Page 31 of The Book of Lost Hours

Moira’s voice wormed its way through the dark room. Another round of gagging sobs ensued. Moira held still in the doorway, watching her. Amelia expected harshness. Scolding perhaps. But then she felt the warmth of Moira’s presence as she knelt down beside her.

“I… I went back in,” Amelia choked, her voice thick with tears. “P-please don’t make me go in again. I can’t.”

Moira shushed her gently and reached out, laying one hand against her hair. Her face was a mix of emotions. She was in a set of purple satin pajamas. All the makeup had been washed away and for once, she looked human.

“Oh, Amelia,” Moira said softly. As if her heart was truly aching for her.

Amelia stiffened as Moira’s arms settled around her.

She was unaccustomed to this kind of touch, especially coming from a woman.

The only person who had ever attempted to comfort her like this was Uncle Ernest and it had been years since he had needed to do so.

Before him, she supposed the last person had been her mother.

Her body yearned for it even as her mind resisted, and soon she found herself leaning into Moira’s embrace.

The silky purple material of her night shirt felt cool and soft against her cheek. Her shoulder ached painfully.

“I saw him. Anton Stepanov. He was there. He… he has the book.”

Moira’s arms tightened around her. “Did he come after you?”

Amelia tried to answer but the words stuck in her throat. She cried harder, burying her face in Moira’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Amelia,” Moira said gently. It sounded genuine. “I’m so sorry. You have been braver than you ever should have needed to be.” She pulled back and cupped Amelia’s face in her hands. “I promise I will not let them hurt you.”

Them , she said. Not just Anton. There was such heaviness in her voice that Amelia, for once, trusted her completely. There was no one left to trust but her.

M OIRA HELD Amelia as she sobbed. One hand continuously stroked her hair, half to comfort her, half to give Moira something to focus on while her mind ran a hundred miles a minute.

Anton Stepanov had attacked her. There was dust in her hair and on her clothes, and something about the way she held her right shoulder told Moira that it was injured.

Her worst fears about Jack’s decision to send Amelia into the time space were already being realized.

No part of her had expected Vasily Stepanov’s son to be in the time space.

But he was. Worse yet, he had found the book.

And now he had attacked Amelia. But why?

Could it be that he was out for some kind of vengeance for what had happened to his father?

As Amelia began to calm down, Moira sent her to her room to change out of her clothes and went downstairs.

In the kitchen, she fixed a cup of tea, listening to the sound of the water running upstairs.

She took two mugs upstairs with her, finding Amelia back in Ernest’s bedroom, curled up under the blankets of his bed.

“I made tea,” Moira said, handing one of the mugs to her.

Amelia sniffled. “I thought you hated tea.”

Moira raised the second mug. “That’s why mine is whiskey.”

“Oh,” Amelia said in surprise. She lifted the cup and took a delicate sip. “Thank you.” She relaxed, slumping down into the pillows.

After a moment of considering and reconsidering, Moira sat down on the edge of the bed. “Is your shoulder all right?”

“Yes. Just a little sore.” Amelia frowned down at her tea. “Did you know there’s a chasm in the middle of the time space?”

Moira took a drink, letting the burning feeling of the whiskey distract her from other thoughts. “I did.”

“Have you seen it?”

“No. I don’t go into the time space myself anymore.”

“Why not?”

“I’m the director of the Temporal Reconnaissance Program. I don’t need to go in.”

“Then how do you know about the chasm?”

Moira gave her a pointed look over her mug. “I’m the director of the Temporal Reconnaissance Program,” she repeated. “I know things.”

“Do you know what it is?”

“Our best theorists say it’s most likely a hole in the space-time continuum.”

Amelia made a face. “That doesn’t sound real.”

“And a chasm in the center of a library full of dead people does?”

Amelia’s lips twitched slightly. “How did it get there?”

“No one is quite sure. They say it appeared around the time Lisavet Levy disappeared from the time space, but that’s all just conjecture.”

