The Girl Who Stepped Into The Past
by Sophie Barnes
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Genres: Adult, Time-Travel, Murder Mystery, Romance
James Sullivan, Earl of Camden, is convinced Jane had something to do with his sister’s murder. Until he learns she lacked the ability to accomplish the feat. Still, her explanation about stopping by his home in the middle of a rainstorm to seek employment, doesn’t add up. And yet, when he offers her the position she supposedly seeks, he discovers the smart resourceful woman she is. Which makes him wonder if marrying his new maid, might be worth the risk of scandal.
Hastening
down the steps to the gravel path below, Jane ignored the gathering clouds now
obscuring the sun and the increasing chill in the air. Instead, she all but ran
toward the man-made ruin, not halting until she was able to reach out and touch
one of the fallen columns. She snapped another picture and admired the work. It
would have provided the Summervale residents and their guests with a very
romantic destination for their afternoon walks. Perhaps the earl had taken a
young lady here to declare his feelings for her? Jane knew he’d never married,
and yet she could not help but wonder.
Her
chest tightened in a puzzling way she could not explain. Recognizing the
feeling, the surge of envy that clawed its way through her, she cast the
thought aside. What on earth was wrong with her? What reasonable woman would
feel any jealousy for a potentially fictitious girl who’d lived in a different
century than herself?
Shaking
her head, Jane started back toward the manor. Her breakup with Geoffrey had obviously
affected her more than she’d thought. Because here she was, visiting an English
manor and falling for a man from a bygone age – a man she didn’t even know
anything about.
A
drop of water fell on her hand, then another as she turned to snap some more
photos of the folly, and another still as she put her phone back in her purse.
Before she knew it, the clouds were spitting with increased fury until they
suddenly split apart, drenching her in seconds.
Where
on earth was the sunny sky from an hour ago? It seemed unfathomable for a
climate to change this drastically in such short time, but apparently it had,
so rather than ponder the impossibility of it, Jane started to run. Her flats
hit the gravel, crunching it beneath her feet as she darted straight for the
terrace. It was going to be a long walk back to the village if this rain
persisted, but perhaps the manor had a cafeteria where she could stop for a hot
cup of tea until it passed.
She
was almost at the steps, water streaking over her head, when a crack of
lightning tore through the air, the silver-blue glow spearing the ground before
her. Gasping, Jane came to a halt. Then a bellowing rumble descended upon her.
It was followed by a thunderous roar that propelled her forward once more and
with such great haste that the tip of her shoe caught the edge of the step and
she tripped. Another flare of lightning lit the sky and flickered across the
terrace as Jane went down, dropping her purse in order to break her fall with
her hands. And then the world exploded with light, and Jane bent her head to
brace herself against the thrashing wind.
The
stone slabs were cold and wet beneath her palms, and her knee ached in response
to the hard landing it had endured. With droplets of water sliding rapidly over
her face, Jane waited until the storm had eased a little, then rose and bent to
pick up her purse. But it was gone. She blinked, searching the steps but
finding nothing. Perhaps it had fallen into one of the flowerbeds? She started to
go and look when lightning zigzagged its way through the air before her, and
she hastily turned away with a new thought in mind. She would seek shelter
first and look for her purse later. Because if there was one thing she didn’t
plan on doing, it was getting struck by lighting and dying on the steps of
Summervale House.
So
she started back up the steps with the skirt of her dress tangling around her
legs, impeding her progress. Darkness descended once more, resembling night
rather than day and obstructing Jane’s vision. Still, she continued forward, so
eager to get inside that she almost tripped once again, this time over the body
blocking her path.
With
a jolt, her heart slammed against her chest. A chill pricked her skin. Dear
God. Was that..? She swallowed hard, rain streaking over her hair and shoulders
as she stared down at the twisted limbs. The glow of occasional lightning
eerily highlighted details: an expensive gown draped over a female form, long
hair spread out on the shimmering granite slabs, a face Jane had seen only a
short while earlier.
No.
It can’t be.
And
yet, she recognized Lady Tatiana’s appearance immediately, the blood pooling
close to her neck as real as the wetness numbing Jane’s bones. Shouts sounded
from inside the manor. They were followed by the thud of footsteps approaching
at a rapid run. The French doors flew open and several people appeared. Jane
stared, her attention now fixed on the man who marched toward her. His face
conveyed his fury, the rage he would no doubt unleash upon her at any second.
It bore no semblance at all to the charming expression conveyed in his portrait.
Although
her mind struggled to accept the reality of it, Jane knew who he was in an
instant. Not an actor, but the actual Earl of Camden himself, in all his
aristocratic glory.
“I will
have you hanged for this,” he snarled while glaring down at her upturned face.
Jane
flinched. “What?” She’d been so dazed by the strangeness of the situation in
which she found herself, her mind attempting to comprehend it – to logically
explain it – she’d forgotten about Tatiana and how her own presence would
likely be construed.
“Who
are you?” Camden demanded while two other people remained a few steps behind
him. His hands gripped Jane’s arms, shaking her slightly as if to force her to
speak. And yet, in spite of his obvious hatred toward her in that precise
moment, she could not help but appreciate his strength. Which was probably the
most useless thing for her to be thinking about at the moment.
“I’m…”
Jane stared at him through the falling rain. This wasn’t possible. It simply
wasn’t. And yet the evidence was in Tatiana’s lifeless body, the blood, and the
very real earl who addressed her. “What date is it?”
Camden’s
brow knit with obvious frustration. “Are you mad?” She shook her head and his
grip on her tightened. Turning, he addressed one of the men behind him. “Take
her to my study, Hendricks. Keep an eye on her until I arrive.”
Without
further ado, Jane was handed over and led away. If she had indeed been
transported back to 1818, she dared not think of what might be in store for
her. Tatiana’s murder had never been solved, the villain never found, yet Jane
was now the prime suspect, and she had no idea how she was going to change that
without convincing everyone here that she belonged in Bedlam.
About Sophie Barnes
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Thank you so much for being part of the tour!
Thank you so much for participating in the tour!
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