will. My friend, God bless him, passed away last year, so he won’t have anything to say about it.” Stone rubbed his chin. “A dollar.”

“A dollar!” Jasper shook his head. “That’s highway robbery! I’ll give you twenty cents, which is still more than you deserve, but since not many were printed . . .”

“Eighty cents.”

“Thirty.”

“Fifty.”

“Done!” Jasper fished several coins from his pocket. “A pleasure doing business with you.” He hesitated, then picked up the book. Pam couldn’t blame him. There was no way she would open the book and read anything in it until it was time for them to go back. Who knew what would happen?

Outside, she gulped down the fresh air. Jasper tucked the book under his arm. “Don’t lose it,” Pam said. “It could be the only copy in existence.” She sighed. “I guess we should go tell the girls the good news.”

“I suppose we should.”

His voice lacked enthusiasm, and so did she. For a split second, she wanted to suggest that they throw the book into the lake and forget about it. They’d tell Robin and Margaret that they’d spent another fruitless afternoon searching for a book they weren’t likely to find, and that it was time to accept that 1910 had two new permanent inhabitants. And then what? Did she expect Jasper to break his engagement with Margaret and marry her? Was she that selfish that she’d condemn Robin to life here, just so she and Jasper could be together? The fairy-tale life she envisioned would elude her, eclipsed by guilt and the horrible secret that would forever hang over her and Jasper.

She wanted to cry. Having a conscience could really suck, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “Do you think Margaret would mind if we were to go for a drive or a stroll before Robin and I leave? By ourselves, I mean. Not today. When it’s closer.”

“I’ll ask her.” He paused. “She’s been very kind to us.”

“I know. I should probably feel guilty for hogging you, but she’ll have you for the rest of her life. I have to give her credit for being secure enough to let us . . . see each other. I can’t help but resent her a little, though. I know that sounds terrible.” He smiled ruefully. “I envy Robin. She’ll be a lifelong friend and know what happens to you. I’ll always wonder.” His eyes grew sad as his smile faded. “If things were different . . . if I’d met you in this time . . .”

“I know.” She briefly closed her eyes, then tried to muster enthusiasm. “Anyway, let’s go back. And don’t forget to ask Margaret about giving us one more afternoon together.” So they could say good-bye.

*****

With a heavy heart, Margaret only half listened to Jasper as he drove her home, laughing when he did and hoping the one or two words she uttered now and then were satisfactory. Earlier, when Jasper and Pam had returned to the guest house and he’d held up the book with a triumphant, albeit strained, smile, Margaret had tried, oh so hard, to be happy for Robin, despite the instant death of the fantasies she’d entertained about building a life with the woman she shouldn’t love. She’d not only imagined them running away together here, but had considered the possibility that the rhyme would send them all back to 2010, where she and Robin could marry. Impossible, foolish, sinful fantasies, but ones that represented what she truly wanted—

and could never have.

Robin’s relief had been apparent; if she’d tried not to appear too pleased, she’d failed. Given what Margaret now knew about what life was like for . . . lesbians in 2010, she couldn’t blame her, but understanding how imperative it was for Robin to return to her own time didn’t prevent Margaret from feeling hurt that Robin looked forward to going home. Her reaction was unfair; in Robin’s shoes, she’d feel the same way. But knowing that didn’t help.

Jasper pulled up outside the Wilton home. She waited while he rounded the car, opened her door, and offered a steadying hand. She expected him to walk her up the path and give her a parting peck on the lips, but he stood rooted next to the car. “Would you mind if I came in for a moment?” he asked, to her amazement. He’d never invited himself in before. “I’d like to speak with you about something.”

“Of course. Let’s go into the drawing room.” She quickly discarded the panicked notion that he might suspect her true feelings for Robin. If that were so, he wouldn’t want to touch her, and he certainly wouldn’t politely ask to discuss the matter privately. He’d storm through the front door, shouting for Father.

“Would you like a drink?” she asked when they reached the drawing room.

“No, thank you.” He glanced toward the open door.

She shut it, and patiently waited for him to conquer whatever apprehension was causing him to clear his throat and straighten his jacket. “We found the book,” he finally said.

“Yes.”

“Pam and I no longer have a reason to go out.”

Margaret waited.

“On our own.” He swallowed. “We thought perhaps we might go out for a drive, before they go back. You and Robin are welcome to—”

She raised her hand. “Jasper.” She should make him squirm. If she were another woman and under any other circumstances, she would. But she was hardly in a position to have her nose out of joint. “If you’re asking if I would object to you and Pam going out on a drive by yourselves, the answer is no.” She decided to speak plainly. “I know you and Pam are fond of each other. I haven’t objected to your friendship because I know she’ll soon be out of our lives.” Well, she hadn’t been sure until they’d found the book, but she was lying about why his relationship with Pam didn’t matter to her. “So have your drive with Pam. Several, if that’s what you want. But do Robin the courtesy of arranging a meeting with Pam at a time when I can keep her company.”

“Perhaps you and Robin can go for a walk,” Jasper suggested. “She must be growing tired of being cooped up.”

Margaret shook her head. “Robin would refuse to wear a dress.” And seemed afraid to venture out in case something happened that would prevent her from returning home.

“I have to admit, I’m surprised the two of you get along so well. You seem so different.” They were more alike than he’d ever suspect. “When I first met her, I thought the same. But I enjoy her conversation.” She paused. “Robin does walk on the estate in the early morning and late evening.”

“Does she?”

“Yes, near the guest house. With Pam.” Perhaps she shouldn’t have said anything, in case Jasper took it upon himself to intrude. “Let me get my engagement book.” Without waiting for a reply, she left the drawing room, went to her bedroom, and slid the engagement book from a cubbyhole in her vanity. She opened it and frowned at the numerous entries between now and October 18th, the date they expected a full moon. What could she reschedule? Her hair could wait. Tea with Aunt Grace could be postponed—all she talked about was her late husband.

Margaret’s eyes fell on the entry for Saturday, October 15th. Hmm.

She returned to the drawing room and, supporting the open book with one hand, she tapped at an entry with her other. “I could call on Robin the afternoons of the ninth and twelfth.”

“What days of the week are they?”

