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Alec and Valerie.  They know.”  Louisa pushed Kit aside and ran down the stairs to fetch Evie, whose hungry howls were growing louder by the minute.  She welcomed the distraction.  Anything to get away from the horror of what was happening.  Anything to get away from the look in Kit’s eyes. 
    “Alec, please explain.  I’m afraid I’ m at a loss.”  Kit looked to Alec, who was running his hands through his hair, his eyes far away.  “Alec!”
    “Kit, step outside with me.  I can’t explain here.  Valerie, go lie down for a bit.  I’ll be back shortly.  We need a plan.”  Alec was about to go down, but Valerie grabbed his arm, hissing urgently. 
    “We need to go NOW!  He ’s getting away.  Alec, please!”
    “Sweetheart, we can’t just leave.  I must prepare.  I don’t know how long I’ll be gone or what I’ll encounter.  I must give instructions to Kit.  Please pack me a change of clothes.”  Alec tried to sound reasonable, but Valerie wasn’t having it.  She grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to turn back and look at her.
    “You?  How long you’ll be gone?  Do you really think you are going alone?  I’m coming with you.  I won’t lose both of you and just sit here waiting, going crazy.  You are not going without me.”
    “Valerie, we have our daughter to think of.  We can’t both disappear.”
    “Louisa will stay here with Lou and Kit.  She’ll be fine.  With any luck, we’ll be back very soon.  We’ll just get him and come back.  He won’t have gone far.”
    “Bloody hell.  Will someone explain?”  Kit was quickly losing his patience.  He looked from Alec to Valerie, then to Mr. Taylor who appeared in the door of the attic bedroom, a strange object in hand. 
    “Kit, we don’t have time for a detailed explanation.  Louisa will tell you the rest.  Both Louisa and Valerie came from the future, as did Mr. Taylor.  The object in his hand is a time-travel device which Finn used to transport himself.  I must prepare.  I trust you will take care of everything until my return.  Please, say nothing to Charles.  He doesn’t need to know.”  Alec gave Kit a searching look, imploring him to understand and comply with his request, but Kit was looking at Alec the same way he’d looked at his wife a few moments earlier.
    “You expect me to believe that three people have dropped in from the future?  You actually believe this?”  Kit looked at Alec bewildered.  He always found Alec to be a man of sound judgment, so this revelation was about as plausible as Alec suddenly announcing that he came from the moon.
    “Kit, my grandmother came from the twentieth century.  I knew of time-travel long before Valerie showed up.  Mr. Taylor is a man of science who was able to build a time-travel device.  I don’t know why he’s here now, but I don’t have the time to find out.  I must prepare and go after my son.  Kit, please believe me.  You’ve known me long enough to know that I’m as sane as you.  Just ask Louisa.  I must be going.”  With that Alec sprinted down the stairs, followed by Valerie, leaving Kit open-mouthed and stunned.
    “Christopher, they are telling you the truth.  I came here to offer them a chance to go back.  I felt it was my duty to give them that opportunity before it was too late.  You see, it’s because of me that they’re here.”  Mr. Taylor looked up at Kit, who was much taller than him, craning his neck, looking for understanding.
    “Too late for what?” asked Kit bemused.  “You knew my wife in the future?”
    “I did.  Louisa came to me, asking me to help her find her sister.  I transported her to the seventeenth century.  That’s why I’m here now.  I thought she might like to go back.”
    “But she has me and Evie.  How can she go back?  What are you saying, old man?  Are you suggesting that she leave us?”  Kit leaned against the wall for support.  He was finding all this too much to take