The new mother directed Olivia to the chest of drawers. “Look in the bottom drawer. A few of Anders old shirts are in there. They are worn through in some places, but they are clean. Willow, you should have told me you were hurting.” Eva moved to stand. “Let me help.”
“Lay down,” Olivia commanded with a faint smile that softened her demand. “I can take care of her. Besides, you need your rest, too.”
Olivia tore a shirt into strips and instructed Willow to remove her outer garments. Wearing only chemise and drawers, Willow pulled the hem of the chemise to her breasts while Olivia wrapped the strips of material tightly around her torso. Rivulets of pain shot through her. Perhaps this was worse than the actual beating. Willow sucked in air instead of crying out.
“You’ll venture across lots instead of putting your welfare into proper consideration,” Olivia fussed. “Some obstacles are not meant to be crossed, Willow. What you did was dangerous! Look at how that filthy beast beat you. My Lord! Did he do worse?”
“Worse than beat me?”
Memories flooded her mind. Grady’s hot, tobacco scented breath blew hot in her face. His coarse, rough hands pinched and grabbed in the same places Thor had tenderly caressed. Bile rose to her throat and threatened to choke her. She swallowed hard. Salty tears filled her eyes, and she tried to blink them away. They fell down her cheeks anyway.
Silence filled the cabin. The two other women stood still. Their eyes searched Willow’s face. Eventually, Eva turned away. The older woman finished tying the bandage. Her love burned brightly on her pale face. She cupped Willow’s face, thumbing away her tears.
“I am so sorry.”
“H—He didn’t,” Willow explained. “He tried to, but Thor stopped him.”
“Are you sure? You can tell me. Neither Eva or I will breathe a word of it to anyone.”
“We wouldn’t say a word.” Eva stepped forward. Sympathy glowed from her warm eyes.
The depth of their caring shook her to the core. Their affection for her had always been obvious. Feeling the enormity of their love made her steps falter. Olivia brought the rocking chair for her to sit. Willow sank onto the padded seat and slowly rocked. The gentle swaying motion soothed her as much as their thoughtful presence. The words soon fell from her lips.
“I assure you that he did not succeed in forcing his attentions upon me. I resisted, so he beat me. Then Thor arrived and knocked him senseless.”
“Well, God bless him,” Eva said.
Once spoken, Willow needed to free her mind of the disturbing assault. Her spirits demanded rejuvenation. Her thoughts turned to more pleasant occurrences. “How was the reunion of Big Nat with the children?”
“We’ll get to that in a moment.” Olivia’s mouth tightened into a thin line. “I’m sure there is more you haven’t mentioned, and it wouldn’t be right of me not to ask. You were on a plantation and witnessed the atrocities we’ve been fighting against.” She patted Willow’s hand. “Do you understand now why Mitchell doesn’t want you to take a too active role in the movement? He was protecting you and doing it the best way he knew how.”
“I know, Miss Olivia, and I understand, but I’m not a child. I saw their faces, spent time in their quarters, and heard their tales. I’m pained by it all, but it hasn’t defeated me. I want to work harder in trying to help. I can’t turn my back on them now.”
“You have the sensibility of a mule.” Olivia blinked back tears. “You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t. Moses has made plenty of journeys, and all her trips have been successful.”
“Harriet Tubman grew up on a plantation!” Olivia snapped. “You grew up in a loving home, and that makes a difference. She knows how to handle herself and how to move on and off without notice.”
“I can learn how to do the same.”
Olivia’s grip on Willow’s hand tightened. “I would prefer that you didn’t. I’ve saved some money, and I brought it with me. Mitchell and I talked about it. We want you to go to Ohio and enroll in Oberlin College as soon as possible.”
Willow jerked free of Olivia’s grasp. She stood abruptly and the chair rocked violently on the floor. Pain ripped through her at the sudden movement. She ignored the discomfort.
