Her mother dropped her arms and sighed, moving to the window to look out. “Down there is where your father came to rescue me. That’s not such a bad memory.” She turned and looked at Ariana, her face full of concern. “If you’re happy here and determined to live here, I suppose I’ll get used to it.”
“But do you feel any of the bad— what do you call them? The things that float around in the air?”
Her mother chuckled. “Vibes? That’s not a magical thing, darling. It’s something you feel in your gut.”
“Do you feel any bad vibes here, then?”
Ariana waited while her mother closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nose, tilting her head back and forth. She opened her eyes and shrugged.
“I actually don’t.” She looked around. “This was a gorgeous room when I was here. Even though I was scared and enraged, I can still remember it. You certainly did have opulent taste. Is that how you’ll decorate it again?”
“About that,” Ariana said, taking her hand and pulling her back toward the stairs. “Let’s go make the announcement to everyone that I’m buying this place again. And don’t get Father started on how I got the money. It’s perfectly legal. Generations of solicitors have made a sound living looking over my investments all these years.”
In the overgrown and thorny back garden, everyone gathered together while she proudly announced she was about to be the owner of the place once again.
“You’re what?” her father roared. Her mother took his arm and pulled him down to whisper something in his ear. He pursed his lips but didn’t put up any more fight.
“Like I told Ariana,” her mother said for everyone’s benefit, “If she wants to live in this time and in this house, we’ll all be happy to visit her.”
“Absolutely,” Emma said. “This place is a historian’s dream. I can only hope you’re going to stay true to its era and not have everything be stainless steel and white tiles?”
Ariana made a face. “I suppose all of you will have a lot to say about how it’s decorated and refurbished because I didn’t buy it for myself.” She took a deep breath, suddenly nervous about their reactions. “I bought it for you.”
“Who?” Cousin Dexter asked. “Your parents?” He turned to her mother. “Are you lot staying in this time?”
“For all of you,” Ariana clarified. “Mum and dad and the boys, even if they only come once in a while, and you and Emma and Dahlia and the new baby.” She turned and eyed the massive place. “It’s big enough to divide in two and everyone will have plenty of room.”
Emma’s mouth hung open as she held onto her baby bump like it might fall off. Ariana could tell she was already remodeling in her mind. She knew they’d need a bigger place once the baby arrived and she also knew they worried about money.
“It’s big enough to divide four times and we’d all still have plenty of room,” she said. “This is too much, Ariana.”
Ariana clasped her hands and tried to explain her feelings. “I swear I’m not trying to manage any of you or anything like that. I just ask for a room if you can spare it.”
“I accept,” Dexter said while everyone else still goggled. “Right, Em? We accept?” She nodded, turning to Dahlia, who’d been mostly silent and sullen since they arrived. Now her face split into a huge grin.
“Are you joking? This place is brilliant! We can have horses.”
“We’ll see about that,” Cousin Dexter answered.
They boys came back from wherever they had been exploring and noticed everyone’s shock. They scrambled all over one another to ask what was going on now.
“Your sister’s purchased this massive pile of rubble for us to live in if we like,” her father said, scowl firmly in place.
Her brothers whooped madly and ran in circles, demanding to pick out their rooms at once and wagering who’d be the first to see a ghost.
“Settle down, heathens,” her father boomed. “It will take months for this place to be sorted enough for you to choose a room and I’m telling you now there are no ghosts.”
“Does that mean we can stay?” her mother asked breathlessly. “In this time? Where my mom and Gran are? With cell phones and boiling hot running water and vaccinations against diseases?”
“It’s not as if we have a home to go to in our time,” her father said.
“Still too soon, Ashford,” her mother replied.
“Yes, about that,” Cousin Dexter piped up. “It’s because of you that Emma and I are both out of jobs.”
“All the more reason you should be happy to accept,” Ariana butted in before her father could say something grumpy. “And we have loads and loads of money thanks to my savvy investing.” Her father made a noise but she barreled over him. “It really is your fault they’re out of work, Father.”
“I could start that book on the mysterious Alexanders that have never been pinned down in historical records before,” Cousin Dexter said jokingly. At least Ariana hoped he was joking because her father wasn’t laughing.
She also noticed that Aunt Serena wasn’t only not laughing, she was quietly crying. Uncle Kostya had his arm around her and looked equally distraught.
“What is it?” Ariana asked, hurrying to hug her. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ll miss you,” she said, dabbing her face with her modern sleeve. “What will we do without you?”
Kostya nodded in mournful agreement. “The farm won’t be the same without you.”
“Oh, bloody hell,” her father said. “The farm is better off without me, as well you’ve known for many a year. If we’re
