Page 5 of All In Good Time
Chapter 2
The sun peakedthrough the curtains in Sara’s room as she stretched and yawned her way awake. She really wanted to snuggle back under the covers and hide from the world. All night long the doubts she was feeling about this journey kept her awake. What if Edna wouldn’t send her back and she never saw Logan again? What if she did go back but couldn’t find the castle where he lived and had to wander the countryside alone, searching for him? Where would she find food? And while she was out wandering the countryside, what if she scraped her knee and it got infected and she could no longer wander the countryside and therefore would never, ever find Logan? She tossed and turned, her brain flooding her with obsessive thoughts of all the things that could go wrong.
“Stop it, Sara!” She punched her pillow. She had to believe that everything would work out. Yes. She had to see Logan and nothing was going to get in her way. It was only the hope that she’d be with him soon that finally quieted the noise in her head and allowed her even a few hours of much needed rest.
A knock at the door surprised her. “Who’s there?”
“’Tis Edna. May I come in, dear?”
“Sure.” Sara was about to get up to let her in, but there was no need, Edna unlocked the door and let herself in. Sara was shivering with apprehension. This was the first time in her life that she’d ever met a witch. At least that she knew of.
“Good morning!” Edna’s cheery voice rang through the room. “I brought ye some breakfast and a pot of tea. If ye dinnae mind, I’ll join ye fer a cup. Ye look quite chilled, lass. Here wrap this around yer shoulders. She set the tray down and going to the chair by the fire grabbed the blanket that was draped across the top. She brought it to Sara and wrapped her in it.
The blanket was warm from the fireplace and Sara sighed audibly as it immediately took the chill away. Edna was busy plumping her pillows and making her comfortable. Sara hadn’t had the luxury of having anyone ever do that for her and even though it felt strange, it was also a very comforting feeling. She hadn’t really known her own mother and Edna was doing exactly what Sara imagined a mother would do for her daughter.
“Thank you,” she said. She felt like a princess, all propped up on her pillows as Edna set the tray of food on her lap. “Do you do this for all your guests?”
“Only the special ones,” Edna smiled warmly at her. “I hope ye’ll like what I’ve brought. ’Tis a traditional Scottish breakfast. Dinnae feel that ye need to eat anything that does not appeal to ye.”
Sara examined the tray. There were eggs, something that she thought must be bacon, even though it didn’t look anything like the bacon she was used to, sausage, baked beans and toast. She’d eat the eggs and the bacon and maybe even the sausage, but the beans were not something she liked.
Edna poured her a cup of tea and then one for herself. “So, I understand that ye wish to journey to the past. Is that correct?”
Sara almost choked on her toast as Edna got right to the point. “Yes. I was hoping you could help me.”
“Well, Sara, I can help ye, but I’m nae so sure I should.”
Disappointment welled up in Sara and her stomach did a flip flop. She put her fork down and stared at her food.
“Are ye alright? Ye dinnae look so well, lass.” Edna wore a concerned look.
“Why? Why wouldn’t you help me?” Sara stammered.
“’Tis generally the case that I have chosen the people who are matched and then when I facilitate the time travel, I’m fairly sure things will end happily. Not to say that there arenae any bumps in the road, but I’ve got a verra good record so far.”
Sara frowned and peeked at Edna from the corner of her eye.
“I hate to disappoint ye, my dear, but ye are the one who has made this match and ’tis nae good timing fer ye to go traipsing off to the past.”
“So, are you saying that I don’t stand a chance with Logan?”
“Nae. I would never say that. I’m saying that this is not the best time fer ye to travel. If ye do, things may nae work out the way ye wish. Do ye ken?”
Sara looked Edna straight in the eye, sitting up tall, shoulders back. “I have to try,” she simply stated. “Logan and I had a connection when he was in San Francisco. I could feel it and I know he did too. I have to find out if what I felt could turn into something more. Something real that could last a lifetime.”
“Sara, please think about this. I dinnae wish ye to have a broken heart and be all alone when it happens.”
“If that happens, you’d be able to bring me back, right?” Sara didn’t wait for a reply. “I understand the risks involved in all of this, but I’m willing to take the chance. I truly believe Logan and I are supposed to be together, but if not, I’ll accept it as long as I can come back home to my brother.”
Edna tipped her head back, looking up to the ceiling as if the answers to all her questions might appear there.
Sara continued, “And I won’t be alone. I’ll have Helene. She’s my friend. She’ll help me. Please. I’ve come all this way. Please help me. Or at the very least, explain why this isn’t such a good time.” Sara’s desperation was evident in her voice.
“I dinnae wish to be a disappointment to ye, Sara, but I’ve been looking back to find Logan fer ye. I wanted to see if I could be of assistance. That’s why I wasnae there to greet ye last night. I’ve looked into the past and there are some things happening there that dinnae make it look possible fer ye to be successful in yer quest.”
Sara remembered Maggie’s words last night telling her Edna had a little problem to take care of. Now she knew for sure she was the problem. “But you’re a witch. Can’t you fix it for me?”
“I’m afraid not, my dear. As I’ve said, yer the one who made this match. I cannae interfere.” She placed a warm hand on Sara’s. “Let me think on it a while longer and I’ll let ye know later if I will send ye back.”