Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
‘Right.’ Aunt Bill looked unsure for a moment, then she stamped her feet on the ground, as if to stir herself into action. ‘Fine. There it is.’
Dread filled me like cold sand.
No.
The word vibrated in every part of my body.
I didn’t want Aunt Bill to go, either. I didn’t want this to be the last time I saw her, in this timeline or another one.
There was no guarantee that I’d get back to the twenty-first century at all; I might end up elsewhere.
And if I ended up in another timeline, I might never see her again.
She turned to me. ‘I s’pose this is goodbye, then, maid.’ Her eyes were filling with tears.
I was bereft; I hadn’t expected to have to say goodbye to her this soon, and not along with William. It was too much.
‘Please don’t go.’ I felt myself start to cry. ‘Come with me. Come home.’
‘I can’t, maid. You know that,’ Aunt Bill said, kindly. ‘I ’ave to look after Violet an’ Lady Hermione. ’Tis my duty. I saves people. I told you that.’
‘Don’t I need saving?’ I asked, tears running down my cheeks.
‘Of course, maid. But you can save yourself. Miss Violet needs me. See, she won’t go without me,’ Aunt Bill said, quietly; indeed, Violet had been standing next to Aunt Bill the entire time, and now she hung on to my aunt’s hand with a grim tenacity.
‘She’s ’ad precious little security in ’er life, Tegan.
If I can give ’er a bit o’ safety, I must. I’d ’ate myself if I left ’er now. An’ Lady Hermione.’
‘I know.’ The sob in my throat ached. I wanted to let loose and wail, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. Aunt Bill had to go.
She had told me that she believed her mission was to help people, save them from dire fates in different timelines, and that was what she’d spent her time doing. How long, I had no idea.
Maybe that was why we all travelled through the portals, as some kind of inter-dimensional emergency services. That worked for William and Aunt Bill, but what about me?
‘An’ I don’t think I can come back to Cornwall in this time, now that Albert knows what I did.’ Aunt Bill sighed. ‘’Ee’s ’ardly going to take me back in service, or as a governess. ‘’Ee’ll ’ave my guts for garters if ’ee ever sees me again.’
‘Yes. I know,’ I replied, blearily.
‘I’ll just say ta-ta for now. I’ll see you again, in the future or the past. Be sure of it.’ Aunt Bill wiped her eyes.
She enveloped me in one of her bear hugs for a moment, then cleared her throat and let me go.
‘We’ve got to go,’ Nancy reminded Aunt Bill.
She stuck out her hand and I shook it automatically, even though I felt I was dying inside.
‘Take care, Tegan,’ Nancy said. ‘If you needs it, likely I’ll be away from the cottage for a while now.
There’s a key under the plant pot by the front door, if you needs somewhere to shelter.
Mind you, I wouldn’t recommend it now. Lord Albert’s going to be livid.
Searchin’ for us.’ She looked nervously around us.
‘Thank you for everything you’ve done, Nancy,’ I said. ‘You’ve been so kind.’
‘I’m the pellar. Life takes me in strange directions.’ She shrugged. ‘I think my mother would want me to ’elp all of you. The Willcocks ’ave always ’elped the travellers.’
I held out Evelyn Willcock’s journal to her.
‘You should take this,’ I said.
‘No, maid. You keep it.’ She shook her head.
‘Evelyn would want you to ’ave it.’ She climbed up onto the top of the carriage where William had sat, and picked up the reins.
‘Come on, now, milady. In the carriage we get,’ she called out.
Aunt Bill helped Hermione and Violet inside, and Nancy turned the carriage around, back to the road.
I hoped they would make it safely up north. I hoped that their journey would be free of vagabonds and thieves. I hoped that Hermione and Violet would finally be free and safe, away from Albert Trevarron and his vileness.
But, I also fervently wished that William and Aunt Bill would have stayed with me.
Alone, I watched them go, my heart breaking.