Out of Time

Chapter 22

The next day, Arthur called Dani into his office bright and early. Dani groaned at the idea of yet another day of scribing. But more than that, the hated the idea of being in the same room as him. Hated the idea of going about as if everything was normal, that nothing had changed. She didn't want to face him, and she wasn't sure she could do so without falling apart... or ripping him a new one.

As her insecurities had cried themselves out, her normal, strong personality had reasserted itself. She wanted to tell him off, to tell him how much it upset her, hurt her, to have him act as he did. Where the hell was the chivalry? Didn't they have chivalry in this time? She scratched her chin, not really sure if they did or not.

When she reached his office, she raised her fist to knock, but couldn't quite make herself hit the door. She rested her hand against the smooth wood, but a part of her simply couldn't make that final step to confront him.

Would he be indifferent? Would he regret it once more? Would he treat her as less because she'd let it happen? That last thought really bothered her, and her anger surged once more, creating the impetus she needed to bang on the door in three pronounced motions.

"Come in," Arthur said from the other side.

Dani came in and closed the door, leaning against it with her arms crossed. She waited for him to speak, not even bothering to greet him or show him the proper respect.

He flinched and looked down, embarrassment coloring his cheeks.

Then she relaxed, some of her anger deflating inside her. Dani couldn't really be mad at him when her reaction seemed to affect him so. She waited to see what he had to say, withholding judgment for the moment.

"Dani..." He paused. "Is that even your real name? I don't know."

She nodded. "Danielle Carpenter is my full name, but people often abbreviate it to Dani."

He nodded, and looked into her eyes. "Danielle Carpenter, I am gravely sorry for my behavior yesterday."

Dani flinched, waiting for the words he'd said the day before.

"I should have been more considerate. I should not have walked out on you like that."

Dani's posture softened, and she stepped forward and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. She nodded for him to go on.

He sighed, and smiled at her. It barely reached his eyes. "What I'm trying to say is that we should marry, and I don't want my actions to put such a relationship on the wrong footing from the start."

Her jaw sagged, shocked at his words. Marry? "Why?"

Which seemed to stun him as much as his declaration shocked her. "Danielle, you are a woman of noble blood. I took your virtue. I am honor-bound to marry you."

Dani blushed at his statement, while simultaneously irate at the little word choices throughout history and into the present that so obviously shamed the woman for having sex while having no ill effect on the man.

"Danielle, you could be carrying my child." He shook his head. "I do not want that for any child of mine. I don't want a child of mine to be born a bastard." He looked down, masking the emotion on his face. "My father slept with the wife of his enemy. She was my mother. There have been many times in my life when I've wished that I had been conceived under different circumstances. I would never wish that on my own child."

Dani nodded, her hand going to her stomach, and wondering if their tryst in the woods had really created life. She almost suggested that they wait and see, but the weeks it would take to be sure would only make it that much less likely that people would believe the child had been conceived within the bonds of matrimony. "Okay." Her voice barely reached above a whisper.

Arthur sighed, standing up and walking around the desk to reach for her. "I'll handle everything." He smiled down at her, kissing her temple in a tender gesture that eased some of her worries.

She felt overwhelmed. Her life had been a roller coaster lately, and the last twenty-four hours had been no different. She worried if she was doing the right thing. After all, she was no physicist. What did she know about how this would affect things? Then again, she'd certainly watched her share of movies, and a shiver ran up her spine at the thought.

As she left the office in a daze, she realized that this was the reason Merlin had interrogated her yesterday. He'd known. He knew that Arthur would propose, even if it had been the lamest proposal on the face of the planet, and though she still hated and feared Merlin on some levels for what he'd done, she didn't really blame him. If it had been someone she cared about so deeply, she probably would have done the same.

#

Mordred paced in front of his Morgan, bored with his mother's intrigues at the moment. He was impatient to return to Camelot. He had some unfinished business with a certain someone he'd met in the stables. Just thinking about her in those braes brought a certain body part to attention.

And here he was stuck waiting on his mother's pleasure. She had her own agendas, and they at least partly relied on him being in Camelot as one of Arthur's knights. How could he do that if she locked him to her side as she was. He grumbled under his breath, but she wholeheartedly ignored him. A serving girl walked by and his attention shifted.

"Touch her, and I'll break every bone in your body. I won't have you terrorizing the servants," she said, not even looking up from what she was doing.

He slouched down in a chair with a pout as the servant scurried out of the room, terror in her eyes. "You ruin all of my fun, mother."

She only shrugged in reply.

After a few minutes, another servant, a footman this time, entered the room and bowed. "There is a missive from King Arthur of Camelot."

"Speak," his mother said.

"King Arthur bids you welcome and invites you to his marriage to Lady Danielle. The marriage will be in one week hence."

Morgan flinched, but that and the look of distaste that crossed her face went unnoticed by anyone but herself and her son.

"Thank you," Mordred said, since he could see his mother would not be able to form polite words for some time.

When the footman left the room, closing the door behind him, his mother finally flipped. "You've got to be kidding me! How could this be!" She threw a pot across the room, smashing it against the wall. "He's supposed to marry Lady Guinevere! All of my plans are contingent on that!" She slammed her fists against the table, creating a crack that stretched the entire length.

Mordred raised an eyebrow at her behavior, but said nothing. He knew better than to interfere with his mother's rages. It wouldn't end well. All he cared about was how this new development might affect him. His mother was like a force of nature, though—unpredictable and destructive. There was no way to know what this might make her do. After a good bit of time, her anger abated some, and Mordred felt it was safe to speak up. "Might not this Danielle break his heart as well?"

Morgan looked up at him, nodding her head and reaching for her bag of runes. With a flick of her wrist, she dumped the stones on the broken table and swore.

"What does it say?"

"She will love him. There will be no way to sway her heart to betray him."

He shrugged. "Then we'll just need to find another way to break his heart. Then your plans can go back on track, yes?"

She looked up, an evil grin on her face. He felt glad her plans were not geared toward his own ruin. He would never survive.