My stomach fell, and everything became smooth.
I yelled with joy as I lifted the aeroplane higher still. I was flying! I could almost see Hope down below, cheering me on withthe others. Even though she wasn’t there with me physically, she was there with me in spirit. I would tell her all about it tomorrow when I woke up in Salem. She would want to know every detail, and I would do my best to share them.
It only took me a couple of minutes to get to the end of the field, and there I moved the lever to warp the wings to bank the aeroplane and make a lefthand turn. The mechanic waved his white handkerchief as I arced over him and headed back toward the hangar.
The hardest part of the flight would be the landing. I would need to ease back on the speed and start to lower the aeroplane. The second my wheels touched the earth, I had to kill the engine, allowing enough space to let the aeroplane come to a complete stop on its own. There were no brakes in this machine, so I had to do everything with exact precision.
I began my descent, as Luc had instructed, and eased back on the throttle. The hangar was coming up quickly, so I eased back more and then lowered the machine until I felt the first jolt of the earth beneath me. As fast as I could, I switched off the motor and tried to keep control of my aeroplane as it bounced along the field.
Slowly, the wheels came to a stop, about fifty yards from the hangar.
Relief and exhilaration engulfed me as my fellow classmates and Luc rushed toward me, cheering and clapping.
I had done it—in less than five minutes. I had flown an aeroplane, and I wasn’t looking back.
“Well done,” Luc called to me as I stood from the seat and began to climb out of the aeroplane.
He reached up and grasped me around the waist, lowering me to the ground as if I weighed next to nothing. For a heart-stopping moment, he kept his hands at my waist and looked down at me with an admiration that went beyond the flight. I was breathless from flying—and from being so near him.
But in the next second, I was being lifted onto the shoulders of my classmates, all men, who proceeded to carry me back to the hangar, cheering.
I tossed a lingering look back at Luc, my heart and thoughts in a jumble.
There was much to tell Hope—and much more to keep to myself.
21
HOPE
AUGUST 20, 1692
SALEM VILLAGE
All morning and afternoon, I thought about Grace’s flight. She had told me everything she could think of, and it was still on my mind as I sat under the large oak tree on the side lawn of the ordinary, darning stockings.
It was a beautiful summer afternoon, much too nice to be indoors. Grace was in the kitchen, finishing her baking, but she’d said she would join me later. For now, I was soaking up the warmth and letting my mind drift into the bright blue sky and the billowing clouds up above. I ached to fly again—and that ache had turned to a pit in my stomach. I’d been stuck in 1692 for seven weeks, and with each passing day, I missed 1912 more.
A gentle breeze whispered across my skin as I lowered my gaze. A woman was walking toward the ordinary on the road to Salem Towne. She limped as if she was in pain, but nothing else looked unusual about her.
I concentrated on the stocking again, my mind slipping to Isaac. It had been weeks since he had come to the ordinary—not since the wedding in Salem Towne and my meeting with Rachel. I had heard he was away from the village on business in Boston, but that hadn’t put my mind to rest.
I couldn’t stop thinking about those few moments Isaac and I had spent together. They were the only thing that eased the constant pain in my heart, so I played them repeatedly in my mind. He’d said he would never leave me, and that simple statement had changed something inside of me. It caused me to think of him whenever I had a moment to myself—like this one. I thought of the past few months, how he had gone to Sandwich on our behalf, had orchestrated our meeting with Pricilla, and how he had taken me to my cousin.
I thought of his home, his servants, his farm, and his friendships. Everything Isaac valued was better because of it. He treated the people and the things in his life with treasured devotion, and because of that, they prospered. He was a man deeply respected in the village and beloved by everyone.
It was no wonder Grace was in love with him. He was just like her.
As my thoughts strayed to him, I was more determined than ever to convince him to love my sister. They deserved each other.
But I was running out of time, and he was nowhere to be found.
I glanced up again, and the woman was closer. Her limp was more pronounced, and her form had grown familiar.
The back door of the ordinary opened, and Grace appeared. She wiped her wrist along her brow and then stepped into the sunlight, closing the door behind her. “I believe I’m done until it’s time to start supper.” She walked over to her garden, which was flourishing, and surveyed it for a moment, her hands on her hips. “I should probably weed the potatoes.”
“Grace,” I said as I kept my eye on the approaching woman, unsure if I was seeing correctly. “Come here.”
She walked over to me, her gaze traveling to the woman, and she put her hand up to shade her eyes. As the woman drew closer, my suspicions were confirmed. I set the darning in my sewing basket and stood.
