July 16, 1859

July 16, 1859

My Dear Lucy,

I know Anna very well. She’s quite eccentric, isn’t she? I am very happy that you made the chocolate mousse, and that Mr. MacJohns decided not to drink that night. What did you and Jamie talk about? Details, child, I need the details. Don’t worry about long letters with me.

Let me continue on with the story now. As I said, Thomas and his strange friend were talking some prophecy jargon that confused Julia greatly. She didn’t understand a single word of it at the time. The talk lasted for about four hours, and Julia fell asleep off and on, but she was awake when Jones said, ‘I am sorry for keeping you so long. You must be tired from your journey. Please, let me show you to your rooms.’

Jones led them to a brightly furnished hallway, with little alcoves that had armchairs set up so people could sit and talk with others if they wanted to. He opened two doors next to each other, the darker one full of books for Thomas and the brighter, more open one for Julia. I must say, she despised it. You know your grandmother, always wanting to be in dark places. She liked the windows, though. They had very heavy curtains on them.

Thomas and Julia had a private dinner, as back then people usually gathered in the dining hall each night. They sat in his room, and Julia said, ‘You’re lucky you get so many books in your room. I would love to read them.’ Thomas laughed. ‘This is my room. They are all my books. You may borrow any one you like. I usually live here. Jones is a friend of the family.’

As soon as she finished with her dinner Julia quickly went to the bookshelves, reading their titles. Only a few interested her, and one of them was Times to Remember: Greatest Battles in Recorded History.  She slipped the large book off of the shelf and curled up in Thomas’s armchair to read it.  But the print was small and she was tired, so eventually she fell asleep again.

In the middle of the night she was abruptly woken by a loud crash outside of the door.  Thomas was nowhere to be seen.  She slipped on her cloak and opened the door only a small crack, but it was enough.  Blood was splattered on the walls, and there were unconscious bodies laying on the floor.  She let out a small gasp before she closed the door again.

Julia heard a rustling behind her and spun around to see Thomas gathering his things, hers on the floor beside him.  She wanted to ask him where he had appeared from, but instead she asked, ‘What’s going on?’

‘There are people after me and my friends.  I am sorry to have dragged you into this, but we must get going.  It is not safe here anymore.  Don’t worry, though.  The place I am taking you now is the safest place in the world.  Come, jump out of the window.’

At first Julia protested.  They were on the third floor.  But then Thomas pointed out the burly men under the window waiting, and told her that they were Jones’s men who were going to catch her and put her on her new stallion.  Trusting him, she jumped and together they galloped away into the night.

I believe I will stop there.

Yours, Safiya