All Chapters of Esmerelda Sleuth: The Journal (Book 4): Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I was surprised at how tired I was.  Rather than give my body fuel to pursue activities for the afternoon, (like hunting down my rotten brother-in-law, Jason, and wringing his neck for promising my parents to that demon lord) I felt all the more exhausted after eating the light fare.  I attributed it to the fact that my body simply didn’t appreciate the way I’d transitioned from one time zone to another without the use of a portal.  As with all dis-ease of the body, my remedy was to rest.  So, I allowed myself the luxury of going back to sleep.Since the heavy drapes were kept drawn to keep out the afternoon sun’s burning rays, I had no idea of the time when Lance finally settled his lean, sexy form on the bed next to me and gently kissed me awake.“You have slept the day away, my love,” he cooed.Rubbing my eyes and giving a long, loud yawn, I asked, “What time is it?”“It is dinner time

The next few days were long and arduous.  Matters of business on the plantation kept Lance occupied more than either of us had anticipated.  Left to my own devices, I did my best to root around for information on where my nasty brother-in-law was keeping himself so that I could wring his neck and then send him back to Marduke to call off the deal that he never should have made in the first place. The days were long and hot.  Were it not for the anticipation of enjoying the throes of passion with my husband at the end of them, I questioned if I’d survive my stay without going crazy.  It’s funny how a world that I found so fascinating during my first visit had shifted to something that I resented and, in some ways, abhorred.  I resented the clothing that I was forced to wear, the lack of modern amenities such as air conditioning and lattes, the way I had to be on top of my game at all times and not slip with my mode of speech and the f

Even though I was tired from travel and the stress of discovering that my pseudo parents from the future were visiting my biological parents in the past, sleep eluded me.  I was haunted by the way my parents and uncle reacted to Sophie’s mentioning of Elsbeth.  My gut told me that there was a family secret concerning my aunt that they didn’t want me to know.  What could it be?Easing my body out of bed, I lit the lantern on the small nearby table.  It provided lighting for only a fraction of my surroundings. I wanted more lighting.  Heaving a sigh and longing for electricity, I lowered the chandelier in the center of the room.  Wrinkling my nose at the smell that the many candles that the chandelier held gave off, I took shallow breaths as I carefully lit them. My parents used a more modern paraffin candle in the public rooms,  but since tallow was easier to come by and, therefore, less costly, the private family rooms were stock

When the world returned to me, I was stretched out on the parlor sofa with my aunt Sophie mopping at my forehead with a cool cloth.“If there is one thing I do not miss and am happy to be free of, it is those damnable corsets,” she complained. “This child has a perfect figure.  She has no need for such contraptions.  They are horribly unhealthy.”“They are part of our world, sister dear,” my mother said in a soft voice.“I don’t know,” Nora said as she swirled her skirts while entering the room.  “I feel a bit like a princess in this outfit.”“We’ll see how you feel in a few hours,” I muttered as I struggled to sit up. “Wait until the heat of the day hits you.”Nora gave me a sympathetic look as she seated herself in a nearby chair.  “Are you feeling better?”“What are you doing here?” I asked as my head

It was dinnertime before Nora lifted her head off the pillow and joined the living. I’d rested only briefly beside her before seeking out my father to converse with him about what we might do to rescue Killian.Whether Anton told him or he simply guessed by my behavior, I wasn’t certain and I didn’t bother to ask.    Whatever the reason, my father was aware that Killian and I had a relationship that went deeper than simple friendship.  To my relief, he didn’t lecture me about being unfaithful to my husband as I’d anticipated with dread.  He did, however, explain in depth how, because of the fact that very few socialites married for love, taking a lover was quite normal and acceptable as long as the relationship was not made public.  Although a good deal of married couples were actually open with their spouse about the fact that they had extra-marital interests, he didn’t feel Lance would be pleased