Enchanted Heart

Amy has finally graduated, and she's excited to move on to her internship with a law firm in London. What she doesn't expect is to be invited to a ball by an eccentric old woman—or that she actually decides to go. Spontaneity is not her thing. When she's pulled back in time, Amy is thrown into a world of balls, picnics, and suitors.

William has spent most of his life helping his aunt Nellie with the time traveling groups who come through Twickenham Manor. But this time it's different. The feisty, beautiful Amy captures William's heart from the moment he sees her, and the magic she calls modern technology captivates him even more.

While the others who have traveled back seem to fit in, Amy is just looking forward until the day she can go home. William knows he should help her, but he's too busy enjoying the taste of the special magic she brought with her. Will Amy finally let go and enjoy her experience at Twickenham Manor, or will she leave William—and her heart—to go back to her own time?

 Amy grinned as she threw her cap up in the air. College was finally done, and now she could move on with the rest of her life. Her parents
clapped from the stands, her father shooting her a thumbs-up.

Graduates scattered to find their parents or family members, but Amy took a moment to let it sink in. She picked up her cap up and wiped it off, then climbed down the steps of the stage.

Mom waited with open arms. “I’m so proud of you, sweetie. Valedictorian. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I wanted to surprise you.” She turned to hug her dad. “I didn’t think you’d make it.”

“I almost didn’t. The trial ran long, but we got him.” Dad was a lawyer—one of the best in the area—and one day she hoped they’d be business partners. He handed her an envelope. “Congratulations.”

“What’s this?” Amy opened it up and her eyes widened. “That’s … that’s a lot of money.”

Dad laughed. “You helped with the case, so I figured you could use the money. Besides, you have the trip coming up. Go on a few tours while you’re there.”

Amy shook her head. “I’m there for business. I won’t have time—”

“You always have time to have some fun. That’s the first thing you need to remember.” He kissed her forehead. “Speaking of which, our reservations are in half an hour. We should probably get going.”

“Okay. I’ll take this gown back really quick and then meet you at the car.” Amy glanced around to find her brother. “Where’s Tony?”

Mom sighed. “He went to the car as soon as the graduation ended.”

“Sounds about right.” Amy handed Mom her diploma and cap and jogged over to the table where they were supposed to check in their rentals and stood in line. It took a
bit, so she pulled out her phone and ran through emails. There were several job interviews she was waiting to hear about, and they were supposed to email at any time.

Nothing. Hopefully something would come soon.

When it was finally her turn, she stepped up to the front. “Hi, I’m Amy—Amelia Sutton.”

The woman at the table scanned a list of names. “Ah, here you are. And I have to say, you gave an excellent speech today. Very inspiring.”

“Thank you.” Amy smiled. She handed off the gown and took the steps down to the parking lot where her parents were parked. She could have taken her own car, but this was easier. She climbed in next to Tony. “Thanks for coming to the graduation.”

He grunted and kept staring down at the phone in his hand. Amy shook her head and leaned back against the seat. Now that she was done with school, she didn’t know what to do with her free time.

“What time is your flight tomorrow?” Dad glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

“Noon.” Amy checked her flight on her phone. “I’m supposed to be there two hours early just in case.”

Mom turned in her seat so she could face Amy. “Do you have everything you need?”

Amy shrugged. “I’m just going for a summer internship. I figure a few suits, sweats, and pjs and I’m good.”

“You’re really living it up, aren’t you?” Tony rolled his eyes and went back to his game.

“Hey, I worked hard to get that internship. And it’s overseas. What have you done this year?” Amy took a deep breath. Her brother still got under her skin even after a few years apart while she was at school.

Tony smirked. He’d won. Whoever got the other one to lose their temper got bragging rights for the day. Amy elbowed him and chuckled to herself. She’d missed being around him. She raised her eyebrows when they pulled into the restaurant.

“Burgers? I figured we’d go with steak or pasta or something fancy.” She climbed out and breathed in the greasy American food smell.

“We figured you could get that while you’re in Europe. For now, you just get good ol’ American food. Besides, I’ve heard good things about this place.” Dad put an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. “After this we can go get some apple pie or watch some baseball or something.”

Amy laughed. “You really know how to spoil a girl.”

Buzzing came from her purse and she shoved her hand into it, trying to figure out which device it was. Not her pager, those batteries had died. Her phone was in her pocket. Her tablet. She grinned. That could only mean one thing.

She flipped it open and went straight to her mail app. She’d put alerts on any emails from businesses that she’d sent her applications to and it had paid off. She let out a whoop. Her favorite firm—well, besides her dad’s—wanted an interview.

“One of these days all those electronics are going to die and then what will you do with yourself?” Mom opened the door to the restaurant. “Put them away, please.”

“Yeah, I will. But Mom. I got the interview.” Amy held up her tablet. “I’ll try to squeeze it in before my flight in the morning.”

