|
|
|
|
|
|
He had not intended to touch her when they first went to his home. He had wished only for a quiet place for them to talk. But all the frustrations of their previous heated kisses, of seeing her bathe, of wanting something from her that he could not himself identify, had robbed him of his hard-won self-control. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It would not happen again. He did not dare let it. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Especially after she had made such a mockery of it by her wild tale. A traveler from the future, indeed! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And yet . . . it would explain much. If he could accept such nonsense. Which he could not. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"All right," he said to René as he turned back toward the restlessly stamping horse and again applied the brush. "Tell me about this ladies' conspiracy." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
René sighed. "I think there is nothing really to tell. I merely wish I could understand what a woman thinks, my friend." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"So do I," Thorn said. "So do I." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After René had gone, Mariah told Holly, "Please don't tell anyone that I come from the future." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The gift nodded. "But, Mariah, axe you certain" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"I know how crazy it sounds. But that's the reason I know what's going to happen nextmore or less. I don't have perfect knowledge. I'm not a seer. I'm a normal human being who's gone through a totally incredible experience." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A soldier walked in. Holly gave him a drink of water, never taking her eyes from Mariah. Mariah realized that there would be more interruptions the longer they stayed in the kitchen without serving the guests. "Look," she said, "try not to judge me. If you want to hear the rest of the story, let me tell it quickly." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
While kneading soft, pasty dough in her hands, she raced through her tale, trying to explain her career in an industry created to show plays as moving pictures. "What's important about this," she said, "is that last thing, before I left my time, I read a script for a play that seems to follow real life here. The characters in it . . . Well, they included Thorn. And a woman named Matilda, who came to his inn as a servant, |
|
|
|
|
|