It had been six weeks since I learned about Mother Wells’s betrayal. Six weeks of praying and fasting and begging God to spare me from such a fate. Whether I was in New York or Williamsburg, it was all I could think about, especially today. Because tomorrow, in my 1914 path, I would be forced to marry Lord Cumberland.
Father could do nothing to stop her lunacy. He had gone to his lawyer and asked what could be done, but there was nothing. If we canceled the wedding, Lord Cumberland could sue my father for breach of contract. Father had told me that it didn’t matter, he’d give everything up for my happiness, but itdidmatter. He’d worked his whole life to establish his business andreputation. I could not be the one to ruin it. So I had continued with the wedding plans, hoping that Mama or Father or I could find another way to stop this from happening.
“Is there no one who could help you escape?” Mama asked, coming to a stop in front of me. “Edith? Mr. Pierson?”
“Mother Wells has threatened everyone, telling them they will be turned out without references if they do.” I stopped to swallow the panic climbing up my throat. “Besides, if I ran away, it would only hasten Lord Cumberland’s lawsuit, which is the very thing I want to prevent.”
Mama sat on the chair next to me and took my hands in hers. Outside the open window, birds were singing as if all was right with the world. Merchants did business on Duke of Gloucester Street, farmers went past with their produce, and children played in the dooryards of the nearby houses.
“I’ve always felt so helpless, Libby, but never like today.”
“What will I do?”
She sighed. “If you are forced to go through with this, keep your husband at arm’s length no matter what. You have less than eleven months to go.”
I knew what she was telling me. I needed to find a way to stop Lord Cumberland from consummating the marriage. It was the only thing I really feared about marrying him. Though I had no wish to leave America, I could do almost anything for eleven months—anything but that.
To make matters worse, there was a war looming in Europe. I’d already shared all the details with Mama, and she’d told me the little she knew about England’s entrance into what she called World War One. Everything had begun at the end of June, when a Bosnian Serb Yugoslav nationalist assassinated the Austro-Hungarian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Over the course of July, a series of events that I failed to understand had transpired in Europe, and an alliance had been formed by Britain, France, and Russia againstGermany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. Mama told me that the war would affect not only England, but America as well. She wasn’t sure of the dates, but I had a feeling that things would escalate quickly, forcing me to wonder what I was facing if I moved to England. It seemed that no matter where I lived, war was not far away.
“Lord Cumberland arrived in New York two days ago,” I said, “but I’ve only seen him once, very briefly. All he could talk about was the war and how he longs to return to England as soon as possible. He wants to be there with Prime Minister Asquith. He believes war is imminent.”
“And he is right. He’ll be anxious to take you back to England immediately.”
I shook my head, tears threatening to overwhelm me. I didn’t want to be in England. I didn’t want to be married. And I didn’t want to return to that life. But I seemed to have no choice.
A man walked by outside, and the familiar lines of his movement captured my full attention.
Henry.
He’d been at Edgewater Hall for the past two weeks, seeing to his family’s business, but had returned to Williamsburg for the Virginia Convention, which started today. I hadn’t spoken to him since my birthday, and part of me wondered if he was purposely avoiding me or if events had kept him from my side.
I watched him pause for a moment outside our house, but then he continued down the street, more than likely going to the Raleigh. Men had begun to gather there over the past few days, and though I ached to be a part of their discussions, nothing in 1774 could hold my attention for long.
All I could think about was my impending marriage.
“I don’t see any way to avoid the wedding,” Mama said to me. “We’ve thought of every possibility.”
I stood, suddenly needing to walk out my apprehension. Work was calling, but I didn’t think I could focus. I started to pace.
“Libby,” Mama said quietly, “mayhap we should try what you suggested weeks ago.”
“What?” My heart soared with hope. Did she have an idea? One I’d forgotten?
“I could come up with something that could help you change the course of history in 1914.” Her voice was heavy with implications.
I stopped pacing and shook my head. I couldn’t let her risk forfeiting her life to help me. “We don’t know what would happen to you. Even if it worked and I was able to leave 1914 for good, what kind of life would I have here without you? What about Rebecca and Hannah?” I couldn’t do it.
“But it’s possible I would be fine. I don’t want you to be forced to choose 1914.” She seemed suddenly desperate.
I sat on the chair beside her. “I’d rather take my chances marrying Lord Cumberland and bide my time until my twenty-first birthday. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
She took my hands into hers once again, her voice dropping. “You could be forced to stay in 1914 if you find out you’re going to have a baby.”
Something caught in my spirit, and I looked at her in a new way. “Is that why you chose this path?” I whispered. “Because you were pregnant with me?”
She didn’t meet my gaze. “I love you more than life itself, Libby. Please believe me.”
I couldn’t say anything as my eyes opened to this new realization.
