Section I, Section II, Section III, Section IV, Section V
Chapter 12
When Alexander finally pulled out of the kiss, Kelsey asked, "What was that for?"
"Have you any idea of how worried I was about you? I thought you might have died!"
"How did you know I was gone? I thought you were asleep."
"I woke up."
Kelsey smiled.
"Where were you?" he asked.
"You'll never believe me," she said quietly, before realizing that of all the men in the world, she was standing before the one who would believe her.
"I believe myself to be a man with a healthy imagination. Tell me what--" Alexander went silent as the knowledge of where she could have gone registered. The only way she could have disappeared suddenly and then reappeared so mysteriously was if...
"I missed the maze," he said.
"Yes, you did."
"And you..."
"I went through it. I found Pemberley. I found your family."
Almost as though an electrical current went through him, he gasped, "And do you now believe me?"
Kelsey's smile was brighter than anything the moon could produce. "Yes, Alexander. I do believe."
After pouring them each a glass of brandy--she hated the stuff, but apparently, Alexander didn't--they sat on the couch.
"Is my mother still alive?" he asked.
"Yes, she is. But she's so weak, Alexander. And she's getting worse. When I think that you were trying to help her and I was trying to avoid it because I thought you were crazy...you must hate me."
"No, Kelsey. I could never hate you."
"She was awake when I was there. Not completely lucid, I'm afraid, but awake. I got the strangest feeling that..."
"That what?"
"Well, it was almost as though she knew who I was. In fact, when I left, she told me to take care of you."
"Take care of me? I presume you did not tell my family that I was in the future."
"I told them you were in London, looking for a doctor. I only lied a little bit."
"I see."
"But when I told your mother...she knew that I wasn't telling the complete truth. It was very strange. And that's when she told me to take care of you."
Alexander smiled. "She would say that. How did you explain your presence in my world?"
Kelsey told him the tale, about the story she'd made up, how Darcy had seemed to accept it, and meeting his brothers and sisters. Then she remembered the bag of money Darcy had given her, which she had set on the coffee table.
"I wonder how much is in here," Kelsey said. "Surely just a few pounds or so."
"I suspect a great deal more than that," Alexander said, opening the bag and overturning its contents onto the floor. A multitude of coins tumbled out of the bag, followed by three oil-cloth wrapped packages. Alexander immediately set out to count the coins as Kelsey looked at the other three packages.
"Do you know what's in here?" she asked, holding one of the packages up.
"No. Open it and find out."
Kelsey slowly opened the cloth, a little nervous at what might be inside. She gasped when the overhead light reflected from the contents. "Oh, Alexander," she whispered. "I think your father goofed up."
"What do you mean?"
Kelsey withdrew a beautiful ruby necklace from the cloth. "He couldn't have meant to give us this."
"Perhaps he did. Why?"
"This is worth quite a bit of money, even in today's market. Rubies..."
"Oh, now I know what that is! That was a birthday gift my father intended for my mother! In fact, I distinctly recall her getting it as a gift, along with a bracelet, earrings, ring, and tiara to match. Strange that they should end up in this bag, with some money."
Kelsey then knew what she would find in the other bags, and she was right. The bracelet and ring turned up in one bag, the tiara and earrings in the other.
"Amazing that they weren't crushed from the weight of the money," she said.
"But if you recall, Kelsey, they were at the top. They were never crushed at all."
"Well, when you go back, Alexander, you must return these to your mother. I'm sure she's wondered where they disappeared to years ago."
"No, she has never done so."
"You're kidding. If someone, especially my husband, had ever given me such things, I would've had them under lock and key."
"Well, that goes along with the other thing I remember. She never liked rubies. She wore them a few times, because my father had given them to her, but when the season was over, she put them away and never wore them again."
"Oh, that's sad," Kelsey said. "Your father must have been upset."
"Actually, no. He agreed with her."
"After all the money he'd spent on her gift?"
"Well, he did not think rubies suited her complexion too well. She teased that it would have looked better on Caroline, I think it was."
"I believe it would be. Caroline Bingley."
"Lady Hampton," he corrected. "She married a cousin of my father's."
Kelsey chuckled. It seemed hard to imagine Caroline Bingley as a married woman, but then, she had to marry someone.
"So they put it aside, and neither thought about it. I wonder if Father even recalled that it was in that bag when he gave it to you." Alexander smiled. "So do you think this would be enough to take care of whatever expenses you have in the care of me?"
"I believe the money alone would have taken care of it, but we're not selling the jewelry. You have to take that back with you."
"All right, I see that you shall not be budged on the issue."
"How much money is in there?"
"Quite a bit, actually. About a thousand pounds."
"A--thousand--" Kelsey nearly choked. "Can your father afford that?"
"His income far exceeds ten thousand a year. Wise investments on his part have increased his fortune over the years. He probably stored that away for an emergency and forgot about it. Do not worry. He did not impoverish himself to give that to you."
"It's quite a bit of money, though."
"Do you think he knew what my mother knew?"
Kelsey shook her head. "If he did, he didn't say anything."
"Well, we can convert this into your currency and you should have a little money to tide us over until we find the cure. Perhaps that would even pay for the doctor." He frowned. "How could we ever persuade a doctor to come to another century to cure my mother?"
"She might need hospital care," Kelsey added. "That would cost quite a bit. And how would we get her out of your century and into here?"
"That would be the easy part. It would be convincing my father to let her go that would be hard."
"What about the maze? What if we find the cure and can't get through?"
"Surely fate would not do that to us. We have to be able to get through, otherwise..."
"Maybe we should concentrate on finding a cure for her, first. Then we'll figure out the rest."
Alexander nodded. "You are right, Kelsey."
"Right now, I think I could use some sleep--about ten hours' worth. Today has been quite a day." Kelsey stood up and started to leave.
"Kelsey?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for believing me."
"I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter, you know." She smiled.
"You have more choice than you know." He stood up and walked toward her. She didn't move as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again.
Kelsey felt as though she'd been hit by lightning. She couldn't pull away, and honestly, she didn't want to.
Excuse me? Miss I-don't-want-another-man-in-my-life is wanting to make out with a guy who doesn't even come from this century?
Alexander picked her up in his arms, carrying her like one would a child. Kelsey didn't notice when he opened the door to his room and laid her on the bed.
Warning! Warning! Kelsey Angelica Madison Chandler, what the hell do you think you're doing??? You just divorced John and you have a small kid upstairs who could wake up at any time and you're down here about to make love to a stranger! You don't even know who he is!
