“Oh, Libby.” She rushed across the room and pulled me into her arms. “My dear, selfless Libby.”
I held her for a long time, not wanting to let her go. She was my constant source of support and encouragement. What would I do without her?
“Do you know,” she finally said, pulling back, wiping her cheeks with her apron, “from the day I first held you in my arms, I knew you were special. Not only because of your mark, but because of your heart. It’s not easy being a time-crosser. It made my mother an angry and bitter woman, but I refused to let the same thing happen to me—or you. I’ve always admired how you handle your two lives. I know it was very difficult being raised by Mother Wells, but you held onto hope, and you kept your sweet spirit.” She took my hand and pressed it to her heart. “Please, Libby, do not let anything turn your heart to stone. Do not let anger or bitterness take root in you. If you do, all of this was for naught. Instead, use what you’ve learned fromme and from this life to do good and further God’s kingdom in the time you occupy.”
I nodded, unable to speak.
“Did you say good-bye to Henry?”
“Aye.” I swallowed the grief threatening to choke me. “It is done.”
She gently removed a tendril of hair from my cheek. “You are not the first person to lose the love of your life, and I know you won’t be the last. I promise there will be a day when your heart has healed, when it will feel like you can breathe again. It might not happen soon, but it will happen.”
I clung to her words, though they were hard to comprehend.
“You will face difficulties, I’m certain.” Her eyes dimmed with something I could not identify. “After World War One, there will be a devastating pandemic. Then there will be peace for a time, followed by a worldwide depression. Another man will rise up in Germany in the late 1930s, and he will put the world through another war. But take heart, the best is yet to come.”
“Another?” I struggled to understand. “Isn’t the Great War the war to end all wars?”
“Freedom isn’t stagnant or guaranteed. It lives and breathes and must be defended constantly. Don’t take it for granted. Fight for it, both in the public and private spheres of your life. And always look for ways to help,” she continued, almost feverish in her instructions. “That is one of our greatest purposes upon this earth. To be the helpers.”
I nodded again, wanting her to know I understood.
She placed her hands on either side of my face. “And remember how very much I love you. I will think about you every day for the rest of my life, and one day we will see each other again, when our time on earth is at an end.”
“I long for that day, Mama.”
“You will be just fine, Libby.” She smiled through her tears.“You’re strong and brave, and you have more courage and faith than anyone I know. God will use you in powerful and mighty ways if you’ll allow Him. And you’ll be a good mother. I wish I could meet my granddaughter, but I know you will teach her about me, and through you, she’ll know me.”
“She will know you as well as if she had met you.” I wanted to reassure Mama, who seemed desperate to give me all the wisdom and advice she could think of. “You have taught me well. You’ve lived by example, and you’ve been selfless and loving every day of my life. I won’t forget. I promise. I will hold your words here”—I pointed at my heart, where the mark resided—“every day of my life.”
Mama’s smile was bittersweet. “Let’s not say good-bye then, Libby, because it’s not good-bye forever. It’s only until we meet again.”
I returned to her hug and held her for a long time. “Until we meet again, Mama.”
****
Hours later, after I had kissed my sisters good-night, said good-bye to Mariah and Abraham, and even gone to wave good-bye to Sophia through the window of the wig shop, I climbed into Mama’s bed to fall asleep in her arms, praying that by some miracle we were both wrong and I would wake up in Williamsburg once again.
She sang me to sleep.
26
WHITBY, NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND
MAY 29, 1915
I slowly opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was the window looking out to the wild and stormy North Sea. Tall waves rolled across the water while rain splattered against the thick windowpanes.
Inside my bedchamber, it was dark from the overcast sky, and I shivered under the covers protecting me from the chill. My hand slipped down to my stomach and rested over my baby. I curled into a ball around her, hugging her and drawing strength from knowing she was there and she was safe. She moved beneath my hand, and I smiled despite the pain aching within my heart. I still wanted to believe that when I went to sleep tonight, I would wake up in Williamsburg, but I had no guarantee. Everything Mama and I knew to be true about the time-crossers in our family told us that I would never go back.
I didn’t want to think about what Mama was facing there, waking up with me lifeless in her arms. It was too much.
Yet if I did not go back, then that meant 1775 was in the past. All the people I knew and loved were truly gone. I tookcomfort in knowing they had led long and happy lives. I imagined Hannah and Rebecca fully grown, married, with families of their own. And Mama. It eased my heart, knowing she and Mister Goodman would be married and she would have a second chance at true love.
But what about Henry? It was easy to picture Mama and the girls, but it was harder to imagine what Henry’s life looked like after I left. Had he taken over Edgewater Hall? Had he married, had children?
Edith entered the room and quietly laid a fire in the hearth, probably assuming I was still asleep. When she finally came to my bed, she smiled. “You’re awake early.”
