“Does talking to yourself when you’re upset actually work? I’ve not tried that approach.”

  Emma about jumped from her skin. The man’s voice came through the darkness. She had no idea where he was. She gripped the handle of the door tightly, giving herself an out if needed. “I didn’t think anyone was out here.”

  Soft footsteps combined with the muffled music from inside. “Funnily enough, I actually assumed that. I can go if you’d like.” The man stepped out of the dark and into the soft light emanating from the glass door. “But if you don’t mind, I would like to say that you look stunning before I go.”

  Emma felt her face flush. She was suddenly grateful for the darkness. She wasn’t sure what to say, just stood there. Frozen.

  He stepped further into the light.

  Emma gasped but quickly tried to cover it up by doing it again. Hoping to make it sound as if she was afraid rather than completely stunned. Emma was positive he couldn’t be real. He looked exactly as her favorite hero looked in her head, strong jaw with soft, kind brown eyes. He was tall but not too tall. And slender, but she could tell he had broad shoulders under his jacket. His hair was dark and combed smartly. His mustache neat and trim but complimented his face. She had to stop herself from reaching out and touching him. He was, in physical form anyway, her perfect man.

  “I’m Casper Adams,” he told her, smiling. His teeth were straight and white. Quite an accomplishment.

  Casper. His name was Casper. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m Emma.”

  “Good evening, Emma.” He tilted his head as if examining her curiously. The thought punched her in the belly. She was swooning over him, and he thought her to be something to stare at. A freak show or an animal in a zoo, perhaps? She quickly reminded herself that he’d said she was stunning. He took a step toward her. Her breath caught. “Emma, if you’d like to have the terrace to yourself, all you need to do is step aside and I’ll leave you to your night.”

  Emma thought about it for a moment. If she stepped aside, he’d open the door and return to the party, making it so she might not see him ever again. She wasn’t sure how this wish thing worked. What if she was whisked back to 2019 before she had time to really experience anything? “And if I’ve suddenly decided that I’d like to have company?”

  Casper’s smile grew. “That could be arranged as well.” He turned away from her, looking up to the stars. “I do have someone inside I have to speak with before the evening is over, but for now,” he turned back to her and offered his hand, “would you like to sit and star gaze with me?”

  Emma inhaled hard and deep. She might only have a few moments in that particular time and place. She needed to make the most of them. That decided for her. She carefully placed her freshly manicured hand in his. “I’d love to.”

  Casper knew he shouldn’t. He knew he had a fiancé and that he had to meet with Oscar, but the way his heart was beating made him seemingly not care in the slightest. He knew he wanted to spend time with her. He didn’t care when or how or what they did. He’d held out his hand before his thoughts could condemn him not to. It was instantly a mistake. The feeling that shot through his arm and warmed his body when her delicate hand touched his was one he’d never forget. Marie, not any other female had ever made him feel such a thing. Not even from much more intimate contact. Those intimate moments were scrolling through his head as he brought Emma over to the bench. He’d replayed those times more than a few times to himself but never had he changed the females’ faces.

  He pointed to the sky. “That’s the Big Dipper. See how it’s sort of a cup that has a long handle.”

  Emma’s breath brushed against his cheek as she turned to look where he was pointing. She nodded, and though he couldn’t see her features perfectly in the dark, he found that he’d already memorized parts of her face. The dimple in her right cheek, the way her brown eyes sparkled in the moonlight, all of it was etched into his memory. He shivered thinking about having to let go of her hand.

  He moved his free hand, pointing to where the brightest light in the night sky was. “And if you follow this edge, you’ll always be able to find the North Star.”

  Emma’s head turned. He felt it. She was closer to him. So close that if he were to look down at her, he was almost positive their lips would be less than a hair’s width apart. He took the chance. Casper turned his head and sucked in a breath as their eyes met and their lips hovered so close to one another’s.

