But it was! That was Willow! Sure, she was a bit older than he remembered, but it was definitely her.
How could this be?
“Mr. Thompson, is there something wrong?” Darren asked in a low voice.
Arnold turned his gaze to the man who was now the titled gentleman of this estate. He then scanned the others in the room who were all waiting for him to read the will.
He took a deep breath and put his briefcase on the desk. He didn’t know what to expect when he opened it. He had brought the sales contract with him with a fresh batch of new pens for Willow to sign. He glanced at the painting. There was no way she was going to sign this today.
Still feeling overwhelmed, he opened the briefcase. To his shock, the document in it was the will of Warren Azazel.
Arnold took it out and sat in the chair. Yes, sitting was good. Too many surprises might make it difficult for him to keep standing.
He cleared his throat and turned to the first page of the will. He scanned the contents and then checked over the other pages. There were names mentioned that he wasn’t familiar with. It was as if the entire family line had changed overnight.
There was no way this was humanly possible. There had to be some other force at work.
But what could that force be?
He took a moment to settle his nerves. A maid set a cup of tea next to him. He thanked her and took a sip. It helped. A little.
Once he felt like he could talk without his voice trembling, he began the reading of the will. The reading turned out to be smooth, despite the fact that he was still grasping to understand what was happening. He had a job to do after all, and he was getting paid to manage the distribution of the assets.
He noticed that the one thing the will specifically forbade was the selling of the estate. It was to be passed from one generation to another indefinitely. That seemed to be the only thing familiar to him. He recalled Greg and Greg’s father being unable to sell the place. Come to think of it, Willow hadn’t been able to sign the sales contract, either.
He was sure there was a connection between the change in that painting and the inability to sell the estate, but he doubted he’d ever figure out what that connection was.
After he finished what he had come there to do, he shook the people’s hands and expressed his condolences. Then he left and went to his car.
He sat in the car for a good fifteen minutes before he was ready to drive. Usually, he turned on the radio when he was alone, but today, he drove in silence. Somehow, listening to music didn’t seem appropriate.
He took his time driving down the long driveway. He passed the tall shrubs. And then he came to the bridge. As he drove over it, a wave of blue light swept over him. He slammed the brakes and gave a quick look at his surroundings. He studied the moat and the shrubs behind him and the trees up ahead. But there was nothing unusual. Nothing to explain the strange blue light.
He put his hand over his heart.
What was happening to him? Was he losing his mind?
Wait. What had he come here for?
He put the car in park and thought hard for several long minutes. Something had slipped from his mind. He was sure of it. But for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what he had just forgotten.
He looked back at the estate. There was nothing unusual about it. It was a bright sunny day. Everything was green and well cared for. The poor grieving family had just laid the head of their family to rest.
Yes, yes, he recalled Warren Azazel now. He was a kind man. He loved being with his family. Not many men did. Arnold recalled that about him now that he thought about it. Warren had made sure to be fair with everyone in his will. He wanted to make sure his children and grandchildren knew he loved them very much.
Arnold relaxed. He’d only been brought here to do a simple reading of the will. That was all.
It was just another day at his job. He didn’t know why he’d been so panicked back there. What Darren and the others must think of him.
Arnold chuckled. “You’ve watched one too many crazy movies. Your wife is right, Arnold. You need to spend more time in the real world.”
When he got to town, he was going to let the people he worked with know he was going on holiday. He was going to finally take his wife on that trip she’d been wanting to go on for years. He put the car back into drive and turned the radio to his favorite music station. Then, whistling, he drove forward and passed the large trees that created a nice canopy above.
And they all lived happily ever after.
***
If you’d like to read tidbits that went into the writing of this book, keep reading. I added a special trivia section!
Trivia to go with An Earl In Time
The Cover
This cover was made by Locus Solus Cover Designs (https://www.locussoluscoverdesigns.com/). I found it through The Book Cover Designer where you can find pre-made covers. As soon as I saw the cover, I fell in love with it. I wanted to buy it right away, but I had no story to go with it.
I spent two weeks brainstorming different story ideas to go with it. Just by the layout of the cover, the story wasn’t a typical historical romance. It had a supernatural element to it. That’s how I decided it would involve time travel, and I was going to use the mirror in the cover to get one of the characters to pass from a contemporary setting to a historical one. Since the heroine’s outfit was more modern looking, I picked her for the contemporary character. I chose the hero for the past. I decided she was going to be trapped onto an English estate that she recently inherited.
