My Heart Stood Still by Lynn Kurland (best book club books of all time .TXT) 📕

"Scandalous," she muttered as she tugged on the zipper.

A blue sweater pleased her eye. She looked at the shoes, then decided that perhaps since the floors of the inn were laid with tapestries, there was no need for anything on her feet. She dragged her hands through her hair, considered using a brush, then decided 'twas futile. She turned toward her chamber door. Dinner awaited her. Dinner with souls from the Future. Mayhap with new clothing, the other diners wouldn't gape at her so fiercely.

She had scarce descended the steps when the front door blew open and several people tumbled in. The wind gusted enough that it took the two men there to heave the door to.

"Damn it, Helen," the elder of the men grumbled, "why is it always raining here?"

"It's England, dear. I like the rain. Don't you, Gideon?"

The younger man smiled, and Iolanthe couldn't help but admit that he was very handsome. "Aye, Mum," he said, giving the older of the two women a peck on the cheek. "It makes things quite green. Don't you agree, darling?"

Iolanthe looked at the younger of the two women and found that she had quite suddenly lost her breath. It didn't matter that the woman looked as much like Thomas as a woman could and still be beautiful. Her red hair had been much abused by the wind and stood out in all directions. Her cheeks were just as red, and her green eyes were damp, apparently from enduring the inclement weather.

But it was her smile that Iolanthe couldn't look away from. When she looked at that smile, she saw Thomas.

And for some reason, that made something inside her shift, like her heart settling into place.

Home.

"Iolanthe!"

Iolanthe found herself immediately embraced by that same red-haired woman, who was laughing and crying at the same time. She was jumping up and down as she hugged Iolanthe hard enough to render her breathless. Iolanthe closed her eyes and heard the faintest voice of a memory come back to her. Megan.

When the woman realized that Iolanthe wasn't hopping up and down as well, she pulled back with a puzzled expression on her face. "Iolanthe?"

Iolanthe closed her eyes briefly, then looked at Thomas's sister. "Megan," she croaked.

Megan burst into another smile. "You remembered! You remembered me! When Thomas called yesterday and told me what he'd done, I just couldn't wait to come see you. I'm so happy for you!"

Her man, perhaps he was her husband, put his hand on her shoulder and smiled. "How do you do?" he said with the crisp tones she'd come to associate with most of the people in the inn. "I'm Megan's husband, Gideon, though I don't suppose she talked about me all that much the last time she was here."

Iolanthe looked at Megan. "You were here?"

Megan smiled. "About a month ago. But that was before ..." She looked up behind Iolanthe, and her smile returned. "Thomas, she remembered me!"

Iolanthe turned to see Thomas standing halfway down the stairs, looking as stunned as she felt.

"What," he managed in a strangled voice, "are you guys doing here?"

"Megan made us come," the older man grumbled. "We're scouting out the place for Christmas. Can't understand why we'd want to, but there it is."

Iolanthe surmised that this was Thomas's father. He looked a bit like him, and when Thomas crossed the entry-way to embrace the older man, she knew she was right. Thomas embraced his mother, shook Gideon's hand, then swept Megan off her feet in a crushing hug. Iolanthe found herself feeling immediately and thoroughly out of place.

Until, that is, Megan slung her arm around her shoulders and kept her from fleeing.

"Mom, Dad, this is Iolanthe. She's a friend of mine."

"And mine," Thomas put in pointedly.

Megan waved him away. "Yeah, yeah, and who went shopping with her for the first time? We bonded over Keds. What have you done for her?"

Iolanthe opened her mouth to protest, then realized Megan was teasing her brother. She decided that perhaps it would behoove her to keep silent and see how things played out. She would have gladly escaped back upstairs, but Megan seemed determined to keep her nearby.

She suffered through discreetly speculative looks from Thomas's parents, then found herself taken in hand by both Thomas's mother and his sister while the men dealt with the gear.

It was a miserable evening. She couldn't believe that Thomas's parents weren't burning with questions they didn't dare ask. Judging by the looks Megan was giving her, Megan had already had many of her questions answered and Iolanthe had to wonder by whom.

Perhaps by her own self?

A month ago?

The thought of trying to work that out gave her pains in the head. Apparently she had known Megan before—or was that after? If Megan's words were true, Thomas had called her the day before and told her of his successful journey. But none of that soothed Iolanthe. To be faced so inescapably by her past that was in reality perhaps her future was almost more than she could take. By the time dinner was over, and the family had retreated to the sitting chamber, she thought she would weep if she didn't have some air.

Thomas grabbed her hand before she entered.

"Be back in a minute," he said to the occupants, then shut the door. He looked down at Iolanthe. "I had no idea they were coming."

She squirmed miserably. "Thomas—"

"I only called Megan to tell her I was back."

" 'Tis fine—"

"I couldn't not tell her that you were okay."

"Thomas, 'tis nothing. She didn't grieve me."

"But my parents and their intense desire to pry into your life probably did." He smiled down at her, but it was a pained smile. "How about a walk in the garden to clear our heads? I'll go grab our coats and your shoes."

She nodded, grateful for the reprieve. Thomas returned, helped her into her coat, put her shoes on her feet like a servant, then walked with her through the dining chamber, through the kitchen, and out into the