Realization dawned. “She was standing in the passageway when we came, speaking to a man. I thought she was you at first.” I rubbed my temples, trying to put all the pieces together. Had Jane been the victim all along? “What were you doing last night before Austen and I came to take you away?”
She lowered her gaze as she said, “I was planning to leave withJoseph. He’d called on me earlier and said he found a position as a groom in Surrey. He told me to meet him at the Horn of Plenty Pub on Dorset Street at eleven last night. He had some business to attend to first, and then we’d make our way to Surrey, because he had to be to work in the morning.” She played with the edge of the blanket and said, “I told him my real name was Mary Jane Kelly. He’s the only person in Whitechapel who knew the truth. He also heard that you had visited me a few times, but that’s all he knew about me.”
That was why she was known to history as Mary Jane Kelly, and not Marie Jeanette Kelly. “You would have left with him?”
“I didn’t know when you would come for me, so I’d told myself if you came before I left with Joseph, then it was God’s will that I go to America, instead of Surrey. Since you came before I could meet Joseph, I knew what I needed to do.”
“You wouldn’t have been at Miller’s Court last night, either way?”
Mary studied me, and I could see she was confused by my question, but she said, “I would have been heading to Surrey if you hadn’t come. So, no, I wouldn’t have been at Miller’s Court last night.”
“And Jane would have gone into your room, even if you weren’t there?” I asked, needing to know for certain.
“She did it before,” Mary said. “It was one of the reasons Joseph was angry with me. Jane came and went whenever she felt like it. She always promised to pay me for the use of my room, but the money never came.”
“And people might have thought it was you,” I continued. “If they saw her at night, going into your room.”
“Yes. People were always getting us mixed up.” She shook her head. “Poor Jane.”
I took a seat on one of the chairs in the room and put my face in my hands, trying to breathe normally again. All this time, it hadn’t been Mary, but Jane who was Jack the Ripper’s last victim. From all reports, the body had been so mutilated, the face included, thatthey couldn’t identify the victim, except for her hair, her height and approximate weight, and the fact that she was in Mary’s room.
“I didn’t change history,” I said quietly to myself, stunned.
“What do you mean?” Mary asked.
The realization hit me hard as I looked up at my sister. I hadn’t forfeited this path because I hadn’t changed history.
It felt like I had a second chance.
Elation filled me, but it was soon dashed. There was still the matter of Papa being held captive in a warehouse in London in 1938.
A porter yelled, “All visitors ashore,” as he passed through the hallway.
It was time to say good-bye to Mary again.
“I’m so sorry about Jane,” I said as I gave Mary a big hug. “But you mustn’t tell anyone the truth. Everyone thinks you’ve died, and that’s probably for the best. Go to New York and make your life whatever you want. Be happy and do good and don’t be afraid, ever again.”
She returned my hug, though I could tell she was still a little confused by my sudden appearance and behavior. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I said as I pulled back and smiled.
“Good-bye, Kathryn.”
This time I was ready to say good-bye, knowing she was finally safe.
I left the cabin and found Austen and Miles speaking quietly nearby. When Austen saw me, he stood straight, his gaze searching mine.
“All is well,” I said to reassure them, though it did little to reassure me.
Austen’s smile was so beautiful, it almost brought tears to my eyes.
“I’m sorry to have barged in on you,” I said to Miles. “Thank you for caring for my sister.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He smiled, and I knew he meant it, even if he looked confused by my intrusion.
We said good-bye to Miles and then left the ship.
“What happened?” Austen asked me as we walked along the wharf toward land. The smell of fish and wet wood assailed my nose. People passed us on their way to their ships, speaking quickly and excitedly.
