For some reason, moisture pricked my eyes. The Mortensens hadn’t moved as I’d thought, and I would get a chance to see them. Mama and I should have been living in a place like this rather than in Silverfork. We’d been fading away there, and it hadn’t been until I was once again surrounded by people who saw me as a person of worth that I realized how drab I’d become.
Leaving Breckenridge wasn’t going to be easy for me. Nowhere else would I have friends like these. But there wouldn’t be work for me here. No one would hire David’s former fiancée.
“I’ve missed the Mortensens. I tried to visit when we first arrived here, but they weren’t home. It’s going to be harder to leave here than it was to leave Silverfork.”
David’s toe dragged against the dirt in the path, but he nodded. “We’ll find you a much better place to go. I’ve already started looking into a couple of options. If you would like to come to Tate Hall tomorrow, we can look over them.”
“That would be a good idea,” I said, even though I’d much rather spend time with him on walks than thinking of the future. But perhaps if we found a place for Mama and me, I could enjoy our time in Breckenridge more because I wouldn’t have to worry about the future any longer. We walked in a more subdued fashion for a few yards, no shoulders bumped, no rocks uprooted from their resting place.
I glanced over at David. “If we are discussing those plans, I shouldn’t bring Mama.”
“Julia would be there. She knows the truth and can act as chaperone, if your mother agrees.”
Julia wouldn’t have been a proper chaperone if we were in Town, or if I were overly concerned about my reputation, but I was fairly certain Mama wouldn’t object to my visiting.
The cottage came into view, and David stopped. My arm was remained entwined in his, so I was pulled to a stop as well. “Shall I send a carriage for you tomorrow?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No. I’d like to walk and visit with the Mortensens on my way.”
“And you don’t want me following behind you and waiting just around the bend while you speak with them?”
I laughed softly. It would be a strange thing for David to do now. I couldn’t even imagine it. “No, if you follow behind me, I will make you come inside.” David seemed to weigh the decision. But I would not have my first visit with the Mortensens overshadowed by a pretend engagement. “Please don’t. I haven’t seen them in years and—”
“You don’t want me making things awkward?” he guessed.
I squeezed one eye shut and raised a shoulder. “Is that very terrible of me?”
David laughed. The sound of it was rich and rolled over me like a warm blanket after the fires had been put out. “I will not encroach upon your time with them. I want you to be happy while you are here.”
“I’m certain I will be. Thanks to you.”
“Thus far, I only remain more in your debt.” David nodded toward Julia, who was standing outside the cottage door, smiling at Mama. Julia’s dark hair lifted in the wind around her bonnet, and her cheeks were dotted with color. We joined them at the door, and I untangled my arm from David’s.
“I will see you tomorrow,” I said and then reached for Mama’s arm because mine felt suddenly bereft. I lifted my hand and showed him the stone before clenching it tightly in my fist. “Thank you for the gift.”
David smiled and then wrapped Julia’s arm around his and gave both Mama and me a short bow. “Until tomorrow.”
And when he led Julia to their carriage and helped her inside, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was looking forward to our time together as much as I was. Losing him and Julia in a few short weeks was going to hurt more than I cared to admit. I hoped Julia was right, that this would be one of those times the climb was worth the fall.
W
Chapter 7
“I don’t think Garrett and Julia believe me. They think I’ve made Anna up, and I don’t blame them. Sometimes I’m not even certain she is real.”
—David Tate, 1841, Age 14
How long had it been since I’d woken up excited for my day? How long had it been since someone had mentioned the wordtomorrowto me and I’d spent the rest of the evening looking forward to what tomorrow would bring?
At least six years.
Mama was very much in favor of me visiting with the Tate family and was happy to avoid the two-mile walk to the estate. I’d told her David would be certain to send the carriage the next time we visited, but I’d wanted the walk.
After finishing breakfast with Mama, I threw on my coat, boots, and gloves and dashed out the door. My first stop would be the Mortensens’ home. Mrs. Mortensen had been my favorite tenant to visit. She had six children and always welcomed a second hand to help in holding the smallest of them. In the past, I would have brought a basket, but our pantry was no longer full to excess. I knew Mrs. Mortensen well enough to know she would be happy to see me with or without a basket.
I took the path that led to their home and, after a brisk walk, was once again surprised by how many improvements had been made over the past eight years.
Mrs. Mortensen had always done her best to keep the house tidy, but this was more than tidiness—the new thatch and plaster made the whole structure appear new. I knocked on the door, and after a few excited yelps behind it, the door swung open to reveal a young lady of about eighteen with blonde hair falling over her shoulders. I quickly did the math in my head.
