A Leap of Faith (The Hands of Time: Book 2) (21 page)

Louisa woke up with a huge grin on her face.  She could hear the sounds of breakfast being prepared in the kitchen; Little Louisa’s voice asking Valerie if she could go say good morning to her aunt and uncle.  That almost brought tears to Louisa’s eyes, but they were tears of joy. A lot of decisions would need to be made, but they could all wait for a few days.  There was no rush.  Today she just wanted to be happy, and now that she had found Valerie, there was something else she wanted to start working on. 

Louisa
snuggled closer to Kit, kissing his chest and stroking him gently.  She wanted a baby, and she wanted one soon.  Meeting her niece and nephew had been very emotional, making her longing for a child stronger than ever.  She knew Kit wanted a child as well, so there was no time like the present.

By the time they came down to breakfast the whole family was already downstairs, waiting for them.  Finn was reserved, but Louisa gave them both a hug and a kiss
, and asked if she could sit next to her aunt. 

“Christopher, I was wondering what your plans are?” Alec asked as he reached for a hot bun.  Will you be returning to England with the
Gloriana
?

“That all depends on my wife.  I can’t imagine that she would want to return to England having just found her sister, so I am entirely at Louisa’s disposal.  I will need to go back to the docks to see to the ship and crew.  I left the first mate in charge, but it’s my duty as captain to be there.”  Kit
seemed reluctant to go back to the ship, but he had no choice in the matter.  He had things to do.

“The reason I
’m asking is that one of my captains is ready to retire.  The
Morning Star
sails to England and back, but I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be away from your wife for so long.  It would be possible to transfer the captain of the
Misty Dawn
to the
Morning Star
and have you take over the West Indies route.  Louisa can remain with us while you’re gone.  Does that sound like something you might want to take on?” 

Louisa watched Kit with interest.  Alec was proposing the perfect solution
, and she hoped that Kit would be willing to accept it.  He wouldn’t be content just to sit around and do nothing, but sailing to the West Indies would only take him away from her for a month or two at a time; versus the trans-Atlantic voyage which would take anywhere from four to six months to get to England, unload, load the goods, and return.

“That sounds ideal, Alec.  I would very much like to take you up on your offer.   I would also feel relieved to know that Louisa is not alone
, and safe in the bosom of her family.  Thank you.”  Kit smiled happily and took a sip of ale. 

“Actually, Alec, I would like to
sail to England on the
Gloriana
,” Charles piped in. “I’ve been thinking of returning to England for some time, and this would be a good opportunity.  I’ve asked Miss Gaines’ father for her hand in marriage, and he gave his consent; on the condition that we wait until she is sixteen to marry.  I will be back in time for her birthday in the spring.”

“That sounds like a fine idea, Charles,
” Alec answered.  “It’s time you saw something of the world.  I am sure Miss Gaines will gladly wait for you.”

Valerie squeezed Louisa’s hand under the table.  Louisa couldn’t fully understand the tension she sensed between Alec and his younger brother, but she didn’t need to understand.  That was between them
, and right now she was just happy to have her domestic situation almost worked out. The thought of living with Valerie made her very happy, and Kit didn’t seem to mind.  In time, they would probably want a home of their own, but for now, she would be thrilled to be close to Valerie and her family. 

With breakfast finished
, everyone began to file out of the dining room.  Alec and Kit retired to the study to discuss Alec’s plan further, and the children left with Charles. 

“Val, have you seen Agnes this morning?” Louisa asked.

“I told her that she can sleep in this morning.  I hope you don’t mind.  The poor girl looked so worn out last night.  Mrs. Dolly will see to her.  I put her in the attic bedroom.  Unfortunately, it became vacant recently, but I’m sure Agnes will like having her own room.  I think she will need the space,” added Valerie meaningfully.

“Thank you, Valerie.  The girl was more terrified than tired.  She
’s pregnant and thinks we’ll throw her out.  I keep telling her we won’t, but she is still fearful.  The child is her uncle’s.”

“Poor kid.  I wonder if she wants the baby.” 

“She doesn’t, but what is there to do?  I think she might change her mind once she sees it,” Louisa said.  “It’s not like she can put it up for adoption.”

“I
’m sure it will all work itself out.  It usually does.  Now, how would you like to take a walk with me?  I still have so many questions for you, and they are best answered away from the house.”

