I nodded, trying to communicate with my eyes that I understood—without revealing my secret, in case I was mistaken. “My mother has one, as well,” I said. “And her mother, and hers before that. We’ve each carried the mark, since the beginning of time.”
“The beginning of time,” he repeated, his face soft with understanding. “What is your other time, Miss Wells?”
Tears gathered in my eyes, and I pressed my trembling lips together. I had never spoken of my other life to anyone in this path before. Nor had I spoken to anyone but Mama about my time-crossing. To do so now felt both liberating and frightening. “It began in 1754,” I whispered.
His smile was tender as he said, “Mine began in 1541.”
I shook my head, wonder and amazement making me feel a bit faint. “Have you ever met anyone else?”
“Never, though I have heard tales of others.”
“Tales?”
“From my grandfather. You might be surprised that some of history’s greatest heroes and heroines were time-crossers.”
“Truly? Who?”
He chuckled. “Some of them have yet to live, so you wouldn’t know them if I told you. But others sacrificed everything for the cause they held dear. They made the world a better place.” His smile fell. “But there have also been villains, great and small, who have sought to use their gift for personal gain, at the detriment of humanity.”
I stared at him, stunned to learn so much about other time-crossers. I had always sought to live a quiet, peaceful existence. It had never occurred to me that I could use my gift any other way. “But what about changing history?” I asked. “My mama told me it could have cataclysmic effects on the world if I did it intentionally.”
“Indeed, and it has. Great wars and disastrous events have brought much pain and suffering to the world through the hands of villains who sought to change history. But, in the end, God’s will always prevails.”
There was so much more I wanted to know. Excitement bubbled up in my chest. “What about you? Why did you choose this path?”
“Shh.” He shook his head and put his finger to his lips. “Let us not share details about our paths. To do so might cause us to unwillingly change a bit of history of our own.”
I studied him, wanting so desperately to know everything about him. Was he part of the same family my grandmother had encountered? Were there more families than his and mine? And if so, how many more? I looked around the ship and wondered if there were others, even here.
For the first time in this path, I didn’t feel so alone. Even if I never met another time-crosser, at least I knew I wasn’t the only one.
I smiled and felt the former tears banished. “I’m so thankful I’ve met you, Congressman Hollingsworth.”
“And I you, Miss Wells. So very thankful.” His smile lit up his face.
If Mother were here, I might never have learned the truth about my charming companion. But Mother wasn’t with us. She had kept to her berth the entire trip, claiming my refusal to marry Lord Cumberland was making her ill. She was being dramatic and manipulative, so I simply left her to wallow in her despair and enjoyed my leisure time with the congressman and other interesting people I had met on the voyage.
“Miss Libby?”
I turned at the sound of Edith’s voice. She stood behind me, her hand on her mobcap so it wouldn’t get torn away in the wind.
“Yes?”
“Your mother is asking for you.”
My joy at learning the truth about the congressman vanished. I nodded and then turned to the congressman, my heart heavy at the idea of possibly never seeing him again. “I wish we had more time.”
“Perhaps,” he said slowly, “it’s best this way. I think if we’d learned the truth earlier, we might have been tempted to share too much.” He took my gloved hand and bowed over it. “It’s been a pleasure making your acquaintance. I wish the very best for you, my dear.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I must see to my mother.”
“Of course.”
I smiled one last time and then followed Edith to the stairwell, bracing my own large hat against the gusts of wind, even though it was pinned securely to my hair. It took us several minutes to traverse the massive ship to our stateroom, and I could not take my mind off my meeting with the congressman.
The door to Mother’s stateroom opened just as I reached out to turn the knob.
I stepped back, surprised, and bumped into Edith.
