I put my hand up to my head. “There’s just so much to take in.”
“If you think this is a lot,” Isaac said with a laugh, “wait until you meet the rest of the Howlett family. There are dozens of time-crossers. I can’t keep track.”
“Dozens of them?” I asked Hope, feeling surprised at each turn. I had gone from thinking I was the only one to learning there were dozens of others.
She patted my hand. “One thing at a time, dear. For now, we’ll get you fed, and then I’ll tell you all about them. If you choose to stay here after your birthday, there will be plenty of time to meet everyone.”
My head was spinning, and Maxwell was sitting next to me, not saying a word. As much as I wanted to speak to Hope, I had more important things to discuss with Maxwell.
“May we have a moment alone?” I asked our hosts.
“Of course.” Hope stood. “I’ll see to that tea tray. Join us in the dining room when you’re ready.”
She and Isaac left the parlor, and I turned to Maxwell.
“You see?” he said with a sad smile on his face. “I told you thatGod had gone before you. Your family is not cursed by witchcraft but blessed with a gift from God.”
“But I must say goodbye to my other family tomorrow.”
He still held my hand as hope brightened his smile. “Does that mean you know which life you’re going to choose?”
“Aye,” I said, incredulous. “I love you, Maxwell. I cannot imagine leaving you.”
The grin he gave me was like a burst of sunshine on a cloudy day. It was full of the promise of more tomorrows. “Then today is truly the best day of my life.” He placed his hands on my cheeks. “I love hearing you say my name, Caroline. It would honor me if you’d take it to be your own.”
“Mistress Maxwell MacDougal?”
“Aye.”
I kissed Maxwell there in Hope’s parlor, reveling in his love.
I’d found the answers that I was seeking, and they were better than I had even imagined.
Yet, there would be great pain in my life after tomorrow. A pain that had already begun to twist my heart.
30
SEPTEMBER 1, 1927
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
It felt strange to open my eyes on Dupont Street, knowing that this would be the last time. Tomorrow would be my twenty-first birthday in 1727, and I planned to stay awake past midnight. If what Hope told me was true, I would not wake up in 1927 after that.
I had never cried so many tears before in my life, but as I watched the rain dripping from the eaves on the yellow house I’d grown up in, I couldn’t stop them from falling. This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? To live like a normal person. To have answers to my questions.
Now that I did, I wasn’t as relieved as I thought I would be. It only added more heartache. How was I supposed to tell my parents? Instead of celebrating my birthday tomorrow, they would mourn my death. It was too much to contemplate and made me feel panicked.
The smell of coffee and bacon wafted up to my room, so I forced myself out of bed and dressed in one of my favorite outfits. People often talked about what they would do if they knew it was their last day to live. In many ways, this was my last day, at leastin this life, and I knew what I would do. I wanted to spend it with the people I loved.
After I was dressed, I went downstairs and found my parents at the dining room table. Father was reading his newspaper, and Mother was reading a letter. Irene hadn’t come down yet, but I was thankful for this bit of time alone with my parents. And I was thankful they knew about my time-crossing so I could tell them what would happen.
I hated to think of their despair.
“Good morning, Caroline,” Mother said as she looked up from her letter and smiled. “You’re right on time. Ingrid just brought in breakfast.”
“I’m not hungry,” I said as I took a seat at the table.
“Don’t you feel well?” she asked me.