“Sunday and Wednesday.”

Jasper frowned. “I can definitely manage the Sunday, but Father’s already angry with me for being scarce around the office lately. I’ll have to see about the Wednesday.” Not wanting the ninth to be the last time she could be alone with Robin, Margaret made what Jasper might view as an outlandish suggestion. “The Halloween Ball is on the fifteenth.

Why don’t you escort Pam?”

His face slackened. “What?”

“Escort Pam. I’ll take her out, buy her a lovely hat, dress, and shoes. She’ll love the experience, both the shopping and the ball.”

“But—what will people think? And what about you? Don’t you want to go to the ball?”

“There will be plenty of balls in our future, Jasper. As for others, make something up. I can be under the weather, and Pam can be a visiting distant cousin who graciously agreed to step in and take my place.”

“Our families will be there!”

“All right, an old friend, then,” Margaret said, thinking quickly. “I can pretend I have a bad tummy. I’ll find my way to the estate once everyone else has gone. Mother will be beside herself

—” not because her daughter was ill, but because Margaret wouldn’t be on Jasper’s arm for the first major social event since their engagement was announced “—but I’ll deal with Mother.” Jasper stepped toward her. “Margaret, you don’t have to be so generous.”

“I want you to give her a good send-off, Jasper. It will perhaps help you to refocus on us and our relationship, once she’s gone.” Our relationship? Margaret suddenly felt sick.

“Thank you,” Jasper murmured.

“You’ll escort her?”

“Yes.”

She looked down at her engagement book again and pursed her lips. “Tell her we’ll go shopping on Friday morning.” Margaret closed the book.

“I’ll let her know.” He stared at her for a moment, then swept out his arm. “After you.” Not surprisingly, Mother hovered in the hallway. “Oh! I was wondering if you two were in there.”

Margaret restrained herself from rolling her eyes.

“Would you like to stay for dinner, Jasper?”

Jasper hesitated, then smiled. “I’d be delighted.”

“Wonderful! I’ll have Sally set another place.” Mother clapped her hands together. “Oh, look at the two of you! Such a handsome pair. I expect you’ll be a familiar face at the dinner table from now on, Jasper. Oh, Sally!” She raced up the hallway, waving at the housemaid.

Margaret returned the engagement book to her bedroom and gathered with the rest of her family and Jasper in the living room to make small talk. She was fine until everyone proceeded to the dining room and Jasper pulled out her chair, then sat next to her. Though he’d dined with them before, his presence at the table as her fiancé was a novelty. Her parents and brothers kept glancing at them: Margaret and her future husband.

She wanted to bolt from the table. Sitting here next to Jasper, seeing everyone already clothing her in the role of the loving wife, had brought to the surface a certainty she’d sensed, but feared. She could never fill that role. If she hadn’t been transported into the future, hadn’t met Robin and been introduced to herself, she wouldn’t see marrying Jasper as settling, not only for her, but for him. Her confusion over why she didn’t feel for him what her friends felt for their husbands would have deepened, especially when her expectation that those feelings would come later proved false. But she would have tried to be the wife he wanted, and perhaps Jasper wouldn’t have noticed that his wife lacked passion. Perhaps he wouldn’t have minded a supportive woman at his side who held him in genuine affection. But not anymore. Any woman at his side would be in Pam’s shadow, but at least others would love him. She couldn’t, not as a wife should love him. Margaret had no hope of living up to Pam, nor did she want to.

She couldn’t marry Jasper. She wouldn’t marry him.

*****

Margaret knocked on the guest house door and opened it in response to a muffled invitation to enter. Pam looked past her. “Jasper not with you?”

“No, I came on my own.” This wasn’t her first visit of the day, despite the morning hour.

She caught Robin’s eye and nodded, then refocused on Pam. “You look ready to go.”

“I am.” Pam turned to Robin. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us? I doubt we’ll be back for lunch. It won’t take me long to get you into a dress.” Smiling mischievously, she ran her fingers through Robin’s short locks. “And do your hair.” Robin slapped Pam’s hand away. “I hate shopping at home. Do you think I want to shop all day here—for clothes? And in a dress?” She grimaced. “And I don’t want to take any chances.” Pam tutted. “What do you think will happen, you’ll get trampled by a horse and carriage?” Robin folded her arms. “No, more like I’ll end up in jail for ripping the balls off the first guy that treats me like an idiot woman.”

“On second thought, you’re better off here,” Pam said with a laugh. She patted Robin’s shoulder. “Not that I expected you to come.”

“If you don’t mind, I’ll have tea with you when we return,” Margaret said, wishing she could run her fingers through Robin’s hair.

Robin’s mouth turned up at the corners and she dropped her arms to her sides. “I’d like that.”

Her response gave Margaret a much needed energy boost. She’d felt as if she were swaying on her feet. Since her epiphany while at the dinner table that night with Jasper, she’d barely slept.

How would she extricate herself from their engagement without embarrassing him, provoking her parents’ wrath, and making everyone close to her believe that she’d lost her mind?

Ruminating about that would have been enough to deprive her of sleep, but there was also Robin’s imminent departure from her life. Consoling herself with platitudes—that at least she’d experienced love, truly knew herself, wouldn’t be trapped in a loveless marriage—did little to stem the darkness that eclipsed more of her soul each day.

However, she had come up with a plan to break her engagement, and had taken her first concrete step toward that end with her earlier visit that morning. It wouldn’t banish her sleepless nights—she still faced living out her life without the woman she loved—but it was a start.

Chapter Twelve

Pam lifted a glass of wine from the tray a white-gloved waiter extended and clinked glasses with Jasper before taking a sip. “I feel like I’m in a movie,” she squealed. Everyone was dressed to the nines, and oh-so polite. She waved away the smoke blown her way by a gentleman puffing on a cigarette. Okay, there were downsides, like everyone’s apparent wish to die of cancer. But she felt more comfortable here than she ever had in chic nightclubs with their flashing lights and too-loud-to-talk music. Not worrying about anyone spiking her drink when she wasn’t looking was a bonus.

