Before (14 page)

“
Yes, we have, haven’t we, Cora?” Tabitha replied encouraging
her to speak.

Cora realised that she hadn’t spoken for more than a minute.
“Yes, we have travelled quite far. Although I’m not sure why we are
here or what we have walked for. I’m not fond of
walking...”

“
Cora...” Tabitha chastised, yet her eyes sparkled with
laughter. Tabitha could never seriously scold her for her
inappropriate questions. Most times Tabitha loved what came out her
mouth. She was very much like her mother in that sense.

George laughed, his brown eyes revealing warmth. It was a kind
of warmth that made Cora see that he was a caring man. The
moustache around his mouth quivered. “Yes, I’m not too fond of
walking myself...”

“
What may we do for you today, Tabitha?” Violet asked as she
pushed her hand through her hair.

Cora looked at Tabitha eager to hear the answer. She’d wanted
this answer for two days and couldn’t believe that Tabitha had kept
it from her.

“
You may have heard about the witch trials up in the
North?”

Cora’s stomach dropped to her feet. Where was Tabitha going
with this? Cora could already see the possibilities playing out on
Tabitha’s face. She found herself rather intrigued, and a little
afraid, of how Tabitha was going to do it.

“
Yes, terrible business.” George nodded.

Cora sat up straighter waiting for them to scream witch, to do
something like the other commoners had. She held her breath as
Tabitha continued.

“
Unfortunately, we lost one of our own in the trials, Cora’s
mother.”

“
Oh, dear, we are so terribly sorry.”

Cora looked at Violet who appeared to be deeply grieved to
hear her news. Cora held back the rush of tears. She wasn’t sure
this reaction would ever stop.

“
Wait, it doesn’t bother you that we are witches?” Cora asked
shocked.

She was sure every commoner in the land was out for their
blood.

“
Why, no,” George responded. “I don’t believe witches mean any
harm. If anything, our behaviour towards you and your kind forces
your hand to magic.”

Tabitha nodded. “Yes, but we don’t use magic unless it is to
help.”

“
That is the only kind of magic we need.” George
laughed.

Cora could only nod as she listened to them talk. She was
shocked to see the man and woman take this news so calmly. They
knew that two witches sat at their table and they hadn’t blinked an
eyelid about it. Cora had expected the same reaction she’d received
from everyone. She felt incredibly guilty that she had tarred these
two lovely people with the same brush. Obviously, they were nothing
like the others.

“
And what can we do?” George asked.

“
I know you are good, open minded people...” Tabitha’s words
faltered as she seemed to appeal to Violet.

“
Oh, I see...” Mrs Hunt said looking at her. Cora couldn’t
decipher what the look meant. Tabitha had a way of concealing her
expression when, and if, she chose to. Now Tabitha was liked a
closed book to Cora.

“
Cora, do you read?” George asked her, breaking away her
attention from Tabitha and Violet.

“
Yes, my mother taught me.”

Cora tried not to think about the hours spent by her mother’s
side as she’d taught her each letter, every word of encouragement
and praise pulled at her, already frail, heart.

“
Excellent, we have quite an extensive library, if you would
like to see it?”

Cora looked at Tabitha and received a nod. She felt
comfortable in their company even though she had only just met
them, there was a redeeming quality that she loved about this happy
couple. As long as Tabitha was okay with it, she would love to see
the books.

She stood and followed George leaving the two women in the
garden with their heads already leaning closer. She noticed that
their lips were whispering words she couldn’t hear. What did
Tabitha have planned? Were they going to hide here? Maybe the
couple could help them until the witch trials were over? She
wouldn’t mind spending time in this gorgeous home.

15

1st September 1612

“
How was the library, Cora?” Tabitha asked as Cora sat next to
her at the table.

“
Beautiful,” she said with a small smile.

It was more than beautiful, she’d never seen anything like it
in her life.

As George had led her into the darkened room she’d stood
feeling trepidation. She didn’t know what to expect and walking
into a room with a man she barely knew made her feel nervous. She’d
smelt the dust and old pages which had a way of calming her
nerves.

The smell of wood, as it stood for a long time, fragranced the
room. There was something about that smell that reminded her of
home. As she’d stood she’d heard the rustle of material and then
the room was flooded with light as George pulled back the curtain
from the floor to ceiling window, revealing the library.

The library sat on two levels. Instead of a ladder making the
upper level accessible, a set of stairs had been built so you could
walk around the upper level as you pleased. You could also stand on
this level and look out of the window. A large brick fireplace sat
as the focal point of the room surrounded by regal blue
seating.

She’d stepped up beside George at the window and looked out
over the beautiful landscape and the glistening lake. They’d stood
in companionable silence watching the world go by before she’d
grabbed a book, made her way to the second tier and sat at the
window reading it.

“
Cora will make a fine reader,” George said with a
grin.

Whilst she’d been absent, the table had been filled with an
array of food. Delicate cakes with fancy decorations and immaculate
cups and saucers filled with sweet smelling liquid enticed her.
Tabitha handed over a slice of cake, the fluffy base made her mouth
water.

“
Please, help yourself,” Violet offered.

Tabitha paid her no attention whilst she tried to eat the food
like a lady. It was hard when her stomach growled louder with every
delicate bite. George didn’t bother with such things; his moustache
was covered in crumbs after the first slice. Again, this made her
smile.

“
Cora, do you like this home?” Tabitha asked her.

Cora looked at both Violet and George and smiled. “It’s a
lovely home, yes.” She thought it was the most beautiful home she’d
ever seen. She knew her mother would love this house.

She swallowed the last of the cake pushing her stomach from
within her mouth, back down. This always happened at the thought of
her mother no longer being here. However, she knew she had to eat
so she forced herself to stop thinking about it and took another
cake from the table.

