Shrugging, he rubbed his shoulder. “Why? ’Tis the truth.”
“Well, I don’t want you to give your life for me. And I don’t want Marcus to give his life for me either. Or Michael or Adam or even Stephen, for that matter. I can damn well take care of myself!”
He took her throbbing hand in his own. “I fear, in this instance, what you want or do not want matters little to me, love.”
She gaped. “How can you say that?”
He shrugged. “I may have compromised when you wanted to dress and train like a squire. And I did not complain when you were too familiar with my men.”
Her brow furrowed. “Familiar how? Like being too friendly with Michael and the guys?”
“But I will not compromise on this,” Robert continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “If your life is in danger and I must risk my own to protect you, I will not hesitate to do so, Beth.”
Before she could open her mouth to rebut, Josh leaned forward and extended his hand to Robert. “Welcome to the family.”
Robert hesitated a moment, then shook Josh’s hand.
Beth knew men didn’t shake hands in Robert’s time, but he had seen her do it more than once out of habit.
Josh leaned back in his chair. “So how are you two going to get past the no birth certificate or social security card thing? Robert’s going to have a hard time making a go of it here without them.”
Her stomach sank.
That was the other little thing she hadn’t told him yet.
She glanced at Robert, who squeezed her hand for support. “Actually, the thing is, we can’t stay here.”
Josh frowned. “What do you mean? Here in Houston? Here in the States? Because, if you’re thinking of moving to England, you’re going to need passports.”
Damn it. When she had asked Seth to let her visit, she hadn’t considered how she would tell Josh she couldn’t stay. “Josh, the man who took me back in time told me that my life here in the present was supposed to have ended in that clearing, that I would have died if he hadn’t intervened. So I can’t live here. There would be too many ramifications. He said I have to return to Robert’s time.”
Josh stared at her. “Are you shitting me?”
“No.”
“You think you’re going to live out the rest of your life in the Middle Ages?” he asked, voice rising.
“Yes.”
“Do you know how short your life will be if you do that? That’s insane! Their life expectancy wasn’t even half what ours is. Fifty was old. If you go back there, you’ll only have maybe thirty years… if you’re lucky. If you stay here you could have seventy!”
“Josh—”
“And without modern medicine you probably wouldn’t even have the thirty. You could die in childbirth or—”
“She will not,” Robert interrupted.
Beth looked at him in surprise. Had he actually been following that? Because she and Josh had totally abandoned Middle English somewhere along the way. “I’m sorry, Robert. I didn’t mean to switch languages. Did you understand any of that?”
“I understood much of it,” he said.
Really? He must have learned more modern English than she had realized.
Robert trained his gaze on Josh. “Beth will not die in childbirth. She will live a long and healthy life if she returns with me to my time.”
Josh made a scoffing sound. “According to whom?”
“According to Seth,” he replied.
Josh frowned. “The time traveler with all the gifts?”
Robert nodded.
Beth blinked. “Seth really said that?”
“Aye.”
“When?”
Robert raised the hand he clasped to his lips for a kiss. “Whilst you and the others supped last night, I drew him aside and tried to convince him to let us live out our lives here in your time.”
“Why?” she asked softly. Seth had given them no indication that he might change his mind. And it would’ve required Robert to leave his own family behind.
“I wanted you to be happy,” he said simply. “So much so that I did beg him to let us remain here. But he would not.”
“I am happy, Robert.” She cupped his strong jaw in her free hand. “As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.”
He shook his head. “You described such wonders in your world, Beth, that I thought you would have a better life here. I feared living in my time would be a hardship. And, having seen all I have today, I know it will be.”
“Nay. It won’t. Not as long as I have you,” she insisted. “And you’ve only seen the good things my time has to offer. There are a lot of bad things in my world, too.”
He stroked her hand with his thumb. “I believe Seth read my doubts clearly, for he assured me that you and I would have a very long and happy life together at Fosterly.”
She sent him a wry smile. “And if anyone would know, he would.”
Robert chuckled. “Aye. I believed him.”
“I believe him, too.” Smiling, she returned her attention to her brother. “It’ll be okay, Josh. I know it. I feel it.”
“Beth.”