Kelsey cursed the fact that she'd given Alexander the button-down pajama top when her hands fumbled with the buttons.
"Kelsey," he murmured, looking down at her. "Are you certain that this is what you want?" He stopped her hands.
"Isn't this what you want?"
"It is...believe me. But I think that maybe this is not the right time."
"We hardly know each other."
"Exactly. And the past two days have hardly been ordinary for either of us. We should probably take more time to get to know each other..."
"Right." Kelsey sat up.
"Plus, you have only recently divorced your husband, and I have sensed that you--"
"Right again."
"You are cross with me."
"No! No, Alexander, I'm not mad. I know that you're right."
"Did it start this way with your husband?"
"With John? Not really. I was young, innocent, and I didn't know any better. And it never felt..."
"It never felt what?"
"I don't know. I wish I did. Maybe then I'd understand." Kelsey stood up. "Good night, Alexander."
"Good night, Kelsey."
Kelsey made her way up to her room slowly, wondering at herself. When she started to change into her usual sleeping outfit, she realized that the word she'd been looking for was "perfect." John had always complained that she'd never been good in bed, that she was too high-strung and not responsive enough. That that was why he'd sought out other women. That since she didn't like sex, she should be grateful that he'd stopped bothering her.
"You're just not that type of girl, Kelsey. That's part of why I married you, because I knew right away that you'd be a wonderful mother." He'd said that when she'd found him in bed with Emma's nineteen-year-old baby-sitter. And right after that, he'd suggested that they have another child.
"A boy this time, honey. That way we'll have a matched set. I'm willing to try if you are.
After five years of marriage, she'd discovered that everything she'd ever believed in was a lie. And that's when she'd asked for a divorce.
Not that type of girl...not that type... Kelsey bypassed the jersey and shorts for the black silk teddy she'd bought several months after Emma was born, when John had started falling asleep the moment he got into bed. Of course, now she knew why. But she'd intended to wear it some romantic evening...and never got around to it.
Putting a robe over the outfit, she calmly walked back down the stairs and down the hall. Alexander's door was shut. Kelsey slowly opened it, hoping he wasn't asleep yet.
"Come in, Kelsey," she heard him say before she saw him sitting on the bed. "I had a feeling you would be back."
Chapter 13
"You--you did?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Yes. I do not know why."
"You heard me coming down the stairs," Kelsey replied with a smile.
"That may have had something to do with it."
Kelsey took tentative steps towards the bed, her fingers fumbling with the tie on her robe.
"Kelsey, don't." He said this very slowly, almost hesitantly.
"Don't what? Don't you want to make love to me?"
"I...it is not that I do not want to. Believe me, I do. I just..."
"Just what?"
"I do not think this the right time. We have only known each other for mere days."
"We've been through so much already. How often is it that you go forward an hundred and fifty years? Or that I meet you? And we may not have long together."
"That should not be the sole reason for such a major decision."
"I don't understand you, Alexander. If I were standing in any other man's bedroom, offering myself to him, he would take me up on it faster than I could ask him to use a condom."
"A what?"
"Never mind. But you're not."
"Would your husband have taken you up on the offer?"
"What does he have to do with anything?"
"He has to do with everything. From what you have told me, your husband was a first-rate bastard. A man who left his wife and child for...bimbos. That would be other women?"
"Yes."
"And that hurt you."
"Of course it did! How would you feel if it happened to you? If your wife married you because you were husband material and not exciting in bed?"
"There are a good many marriages in my age based exactly on such a thing."
Kelsey frowned. "I suppose you think I divorced him with no cause."
"It is not that at all. I think you had very good cause, and in this age, since you are permitted to do so, you did what a lot of women in my time would have loved to have done."
"Is there a point to this argument?"
"I am just saying that we should not make love simply because you are wanting to drive demons out of your bed." He sighed. "And I do not think I would wish to make love to you unless you were my wife."
Kelsey raised her eyebrows. "You're telling me you're a virgin?"
"I--well, I--" Alexander blushed. "I cannot even believe we are having this conversation."
"Are you?"
"A lady should not ask such things, and I should not answer them. However...n-no, I am not."
"I didn't think so."
"Have you ever been with another man besides your husband?"
It was Kelsey's turn to blush. "No. I may have run with the bad crowd, but I always believed in waiting for the right person to come along. I thought--at the time, I thought John was the right one. And so I married him."
"Do you think I am the right one to start over with? In your heart?"
Kelsey sat on the edge of the bed with a frustrated sigh. "I don't know! I thought so when I came in here. I still think...I don't know how I feel right now. I'm just so confused."
"This whole thing is so confusing. To you and me."
And here you go, trying to make things even more confusing by wanting him to sleep with you. You're a real genius.
"You...must think I'm pretty...that I'm a brazen...hussy to come in here."
"I think you absolutely beautiful...and very courageous...but I do not think you a hussy."
"Courageous?"
"Yes. I know what it took for you to believe in me, and to make the decision you made tonight. And I am..." Alexander was beginning to think he was making a muddle of the whole thing. "I am not saying what I want to say very well."
"I was just thinking that myself. We've both pretty much screwed up this opportunity, haven't we?"
"I suppose we have."
Kelsey's shoulders sagged, causing her robe to gape open and reveal the satin underneath. "You probably think it would be scandalous to sleep with a divorced woman. Or maybe it's just--"
Alexander knew where this speech was headed, so he leaned over and kissed her with all the passion and longing he felt.
When he broke it off, he said, "Do not think, for a single moment, that I do not want you. But I do not wish to...take advantage of you when you are still unsure, when you are still hurting from your ex-husband's betrayals. Can you understand that?" He held his breath, fearing that she was about to explode in fury.
"I...think so."
"If we did end up together tonight, you might end up regretting it, and hating me. I do not wish for that to happen, either."
"You're being noble," Kelsey said. "And you're right. John and I would've been finished in the time it's taken us to talk about why we're not going to have sex."
"See? I do not want to be like him." Although, my sweet, it is becoming more tempting as each moment passes. "I do not want our relationship to be a mirror for you of the one you had with him. I want ours to be unique."
"You think we're not unique? Think of how we met, and everything that's happened since then. I assure you, Alexander, any other man would have go far beyond this to be considered unique."
He chuckled. "I think you should probably go back to sleep. After all, Emma wakes up earlier than the roosters."
