Mauve quit the room.

Destiny twirled around to see Spencer coming her way, a sultry gleam in his eyes as they raked her green satin clad figure. "What do you think?" she asked with her arms spread wide.

Spencer took advantage of her position, and circled her waist with his arms. "I think that I want to forget

the meeting with my father and schedule a new meeting with my 'wife.'"

Destiny felt a pang of regret that the word held such a lie. But she smiled and placed her hands around his neck. "You're not getting out of this, Spencer."

His shoulders drooped and he sighed. "Could I bribe you with kisses?"

She grinned saucily as his pouting little boy's face. "You can try, but sorry. No cigar!"

Spencer frowned. "No cigar?"

Destiny rolled her eyes and pushed away from him. "Never mind." She then winced as the sudden

movement. "How did women wear these things?" she muttered tugging at her dress and the corset underneath.

Spencer c.o.c.ked an arrogant brow. "I can help ease your discomfort by helping you out of it."

Destiny just stared at him like he'd grown two horns and a tail. "I guess corniness transcends centuries,"

she said with a shake of her head. "Does that line work on other women?"

Spencer shrugged. "Usually."

"Figures," she muttered and walked ahead of him to the bedroom door. "Well, come on. Let's hurry and get this over with."

Spencer smiled as he watched her walk ahead of him down the long hall way to the grand staircase. She

was truly a woman of different manners from the women he'd known. But she possessed a goodness that drove right through him and soothed his weary soul. He wanted her like he never wanted another, yet he hesitated to take her. Dispite her lack of British cla.s.s, she was every inch a lady, and every inch an innocent.

He wanted to cherish, not conquer.

But he could not. Not this woman. A woman who did not even belong to this century.

And not him. A man whose heart had frozen long ago.

"Your brother is dead."

The words were spoken so bluntly and without a hint of emotion. Destiny and Spencer exchanged a quick glace at one another and then back to the duke. And that was when Destiny saw it. The faintest flutter of the Dukes eye. For a moment, just the barest bit of emotion crossed his features and Destiny realized that his son's death affected him much more than he let on.

Spencer acknowleged the words with a small nod and a lowering of his eyelids. He'd never been close to his brother and he'd suspected that this was why he was brought back, but it still hurt, hearing it.

"It is a great loss to the family. But this still doesn't tell me why you brought me here," Spencer told him, cooly. He had to hear the old man say the words.

The Dukes eyes narrowed. "You know b.l.o.o.d.y well, why I brought you here! You are now my heir and I intend to make sure that you won't make waste of the t.i.tle once I'm gone!

Spencer's jaw clentched, then unclentched. Destiny reached for his hand and to her surprise, he took it in his own and squeezed it. He needed her! This revelation filled her heart, near to bursting. Spencer could be a real tough guy when he wanted to be, but at this moment, she was going to give him all the support that he needed.

"I have never wanted to lay aside my responsibilities," Spencer finally said. "It is you who ran me off in the first place. I can't be what you want, Father. I am capable of running my own life and doing things the way I see fit. If I am to live here, you have to acknowledge this."

"You are a b.l.o.o.d.y renegade and you always were! If you run this good name into the ground, I'll haunt you from my grave, you see if I won't!" the duke charged, then immidiately started coughing.

Spencer flinched but didn't otherwise react. So, Destiny went to him, and poured him a gla.s.s of water from the pitcher beside him on the table. "Are you all right?" she asked once he'd taken a drink and seemed to get control.

Wearily he closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, yes, I'm all right. I'd like to be alone now if you don't mind," he told them.

"Of course," Spencer said. "Come, my dear."

Destiny took his offered arm and they quit the room. But the moment they were out in the hallway and out of earshot from the duke, Destiny let him have it.

"How can you be so cold, Spencer!" Destiny charged. "Can't you see that he's not nearly as mean as he lets on. He really cares about you, but just doesn't know how to show it!"

"He's hated me all my life, Destiny. You know not what you speak of," he answered coldly. "You would do well to stay out of this matter. It does not concern you."

Destiny thrust up her chin in defiance and blinked to hold back her tears. "All right, Mr. Macho! Carry the whole world on your shoulders all alone. Just don't come knocking on my door, when you realize that you can't handle it!"

