The night was especially cold as I lay in the corner of the cell, Isaac’s blanket wrapped around my shivering body, holding his gift in my hands. I could not stop thinking about Rachel and the promise I had made. When Grace came in the morning, I would tell her to get word to Pricilla to come for the baby. Surely the gaoler would give the baby to Rachel’s family.
I had slept very little since coming to the gaol, so I spent my time in prayer, focusing on God’s promises, remembering that even now, He had not left me nor forsaken me.
I recalled countless stories of His faithfulness to those He loved in the Bible. Each person faced moments of uncertainty, when they were in their darkest hour, but God had not abandoned them. And He would not abandon me. He’d had a plan for their good and His glory—just as He did for mine. Even if my story didn’t end the way I wanted, I would still trust that it would end the way He planned.
And perhaps, if I was meant to die here, that would free Grace to stay in 1912, as I knew she wanted.
The sound of rats scurrying just outside the cell made my skin crawl, and I tried to dig deeper into my blanket.
Yet—had that sound been a rat?
I removed the blanket from my head and listened a little harder. No one else moved in the cell. A few of the women were snoring, but I could still make out the noise. Sitting up, I pressed my ear to the timber wall and thought I heard metal on metal.
It was the sound of a key slipping into the lock.
As quietly as I could, I stood and moved closer to the door, trying not to step on anyone as I tiptoed across the room. The moon was bright, casting shadows over the courtyard. It had to be the middle of the night, though how late, I wasn’t certain.
My breath caught when I heard the telltale click of the lock, and I glanced through the window to see that the gate to the courtyard was slightly ajar.
Someone was bent low, opening the cell door.
My pulse thudded against my eardrums as it squeaked on its hinges. One of the women in the cell snorted and said something unintelligible in her sleep.
Then a man rose from the crouched position he’d been in to open the lock, and I almost fainted in relief and shock.
It was Isaac.
He saw me at the same moment and reached for my wrist, tugging me gently out of the cell.
I wanted to shout his name and throw my arms around him, but there was no time. He didn’t even bother to lock the door again as he pulled me through the courtyard and out the door to the street. My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it would burst out of my chest.
We ran through the dark street, and he didn’t say a word to me. He held my hand, urging me to go faster, though it didn’t take much convincing. My legs were weak from sitting in the cell for so long without much exercise, but I pushed them as hard as they would go, still clinging to the orange with my other hand.
When we rounded the corner, there was a lightweight wagon waiting with two horses pawing the ground impatiently. Isaachelped me into the wagon and jumped up beside me. He tapped the reins against the horses, and we pulled away with a jolt.
Isaac put his arm around me to hold me on the seat. I was at once aware of his nearness, of the press of his large, powerful hand against my waist, the fresh smell of his clean clothes—and my utter filth. But I didn’t care. The filth could be washed away.
“You came for me,” I whispered on a sob that tore up from my soul.
He pulled me closer and said, “I will never leave you, Hope.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist. The love I felt for him was more powerful than it had ever been. Isaac had broken every rule, defied every authority to rescue me, and stood up to injustice. I had never respected and admired anyone more than I did him. He had pursued me with unconditional love, even when I was unkind and unwelcoming. I was not worthy of being loved by a man like Isaac Abbott.
“Why do you love me,” I whispered, “when I have done nothing to deserve it?”
His hand splayed against my waist as he placed a kiss on top of my head. “My love for you does not depend on your love for me. And if I were to live to be a hundred, it wouldn’t be enough time to tell you all the reasons I love you.” He held me close. “Your courage, fierce determination, and your loyalty inspire me. The way you stand up to injustice and defend the defenseless humbles me. And your questions challenge me.” The passion in his eyes burned deep into my soul. “But it is your bold and authentic heart that draws me, over and over again, Hope. You make me want to be a better person, to fight alongside you—but at the same time, to cherish and protect you.”
Tears burned my eyes as I thought of all the heartache I had caused this good man. “I’m sorry I have hurt you, Isaac.”
He kissed me, his lips warm and possessive against mine, and when he pulled back, there were tears in his eyes. “You don’t need to apologize. God has sustained me while I waitedfor you, and though I am far from perfect, I have learned to be patient and forgiving as I trust Him.”
“I love you,” I whispered, though the force of my emotions felt as if the one simple sentence had exploded within me.
The look of wonder on Isaac’s face made all the pain and heartache from the past months evaporate. He kissed me again. “It was worth every prayer and every day apart to hear those words. I want to marry you, if you’ll have me, and spend the rest of our lives together.”
I had never felt more loved or valued in my life, and I realized that no matter what I did, Isaac would never love Grace the way he loved me.
This feeling I had for Isaac went beyond attraction or emotion—it went to the very core of my being and filled me with a desire to please him and honor him for the rest of my life.