"Right." Kelsey was the one who initiated the kiss, and was the one who reluctantly broke away by standing up. "Good night, Alexander. And...thanks."
"Good night, Kelsey."
Kelsey slowly trudged back upstairs, took off her robe, and slipped out of the teddy. Putting on the jersey and shorts she had rejected earlier in the evening, she flopped into bed and pulled a cover over her.
Even though he had, in essence, turned her down, she couldn't help feeling a lot more respect for him than she might have. It wasn't so much that she was such a great catch, but the fact that he had wanted to make love to her--and hadn't--made her feel...
Respected? You're dealing with a man from another century, kiddo. A man for whom real love leads to marriage. That's how his parents hooked up, remember? And if he found a woman he loved, he'd wait until after he married her to--
Marriage. Kelsey sat up suddenly. That's the way he'd treat the woman he wanted to marry. With respect.
Kelsey shook her head. Utter nonsense. You're divorced and he's an hundred and fifty-some years old. Older than that, even! No way does it ever work out. He probably wants some fresh young girl from his time, with his values, who doesn't have a kid, who hasn't been divorced.
Kelsey knew she wasn't going to get much sleep that night, because even though she'd rejected the idea that Alexander might want to marry her--someday--it was a nice thought.
If an impractical one. After all, he wasn't from this time, he had no job, no credentials, no identity...
It was going to be a long night indeed.
Chapter 14
Alexander spent the rest of his night much as Kelsey had spent hers--wondering what the future held, for him, for Kelsey and Emma, for his mother. Well, he knew what the future had held for her. That was beside the point. He had to find that cure.
But he had so many other things to wonder and worry about in this time, and as he walked down the stairs the next morning, his first problem was how Kelsey was going to react to him when she saw him. As it turned out, he had no reason to be nervous, for Kelsey merely smiled as she always had, offered him some food called Fruit Loops, and sat him beside Emma while she talked to her mother on the phone. He was still a little amazed by the ability to speak to someone in such a fashion, but even in his awe he noticed the tension in Kelsey's voice as she spoke to the other person on the line. With a tightness, she finally said, "I promise we'll be there, Mom. Yes. Noon. Me and Emma and Alexander. All right. Bye." Hanging up, she sighed.
"I don't suppose you have trouble like this with your mom, do you." Kelsey sat down in the chair opposite Alexander's.
"No. My mother loved all of her children equally."
"Well, by skipping out on dinner last night we only postponed the inevitable. My mother is demanding that we put in an appearance at the family lunch this afternoon. She's invited Ben's family--my sister's fiancee, remember? And she even mentioned that my father will be there, which is a big surprise since he generally tends to avoid her company. So we have to go."
"Why? Do you not want to see your family?"
"It isn't seeing my family that worries me. It's how they're going to react to you that's the problem. And what they're going to ask you. And how you're going to respond."
"I shall simply say what I told your sister yesterday--that I went to the wrong house, you hit me, and we became friends."
"It's too simple. My mother's going to want details--like did we know each other before, why are you staying with me now, are we..." Kelsey blushed and stopped herself from finishing the last question. "Emma, sweetie, are you done with breakfast?"
"Yeah," Emma said. "I can tell Grandma that Alex only came here the other day."
"That'll help." Kelsey smiled. "Now, how about if you go play outside."
Emma cheered up at the suggestion, and went outside to play on her swing set. Kelsey got up from the table to watch her from the kitchen window.
Alexander finished the possible question. "She will ask if we are lovers."
"Yes."
"We aren't. You and I both know that."
"But my mother doesn't, and even though we'll both deny it, she'll suspect. And she'll believe the worst in spite of what Emma tells her. And then she'll start in about John."
"Your ex-husband will not be there, will he?"
"No. Not even my mother is that cruel. But don't be thrown when she starts telling you about what a nice guy he was, and how successful he was at his job, and what a terrific father he is to Emma, even if he hasn't seen her since the divorce. Not even when she was sick."
"Does she know why you are divorced?"
"No, I didn't tell her. I was afraid it might get back to Emma. John's not much, but he is her father. And my mother's lips are a little too loose to tell her."
"Does Madeline know?"
"She suspects." Kelsey turned back to Alexander. "We need to get started finding a cure for Elizabeth. The sooner she gets well, the better I'll feel. I'm sure you're thinking the same way."
"Yes, I am."
"I thought last night that you must really hate me--for causing you to lose precious time in helping her."
"But I told you--"
"I know what you said. But I still couldn't help thinking that...that she might die before we get back."
"Kelsey, try not to think badly of the situation. We shall begin anew today, looking for the cure in the books you got at the library. And we shall find it. I am sure. It shall all work out for the best."
And what then? she couldn't help wondering. Do you go back to your world forever? Or do you stay here? And what happens to us? She had resolved, however, to keep her own selfish desires out of the whole equation. Elizabeth was real, and she was dying.
"I say we get started now," Kelsey said firmly. "You go get the books. They're in the living room--"
"Actually, I took them to my room intending to go through them last night. But I fell asleep and then you were missing."
"Right. We can sit out on the back porch to keep an eye on Emma."
Two hours later, after Kelsey had asked Alexander to list as many of his mother's symptoms as possible and they began to look through the books to find illnesses which matched as many of the symptoms as possible, they both felt as though they had made a little progress. Emma merrily played on the swing set, then at her sandbox. Kelsey knew she'd need a bath before they left, so she told Alexander to keep reading.
"Can I have my ducky in the bath?" Emma asked as Kelsey grabbed towels out of the closet.
"We don't have time to play today. We have to get ready to go to Grandma's. And you want to go to Grandma's, don't you?"
"YAY!" Emma shouted.
"Emma, keep your voice down. You don't want Mommy going deaf, do you?"
Emma laughed at the thought as she tromped into the bathroom, Kelsey close behind. Quickly filling the tub with warm water, she undressed Emma and set her in there.
"Mommy, is Alex gonna stay with us for a long time?"
Kelsey had been about to put shampoo in Emma's hair, but she stopped. "I don't know, sweetie. He might."
"Oh."
"Would--would you like Alexander to stay with us?"
"Yeah. He's funny, Mommy. I woke up last night, and he read me a story."
"He did?" Why didn't he tell her?
"Yeah. He read 'Aladdin.' And he did the voices good."
"Are you saying Mommy doesn't do the voices well?" Kelsey smiled.
"No...but Alex did them like a boy would. He liked the story. He said it re--remanded him of a tale he'd heard."
"Reminded, sweetie."
