Free Forgotten Time (Ravenhurst Series, #1) A New Adult Time Travel Romance by Lorraine Beaumont Page B

to look out. The drape was heavy, much like the fabric on the bed, probably velvet, she guessed. Her hand was sweating. She wiped it on the folds of the curtain, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
    The glass felt heavy in her hand. She drained the contents, while peering out into the darkened night. It was black as pitch. There were no lights on the horizon that normally lit up some parts of the night sky. That was odd.
    When she arrived with Ned, there were lights everywhere. She especially enjoyed the view of the village in the distance, like twinkling stars in the night. She looked up at the sky, and saw not a cloud in sight. That was odd. Something was definitely very, very wrong with this entire situation.
    She released the curtain and walked over to the desk, setting her glass down on the polished surface of the wood. A copy of the Scientific Journal dated over one hundred years ago lay open. It looked as if it was printed earlier this month. Turning a few of the pages, she noted in this particular copy, that steam locomotives had recently been invented.
    She cleared her throat, looking cautiously towards his back. He was still turned towards the fire, but she had a feeling he knew exactly where she was the entire time. “So what are your feelings on the new steam locomotive systems?” she asked, expecting him to laugh, saying it happened a hundred years ago.
     
    Sebastian turned around. It was not every day a woman wanted to discuss such marvels. He turned fully, warming to the subject. “I see you have found the journal. It is all quite fascinating, really. Imagine using steam to traverse all over the countryside. Oh, I and many others have great hopes for the future of this new form of transportation…”
     
    He continued, but she stopped listening. She didn’t need to, not after having seen firsthand the expression of excitement that lit up his face as he spoke with such unbridled emotion about traversing the countryside in a … train . A train ? Good Lord what would he do if she asked about a plane? Katherine gulped air, trying to pull it into her lungs as she walked in a trance-like state over to the bookcase. Rows of leather embossed books with gilded pages lined the shelves. She looked inside one book, hoping it said Easton Press , or something similar. That was not the case though; each book she pulled out had an even earlier copyright than the last, all before the nineteen hundreds. Some even had Roman Numerals which predated copyrights and yet, they looked as new as the hundred year old Scientific Journal she had just read. All of the books were in impeccable condition. No yellowing, no spine damage, not even an earmark. 
    The more she looked at the things in the room, the more unsettled she became. The house may have been historically accurate, but shouldn’t there have been something from the modern day around the room? Or in the room where she was staying, somewhere? Nothing even remotely came close to modern day conveniences. The longer she thought about it, the stronger her unease grew.
    Everything was from the past. Looking across the room at him, leaning against the mantel, she knew somehow that he was not from modern day either. His look, mannerisms, choice of words, and everything about him were gentle reminders of a forgotten time.
    She grabbed the desk to brace herself, the burled mahogany a vibrant orange. She ran her hand across the polished wood. It was perfect as well, not even a ding, dent or scratch marring the surface. Which was almost impossible on a piece this old, it had to be a reproduction, even though, somehow, she knew it wasn’t.
    Her face felt flushed and hot.  Her legs wobbly, like they wanted to give out. She pulled herself along the desk, holding on as she made her way back to the sideboard. She took a breath while she poured a drink. Mindful of his watchful eyes, she downed it in one gulp. She repeated the process again. She didn’t care, not one wit. It was either that or