“I can’t leave now! What about Thor? If he didn’t go back to…well, he could be out there somewhere. I cannot leave without knowing what happened to him! I couldn’t do that.”
“Thor?” Eva spoke quietly. “You’ve talked about studying at Oberlin for as long as I’ve known you. Now you would give up the opportunity because of him? I warned you about Thor, Willow. He’s handsome, charming, and kind, but you and he could never find happiness together.”
Willow folded her arms around her waist and jutted out her chin. “Maybe not here.”
“This is foolishness, talking about that man. Oberlin will give you opportunities. Running on and off plantations can get you killed. Enough!” Olivia threw up her hands. She went to the stove and with a shaky hand filled three bowls with stew as she spoke. “You wanted to know about the reunion. It was the most beautiful thing.” Her words flew from her mouth in rapid succession. “I wish you could have seen it. Big Nat gathered all three of those children inside his arms and hugged them tight. I swear, even your Anders,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at Eva, “had something in his eyes as he watched them. Big Nat thanked us for taking care of his children, and then Mitchell sent them on their way. Before they left, Big Nat asked me to thank you.”
She set three bowls on the table and took the sleeping infant from her mother. “It’s your turn to eat. I’ll lay her in the crib.”
“Thank you.”
Olivia cradled the baby in her arms. “It’s no problem at all. Now that I’ve said my piece, I’d like to hear the rest of it, Willow. I imagine you’ve already told Eva the gist of your journey.”
Willow and Eva exchanged glances. Olivia’s sudden change in tone was not a surprise. The older woman often banked her anger with a gentle voice and a quick change in conversation. Willow expected there would be more to follow.
“I’ve told her a good deal of it, Miss Olivia. Did the reverend say anything to you?”
“You mean about Thor being from the future? Yes, he told me a bit about that.”
“Do you believe it’s true?” Willow had to know before saying anything further.
“As you explained to Mitchell, miracles happen.” Olivia placed the baby in the crib and joined the two women at the table. “I’m not one to say something can be done unless it can be proven to me that it can’t. He appeared to be a courteous young man, but his mannerisms were unfamiliar to me. He speaks with the accent of a Southerner, yet his ideals were the same as some of our Northern friends. Now it would seem that there’s a reason for this. Mitchell wasn’t sure what to make of it, but it would seem to me that Thor is not of our time.”
Willow found speech difficult. She wanted her family and friends to believe her, but she wasn’t prepared for them to do so. The Browns’ newfound determination to further her education at Oberlin created a new diversion. Her nerves rattled with tension and stretched across a taut line. She wasn’t sure if Olivia truly believed her or was preparing to wage another argument.
“She says he’s my great-great-grandson,” Eva said quietly. “He’s not one of Anders’s cousins like I thought. It’s strange when you think about it, but I don’t think it’s a lie. He’s stubborn like Anders, but there’s gentleness to him, too. You’ve already told me about his brother and father, but I’d like to know more. What does he say about the future?”
“He wouldn’t say much about it,” Willow answered, “except that I would have a better life there. I could go to any college or university I wanted, and I could do whatever I wanted. Oberlin would not be my only option in nineteen hundred and eighty-five. I would have choices. He asked me if I would go back with him.”
“What did you say to him?” Olivia asked.
“I didn’t give him an answer,” Willow answered. “I wish I had.”
* * *
The horses galloped through the woods at a break neck speed. Anders gripped the reins and hunched forward. His thoughts raced as fast as the horses’ hooves pounded the ground.
Admitting he was wrong had always been a sore spot. Going back on his opinions didn’t sit well with him either. However, worry refused to let him escape the facts. Thor’s disappearance bothered him. Although they didn’t see eye to eye, Anders admired the other man’s stubborn willfulness. It reminded Anders of his own unyielding trait, and maybe being pigheaded would keep Thor safe until they arrived to aid him.
“There aren’t many places he can hide between Canton and Atlanta.” Brown interrupted Anders’s musing. “Besides he’s on foot, and that’ll slow him down some. It may take a few days, but we will find him.”