"That's what I said, Mommy."
"So you like Alexander, huh."
"Yeah." Emma sat still while Kelsey washed her hair, a rarity for her. "Mommy, why don't Daddy come see me no more?"
Kelsey's heart tightened. The moment of truth. She had wondered when Emma would finally ask that question.
"Well, honey, sometimes...Mommies and daddies don't get along very good. And when that happens, it's better that they don't live together anymore."
"You mean like Grandma and Gramps?"
"Right."
"But why don't he come to see me? He said he would."
Kelsey cursed her ex-husband once again for not coming to see Emma. You promised so much, John, to both of us. I can deal with your dishonesty, but your daughter can't. "He's a very busy man, honey." God, that's so inadequate to tell her. But what else is there? The truth? She wouldn't understand it even if I told her.
"I think I don't want Daddy to be my daddy anymore."
"Oh, Emma, you shouldn't want that."
"Why not? He don't want me to be his little girl."
"I'm sure he does. He just doesn't have time to--"
"Then how come he didn't come when I had the chicken pox?"
"Chicken pox isn't a serious illness. If you were really, badly sick, he would've been here in a minute." At least, I hope he would've been.
"I told Alex that I had the chicken pox, and he asked me if they'd ever go away. I said that they'd already gone away, and they weren't coming back."
"What did Alexander say to that?"
"He said that he was glad I had gotten better."
"He did?" Kelsey absentmindedly began rinsing Emma's hair.
"Uh-huh. I asked him if he would come to see me when I was sick. He said he'd be there. Do you think he would come if I was sick?"
"I think he would."
"Then I want him to be my Daddy."
Kelsey accidentally sprayed herself in the eyes with the shower nozzle. "You what?" she asked after turning off the water.
"I want Alex to be my Daddy. Can I tell him?"
"No! You can't do that--he--" Kelsey wiped her eyes.
"Why not? He said he'd come see me when I was sick, and he reads me stories and he likes Fruit Loops and he's funny and he makes you happy."
Kelsey turned startled eyes to her daughter. How much the young know, she thought suddenly. "He does? Why do you think that? You've only known him two days."
"Cause you smile. You didn't smile before Alex came."
"I did so. All the time."
"But you really smile now. And you like Alex. I can tell."
"How can you tell that?"
"Because you looked at him when you were on the swing this morning."
"I looked at a lot of things this morning, Emma."
"But you looked at Alex a lot."
Kelsey let the water out of the tub.
"Please can Alex be my daddy?" Emma pleaded.
"Honey, I can't say whether or not Alex is going to be able to stay. He might leave tomorrow, or the day after that, and if he does, he may never be able to come back."
"But he likes you, too. He looks at you all the time too."
"He does?" Kelsey was startled to hear Emma say that.
"Uh-huh."
"I tell you what. Alexander's mother is very sick right now, and he's here to find her a doctor to help. When that's over, maybe then..." What about then? Does he go back through the maze, never to return? Should you hold out the hope to Emma?
"Promise?"
"I--I promise. We'll ask him then." And I could be setting my own daughter up for the biggest heartache of her life. Dear God, what am I doing?
Kelsey led Emma back to her room to get her dressed, not noticing that Alexander had ducked into his room at the last minute.
Sitting on his bed, he thought back to the conversation he'd overheard. He hadn't meant to listen, but when he'd heard his name, he couldn't pull away.
"I want Alex to be my daddy.
Alexander had not realized that Emma liked him that much, but she must have. They'd had a nice long talk the evening before, when he'd thought Kelsey was sleeping. He hadn't wanted to wake her, so he'd read Emma another story and they had talked about her illness and a little about her father.
"He may never be able to come back."
He had to be able to come back. Surely God would not be so cruel as to finally send him the woman he had been waiting for only to wrench him back to his own time.
But how could you two live together? Could you leave your family behind forever in order to live in this century? Could you ask Kelsey to come to Pemberley to live with you? And what about Emma? And how would you live, without a profession or money or estate? It simply would not work.
Yet even as he thought it, Alexander was prepared to make it work. He wanted Kelsey to be his wife. He'd known that long before he'd kissed her last night.
But did she love him? Could she love him, after what her husband had done to her?
"But you looked at Alex a lot." "You really smile now."
Alexander was beginning to suspect that maybe she could love him. And as for himself, well, there was not a doubt in his mind.
He loved her. He loved her for her bravery, her wit, her determination, her spirit, that sweet smile of hers, those stormy grey eyes which flashed silver one moment and smoky another...and yet, it was something more than that, something undefinable. It was everything about her.
"Alexander?"
Kelsey stood in the doorway.
"Yes?"
"I thought maybe you'd prefer dressing up the first time you meet my mother. It's probably a good idea."
"Of course. What shall I wear?"
Kelsey held up two suits. One was blue, with an ugly tie. The other was gray, casual, and Kelsey's personal favorite. Even if it had belonged to John.
"If we had time, I would have purchased something new," Kelsey said. "You can't go wearing John's leftovers forever. But we don't. Tomorrow, we'll exchange the money your father gave us and buy you something then, but for now..."
"I like the gray one."
"Okay." Kelsey laid it on the bed beside him. He could smell the fragrance she was wearing...it reminded him of the garden at Pemberley.
"You look lovely."
"Thank you." Kelsey felt like she was sixteen again, unsure of how to take a compliment, scared to admit what she felt. "You should get a move on if we're going to make it to my mother's in time."
"Of course."
He dressed fairly fast, combed his hair (wishing that he had something that would keep that unruly curl from falling onto his forehead), and stepped into the living room where Kelsey and Emma awaited him.
And thus they went to Kelsey's mother's house.
Chapter 15
Kelsey nearly groaned when she stopped in front of her mother's house. There were many cars already blocking the driveway, so she pulled her car off to one side and cut off the engine.
"Is something the matter?" he asked.
"They're all here already. I'd hoped we'd be able to introduce you to them one at a time, but it looks like we're going to have to wing it." Kelsey opened her door, then opened up Emma's. Emma hopped out, shouting, "Grandma! Gramps! Aunt Maddie! Uncle Ben! I'm here!"
Kelsey couldn't prevent a smile from sneaking across her face at her daughter's enthusiasm for the family, wishing for a flickering moment that she could feel the same. But she was too old and too wise for such emotions anymore. Today was going to be nothing short of sheer torture, for her and for Alexander.
"Courage, my sweet," he said softly in her ear. "We shall conquer this. We shall."
