I was walking down a path. It was nothing but a dark strip of ground worn bare from the passing of horses and feet. On either side of me, I could see the ruts carved by wagon wheels. I followed them with my eyes as I walked toward the shadow of the large building in front of me.
I was nervous.
There was a man beside me.
I knew him. I knew him from a dozen glimpses I’d had in other dreams. I would be standing next to him in the street, and he’d look down at me and smile. We’d be outside, working on our hands and knees in our small garden. The first noise I had heard in the dreams had been his laugh. More than once, I had looked up and seen him sitting in a rickety chair, leaning into the light of our only window, silently reading from a book.
He was in his early twenties. He had thoughtful eyes and an easy smile. That day, he wore his hair pulled back. If he was nervous, he didn’t show it—at least, not at first.
As we moved into the shadow of the building, his steps slowed.
“Anna, you don’t have to be worried.”
“I’m not worried.”
“You’re not in trouble, you know.”
“I know.”
“But if you wouldn’t mind…”
I turned away from the dark wood doors leaning over me to look at my companion.
“Be careful what you say,” he said. “Answer the elders’ questions, but, otherwise, if you aren’t sure of yourself, consider saying nothing.”
I could feel the heat of my blush.
He stopped and squatted down so our faces were almost level. “You’re mad at me.”
“You want me to be quiet.”
“Have I ever told you to be quiet? Have I ever chastised you for speaking your mind? No. But I want you to be open to the idea that, when the time is right, silence can serve better than words. Especially when you’re talking to a bunch of old men.”
“So they can talk?”
“Well, yes. They’ve earned our respect, Anna, and people feel respected when others listen to them. Is that such a bad thing?”
“Are you worried I’ll say something wrong?”
I saw the answer in his eyes and wondered if he’d lie, but he surprised me and won my admiration.
“A little bit.”
I turned away from him. “I’ll be careful.”
He put his hand on my head. It was a familiar gesture. My heart lifted when I felt the reassuring weight.
“Come on,” he said. “We’d better not keep them waiting.”
The building yawned like a gloomy mouth when he opened one of the double doors. I crept inside. He followed.
Fear skewed the room until it was a mile long. At the end of it, four men were gathered around a table the size of a continent. The two sitting down looked like hunkered mountains. The two standing were giants.
They grew even larger as I walked toward them.
“Ah! Miss Anna. You’re here,” one of them said. “Thank you for coming today.”
My companion said, “Thank you for being willing to make time for us, Elders.”
“Have you told her why we wanted to see you?”
He hesitated. “Not exactly, sir.”
“Is this about Mr. and Mrs. Van der Berg?” My voice was so high and light, it sounded as abrupt as birdsong.
Four sets of eyes turned to me. I felt a tooth pinch my mouth. I was biting the inside of my bottom lip.
“It is,” one of the seated men said.
When he spoke, I looked at him. Anna knew him—I could sense that. His familiarity transformed him from a mountain to a man. He was still an imposing man, but at least he was only a man.
He was about fifty years old and rather homely. What was left of his long steel-colored hair was tied back. His clothes looked like they were a higher quality than the other men’s, but the fashions were so uniform and practical, it might have been nothing more than the newness of the material.
He leaned toward me. “Miss Anna, I heard that you made quite a scene.”
I bit my lip until it hurt.
“Why didn’t you want to go with them?” he asked.
“I didn’t want to go, sir.”
“I know, child. I’m asking why.”
“I didn’t want to.”
“Did you dislike them?”
Confusion swirled into my mind. “I didn’t know them, sir.”
Another elder said, “Were you shy because they were strangers?”
I glared at the giant who’d spoken. “I’m not shy.”
“That is evident,” the familiar man said with a smile.
“I didn’t know them, so how could I dislike them?”
One or two of the elders raised their eyebrows.
My companion quietly corrected me: “Sir.”
“Sir,” I added
The familiar man said, “Anna, can you tell me why you didn’t want to go?”
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“I want to stay with Dominie, sir.”