“But how…”

Moira shushed her. “Enough for now. Go to sleep, Amelia.”

“But…”

“Hush. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

Amelia let out a huff of annoyance and for once, Moira smiled at it. So she was feeling better then. She took the mug and Amelia slumped farther down under the blankets.

Moira didn’t leave. She stayed beside her, listening to Amelia’s breathing until it evened out.

She looked around the room, suddenly remembering where she was.

This was Ernest’s bedroom. In here, like the rest of the house, there were books lining two of the walls, almost as if Ernest had been attempting to create a version of the time space in his own home.

His clothes hung in the closet, a pair of his slippers sat by the door.

A coat hung on one of the bedposts as if he’d placed it there with every intention of returning to it.

Moira reached out a hand and let it hover over the coat, thinking of the man who had worn it.

She touched the fabric, running her fingers along the soft wool.

When she was sure that the girl wouldn’t wake up, she left the room and went downstairs to call Jack.

They were done with this. She would not let him force Amelia to go back in.

It was too much to risk. It took only fifteen minutes for Jack to reach the house from his hotel nearby.

Moira heard his car pulling up, idling on the street for a moment to talk to Fred, who was always close by. Just in case.

“Miss me already?” Jack asked when she opened the door.

Moira ushered him inside. He sauntered through the house and into the living room as if he owned the place.

“Where’s the girl?” he asked as he surveyed the shelves of books along the back wall.

“Amelia is asleep upstairs.”

“Is she? Pity. I thought you were going to let me meet her.”

“You have met her.”

“Yeah, but that was years ago. She was only a kid then.”

“She still is a kid,” Moira said flatly. “That’s actually the reason why I called you here. Amelia will not be going back into the time space.”

“No?” Jack asked, smiling in amusement.

“No. I’m putting my foot down. It’s too dangerous.”

Jack let out a bemused sigh. “Okay. What happened?”

“Anton Stepanov confronted her. She saw him with the book, and he attacked her. I’ve already started considering other options for us, but the girl can’t do it.

” Jack started to speak but Moira pressed on, giving him no room to protest. “I’m telling her tomorrow that she shouldn’t go back in anymore. I just wanted to inform you.”

He made a humming sound and began pacing up and down the length of the room. Taking his sweet time, as usual. “Fair enough. Last thing we want is for the kid to get killed in there. So then the only question is, what do we do with her now?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? But she knows too much now. She’s a liability.”

“She’s still cooperating. It’s not an issue. I’ll remain here to keep an eye on her like we planned. Nothing else needs to be done.”

“That’s not your decision to make. If you don’t want to use her, then something needs to be done.”

“No, Jack. She’s a child. I’m not going to let you lock her up the way you did to me.”

Silence passed between them. Jack was still smiling, even after the reminder of what he’d done when she wouldn’t cooperate all those years ago.

“My, my,” he said, letting out a chuckle. “What’s this? Has that little girl gotten to you, Moira?”

Moira held his gaze, refusing to react.

Jack came toward her, still laughing. “Has someone finally managed to crack your cold, dead heart?”

“This isn’t about me, Jack.”

“No?”

“It’s about being efficient. We’ve lost enough time as it is. If you just let me go in instead…”

Jack interrupted. “You’re right. We have lost time. We’ve lost time, resources, momentum… and you lost that tape the other day.”

Moira gave a callous shrug. “I told you, the device malfunctioned. It’s new technology. It happens.”

“Sure, sure,” Jack said, only half convinced. “Fine. You can let the girl off the case. But… not just yet.”

“What?”

“Anton Stepanov has the book, you said?”

“What does that have to do with Amelia?” Moira asked, dreading the look on his face. It was the same one he wore when he was getting ready to test her.

Jack’s smile widened. “Call Fred in here for me, will you? Let’s talk business.”

“Jack…”

“Don’t worry, Moira, you’ll have your way. After tomorrow, the girl stays out of the time space. But we need her to go back in. One more time.”