A Love Beyond Time

Sent to New Mexico to retrieve materials from Hank Marsh, the computer genius who recently sent India Baldwin to the 8th century, archeologist Mike Bailey gets into a fight when Hank won’t hand over two disks and a notebook he stole from India. Knocked against the computer, Mike puts out a hand to steady himself and finds he’s being drawn into a terrible blackness. He lands hard, hits his head on a rock, and knows nothing more.

It’s spring in Francia, A.D. 779, and Danise is rather unwillingly at the annual gathering of the Franks, where her father, Savarec, wants her to consider three candidates for her hand in marriage. She and her servant, Clothilde, find an unconscious man in the forest near the encampment. He opens his eyes and asks if Danise is an angel. From his confused words, she understands he cannot recall his name. Clothilde brings Savarec, Guntram, who’s one of his men, and Count Redmond. They carry him to Savarec’s tent and tend his wounds.

As he regains consciousness and his wounds heal, the stranger questions Danise about where he is and what year it is. She can barely understand him, but he seems to understand her fairly well. He says he’s clever at languages, though he doesn’t know how he knows this. He’s horrified to learn where and when he is, but cannot recall what happened. A folding purse in his pocket contains a miniature portrait of him, the words “Connecticut Motor Vehicle Operator’s License,” and his name. Danise names him Michel, after the archangel.

Savarec calls Danise to meet the candidates for her hand. Count Redmond is the kind young man who helped to move Michel from the forest. The other two men are the elderly Count Clodion and the flamboyant Count Autichar of Bavaria. Danise’s chaperone, the tart-tongued Sister Gertrude, does not approve of any of them. That very day, Autichar trades angry words with Charles, withdraws his offer for Danise’s hand, and departs from the camp. Clodion is annoyed because Danise’s dowry is not as large as he expected. She doesn’t care; she can only think of Michel.

Redmond offers to teach Michel how to use Frankish weapons. The two quickly become friends. Meanwhile, Clodion keeps trying to fondle Danise and ignores her obvious distaste for him.

Michel, recovered except for his memory, kisses Danise several times. Upset and guilty because she enjoyed it, she confesses that she loved Hugo, a poor nobleman who died during the Spanish Campaign last year.

Michel collapses after a strenuous session with swords. He awakens in the middle of the night, his memory returned. He doesn’t think Hank will make any effort to retrieve him, so he’s probably stuck in the 8th century, and must make the best of it. He offers himself to Savarec as a man-at-arms, and is accepted

Charles organizes a large hunt. During it, Clodion kidnaps Danise. Michel joins the search for her. She’s with Autichar, where Clodion left her. The two have formed a conspiracy with the Saxons against Charles. Redmond orders Michel to take Danise and ride for the camp, where she will be safe. During a storm they seek shelter in an abandoned hut and there they finally make love. Now Danise understands why she is so drawn to Michel. Some part of Hugo lives on in him, and she senses that he approves of her new love.

Clodion is caught and exiled, but Autichar is still free. Savarec is ordered to capture Autichar, now in Saxony. Michel and Guntram go with him.
In the battle with Autichar, the traitor escapes, but Savarec is killed. Michel takes the body home, but soon leaves again with Guntram, to continue the chase. During the next battle, Michel is suddenly returned to his own time. Everyone thinks a great beast of the forest has taken him. When Guntram tells Danise this, she insists on traveling to the site.

Meanwhile, Mike Bailey has blackmailed Hank into making one more try, to attempt to catch Danise and bring her into the present day….