Mom beamed. “That’s great, honey. Although, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to set up an interview in the morning. You have to get there pretty early.”

Amy nodded, and went to type a response, but Dad took the tablet out of her hands. He slipped it into her purse.

“That can wait till after lunch.” He winked and turned to the host at the front desk.

 “Mark Sutton?” the maître d’ called out. He waited for Amy’s family to stand, then motioned for them to follow him.

She sat in the chair offered and picked up her menu. The burgers looked absolutely amazing, and she realized just how hungry she was.

The waitress walked up and smiled, her pen poised to write. “Looks like you’re all here celebrating. Graduation today?”

Dad nodded proudly. “Amy just graduated in law. She’s going to be heading off to England tomorrow for an internship, so we wanted to celebrate.

Amy rolled her eyes. Dad was great in the courtroom, but in real life he loved nothing more than to embarrass his kids. “I don’t think she needed my whole life story, Dad.”

The waitress laughed. “My dad does the same thing. That’s awesome you’re going to London. I was just there last summer for a Jane Austen immersion thing. You should check one of those out while you’re there.”

“Um, okay.” Not a chance. Amy was there to work.

Mom put a hand on Amy’s and smiled. “Honey, that sounds like something you’d love. You should check it out.”

Amy’s parents and the waitress stared at her with smiled on their faces until she finally sighed. “I’ll look into it. Thank you for the suggestion.”

After all, Dad had said she needed to do something fun, right? By the time her food finally got there and she bit into her bacon cheeseburger, the idea had faded from her mind. She had more pressing things to worry about, like where she’d find a burger this good in London.

 ***

Amy dropped her keys on the counter and went to her room to change. It was the last night in this apartment. She hoped by the time she was back from her internship
in England, she’d have a permanent job somewhere and she could move into something bigger.

She took out her contacts and put on her glasses, her eyes thanking her after all the strain she’d put them through that day. She made sure to pack her contact solution in her bag and went back to the living room to finishing packing.

Looking around at the empty walls, she couldn’t help feeling a little wistful. She’d miss this tiny studio. She’d had it for the last couple of years. She’d gone through new relationships and then terrible breakups, passed classes and failed
tests, and decided what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. When she first got to school, her dream had been to teach, then moved to chemical engineering, and then architecture. But after watching all of the news stories for her government class, she decided to follow in her dad’s footsteps and go into law.

After finishing the last of the boxes, Amy went to the freezer to get some
well-deserved ice cream. She sighed when she remembered there was none left. She’d handed off all her extra food to her next door neighbor earlier that morning. A glance at the clock told her it was only nine o’clock. Plenty of time to make it to the store to feed her craving.

The dress and heels would have to go, though. She was ready for sweats and a T-shirt after the long day. Once she was changed, she grabbed her keys and jogged out to her car. The small grocery store down the road didn’t have much, but it had her favorite flavor of ice cream. Amy drove the few blocks and climbed out, almost tasting the rocky road.

She made a beeline to the freezer aisle and picked up the small carton of ice cream. There wasn’t much of a wait at the checkout line, which was good. Amy yawned as she pulled out her coin purse. Four dollar bills and eighty-two cents in change. Just like every other time she bought it.

“Excited for your trip?” Jake, the cashier, smiled at her as he scanned the carton.

“Very excited. How’d you do with finals?” Amy handed him the money and took the bag.

He took the money from her. “The chemistry test was killer, but I got it.”

Amy smiled. “I’m sure you passed. See you when I get back.”

“See ya. Nice glasses, by the way. They’re cute on you.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.” Amy waved and left the store.

Jake was a good friend who lived a few apartments down from Amy. They’d helped each other with homework over the years. Most of their friends thought the two of
them would get together, but Amy wouldn’t let that happen. Why waste a perfectly good friendship by ruining it with a kiss?

Amy stopped at her car and frowned at the envelope that had been left on her windshield. Usually the ads were placed during the day, so this was strange. She grabbed it and unlocked the car door, then set her bag and the envelope on the seat. Voices came from behind her. Oh no. 
She quickly climbed in and ducked, her cheeks burning. Her ex, Bryan,
walked past with his arm around his newest girlfriend—the girl he’d started dating while still dating Amy.

She fumbled with her keys before finally getting the right one and shoved it into the ignition. Her ice cream rolled back and forth on the seat as she sped away, taking the long way around to get home. If she hadn’t needed ice cream before,
she did now.

Once she was finally in the safety of her apartment, Amy dropped the bag on the counter and pulled out her ice cream. The envelope almost called to her, so she picked it up and took it to the couch so she could open it while she ate.

It was an invite to some ball in England. Her name was embossed in gold, and the event was supposed to happen in three days—not long after she got there. Strange, but maybe it had something to do with the internship. She’d have to ask when she got there. Amy dropped the invite into her purse and opened her
ice cream, determined to forget what had happened earlier that night.