Page 13 of A Modern Lady

Chapter 7

It was only a matter of time until someone confronted her about her odd behavior. Being from a different century placed her at a clear disadvantage at pretending to be normal. Amongst Dan and her folks, unusual meant normal. But around people of society, she stuck out like a sore thumb, feeling the clock constantly ticking, waiting to make the slip and be sent to an insane asylum or wherever the twenty-first century sent people who insisted they time traveled. What was she supposed to tell Liam now? He stood over by the table, his gaze locked on her.

“I—,“ he cleared his throat, “I noticed all the open search windows about time travel on the computer…” He paused to see if she would pick up the conversation from here. For the first time in her life, she truly didn’t know what to say. Not because she wasn’t cunning enough to lie, but because it felt wrong after everything he had done for her. He made her laugh like nobody else ever did. She felt appreciated and accepted for who she was. At least for who he thought she was. Somehow, she had to try to get through to him with her insane story, to tell the truth, make him believe her.

“I promise I won’t send you anywhere,” he spoke softly, like he was approaching an injured and scared animal, slowly edging closer. “I’m worried, Isabella. The night we met it sounded like you had a head trauma.”

Isabella bit her lip, wondering where to start. This might be her only chance to tell him what was going on. He might think her mad for sure, but he already questioned her mental state—what did she have to lose?

“There is nothing wrong with me physically or mentally, Liam…” She shook her head with a desperate expression painted on her face. What she was about to tell him made her sound like a total church bell. Liam took a step closer, brows drawn in worry. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know. But I did. I didn’t hurt my head during the carriage accident.” His face was now drawn with gloom as his shoulder sank. “You mean car accident.”

“No, I mean carriage accident.” Her body felt heavy, chest tightened, as she struggled to breathe. She took a step closer, inch by inch until she now stood next to Liam. Her hands curled into tight fists as if to give her strength. “The night you found me, I was involved in a carriage accident. I had the most unfortunate disagreement with my mother, and before I came back to my senses, I was hit by a carriage." She swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes lingered toward the open window, wanting to fly away. But he needed to hear the truth. "Instead of waking up in 1881, London, I woke up in America, and you were holding me in your arms." Her gaze now focused on Liam. His face hard to read, like stone. "I know this sounds like utter nonsense—but it is the truth.” Liam shook his head in despair. “Isabella, we need to get you to a doctor asap.”

“No!” Her heart sank, falling out of place. He tried to reach for her but she took a step back. “You promised.”

“Not that kind of doctor. I’m talking about a medical doctor.” He waved a hand in front of her. “Isabella, listen to me—"

"You’re the one who's not listening. There is nothing wrong with my head. I have no idea how or why, but I came here from the past.” She placed a hand into her pocket and fished out the very coin that in her eyes was the culprit of it all. And before he could even say another word, she grabbed his wrist and turned his palm up to place the coin in it.

“Here. That’s from my time. From 1881.” Liam held the coin close to his face and for a moment, studied the object. Then subtly tilted his head, eyes closed, a clear sign that she had not got through to him.

“…Isabella…please—”

“I don’t know how to prove it to you, but it’s the truth. I understand if you want me to leave now.” Her voice quivered, reflecting the desperation that had formed inside her heart. Tears flowed from her eyes. The last few weeks had taken their toll. And now she was about to lose the man who for some reason strange reason seemed to mean a lot to her. After this, how could he still want to help her or stand by her side? She sounded insane!

But instead of turning away, as she’d anticipated, Liam moved closer, placing himself right in front of her. She instantly felt a warm fluttering in her stomach, unsure what to expect from him next. “Please don’t cry." Gently he ran his finger over her cheek, wiping a tear away. "I won’t send you anywhere, you hear me? You make everything more bearable in my life. I didn’t even know I could feel this happy.” Isabella slowly tilted her head to meet his deep, arresting gaze. His were the kindest eyes she had ever seen. She was hypnotized by them, without knowing what, left her wanting more. Liam slowly leaned in, close enough for her to feel his breath, as she felt a gentle caress down her back.

