Out of the Blue (A Regency Time Travel Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

handle the
introductions. I’m Pendelton—Marquess of Eastbourne—and this is my
very good friend, the Honorable Peregrine Walton. We’re both
perfectly harmless, I promise you. Tell me—who is this Mickey
Mouse?”
    He was the Marquess of Eastbourne? Sure, and
she was Madonna. Who is Mickey Mouse? What a silly question.
Were these guys brought here from some time warp or something?
Cassandra pulled the greatcoat more closely around her, Perry’s
avid stare making her feel decidedly underdressed. Was it her
imagination, or had the temperature dropped thirty degrees?
    “Thank you. My name is Kelley. Cassandra
Kelley,” she answered at last, believing she owed them at least
that much.
    Perry seemed to relax. “Irish, huh. That
explains a lot. At least I guess it does. Never did know an
Irishman that made a drop of sense, unless he was in his cups.”
    Cassandra gave the man a dirty look, then
carefully hid her Irish temper. “I—I think I’d like to leave now,
if you don’t mind,” she said, taking a step, terribly aware that
she was all alone in the small room with two very strangely dressed
men. “Miss Smithers will be missing me.”
    Marcus took a step as well, blocking her way.
“Miss Smithers? Is she your chaperon, Miss Kelley? I’d like to meet
her.”
    “My chaperon? Miss Smithers?” Cassandra
laughed. “Hardly. She’s a retired librarian from somewhere in
Nebraska. No, I just met her today. Now, please, step aside.”
    “Nebraska? Precisely where in Ireland is
that, Marcus, do you know? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the
place.” Perry, who had also taken a step forward, sighed, bent his
head, and returned to his original spot. “I know, I know—‘shut up,
Perry.’ I have to tell you, Marcus, this isn’t the most jolly time
you’ve ever shown me, stap me if it ain’t. As a matter of fact, I
might just go wait in the coach.”
    “Do that, Perry,” Marcus said silkily.
    “ Don’t do that, Perry,” Cassandra
warned quickly, grabbing at the man’s arm and nearly dislodging the
torch as he shrank from her touch, “at least not without me. I,
too, should like to wait in the coach. You do mean a bus, don’t
you? Is it a double-decker? I just arrived in London late last
night and haven’t had a chance to ride in one yet.”
    Did this Marcus, this mar quess or
whatever he called himself, really believe she was going to stay in
this dank room while his buddy, who seemed relatively harmless,
took off? Right. Sure. She could see the headlines now: STUPID
AMERICAN RAPED IN WHITE TOWER. No, thank you—not this stupid
American!
    Marcus held out his arm to block her way to
the steps. “Not yet, I think, Miss Kelley. I have a few questions
for you first.”
    Cassandra was getting angry. All right, so
she had broken a rule. Big deal. Cervantes couldn’t have had this
much trouble with the whole of the Spanish Inquisition. Taking off
the greatcoat, she threw it straight in Marcus’s face. “Now, look,
Mark, or whatever your name is, fun’s fun and all that, but I want
to leave now. I’m not entirely helpless, you know. I walk the
streets of Manhattan alone. It’s easy, you just walk with your head
up and carry a big purse.” She lifted her purse from her shoulder.
“See? Big purse. Big, heavy purse. I have mace in here.
Don’t make me do something we’ll both regret. Either arrest me or
let me go—but either way, I’m outta here .”
    “No, I don’t think so, Miss Kelley,” Marcus
told her quietly and with enough conviction to make her long to
choke him. “Not just yet. If you dare to step outside in those
clothes, you’ll either be hauled off to the nearest guardhouse or
dragged away to Bedlam in your very own strait-waistcoat. Besides,
you need me. We may need each other. I have been working on a
scientific theory for quite some time now, and I think you may just
have proved it. Humor me for a moment, if you please, my dear, and
then I may allow you to leave. Tell me—what