Chapter Text
They had fought. Badly. She didn’t know why she had asked him to leave. Well she did, but as soon as he had walked out the door she had regretted it. She should have followed him. She should have apologised. He should have as well, she thought, but right at this moment she realised she should have been the bigger person. He had travelled through time for her. He had literally gone to the ends of the earth to find her and make sure she was alive. Breathing. Willing to have him. ‘Great one, Brianna’ she thought to herself.
She slowly started putting herself back together. Picking up her clothes, putting them on, trying not to think of him. Roger wasn’t the easiest man to understand sometimes. He had some backwards views on things. But she knew he loved her. He really loved her. And beyond his faults, she loved him. In the back of her mind she knew he would come back to her. If he had travelled this far, agreed to marry her, taken her the way he had, then surely he would return.
Having fully dressed, and with no sign of Roger’s return, Brianna thought it best to return to the tavern. It was late, and Lizzie would be getting worried. Plus a good nights sleep would do her some good. She slowly meandered back, trying to think of anything but Roger’s departure. Her parents. That was a good train of thought to follow. How in the hell was she supposed to find them? This time was proving to be challenging. She knew it would be, but she was starting to wonder if she would ever find them. She thought of being in her mother’s arms again. Telling her all she had missed while she was away. Telling her about Rog….no! She was not thinking about him.
Well, what about her father? Her biological father. She has thought so much about him while travelling. What would he look like? Her mother had told her she resembled him, but she was having a hard time picturing him. Would he be happy she had arrived? Maybe he wouldn’t want her to come. Maybe he would think she was trying to take her mother back, back to a time that was proving to be a lot easier than this one. Would he believe she was his daughter? But under all these thoughts there was a strong ache in her chest. A secret she was often too scared to think; would he love her?
Having lost Frank, her mother and Ro…he who must not be named, she longed to be loved; to have a family again. ‘God I hope he likes me’ she thought as she pushed the door to the tavern open. It was loud, very loud. The noise pulled her out of her musings, bringing her back to the present. There was a large group of men playing cards as the table. As she went to go past one of the men grabbed her by the arm.
“Now lass, maybe ye could bring a man some luck?” The man spoke in a confident, cocky way that made her skin crawl. The way he looked at her made her want to run as fast as she could. However she kept her cool.
“I don’t bring much luck. Maybe try someone else. Good night.” And with that she pulled her arm from the man grip and made for the stairs. Thankfully the man seemed too caught up in his game to follow, much to her relief.
She reached the top of the stairs, both mentally and physically exhausted from the days events.
“Mistress, there you are. Are you all right? Were you with that man the whole time? Did he hurt you?” Lizzie’s bombardment of questions hit her as soon as she opened the door.
“Whoa, calm down Lizzie. I’m fine. I’m sorry I’m so late.” She sat on the corner of the bed, beginning to undress. “What man?”
“The one who roughly pulled you out the door this morning. The one who dragged you down the street. Oh mistress, I am sorry I did not come and get you. I’m sorry I did not stop him from taking you away.” Lizzie was working herself into quite the panic.
“Lizzie, calm down.” Brianna put her hand on her foot, squeezing it through the thin blankets to reassure her she was ok. “I’m fine. Really! That man was a friend.” Really Brianna, this was how you were going to describe the man you had just married and slept with? “We got talking and lost track of time. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who should apologize. I should have told you what was going on.”
Lizzie looked at her for a while, unsure whether to believe what she was saying. But something in her face must have convinced her, because she dropped the subject and went back to sleep. After undressing and climbing into bed, it wasn’t long before Brianna was doing the same. And sleep she would need, for little did she know the emotional rollercoaster that was still to some.