Every year, Charlotte faithfully performs her Samhain ritual, anxiously awaiting her visit with Jessica. But Jessica has not appeared for the past eight years. What could possibly have happened to prevent her from being there?
As a stormy night sets in, Charlotte’s friends arrive entangled in a web of theft and murder. When an old adversary resurfaces with plans of their own, the situation becomes more complicated, and secrets begin to unravel.
In the aftermath, Charlotte and Ben establish the “Doctor’s Houseâ€, offering comfort to the ailing. An obscure summons leads them to a stranger being held in the gaol—his presence in the schoolhouse a mystery, the turpentine and striker in his possession leading to more questions. Who is this man? What secrets does he hold? And what does he seek from Charlotte?
Excerpt
I can see November’s full moon and watch absentmindedly as the clouds slowly blow across, dulling its glow. The last time I “met†with Jessica was just before Holly was born.
Every year since, I have set up my altar and decorated it with the colours of the season—with pumpkins, apples, or a cob of corn. Each year, I have performed my Samhain ritual with great care, hoping that this time, we’d be together, that this time, that special window would open, and she would be there. But no . . .
I do see her in my sleep sometimes but always in the unreality of a dream. We haven’t had the opportunity to commune, to experience a connection of souls, as we have in the past.
I miss her so much . . .
Something isn’t right, but I have no idea what and no way to find out. Well, that’s not true; I could return to her time, which would be 2028, and see what happened, but I promised Ben I would never attempt time travel again. It’s too dangerous. Nothing is guaranteed, and if I’m honest, I, no we, were both lucky to have made it back the last time. No, I belong here in 1834, and here is where I will stay . . . with my family.
My sleepy thoughts turned to plans for tomorrow—Holly’s birthday. We didn’t do birthday parties, but we did celebrate. Our family and best friends will visit tomorrow afternoon for a meal of Holly’s choice and cake. Holly chose hamburgers with all the fixins—she would eat them every day if she could. I prepared everything today. By now, we had burger-making down to an art, but the birthday cake—it was a bit lopsided.
It had been a tiring day; I didn’t last long after tucking the children into their beds. Robbie, now fifteen years old, still liked a hug and kiss goodnight from his mum and dad, while Sabel was quite adamant that it wasn’t necessary, but she never turned us away. Phillip had reached the ripe old age of twelve and always asked for a kiss on the other cheek; for Jessie. He still spoke of her every single day, unwilling to let her memory fade. The attachment they’d had for one another was something he still felt strongly. Often, he would tell us of dreams he’d had—dreams of her beckoning him to come closer, to share her secrets.
I fell into a strange dream, and Jessica was in it; she was bent forward, walking toward me through some kind of dark tunnel. It reminded me of something you might find at an amusement park, where the tunnel wall was lit with little lights and slowly spinning clockwise, while you tried to walk through to the other side. She was calling my name. “Charlotte, are you there? Can you hear me, Char?†I was waving at her, trying to call out, to let her know I could hear her, but no sound was coming from my mouth. She stopped walking and looked around. “Whoa, it just got cold here,†she said under her breath.
I felt it, too. At the same time, I could almost feel a presence in the cold, thick air, but nothing was visible in the dim light. Jessie’s voice was calling, “Mummy?â€
Something brushed past me. I gasped.
Then there was another voice. It was coming from a bedroom down the hall, and it was loud enough to enter my dream. “Jessie! Jessie, be careful!†It was Phillip. I watched Jessica turn toward his voice. “Come in! Come in!†he said, and she smiled.
Rolling onto my back, I awoke feeling goosebumps crawling over my body. Phillip’s voice sounded eerie.