“You—don’t—want me to—leave?” she whispered out of breath, her heart hammering against her chest. His lips slowly tilted toward hers.

“No…” he whispered back. And before she could say another word, his lips brushed over hers, sending burning shockwaves down her spine. His kiss deepened, spreading her lips apart, gently stroking her tongue with his. She was utterly defenseless, as if some other woman was in control of her body. She pressed herself against him, longing to feel every inch of his muscular, hard body. He wrapped his arms around her, moaning against her lips. “Isabella…” Never had she felt anything like this before. Granted that she had never been touched by a man this way either—that would have been deemed highly improper for an unmarried lady of her former stature—but from what she had heard from her mother and from other women, intimacy was of no pleasure for a woman at that time. But by God, if this wasn’t pleasure, then what was? Her whole body was aching in places she didn’t know could ache. Her back arched to feel his manhood in between her legs, longing for its touch against her body. She could feel his heart wildly beating against her breast as he breathed heavily against her lips. A mix of curiosity and lust drove Isabella as her hand slowly slid down his abdomen, sinking into his pants. He twitched underneath her gentle touch. Gosh, she wanted this man more than she ever wanted anything in her life. But just when she was about to satisfy the thirst of her wants and curiosity, a loud, vibrating sound startled her. It was Liam's phone.

She instantly tore herself away from him, tumbling backwards in embarrassment as if the phone was the reincarnation of her mother, who would have been outraged by her current behavior. Liam shuffled a few steps back, like he was just caught doing something incredibly inappropriate.

“I’m so sorry…” He stared at Isabella for a few seconds before turning around, hastening away toward the table to catch whoever called him in the untimeliest manner.

“Hello? …Yes.”

Isabella watched as he stood there over the table, his phone held against his ear. Her stomach was still filled with trapped butterflies wanting to tear her open just by staring at him. My goodness, he was so incredibly handsome. Listening to whoever was on the phone, she saw him peek over to see what she was doing. She stood there, paralyzed with her back against the kitchen counter. Another hot flush crept across her cheeks, and she instantly turned around to dedicate herself to the dishes like nothing had ever happened.

“Are you serious? Why the hell would he offer that now? Months after endless legal battles and appeals?”

Isabella tried not to listen, but it was almost impossible considering the size of the flat she shared with the man who had just passionately kissed her. Oh, how life has changed for you, Isabella. By now she was well aware that women in the twenty-first century, unlike women in her own time, were not sexually oppressed, or merely considered objects with a price tag on it. But that didn’t mean that she could just throw off the chains of her oppression overnight. By now she had seen many couples in the streets, kissing openly, holding hands, whispering sweet words into each other’s ears. And each and every single time she blushed, turning away. In her mind she felt wicked, like she had just done something terrible. Liam’s voice tore her out of her thoughts again.

“—I get why you're against it, but I still have to try. I really have no choice at this point. Tell him I'll be there.” Liam hung up. What now? Isabella didn’t feel like she had it in her tonight to discuss any of the plethora of difficult subjects thickening the air in the room. She didn’t trust herself any longer either. If Liam triggered that tingling again, who knows what she was willing to give him. And what would he think of her then? Most certainly promiscuous. An insane wagtail. No, she’d had enough for today. She put the dried plates in the cupboard and turned to face Liam. He stared at his cell, rubbing the back of his neck before noticing Isabella's gaze on him.

“I—I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“It’s all good. That was my lawyer. The CEO of the company that we are up against wants to meet with me.” Isabella shifted her weight, unsure what this meant. She knew that Liam was fighting to keep his business out of the hands of a big corporation, but she didn’t know all the details.

“Is that good news?”

