Kento tried to avoid looking at his friends.  He could feel them glaring at him.  They spent the past two hours sitting in Sage’s jeep.  They were going to leave the hiking trail completely, but decided against it.  Rowen could come back at any time and they wanted to be there waiting for him.

 

Ryo shook his head.  “I still don’t understand why you didn’t wait for Rowen before running in the cave.”

 

“I told you.  I thought he was behind me.”

 

“Can we put out an APB on him?”  Kento asked.

 

“You have to wait 48 hours to do that,” Cye answered.

 

Sage yelled, “Did you guys just forget that Rowen is stuck in the 1752 or something like that?  That’s 250 years in the past!  How in God’s green earth are we going to file a missing person’s report on him?!?!”

 

Everyone was silent.  They forgot about that.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Rowen studied himself in the reflection.  This was one of a dozen suits that were made for him.  Mr. Taylor did a marvelous job.  This one was a dark blue justaucorps jacket with black breeches.  Those were what he was having trouble adjusting to.

 

He and Alexandra had been spending considerable amounts of time together.  To date, Rowen had been stuck in 1752 for six weeks now.

 

Alexandra finished getting ready.  She and Rowen were going to take a ride through the countryside.  Going downstairs, she found Rowen waiting for her.  The smile he gave her nearly melted her knees.  Remember, Lexa.  Friends only.  That had been her motto recently, despite the fact he was handsome in his suit and his new tricorn hat.

 

There was a knock on the door.  Nigel answered it and was given an envelope.  He immediately took it to his mistress.  She was in the parlor with Rowen, explaining some of the places they’d visit.  Alexandra took the envelope.  Breaking the seal, she read the contents.

 

Rowen watched with concern as her face blanched.  “Alexa,” he asked, “is everything alright?”

 

Her voice was barely audible.  “I’m okay.  Can we cancel our plans for today?”

 

“Of course.”

 

She excused herself and ran to up to her room.  She sat at her dressing table and carefully read the letter slower.

 

“My dear Mrs. Brandon,

I apologize for the tardiness of this letter, but we wanted to be positive before informing you of your husband’s death.  He was found murdered on the highway about 20 miles outside of Philadelphia.  We are uncertain of when it occurred, but we sent this letter as soon as we found out.  Please accept our deepest sympathies.

Mr. Andrew Tewksbury.”

 

Alexandra sat there.  She’d met Mr. Tewksbury only once.  It was at a ball last year.  He was one of her husband’s business partners.  She waited for the tears to fall.  She tried to force them out.  Nothing came.  She sighed and tossed the letter on her table.  Despite enjoying Rowen’s company, Alexa had been starting to worry.  Not a single letter arrived from Pierce since he left.  She had been wondering if he come home and surprise her.  She didn’t know how she would explain Rowen.

 

Her thoughts drifted to him.  She was certainly growing fond of him, but they’d been careful not to let their growing friendship develop into more than that.  Nigel had relaxed, not sensing any indecency in the household.  Nigel was even becoming friends with Rowen.  Of course, there’s always the neighbors…and Marlyssa.  Her friendship with Rowen was more than what she had with her husband.

 

Come on, Alexandra.  Pierce is dead.  Your husband was murdered in cold blood.  Where are the tears when you’re supposed to have them?  People are going to think me cold hearted because I can’t cry for my husband.  They know I’m not a crier anyway.  But still…

 

A knock interrupted her “mourning.”  She didn’t respond.  The door opened and Rowen came in the room.

 

“Alexandra?  Is everything alright?”  She held the letter out to him.  Rowen read it.  “I’m so sorry, Alexa.”

 

“Thanks.  I guess I have to see Miss Gordon to make me some black dresses.”

 

Rowen excused himself, allowing her to mourn in private.  In his room, he secretly jumped for joy.  She was single now.  A widow, but pursuable.  If he recalled, she was to be in mourning for a year.  He wouldn’t have to woo her publicly because he was already living in her house.  A small fact hit him just then.  She wasn’t crying.  Her husband was murdered and she wasn’t crying.  She was relaxed.  Rowen went downstairs.  He needed to gather more intelligence.  He decided to visit the cook first.  She was bustling around, apparently preparing for dinner.

 

“Nigel!!”  Rowen heard Alexa yell from upstairs.  The butler hurried up to her.

 

The cook greeted Rowen.  “Hey, there, sweetie!”

 

The maid popped in the kitchen, teary eyed.  She’d been crying.

 

“Are you okay?”  Rowen asked.  The maid nodded.  What about Alexandra.  Is she alright?”  Rowen asked.

 

“She’s fine.  She hasn’t cried a single tear.”  She advanced closer to Rowen.  Reaching for a banana near him, she lowered her voice and said that she thinks her mistress is glad the master is dead.

 

“Why do you say that?”

 

He glanced at the cook, who stopped her work to catch some gossip.

 

“Me and the cook have been here before the mistress.  He never really cared about anyone.  Not even her.  Only married her ‘cause she’s pretty.”

