Chapter Forty-Two 

Holden Beach, North Carolina

A month had passed since Charlotte returned home to Holden Beach. She was completely healed from the burns on her arms and legs from the fire. Thanks to an old recipe of Aunt Pittypat's, she wouldn't scar.

Charlotte noticed her finger shaking as she switched off the iPad. Melinda Merriweather, American, apparent suicide due to grief over losing her sister, who died almost a year ago. Both sisters drowned and were presumed lost at sea.

Two of her sisters go to England and are presumed dead or missing? Something smelled worse than a pot of collards left on the stove for two days and two nights.

Why hadn't she listened to Melinda? Gone with her? And what was with the Brits wanting to kill all three of them? She'd barely escaped the fire. Had come to believe someone was still after her. Why?

There had to be a reason. Charlotte jumped on her bike and rode to the local bookstore. Inside she perused the stacks. She bought books on the history of England, particularly those with a focus on the fourteenth century. Books on field medicine, plants, and herbs. Oh, and let's not forget books on witchcraft and New Age ideas. As she took the huge stack up to the checkout, the cute guy wearing glasses flirted with her.

"Wow, that's a lot of information. Are you studying for a class?"

"You could say that. I'm going to England for vacation, so I thought it would be fun to visit a few castles."

He picked up the book on field medicine. "Well, unless you're planning to start a war while you're there, I don't think you'll need this one."

"It's always good to broaden your horizons, don't you think?"

Charlotte collected her purchases, filling up the basket on the bike. One thing to check off her list. While she hated taking any more time before she went to England, she felt it was important to be prepared. Her flight left two weeks from today. That should give her enough time to read through the books and make notes. She was a firm believer in notes.

As Charlotte sat outside on the deck overlooking the ocean, she opened the leather-bound journal she'd purchased in the store. It was expensive compared to the cheapie notebooks she usually bought. But it looked old, so it shouldn't arouse suspicion if anyone saw it.

She planned to fill it with anything she might need during her journey. Moments in history, various plants used for healing, and, of course, Aunt Pittypat's famous recipes. All of them would go in the journal. Charlotte had a friend who might be able to get her antibiotics. That seemed like the one thing she wanted to take back with her.

A solar charger and phone so she could play music would be nice, but she decided against it. She didn't know why, but she was afraid to have too many modern things with her when she tried to go back in time.

Thanks to the power of the internet, she'd done most of her research online. There were a group of history buffs in Northern England she planned meet up with. They'd been emailing back and forth. One of the guys said he'd teach her how to use a knife. He didn't think she would have long enough for him to teach her to use a sword. That was fine. One weapon would do.

No way could she take a knife on the plane. She'd buy an antique when she arrived. Flying into London would be perfect. Charlotte could scour some of the shops looking for the rest of what she needed. Things like a cloak and clothes to help her blend in. She could sew reasonably well, so she planned to add pockets to anything that didn't come with.

As she ate a slice of pizza, Charlotte opened the first book and began reading.