Chapter 2
The sun peaked through 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.”
Edna rose and walked to the door. Sara’s heart was aching.
She could not believe she came all this way, and would not get the chance to see Logan one last time.
She watched Edna leave the room, wanting to leap from the bed and beg for her help, but instead she stared at the food, her appetite completely gone.
***
The door closed behind Edna. She was very aware of the fact that Sara had been saddened and disappointed by her visit.
She was not a hard-hearted woman, but one who had to make hard decisions with regard to who should or should not travel across the bridge through time.
She hadn’t made up her mind yet whether or not Sara would be one of them.
Logan wasn’t making this easy for her. She’d been trying to look in on him and from what she’d seen and with no actual knowledge of what was happening, things didn’t appear to be working in Sara’s favor.
She made her way back downstairs where Maggie was waiting for her. Together they would come to a decision about Sara’s predicament.
“Is she okay?” Maggie asked.
“She’s nae happy. I can tell ye that much.” Edna paced in front of the fireplace and then plopped down in the chair opposite Maggie. “I hate to disappoint her, but I’m not so sure she should go back.”
“Is there no hope then?” Maggie appeared saddened by this news.
“There’s always hope, but this is not a match I can meddle in.”
Maggie appeared surprised by this announcement.
“Dinnae look so shocked. All the matches that have been made have been because of my … interference, if you will. Even yers, Maggie, my love.” Edna was now disappointing two people, Sara and Maggie.
Her niece was a hopeless romantic. She’d been in love with love since she first set eyes on Dylan Sinclair and it was clear she wanted Sara to have the same experience.
“I ken it, Auntie. I just thought perhaps there was something ye could do to help her.”
“I’m afraid she’d be on her own. ’Tis why I’m nae so sure she should go.”
“Are ye sure ye cannae meddle, Auntie?”
“Nae. ’Tis just nae been the case in the past. I’m nae sure that it would work.” Edna fell silent and stared into the fire. Maggie had never seen her aunt at a loss for what to do.
“Ye can try though.” Maggie reached out to touch her hand. “’Tis obvious she is a determined lass. She came all this way to ask fer yer help.”
Maggie was manipulating her and it was working.
Edna was feeling guilty. She could try to help her, but if things went wrong, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to fix them.
She’d always had her finger on the pulse of every romance she’d helped with.
She knew from beginning to end just how things were going to work.
This, however, was new territory to her.
She’d never had anyone come out of the blue to ask for her help and yet Sara had.
She sat upstairs full of hope and Edna had dashed it all.
Maybe Maggie was right. Maybe she should help.
“What are ye thinking?” Maggie asked, hope in her voice.
“I’m thinking I’ve got a lot of thinking to do,” Edna chuckled.
“So ye’ll help her?” Maggie leaped up from her chair, clasping her hands to her heart.
“I’ll try. Dinnae say anything to her just yet. I must be sure.”
“Alright.”
“Keep her busy today. I dinnae wish her to be moping about.”
Maggie nodded her agreement and Edna headed back to her office to meditate on Sara’s problem and to see if Logan’s circumstance would become any clearer to her.