With that, Destiny ran up the giant staircase and out of Spencers sight.

"You're a fool, Kennsington," he whispered to himself. But he was also proud. He had to handle his father, his own way.

He wouldn't acknowledge that his way has always been to run away...

Chapter 8.

Destiny had only been in the bedroom, where she'd run to, only just a minute or two, when she heard a sound coming from the door. She looked to find someone had slid a small piece of paper under the doorway. Curious, she walked to the door and picked it up.

Meet me at the gate, outside of the garden. Destiny smiled as she read the note. It must be from Spencer. He wanted to apologize for being such a hard-head!

With a smile on her face (and a quick tug on her corsets) she flew out of the door and made her way down the back staircase to the outside door.

As she made her way through the garden, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of the roses and meticulously shaped shrubs that framed the narrow pathway. Spencer's dad may be a big crab, but he sure was to be commended on keeping the garden such a lovely place. She made a mental note to come back out, when she had more time to enjoy it. More and more she was coming to realize that she was probably not going home anytime soon. How would she manage it, afterall? Was she to wait for a storm and throw herself in it? Or did it have to be on a ship? It was beginning to seem so hopeless.

Yet a part of her was not as heartbroken at this throught as one might think. Being with Spencer for the rest of her life would be heaven on earth. Even if she went forward to her own time, she would never get him out of her heart.

Putting dreary thoughts out of her mind, she turned her mind, instead, to her meeting with Spencer. But when she arrived outside of the garden, he was not to be found.

Destiny frowned, but then shrugged her shoulders. He would be here, soon. Maybe she was just early. She found an old bench, slightly covered by the shrubs that were growing outside of the fence. It put her in a complete shadow, and she soon grew chilled.

Just when she was about to give up and go back to the house, an old woman appeared. Destiny's eyes widen with surprise as she took in the woman appearance. Within a face that resembled leather, were set two sharp blue eyes that seemed to drill holes right through Destiny. She was stooped over and used a cane. On her body was draped the most awful combination of colored materials that Destiny had ever seen. She reminded Destiny of the wicked witch from "Hansel and Gretel". As a matter of fact, she was sort of looking at her like she could gobble her up and spit her out, right then!

Slowly Destiny stood, giving her an advantage of height over the strange woman. It didn't work. She was still scared half out of her head!

Just when Destiny was ready to bolt, the woman spoke, "So you are the time-traveler."

Destiny froze. "What did you just say?"

The woman gave her a look that one might give a simpleton. "Do you have a problem with hearing, my

dear?"

Destiny blinked, bemused. "Uh, no, no I don't. How...How do you know..."

The woman waved an irritated hand in the air and interupted her. "Never mind, how I know. I've come

to tell you that I can help you get back... if you want," she added mysteriously.

"Of course, I want to get back home!" Destiny quickly interjected. This is what she wanted from the beginning! She wanted to go home more than anything!

She was almost sure of that.

Bringing her thoughts back down to the woman who sat staring at her like she could read Destiny's mind,

her eyes narrowed. "Are you some sort of witch?"

The woman smiled. Well, she sort of smiled. Her lips twitched slightly. "Let's just say I'm an angel of mercy."

Destiny gasp. "You're an angel?" She immediatly thought of the popular angel show on t.v.

The old woman actually rolled her eyes. "Heaven preserve me!" she muttered under her breath, just loud

enough for Destiny to hear. "We haven't progressed much intellectually in two hundred some-odd years I

see." She shook her head causing her loose grey hair to fall about her face.

"Look, Granny!" Destiny addressed sarcastically. "Are you going to insult me all day, here, or are you going to help me out?"

The woman through her wrinkled arms in the air. "You try to help someone and get nothing but more

demands!" She turned and began to walk away. "Follow me."

For a moment Destiny didn't move. She could have sworn that she heard the woman use a New York accent, just for a moment. Could she also be from the future? Destiny shook her head, as if trying to clear it. No, surely not. Yet...she would have never imagined that she could go through time, either.

Everything was so confusing!

"Are you going to stand there all day or what?"

THAT was definatly a New Yorkish accent! Destiny began to follow the woman. Something smelled

fishy and she was going to get to the bottom of it!

Chapter 9.