“Lead the way, sis.  After being cooped up on that ship for over two months I
’m only too happy to go for a walk.  Can we stop by the cemetery?  I’d like to put some flowers on my nephew’s grave.”  Louisa could see the sorrow in Valerie’s eyes when she spoke of baby Alex, and she wanted to do something, anything, to alleviate her pain.

“Of course.  Let’s go.”

Christmas Eve

1620

Louisa threw on her cloak and stepped out the door into the frosty December afternoon.  Thick snowflakes were silently falling from the colorless sky, twirling in the chill
y air, before settling on the ground and blanketing it with a pristine, fluffy quilt.  The frozen grass crunched satisfyingly beneath her boots as she made her way to the spring house, swinging the empty can as she went.  Mrs. Dolly needed some more butter, and Louisa was only too happy to take a walk.  

Normally, Agnes helped Mrs. Dolly with the kitchen chores, but she was near her time and could barely waddle up the stairs, much less trudge all the way to the spring house over the slippery layer of new snow.  She was due any day now, her eyes full of anticipation and fear.  Despite everyone’s assurances, she still believed that God would strike her down for her sins
, and she would die in childbirth together with her ill-begotten child. 

Louisa stopped and looked up at the leaden sky before sticking out her tongue and catching a few snowflakes.  They tasted fresh and cold, making her feel like a kid again.  This was her first Christmas in the seventeenth century
, and it was vastly different from anything she was used to.  Finn and little Louisa decorated the front room with boughs of pine, but there was no Christmas tree or any other ornaments. 

Christmas was a solemn occasion marked only by a church service and a meal.  Anything considered frivolous was strongly discouraged
by the Church.  Louisa had remembered reading somewhere that the Christmas tree tradition didn’t actually come to North America until the nineteenth century, when a picture of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children appeared in a newspaper depicting the royal family standing around a decorated tree.  Prince Albert had brought the tradition to England from his native Germany, where the practice had begun as early as the sixteenth century.  It was said that Martin Luther had been the first person to bring a fir tree into his house, and decorate it with candles to mimic the beauty of the forest and stars. Louisa sorely missed decorating the tree and singing Christmas carols, but she had to get used to the way things were done in the here and now, and foregoing the tree was the least of her concerns. 

Louisa hoped that Alec would come down for Christmas Eve dinner.  He
’d been ill since his last trip into Jamestown a week before.  There was an epidemic of influenza going around, no doubt worsened by the lack of hygiene and close living conditions.  Alec frequently stopped into the pub for a tankard of ale, and Louisa couldn’t help wondering if the barkeep ever bothered to wash the tankards between customers.  Valerie had quarantined Alec as soon as he began running a fever to protect the rest of the household, and went about trying to heal him. 

Louisa had been fascinated with Valerie’s arsenal of medicines.  She looked up some holistic remedies while planning her trip to the past, but this was an education.  Valerie kept a special wooden casket on the highest shelf of the scullery containing her “pharmacy,” which she was proud to show her sister.  There were linen strips for binding wounds, emetics
for inducing vomiting in case of ingesting something poisonous, purgatives for moving bowels, and poultices for irritations and burns.  There was even a small jar of laudanum.  Louisa looked away from the jar of leeches, suddenly feeling queasy at the sight of the slimy creatures.  Luckily for Alec, he had been spared that particular remedy.  Valerie made an infusion of willow bark several times a day to bring down the fever and applied mustard plaster to Alec’s chest and back. 

“Where did you learn that?”
Louisa asked her sister, intrigued. 

“I learned a lot of things from Bridget.  Her mother and grandmother were real country women, familiar with the medicinal properties of herbs and plants.  Aunt Lottie was also quite proficient.  She taught me about cupping.”  Valerie showed Louisa
a dozen small jars neatly arranged in the corner of the chest.  “Cupping is good for bronchitis and pneumonia.  It stimulates the flow of blood and draws out the infection.  It’s surprisingly effective.” 

“How does it work?”  Louisa picked up a small jar and held it up for closer inspection.  She couldn’t imagine how an empty jar could stimulate or draw out anything. 

“You have to use fire.  A lit taper will do.  You insert the lit taper into the jar, heat it up, then immediately place on the patient’s back.  The heat creates suction, which in turn stimulates the blood.”

“God Val
, that sounds positively barbaric.  Alec lets you do this?”  Louisa put the jar back, eyeing it with distaste.

