Rosie nodded. “Yes, it’s all we have between us.”
“We know it’s not much,” Izzy added.
Bernard nodded. “I’ll have the buggy ready in fifteen minutes, and we’ll go straight to the train station.”
Ana felt her heart thundering in her chest as she nodded. “We’re ready when you are.”
They said their goodbyes to Elizabeth, thanking her for her help. “We’ll forever be in your debt,” Rosie whispered as she clutched Elizabeth’s hands. “Thank you.”
Once they were all in the buggy on the way to the train station, it hit Ana how quickly their lives were changing. “Never again will we be able to walk down by the creek and dip our feet into its cool depths.”
“Never again will we have to be afraid to walk downstairs in the morning,” Izzy said, shaking her head.
Rosie took each of their hands in her own. “But we’ll always be together. We can’t ask for more than that.”
As they reached the train station, they all piled out of the buggy while Bernard bought their tickets. Then he waited with them until the train came fifteen minutes later. “Be safe,” he whispered as he escorted them to the conductor. “But more importantly, be happy.”
As they got onto the train and Rosie and Izzy sat together, Ana sat down opposite them. None of them had ever been on a train, and it felt strange to watch Beckham disappear out the window, but it was good. They were free.
