If she was desperate enough to do it, she would.
But she hadn’t yet.
Within the hour, Father and Susannah left for Boston. Thirty minutes later, Isaac returned with his wagon.
My heart sped up, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of him or the visit we were about to make.
“Is Hope ready?” he asked quietly so the occupants in the taproom wouldn’t hear.
“I haven’t asked her yet.” We had been so preoccupied with the wedding in 1692 and the trip to Europe in 1912, I hadn’t had a chance—or maybe I hadn’t wanted to talk to her about my plan. It was something Isaac and I shared—just the two of us. “We’ll meet you out back.”
He left the building while I told John and Leah that Hope and I were going to visit a neighbor. I didn’t tell themwhowe were visiting, and they didn’t ask.
Hope was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book. She glanced up at me, a frown on her face when she saw me wearing my cloak. “Where are you going?”
I took a deep breath. “Isaac is here.”
She sighed and looked back at her book.
“He has come to take us to Ann Pudeator’s home.”
Hope frowned again as she looked up. “Why?”
I moved across the room and stopped near her. “She is one of the oldest midwives in Salem, and she came from Boston. Surely she must know something about our mother. I’m determined to find the truth. If she doesn’t know, then mayhap she knows someone who does.”
For several seconds, Hope studied me. “Do you think she’ll tell us? No one has ever spoken of our mother.”
“Maybe not, but I must try and stop the rumors about her death. If someone accuses us of having a witch for a mother, we will need to know the truth so we can deny the charges.”
“Why is Isaac helping?” Hope looked out the window to where he had appeared with his wagon.
“It would be difficult to do this alone—and he cares about us. He is the only person I trust. Will you come with us?”
Finally, she nodded and stood.
A few minutes later, we approached Isaac.
“Good day, Hope,” he said as he took her hand and helped her into his wagon.
She paused and smiled. “Thank you for taking us to Ann.”
The look on his face was pure joy—as if this one comment from Hope would warm him for weeks to come.
I had to tear my gaze away, wishing with all my heart that he would look at me the way he looked at her.
We said little to each other on the way to Salem Towne. IfFather and Susannah had troubles of any kind, we would come across them on the road. I kept my eyes open for any sign of them, but to my relief, we made it to Salem Towne without encountering them.
Ann’s home was on the common in the heart of town. She was a wealthy widow in her early seventies, though she was still strong and agile. She had spent much of her life as a midwife and healer, coming to Salem Village often.
“I’ll wait for you,” Isaac said as he helped us from the wagon. “Take your time.”
“Thank you,” I told him, putting my hand on his arm. “We will be as quick as possible.”
As it was, it would be dark before we returned to Salem Village. And though I wasn’t convinced there were witches among us, some of the reports had started to alarm me. Ever since Tituba’s confession, there had been other sightings and strange occurrences. The night of the first questioning, William Allen and John Hughes had come across the form of a beast on the road—but when the beast saw them, they said it split into three women who fled so quickly, it was as if they vanished. The next day, a creature followed William home in the dark, and then both men reported animals visiting them in their bedchambers in the dark. Their sightings, along with the strange affliction that still plagued the girls, was creating mass hysteria.
I tried pushing the troubling thoughts aside, though it was impossible. It was all anyone could think about or talk about.
Salem Towne was a bustling harbor community, much bigger and more active than the rural village we occupied. The seaport was full of ocean-going vessels of every kind, bringing items from all over the world. I loved visiting but didn’t get away from the ordinary very often—and at the moment, enjoying the town was the last thing on my mind.
