Sorrow was written all over her face. “I’m so sorry, Hope.”
“No.” I shook my head, though tears ran down my cheeks. I tried to remember every line and detail of her beautiful face. The shade of her eyes, the sound of her voice, the cadence of her words. “Don’t be sorry.” I wiped my cheek, impatient with my tears. “You belong with Luc, just as I belong with Isaac. God gave us the past eight days to realize what we both truly want and need. This is good.” I said it even though I didn’t believe it—not yet.
She pulled me into her arms, hugging me tight.
We held each other for a long time. Emotions and memories flooded my mind and heart as I thought about all we had lived through. I had never imagined a day when Grace might not be by my side—yet I was facing a lifetime without her.
“I will miss you with every breath I take,” she whispered. “I love you more than life itself.”
I clung to her, tears burning my eyes. “And I will miss you.” It was all I could manage to say, though there was so much more. Even if I had forever with my sister, I could never say all I wanted or needed to say.
I couldn’t wrap my mind around losing her—never seeing her again and not knowing how her life would turn out. Yet I trusted that God would be with Grace, just as He was with me, and that one day we would see each other again. The hope of that reunion kept my heart beating.
When Isaac finally came downstairs, our tears were shed, and we pulled apart. He looked between us, confusion on his brow.
“Grace woke up in 1912 last night while we slept,” I explainedas I wiped the last remnants of my tears with my apron. “She wasn’t dead—just unconscious.”
He still looked confused, so I wrapped my arm around his. “Grace is going to stay in 1912, Isaac. Tomorrow will be her last day here. She’ll go to sleep before midnight on our birthday and will not wake up here ever again.”
His gaze sliced to hers. “You’re leaving us?”
She nodded, a sad smile on her face. “Luc has asked me to marry him, and I’ve said yes. I’ll be there to help Mama and Daddy as they age and make sure the orphanage continues.”
Isaac seemed almost as shaken as me. He opened his arms, and Grace went into his embrace.
I stepped back, watching my husband hug my sister, and more tears streamed down my cheeks. Isaac had been the most important man in our life here—and would continue to be so for me. Grace had spent years loving him, and she would miss him dearly. He would miss her, too, and we would grieve together.
But I was not jealous of their love. I was thankful they cared so deeply for each other.
“I’m sorry you will start your married life in mourning,” Grace said as she pulled out of his embrace. “I never imagined this would happen.”
“Don’t worry about us.” Isaac reached for my hand. “I will love and cherish Hope just as you have always done.”
Grace’s beautiful face was still glowing as she wiped her tears. “That is the only consolation I take in leaving you. The only one.” She took a deep breath and then smiled at both of us. “Enough tears. We only have two days left together, and I don’t want to spend them crying. We have a wedding and a birthday to celebrate.”
I used my free hand to capture hers, nodding in agreement. “And an engagement.”
She smiled at me—as only Grace could—and a lifetime ofwords seemed to pass between us. Those we had said and those we longed to say. Our relationship had not been perfect, but I had no regrets. I loved Grace completely, and she would always be a part of me.
We would make the most of our time together—and once she was gone, I would make the most of my life with Isaac. Time was a gift—one of the greatest we would ever be given—and I wouldn’t take it for granted.
And one day, if we had children, they would learn all about Grace.
Epilogue
GRACE
AUGUST 1, 1914
NEW YORK CITY
Sunshine beat down upon our heads as Luc and I stood on 5th Avenue. I wore a large hat with a wide brim to shade my eyes, but it was still bright. There were no clouds to mar the beautiful blue sky or offer relief from the glare to those on the street. My lavender gown was soft and lightweight, helping with the heat, which I was thankful for as I had recently entered my seventh month of pregnancy.
“Mr. Hearst seemed pleased with your latest article,” Luc said as he held my hand. He looked handsome in a black suit and tie with a black fedora on his head. He had to speak loudly over the noise of the crowd. “But are you certain you should cover this story?”
I grasped the strap of my brown leather bag, making sure I didn’t lose it in the melee outside the church. Hundreds of people had gathered to watch the event unfold, and I had been sent by Mr. Hearst to take pictures and report back to his newspaper. Luc and I had arrived nearly an hour ago to get a goodplace to stand, and my feet were aching—but I was too excited to think about it for long.
“I didn’t ask for this job,” I said, feeling a little sheepish, “so I saw no reason to turn it down when it was offered.”