“You know the dominie was only ever supposed to be your temporary guardian. We never intended to leave you in his care for so long.”
“I know, sir.”
“You should have a mother and father—”
The rush of words poured out of me: “He’s a good father!” I clapped a hand over my mouth. As I lowered my hand, I muttered an apology.
A giant said, “At least he’s a good enough father to teach you a few manners.”
“He tries to teach me all my manners, sir.” I studied the gray floor. “I’m just not a very quick student.”
I felt the somber mood of the elders break. Four different smiles rained down, but since Anna’s head was bowed, I didn’t see them.
The familiar man turned to the man beside me. “Dominie.”
“Yes, Mayor?”
“What do you have to say to all of this?”
“She doesn’t give herself enough credit, sir. I’ve always found her to be a fine student.”
“I think you know that’s not what I meant.”
“Yes, Mayor. What would you like to know?”
“Your thoughts and feelings on the matter.”
“I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Van der Burg are fine people, and while I can understand the council’s reasoning, I’m afraid my heart is more in line with Miss Anna’s. I don’t want her to go.”
One of the giants said, “Dominie, you understand this is very irregular.”
“Yes, Mr. Mulder, but I’m afraid it’s the truth. I was willing to let her go into the care of a good family because I could see the sense in it, but if she wants to stay with me, I hope there wouldn’t be any harm in it. She’s a dear companion to me.”
The last mountain spoke for the first time: “You should seek companions of your own age.”
“Sir, considering my duties, I have many friends and acquaintances, both my age and older—including your venerable selves—but Anna is the only person who reminds me daily of all the charms of childhood. I’m very fond of her.”
Mr. Mulder fidgeted with a paper on the table. He was still looking down when he spoke. “You have a sister, I believe.”
I sensed Dominie momentarily stiffen. Then he said, “Had, sir. She died while I was away at college.”
“How old was she?”
“She was born two years before Anna. She died when she was nine.”
“Were you close?”
“Yes.”
Mr. Mulder raised his eyes. Among the elders, a silent conference of nods and shrugs took place. The mayor cleared his throat and inched forward on his chair.
“Dominie, if this is what you both want, we have no problem with allowing you to stay together.”
Joy burst through my entire body. As I grabbed for the hand of my guardian, the mayor turned his attention to me.
“However, Miss Anna, we’re concerned that you’ll spend too much time in the company of men and fail to develop the skills and grace that a woman should possess.”
“And manners,” the giant said.
“Yes. And manners.”
“I’ll do my best, sir,” I said. “I promise.”
The mayor wagged his finger at me. “Do so. We expect you to be a good influence on our dominie. He needs a woman in his life.”
My eyes moved from the mayor to Dominie. His face was red. I could feel befuddlement clouding up my head.
Warily, I said, “Yes sir.”
The mountain added, “And Miss Anna needs a woman in hers, Dominie.”
“Mr. Peters,” Dominie said, “I promise you, I’m not single because of personal preference.”
“Then why are you single?”
“Because the only women who might be considered eligible and who’re willing to stay in this area are the sisters.”
The elders tossed their uncomfortable glances toward each other, the ceiling, and various corners of the room.
“Er, yes,” the mayor said. “That’s true. For now. Perhaps we can hope for a few more women to come across soon.”
“Until then—”
“Yes, yes.” The mayor sighed. “That will be all, Dominie, Miss Anna. I hope you’re both blessed by this arrangement.”
“Thank you for your time,” Dominie said.
I curtsied. “Thank you, Elders.”
The old men seem pleased by this. Mulder and the mayor both nodded to me as Dominie tugged on my hand. He led me back to the door.
Outside, everything was light and colors. The air swirled around me, and I tried to inhale the whole force of the breeze.
“I get to stay?” I asked.
“You get to stay,” Dominie assured me.
“Did I talk too much?”
“Not at all.”
I skipped beside him for a few steps, but the tug on my arm warned me it would be a choice between dancing or holding his hand. I slowed down.
“I didn’t know you had a sister.”
Dominie frowned. “Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I still find it painful to talk about her.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It isn’t your fault, and you’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Did Mr. Mulder know about her?”
