Chapter 12
TWELVE
Ambrose was pacing up and down outside of Witch City Wicks waiting for Dora. As soon as Dora spotted him she felt bad. She should have worded her message to him better. His brow scrunched. She dashed across the road towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, squeezing softly.
‘Did you miss me?’
He turned and grinned at her with that boyish smile that made her heart miss a beat.
‘You know fine well that I did. I have missed you every single day of this lifetime, Dora. I waited so long for you to come home. I didn’t want to let you go again.’
She stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his cheek. ‘I won’t be leaving again without you, ever.’
‘Really?’
‘Pinkie promise.’ She held out her little finger and he linked his through hers, squeezing it. ‘Come on, coffee is on me. Should we grab a takeout and go sit in the gardens behind the Ropes Mansion?’
He nodded. ‘I’d like that a lot.’
They strolled towards Odd Meter Coffee where Dora perused the menu and decided to try The Witches Wand Latte with molasses and dark bitters. It suited her mood and was totally appropriate. Ambrose got a plain cappuccino, and they walked along Essex Street, green cups in hand sipping their drinks.
‘How were your friends?’
‘Good, really good. Especially after I told them I was gifting Katie the shop and would no longer be charging Mabel rent.’
‘Oh, wow. That’s very sweet of you. Then again, I wouldn’t expect anything less from my Dora, you always have in every single lifetime put others before yourself.’
‘Much to my downfall at times.’ She winked at him and he laughed.
‘Yes, well. Best not to dwell too much on the absolute shit show that was 1692.’
This made Dora laugh so loud she bent over double, almost spilling her coffee all down herself.
They reached the gardens and took the path through to the back, passing the sweetest little free library. The gardens were starting to get a little busy with tourists. There was a bench in the far corner shaded by the tall, evergreen hedge and they sat on it, turning to face each other.
‘I love it here, it’s so serene. I love the beautiful flowers, the koi carp in the pond, that big old beech tree over in the corner that’s probably as old as we are.
The house is just stunning; it makes a change to have a white painted house taking centre stage instead of the Witch House.
Tell me, have you ever been inside the Witch House since it’s been a museum, Ambrose? ’
He nodded. ‘Occasionally when I miss my mom and my siblings, I go in just before closing time when it’s quiet and remember the happy times. Granted there weren’t many, but it was never their fault my dad and George were so horrible.’
Dora reached out and patted his hand. ‘No, there were far too many innocent victims in all that mess and not just those of us who were murdered. So many families left ravaged and torn apart by the helplessness, guilt and shame.’
Ambrose squeezed her fingers. ‘Which is why we must live every day to its fullest now, don’t you agree? For all of those that never got that chance, the ones who got left behind with nothing but heartbreak and regrets.’
Dora blinked back the tears. ‘Yes, we should.’
‘I know it’s early days yet, Dora, and I know this is so old-fashioned of me and you’re probably going to run a mile, but I wanted to give you a little something to always remind you of me.
Neither of us knows how this lifetime is going to pan out, so I want you to be able to think about me whenever you need to and know that my love is centuries deep and only ever gets stronger, never weaker. ’
Ambrose fumbled in his pockets and pulled out a small, deep red velvet pouch.
He handed it to her. ‘It’s not a huge diamond and it’s not an engagement ring; you don’t have to panic.
I’m not proposing to you, although one day in the future I would like to if you would let me.
It’s a promise ring from me to you that I will always be here for you. ’
Dora tugged the tiny drawstring apart and pulled out the most beautiful gold band that was engraved with delicate flowers around it.
Whoever made it had taken time to make it so intricate and pretty.
She turned it over and saw the word witch engraved on the inside, and next to it a tiny crescent moon and she laughed with glee.
‘Oh, Ambrose, ’tis so pretty. Where did you get this?’ She looked up at his face which was now a dark shade of vermillion.
‘You like it?’
‘I love it.’ Dora slipped it onto her wedding ring finger.
‘It was your wedding ring.’
She lifted her hand and studied her fingers, yes, it fit perfectly and she loved it more than anything.
‘I’m sorry, Ambrose, I don’t remember. I wish that I did; it breaks my heart that I, we, have lived so many lifetimes yet all I know is this one. I sometimes see the pair of us on a sailing ship with two young children, but that is only snippets and I don’t know if it’s real or not.’
‘It’s okay, I know you don’t, hopefully in time you will.
The sailing ship was an adventure, I captained a schooner in 1764 that sailed into the port of Salem town and saw you there on the portside in a stunning emerald gown, the same colour as your eyes, and I knew that I was smitten.
It was only my second life and I didn’t have the same memories back then as I do now. ’
‘The children, the boy and girl who I only ever see from behind, were they our children?’
‘Unfortunately, not. Thomas and Bridget were orphans who lived in Salem town and spent their days begging by the busy sea port. When we realised your life was in danger you agreed to come with me on the boat and insisted we brought the children with us.’
Dora sighed, why did she not remember this? ‘I’m afraid to ask, what happened to them?’
Ambrose’s eyes shone with tears. ‘They died, caught smallpox but not before we shared some incredible adventures with them. We had such a wonderful time, exploring the world until the world decided we’d had enough fun and took it all away, yet again.’
Dora felt her own eyes brim with tears for this life and all of the others she had lived, for Thomas and Bridget, for herself and her aunts. Ambrose took hold of her hand, holding it softly.
‘But the year I first gave you the ring was 1898. The year after Lenny sprung you out of that horrendous lunatic asylum in Edinburgh. I asked you to marry me to keep you safe and you said yes. A goldsmith called Ebeneezer, fresh out of his apprenticeship, made me this to give to you. It was I think his finest work. He went on to become very famous, and his work is highly sought after and it fetches a lot of money now, but money is nothing compared to this ring because it meant so much to you.’
The lump in Dora’s throat was hard to swallow, and she looked into Ambrose’s eyes, the colour of the calmest, bluest sea.
Then she leaned towards him, hugging him with one hand while trying not to spill her coffee all over the pair of them.
A group of tourists began clapping and cheering making them pull apart.
The leader called out, ‘Congratulations, guys.’
And Dora’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Ambrose laughed. ‘Thank you, but she hasn’t said yes yet.’
The group, all grinning at the pair of them sitting there, turned back to listen to their history tour and Dora whispered, ‘Well, that was a bit awkward.’
Ambrose laughed. ‘Such is Salem.’
She sighed. ‘And this is why I love it so much. You really are the sweetest. Thank you, I shall treasure it forever.’
She realised that he made her heart feel whole, made her feel complete and if he asked her to marry him, she would go with him right this minute to find someone to officiate, even if it was Borah the very green, hilariously loud witch who was one of her favourite buskers on Essex Street.
She knew she would not hesitate for a moment, yet still there was this feeling of uneasiness inside of her heart that she could not ignore, just a niggle but it was there all the same.
She didn’t know what it meant but for now she would try and live her life to its fullest.