This time period must have its share of noisy clubs and obnoxious patrons, but not here, among society’s elite. If she’d belonged to this time, she was sure she would have been in the upper classes. Was it surprising that, back in 2010, she lived in a home that formerly belonged to an upper middle class family? And the book had summoned two refined residents of 1910, not foul-mouthed sailors off the docks. Though she had no idea why the rhyme had brought Jasper and Margaret into her life. Why tease her with Jasper? Why give her the knowledge of what she could never have?

Jasper nudged her arm. “Margaret’s parents,” he murmured.

She tensed and gulped down more wine. They’d practised what to say to the Wiltons, but she was still nervous. Since arriving, she’d feared that someone might ask her a question that she didn’t understand or would inadvertently answer in a way that only made sense in her time. Her appreciation for how well Jasper had handled himself at Brenda’s party deepened. He’d carried on conversations without her at his side, something she wasn’t brave enough to do. When he visited the men’s room, she’d hide, despite not having committed any gaffes thus far.

A couple that looked to be in their late forties approached. “Jasper,” the woman crowed.

Pam resisted the urge to hang onto him. Not a good idea when Margaret’s parents were standing right in front of them. If Jasper hadn’t warned her, she would have known anyway; Margaret was the spitting image of her mother.

“I’m so sorry Margaret left you in the lurch. What a time for her tummy to act up! Oh, but where are my manners? Mr. and Mrs. James Wilton,” Margaret’s mother announced.

Pam inclined her head. “Miss Pamela Holden. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Mr. Wilton said.

“Margaret said you and Jasper are old friends?” Mrs. Wilton’s eyes were alight with curiosity.

Jasper stepped in. “Not exactly. Miss Holden is the daughter of a longstanding client of mine. I was lunching with him when Margaret telephoned about her condition. I intended to send my regrets to the host committee, but Gerald asked if I’d consider escorting his daughter.” Mrs. Wilton’s brows lifted. “I don’t know a Gerald Holden.”

“We’re from Kingston,” Pam said. “My father has investments here.”

“I see. So you’re visiting?”

“Yes. I suppose my father didn’t want to see me cooped up in a hotel room for another night, but it’s unfortunate that I’m here because your daughter is ill.”

“Girl’s too fragile,” Mr. Wilton growled. “This is one of the premiere balls of the year, and she’s at home in bed.”

Not if Margaret had gone to the guest house as she’d intended. What did she and Robin spend all their time talking about? Robin didn’t open up to people easily, and Pam wouldn’t have pegged Margaret as someone with whom Robin would forge a close bond. Of course, Margaret hadn’t faked a bad stomach so she could spend time with Robin; she’d done it for Jasper. Once Pam was out of the picture, Margaret would have Jasper to herself and in her debt. Bravo, Margaret. Well played.

“A bit of fresh air and dancing would have done her a world of good,” Mr. Wilton continued. “Once she was here, she would have forgotten about her tummy ache.”

“I’m sure Margaret would have come, if she was able,” Jasper said.

Mrs. Wilton’s attention remained on Pam. “When will you return to Kingston?”

“This week,” Pam said. If the rhyme worked, they’d be gone Tuesday night. She inwardly, then visibly, sighed. “I miss my fiancé. Jasper’s a lovely man, but we’re both acting as poor substitutes for others.”

A relieved smile spread across Mrs. Wilton’s face. Apparently Pam had said the magic words that translated to, “I won’t steal your daughter’s betrothed.”

“Well, we won’t keep you,” Mrs. Wilton said. “Shall I tell Margaret to expect a visit from you tomorrow, Jasper?”

He nodded. “I’m sure her condition will have improved by then.” Pam stifled a giggle, then exhaled slowly as she watched the Wiltons walk over to another couple. “Glad that’s done.” Now she’d met both sets of parents. Jasper’s father had been nothing like she’d imagined. Based on the story Jasper had told about his lost love, she’d expected an overbearing, gruff man, not the mild-mannered gentleman who’d let his wife do all the talking.

One could never tell what went on behind closed doors.

“Poor substitutes?” Jasper said with feigned indignation.

“It just popped into my head, and it worked. She’s not worried about me now.”

“She’d have reason to worry, if circumstances were different.” That was the third time he’d implied as much since they’d arrived, but with Tuesday night looming, his repeated referrals to what could have been didn’t warm her heart. She appreciated what he was trying to tell her, but she wished he’d stop, so she could forget, just for tonight, that the fairy tale was almost at its end. Her irritation with him quickly died. Tuesday night was hanging over him too; he probably kept reminding her because he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

She lightly touched his arm, but only for a second, aware of Margaret’s parents nearby. “Jasper

—”

A loud crash and the sound of shattering glass drowned out her words. A collective gasp rose around her. The music petered out. Pam jerked her head in the direction of the ruckus. A waiter lay sprawled on his back in the middle of broken glasses and spilled wine; an overturned silver tray lay next to him. A dishevelled man with an unkempt beard peered down at the waiter, then raised a glass and smiled toothily. “My invitation must have been lost in the post!” He downed the wine in one go and plunked the empty glass on a table, then glanced around, probably looking for another waiter.

The man in coattails who’d greeted Pam and Jasper when they’d arrived at the ball glared at him, his hands clenched at his sides. “Tillman! I swear—”

“Victor, what in the hell are you doing?” a woman shouted, striding up to him. Her thin coat, threadbare stockings, and worn boots clearly labelled her as another interloper.

“For god’s sake, Elenora, get him out of here,” someone said.

Pam’s hand went to her mouth. Oh. My. God. “Robin’s great-grandparents,” she hissed to Jasper, then pulled him away from the crowd until they were behind a pillar. “I can’t go anywhere near them. I don’t even want them to see me.” She wasn’t supposed to be here and didn’t want to risk altering future events. What if Robin winked out of existence because Pam’s presence delayed the Tillmans from leaving the building and they were run down by a crazed runaway horse, as a result?

When she whispered her fear to Jasper, he shook his head. “Whatever is happening now had already happened in 2010, and Robin existed then.”

Yes, but they hadn’t travelled to 1910 yet. Or had they? She rubbed her temples. This time travel stuff gave her a headache.

“So they’re Robin’s ancestors on her father’s side,” Jasper murmured.

“No, her mother’s. When she was nineteen, she changed her last name to her mother’s maiden name.” And her father hadn’t cared. Bastard.