“Oh, it doesn’t hurt at all.  It’s kind of nice actually.  It just makes you feel warm.  Alec doesn’t mind.  He hates being sick.” 

“I think he probably just enjoys you fussing over him,” Louisa giggled.  “You haven’t been paying much attention to the poor man since Kit and I showed up.” 

“Oh, he gets his share of attention.”  Valerie took out a piece of willow bark and a jar of mustard paste and closed the lid of the casket.  “I make sure of that.  In either case, these are the only types of medicine available to me, and I leave nothing to chance.  You know what the mortality rate is these days.  Any slight fever or scratch can turn into something deadly.  Poor Alec nearly had a heart attack
the first time I used some of his French brandy to disinfect a cut.  He’s used to my eccentricity by now.  He hides the brandy though, and leaves me the cheap stuff.” 

Louisa followed Valerie into the kitchen to make the willow bark infusion.  “What about Agnes?  Will she be all right, do you think?”  Agnes was frequently on Louisa’s mind as her time drew near. 

Valerie shrugged.  “She is young and healthy, and the baby seems to have turned and moved into position for birth, according to Bridget.  She is as knowledgeable as any midwife in the twenty-first century.  She’ll do everything in her power to assist Agnes, but there is only so much even a doctor can do.”  Louisa knew she was thinking of baby Alex and dropped the subject.  Valerie still went to the little cemetery nearly every day, leaving a bunch of wildflowers or a sprig of holly on the tiny grave. 

Louisa filled the can with fresh butter and closed the door of the spring house behind her.  She’d heard about Cora’s death and was always a little wary entering the place.  She turned her steps back toward the house.  The snow was falling
faster now, the flakes illuminated by the feeble rays of the setting sun.  It would be dark within the hour.  Nearly all the windows of the house were aglow with candlelight, shadows visible from time to time as the family prepared for their holiday meal.  Everyone would be there except for Charles, who sailed to England on the
Gloriana
. 

Louisa saw Kit emerge from the stables and gave him a wave.  He was doing all of Alec’s chores while Valerie kept him in bed.  Kit waved back and came toward
her.  “Let me,” he said, as he took the can from Louisa’s cold hand. 

“It’s not heavy,” she slipped her hand inside his to warm it. 

“I know, but your hands are cold.”  Kit pulled up Louisa’s hood, kissing the tip of her nose. “You’ll catch your death out here.”

“Oh, how you fuss,” she answered happily, smiling up at him.  “Alec might be joining us for dinner.  Valerie says he hasn’t had a fever since yesterday.”

“That’s good news.  I almost wish I’d gotten a touch of the catarrh to get that kind of attention from my own wife.”  Kit gave her a wicked grin and drew her to him as they trudged through the newly fallen snow.

Louisa found many things difficult to adjust to in this primitive, rugged life
.  She often dreamed of working on a painting at the museum, or driving a car while singing along to the radio.  Just last night, she’d dreamed of walking down Fifth Avenue at dusk, admiring the exquisite Christmas windows, colored lights making ordinary things appear magical.  She tried to hold on to the dream for a few moments after waking up, reluctant to let the image go. 

Things that she had taken for granted now seemed like unimaginable luxuries, real only in her and Valerie’s memory.  When alone, they often talked of their old life, reminiscing about things and people they missed.  Louisa still hadn’t worked up the courage to tell Kit the truth about her past, but she would eventually.  With Valerie and Alec to back up her story, he was less likely to think that his wife had escaped from Bedlam. 

Louisa gazed at the golden light spilling from the windows of the house and smiled.  The warmth she’d found at Rosewood Manor more than made up for the harsh reality.  Some days, she still couldn’t believe that only a year ago she was bereaved and alone, contemplating the mad idea of going in search of Valerie, and here she was; reunited with her sister and married to a wonderful man.  Valerie routinely referred to her as “Lady Sheridan” as a joke, but Louisa secretly liked the title. 
Lady Sheridan indeed
, she thought to herself, grinning.

“Come, Lord Sheridan,” she said laughing.  “
I think you need a bath before supper.  You reek of horses and worse.”

“Makes it more authentic.  After all, our Lord was born in a manger.” 

“You are not our Lord.  Now off with you.”  Louisa gave Kit a push toward the stairs, and went to bring the butter to Mrs. Dolly.  Something called “Christmas Pudding” smelled heavenly, making her mouth water.  Christmas tree or no Christmas tree, this was going to be the best Christmas ever.