  “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

  Casper didn’t dare blink. He was somehow afraid she’d disappear if he did. He exhaled before slowly inhaling; he could taste her in the air. Sweet but also floral. “But not nearly as beautiful as you.” He held her eyes, asking, no begging for her to show him somehow. To give him permission. He knew he shouldn’t. It was wrong for so many reasons, but when Emma’s eyes moved to his lips and her body leaned forward slightly, his body took over. Leaning forward, he closed the small distance between them and pressed his lips to hers.

  Bathed in darkness, excitement washed over her as Casper’s lips came against hers. Emma had been silently praying that he’d know what she wanted and make that first move. She couldn’t. It wasn’t 2019. It was 1903; females didn’t make the first move. At least she didn’t think they did.

  But it was all okay because there they were and he’d figured it out, and now she was lip-to-lip with the man of her dreams. Both day and night his face had been intruding on her for months and months. Emma scolded herself for not being in the moment, shut down her seemingly endless thought train, and embraced the fact that Casper, the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, was kissing her.

  She leaned into him, putting a hand on his shoulder. She could feel his strength beneath his jacket. He was as broad as she’d imagined him to be. Casper reached for her waist, pulling her against his body, his warmth bonding with hers, flushing her cheeks and sending shockwaves through her belly that settled there, creating a weight she wasn’t sure would ever go away.

  After too short of a long moment, he pulled away, leaving her breathless. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting the moment to fade. She squeezed his hand and didn’t move.

  “Maybe we should go in and have a dance?”

  Emma let out the breath she was holding, opening her eyes slowly. Finishing his she exhaled completely but realized that a full breath no longer felt the same. She nodded, saying yes to his proposal as well as acknowledging the change that happened. She’d really thought things like that only happened between the pages of her books. Never would she have thought it could happen in real life and definitely not to her. Insta-love wasn’t real. It was a tool created by writers to make plots move…she knew better now.

  Emma let Casper pull her to her feet. Her kissed her softly once more. “Let’s dance.”

  Four

  Emma and Casper never made it to the dance floor. Much to Emma’s chagrin, Oscar and Genevieve intercepted them. “Emma, love, where have you been? I have been looking all over.”

  Emma suddenly felt horrible. Her new friends had been so welcoming and she’d disappeared. “I needed some air, and Nessa pointed out the terrace. I’m sorry if I worried you.” She was trying to speak more formally but wasn’t sure she was pulling it off. She thought she just sounded stiff and awkward.

  “Who’s your friend?” Gen winked and turned her attention to Casper.

  “Oh. My apologies. This is Casper.” She turned back to Gen and Oscar. “Casper, this is Mr. and Mrs.…” She didn’t have chance to finish.

  Casper stepped forward with his hand outstretched. “Oscar and Genevieve Straus. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” He shook Oscar’s hand and brought Gen’s up for a brief kiss.

  “Casper Adams?” Oscar asked.

  Casper nodded. “Yes, sir. You remembered.”

  Emma watched as the two men bantered back and forth before Gen intertwined her arm with hers. “Let’s get a drink, shall we?” she asked before whisking Emma off in the direction of the dining room, all while she attempted to keep an eye on Casper. “But we were going to dance!”

  “There will be plenty of time for that. Let’s let the men talk.” Gen stopped where a small woman was pouring tea, took a cup, and handed it to Emma. “Drink. And stop staring.”

  “But what if he leaves? What if I never see him again?”

  Gen brought a cup to her lips. “Don’t be absurd. Of course you’ll see him again. He’s just over there. You don’t leave until tomorrow night.”

  Emma’s panic was rising. Her heart was beating too fast, and her throat felt dry. She shook her head. “Something is off.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She shook it again. It wasn’t fear that was raising her senses. Something was wrong. Her training had been triggered. She scanned the room looking for anything obvious. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

  “Well you did, so please explain.” Gen set her cup on its saucer, following the movement of Emma’s eyes.