And with his calm assurance, Kelsey walked toward the front door, Alexander a couple of steps behind.
Before she could open the door, it flung open as her mother stood there. "Kelsey Angelica, it's about time you arrived," she said. "Where have you been?" She gave an arch look at Alexander, as though she suspected he was behind the entire thing.
"Emma needed a bath, and so did I. We ran a bit behind, that's all. Nothing to worry about," Kelsey replied.
Alexander looked at the petite woman with the gray hair and the sharp yellow-brown eyes. She looked nothing like her daughters, so he figured that they had inherited their looks from their father.
"This is Alexander Darcy, Mom," she said. "Alexander, this is my mother, Laura Madison."
"It is nice to meet you, madam," he said crisply, almost bowing before he remembered that that was not done in this time. Instead, he smiled.
"Nice to meet you, too, Alexander. I've heard a lot about you from Emma and Maddie."
I'll bet you have, Kelsey thought.
Alexander was soon introduced to the other people present, which included Madeline, her fiancee, Ben Geiger, Ben's parents, and finally, sitting in the living room watching television, he was introduced to Kelsey's father.
"This is Josh Madison," Kelsey said with a small smile. "Dad, this is Alexander."
Her father stood up, and with a smile in his gray eyes, shook Alexander's hand. "I have heard some things about you. Most of them have come from my ex-wife, though, so I'm not believing half of them."
Alexander instinctively liked this man, and he liked him even better when he gave Kelsey a gentle hug and asked, "How's it been for you, kid?"
"I've been okay," she replied.
"Good. I don't want you wasting one day of your life wanting him back, you understand?"
"Yes, Dad."
"Kelsey! Kelsey, you simply must bring Alexander in here for a minute!" Madeline was heard to call.
"Undoubtedly at your mother's behest," Josh Madison mumbled. "Lord help me, I love your sister to death, but I wonder about her at times."
"Well, the official summons has been issued, Dad. We can't avoid it anymore. Would you like to come and listen to the story or hear it again later?" she asked.
Alexander was mystified about the relationship she seemed to have with her father. She had said the evening before--good heavens, had it all only happened last night?--that she had not been close to her father.
"I would rather hear your version of it," he said, following them into the dining room where everyone was assembled.
"They won't start in until lunch is served," Kelsey told Alexander in a hushed voice as they walked into the room. Indeed, there seemed little reason to talk at that time, for Madeline, Mrs. Madison, and Mrs. Geiger were continually running in and out of the room, carrying dishes and plates and silverware. Ben and his father, who were both investment bankers, were talking about the business.
"Would you like for me to sit next to you, Kelse?" her father asked.
"I think I would," Kelsey replied. "The extra shoulder to cry on in case it gets bad."
"Why do you continue to insist that this shall be like facing a firing squad?" Alexander asked. "I have seen nothing so far to suggest that is shall be so bad. In fact," he added, with a pointed look at her father, "things are better than I thought."
"That's because you haven't lived through one of Laura's lunches," Josh said. "God, some of the things that happened at the dinner table!"
"Dad, I think some of your own advice would come in handy now," Kelsey said quietly. "Don't think about it. And don't regret anything."
"Sweetheart, the thing I regret the most is you. You married the first piece of scum that came along because--"
"Dad..."
"Let me finish. I may not have a chance later with your mother glorifying him. You married John because I wasn't there often enough to notice."
"I married John because I thought I loved him. That's all it was. You can't go blaming yourself. I don't."
"Dinner's ready!" Laura announced.
Josh immediately sat down in one spot, but before Kelsey could sit beside him, Alexander asked, "Does your father know?"
"Yes." She didn't need him to specify what he was asking.
Later he would have the matter cleared up, but he had a feeling he knew the answer already. Even if Kelsey and her father were not close when she was younger, they were much closer now.
It began almost exactly after grace, which was said by Ben. Before Kelsey could finish putting a dab of potatoes on Emma's plate (Emma sat between Alexander and Kelsey), her mother casually asked the first question.
"So...Alexander. Where exactly are you from? England, of course, that's obvious."
"I am from Derbyshire," he replied.
"Where in Derbyshire?" Mrs. Geiger asked. Her question was far more innocent, as she didn't know the object of the exercise.
"From...from Lambton," he replied, knowing that saying "Pemberley" was not the right thing.
His belief was confirmed by Kelsey's small sigh of relief.
"I don't think I've ever heard of the place," Mrs. Madison said.
"It is rather small."
"How long have you lived there?"
"All my life."
"Until recently," Madeline corrected. "You were looking for a house to buy in St. Louis. That's how you met Kelsey."
"Exactly. Unfortunately, family circumstances forced me to come to America and find a place here."
"Family circumstances?"
"My mother is very ill. One of the best doctors in America can be found here, I am told. I am hoping he shall be persuaded to help her."
"What's wrong with your mother?" Ben asked.
"We are uncertain," he said.
"Alexander told me that one doctor diagnosed her with a brain tumor, another with water on the brain. Several different doctors, several different opinions," Kelsey said in explanation. God help us both if they discover the truth.
"Oh, that is so sad," Mrs. Madison said with genuine sympathy. "I hope this doctor can help her."
"So do I," he said. If we can find one in time. Kelsey exchanged glances with him, and he knew she was thinking the same thing.
"How do like America so far?" Madeline asked.
"Very well," he said. "It is a most unusual place, though. All sorts of strange things that we do not see every day in England."
Kelsey smiled.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the table. Finally, Mrs. Madison asked, "What do you do for a living?"
"Do?"
"What job do you have? What do you work at?"
Alexander had known before what they were asking, and he was uncertain how to answer. He could not say that he did nothing, for he had learned that everyone in Kelsey's time did something. Her father was an attorney, her ex-husband was a businessman of some type, her sister was a biologist. Only Kelsey herself had no profession, and he had meant to ask her why. He had a feeling that it had something to do with her ex-husband.
"Do you do anything?" her mother asked, the tone of her voice suggesting something Alexander could only identify as disdain.
Kelsey wanted to groan. Alexander hadn't been able to think fast enough for her mother.
"I was just thinking of something," he said. "I am a professor."
"Oh, really? For what college?"
"Cambridge," he lied. "I teach British history."
"You do? How fascinating--I adore British history. Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria--" Madeline said.
"Jack the Ripper, Bloody Mary," Kelsey muttered. Her father chuckled.