The crowd had closed in around the Tillmans; Pam could no longer see them from her vantage point. After a great deal more shouting and the sounds of scuffling, several backs parted to allow those in the middle of the throng to leave. “Just throw him onto the pavement,” Elenora bellowed, her face hard. As several men dragged Victor toward the hall’s entrance, she turned to those gawking. “Oh, what are you all looking at? Thank the Lord I no longer have to suffer through these parties. They always bored me to tears!” She whipped around and stomped after her husband.

Pam chuckled. Fortunately Robin didn’t closely resemble either of them, or the entire incident would have felt surreal. Everyone drifted back to wherever they’d rushed from. Music filled the hall again. The man in coattails fussed around the mess, waving his arms and barking orders to his underlings, while the poor waiter who’d ended up on the floor retrieved the tray and did his best to make a dignified exit, despite his wine-soaked ass and back. He’d probably have to pick glass shards out of his trousers, too.

Jasper lifted Pam’s empty glass from her hand. “Let’s dance.”

“Are you sure? I won’t know what I’m doing.”

“Nobody will notice. Just follow me.”

He’d meant on the dance floor, but she trailed after him as he carried their glasses to a table and set them down. Only when he offered her his arm did she step to his side. Feeling like the princess at the ball, she swept onto the dance floor, and smiled up at him as he gently positioned her hands. If she could find that elusive rhyme that could stop time, she’d use it now to freeze this moment and remain in this blissful state forever. Returning to 2010 would be hard to take; the future would be a bleak and lonely place. If only her future could be here, in the past, with Jasper.

When the morning sun once again held promise and she could laugh at a joke, she’d find out what had happened to the vibrant man holding her, visit his gravesite, and weep for what could never have been.

*****

Margaret stared miserably into the fire and marvelled at how naive she’d been to expect her last evening with Robin to be anything but depressing. They’d pushed the two chairs together and sat with their shoulders touching, their interlocked hands resting on the chair arms that formed a barrier between them. To Margaret, their physical arrangement mirrored her inner state. She wanted to be close to Robin, but there were lines she wouldn’t cross, not when Robin would soon be gone and with years of religious and moral teachings to overcome. If they had more time

. . . Margaret bowed her head, brought Robin’s hand to her lips, and kissed it. If she could, she’d never let her go. She’d be quite happy to spend her life gazing into the fire with Robin at her side. “What will you do first when you return?” she asked, to fill the dull silence and dispel the fantasy.

“Take a long shower,” Robin said.

Margaret had enjoyed her morning showers, one of the more practical improvements in 2010. “To wash away the dust and grime of 1910, I suppose.”

“No. So I can have a nice, long, private cry and maybe not look like I’ve been beaten up afterward.” She snorted softly. “I expect I’ll be taking quite a few long showers, actually.”

“I will weep too,” Margaret said mournfully. How would she fulfill all those engagements she’d rescheduled without anyone sensing her grief? What would Mother think if she spent all her time shut away in her bedroom?

“Be careful,” Robin said, as if reading Margaret’s mind. “You just got engaged, remember.” Yes, and rather than hiding her distress, perhaps allowing her family and friends to see it would work in her favour when it came time to put her plan into motion. “Oh, now we know why she was upset,” they’d say. It might help them to more readily accept what would initially sound like madness, or at least to believe that she was sincere. Margaret had vacillated between telling Robin that she would break her engagement with Jasper, and allowing Robin to imagine that she’d married him and built some semblance of a happy life. But did she want Robin to believe a lie? What if Robin decided to find out what had happened to her? Would she look for the record of their marriage and try to find their descendants? What if she discovered that Margaret had died as Margaret Wilton, not Margaret Bainbridge? Would she wonder if Margaret had changed her mind at the last minute or known all along? Would she ask why, knowing the question could never be answered?

Well, it could be answered, but only if Margaret explained herself now, not only for Robin’s sake, but so she could receive Robin’s blessing. As she lived out her life, she’d feel closer to her, knowing that Robin knew the truth. It shouldn’t matter; Margaret could never stop what she was doing and imagine Robin thinking of her at that moment, since she’d be long dead in Robin’s time. But somehow, the knowledge that Robin knew the truth and would look back in honesty would comfort Margaret when she despaired. She tightened her grip on Robin’s hand. “I’m not going to marry Jasper.”

Robin whipped toward her. “What?”

“I’m not marrying him.”

“No!” Robin pulled her hand from Margaret’s and leaped to her feet. “You have to marry him!”Shocked, Margaret looked up at her. “You don’t care that I’ll marry him?”

“I’m not thrilled by the idea, but I understand this is a different time. I don’t want you to throw your life away.”

“I won’t.”

“No? What will happen when you break the engagement? What will Jasper think, and your family? People will want to know why.”

“And I’ll tell them,” Margaret said evenly.

Robin gaped at her.

“I’ll tell them I want to become a nun.”

“What?” Robin shrieked. Her hands went to her hips. “No! No way! I won’t let you do it. I don’t want this responsibility hanging over me.”

Margaret pushed herself up from the chair so she could more easily meet Robin’s eyes.

“What responsibility?”

Robin thrust out her hands. “Ruining your life!”

“So you’d rather I enter a loveless marriage? You’d condemn both Jasper and I to that?”

“At least you’d be free to have a life.”

“A lie, Robin! I’d have a lie.”

Robin glared at her. Margaret could sense the turmoil seething beneath the surface and wouldn’t have been surprised if Robin suddenly picked up the nearby vase and threw it against the wall. “Would you marry a man?” she asked, hoping her quiet voice would calm Robin.

Robin’s nostrils flared. “No.”

“Then don’t make me do what you wouldn’t do.”

“But—”

“And don’t tell me I have no choice. I do have a choice, and I’ve made it.” They stared at each other. Robin raised her hands in surrender. “Okay. But a religious order?

You’re not even Catholic!”

“There are Anglican nuns. I’ve already made inquiries.”

“What will your family think?”

“They’ll be upset, but it’s difficult to argue against God’s will.”

“But it’s not God’s will. It’s yours.”

