I shook my head, struggling to understand. “God is sovereign,” I agreed. “But He also gave us a mind, didn’t He? And He intends for us to use it. He has given me this information and time to make a difference in Mary’s life. I can’t sit back and do nothing.”
Mama took my cold hands. “This is what I was afraid might happen when we came here. You’re too close to this situation, Kathryn. This is a very precarious position you’re in. My mother always told me it was best not to study the history we would live through. I didn’t listen, and I tried to find answers about the witch trials, but it only brought me grief and heartache. I think it would be best if you stopped digging for answers. Perhaps you should step away from this proje—”
“I can’t leave. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.” I was beginning to feel desperate. “How could I walk away now?” I took a deep breath. “I don’t even know if my Mary is the victim. I must find her—and I’m going to ask Austen to help me.”
Again, Mama looked at Papa. I knew that look.
“Austen hasn’t been part of your life for fourteen years,” Papa said. “You’ll only make yourself upset if you ask for his help and he doesn’t give it. You need to temper your expectations, Kathryn.”
“He’ll help me if he knows that Mary’s life is at stake,” I said.
“Will he?” Mama rubbed my hand, and I realized she was still holding it. “We don’t want you to get hurt.”
“If Mary is killed by Jack the Ripper and I don’t do something to save her, the hurt I’ll carry could not compare to the hurt Austen might inflict by rejecting me. But if he’ll help me, and I can do something to protect Mary, I will take that chance.”
Papa sighed. “If Mary is the Ripper’s last victim and you choose to save her—” He shook his head. “Then you’ll need to wait until the very last moment, Kathryn. If you try to change things too soon, you could jeopardize the entire history of England. You don’t know how deep this thing goes. There have always been rumors that Prince Albert Victor himself was involved.”
“I remember my mother telling me that they didn’t know Jack’s real identity, even in 2001,” Mama added. “For some reason, history has chosen to keep him hidden. Whether it’s because there are powerful people keeping the truth locked away—or because his real identity could change the course of human history—there’sno way to know. Changing even the smallest thing could end up creating more pain and heartache than you bargain for.”
My breath stilled as I let their words sink into my mind and heart.
Next to my family, my love for history and for England was second to none. My life’s work was to protect and preserve the past so a future generation could know and appreciate the people and events that came before them. How could I knowingly change even the slightest detail?
“You have a lot to ponder,” Papa said as he rose from his chair. “We’ve been invited to dinner with the Kennedys at the Ambassador’s Residence. If you don’t feel like going, we can give your apologies.”
As a brigadier general in the Army Air Corps, and as popular figures from their days as aviators, Papa and Mama had been invited to several events and dinner parties during our stay. I wouldn’t be able to attend them all, but I could go to this one.
I took a deep breath and shook my head. “Mama has always told me to not let one life affect the other—and in 1938, all is well. I want to go.”
“All is well for now,” Mama said as she, too, rose. “Germany is an ever-present threat, and the Soviet Union isn’t too far behind.”
“But those are not worries for today,” Papa reminded her. “You lived through the Salem Witch Trials, and God never left your side, Grace. He’ll give us strength to endure whatever comes our way.”
Mama took his hand. “What would I do without you?”
He kissed her. “Thankfully, you don’t need to find out.”
I sat on the sofa, painfully aware of the troubles I faced in both paths. Mama and Papa would keep me grounded in 1938, but in 1888, I was alone.
Though I did have one ally—if he’d only agree to help.
5
London, England
September 1, 1888
It was past ten when I woke up the next morning in my room at 11 Wilton Crescent. My physical body slept while my consciousness was away. If I fell asleep and then woke again before midnight, I would wake up in the same time and space, but if I slept until after midnight, I woke up in my other path. If I stayed awake past midnight, I would remain in this timeline until I fell asleep. On my twenty-fifth birthday, I would stay awake past midnight in whatever time I wanted to keep, and I would forfeit the other path.
That is, unless I knowingly changed history here in 1888. Then I would stay in my other path forever.
I climbed out of bed and rang for Duffy. I had no time to lose today. I needed to get to 13 Miller’s Court as soon as possible. I couldn’t ask for the family carriage, since the driver would tell my parents. Mother didn’t like it when I left home without a chaperone, though she usually spent most of the day in bed. The only way she’d know was if one of the staff told her.
Duffy soon arrived and helped me into a simple green skirt and matching green jacket with a white blouse. It was one of the plainest outfits I owned, but it complimented my hair beautifully.Austen had once told me he liked a green dress I wore when I was younger, and the praise had stayed with me ever since. I thought about it every time I wore a similar color.
Within the hour, I passed through the hedge again, this time armed with more knowledge.
“Good morning,” I said to the same maid who had greeted me the day before. “Is Mr. Baird at home?”
