had gone insane. That the stress had gotten to me, the guilt and shame, making me...see things. I’m known as the town’s loon now for telling everyone I was from the future.”
Erva swallowed and looked down at her perfectly matching maroon silk gloves. “I’m sorry. That must have been horrible.”
Meredith snorted a laugh simultaneously more tears pooled in her eyes. “I deserved it. I deserve worse.”
Erva’s light blonde brows puckered. She took a big breath and removed her riding bonnet, revealing bright blue hair. It was in a style worn by the ladies of 1880s, caught up in a chignon of curls, but it was freaking blue. And looked lovely on Minerva.
“I like your hair.” Meredith covered her lips with her hand, angry with herself for saying anything other than an apology.
Erva smiled that beautiful, breathtaking grin of hers. “Thanks. I like it too.” She walked close to the one small table of Meredith’s. “May we sit? Keep talking?”
Meredith didn’t know whether she could be so close to Erva, so scared of—well, Erva already knew Meredith was a liar, a thief, a scoundrel of the worst sort, the very worst of humanity, so what more could it hurt if she sat close to her? Swallowing her dread, Meredith flung off her cloak, folded it neatly on the chair in front of her, then took the seat opposite Erva.
“Would you like something to drink?”
That was said by Erva. She was trying to make Meredith feel more comfortable. But it stung that her guest had to remind her of her manners. God, she’d turned into a wolf with her etiquette, Meredith chided herself once more.
“Tea?” Meredith finally asked. “I’m sorry. I don’t have coffee.”
Erva’s amber eyes widened. “But you love coffee. I had to run across campus to get you your soy latte almost everyday.”
Meredith couldn’t stand to look at Erva then. The affirmation of what a bitch she’d been tore through her. Why had she been so demanding of Erva, making her run around fetching coffee? What had she been thinking? Meredith wasn’t the kind of woman who made others do her bidding. She’d never planned on being a tyrant.
Meredith knew she hadn’t been thinking when she’d been Erva’s supervisor for her PhD. She hadn’t been thinking at all. She’d only been hurting.
“I’m sorry,” Meredith whispered to a swirly grain in the wood of her table.
Erva sighed. “I, believe it or not, didn’t come here to rake you over the coals.”
“You could though.” Meredith couldn’t talk very loud, although she probably should. “It’s merited.”
“Jeez, Meredith, what happened to you?”
Meredith looked up, wondering about the question.
Erva slightly shook her head, staring at Meredith with incredulity. “I—I prepared to talk to a different woman. The woman who accused me of calling this perfect cabin small, that’s who I came here to talk to. The woman who made me run her errands, teach her classes, and kept holding my dissertation back, not letting me obtain my PhD. That’s who I came here to talk to.
“My husband and I spent hours role playing, so I could do this, talk to you. He wanted to be here—”
“You’re married now?” The familiar sting of envy cut into Meredith, breaking her heart and all her bones.
“Yes.” Erva’s smile appeared once more, and she beamed down at an emerald ring on her left hand. “Yes, I’m married now.” She glanced up again, trying to control her obvious joy. “I can tell you, since you’re here having your own glimpse that I—I met my dissertation, Lord General William Hill. He—we fell in love. And we—”
“He’s alive?”
Erva’s sunbeam of a smile brightened. “Yes. He lives with me now. We didn’t get to know each other very well before we married. I’m finding all sorts of weird things about him, like why he can’t clean one area of the sink that has all his whiskers. He really can’t seem to see that area, and it drives me nuts. But I’m sure I
Erva swallowed and looked down at her perfectly matching maroon silk gloves. “I’m sorry. That must have been horrible.”
Meredith snorted a laugh simultaneously more tears pooled in her eyes. “I deserved it. I deserve worse.”
Erva’s light blonde brows puckered. She took a big breath and removed her riding bonnet, revealing bright blue hair. It was in a style worn by the ladies of 1880s, caught up in a chignon of curls, but it was freaking blue. And looked lovely on Minerva.
“I like your hair.” Meredith covered her lips with her hand, angry with herself for saying anything other than an apology.
Erva smiled that beautiful, breathtaking grin of hers. “Thanks. I like it too.” She walked close to the one small table of Meredith’s. “May we sit? Keep talking?”
Meredith didn’t know whether she could be so close to Erva, so scared of—well, Erva already knew Meredith was a liar, a thief, a scoundrel of the worst sort, the very worst of humanity, so what more could it hurt if she sat close to her? Swallowing her dread, Meredith flung off her cloak, folded it neatly on the chair in front of her, then took the seat opposite Erva.
“Would you like something to drink?”
That was said by Erva. She was trying to make Meredith feel more comfortable. But it stung that her guest had to remind her of her manners. God, she’d turned into a wolf with her etiquette, Meredith chided herself once more.
“Tea?” Meredith finally asked. “I’m sorry. I don’t have coffee.”
Erva’s amber eyes widened. “But you love coffee. I had to run across campus to get you your soy latte almost everyday.”
Meredith couldn’t stand to look at Erva then. The affirmation of what a bitch she’d been tore through her. Why had she been so demanding of Erva, making her run around fetching coffee? What had she been thinking? Meredith wasn’t the kind of woman who made others do her bidding. She’d never planned on being a tyrant.
Meredith knew she hadn’t been thinking when she’d been Erva’s supervisor for her PhD. She hadn’t been thinking at all. She’d only been hurting.
“I’m sorry,” Meredith whispered to a swirly grain in the wood of her table.
Erva sighed. “I, believe it or not, didn’t come here to rake you over the coals.”
“You could though.” Meredith couldn’t talk very loud, although she probably should. “It’s merited.”
“Jeez, Meredith, what happened to you?”
Meredith looked up, wondering about the question.
Erva slightly shook her head, staring at Meredith with incredulity. “I—I prepared to talk to a different woman. The woman who accused me of calling this perfect cabin small, that’s who I came here to talk to. The woman who made me run her errands, teach her classes, and kept holding my dissertation back, not letting me obtain my PhD. That’s who I came here to talk to.
“My husband and I spent hours role playing, so I could do this, talk to you. He wanted to be here—”
“You’re married now?” The familiar sting of envy cut into Meredith, breaking her heart and all her bones.
“Yes.” Erva’s smile appeared once more, and she beamed down at an emerald ring on her left hand. “Yes, I’m married now.” She glanced up again, trying to control her obvious joy. “I can tell you, since you’re here having your own glimpse that I—I met my dissertation, Lord General William Hill. He—we fell in love. And we—”
“He’s alive?”
Erva’s sunbeam of a smile brightened. “Yes. He lives with me now. We didn’t get to know each other very well before we married. I’m finding all sorts of weird things about him, like why he can’t clean one area of the sink that has all his whiskers. He really can’t seem to see that area, and it drives me nuts. But I’m sure I
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