She was sitting on the bed, wrapped in her robe, looking much smaller and frailer that she had just minutes ago. 'Is it time?' she asked, refusing to glance at the clock for herself.
'Not yet,' he said.
'I can't do this,' Merrie said, her head bent. 'Please don't make me.'
'You can do this and you will. For me. Do you remember what to do?'
'Tell me again,' she said.
'Do exactly what you did that night, the night I came here.'
'And then what? If it works, how do I get you back?'
'You have told me that Blackbeard will meet his end on November twenty-second. At midnight on that day, you must summon me, the same way you did during the storm.'
'And what if you don't come back?'
'You summoned me here once and you can do it again. I will come back.'
'Unless you're dead,' Merrie said, her voice cold. She turned to him, a suddenly desperate look in her eyes. Her fingers clutched at his waistcoat. 'Promise me you won't die. I promise not to grieve if you don't come back, as long as you don't let yourself get killed.'
He knelt down in front of her and pressed her hands between his. 'Merrie, 'tis time. You must gather your courage and do this one last thing for me now.'
She took a long look at him. 'I'm going to close my eyes,' she said. 'And when I open them, I want you to be gone. No goodbyes.' Her eyelids fluttered shut, but a tear escaped and traced a path down her smooth cheek. 'I'll pretend it was all a wonderful dream.'
Griffin stood over her for a long time, looking down at her lovely upturned face. Then he gently brushed his lips across hers, tasting the salt from the tears she'd cried.
'I refuse to hope that this works,' she murmured, her eyes still closed.
He smiled. His beautiful Merrie-girl, stubborn to the very end. He took one last look at her face, then turned and walked out of the bedroom, leaving his heart and his soul behind.
The beach was bathed in a silver light from the nearly full moon. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the live oaks and the boughs of the tall cedar. He drew a deep breath, the tang of salt thick in the night air, then slowly walked to the water's edge.
The urge to rush back inside the house and pull her into his arms was strong. He turned around and stared at the light filtering from the bedroom window, trying to imagine Merrie inside.
She would crawl out of bed and pick up the book from the bedside table. He held his breath as he saw her figure pass in front of the light.
Then, she would turn off the light and step inside the closet. He watched the window go black.
'It's all right, Merrie,' he murmured. 'You can do this. I know you can.'
He waited, counting down the seconds until midnight. Suddenly, the air around him went deathly still. The night sounds stopped-no crickets singing, no trees rustling, even the waves were silent.
He looked up at the sky, but it was no longer black. The stars had faded into a shimmering blue background, alive with swirling cyclones of light. The wind picked up and the ground shifted, throwing him forward. His legs were swept out from under him and he felt himself falling.
He looked down to see nothing beneath his feet except a great gaping darkness. Fighting back a flood of panic, he closed his eyes and threw out his arms, bracing himself for an impact, preparing to die.
And then, the moment before the ground rushed up to meet him, once more he felt the urge to turn back, to take shelter in Merrie's arms and to stay in her time. Regret surged through him and he cried out her name. Then everything around him went black.
A brisk autumn breeze sent a shower of orange and yellow maple leaves floating through the air and drifting down around Meredith's feet. The breeze was unusually warm for mid-November, following so closely on a series of chilly nights that had set the trees aflame with color in tidewater Virginia.
Meredith sat on a weathered wooden bench and stared out across Crim Dell, a lovely little spot in the center of campus. Across the pond she watched as young couples strolled over the picturesque footbridge. Several couples stopped atop the graceful arch and kissed. She frowned as she tried to recall the legend that was told about the bridge.
'They say if a young woman walks over the Dell bridge alone, she is doomed to spinsterhood. I wish someone would have told me that before I started jogging over it three times a week.'
Meredith smiled and stood at the sound of Kelsey's voice. 'Hi, Kels.' She reached over the bench and gave her best friend a hug.
Dressed in a rumpled blazer and a skirt, Kelsey circled the bench and sat down beside her. 'Imagine my surprise when I got your message this morning.' She handed Meredith a paper cup. 'Cappuccino with almond flavoring. Your favorite.'
Meredith pulled the top off the cup and peeked inside. 'Decaf?' she asked.
Kelsey laughed. 'Since when have you given up the benefits of a high-caffeine diet?'
'I'm trying to cut back,' Meredith said.
Kelsey shrugged and took the cup back. 'What are you doing back here? I figured you were blissfully happy on that island of yours. After all, I haven't heard from you since our hasty little visit in September. So, did you do it? I've been dying to know!'
'Don't tell me you've spent the last two months speculating on the state of my sex life.'
Kelsey nodded. 'I think about it when I'm not contemplating Bernoulli's derivation of Boyle's Law. Particle physics and sex have many commonalities, you know. So, did it happen?'
Meredith felt the tears pushing at the corners of her eyes. 'Yes, I-we-' Her voice caught in her throat. 'I'm sorry.'
Kelsey stared at her with a concerned gaze. 'What's wrong, Meredith? You might as well tell me now, because you know I'll get it out of you sooner or later. Was it that bad?'
Meredith stifled a sigh. Whenever Dr. Kelsey Porterfield happened upon a puzzle, she didn't give up until she had figured it out. And though Meredith had managed to shuffle her out of the cottage without an explanation, she knew she'd have to come up with one now.
'It was wonderful,' Meredith said. 'Everything I'd imagined it would be.'
'So, what's wrong?'
'He's gone,' Meredith said.
Kelsey's hopeful expression fell. 'Oh, no. I'm so sorry.' She slipped her arm around Meredith's shoulder.
'He left over a month ago. And-and I think I'm pregnant.' Though she'd suspected as much for the past week, she confirmed the fact with a home pregnancy test and a visit to her doctor earlier that morning. Yet, this was the first time she'd admitted it out loud. Suddenly, it was no longer just a concept, but a reality.
'Oh, my,' Kelsey breathed, her eyes wide with surprise. 'What are you going to do?'
Meredith forced a shaky smile and placed her hand on her stomach. 'I'm going to have a baby,' she replied.
She wasn't sure when she'd first suspected she was pregnant. One day she'd been convinced that her problems were merely a result of the stress of Griffin's departure, and the next day, she just knew. Somehow, she had sensed the life growing inside her and from that moment on, she'd loved the child with all her heart and soul.
These sudden and intense feelings, the instinct to protect her baby, filled her with wonder. She'd never believed she would have children. Now, she would have Griffin's child and she knew, in her heart, that this was right.
'Can you do this alone?' Kelsey asked.
'Yes, I can. But I'm not sure yet that I'll have to.'
'Does he know about the baby?'
Meredith shook her head. 'No. Not yet.'
'Where is-' Kelsey cursed softly. 'Can we at least call him by name here? He's not some deity, at least not in my book.'
'His name is Griffin,' Meredith said softly, letting the sound of his name linger on her tongue. 'Griffin Rourke.'
'Where is this Griffin Rourke?'
