Montgomery blinked. “Did you know you’re speaking modern English?”
“So, brother, are you.”
“Which I can thank you for,” Montgomery said with a scowl, “given all the times I eavesdropped on you.”
“Real knights don’t eavesdrop,” Jake said airily.
“They do when they can’t escape the incessant chattering in a tongue not their own,” Montgomery grumbled. “I will admit it was rather involuntary, at first, but my curiosity did get the better of me. After all, I thought you and Jennifer were faeries. Well, and Abigail, too, I suppose. Imagine my surprise to recently find out the truth.”
“I can only imagine,” Jake murmured.
Montgomery shot him a dark look, but couldn’t find it in him to say anything else. He simply turned and looked at the gate. He could still see echoes of things swirling in it, things he didn’t particularly care for. He studied it for several moments in silence, then looked at his brother-in-law.
“It won’t work now, will it?”
Jake considered the spot before them, then shook his head slowly. “I’m no expert, of course, but I don’t like the feel of it. You might try to force the gate to your will, but I’m fairly sure you wouldn’t manage it now. A different time, perhaps, but not now. Then again, there’s no guarantee it would work even under the best of circumstances.”
“But I have to reach her.”
“I understand,” Jake said quietly. “Believe me, I understand.” He paused and considered for a moment or two. “I suppose you could wait here for her to come to you, if you think she will. It might take hours, or it might take months.”
Montgomery sighed deeply. He looked down at himself, spared a brief flash of regret for pleasures and comforts left behind—and grief he couldn’t face at having lost Pippa, even briefly—then looked at his brother-in-law.
“I don’t suppose I should go back to the keep in these clothes.”
“You could just strip,” Jake said with a smile. “No one would think anything of it.”
“ ’Tis a different world,” Montgomery said, shaking his head.
“That’s the truth,” Jake agreed. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Head for Robin’s solar and I’ll go fetch you something else to wear. We’ll talk once you’ve changed.”
“Nay, we’ll go to the lists.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Very well. I’ll meet you in the stables with clothes, we’ll march out to the lists, then we’ll talk. Fortunately, I can safely say that after ten years in this family, I have become accustomed to discussions over swords.”
“Is there any other way?” Montgomery asked.
Jake laughed. “Of course not. Let’s go.”
Three hours later, drenched with sweat and shaking with weariness, Montgomery held up his hand.
“I’m finished.”
“You’re soft,” Jake said with a snort. “What have you been doing lately?”
“First, recovering from having my skull crushed,” Montgomery said, “then trying to woo my lady, then suffering a colossal headache from too much candy.”
“I should have warned you about that last stuff,” Jake said, “but that would have necessitated telling you things I didn’t think you needed to know.”
Montgomery leaned on his sword. “Are you going to tell me now?”
Jake paused, seemed to consider deeply his response, then resheathed his sword and started off the field. “Nah,” he threw over his shoulder, “you’d just be sad you didn’t try more junk food.”
“Junk food?” Montgomery echoed, striding off after him. “What sort of junk food?”
Jake grinned at him, then continued on back to the keep. Montgomery fetched his Future gear—which he was not giving up—then caught up with his brother-in-law. He walked with him through the courtyard and up the steps to the great hall. The tables were being set up for supper, but Montgomery didn’t think he could ingest anything at the moment, so he shepherded Jake straight to Robin’s solar. Jake paused in front of the door.
“Will you tell me the whole tale?”
“Will you answer every question I have for you?” Montgomery countered. “I don’t imagine Robin will mind if we use his solar for that purpose given that I’m quite sure he knows everything.”
Jake smiled ruefully. “Your brother hurts me in the lists when I don’t tell him what he wants to know, so I have, as you might imagine, spilled my guts without hesitation over the years. You, however, only make me flinch so I’ve managed to keep a few secrets from you.” He shrugged. “I suppose you could work a bit harder tomorrow and see what that earned you.”
“I don’t have time to wait for tomorrow.”
Jake studied him for a moment in silence, then turned and knocked on the door. Montgomery wasn’t surprised to find his brother inside poring over some bit of business or another with his steward. He looked up, seemed unsurprised to have visitors, then nodded toward the chairs sitting in front of the hearth.
Montgomery made himself at home, accepted wine from one of Robin’s pages, then waited whilst the steward and the lads were ejected from the solar. Robin poured himself a glass of wine, then walked over without haste to cast himself down in an empty chair.
“Well?”
Montgomery pushed himself to his feet and began to pace. All of a sudden, he wasn’t sure he could bear to talk to either his brother or his brother-in-law. Jake was perfectly content with the life he’d made for himself, and Robin was his usual impossible self, lording over everyone in sight as if he deserved to. Their troubles with inheritances and time gates and future brides were long in the past.
“Do you think you could stop that?” Robin complained. “You’re making me dizzy.”
Montgomery stopped and glared at his eldest brother. “I’m not sure you want to provoke me right now.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Robin said calmly, “I’m always game for another hour or two in the lists.”
“ ’ Tis dark outside.”
“Then we’ll use the great hall, if you’ll promise not to put your feet on my furnishings as you escape my magnificently flashing sword.”
“Robin,” Jake said with a half laugh, “stop tormenting him. He’s had a long pair of days.”
“Travel does that to a body,” Robin said with a yawn. “I know every time I must go anywhere, I can scarce wait to be home to sleep in my own bed again. Then again, I have my lady with me—”
Montgomery was grateful Robin had stopped speaking. Then again, that might have been because the tip of the sword he’d borrowed from the armory was resting against Robin’s throat.
Robin pinched the blade and very carefully moved it away from his flesh. “I may have crossed the line into poor taste there.”
Montgomery resheathed his sword, then sat. “Forgiven.”
Robin studied him for a moment or two in silence. “May I speak freely in front of Jake?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’ll be blunt and tell you you’re a fool.”
Montgomery blinked. “Excuse me?”
Robin leaned forward. “I’ve been watching you all day. You’ve obviously been thinking too much because that little pucker on your brow has become a trench deep enough for me to walk in. You are here and your lady is there. Accept it and move on.”
“Accept it?” Montgomery echoed incredulously. “Are you daft?”
“Then do something about it,” Robin insisted. “There’s obviously a reason your lady did not come with you—”
“I took a wrong turn and she didn’t!”
“Or perhaps you have things to do to prepare for your bride,” Robin said sharply. “By the saints, lad, that hall of yours is a wreck. I wouldn’t take my lamest nag and leave it there. I can scarce believe I left my son there. What wench in her right mind would want to live there with you? Go home, fix your keep, then wait. Your Pippa will find a way to come back to you, if she cares to. Can I assume you told her of your affection for her?”
>
“Aye,” Montgomery said with a deep sigh, “though I hadn’t quite gotten to asking for her hand.”
“Did you talk to her father?”
“I was going to do that, too.” He dragged his hand through his hair and sighed deeply. He had to chew on what else he intended to say for quite some time before he could manage to spit it out. “There may be a reason she wasn’t fated to come back with me.” He paused. “Perhaps someone else is destined to repair Sedgwick.”
Robin’s mouth fell open. “Who else would be daft enough to attempt it?”
Montgomery looked at his brother. “I’m certain Father would have preferred it go to John.”
Robin looked at Jake. “Is it possible that he could be this stupid?”
“Robin, my friend, I’m not sure you should be the one to be asking that,” Jake said seriously. “I wasn’t here to enjoy it, but I’ve heard you spent your own share of time wondering if you were worthy of Artane.”
“Ridiculous,” Robin said with a snort.
Montgomery met Jake’s gaze. Jake only held up his hands in surrender.
“He’s your kin.”
“I’m unpleasantly aware of that,” Montgomery said heavily.
Robin refilled Montgomery’s cup. “Drink this, my lad, and let me tell you the truth of it. If you’re interested.”
Montgomery drank, then shrugged. Aye, he was interested enough, he supposed, though he couldn’t imagine—
“Father had always intended—and believe me when I tell you he still intends—that Sedgwick be yours. I was fairly certain either Gunnild or Boydin, or both, would chew you up inside a fortnight and spit you over the walls—and I said as much, repeatedly—but Father believed otherwise.”
Montgomery had to wait for a moment or two before he thought he could speak without revealing too much emotion. He cleared his throat. “Is that so?” he managed.
“ ’Tis so,” Robin said cheerfully. “You see, if Father had listened to me, I could have saved you all this grief. I certainly wouldn’t have sent you south, but Father has more faith in your abilities to charm and delight than I do.” He reached out and kicked Montgomery’s boot with surprising gentleness. “If it eases your tender heart any, Father never would have given the keep to John, even were he here to ask for it and you to refuse it.”
“Why, do you think?” Montgomery asked roughly, because he had to say something. “Was he afeared Gunnild would have vanquished John more quickly?”
Robin shook his head. “I suspect John would have run Gunnild through, then found himself strung up outside the king’s gates as a reward. You, at least, are skilled in all that courtly nonsense that makes me daft.” Robin smiled wickedly. “Then again, perhaps Father simply thought you had an affinity for stacking rocks.”
“I believe Montgomery’s paying someone to do that,” Jake said dryly. He looked at Montgomery. “If you want my opinion, I think your father wanted you to have Sedgwick because he thought you could take things that were not quite so desirable and create something very lovely from them. Actually, if you want the truth, that is what he said, on more than one occasion.” He shot Robin a look. “I believe you were there for several of those occasions, Rob.”
“I’d fallen asleep due to the tediousness of the subject,” Robin said promptly. “Don’t remember any of it.”
Montgomery blew out his breath. “How is it I endured you for so long?”
“You love my sunny smiles and sweet humors,” Robin said, leaning back in his chair and smiling smugly. “And I set a tremendously fine table. Don’t plan on having your wedding feast here, though. I’m not going to be responsible for feeding all that bloody royalty who would come along and linger like vermin in my larder.”
Montgomery sighed and finished his wine. “I’ll leave on the morrow.” He looked at Jake. “Will the gate open in the south, do you think?”
Jake shrugged helpessly. “I wish I had a good answer for you, brother. I think if she’s meant to come back, she will. But I’m fairly sure she won’t if you haven’t done what you can to assure your side of the bargain is seen to.”
“Meaning I must fix the walls?” Montgomery asked.
“That, and perhaps accept that you were your father’s choice and as such, you have a purpose and destiny at Sedgwick,” Jake said.
“The poor lad,” Robin said, rising with a yawn. “The thought of it is absolutely exhausting. I’m for bed in my lovely, luxurious, goose-feather mattress alongside my lovely, delightful bride.” He ruffled Montgomery’s hair on his way by. “Best catch some geese, little brother, and begin plucking.”
Montgomery watched his brother leave, then looked at Jake. “There are times I want to kill him.”
Jake laughed, then rose as well. “You know he feels it’s his duty to annoy you. If it makes you feel any better, he’ll probably bring you a few geese as a wedding present. How can you fault him for that?”
Montgomery didn’t want to list the ways, so he sighed, banked his brother’s fire, then followed his brother-in-law from the solar.
He suspected that both Jake and Robin had been right about various things, loath as he was to admit it. Hadn’t he thought as much himself? No lady would have graced the end of his drawbridge with his castle in its current state. He could hardly ask a woman who came from the innumerable luxuries and conveniences of the Future to do the same.
Nay, he would see to clearing out his cousins from his hall so Pippa might actually be able to walk from the bedchamber to the kitchens in safety, then he would see to restoring his keep as quickly as possible. And then he would hope she would take another chance, step through the gate at the end of his drawbridge, and into his arms.
But as he walked across his father’s hall dressed in its medieval finery, he prayed Pippa wouldn’t take any foolish chances.
And, most of all, he hoped she knew how much he loved her.
Chapter 30
It was high noon two days later—or as high noon as it could have been under foggy English autumn skies—when Pippa stood on the edge of the time gate, ready to go in a dress she’d whipped up herself. She hadn’t wanted to wait as long as she had, but Zachary had insisted she not go off half-cocked, reminding her there were many perils for a woman alone, even if she managed to go straight from Stephen’s Artane to Montgomery’s.
Well, he’d also said that he hadn’t liked the condition of the gate, and advised her to wait things out for a day or two until it calmed down from whatever turmoil it seemed to be suffering from. And given that he seemed to know what he was talking about, she had trusted him.
Impatiently, but she’d trusted him just the same.
She’d used the time to its best advantage. She’d had horseback riding lessons from Mary, who apparently could outride even her own father back in the day but hadn’t seemed inclined to actually demonstrate anything herself. Pippa had her suspicions that something was up with her, but she hadn’t asked any personal questions about reasons why a gifted horsewoman wouldn’t particularly want to be up on a horse.
Zachary had given her a crash course in self-defense, as well as teaching her a bit about basic medicinal herbs. Kendrick had given her family details he’d thought she might find useful, but no hints as to whether or not he thought she might accomplish what she set out to.
She had attempted to call her parents, but found them checked out. She’d left a message telling them she was taking off on a magical mystery tour in a big yellow submarine, which she assumed would make perfect sense to them. To her surprise, she’d found herself picking up the phone to call her aunt Edna, then listened in continued surprise to words of gratitude and affection coming out of her mouth. Edna had been speechless, another first, then unbent enough to express equal felicitations and other words appropriate to the Victorian moment of too-much-uncomfortable-sentiment.
She’d had a brief conversation with Cindi as well. She wouldn’t go so far as to say Cindi had apologized for anything, but she had been
speechless when Pippa had promised her the infamous flash drive. Of course, she hadn’t told Cindi that the files were locked, but she hoped to be very far away when her sister realized that. After long conversations with her other sisters, she had spent the rest of her time soaking up every last possible minute with Peaches and Tess.
It had almost killed her, that soaking.
But she was resolved, so she had continued on doggedly with her preparations. She was actually quite grateful for the fire that had destroyed her entire inventory of possessions. That made it somewhat easier to choose what to take, which was basically the clothes on her back and a handful of gold coins Mary had insisted she sew into the hem of her gown. She had been slightly stressed over her lack of dowry, but Kendrick had assured her that Montgomery had buckets of gold and could easily manage to feed her for a couple of years before she was forced to take on sewing to keep them afloat. Genevieve had elbowed him firmly in the ribs at that comment, so Pippa assumed Kendrick was teasing her.
She had filled a rustic sort of rucksack with things she’d thought Montgomery might appreciate, then set it aside to have a final hot shower and a decent breakfast. The very last thing she’d done was share two last eternal hugs with Peaches and Tess.
That had been half an hour ago. Now her sisters, along with Zachary, Kendrick, and Stephen, had come to see her off. She could hardly believe what she was doing, but if she thought about the finality of it all, she would never do what she knew she had to do.
What she wanted to do.
She looked at her sisters one last time, then turned away and walked forward into the midst of the gate before she thought better of it.
And nothing changed. The sea still roared in the background, the day was still overcast, the gulls still cried in the distance. In fact, she was pretty sure she could still hear construction going on near the keep.
Or maybe that was the ring of swords inside the castle walls.
She closed her eyes, wished her most fervent wish for her fairy tale to come true, then turned around.