Margaret clenched her hands and strove to keep her irritation from her voice. “My will is not to lie, not to trap myself and someone else in a bad marriage, but to live my life in honesty. In this case, I’d say my will coincides with His.”

Robin groaned. “I can’t go back, then. I’ll have to stay here.”

“What? Why on earth would you do that?”

“So you won’t have to become a nun. Our life won’t be a bed of roses, but it has to be better than that. I have no idea what we’ll do, just that I’ll be here to support you when you break your engagement and everyone freaks out.”

Margaret had never felt so mortified. “No, Robin. Don’t you dare stay here.” She’d once entertained that fantasy, but no longer. “You said you don’t want the responsibility of ruining my life. I don’t want to ruin yours. If you stayed here, I could never live with myself, never look at you without feeling guilty for what I’d denied you. I do not want you here. If you stay, I’ll never speak to you again. You don’t belong here.”

Robin’s face crumpled. She sank into her chair and buried her face in her hands.

Trembling, Margaret knelt in front of her. “Robin,” she murmured. When Robin didn’t respond, Margaret used Robin’s lap for support as she leaned into her, stopping when her lips were mere inches away from Robin’s hands. “I want you to go back to 2010. I want you to finish university. I want you to find a nice woman, someone you can love, and marry her. Can you do that for me?”

Robin’s shoulders shook. She sobbed into her hands.

“Please, Robin. The knowledge that you went back and lived your life the way it’s meant to be lived will be the greatest gift you can give me. So, please, do this for me. You can’t do anything for me here.” She winced when Robin dropped her hands, and reached out to help dry her tears.

Robin drew a shaky breath. “I wish Pam had never bought that stupid book.”

“I’m glad she did. Otherwise I always would have thought there was something wrong with me. And I never would have met you. I never would have truly loved.”

“And been loved,” Robin whispered.

Margaret’s vision blurred.

“You’ll always be loved, Margaret. As long as I’m alive, you’ll be alive, and loved.” Overcome by sorrow, Margaret closed her eyes, then opened them in confusion when Robin gently pushed her away. She struggled to her feet at the same time Robin rose, and didn’t protest when Robin pulled her into her arms. Oh, it felt so natural to embrace Robin and rest her head against Robin’s shoulder! She would hold this moment in her heart forever, savour it, draw on it to banish the coming loneliness.

“I will stay, if you want me to.” Robin’s breath warmed Margaret’s ear.

“I know, and that humbles me more than I can say. But no, I couldn’t bear it.” Margaret plunged ahead, not willing to waste what could be her final opportunity to convey the depth of her love. “If we were in your time . . . if you were willing to be patient, to give me time to fully accept my true nature . . . I would marry you, Robin Tillman—if you’d have me.” Robin drew back. “You’d marry me?”

Margaret nodded and wiped away a tear. “But we can’t be together here. You have to go back, and you have to believe me when I tell you that with what I know now, I’ll live a much more fulfilling life inside a religious order than inside a marriage.”

“I’ll worry.”

“That would be a waste of time. The moment you’re back, I’ll have already lived my life, so worrying would be for naught.”

“I’ll worry about how it was for you.”

If only she could somehow reassure Robin that everything would be all right. “When you retrieved my diary from the attic, was there anything else there?” Robin’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Other papers. Letters, perhaps?”

“I don’t know. As soon as I lifted the floorboard and saw the diary, I took it. I didn’t check for anything else.”

Then perhaps she could put Robin’s mind at ease. “There’s room for more. I’ll write to you about how it went when I told Jasper and my family about my plans. I’ll tuck any letters farther back under the floorboard, somewhere you wouldn’t see them unless you knew to look.” Funny how she hadn’t known about any letters when she was in 2010, even though she’d come from the past. But then, she hadn’t lived this part of her life yet. “Check the attic when you get back. I can’t write to you once I’m in the order, but at least you’ll know how I fared before then.” Robin lifted an eyebrow. “I guess taking a long shower will be the second thing I’ll do when I get back, not the first.”

Margaret smiled through her tears. She gazed at Robin, lightly tracing her nose, lips, and chin with her fingers. Never had a face been so precious. The desire to kiss Robin was overpowering, but so was the fear that if she touched her lips to Robin’s and melted into her, she’d commit acts that she’d later come to regret. Rushing herself when she wasn’t ready would only mar cherished memories. If only they had more time.

She tore her gaze away and murmured, “I’m sorry.” Over Robin’s shoulder, she glimpsed the clock on the mantel. Her heart sank. Had they sat for that long? “Come, let’s dry our eyes and sit together again. We don’t have much time.”

Robin gripped her shoulders. “Margaret.”

She swallowed and forced her eyes back to Robin’s.

“I would be patient.”

Margaret nodded. “I know.” If only Robin would have the opportunity. With a heavy spirit, Margaret pulled a handkerchief from under her sleeve and dabbed at her eyes as Robin rubbed at hers. Back in their chairs, they laced fingers, stared into the fire, and occasionally said a word or two to chase away the oppressive silence that would soon be all they had.

Chapter Thirteen

Pam yawned and stretched as she padded into the kitchen, and wasn’t surprised to see Robin already sitting at the table, nursing a cup of tea. “Excited? If everything goes as expected, you’ll have your morning tea in our kitchen tomorrow.” She walked over to the tea tin—bring on decent coffee in 2010—but twisted around when Robin didn’t respond. Robin looked like hell.

Pam had assumed that excitement had prevented Robin from sleeping more than a few hours the past couple of nights, but— “You all right?”

Robin shrugged. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m not entirely looking forward to going back,” she said dully.

That was the last thing Pam expected her to say. “Are you serious? Why wouldn’t you want to go back? Besides the obvious, you’ve been cooped up in here for almost a month. You must be chomping at the bit to go home.”

Robin remained silent.

“Robin?”

She sighed. “I’m not looking forward to going back for the same reason you aren’t.” That didn’t make sense. Robin knew she dreaded leaving Jasper and would probably spend the next year on the sofa, clutching tissues and moaning Jasper’s name as she tore through her movie collection for the umpteenth time. Robin didn’t care about Jasper, not in that way. So why

—whoa! The tea could wait.

Pam pulled out a chair and plunked into it. “You’re not saying you’ve fallen for Margaret?

