Andrew looked cautiously around him. He knew he was still on the church porch, but he also knew he was in the twenty-first century, not his own. The porch looked much as it had in his time, but beyond it was very different. Where there had been a broad churchyard opening up from the front doors, now there was a paved sidewalk that was separated from a main street only by a narrow strip of grass. The huge old maple tree that had once shaded the church was long gone, sacrificed to the building of the roadway.
In all the years that he had followed Faith’s Beacon into the future, he had always found her at that one place on his property where there was a grove of trees in his time and a house in hers. Finding himself in her time at this moment, in this place, was unexpected—and a problem.
Time was short. At this very moment Colonel Bradley might be whisking Mary Elizabeth away to some location from which Andrew would be unable to rescue her. He almost turned and walked back into the church, but he hesitated. Perhaps this was the opportunity he needed. What better place to hide Mary Elizabeth for a few hours than in the future where none of her pursuers could follow? He took stock of the current situation and made his plans.
Cars were parked on the side of the road in front of the church. He didn’t recognize the vehicles, but he did know the people standing near them. At the base of the stairs leading down from the church doors Daniel Hamilton and a stranger were standing near Chloe Hamilton. Though the stranger was casually dressed, Daniel was wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt, and blue tie, what Faith called business attire. He had his hands on his hips and he looked annoyed. But then, as far as Andrew knew, the man was always annoyed. Despite his concern about what was happening on his side of the Beacon, he grinned to himself. His arrival was sure to take Daniel’s irritation and raise it to incendiary levels. Good.
Opposite Daniel, Chloe was frowning, lips pursed as she listened to something Daniel was saying. She was wearing what Faith called a pantsuit, made from some kind of light material. The trousers were a warm cream color, the blouse, a lovely sea green. The jacket matched the trousers and was buttoned at her waist. It draped over her hips and created a professional look. Her frown deepened and she shook her head. Whatever Chloe and Daniel were arguing about, she wasn’t giving an inch. Probably part of the reason for Daniel’s frustration.
On the other side of the sidewalk, Cody was leaning against one of the vehicles watching the argument. His arm was around Faith’s waist and she was leaning against him, her head on his shoulder as she watched her parents bicker. Liz was standing on the sidewalk, halfway between the two camps. Her expression was worried. All three of the younger generation were dressed in a semi-casual style, Cody in slacks and a front buttoned shirt, Faith and Liz in summer dresses.
It was Cody who noticed him first. He straightened and said something to Faith, who looked up, beyond the battlers, to the church doors. Her eyes lit with pleasure, then she glanced at Daniel and bit her lip. She said something to Cody and he grinned.
Andrew decided it behooved him to take charge of the situation. Fortune had dropped an opportunity into his lap, but he didn’t have a lot of time, or he might lose Mary Elizabeth forever. “Well met, family!” he said, pitching his voice so that it carried over Daniel’s quarrelsome tones. He ran lightly down the stairs onto the sidewalk.
“What the devil are you doing here?” Daniel said. He glared at Andrew, then his eyes widened as he looked at the stranger beside him. “My apologies, Reverend. I wasn’t speaking to you, but to this disreputable…relative of my wife’s.”
“Honestly, Daniel,” Chloe said wrinkling her nose. “Stop being so critical. And I’m not your wife anymore.”
Clearly Daniel had irritated Chloe even more than he usually did. Andrew turned to face the minister. He was a young man with a thick head of dark hair. His thin face was adorned by dark rimmed glasses that added a studious look to his expression, but there was a kindness in his eyes that gave Andrew a good feeling. Perhaps he would be of some use in this crisis.
The minister was more casually dressed than the others, wearing a front button shirt, open at the collar, and a pair of blue jeans. If Daniel hadn’t identified him as a man of the cloth, Andrew would never have realized he was one. People in Faith’s time dressed considerably less formally than in his own. He bowed politely and said, “Good afternoon, Reverend. I am Andrew Byrne, a relative of Miss Faith’s. It is my pleasure to meet you.”