  “I’m not sure, really. I just know something isn’t right.”

  “And how do you know that?” Gen asked, pulling Emma to face her.

  “Because,” she lowered her voice, “When I come from, I’m a police officer.”

  Gen looked confused.

  “The law? I’m not sure how you all refer to it. Do you have police officers?”

  “I really can’t wait for you to be able to tell me more about the future. Oscar has all these crazy ideas that he says will help in the future. I wonder if any of them will, or do.” She trailed off but quickly returned to the topic at hand. “But you’re a woman.”

  Emma nodded. “Yes.” She waited for the rest of the question. Then berated herself for being slow. “Oh. Do woman not do jobs like that yet?”

  Genevieve seemed to think about it for a moment. “Well, I’ve only ever met one, but since I do know one I suppose they do.”

  “Alright, well, that’s what I’m feeling right now. I’m not sure why though.” She looked back to where Casper and Oscar were talking. They seemed genuinely engaged and interested in what the other had to say. That made her smile briefly before she moved her eyes, looking for threats, and saw the tip of a jacket disappear behind a wall and with it the feeling that had put her on edge. Without thinking, she started moving, quickly and probably in a very un-ladylike way, trying to catch whoever was in the jacket.

  “Emma, stop,” Genevieve called behind her. Emma stopped but didn’t turn. She had caught up but wasn’t close enough to force him to show her his face. She sighed. “Where on earth are you going and in such a hurry?”

  Emma looked up to gesture toward the man, expecting him to be gone but she was wrong. His dark, cold eyes were fixed, not on her but Genevieve. “Do you know him?” she asked, tipping her head in his direction.

  Gen looked up and gasped. She swayed and Emma caught her. She looked up and watched the man wink at them before disappearing out the same door onto the terrace that Emma herself had taken not that long ago. “Gen? Are you alright?”

  Genevieve nodded.

  “Who was that?”

  Her eyes were glossy, and she looked completely terrified. “Well, once upon a time, which feels like forever ago, even though it hasn’t been long at all, he was supposed to be my husband.”

  Emma had a sinking feeling in her belly. “How long ago? Why didn’t you get married?” she asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer. The love between her new friend and Oscar was obvious to anyone. The two doted on each other. Could barely keep their eyes off each other.

  “It’s only been a few months. As for why…” She found a chair and sunk into it. “There were lots of reasons. Mostly Oscar of course, but Anthony is a bad man. My father, you didn’t get to meet him, but he was a good man at one point. Well, he had some issues and Anthony marrying me would have been the answer.”

  Emma sat beside her. “So you didn’t marry Anthony. You told him you loved Oscar instead.”

  Gen shook her head. “No. I probably should have, but that’s not how it happened. Anthony has a reputation, and I knew he wouldn’t let me go so… Oscar and I kind of ran off and got married. There was a big to-do, and honestly, I thought Anthony was in jail.”

  Emma’s hackles were up. “You say Anthony was a bad man; how bad are we talking?”

  Genevieve’s face was saying far more than her words were. She looked pained but also very afraid. “I have to tell Oscar.”

  Emma nodded. They really did need to let him know. She helped her friend from her chair. “We will but before we do…how bad are we talking, Gen?”

  Gen looked Emma in the eye, sadness and fear etching lines in her otherwise smooth, beautiful face. “Do you have gangs and things when you’re from?”

  Emma nodded. “We do.”

  “Well, that’s what Anthony does. He’s part of something like that. They do bad things. Lots of kinds. Not sure I could tell you all of it even if I tried.”

  Emma started to file through all her history lessons from school as well as her police training. She scanned through all she could remember about crime in New York City. She knew that the city was going through a transitional time in the early 1900s. The Irish were losing their territory to the Italians. She’d seen Gangs of New York. Leo had been one of her favorites when she was a teen. She’d had posters of him all over her room. Then it hit her. A wanted poster. She’d seen it in a class, a slideshow on organized crime. “Is that Anthony, your Anthony, actually Anthony Ricci? Like Anthony Ricci the notorious and infamous New York City crime boss?”