“I honestly don’t know. My lawyer said that the new judge assigned to my case is a veteran and has a daughter in the military, so I assume that they are worried about him taking a liking to me and might throw a new offer. Ideally, maybe even get all their dirty little tricks out on the table. We'll have to see.” He turned toward her, watching her with an intense stare.

“Isabella, about—” There it was, the beginning of the conversation she did not want to have.

“—If you don’t mind,” she interrupted him. "I'll retire now. I feel awfully tired.” She stormed past him into the bedroom before he could say another word.

Leaning against the door from the other side, she listened quietly for a moment to see if he would follow her, but for some reason he didn’t. She could hear him pull out a chair. Most likely to work on the computer. Closing her eyes, she let out a hard sigh. What a mess. If only Dan was here, she’d certainly know what to do. She had that brilliant gift to call things out for what they truly were. Isabella dragged herself over to the mattress, slumping down onto it in despair.

This was going to be another sleepless night, filled with uncontrollable thoughts running through her head, turning her mind into a busy train station once more. She tried to look out the window, but from her mattress, it didn’t have a view of the evening sky. Instead she was looking at the façade of another house, deep in thoughts, wondering why her, wondering how, wondering what she should do next. Her research on the internet had given her more questions than answers. Most of the sites about time travel were utter nonsense, bringing aliens and devil worshipers into the equation. The only comfort she found was Googling her brother, George Astley, Duke of Aberdeen. There wasn’t a lot of information about him or their mother personally, but his lineage continued to this day, which meant he had married at some point. Was he happily married? Did he ever stop looking for her? Didn’t that mean she had family, even in this time? Could she even call them family considering the circumstances? And if things weren’t already complicated enough, she had to add romance on the top of the list. Did Liam still think fondly of her, or now think of her a ninny?

“What a mess,” she mumbled to herself as her eyes flickered, and her mind drifted. “What a bloody, bloody mess indeed…”

Liam awoke with a horrible stiff neck. It was barely bright out. His head buried in his folded arms, he realized that he must have fallen asleep while sitting at the table. He stretched his arms and legs, trying to get rid of that awful stiffness. The laptop sat open beside him, pushed aside just barely enough to make room for his head. Rubbing his eyes, everything slowly came back to him. The things Isabella had said about time travel, the call from the lawyer, their passionate kiss… Everything.

The memory made his throat run dry again in frustration that was directed at no one but himself. What the hell was he thinking? Isabella had just suffered from a traumatic brain injury that he was responsible for, and to top it all off, she was here to hide from a pervert. So he had nothing better to do than make a move on her? Who the hell was this man? Not the Liam he knew, for sure. The usual Liam would never have acted like a testosterone-filled youngster who can't control his emotions. Granted, Isabella had this effect on him, like no other woman had ever before. Her smile, her eyes… He loved listening to her stories, and by God her soft lips tasted like heaven. It broke his heart to see her cry, scared to death that he might throw her out. He just wanted to comfort her, hold her, kiss her worries away. But those were excuses, not a valid reason for such shameful behavior.

He had to make things right again. All night he endlessly Googled head injuries and how to help people with delusions. Considering her circumstances, he also searched for long-term furnished rentals, until his brain completely shut down on him. He wanted to offer her a way out from his place. To give her the power to choose. It wasn’t until the warm sun was breathing down on his skin that he noticed a search window he’d forgotten to close last night. It was about the Astley family, one of England’s finest houses. There was no doubt in his mind that this was her family. Upon close inspection, the resemblance between her and them was uncanny. But then, how did she end up here in Philly? And how was she related to the current Duke of Aberdeen? Father? Brother? Husband perhaps! It didn’t matter. If he wasn’t able to get Isabella to a doctor, who knows what would happen to her. She might get worse; things could escalate again. She might sneak away in the middle of the night, frightful of being admitted to a mental institution. Then, he might lose her forever. He vowed to make things right. Today he would make her an offer she couldn’t refuse.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com