A Knight in Central Park(6)

“Nay,” she said, “that is not my meaning. The man on wheels was not The Chosen One after all. You are The One!”

“Afraid so,” he said glumly, wondering what it would take to get this woman into the ambulance and out of his hair. He didn’t need to be a doctor to see that she wasn’t dying. Clearly her larynx was in fine shape, making it hard for him to believe she was injured at all.

“Both you and your lady friend avowed that you ran into me, did you not?”

Joe exhaled heavily. “I don’t know about avowed, and she’s not exactly my lady friend, although she is my friend and assistant.”

He felt bad enough and people were beginning to gather. The last thing he needed was for someone to recognize him or for one of his students to drive by. He certainly didn’t need any negative publicity right now. Not when he had the Academy reviewing his files, analyzing his character, watching his every move.

“Look into my eyes once more,” the woman demanded.

Joe gestured for Shelly to hurry with the stretcher.

“Ah ha!” she said, startling him. “Verily I do say you look a bit dizzy-eyed and desperate.”

Shelly appeared.

Thank God.

The woman looked to Shelly for affirmation. “His lordship appears desperate, does he not?”

Shelly hardly flinched at his being referred to as his lordship. Shelly merely turned to study his face, then shrugged noncommittally. “Yeah, sure, I guess you could say that. But maybe distressed would better describe his expression.”

“Distressed,” Alexandra repeated softly. “Aye, distressed will do.”





Chapter Three



Journeys end in lovers meeting.

—William Shakespeare

Sitting in bed, in a strange room, Alexandra had naught to do but ponder her predicament. Joe McField...or was it McFaraway? Either way, he was The Chosen One; the man who was going to save her family, her home.

The man she would someday marry.

Her thoughts quickly turned to the ride here and the mind-boggling speed in which the horseless carriage had brought her to this strange place. She looked about, astonished by such cleanliness. Shelly had told her that only the sick and injured stayed in the fortress. The walls and floors were as stark and clean as the finest linen back home.

A gray-haired woman, clad in white, fiddled with a metal box nearby and then left the room without a word said. The bed across from Alexandra was empty and neatly made. No dirt or food scraps covered the floors. Not one blade of grass or straw could be seen.

How wondrously strange all of these items of the future.

Grandfather had said there would be unimaginable objects in this other world, and certainly he was right. Carriages without horses, flashing lights above the streets...and without use of a flame! If only Grandfather could be here with her to see it all with his own eyes.

Alexandra scratched at her bandaged leg, then promptly fell back onto the soft pillow behind her. She twiddled her thumbs and peered at the ceiling until her eyes crossed. Not one to dawdle, she found it difficult to sit still. With naught else to keep her busy, she found herself recalling the determined, unwavering glint in her hero’s dark blue eyes. That look had told her everything she needed to know. The man who called himself Joe was to be her knight.

“Sir Joe,” she said aloud, unimpressed with the sound of his name on her lips.

As a child she had thought her champion would possess a name like Drake or George. Even Thomas had a certain ring to it, conjuring images of strong warriors from the past. But Joe? Her shoulders dipped. His name mattered not. The only thing that mattered was that he was determined, strong, and brave enough to conquer Sir Richard and his men upon their return to her time. Her time. How strange the thought seemed. And yet somehow it had truly happened. Reaching under the cover, she felt for the stones within the hem of her garment. The strange lady in white had wanted her to undress, but she had refused. Relief swept over her as she grasped the small stones.

The woman named Shelly had assured her Sir Joe would come to check on her before long. Alexandra needed only to convince Sir Joe to return home with her. Until the next full moon, she could not let him out of her sight.

She tapped a finger to her chin, endeavoring to come up with a plan when the door suddenly swung open.

The very man who filled her thoughts appeared, looking tall and broad-shouldered as he entered the room. She cocked her head for a better look at the strange headgear he wore over his eyes. He had not been wearing the odd apparatus earlier. “What is that contraption strapped across your face?”