Alexander was uncertain as to the identity of "Jack the Ripper," but he recognized the other names. "I was always fascinated myself by my nation's history. I still am."
"Why aren't you at school now?" Mrs. Madison asked.
"Because, Mom, his mother's sick. He's looking for a cure. He took a leave of absence," Kelsey said. "Why else wouldn't he be there?"
"I merely asked a question, Kelsey."
But all of your questions are never mere questions.
"My daughter tells me that you've known Kelsey for only a couple of days." Mrs. Madison clearly didn't believe it.
"Yes."
"I've never been to England, Mom," Kelsey said warningly.
"I didn't say you had, dear. She also told me that you accidentally came to the wrong house and Kelsey hit you in the head."
"That is correct, madam."
"How are you feeling?" The unexpected question threw Alexander off for a moment, and had it not been for the fact that she was still highly suspicious, he would have thought her concern genuine.
"I am over the ill effects of the blow."
"I'm glad to hear that. I don't know what got into Kelsey. Probably a moment of wildness or something."
"More like a fear for her life," Mr. Madison said before taking a bite of his potatoes. "She didn't know the man, Laura. As they've both said."
"Did you decide to buy the house?" Mrs. Madison steamrolled on, ignoring her husband.
"No. It was not suited to my needs."
"Where else are you looking?"
"I have been looking at places in...well, around."
"And so you're staying with my daughter."
"She has been very gracious in putting me up. I must confess that I am often a nuisance."
Kelsey shook her head, and with a private smile, looked at her plate.
"Did you happen to know her husband?"
Alexander set down his fork. "I think you misunderstand something, madam. Since I am a man who is more comfortable in dealing directly with things, I believe we should clear something up, for a grow tired of this game of cat and mouse."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Then let me make it clear. I have never met Kelsey's former husband, and from what I have sensed from others and Kelsey herself, I have no great desire to ever do so."
"Perhaps Emma should leave the room before you continue," Kelsey said.
"Nonsense, Kelsey. I see no reason why Emma shouldn't hear this. After all, there is nothing you can say about John that can hurt her," Mrs. Madison said.
Alexander noticed that Madeline gave her twin a sharp look, and Alexander knew that Madeline had full knowledge of the truth about her sister's marriage.
"Mom, I think Kelsey's right. Emma shouldn't hear--"
"Hear what?" Emma asked, her grey eyes bright. "What's wrong with Daddy?"
"Nothing, honey. Absolutely nothing," Mrs. Madison said. "I take it you haven't allowed John to see Emma since the divorce."
Kelsey nearly bit her tongue to keep from saying anything.
Alexander could not quite figure out this family. Madeline, he had noticed before dinner, was treated as though she were a precious gem by her mother, with a little indifference from her father. But the roles were reversed when it came to Kelsey.
They are identical twins, and yet they are treated so differently that they seem separate entities altogether. How different from home, where Mama and Father believed that equality was important.
What puzzled Alexander even more was how Kelsey was reacting to what her mother said. He recalled the furious banshee he had released by criticizing her for divorcing John. And yet here was her mother, accusing her of far worse things, and she said nothing.
"I refuse," Kelsey said quietly, "to discuss John with anyone unless my daughter is out of the room. Don't go near the subject again until she's gone."
Mrs. Madison looked as though she wanted to argue with her daughter, but the expression on her daughter's face indicated that she wasn't changing her mind.
Dinner conversation turned mundane by then, as Madeline quickly began talking about her upcoming wedding. The Geigers were clearly uncomfortable about the family squabble, so they kept talking to Madeline. Kelsey's father struck up a conversation with Emma about the chicken pox and then about school, while Kelsey, Alexander, and Mrs. Madison said very little.
When the meal was finished, Kelsey suggested that Emma go play with the old toys her grandmother kept around for when she visited. Emma wandered off. Mrs. Geiger volunteered to help clean the kitchen and Mr. Geiger soon followed her. Ben looked as though he wanted to join his parents, but he stayed behind with Madeline.
Kelsey wasn't about to let her mother start this conversation. It had been a long time coming.
"Mother," she said, "I don't know why you went from hating John when I married him to thinking him a saint, but you have."
"I came around, Kelsey. I changed my opinion. And clearly, you did too, or else you wouldn't have left him."
"I didn't leave him. I threw him out."
"And I could never understand why. He was a good provider, a wonderful father, a nice man."
"He was an unfaithful louse," Kelsey snapped, feeling a weight the size of a small boulder lift from her shoulders. "He cheated on me with Emma's babysitter, for God's sake. Did you expect me to forgive him for that? Daddy didn't do that to you, and yet you divorced him."
"Your father and I had nothing in common anymore. Why we divorced is irrelevant. At least we stayed together for you and Madeline."
"We would have been better off if you'd just divorced when we were younger."
"I can imagine how you could say such a thing. You were always a wild child. I had hoped becoming a mother yourself would change you."
"It did change me. But I swore that I would never stay with anybody just for Emma's sake, and I meant it."
"You think it's better that Emma see you living with a man you claim to barely know?"
Kelsey could have withstood anything her mother said--except insulting Alexander.
"Alexander Darcy is one of the finest men I've ever met," Kelsey said in a low voice. "He is a complete gentleman, an interesting man, and most importantly, I think he'll probably turn out to be a wonderful father for Emma if we ever decide to get married. Regardless of what you might think, Alexander and I are not sleeping together. I didn't know him before the divorce. And I don't think Emma is adversely affected by his presence in my life. If anything, she benefits."
Mrs. Madison said nothing. Kelsey continued, "You asked if I 'let' John see Emma. If he were to show up today, asking to exercise his visitation rights, I'd let her go. The fact is, he hasn't come to see her, not once. He's seen her twice since he left, once on her birthday and then only for an hour or two. He didn't see her when she was sick. I tried calling, but he never called back. He just didn't care. And yet this man is who you would rather have in your daughter's life."
"What do you know of Alexander Darcy?"
"I know that he's a warm, caring, giving man who would never hurt me or Emma like John did. A man who is willing to go through...hell and back to save his mother's life. A man who is hit in the head by a woman and yet doesn't hold it against her. A man who..." Kelsey looked at him, her eyes shining. "Who is funny and intelligent and...simply wonderful."
Alexander had wondered how Kelsey had felt about him, and had thought that she could not possibly love him.
But now, he was beginning to believe that she could. He smiled.
"And I think you owe him an apology for this debacle this afternoon."
Mrs. Madison looked a bit disgruntled, but she acknowledged her daughter's command and apologized to Alexander, which he accepted graciously.