Since the woman on the cover can see her reflection and the man, I decided the heroine of this story would be able to see into the man’s time. He, however, doesn’t see his reflection in the mirror. He only sees her. So I figured the hero would only be able to see the heroine.
I did get a question from a friend about the fact that the man isn’t wearing a cravat. I decided that the hero wasn’t going to be formally dressing up after spending two centuries living out the same day. In my mind, the clothes reflected the emotional states of the two main characters. The hero felt empty and in despair. The heroine longed for a romantic relationship but wasn’t aware of it until she meets the hero.
I’d say about half of this story was written to go with the cover. I don’t typically write books that way, but it fit for this situation.
The Use of Colors
Early on, I decided colors were going to have a special meaning. Willow’s color was red, and Julian’s color was gold. This was based on the cover. After they married, their lives started to become entwined, hence the thread linking them together. At the end of the story, I had Willow wearing an orange gown and Julian wearing an orange cravat to symbolize the fact that they were fully connected in true love.
The villain’s colors were purple and pink. I chose those colors because I was working on an art assignment for my kid’s homeschool project. I really liked the way the purple and pink colors in this assignment looked together. Based on the two colors, I decided the villain would have a duel identity. In the contemporary time, one color was dominant, and in the historical time, the other color was dominant.
The fairies, of course, have their colors, too, and at the end when the blue wave passed over the lawyer, it was really there to reveal that the blue fairy was still the real owner of the land. Julian and Willow made good on their promise to let him keep the land for all generations. Also, the blue fairy was the reason Willow lost a great deal of her memories of the future and why the lawyer’s memories were changed to line up with the new timeline.
Willow’s wedding gown was blue. This was a gown the blue fairy had created just for her. In case anyone is wondering, Julian’s mother never wore it.
The Names
Going into the story, my aim was to create a gothic feel to the romance. I didn’t want a child’s fairy tale. I wanted one meant for an adult. Naming the main characters was extremely important to me. I spent days getting th
e right names down.
Willow was one of the top names I found in my search for gothic names. Hers was easy.
Julian Azazel, however, took a total of two weeks to figure out. Julian was pretty easy. The name means “youthful”, and I figured since he never aged for two centuries, it fit. The last name, however, was difficult. I went through a couple (one was Blackwell). When I realized Julian was cursed because his father stopped his uncle from marrying Rose, I ended up going with Azazel because that name means “scapegoat”. Julian took the place of the baby she had intended to give the evil fairy.
Blackwell and Nightingale were names that popped up in my search for gothic names. Nightingale sounded more like an estate name, so I went with Nightingale Hall. That left Blackwell for the title.
Regarding the villain, I decided to go with the names of common flowers since they went best with the colors that represent her. Violet was for the purple color, and Rose was for the pink color.
The Animals
In typical fashion for fairy tales, I thought it would be fun to add animals that had transformed into humans and vice versa. I knew early on that Violet’s three men were under her control, but it wasn’t until later in the story that I realized how she used them. In animal form, they had free will. As men, they didn’t.
The problem is that since they couldn’t come out and tell Willow and Julian anything, I was never able to bring out the reason for their intense hatred of Violet in the course of the story.
The Ending
In the final scene between Julian and Willow, Julian thinks of the nightmares and wonders if they are sent from the evil fairy. They were. One of the slaves of the black fairy was sent to give him those nightmares. But Julian remained safe. Even though Julian and Willow weren’t aware of it, the blue fairy continued to protect them. The nightmares were all the evil fairy could do to Julian.
According to Irish myths, fairies can come in and swap a baby with a changeling if there isn’t some iron nearby to protect the baby. Because of this, Julian and Willow put iron around their children’s cradles to make sure they were safe. After all these two went through, they wouldn’t take any chances.
As for the lawyer, he and his wife had a wonderful vacation.
Usually, I write regular Regencies and historical western romances.