God, Robin, I know the two of you have spent a lot of time together, but she’s straight. You usually don’t fall into that trap. Maybe you’re experiencing the same thing hostages do for their captors. What’s it called? Oh, I know—Stockholm syndrome.” Robin rolled her eyes. “We’re not hostages, for god’s sake.” She lowered her voice. “And Margaret isn’t straight. We’re sorta, kinda involved.”

“What? You and Margaret?”

Robin nodded.

“What the hell did you do?”

“Nothing! She made the first move, not me.”

Margaret? “Spill it, girl.”

Robin lifted her cup to her lips, then noticed it was empty and put it down. “She kissed me when she came to say good-bye.”

“When? Just the other night?”

“No, at home, in 2010. I offered to hug her, expecting a quick hug and that’s all.” Pam could hardly contain herself. “And?”

“I got the full body treatment. I thought, okay, maybe she always hugs her friends this way.

But then she kissed me, and it was more than a friendly kiss.” Margaret?

“To make a long story short, we’ve grown closer here. I would have been okay with going back—though I would have missed her—until she told me she’s not going to marry Jasper.” Cripes, this was going from bad to worse, though Pam couldn’t deny feeling a teeny-weeny bit pleased. “You’re not thinking of staying here and running away with her? Your life would be hell.”

“No, I’m not. She doesn’t want me to.”

So they’d discussed it. Jesus.

“She’s going to become a nun.”

“A nun? A freaking nun?”

“Yeah, a freaking nun. And I feel like it’s my fault. I mean, god, Pam, what sort of life will she have?”

“She’ll marry Jasper.”

Robin shook her head. “No, she—”

“I don’t care what she’s planning to do. The marriage announcement, remember? They get married. They have a daughter.”

“That was before we arrived here.”

“No. I mean, yes, but that doesn’t matter. We looked up the past when we were in 2010.

We’d already been here at that point, even though we hadn’t been.” She sympathized when Robin groaned. “So she doesn’t go through with the nun thing.”

“But why would she change her mind? She seems dead set against marrying him.” Pam straightened. “I’ll tell you what I think happens. She has to tell Jasper she doesn’t want to marry him, and why. I bet he talks her out of it. She might even end up telling him the truth about herself.”

Robin frowned. “I can’t see that.”

“Jasper’s not an unreasonable man. If she’s really upset when she tells him, I can see that happening, and I can believe he’d still marry her.”

“I don’t know, Pam, he still might marry her, but I honestly don’t believe she’d marry him.

She doesn’t want to live a lie. She doesn’t want to condemn him to a loveless marriage.”

“I wonder if this has anything to do with why they ended up in Halifax and married so quickly?” Pam mused. “Anyway, she probably feels very brave and determined right now, while you’re still here. Wait until reality sinks in and she has to face breaking her engagement and the shit that’ll hit the fan. Maybe she decides on her own not to go through with it. And that doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about you,” Pam added when Robin’s shoulders hunched. “It means she’s being realistic and accepting that you’re gone and that Jasper is still here and does care about her.” But why Halifax, then? She leaned back. “You and Margaret—I can’t believe it! Margaret doesn’t seem your type.” She paused. “You know, we don’t have to go back.”

“Yes, we do,” Robin said firmly. “Margaret wants me to go back.” She tapped one of her temples. “And I know up here that I have to go back, not only for me, but for Mom and Chris.

I’m just not completely happy about it. And since you believe the marriage announcement, there’s no point you staying here, either.”

“I kind of like it here,” Pam said. “I feel like I fit in. But you’re right, Jasper is the big draw.

And this will sound arrogant, but the fact that he married Margaret means I didn’t stay.” Robin barked a laugh. “You’re right, it does sound arrogant.”

“What can I say?” Pam said unapologetically. “It also means the rhyme will work tonight.

We’re checking out.”

“You know, I won’t be surprised if I wake up to see a doctor hovering over me and I discover I’ve been in a coma for months.”

Pam reached out and pinched Robin’s arm—hard.

Robin yelped. “What was that for?”

“I’m real, not some figment of your imagination.” Pam clasped her hands on the table as Robin rubbed her arm. “You know what I don’t understand?” Robin looked at her expectantly.

“Won’t we keep living this over and over again now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we’re in 1910, right? Time will march on here, and eventually we’ll be born again and grow up again and end up in 2010. Jasper and Margaret will arrive again, we’ll be sucked back here, rinse and repeat.”

“I’ve had time to think about this, all those afternoons you were out and Margaret wasn’t here.” Robin stabbed her finger on the table. “I figure each life is a thread. You’re born at one end of the thread and die at the other. You can only move forward along the thread, not backward. But the thread can be woven through time. Somehow that rhyme allowed the needle to be pushed in at 2010 and lifted out in 1910. Tonight, if all goes to plan, it will be pushed in again today and lifted out at 2010, and we’ll continue to move forward along the thread. We can’t go backward and be born a second time. Margaret and Jasper won’t be resurrected over and over again.”

“A sewing analogy? Margaret’s rubbing off on you.” And Pam’s head hurt. “Wouldn’t that mean our presence here could change history?” Such as scuttle Jasper and Margaret’s engagement? “If you’re right, we hadn’t already been here when we found the marriage announcement in 2010.”

“No, we had, because although we can only move forward on our threads, the threads themselves can be threaded backward and forward. So even though each moment in our lives can only be lived once, they don’t have to be lived chronologically.” Robin closed her eyes and buried her head in her hands.

“Robin?”

After a moment, Robin dropped her hands and met Pam’s gaze. “I think I’ve just convinced myself that you’re right. She does marry him.”

“Disappointed?” Pam asked softly.

“I’m not crazy about the idea—”

“Join the club.”

“—but I understand why she does it.”

“I guess we’ll never know what made her give up on the nun idea or why they went to Halifax,” Pam said.

“We might. She said she’ll write to me.”

“How?”

“The attic. It’s possible other papers were there. I didn’t look.”

“Ooh, maybe she’ll write you love letters.” Pam sighed. “Are we pathetic, or what? We can’t find people in our own time?”

“Let’s hope we get back to our own time.”

She frowned at Robin. “What do you mean?”

