The Cry of the Wolf Chapter 77

Gavin didn't respond as he slowly walked across the room, the floorboards creaking with each step. Lifting the lid from a small tin canister he retrieved a simple gold band, slipping it onto his finger before turning back to Becky.

"I am sorry I led you to believe there would be a future for us and have disgraced you. Adelaide is my wife and you are right, she left everything for me. We have been married for over a decade and it is not something that can just be thrown away."

Gavin couldn't bring himself to meet Becky's crestfallen eyes before turning on his heel and heading out the door.

"Forgive me…" he whispered, then was gone.

Great tears tumbled down Becky's cheeks as she watched the man she had fallen in love with walk away. Lifting a thin shawl from the bed, she wrapped it around her shoulders, clutching it close, before disappearing into the night.

She couldn't face her neighbors in the morning. A laughing stock, she was sure to face "I told you so," and couldn't bear it. Features concealed, she slipped unnoticed into the shadows, disappearing into the darkness.

****

Gavin swallowed hard, uncertain of how to proceed. He couldn't exactly ignore Addy. They'd need to talk at some point and it would be easier to get it done and over with. Move forward before things become worse between them - it was his only option. Taking a deep breath, Gavin entered the bedroom. It was time to put all the cards on the table.

Addy pushed her hair back from her tear-stained cheeks. She must look a sight! Thankful for the dim light from the fire, she hugged her legs against her chest, holding her breath.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever, Gavin focusing on the dying embers rather than on his wife. A year had changed everything. They were more like two strangers than lovers, or was it just him?

"We need to talk," Gavin began, stating the obvious.

He still refused to look at Addy, speaking directly to the hearth. "I thought you'd run off with another man. You know I always suspected you were being unfaithful to me… When I came home from work and saw you and the kids were gone, that was the first thing that came to mind. It didn't make sense you hadn't taken any of your things but I just chalked it up to maybe your new lover was rich or something and you didn't need...well, you know…"

If Gavin had turned around, he would have seen Adelaide's eyes widen, a look of pain haunting her pale hazel eyes.

"...You can imagine my surprise when I woke up the next morning here. Well, not exactly here but that doesn't matter. Fortunately for me, I'm British. If I had been French, I wouldn't have been so lucky. You know I'm a natural leader and the rest, you could say, is pretty much history." Gavin chuckled at the irony of his words while running his hands through his hair. "I looked for some kind of portal that would take me back to the future but gave up after a while.

Why go back? Here I command respect. What is waiting for me in the future? A job I hate? Ya, I'll get right on that. A wife and family? No, they are long gone. So no, I haven't been trying to get back home. This is my home and I have no intention of ever going back. I moved on with my life and I'm not going to feel guilty about it. That woman you saw? I was planning on marrying her. She was loyal to me and never for a moment did I expect she would ever be unfaithful. And then today, you showed up and put a wrench in my plans.

Okay, so I didn't handle the situation as well as I could have, but what do you expect? I was in shock and then having to see that kid...it was a slap in the face! A reminder that I had been right all along. So you hadn't run off with someone from our time period but with a savage! You put our kids at risk and what? Just willingly gave yourself to him? Popped out a kid? You can't blame me, Addy, for not having the stomach to want to have another man's child in my home."

Gavin grimaced as his shoulders slumped. No, Addy couldn't find fault in his actions. If the tables were turned, how would she feel if she had to see his child with this Becky? It would have torn her heart apart.

****

"By the way, where are the kids? You didn't leave them with him, did you?" Gavin finally turned around.

"They're gone…" Adelaide whispered. "They died in the plague that smote our village."

Gavin took a step backward, his face ashen. "You were with the Wyandotte…"

In two long strides, Gavin was kneeling at Adelaide's side, wrapping her in his arms. At that moment, the past was forgotten and they were simply two parents united in untold grief.

Adelaide buried her face in Gavin's shoulder and wept for their children who were no more.

****

Gavin's tenderness was Adelaide's undoing as he brushed away her tears with his thumb. In grief, they only had each other.

Adelaide took a deep, quivering breath, pushing aside strands of tear-dampened hair before meeting her husband's eyes. At this moment everything else seemed to melt away.

Gavin cleared his throat, standing abruptly to his feet.

"I can't...no, I can't bring myself to, you know... Not yet. I don't know how long it will take before I am able to get over your betrayal - if ever. I will see you in the morning. Anna will meet any needs you may have during the night. She's a good woman and you can trust her. Should you need me urgently, she knows how to reach me."

And with that Gavin strode to the bedroom door. Halting with his hand on the doorframe, he looked down at his shoes, "Have a good night."

How was that possible?

Gavin made it clear he could not forgive her, leaving her alone in a cold bed and unfamiliar fort.

"Please, Gavin...I'm sorry!" Adelaide called after her husband and the father of her children, but he was gone.