He softened at her use of his first name and turned to look into her eyes. She felt tears welling as she studied those gray depths, hoping to still see a spark of his love for her there.
“It’s as much my fault as yours,” he sighed. Finally, he pulled her onto his lap and she clung to him. He tipped her chin so she could see his face and to her joy, the old spark was there. “Life has put a wedge between us, but I love you as much as I always did. More, my darling Matilda. So much more.” He pulled her close and kissed her.
Electricity raced through her at his touch and she pulled away with a shiver. “We should try something now,” she said breathlessly.
He looked scandalized, but didn’t release her from his tight grasp. “But shouldn’t we continue working on the spells? Do you think we could spare the time?”
She blushed, realizing he’d mistaken her suggestion for something far more pleasurable than practicing spells. For a fraction of a second she was tempted to take the time. But fear threatened to crush her and she shook her head.
“That’s what I meant,” she said. “We should practice spells while we’re so, uh, connected. If your old theory about me being a catalyst to help you channel your magic is true, maybe something will work.”
He continued to hold onto her waist, but gazed past her at the wall. His eyes glazed over and he sat still for so long she finally squirmed in his lap and put her hand on his cheek. Turning his face back to her, she looked questioningly at him.
“What is it?”
“It’s not you, my love,” he said absently, still lost in thought. “I think Kostya might be onto something. It’s the curse. This house. It’s blocking us.”
She laughed nervously. “He’s just upset about getting tossed around every time he tries a spell.” She glanced around the room, trying not to imagine malevolent spirits in her beloved home.
“That’s just it,” he said, standing up so abruptly she nearly tumbled to the floor. He grabbed her under the elbows. “If Kostya can’t do anything, something’s wrong. Very wrong. I can see our wee Ariana being able to block up the portal. After all, she’s always been extremely clever.” His scowl showed a mix of irritation and pride. “At any rate, he should still be able to do something, anything, else. He couldn’t even light a candle last night and even I was able to do that once, remember?” Before she was done nodding, he barreled on. “We need to leave here.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, panicking. “What if Ariana comes back and we’re not here? She might take off again.”
He shook his head stubbornly. “No. She’s not coming back here, that’s clear.” Tilly didn’t understand how it was clear, but the faraway gleam in Ashford’s eyes kept her from arguing. It was as if he’d had an epiphany. “Tell the servants to pack up for you and the children. A long visit.” He leaned over and pulled the bell behind his desk.
“Ashford—”
Duncan, Ashford’s beleaguered valet, appeared at the door before she could get another word out. “Yes, sir?” he asked before nodding politely at her. She nodded back, feeling as if she were getting caught up in a whirlwind.
“We’re leaving straight away on a long trip, Duncan,” Ashford started. “Have a seat. I’ll make you a list of instructions.”
“Where are we going?” Tilly demanded.
Ashford blinked at her, surprised she was still there. The gleam in his eyes was stronger than before. “To where it all began, my love. Home to Scotland, where the very ground is steeped in magic. Now shoo, I want us to be off at first light tomorrow.”
***
Tilly pulled her head out of Nathan’s wardrobe, arms loaded with clothing. She dumped it on his bed where Farrah sat tidily rolling everything and transferring them to yet another packed trunk. They and every other house servant had been working nonstop since Ashford had made his decree that they were leaving, and Tilly finally sat down in a heap of wooden soldiers and plush animals, wiping the sweat from her hairline.
“This is going to be a caravan,” she said, scooping the soldiers into their hinged box. “But Ashford won’t say how long we’ll be gone, other than ‘a good long time,’ so I hate the idea of the boys being without their favorite things.”
Farrah smiled at Tilly’s imitation of Ashford’s stern voice. She didn’t pause in her diligent packing, catching a wooly elephant with one hand and dropping it onto the clothes in the trunk.
“He had Thomas locked up behind closed doors for hours,” she said. “And no matter how much I badgered him, he refused to tell me anything.” She stared at Tilly, worry in her eyes. She had taken care of Ariana since birth and had always been a faithful friend to Tilly since they had first met when both of them were stranded in the wrong time. “Except that he wants Thomas to head for Castle on Hill when we get to Scotland.”
“What? Why?” Tilly recalled with a jolt and answered her own question. “There’s that other portal there.”
Farrah nodded. “He was meant to slip away secretly but I think he knew I’d never marry him if he pulled such a stunt.”
Tilly pushed aside the age-old argument of why Farrah refused to marry poor Thomas when they had been head over heels in love for eighteen years. She suspected that since Farrah was from a freer time, they had been enjoying the perks of marriage most of those years, but Thomas wanted nothing more than to have her all to himself in their own home. Tilly figured Farrah would let him off the hook when the boys were