“We know they’re fine because of the marriage announcement. But who knows where we’ll end up? You can’t control where we go, and so far, we’ve never tried sending people forward, only back.”

“Jasper and Margaret went forward,” Pam pointed out.

“Yes, but you read the book in their future. Maybe I’m worrying about nothing, but we know the rhyme works both ways. I’m hoping we don’t end up in 1810, or worse.”

“You know what would be really interesting? If we all end up in 2010. I know, I know, it won’t happen. They get married here in 1910 and live happily ever after.” Or make a damn good show of it, anyway. “But would you be crushed if Margaret arrived back in 2010 with us?” She batted her eyelashes at Robin. To her delight, Robin smiled.

“I think I’d be frightened.”

“Why?”

“She’d want to marry me.”

“And you wouldn’t want that,” Pam said slowly.

“She’s not ready for that.”

Was Robin?

“I’d like to think I’d have the patience to wait, but what if she’s never ready? What if it takes her years? And I’m not sure I’d want the responsibility of compensating for the loss of almost every other freaking person she’s ever known in her life, including her entire family. That would be a huge burden to bear. How could I ever live up to that, especially once she met my family?”

Pam chuckled. “It wouldn’t be only you, Robin. She’d also benefit from all the changes between now and then.”

“That might not be enough. Though she wouldn’t be the first lesbian forced to turn her back on her family and friends to be who she is.” Robin’s eyes narrowed. “What about you and Jasper? Do you think you’d ride off into the sunset together?” God, she wished! “I’d like to think we would, but you’re right. He’d have to leave everyone behind. He might be okay with that at first, but when we reach the point where I’m yelling at him for throwing his dirty underwear on the floor, he might wish he was back here and wonder why he gave it all up. So yeah, they’d probably stay for a month again, we’d read the damn rhyme, and we’d all end up back here. Instead of spending summers at home and winters in Florida, the four of us would spend odd months in 2010 and even months in 1910.” Robin threw back her head and laughed. “And we’d seem to grow older twice as fast as everyone else, which would be really, really freaky.”

“Yeah, so if the four of us do somehow end up in 2010 tonight, screw the rhyme. We’d have to put roots down in one time period, and they’d have an easier time in 2010 than you’d have here.” Pam slapped the table. “But it won’t happen. They get married. We end up at home, we hope. We’ll feel like shit for a while, but somehow we’ll get through it.” Her throat felt dry; it was time for that tea. She pushed back her chair and rose, slipped her arm around Robin’s shoulders, and squeezed her. “But we can dream, eh? We can dream.”

“And we’ll destroy the book, right? Otherwise it’ll taunt us.”

“Yeah, we will. I’m with you there.” She shuffled over to the tea tin and spooned tea leaves into the strainer. “Jasper said he’ll have dinner with us and then we’ll head to Margaret’s.” So it was only a matter of time. Regardless of how she and Robin kept themselves busy until then, Pam would feel like a condemned woman waiting for the hangman to arrive.

*****

Pam didn’t dare look at Jasper or Robin as they trudged up the path to Margaret’s house. If someone jumped out, stuck a gun to their heads, and demanded that they smile, they’d all be dead. She could almost touch the waves of dread and sorrow emanating from them. It was incomprehensible. They were about to die—she and Robin to Jasper and Margaret, and Jasper and Margaret to them. This was it, really it. Even Margaret’s letters in the attic, if there were any, would be a relic from the past, the writer long returned to dust—nothing but a brutal reminder of people who’d touched their hearts and left them weeping.

Margaret was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs, her hands clenched in front of her.

She wordlessly motioned for Pam and Jasper to go to the drawing room. Pam glanced over her shoulder and saw Robin and Margaret ever so briefly squeeze each other’s hands. A lump rose in her throat. She turned away and continued down the hallway as Robin quietly climbed the stairs.

“I’ll sit on the floor near the piano.” Pam stepped out of Margaret’s loaned dress and laid it across the piano bench. She’d imagined this moment so many times. In her mind, she’d seen herself embracing Jasper, passionately kissing him, promising to hold him in her heart forever.

Fantasies always conveniently overlooked how shitty one would actually feel at a time like this.

She couldn’t muster a passionate kiss if she tried, and there was nothing more to say that wouldn’t sound trite or make them want to kill themselves.

As Pam sat on the floor, an anemic-looking Margaret came into the drawing room and closed the door. “We don’t have much time,” she said urgently. “Everyone’s in the dining room, playing cards.”

So her plan had worked. Plan B had been to “call” on Margaret and hope they could have the drawing room to themselves. If not, they would have tried again the next evening.

“I excused myself to make tea and warm the scones. They’ll expect me back soon.” Margaret looked so fragile and on the verge of tears that Pam wanted to jump up and hug the poor woman. Time to get on with it, for all their sakes. “Then let’s not drag it out.” She held out her hand. “Jasper.”

He hesitated a beat, then handed her the book he’d had tucked under his arm. Margaret went to his side. Pam peered up at them through moist eyes. “Have a good life, you two,” she managed to whisper, then quickly lowered her head and struggled with her composure. Lucky Robin, up in Margaret’s room by herself. It didn’t matter if she cried or her lips were trembling.

Come on, Pam, hold it together long enough to read the rhyme! She shifted position so she could rest the book on her crossed legs. The desire to look at Jasper one last time was strong, but all she’d see was pain, so she kept her head down and flipped to page 17. She stared at the rhyme.

Do it!

She drew a quavering breath and read the rhyme to herself once. Do it! “All right. Here we go . . .”

when in the wrong time

universe will not be kind

until you align

by swapping souls

Shit! No obnoxious noise, no nausea, and she could still feel the hard floor under her bum.

“Let me try again.”

when in the wrong time

universe will not be—

“Pam,” Jasper said.

She held up her hand. “I know, I know. I’m trying again.” when in the wrong time—

“Pam!”

She jerked her head up. “What?”

“Margaret’s gone.”

“Where is she?” Pam snapped, unable to keep her irritation from her voice. Had Margaret run upstairs to give Robin a good-bye kiss?

Jasper’s face was ashen. “She disappeared, Pam. When you read the rhyme.”

