Page 94 of Stay with Me
“When I heard of an Arthur Creighton arriving in Canterbury, I came just as soon as I could. I knew of his name in conjunction with Mercer Pharmaceuticals and was aware he’d been working on what he called the ‘ultimate cure.’ I had to see for myself if it was really him.”
Sybil nodded. She had so much to tell her mum. And clearly her mum had a story of her own. Had she lived for the last four years in the past? Her language and mannerisms were more formal and certainly attested to it.
“We arrived in Canterbury yesterday, and just this morn I learned Nicholas Worth had recently taken a wife by the name of Sybil Huxham. I came here straightaway to see if it was you.”
“It’s me.”
Her mum’s eyes welled with fresh tears. “I never meant for this to happen to you. Never. I am so sorry. So, so sorry.”
The guilt rounding her mum’s eyes was strange. For some reason her mum thought she was responsible for Sybil crossing to the past. “You’re not to blame, Mum. Not at all.”
“But the Hamin. I’m the reason they captured you—”
“No one captured me.” Sybil glanced sideways, relieved to find Nicholas had also dismounted and was talking with Lord Wilkin and Father Fritz again, that no one was listening to them.
“Then the Hamin didn’t force you to cross into the past for them too?”
Sybil shook her head. The Hamin Sahaba was one of many Middle Eastern terrorist groups who had cells within the UK. She’d considered the possibility that they were linked to Dr. Lionel, but she hadn’t found proof of it and now never would. “Too? Does this mean they forced you to be their courier in the past for holy water?”
“Yes. My captors threatened to harm you and Dawson if I didn’t deliver for them.”
Sybil’s mind spun back to all the times she’d felt as though she was being watched or followed. Had it been the Hamin all along? Once they discovered she’d fallen into a coma and deduced that she’d gone into the past, what would they do to Dawson?
She shuddered. At the slight movement, Nicholas stepped up beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her into the crook of his body. His brows rose in a silent question.
She laid her hand over his in response. She would have much to explain to her mum about how she’d come to be in the past. But at the moment, only one thing needed to be said: “I chose to come here. I chose to remain. And I intend to stay with Nicholas, the man I love, so long as I have life.”
For many years she’d felt lost, that she didn’t know who she was. But here, now, with him, she was finally home.
Author’s Note
Hi, friends!
I hope you enjoyed this new installment in the Waters of Time series. After receiving so much feedback from readers to write a third book, especially a story for Sybil and Nicholas, I decided I had to give it a try. And I’m sure glad I did!
They were an intense couple and so full of passion that the heat was fairly scorching the pages at times! Not every couple is quite like that, but these two were both strong, direct, and practical people that it made sense for them to feel things more deeply.
As always with my time crossing stories, I tried to weave in true history so that you get a blend of fact and fantasy. In this particular story, I chose to make the Black Plague more of the focus. The first and biggest plague began in 1348. At that time, chroniclers note that there were hardly enough living to care for the sick and bury the dead.
In 1382, England experienced another significant outbreak of the plague, but its scope and devastation weren’t nearly as deadly. It spread from London into the countryside more slowly than I portrayed in this story. But the fear and the devastation left in its wake were very real, especially because at the time they still didn’t know what caused the painful plague, and they had no way to cure it. People literally went to bed at night well and were dead by morning. That’s how lethal it was.
In the midst of dealing with another outbreak of the plague, the English were still at war with the French in what has become known as the Hundred Years’ War. The coastal town of Rye really was brutally attacked and devastated in 1377. Suchassaults forced the English to take more care in fortifying their towns, not only along the coast but also in towns like Canterbury (although the threat specifically to Canterbury in 1382 was fictional).
Spies were also a troublesome problem for both the French and the English, and the English prisons were filled with people who had been accused of being spies for the French, including priests.
And the archery! Don’t you just love the Robin Hood vibe of this band of outlaws living in the Weald? Yes, archery really was important for every Englishman to learn. Archery Laws were in place that made archery practice mandatory. And, of course, I had to give Sybil a chance to learn to wield a bow and arrow, although most women at the time didn’t learn the skill.
So, as we close this story on Sybil and Nicholas, you might be wondering, will there be a fourth book in this series? A story to discover more about Sybil’s mum and brother? Well, you’ll be happy to know Dawson does indeed get his own happily ever after, and you’ll get to find out more about Cecelia and her adventures too.
To stay up to date on all my book news, please visit my website at jodyhedlund.com or check out my Facebook Reader Room, where I chat with readers and post news about my books.
Until next time, farewell!