Page 39 of A Matter of Time
“My sweet Angelina, worry not. It is but a minor wound and your man has done an admirable job of sewing me up. There will hardly be a scar visible when it heals.” Richard gently lifted her chin with his finger. “I’m fine,” he repeated.
Tears were brimming against her eyelashes and threatening to spill, as Richard pulled her into his embrace, loving the feel of her as she molded herself to him. He softly kissed the top of her head as she sniffled and wiped at her eyes.
“I need a tissue. Will you walk with me to the ladies room?”
“Of course I will. I cannot bear to take my eyes from you, not even for a moment.”
The sky was dark now, but the Faire continued, with music and laughter filling the night air. She hadn’t seen Nick, but he would definitely be the life of the party, as he had been in years past. “I’ll be right out.”
Richard released her from his grasp. “I’ll be waiting.”
Angelina found some paper towels, blotting her tears dry and examining her puffy eyes in the small mirror above the sink. In an effort to erase all signs of her crying, she ran cold water and splashed her face, before drying it and heading back outside.
“Richard—” A hand came out of the darkness to cover her mouth and too late, she noticed Richard sprawled out on the ground in front of her. She struggled to free herself in an effort to go to him, but found that her arms were being held on either side by two large men whose faces she couldn’t see in the dark. Another, much larger man picked Richard up and threw him over his shoulder and then she heard an all-too familiar voice.
“There’s no use struggling, Angelina,” Malcolm Granger whispered in her ear. “This way,” he called to his men. As they walked, the sounds of the Faire faded until Angelina knew they were no longer within shouting distance and no one would come looking for them for quite some time. Her heart sank. Where was Malcolm taking them? What did he plan to do with them? Was he so angry because he lost the final battle? She had plenty of questions, but was unable to voice them as Pierce Holmes removed his hand from her mouth and then quickly replaced it with duct tape. Fear and anger bubbled through her chest, but she remembered what Richard told her and settled her mind, removing those two emotions and leaving her head clear to fight this battle when the time came.
Chapter 20
Malcolm Granger had recently purchasedan old San Francisco restaurant, one that resembled a medieval castle on the outside and with much renovation, now resembled one on the inside as well. It sat perched on the top of a hill, looking very out of place in modern day San Francisco. The car pulled into a dimly lit underground parking area where the doors were opened and Angelina was ushered out of the car. Richard, who had been slumped in the seat next to her, was dragged from the car and once again thrown over the same man’s shoulder for the walk to the very non-medieval elevator that would take them upstairs.
“What do you think of my new castle?” Malcolm asked.
The duct tape over her mouth made it impossible to answer the question, but Angelina hoped the glare she sent in Malcolm’s direction would speak volumes about her opinion.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to remove the tape. Please, don’t scream when I take it off. It’ll do you absolutely no good.” Malcolm ripped the tape from her mouth and Angelina swallowed back the urge to cry out at the pain. “Watch your step getting out of the elevator.”
Angelina made her way into what she assumed would be the equivalent of a great hall in most legitimate castles. It was decorated with many of the medieval artifacts that Malcolm was well known for having collected. For future reference, she memorized her surroundings, knowing that it might come in handy when she and Richard made their escape. There was no question in her mind – theywouldbe escaping.
“Well? You haven’t said anything. Do you like it?” Malcolm stood in front of a large stone fireplace that when lit probably heated the entire floor.
Angelina took the opportunity to glance around the room, noting the position of doors, windows and other possible escape routes. “It looks like you,” she said reluctantly.
“It does, doesn’t it? I was very happy when this place came on the market and I was able to purchase it for a song. Many months of work have led to it becoming the most authentic medieval castle in the United States. It’s almost complete. The only thing it needs is the Twin Sword, and you’re going to help me get it. It will then hold a place of honor above the fireplace.”
“I don’t know how you expect me to help you get something which has never been found.” Angelina glanced worriedly in Richard’s direction. He hadn’t moved yet and it concerned her. “What did you do to Richard?”
“Don’t worry, he’ll wake up soon. Just a little hit on the head, nothing for you to worry about.” Malcolm crossed the room to face Angelina. “I’m afraid I can’t let you have the run of the place, for obvious reasons. I have accommodations for you upstairs. You and your friend will stay there, until you agree to help me.”
“Help you go back in time? That’s absolutely ludicrous, not to mention impossible,” Angelina protested.
“Is it now? I’m sure your two friends can tell you all about it, and how truly possible it is. I’ll be contacting Nick shortly, to let him know that I have you both. The ransom will be his cooperation in returning to sixteenth century Scotland with me to retrieve the sword and then bring me back again.
“What makes you think Nick is a time traveller?”
“He told me so.”
Angelina couldn’t hide her astonishment. “I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true. He was quite drunk when he volunteered the information. At first I thought it just the ramblings of a man who was very inebriated, but after I thought about it for a while, I took note of his odd language and behavior, and I started looking into it further. The information that I’ve gathered leads me to believe what he told me that night was true.” Malcolm walked over to a nearby table and poured himself a glass of wine. “My man has been scouring Great Britain, looking to acquire the Twin Sword, with no luck. Once I heard Nick’s strange tale, I requested some genealogy investigation and the results confirm your friend, Nick, is definitely from sixteenth century Scotland. And so is this gentleman here.” Malcolm gestured toward Richard’s prone figure.
Angelina fought against the urge to shake her head in utter disbelief. Malcolm was insane. What he had suggested couldn’t possibly be true, but even as she denied it to herself, she realized that both Nick and Richardhadappeared out of nowhere and neither of them spoke about their backgrounds, except in generalities. Wasn’t she, in fact, always telling them not to go gettingall medievalon her? Angelina simply couldn’t wrap her head around it. She was starting to feel as out of touch with reality as Malcolm clearly was.
“Nothing to say on the topic?” Malcolm asked. He chuckled to himself and took a large gulp of wine. “Pierce, take our guests upstairs please. I’m not in the mood for entertaining at the moment, and I must craft a ransom note for our friend, Nick.” He turned his back on Angelina and she found herself being marched to a narrow spiral staircase by Pierce and a second burly man, who had been holding her in a secure grip. A third man carried Richard, following along behind. Angelina could see the men’s faces clearly now, and recognized them as part of Malcolm’s team they’d fought today.
Richard heardthe entire conversation as he pretended to remain unconscious. His head was throbbing, but his thoughts were anything but muddled. As soon as the door closed, he could sense Angelina hovering over him and he opened his eyes warily.
Relief flooded her pretty features. “Oh, thank God! I was wondering why you weren’t waking up.”