"If you would excuse me...I think I'm needed in the kitchen," Mrs. Madison said, heading away from the group in the dining room.
"Way to go, kid," Josh Madison said, smiling. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go. I'll see you at the wedding Saturday, okay?"
"All right," Kelsey said, giving him a kiss. Madeline followed suit, and he left.
Ben walked out of the room to speak to his father about something, leaving Kelsey alone with Alexander and Madeline. She looked at her sister.
"You knew."
"I did. You see...John wasn't only interested in the baby-sitter."
Kelsey felt the blood drain from her face. Dear God...
"He came on to me once or twice, right after you'd been married. He said that you weren't interested in sex, and that maybe since we were so opposite in everything--he'd heard Mom's saying about identical twins, too--maybe I'd be the fiery one in bed." Madeline blushed. "I told him to go to hell. He told me never to say anything because..."
"We weren't speaking. He probably said that he'd tell me you'd come on to him, and that I'd believe him."
"Exactly."
"Oh, Maddie...I'm so sorry."
"No, it's not your fault. You just had the misfortune of marrying a real jerk. I'm glad to see that you've found someone a lot better." She smiled at Alexander.
"Thank you."
Madeline stood up as though she were about to leave when she thought of something. "You know, I never really held with Mom's notion of identical twins being different parts of things. You know that, right?"
"Right."
"I really hated the way she used to treat you, Kelse. But I knew that she'd never change. You knew that, too."
"Yeah. It just took me a lot longer to catch on."
Madeline nodded. She seemed to want to say something else before changing her mind. As she walked past Kelsey, she gave her a hug. She gave Alexander a hug as well, then went in search of Ben.
"Well," Kelsey said, "what do you think of my family?"
"I think we really should have had a longer talk about your ex-husband before today."
Kelsey gave him a grim smile. "We've already had enough unpleasantness today. Let's avoid it for a while."
He supposed that would be all right. In light of what had happened that afternoon, he proposed that they go shopping even though he would rather be hung by his fingernails. He was rewarded by the sight of Kelsey's smile when she agreed to the idea.
Chapter 16
It was easier than Kelsey expected to find a place that would exchange the English pounds given her by Darcy. Hoping that her luck would hold and they would still be open, she brought in about half of the money. The older man in charge of things calmly took her bag and began counting, but something must have caught his eye because he stopped suddenly.
"Miss...may I ask where you obtained these coins?"
Kelsey went cold. He wasn't about to accuse her of stealing them, was he? "Why?"
"Because I don't think we can exchange them. I don't think you'd want us to."
"Of course I want you to exchange them. That's why I brought them in here."
"You don't understand, miss. These coins are...well, perhaps not as valuable as some, but worth some money. More than the value they would have if they were present-day..."
Kelsey took a moment to realize what he was saying. I am such an idiot! Of course the money in the bag would be from the last century, and not this one! Was Alexander's father going to pay you in crisp, clean dollars from this century when he doesn't belong to it? "H-how much money do you these coins would collect?"
The man named a sum which sounded reasonable to Kelsey. "That sounds okay, to exchange that much money for the coins."
"No, miss. That would be how much one coin would bring. And some of these--especially in such excellent condition--would probably bring much more."
About one thousand pounds, he gave us...and it's going to turn out to be so much more...
"D-do you know where I could find a buyer for them?"
"Absolutely." He named off several places, recommending one in particular. "If you tell the lady that I sent you, she'll probably give you the best deal," he said.
"It's hard to believe that there are people who collect old coins," Kelsey said.
"A great many things astonish me in this world, dear." He smiled. "You never did tell me how you came by the coins."
"My...fiance's father willed it to him after he died. I don't think he knew how valuable it was." To say the least.
Thanking the man profusely, Kelsey collected the money and headed out of the store in a daze. Alexander sat in the car waiting for her, listening to Mozart. Kelsey slid into the car, placing the money in his lap.
"How much did the exchange bring us?" he asked.
"I don't know yet."
"What? He would not take our money?"
"No, he couldn't. Alexander...the money in that bag may not be the rarest of things on earth, but it's worth some money to collectors."
"People collect money? They do not spend it?"
"Oh, sure. They spend money that has...well, money has value. But they spend money from this time. Something from your time is worth more because it's older...like an antique."
"This is peculiar," he said.
"That's what I thought. Your father gave me that money which equaled a thousand pounds in your time. In this one, it's going to net us quite a bit more."
"How much more?"
"I think...something close to two or three hundred thousand dollars."
"Is that good?"
Kelsey smiled. "Oh, yes. It's very good."
"Then we shall have enough money to purchase me new clothing?"
"I think so."
"Excellent."
The woman who had been recommended to them happened to be open, and her eyes lit up at the coins Kelsey handed her. "This is most unusual," she said. "Why are you selling them? They'll probably go up in value."
Kelsey refused to tell her that they needed the money, for that might cause her to bring down what she'd be willing to pay. Instead, she said, "I don't collect, and neither does my fiancé. We thought it would be better to give them to someone who would appreciate them."
After receiving three thousand dollars for the few coins she brought in, Kelsey and Alexander headed to the mall.
"I still cannot believe that she gave you so much money for so little," Alexander said as Kelsey hunted for a parking space.
"Well, believe it. God, do you know what this means? I won't have to worry about expenses, or bills, or having to work--I can take day classes in the fall when Emma's in kindergarten." Kelsey suddenly stopped to let a car out, then took the empty spot. When she stopped the car, she said, "But..."
"What?"
"That's not really my money. That's yours. I lied to get it."
"Nonsense." He got out of the car. "You've given me much more than merely a horse and some spending money for London."
"But I don't think I should keep it all." They started walking to the entrance.
"It is yours. Consider it a gift for all you have done for me."
"What have I done for you? I doubted you, I yelled at you, I--"
"Cared for me and defended me to your mother. Now there is an end to the subject. You shall keep the money."
Kelsey smiled at his unbudging tone of voice. "There is a benefit for you as well, you know. Providing that we find what's wrong with your mother, we can now afford a doctor to take care of her."
"Have we decided how we are going to treat her?"
"I thought we had this morning. We decided that when we found out the cause of her illness, and there was a cure, that we would sneak her out of Pemberley and bring her here...and she could have the best medical care now. Money isn't a factor anymore."
"Of course. What about my father?"
"We'll leave him a note."