“What?” Oh my god. “Are you sure?” She glanced at the door. Still closed, and Pam hadn’t heard the rustle of Margaret’s dress, though she’d been focused on the rhyme.

“Yes.” He stared at where Margaret had been standing just a minute ago and waved his arms through nothingness. “She just . . . disappeared. Right before my eyes.” Holy shit! “We’d better go find out if Robin’s still here.”

“I can’t go into Margaret’s bedroom.”

“I’m not going alone, Jasper, and we know Margaret’s not there. You won’t be caught in a compromising position, so come on.” Trusting him to follow, Pam grabbed the dress from the piano bench, went to the door, and opened it a crack. It sounded as if everyone was still in the dining room. They crept down the hallway and up the stairs.

Pam opened Margaret’s bedroom door. “Robin!” she whispered as she stepped into the dim room. Silence. “Robin!” She waved Jasper inside and shut the door, then glanced around. The only traces of Robin were the cap and jacket she’d left on Margaret’s bed. “She’s gone.” And Pam immediately grasped the implications. She laid the dress and book on the bed. “They’re in 2010, and they’re not coming back.”

“What? No, Pam. They’ll read the rhyme next lunar cycle. Or you will. Margaret will want to come back.”

She shook her head. “They don’t read the rhyme, Jasper. Don’t you see? If they did, Margaret would already be back. She would have returned to the exact same time she left. To us, it would look as if she’d never gone, except she’d start babbling about how she’d just spent another month in 2010. She’s not coming back.”

Jasper’s brows drew together. “But why? Why would she want to stay? Everyone she loves is here.”

Not everyone.

“What will Margaret do? She’s all alone!”

“No, she isn’t. She’s with Robin. I know you think Robin’s . . . queer, but trust me, she’ll take care of Margaret.”

“Perhaps the rhyme didn’t work. Perhaps Margaret is trapped!” Jasper said, wild-eyed.

“I doubt it. The rhyme has always worked when we’ve read it at the right time.”

“Then you can read the rhyme next lunar cycle, bring Margaret back, and go home. Don’t you want to return to your own time?”

“Margaret doesn’t want to come back, Jasper.” And Pam had no intention of inadvertently sucking Robin back to 1910. “She made her decision, and I’ve made mine. I’m staying.” He gaped at her. “What will you do?”

The moment of truth had arrived. “I think that’s up to you.” Hoping to calm her shaking hands, she shoved them into her pockets and met his eyes.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, but he didn’t dither. “If we’re to marry, you’ll need a birth certificate.”

Pam wanted to leap into the air and whoop, but the celebration would have to wait. She glanced around the bedroom, then went to the vanity in the corner and pulled open a drawer.

“What are you doing?” Jasper asked.

“Looking for Margaret’s birth certificate. She doesn’t need it anymore.”

“See if you can find something in her handwriting, too.” Pam rummaged through the drawer. “Why?”

“So we can try to forge a letter to her parents that explains why she ran away.” She chuckled. “We’ll say she’s eloped with a Tillman.”

Jasper snorted. “We can’t say that! Margaret would never elope with a Tillman.” Wanna bet? “Aha! Here it is. There’s nothing in here with her handwriting, though.” She twisted to give the birth certificate to Jasper.

He pointed at the vanity. “I think that’s her engagement book. We’ll take that.” He slid it from the cubbyhole and slipped the birth certificate inside its front cover.

As Pam pushed the drawer shut, her gaze fell on the three boxes of stationery stacked on the vanity. The attic. It’s possible other papers were there. I didn’t look. She flipped the lid off the top box and pulled out a sheet of paper, then opened the drawer again and reached for the fountain pen she’d spotted inside.

“Pam, we have to go, before someone finds us here,” Jasper said.

“Just give me a minute. I won’t be long.” What to say to Robin? Unless they could somehow get into Margaret’s bedroom again, this would be her last chance to say anything, and the time pressure didn’t help. She took a deep breath and tried to sort through her thoughts. So much to say, so little time to say it! Oh god, Robin. I’m going to miss you so much. A wave of melancholy washed over her. No, just like the celebration, the tears would have to wait.

“Pam!”

She hastily scribbled a note, silently cursing at her bad writing. Fountain pens! She’d have no choice but to use them now. She paused to read what she’d written: Girls,

I don’t have much time, so I’ll be brief and practical, otherwise I’ll dissolve into a flood of tears.

1. Margaret, you have my blessing. I’ll be fine here. I want to stay with Jasper.

2. Robin, be patient. Don’t blow it.

3. I’m not sure how you’ll do it, but have Margaret be me until you sell the house and get your paws on every last dime I have. I don’t need it.

4. My PIN number is 5598. For everything. I know, I know.

5. Tell everyone I eloped with the guy at Brenda’s party and I’m in Mexico sipping tequilas by the pool.

God, I’ll miss you. I already do. Robin, what can I say? You know what you are to me.

Okay, that flood is threatening. I’m outta here.

Have a great life, girls. You’ll have years of positive thoughts coming your way.

Love, Pam.

Pam folded the paper, slipped it into an envelope, and sealed it. “Jasper, put this in the attic near Margaret’s diary. Make sure it’s not easy to see without someone having to get on their hands and knees and really look. It’s for Robin and Margaret.” Clearly anxious to leave the bedroom and the house, Jasper did what Pam asked without arguing while she climbed back into Margaret’s dress. She grabbed the book from the bed and followed Jasper into the upstairs hallway. They tiptoed along the hall, silently descended the stairs, and escaped out the front door.

“We’ll have to leave Toronto,” Jasper said as they raced down the path. “You can’t be Margaret Wilton here. Too many people know her.”

“But what about your father? The business?”

He shook his head. “I’m not making the same mistake twice. I want to marry you, and I want to make furniture. Father be damned!”

She couldn’t wait until they were alone, so she could tell him how proud she was and give him that passionate kiss, and more. Perhaps they could manage one blissful hour, before they mourned lost friends. “Where should we go?”

Jasper pursed his lips. “I have an old school friend who probably wouldn’t mind putting us up while we get our bearings.”

Pam touched his arm. “Does this old school friend live in Halifax?” His eyes lit up with surprise. “Yes! How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.”

###

Look for Threaded Through Time, Book Two in late 2011

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen