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"It's not that I don't want to tell him but how do I explain to him my sudden wish to see his family? He'll see right through any excuse I come up with and know my intentions. He'll want to come and he can't make a move without Katherine knowing about it. And I definitely don't want her to know what I'm up to."
"I see your point but you can't just leave without saying anything."
Quinn exhaled as she rested back on the river's edge. "I know."
"Fine, we'll tell him that I'm taking you to London to see the sights," he gave in.
It was exactly what Quinn was hoping Thaddeus would say but she didn't say as much. Instead she sat up and wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Thaddeus held her close for a moment then pulled away to reveal a broad grin. "Hold that thank you because when Archer finds out I'm taking you into London without him, he isn't going to like it."
Thaddeus was not wrong about Archer's reaction. They waited for dinner that night to tell him, thinking with the others present it would curb his initial reaction but it was quite the contrary. As soon as the words were out of Thaddeus' mouth Archer pushed back from the table and stood as his hands came down so hard on the tabletop that wine sloshed over the rims of many of the glasses. His voice was very soft when he spoke, the contrast so great from that of his reaction, that it made his words seem almost ominous.
"Absolutely not."
Quinn noticed the suspicious look that passed between Katherine and her mother. It was a valid reaction to Archer's response because as far as the Danvers were concerned, Archer didn't like her. The fact that those feelings had changed was not common knowledge. Since her arrival he had been indifferent towards her, even downright rude, so why then would he care if she journeyed into London with Thaddeus or half of the men in the county?
Her attention turned to Archer but the sight of his anger had her lowering her head. She understood completely where Archer was coming from, especially after what they shared in the woods. For her to even suggest leaving, and with another man, Quinn got his anger.
The trouble was she wasn't sent through time to fall in love with Archer. Quinn truly believed that she had been sent here to save him, to give him and all Scarcliffs who came after him, their legacy. But since she also didn't know how long she had in this moment she had to act quickly. As much as she wanted to spend every waking moment with Archer, he needed to stay behind with Katherine.
She kept her gaze adverted, even as his glare burned holes into her, since her courage seemed to have deserted her at that moment. It was heart-felt gratitude she felt toward Thaddeus when he spoke up.
"Sara will be with us so it will all be very proper," he encouraged.
Archer's voice was so flat that Quinn couldn't help glancing up at him and when she did she wished she hadn't. There was no emotion at all on his face. It was the same blank look he had given her the first time he'd met her. He was once again firmly behind his mask of indifference.
"Go then." And with that he turned and left the room.
She waited until later, after the women retired, before she sought out Archer in his study. She saw his large frame stretched out in a chair by the fire as soon as she entered. There was a bottle of scotch on the table at his side, a filled glass sitting next to it, but it didn't look as if he had taken a single sip.
"Archer."
She knew he knew she was there but he made no attempt to acknowledge her. She walked over and lowered herself in front of him, resting her hands on his knees.
"You know that I don't belong here," she began. "We don't speak of it, we try to ignore it, but it's there all the same. I have to believe I was sent here, sent to you, for a reason and as much as I would like nothing more than to spend every moment with you, I can't because there's too much at stake. I need answers and I need Katherine away from me as I seek out those answers." Quinn reached for him and pressed her palm to his cheek. "There will come a day when I will no longer be here. I need to do this so that when I do leave, I'll know that you will be okay after I'm gone."
His gaze never left hers and when he spoke his voice was barely heard over the crackling of the fire. "How can I be okay without you?"
Tears burned her throat at the sight of his pain -- a pain she shared -- but she knew there was no good answer that she could give so instead she stood and quietly left the room, leaving his question hanging unanswered between them.
London circa 1704 was exactly how Quinn always imagined. The harbor with the large masted ships, the dock workers eagerly unloading goods, fashionable ladies in their finery escorted by dashing gentlemen all looking very Jane Austen-esque. Horses and carriages crowding the dirt streets with shops, looking very much like those of Ebenezer Scrooge's time, lining either side of it. It was sheer wonder and awe in Quinn's voice when she whispered, "It's wonderful."
"'Tis loud, dirty and crowded," Thaddeus muttered but even his jaded opinion couldn't ruin the beauty for her. She had read countless accounts of old London society and how it evolved through the centuries but to actually have the opportunity to see it first hand was truly magically.
"We'll have to have some gowns made for you," Thaddeus explained. "The ones you have are fine for the country but not nearly elegant enough for the balls of the Ton."
Quinn felt a rush of excitement. The Ton, how the people of the time described London's high society. She was going to be mingling with those same people. She couldn't hide her pleasure when she asked, "We're actually going to attend balls?"
Thaddeus clearly couldn't understand her excitement but Quinn didn't care, she was about to experience what she had read about in countless romance novels. Were the women of the Ton really has catty as they were so often depicted in fiction? Were the men as outrageously handsome and debonair? Quinn was going to find out.
Thaddeus instructed the coachmen to Madame Beaufort's boutique which was located in a very posh part of town. Upon entering the shop, a large woman with red hair elegantly twined around her crown and dressed in a beautiful green and gold silk gown, greeted them.
"Bon jour. May I help you?" Madame Beaufort asked as a smile curved her red lips.
"We are in need of several evening gowns, a few day gowns, a riding habit and well…everything else," Thaddeus offered.