"Since you seem to have everything under control, all we have to do now is find out what is wrong with her and pray there is a cure." He opened the door for her with a smile.
"Exactly." Kelsey linked her arm through his and asked, "Where would you like to start first?"
Alexander sighed. "I suppose you would like to shop for smart bonnets and gown lengths and such."
"Hardly. I have plenty of clothes. We're here to get some things for you."
"Oh."
"And to look around."
"I see."
Kelsey led him past something she called a video arcade. When he said that he had never heard of such a place, she led him in. Teenagers seemed to make up the general populace of the store, and he saw no clerks anywhere.
"What is this place?" he asked.
"It's where kids hang out and have fun, play some games. Want to play one?"
"Uh...no, I do not believe so."
"C'mon! You have to play pinball, at least."
"Pinball?" he mouthed to himself as she led him to a large machine. She stuck two quarters in and punched a button. She then proceeded to play the game.
"What is the purpose of it?" he asked when she finished.
"To just have fun. To relax, concentrate. I used to be addicted to pinball when I was in high school. Your turn."
Kelsey stuck two more quarters into the machine and punched the button again. The lights on the machine suddenly lit up at him and a voice said, "Press your luck!"
"It's technology again, is not?" he asked.
"Mm-hmm. Pull this back." She pointed to a lever. He pulled it out, but held on to it. "Now let it go," she told him. He let go of it, and was confused when she said, "Keep your eye on the ball!"
So he did. And it slowly began to roll down to the other end.
"Now, push these buttons--they'll move the flippers. The point is to keep the ball from going into the hole and ending your game."
His game ended very quickly--he was so amazed by flashing lights and buzzers and such things that he had trouble keeping his eye on the ball.
"Interesting," he said. "May I play again?"
Kelsey laughed. "I knew it--I've made you an addict, too. Maybe we should do our shopping and then come back."
"All right," he said reluctantly. They left the arcade and started walking around.
"This reminds me of London," he said. "Shops everywhere. Except here, they are all in one building."
Kelsey walked him by a bookstore and he stopped suddenly. "So many books," he said. "And they are all so new." He stood, transfixed, in the window. "Amazing."
"They never had bookstores in England?" she asked, confused. Pemberley had a lovely library (or so she'd read). But when he turned his head back to her, his dark eyes were gleaming with laughter, and Kelsey crossed her arms. "You're joking."
"Yes, I am." He chuckled.
"Very funny, ha ha ha." But Kelsey laughed for real, shaking her head as they went past a Zales store.
"Let us stop a moment," he said.
"Maybe that's not a good idea," she said.
"Why? I would love to buy you something."
"I don't need any jewelry. I rarely wear any."
Alexander was tempted to argue, but decided not to. After all, she was right. Why waste their money on things which would not be used? His father could do such things, but he could not. So they passed by Zales.
She passed by several clothing shops which seemed to have nothing but women's clothes, occasionally stopping to admire something in a window display. He had been tempted to tell her to go in and buy something, especially when he had seen a beautiful aquamarine gown that he knew would look stunning on her. Yet she trudged on, not buying anything. He made a note of the store the dress was in, hoping to convince her to go back later.
They continued to walk around--a couple more book stores, some stores which sold electronic equipment, stores filled with nothing but candy--a most unusual thing for him. A store which sold nothing but little bottles and pamphlets--Kelsey told him that that was a health store. A store filled with female accessories.
"I am beginning to wonder if we shall ever find a men's store," he said.
"So am I, but I know it's here somewhere. I just haven't been there in quite a while. Ah! Here it is!" She stopped in front of a store with young men in the window, dressed in casual outfits.
"How do those people manage to stand so still?" he finally asked, having wanted to ask the question since they had passed the first store window. "It amazes me."
"They aren't real," Kelsey said. "They're mannequins."
"Mannequins?"
"Yeah. They're made in factories to look like men and women so that clothes can be put on them. Then they're put in windows like this one, so everyone can see the merchandise and go in and buy it. Just like we're going to do." Kelsey led him inside.
A salesman immediately came up to them. "Can I help you?" he asked politely.
"We're looking to buy a few outfits for this guy here. I don't really know what he'd like, so we're going to look for a little bit."
"Just let me know if you need anything," he said.
Kelsey thanked him and wandered around the store, looking at outfits and wondering how good Alexander would look in them.
"We shall need him to measure me for clothing," Alexander said.
"No, we don't. It's already made."
"Who knew my size?"
"No one did. I know John's size, which matches yours, so I know what you'll be able to wear and what you can't. The rest is just a matter of taste."
Alexander was confused, but refused to ask any more questions. Kelsey immediately chose several shirts she thought he would like, and before Alexander could ask if maybe he should be choosing the outfits he would be wearing, he realized that he rather liked the things she was picking out.
Before long, they had a nice big selection of clothes to wear. He tried on a few things, feeling ridiculous but knowing that she wanted him to do it, and finally made his decisions. When Kelsey went to pay for the clothes, Alexander gasped at the price.
"Are things this expensive?" he asked.
"No," she said. "Well, clothes are. But they'll wear well and last a long time. That's important."
After leading him on a merry dance through the rest of the mall, stopping only to let him try a slice of something she called pizza (divine, if a bit messy), they were about to leave when Alexander noticed that they had come back to the store with the aqua dress. Kelsey again looked at it, and finally, he said, "Let's get that."
"It doesn't come in your size," she replied.
"Very funny," he mimicked her. "That is for you, and we both know it. Come." He led her into the store, and before she could object, he had asked the saleslady to bring one out in Kelsey's size.
"She doesn't know my size," Kelsey said. The woman had already disappeared, and a minute later, returned with the dress--in Kelsey's size. "I should at least try it on. It might look bad on me."
"It shall look perfect and you know it," he replied. "We shall take it."
Kelsey paid for the dress, which Alexander carried as they left the store.
Kelsey put Emma to sleep, hoping she would stay there. Coming back down the stairs, she saw Alexander on the swing, staring out at the neighbors' yard. Two books lay at his side, one open to a page he had been reading when his attention had been caught by something.
"The maze isn't open tonight," she said.
"No, it is not. I do not think the cure can be found in these books," he said quietly.
"We're going to find it, Alexander. You have to believe it."
"I desperately want to believe it." He looked at her. "When you keep your hope, I do believe it."
Kelsey smiled, moving the books aside and sitting next to him. "You really do, don't you?"
"Of course."
Kelsey's smile faded and she said, "I think maybe it's time I told you everything about John."