An Untimely Romance: A Time Travel Romance by J Wells, L Wells Page A

eyes never leaving the floor.
    “Well, you’d best come
in then, I could do with a hand packing. You see, I’m going away for the
weekend for a treat; my boyfriend’s taking me. It’s a surprise, so I have no
idea where...” Heather’s excitement made her struggle to finish her sentence.

Chapter Four
    A Home Away from Home
    I t was the first time Heather had heard the newly fitted doorbell. As
she walked across the hallway, she felt rather anxious and unsure of how dinner
was going to pan out with both Ruben and Frank present. Passing from the annex
through the library, she could already hear voices, mainly her dad’s. He was
always out to impress, and in the loudest way possible, even more so with Ruben
present. Dinner was being served in the refurbished dining room of the main
house rather than the relaxed atmosphere of the annex, their living quarters. Stiff
upper lip, and mind your P’s and Q’s , she thought. The double doors to the
dining room stood open invitingly. Here goes , she thought. On entering,
her mum was already serving drinks. All eyes turned in Heather’s direction.
    “Wow! Certainly worth
the wait,” Ruben purred, retrieving a solitary red rose from the dining table
and walking towards her. “I hope you like.”
    The answer was already
held in her eyes. “It’s beautiful, thank you,” Heather replied, smiling down at
the rich petals, its subtle perfumed aroma drifting upward.
    She felt his lips meet
hers, only for an instant, but that was all it took for her knees to tremble.
Ruben had left his casual attire behind that evening and his outfit was much
more refined – a dark, almost navy-blue suit, obviously tailored since it
fitted perfectly in all the right places. He looks so handsome , she
thought.
    She quickly turned her
gaze to Frank so as not to appear rude. Although he too looked smart, it didn’t
go unnoticed that his dress was still unfashionable and appeared to be the
exact same outfit he’d been wearing earlier.
    “Good evening, Miss
Richardson,” he said, walking towards her.
    “Enough of the
formalities, we’re all friends here. Please sit,” Heather’s dad said, pulling
out the chair at the head of the table and sitting himself down.
    “After you, madam,”
Frank said, pulling a chair out for Heather on the opposite side.
    “Thank you,” Heather
said, and sat down feeling quite the lady.
    Ruben’s eyes shifted
awkwardly. It appeared he did not want to be outdone, so he pulled out a chair
for Heather’s mum.
    “’Ere y’are, Faye,
after you. Have you forgotten your manners, Walter?”
    Walter grunted; his
manners, like his age, had moved on considerably, and now left a lot to be
desired.
    Adjusting his
silver-grey tie, which was slightly off-centre, he asked, “So, Ruben, how’s
your father? Haven’t seen him on the golf course for, I’d say a good few days
now.”
    “No, and you won’t for
the next couple of weeks. He’s in the States somewhere. I lose count of all his
business endeavours to be honest with you, Walter,” he replied, walking
hurriedly round the table to sit beside Heather, leaving Frank to be seated on
the opposite side next to Faye.
    The disappointment was
clear in Walter’s demeanour as his attention turned to Frank.
    “Well, what’s your
business in these parts? Where are you from? What’s your line of work?” he
quizzed.
    “I’m born and bred
around these parts; however, my business ventures regularly take me to London.”
    “So you’re not short of
a bob or two...” Walter jumped in inquisitively.
    “Dad!” Heather scolded.
“Questions, questions, questions. We’re here for a nice meal, not an
inquisition! Sorry, Frankie,” she apologised for her dad’s rudeness. “He just
gets carried away sometimes. He doesn’t mean anything by it, though, do you,
Dad?” She turned to her father and gave him a threatening stare.
    “No offence taken,”
Frank replied.
    But the atmosphere
spoke for itself, and there was now a