“My mind remains troubled by the realization of what I must do, coupled with the lack of options by which I might achieve it.”
“What options have you identified?”
“They are few,” Celine admitted.
“You do not wish to share them? You were quick to criticize the Carlyles for withholding information.”
“You are quick with your tongue, sir,” Celine said with a laugh. “You do not allow me to evade your question.”
“No, I do not. Because I fear you have identified no options but are too polite to admit it.”
“You are quite right,” Celine admitted. “I have no family to speak of, no home to seek shelter in. I could, perhaps, stay at one of our other estates until tempers have cooled. However, that may prove problematic.”
“You could accept our offer and stay here.”
“I couldn’t possibly,” Celine responded.
“Why? Because it appears improper?”
“That is but one of the many reasons.”
“Then allow us to dismiss that reason,” Gray replied, stopping along the path to face Celine. “Then, marry me, Celine.”
“You must be mad,” Celine responded. “I am a married woman.”
“You are a woman about to leave her husband from a marriage she never should have entered.”
“I cannot ask you to give up your life to rescue me from my poor choices,” Celine contended.
“You aren’t asking me, I am offering.”
“I do not believe you realize the full scope of what you offer.”
“Don’t I?” Gray replied.
“No,” Celine answered. “The start to our marriage would not be easy. Beside Duke Northcott’s anger, there will be much gossip surrounding it. Your reputation may suffer greatly.”
Gray chuckled. “I don’t care much about my reputation, particularly in this country. We shall leave and return to my home in Massachusetts. The scandal will not follow to those shores.”
Celine gazed at him a moment, processing the information. “However, your regret may follow.”
“My regret?”
“Yes. You make a magnanimous offer, yet you may find the result of my acceptance more tedious than you desired after a time.”
“My dear Celine, I doubt I could find marriage to you tedious. I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you.” Celine smiled at him. “And now have I laid all your fears to rest, dear lady?”
“You have made a compelling case,” Celine admitted.
“And you have, as you pointed out, no better options. Yet you still hold reluctance. I should be offended.”
“There is not much reluctance on my part,” Celine declared. “It seems rather odd to accept a marriage proposal when one is still married, however.”
“But you will?”
She smiled at him again. “Yes, I will. I know not why I act so frivolously yet I will admit when near you I experience emotions I have never experienced.”
Gray returned her smile. “How fortunate I am at this turn of events,” he replied.
“I am glad you find it so. I express a similar sentiment. I must confess, despite knowing you very little, my heart feels freer with you than I’ve ever experienced with Marcus.”
They walked further along the path, enjoying the crisp morning air. “Are you apprehensive to tell him the news?”
Celine shook her head. “No, although I do imagine he will take it quite badly.”
“When will you tell him?” Gray inquired.
“I shan’t tell him until we’ve returned home. There is no need to create a scene here.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Gray argued.
“You object? Surely you consider it best done privately to minimize the damage and your family’s involvement.”
“I do not want you alone when you tell him,” Gray countered. “You need support. I will not chance him harming you.”
“He will blame you, all of you.”
“Celine, I will not allow you to return to his house to do this alone.”
“Allow me?” Celine questioned, glancing at him with wide eyes.
“As your future husband, you should humor me and follow my advice.” He chuckled.
Celine laughed. “I shall take the matter under consideration, future husband.”
“Shall we return to the house? I don’t want you to catch a chill.”
“Yes. I do not wish to be late for breakfast either.”
“If it is agreeable to you, I shall announce our plans to everyone.”
“I hope they are not shocked,” Celine replied.
“I doubt it. The Carlyles may even expect it.”
“Expect it?” Celine questioned as they approached the house.
“Yes,” Gray replied. “When they arrived at our London house searching for you, they told Alexander we were married.”
Present day, Bucksville
The door to Damien’s room opened and Marcus strolled in, followed by Gray. “Did you get everything?” Celine asked from her position on Damien’s bed.
“Surprisingly, he did,” Marcus replied. Gray rolled his eyes at Marcus.
“So, you can begin?” Celine asked, approaching him as he laid his materials on a nearby dresser.
“Yes,” Marcus responded.
“How long will this take?”
“Patience, my dear Celine, patience. We must first determine which Alterra they are visiting.”
“How?”
“First, I shall need a drop of blood,” Marcus answered, approaching Damien and pricking his finger with a needle. He let a drop of blood fall into a glass tube from the materials Gray brought. “Now, we’ll mix it with a few of the other items and note its reaction. Come closer, Celine, you always enjoyed learning.”
Gray rolled his eyes, shooting a glance at Alexander who shook his head.
“The lighter the color, the closer they are to our current world,” Marcus pointed out. “And notice how his blood splits into smaller particles. It will help us navigate to the correct iteration.”
“Can you tell where they are?” Celine asked.
“More or less,” Marcus replied. “However, this is quite interesting.”
“What is?”
“The blood particles exhibit tiny spikes. Notice how they distort along their edges.”
“I see it,” Celine answered. “What does it mean?”
“It indicates they have not only traveled laterally to another time band but that they also traveled backward in time.”
Celine furrowed her brow, contemplating the information. “Did they travel back when the pulse hit them or after, I wonder? Is it still possible to follow them?”
“Yes, it is. Albeit, it will be more taxing than a lateral journey. We should verify that the other one has traveled in the same way.”
“Oh,”