  Genevieve’s eyes got wide. “How’d you know that?”

  Casper was flying high after his conversation with Oscar. The man was completely brilliant but also humble and had given Casper the hope he needed. He hadn’t realized how trapped he’d been feeling until he had found an escape route. His family, all the expectations…it was daunting. Marie was great. The family business was great. But none of it was what he wanted. Oscar had given him an out. He’d given him the confidence to make a change. Change that would start tonight. Just as he turned from Oscar to leave him to his evening and so that Casper could go search out the female that had captured his attention earlier in the evening, Genevieve and Emma appeared by their sides.

  “What’s happened?” Oscar knew immediately. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms protectively around his wife’s shoulders. He was much taller than her. Her small body fitting within his, she almost disappeared. Casper looked at Emma, who, though still completely stunning and took his breath away, now had hard worry lines on her forehead. He took a step closer, and both she and Oscar began to search the room with their eyes.

  “Anthony,” Genevieve whispered against Oscar’s chest.

  “Here?”

  Emma stepped up. It was obvious that Genevieve had been roughly shaken by the instance. Plus, Emma had gone into police mode. She shook her head. “Yes. But not anymore. He saw me looking at him, and once he made eye contact with Gen, he disappeared. To be honest he seemed more interested in you before that though.”

  “In me?” Oscar tightened his grip on his wife.

  Emma nodded. Casper took another step closer to her. He wanted to lend her support but not interfere. “Yes. Gen and I were having tea, and when I looked over at the two of you,” she turned her head to Casper, a small smile on her lips, “he was fixated on you two.”

  Oscar turned to Casper. “Do you have any idea why he’d be so interested?”

  “It’s my fault,” a small voice interrupted.

  Oscar looked down at Gen, small and tight in his arms. “No, love.”

  She looked up at him. “Of course it is. I made a fool of him, WE made a fool of him, and now he’s angry. We knew this could happen. I doubt with our history that Casper here has anything to do with it. I’m sure it was YOU he was watching.”

  Oscar turned back. “My apologies.” And to Gen he said, “He won’t touch you, my love. We’ll make sure of that. Maybe we should head back home. Talk to Pearl?”

  Gen nodded. “Emma should come too.”

  Oscar nodded. “We’ll have to see if Nessa can arrange it. We won’t have room in the carriage.”

  Casper stepped forward. “I’d be happy to escort her.”

  Oscar looked him up and down. “You’re sure?”

  He returned the look and question with a nod of his own.

  “And you, Emma, you’re okay with this?”

  Casper sighed in relief when she nodded. “I did promise Mr. Adams a dance. Maybe we can do that and then meet you.”

  Casper closed the distance between them and offered her his hand. His breath caught and his skin tingled when she set her hand in his. Oscar, the party, and even the threat, or perceived threat from Anthony Ricci, fled his mind. It was suddenly just the two of them, and he was spinning her around the dance floor.

  Emma was in a bubble of peace. She knew the moment they left Rosalind’s that she would go back to police mode, and she’d not be thinking of the wonderful time she was having, or the stolen kisses. She wanted to be thinking of them. It had been so long since she’d thought of much other than being a cop. Emma had wanted nothing more for most of her life. She’d grown up with her brother. Combining that with the lack of female influence, and it was often hard for her to see herself as feminine. She’d always been one of the guys. She had one escape, one indulgence that occasionally reminded her of her femininity and desires—the novels she loved to read. The pages of books, the characters that lived between them taught her more about being female than her brother ever could have. And eventually the novel reading gave her a place to channel the girly side of herself in a way that was quiet. Not public. Her one indulgence had always been her hair. It was long and took a lot of upkeep, especially for someone who braided it and twisted it into a low bun every day, but to her it was worth it.

 

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