It was during the second bite that Cora started to feel light
headed. Before she could ask Tabitha if she was feeling okay after
eating her own slice of cake, a loud buzzing noise attacked her
ears. She opened her mouth to say something, or scream in warning,
but nothing came out. She couldn’t hear anything.

Her hand dropped the cake as though she’d lost control of it.
She could hear the beat of her heart increase as panic took over.
She looked at Tabitha but she seemed unperturbed by Cora’s
reaction, was it the cake?

Her eyes were losing focus rather quickly. Her world was
swaying as though she was on a boat. Perhaps she’d caught a little
too much sun on their travels. Tabitha suddenly jumped into three,
Cora realised her lips were moving but she couldn’t hear the
words.

“
I’m sssssorry, Tab, wha’ wassss that?”

Why did her words sound slurred? The panic grew in her chest
as she tried to fight the drug filled haze that was taking a hold
of her. It must be Violet and George who had done something to
their cakes. It had to be. Were they going to hand them into the
authorities? But they’d seemed so nice, so understanding of the
situation. Before she could fight, she felt the darkness swoop in
and take her.

*

“
Oh dear, Tabitha, will she be alright?”

Tabitha looked at Cora who lay slumped in her chair. Her hair
fell to one side of her face; her lips were pulled thinly as two
lines formed between her eyes. Tabitha brushed her hand across
Cora’s forehead holding it there for a second. Cora felt warm but
that was to be expected. It was becoming a warm day and she also
knew that when Cora panicked she grew warm. She’d gotten herself in
quite a fluster. It was typical of Cora to fight. She’d fought as
much as she could before the change.

Tabitha nodded at Violet. She was sure the potion had worked.
It was strong because she’d been unsure of the dosage, she’d never
used this type of potion before. Cora looked to be in pain. Tabitha
didn’t like this but there wasn’t anything she could now. Once Cora
was in this stage of deep sleep, they would simply have to wait.
Hopefully wherever Cora was, she didn’t feel the pain at the
moment.

“
George, please carry Cora into the drawing room,” Violet
asked.

George carefully picked up Cora and walked into their home as
Tabitha followed. Tabitha felt apprehensive and it wasn’t a feeling
she welcomed. Was this the right thing to do? Cora was the closest
thing she had to a daughter and going through with this plan was
harder than she’d thought it would be.

They sat in silence watching Cora’s chest rise and fall with
her steady breaths.

“
Are you sure about this, dear?”

Tabitha had never been so sure and unsure of something in her
life. She wanted everything to go back to what it had been like
before the trials. The potion didn’t work like that, it wouldn’t
fail, Cora would become a blank canvas, influenced by those around
her. Tabitha was going to be the one to invent Cora’s new
life.

Only time would tell if Cora would become the young woman she
was today. Tabitha would like to see if she would.

Tabitha knew one thing for certain about this whole situation,
she wanted Cora to have this chance at a normal life. “Yes, I am
sure.”

Cora stirred, groaning. Tabitha moved to sit next to her, she
wanted to hold her hand, to comfort her but she knew this would
probably scare her. She had to remember her place in Cora’s life
wasn’t what it had been. If the potion had worked correctly, Cora
should wake up and not have a clue where, or who she was. Tabitha
was about to tell her where she was and who she was.

Cora opened her eyes and looked around the beautifully
decorated room; they trailed along the paintings looking at each
one for longer than necessary as her brain tried to place them.
Tabitha could see her mind working overtime. She was trying to
understand why she was in this home and why she couldn’t remember.
The three of them waited patiently, Tabitha would wait until Cora
spoke.

Cora’s eyes landed on Tabitha’s face. Her pupils were dilated
as she tried to process everything. Some part of Tabitha wanted
Cora to recognise her, some part of her wanted Cora to hold onto
the past. She knew it wouldn’t happen. Unfortunately, her potions
were brilliant, even if she did say so herself.

“
Where am I?” Cora asked, her voice was no more than a
whisper.

“
You are at home, child,” Tabitha soothed. Saying the words
broke Tabitha’s heart. Home should be in the little cottage with
her mother, her grandparents and Tabitha in their little
village.

“
Home?”

Tabitha took a deep breath, it was now or never. Despite her
heart shattering into small pieces, she decided to give away the
only part of her life that linked her to the past.

“
Yes, you took a turn for the worse and your mother called me,
I’m a healer.”

“
Oh,” Cora sighed as she looked past Tabitha at Violet. Cora
scrunched up her eyes and tried to make sense of this. Tabitha
noted that Violet did her job perfectly, she jumped up from the
sofa and held Cora’s hand like a mother should do. Tabitha knew
then that she had picked the right family to take care of
Cora.

“
Yes, sweetheart, you were unwell when we had our morning
tea.”

The lines in Cora’s forehead multiplied and she hissed in
pain. Tabitha knew that the pain would come if Cora tried to think
back.

“
What is your name?” Cora asked Tabitha.

Tears pricked at her eyes realising that she was now a
stranger to her best friend’s daughter. “My name is
Tabitha.”

She could see Cora trying to think back, trying to place the
name and the face but her potion was holding up well.

“
Thank you for your help, Tabitha... Mum... I may need to go to
my room.”

Violet looked at her with a look of fear on her face. Tabitha
saw the nerves on the surface, underneath them, Tabitha could feel
the maternal side. She knew they would make brilliant
parents.

Tabitha knew that Violet and George had longed for a child for
some time. Tabitha had found out about the couple through a witch
that lived on Baker Street. They were a stable, strong and loving
couple who could provide a brilliant life for Cora. Tabitha knew
that to have someone call you mum for the first time was life
changing. Tabitha saw this change move across Violet’s face. This
was the moment Violet completely took charge, making sure Cora
would feel welcome as her daughter.