“If someone else hasn’t found him already.” The starlit night provided enough light and he clearly saw the shadows of worry darken the older man’s face. “What would they do to him? For aiding runaways? I know what the law says, but what will really happen?”
“You guessed right. They wouldn’t follow the law. Most of the South is drawn tight as a drum. They’d want to make an example out of him.”
“Would they kill him?”
“Maybe.”
Anders barely had time to process Brown’s quietly spoken warning before the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His horse tensed, and he wondered what spooked them both.
Then he heard it. Rapid pounding ripped into the earth and shook the ground. His gaze cut to the reverend again. “What in the world?”
“Posse. They’re coming fast, too.”
They turned toward the woods to avoid the rushing riders. The yips and barks of hunting dogs filled the forest. No matter which path they took, the sounds came louder and stronger.
“They’re chasing
us
!” Anders shouted over the clamorous activity. “Why?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t aim to find out.”
The horses rushed forward. The large beasts seemed intent on escaping the dogs’ snapping jaws. The men yielded to the horses’ determination, also straining and pushing the horses harder.
Their efforts failed them. The dogs, trained just for this purpose, gained on them and circled Anders. Their ferocious snarls kept the trapped men in place while the dogs’ yelps alerted their owner to their location. A group of angry, white men on horseback soon surrounded them.
“Magnusen!” One authoritative voice called.
“Yes?” Anders responded. “What’s this about?”
“Stolen property. I’m Warren Eugene Davis and nobody takes what’s mine without answering to me.”
“What are you talking about? I haven’t stolen anything from you. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”
“I have witnesses that will say differently. Grab him and his friend, too.”
Two men came toward Anders. Anders reached for his rifle. The loop of a rope circled around him. He bunched his shoulders and tried to pull free. The more he struggled, the tighter the rope cut into him. Finally, someone tugged on the rope and pulled him from the horse. He fell to the ground, landing beside Brown, who was also bound by rope.
“The Davis plantation is where Willow and Thor found Big Nat,” Brown said low enough so that only Anders heard him. “He thinks you’re Thor.”
* * *
Windows rattled loudly as pounding shook the cabin. Eva snatched Dorothea from the crib and held the tiny babe to her chest. On the other side of the room, Olivia grabbed a rifle and headed toward the door. Willow’s hand shot out, closing around her adoptive mother’s forearm.
“You can’t go out there!”
The wooden door shook in its frame as the pounding increased. “Mrs. Magnusen! It’s Hammond Phelps, ma’am. ”
“What do you want?” Olivia yelled out before Eva could respond. “It’s too late for calling.”
“I know it is, ma’am, but it’s important.”
Olivia checked the rifle, and then handed it to Willow. Willow’s hand shook from the weight of the firearm and from fear. Her heart beat a rapid cadence in her chest. Her body felt ice cold all over. “What do you suppose he wants?”
“I’ll find out,” Olivia said. “Keep the rifle on him through the window.”
Olivia slipped out the door before Willow could protest. Filling her lungs with a deep gulp of air, Willow forced her racing heart to slow to a normal pace. She pushed fear to the back of her mind. She had fired the rifle before, but its kick was strong. She needed her wits about her and hands steady in case Olivia needed her protection from the blacksmith.
Willow pushed her spectacles up her nose and positioned the rifle on her hip. Her eyes narrowed as she made out the shapes of Olivia and Hammond on the porch. The conversation seemed to be serious indeed. Hammond gestured wildly, and Olivia’s head nodded in time to his gesturing. A moment later, Olivia returned to the cabin with Hammond fast on her heels.
“What’s wrong?” Eva asked as soon as they crossed the threshold.
Olivia paused a moment before she answered. Willow watched the older woman closely. Lines of worry etched from the corners of her eyes. Tiny, white lines framed her mouth that had thinned into a grim line. Her pale hands trembled visibly. Whatever Hammond told her, the news was not good.