“He knew my family back home.”
I was confused. “Then—”
“I think he was trying to be kind, Anna. In his own way.”
“But it made you sad.”
“Only a little bit. Losing their little sister would make anyone sad—but that was that, and this is this. I’m very glad we get to stay together. Now, you have to work hard to learn how to be a lovely young woman, or they’ll give you away to someone much nicer, and I’ll be alone again.”
“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “I’ll be a perfect young woman.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“Dominie, why did Mr. Peters want you to get married?”
“Probably to keep me out of trouble.”
“But you don’t get into trouble!”
“That’s because I have you to keep me on the straight and narrow.”
“Then I’ll marry you.”
“You will not!”
“Why?”
“First, you’re much too young. Second, you’re much too bossy.”
“I’m not bossy.”
“If I married you, you’d take over everything by the end of the month.”
“And?”
“I’m weak enough as it is, Anna. Don’t make me any more useless.”
“Then who will I marry?”
“The man I pick out for you.”
“I will not!”
My guardian laughed. “What if I pick a very nice man? Someone who’s strong and knows how to do real work?”
“Will he be handsome?”
Dominie winced theatrically. “I don’t know. You can’t be too picky around here. There are only so many men to choose from.”
“Will he be smart?”
“Would you prefer a smart man?”
I bent my head and frowned in concentration. After a few seconds, I announced, “I don’t know.”
My guardian laughed much louder this time.
“Dominie, why don’t you marry one of the sisters?”
His good humor disappeared. “That wouldn’t do, Anna.”
“Why not?”
“We have…too little in common for me to form an agreeable attachment to any of them. I’m a god-fearing man—”
“Are they not god-fearing?”
“I think, if you asked them, they would say that they don’t have to fear anyone. Not even God. But never mind all this, that wretched meeting’s made us late. We have work to do, and when we’re done with our rounds, I’ll have to drop you off with Mrs. Jansen to learn your needlework.”
I groaned loudly.
“Oh, look at you now! A perfect young lady. You’ll offer yourself as a bride when you can’t even mend your own dress?”
“You said I was too young to be a bride.”
He dropped his hand on my head. “So you are. You have lots of time to learn.”
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I woke up.
I was laying on my side, so I could see the pearly mist that made up the back of Anna’s head. She, Jacob, and John were leaning back against my bedframe. The two boys were on either side of her. She had her arms around them. It seemed to be a natural posture for all of them.
Anna’s head turned slightly. She must have heard me moving.
“Anna,” I whispered.
She hummed to show she was listening.
“Do you sleep?”
“Not much,” she whispered.
Her voice was solid. The only hint I had that it wasn’t coming from real vocal cords was a tiny quiver in my perception of the sound.
She went on, “But I like to rest.”
John sighed. She pulled him closer.
“Do you dream?” I asked.
“Sometimes I remember things while I’m resting. It feels like dreaming. Were you dreaming?”
I wanted to reach out and touch her—I wanted to put my hand on her head the way Dominie had—but as my hand neared her hair, I could feel the chill grow more intense. Did my body heat burn her, or was it the comfort I wanted it to be? I rested my hand above the cold.
“I was having your dream,” I said.
When Anna turned to face me, she moved slowly so she wouldn’t disturb the boys.
“I met your guardian, Dominie.”
How old was she in that dream? How many years later did she die?
I said, “You were very fond of him, weren’t you?”
“I was,” she said. “I remember that. Did you see him?”
I nodded.
“What did he look like?”
My stomach lurched with sympathy, but I did my best to smile for her. “He was young and handsome. He had long, dark blond hair and blue eyes. He smiled a lot.”
“Emerra, are you a witch?”
“No. Olivia’s a witch. I’m just a girl with weird eyes.”
“Is Olivia a good witch?”
I had to think about that one. “She’s good at what she does.”
“I think I knew some witches once. I think I liked them.” Anna turned back around. Once she was settled with her arms around Jacob and John, she said, “Will you tell me about what you dreamed?”
I did my best.