Epilogue

The oak trembled beneath her fingertips. Warmth spread from its trunk and pooled in her palm. Energy pulsed through her, inviting her, welcoming her. She smiled. It was good to be back.

She formed an image in her head of a dark-haired girl dressed in brown muslin and running from a torch-bearing mob. Show me what you see. Let me see her.

A low hum bathed her ears. Her vision swirled with white fog, cloaking the sunlight. Her body tingled with awareness. A new effect—strange but not unpleasant. It was like plunging into a cool river after a long hot day.

The fog parted, and a man appeared, his gait angry and purposeful. He toted a rifle in one hand and a flaming torch in the other. Firelight scrubbed over his face and revealed the heated bent to his eyes and mouth. More torch-bearing men emerged. Her skull echoed with the thud of their footsteps. She waited for the recoil in her stomach. It never came.

Where is the girl? I want to see her.

The vision shifted to a small, thatched house silhouetted by the light of a full moon. The windows were dark. The door shut tight. Nothing moved in the cabin or in the clearing around it. All was quiet. Graveyard quiet.

Firelight danced in the surrounding woods, splattering the trees with burnt gold. The faint echo of shouts and crashing brush buzzed in her head. A pale glow stained the window, and then the silhouette of a girl emerged.

Closer. Move closer so I can see her.

The image drew in on the window, revealing a young girl of no more than fourteen or fifteen. Dark hair framed a pale, oval face. Despite the courageous tilt to her chin, her almond-shaped eyes flickered with fear.

The torch-bearing mob broke through the woods and encircled the house. One of the men holding a coiled length of rope and a Bible stepped forward. “Witches of Satan come out and meet your judgment.”

“We have done nothing wrong,” came the girl’s confident reply.

“Moira Devlin, what you do is evil. You have bewitched the good folks of Willoughby. Little Jimmy Thacker died at your hands.”

“We did all we could for Mr. Thacker’s son. The boy could not be saved.”

The man jabbed his Bible skyward. “Come out. Or we’ll burn you out of that accursed hovel.”

The girl’s chin rose higher. “If you believe us guilty, then have the sheriff arrest us. Let a judge of this fair state determine our guilt or innocence.”

“We are the only law in Texas.”

“Burn them,” someone yelled. “Send them to hell where they belong.”

The mob began chanting the word “burn.” One after another, they tossed their torches at the house. The thatch caught fire, and flames engulfed the roof. Black smoke billowed skyward. The silhouette at the window disappeared.

Take me inside. I want to see her.

The fog swirled and darkened, and then parted, exposing the inside of the hut. The young girl, Moira, knelt beside an elderly woman lying on a cot. Smoke eddied around them. Moira tugged on the older woman’s arm—to no avail. The woman didn’t budge. There was a loud splintering, and the roof gave way. Fire and ash enveloped the room. An agonizing scream made the hairs on the back of Meredith’s neck stand on end. She stiffened. She couldn’t allow such a horrible thing come to pass. She wouldn’t.

The tree shuddered beneath her touch. It probably recalled its own horror at the hands of fire. A burst of light flashed, and the vision went dark. Her head spun, and her knees wobbled beneath her. She leaned back and anchored herself on the firm body that had been shielding her from curious eyes.

“Steady now.” Preston wrapped his arms around her. “I have you.”

She stood in his embrace, drawing on his strength. The spinning subsided. Her legs grew stout as tree trunks. It was a much quicker recovery than ever before.

“Are you all right, sweetheart?”

“I’m fine.” She twisted around. “Perfect, in fact.”

“Were you able to see any more of your aunt’s vision?”

Earlier that week, Mildred had been scrying for gifted children in need of help. She’d been given a vision of a dark-haired girl being driven out of town amid cries of witchery. Unable to coax any more details from the tree, she’d urged Meredith to try. Said the older she got, the less productive her visions were. Meredith suspected it was a ploy to get her to practice her gift.

“I saw a house in the woods surrounded by an angry mob. They were going to burn the girl and an elderly woman alive.” She grasped his arm. “We have to find them, Preston. Save them from those evil people.”

“Don’t worry. We will. Where was this happening, could you tell?”

“They mentioned Texas and a town called Willoughby.”

“In east Texas. I’m familiar with it. How much time do we have?”

“I saw a full moon. Last night’s moon was more than three quarter full.” Her vision had provided her with more details and pushed much farther into the future than ever before—which was a good thing. It gave her a chance to change the outcome.

“We’ll have to hurry,” he said. “But we should be able to make it in time. How do you feel about taking a trip? A belated honeymoon so to speak. With the rebuilding of the orphanage and my new position, we haven’t had a chance to properly celebrate our wedding. We can take the train to east Texas. Enjoy the trip in a private railcar.”

“Will you be able to leave your duties for that long?”

“Things have settled down at the reservation now that negotiations with the railroad are over. I should be able to leave for a few days. How about you?” His fingers grazed over her rounded belly. “Will you and our little one be up to a trip?”

“We should be just fine. The episodes of morning sickness have subsided. Our little butterfly should stay nice and comfy in her cocoon another four or five months.”

His eyes widened. “Her cocoon? Did you see something in your visions that says we’re having a daughter?”

“No. But Nel spoke with my mother who hinted about seeing her granddaughter soon.”

“Your deceased mother.” He wagged his head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to such goings-on.”

“You’re doing just fine. Let’s go tell Aunt Mildred about our plans.”

She tucked her hand in his crooked arm and fell into step beside him. Activity around the orphanage had ceased while the workers broke for dinner. Construction was nearly done, thanks to the efforts of volunteers from Mineral and from Fort Dent. The abrupt reversal in attitude toward the orphans was quite astonishing. Mayor Wood had awarded Robbie a medal of honor for his bravery, and Major Allen made him an honorary trooper. The commander had recovered quite nicely in the absence of his wife and was no longer plagued by painful stomach ailments. It was sad that a woman who espoused God’s word had poisoned the man she vowed before Him to love.

Thankfully Harriet’s fanaticism had no residual hold on the townsfolk. Gifts of money, clothing, and toys had poured in from all over the territory. Even the Indians had contributed, supplying building materials using the gold they mined from the cave Robbie told them about. Seaton House had risen from the ashes like a bird of paradise.

And not a moment too soon. Earlier that morning, the children had arrived for their first look at their new home. Their exuberant shouts and clattering feet had christened the building with joy and love.

As she and Preston approached the house, little Anna rose from the porch steps where she’d been playing with her kitten. She didn’t appear to be alarmed by Preston’s presence. Quite the opposite. Her face blossomed with a cheerful smile.

“Good afternoon, Anna,” Meredith greeted. “Does Daisy like her new home?”

“Daisy likes her new home very much. We even have our own bed.” Anna peered up at Preston and held out her hand. “Would you like to see it, Mr. Booth?”

Surprise puckered his brow. “You want me to take your hand?”

Anna nodded. “So I can show you where my bedroom is.”

“Very well.” Preston snuggled the child’s hand in his. “Lead on, Miss Anna.”

Meredith’s heart swelled. She had her children and the love of a man who accepted her for who she was. Her world was complete.