If you like the kind of books I typically write, you can join my email list to be notified as soon as my books come out by going to this link: https://ruthannnordinauthorblog.com/sign-up-for-email-list/
All Books by Ruth Ann Nordin
(Chronological Order)
Regencies
Marriage by Scandal Series
The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife
A Most Unsuitable Earl
His Reluctant Lady
The Earl’s Scandalous Wife
Marriage by Design Series
Breaking the Rules
Nobody’s Fool
A Deceptive Wager
Standalone Regency
Her Counterfeit Husband (happens during A Most Unsuitable Earl)
Marriage by Deceit Series
The Earl’s Secret Bargain
Love Lessons With the Duke
Ruined by the Earl
The Earl’s Stolen Bride
Marriage by Arrangement Series
His Wicked Lady
Her Devilish Marquess
The Earl’s Wallflower Bride
Marriage by Bargain Series
The Viscount’s Runaway Bride
The Rake’s Vow
Taming The Viscountess
If It Takes A Scandal
Marriage by Fate Series
The Reclusive Earl
Married In Haste
Make Believe Bride
The Perfect Duke
Kidnapping the Viscount
Marriage by Fairytale Series
The Marriage Contract
One Enchanted Evening
The Wedding Pact
Fairest of Them All
The Duke’s Secluded Bride
Marriage by Necessity Series
A Perilous Marriage
The Cursed Earl – coming November 2021
Heiress of Misfortune – coming 2022
Fairytale Regency Romance
An Earl In Time
Historical Western Romances
Pioneer Series
Wagon Trail Bride
The Marriage Agreement
Groom For Hire
Forced Into Marriage
Nebraska Series
Her Heart’s Desire
A Bride for Tom
A Husband for Margaret
Eye of the Beholder
The Wrong Husband
Shotgun Groom
To Have and To Hold
Forever Yours
His Redeeming Bride
Isaac’s Decision
Misled Mail Order Brides Series
The Bride Price
The Rejected Groom
The Perfect Wife
The Imperfect Husband
Husbands for the Larson Sisters
Nelly’s Mail Order Husband
Perfectly Matched
Suitable for Marriage – coming soon
Wyoming Series
The Outlaw’s Bride
The Rancher’s Bride
The Fugitive’s Bride
The Loner’s Bride – coming soon
Chance at Love Series
The Convenient Mail Order Bride
The Mistaken Mail Order Bride
The Accidental Mail Order Bride
The Bargain Mail Order Bride
Nebraska Prairie Series
The Purchased Bride
The Bride’s Choice
Interview for a Wife – coming soon
South Dakota Series
Loving Eliza
Bid for a Bride
Bride of Second Chances
Montana Collection
Mitch’s Win
Boaz’s Wager
Shane’s Deal
Native American Romance Series
Restoring Hope
A Chance In Time
Brave Beginnings
Bound by Honor, Bound by Love
Virginia Series
An Unlikely Place for Love
The Cold Wife
An Inconvenient Marriage
Romancing Adrienne
Standalone Historical Western Romances
Falling In Love With Her Husband
Kent Ashton’s Backstory
Catching Kent
His Convenient Wife
Meant To Be
The Mail Order Bride’s Deception
Contemporary Romances
Omaha Series
With This Ring, I Thee Dread
What Nathan Wants
Just Good Friends
Across the Stars Series
Suddenly a Bride
Runaway Bride
His Abducted Bride
Standalone Contemporaries
Substitute Bride
Thrillers
Return of the Aliens (Christian End-Times Novel)
Late One Night (flash fiction)
The Very True Legends of Ol’ Man Wickleberry and his Demise - Ink Slingers’ Anthology
Fantasies
Enchanted Galaxy Series
A Royal Engagement
Royal Hearts
The Royal Pursuit
Royal Heiress
Nonfiction
Writing Tips Series
11 Tips for New Writers
The E
motionally Engaging Character
Writing for Passion
Where to Find Ruth
There are several ways you can find me! I’ll list them below, and you can pick the one that most interests you.
My Monthly Blog (https://ruthannnordinnewsletter.com) Once a month, I’ll give updates on books I’m working on, and I will include new release information.
My Author Blog (https://ruthannnordinauthorblog.com/) For anyone who would like to read my ramblings about books I’m working on, updates I’m making to books (such as new covers for boxsets), trivia about past books, and what my thoughts are in the writing and publishing world, this is the blog for you.