The minister blinked and studied Andrew, who realized the man must be wondering about his clothes—riding coat, brocade waistcoat, linen shirt with ruffles at the wrists and an ornately tied neck cloth, breeches and riding boots—all so very different from the minister’s own apparel. But he smiled and held out his hand. “Taylor Aiken. Nice to meet you, Byrne. That’s an old family name around here. There was an Andrew Byrne who fought in the Revolution with my ancestor, Ronald Aiken.”
“Bloody hell,” Daniel muttered. “The fat’s in the fire now.”
“Daniel!” Chloe said, a warning in her voice.
“Fought in the Revolution, you say?” Andrew allowed himself to be distracted from his primary purpose. The word revolution implied an attempt to overthrow a government, a successful attempt to overthrow a government. Could it be that the demands of his fellow colonists had escalated from seeking changes in their current system to breaking away from Great Britain completely?
A thrill raced through him. Taylor Aiken used the word as a proper noun, the name of an event; one which everyone but Andrew was so familiar with, it didn’t need explaining. Revolution. Separation from Britain. When would it happen?
Unaware of the questions his comment had roused, Taylor nodded and said, “He did. They were together at—”
“What’s that awful smell?” Daniel said loudly.
Andrew shot him an annoyed look. Daniel was once again doing his best to make sure Andrew received no clues to his future.
The Reverend Aiken broke off politely at Daniel’s interjection. Cody nudged Faith and they left the car to join Andrew and the others. Liz came with them. When they were all assembled, Daniel pointed at Andrew and said, “It’s him.”
“It’s his horse, Dad. Andrew must have come from riding.” Faith leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Welcome, Andrew. In case you haven’t guessed, we’re here tonight to discuss the wedding with Taylor.”
Such informality. So strange to hear a man of the cloth referred to by his first name, with no indication of his rank or title. Andrew liked it. “I will not intrude then. However,” he hesitated. “I find myself in something of a bother.”
“A bother?” Taylor said. He looked like he’d never heard the term.
“When are you not,” said Daniel, with a lift of his brow.
Andrew ignored him, focusing on Faith instead. “I need to visit.”
“Now?” Faith asked, frowning.
Andrew nodded. “And I need to bring a guest.”
“Mary Elizabeth!” Liz breathed. Her eyes were wide. She glanced at her mother. “But is that possible?”
Chloe frowned too. “It is, but it’s difficult. Andrew, is it Mary Elizabeth you want to bring to the fu—with you?”
He nodded. “If I do not she will be lost to me forever.”
“Is this an elopement?” Taylor asked. “Or an escape?” He was frowning now too.
“Why do you ask?” Daniel said, fixing a penetrating gaze on the reverend.
Taylor shrugged. “It’s odd. My ancestor, Ronald Aiken, left diaries. I’ve been studying them with the thought of writing a history of his involvement in the Revolution. He talked about his friend Andrew Byrne who was in love with a Mary Elizabeth Strand. She was the daughter of an English official and her father thought Byrne was a rebel and forbade his daughter from seeing him. She disappeared from this very church, then later turned up married to Andrew Byrne.”
“And did they live happily ever after?” Andrew asked. He was grinning. He couldn’t help it.
“As to that, I can’t say,” Taylor replied with a smile. “Ronald doesn’t mention the status of their relationship, though he does mention that they adopt—”
“Yes,” Faith said. “Where do you need me?”
She’d deliberately broken in before the innocent Taylor Aiken could say too much more, Andrew thought regretfully. But she was right, time was passing and he needed to stay focused on the matter at hand—getting Mary Elizabeth safely into the future. “Inside the church.” He looked at Taylor. “Is there still the doorway near the altar that opens into a passage that leads to a side door?”
The minister’s brows rose above the rims of his glasses. “It sounds as if you know the building well. The doorway is still there. In fact, according to my ancestor’s diaries, it’s where Mary Elizabeth disappeared.”
Daniel groaned. “This has to stop!”
Cody took Faith’s hand and said, “Come on. We’ll go inside and wait by the doorway.”
Andrew clapped Cody on the shoulder and said, “Thank you, my friend!” Then he turned and took the steps two at a time. At the large oak door, he paused. Saluting Faith and the others he pulled it open and walked back into his own time.