 

The cook added her two cents.  “I think she got tired of it.  I would be, too, being constantly ignored.  But of course, you didn’t hear this from us.”

 

“Of course not,” Rowen said.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Alexa spent the next three days in her room, trying to attempt feeling mournful.  Looking out her window, she watched Rowen and Nigel ride around the property.  Nigel had been teaching him to ride a horse.  She longed to be out there with Rowen, but she decided to wait out a few more days.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Rowen was quite pleased with his rapidly increasing horsemanship.  A young woman drove up in a carriage.  She waved to him.

 

“Hello, Mr. Clark,” she said.  She acknowledged the butler.  “Nigel.”

 

They both said hello to her.  Rowen nearly forgot that was his assumed last name in 1752 per Alexandra.

 

“We haven’t met yet despite my begging your cousin.  I’m Marlyssa Barnes,  Mrs. Brandon’s friend.”

 

Rowen tipped his tricorn hat.  “Pleased to meet you.”

 

“Do you have a first name, Mr. Clark?”

 

“I do, but I don’t give it to people I don’t know.  Please forgive me.”

 

“It’s quite alright.”

 

“Alexandra is in if you wish to see her.”

 

“I actually came by to see you.”

 

“I’m sorry, but Nigel and I are on our way out to enjoy the afternoon.”

 

“Aw.  Oh well.  I’m sorry to have missed you.  See you later, then!”

 

Rowen tipped his hat again.  He and Nigel rode off.  She grinned.  What was it going to take to get that man?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Sir,” Nigel said.  “I do believe you are fitting in well around here.”

 

“I’m trying.  It’s a real change, believe me.”

 

“Mrs. Brandon tells me you are from the future.”

 

“The year 2002 to be exact.  Two hundred and fifty years.”

 

“I’m sure a lot of things are different.”

 

Rowen smiled.  “You have no idea.”

 

“Let me ask you.  What do you think of my mistress?”

 

Rowen waited.  Was this supposed to be a trick question?  “I like her.  She’s very pleasant to be around.”

 

“Would she be the kind of woman you’d pursue?”

 

“As in what exactly, Nigel?”

 

“As in marriage, sir.”

 

“Definitely.”

 

“Why do you so answer?”

 

Rowen didn’t have to think about this.  “She’s a marvelous woman.  A great conversationalist, she’s fun but mature, she has wisdom beyond her years, she’s smart, independent, nurturing…”

 

“Do you find her pretty?”

 

“She’s beautiful.  Why do you ask?”

 

Nigel smiled.  “Just wondering, sir.”

 

“Did she say something about me?”

 

“Not at liberty to say, sir.”

 

“C’mon, Nigel!!”

 

He laughed.  “Sorry, sir.  Can’t tell.”

 

They approached the cave.  Rowen had been back at least a dozen times.  All he had to do was look in and see if the blue light was there.  It wasn’t.  Rowen sighed.  Another day in the past.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Aw, Alexa!  I’m so sorry!”  Marlyssa said, lowering the letter.

 

Alexandra willed herself to cry in front of her friend.  The darn tears weren’t coming.

 

“If Mr. Clark wasn’t your cousin, I’d tell you to go for it.”  Why am I suggesting that to her?  Especially since I want him.

 

“People marry their cousins all the time.”

 

“But he’s not your type, Alexandra.”

 

“And just who is?”

 

Marlyssa didn’t have an answer for that.  “It doesn’t matter anyway.  You are officially in mourning for the next year.”

 

Alexandra sighed.  “Don’t remind me.”

 

Marlyssa looked at Alexandra’s hair.  She hadn’t done anything to it the past week.  Marlyssa instructed Alexandra to sit at the dressing table.  She started brushing Alexa’s dark brown, slightly wavy hair.  It fell midway between her shoulders and waist.  Marlyssa started interrogating about Mr. Clark.  Alexandra gave false or vague answers.

 

“By the way, what is your cousin’s first name?”

 

“Why?”  Alexandra asked.

 

“I was just curious.  He wouldn’t tell me.”

 

“I’m sure he has a reason, Marly.  He’ll tell you when he’s ready.”

 

Marlyssa was silent.  She spent the rest of the afternoon with Alexandra.  She would throw in questions every now and then about Rowen.  She only got vague answers.  Alexa kept hoping each would be the last about her “cousin.”  Alexa invited Marlyssa to stay for dinner.  She was relieved when her friend said no.  She loved her friend, but now that she was single again, Marlyssa was competition.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The four friends, namely Sage, Kento, Cye, and Ryo, drove back up to the clearing by the stream.  They found the cave nearby.  Sage parked his jeep to where the light shined directly into the cave.  They went in.  The cave was pitch black.  They couldn’t even see the pool.

 

Cye asked, “What happened to the blue light?”

 

“Maybe we’re in the wrong cave,” Ryo added.

 

“Maybe it’s broken,” Kento said.

 

Sage suggested.  “Maybe the portal is closed.”