Page 75 of A Promise Through Time

“That’s the puzzle we must solve. We’ll keep him here for as long as we can until we have an answer. We all need to work on this. No idea is too crazy,” Edna said.

Angus and Dylan both wore skeptical looks.

“Why do ye look that way?” Maggie asked.

“I don’t think you know what a daunting task this is going to be,” Dylan said.

“Daunting has never stopped us before and it’s not going to stop us now.”

“Alright,” Dylan said. “If I think of anything I’ll let you know.”

“Promise,” Edna said.

“I promise.”

“Angus?” she said, looking to him for support.

“I’ll do whatever I can, my sweet. Dinnae fear, we’ll find an answer.”

But as the days wore on, it was becoming increasingly clear that they weren’t going to find an answer and it was getting harder and harder to find excuses for why Donal should stay. Dr. Ferguson didn’t care for the idea of lying about little Elena’s health. “She’s fine. She should be able to go home. I can’t keep telling him we need to wait,” he said after his last visit.

Edna had just about given up hope, and needed to do something to keep her hands busy. She decided dusting the rooms would be a good distraction and while doing so found exactly what she needed.

“Maggie, I’ve got it!” she cried, running down the stairs.

“What is it?” Maggie came out of the office to see what Edna was yelling about.

As Edna explained her plan, Maggie’s face went from confused to excited. “Ye just might be on to something!”

“Aye. I’m so excited. I think this might be just what we need. Donal has been miserable. He hardly says a word and he has no appetite. Elena is the only thing that keeps him going.”

“Let’s hope this works then.”

***

“If I ever lay eyes on Donal again, I swear I’ll beat him to a pulp,” Hamish said as he watched Tina moving her food around on her plate but not eating.

She’d been home over a week now and had done nothing but mope around. Her eyes seemed to be permanently red rimmed from all the crying she’d done and no one in the family seemed to be able to soothe her. She hadn’t even unpacked her bags.

“Hamish, I don’t think that’s helping anything,” Elle said.

“What are we to do? I dinnae believe I’ve ever seen anyone so miserable in all my years.”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?” Elle said, rolling her eyes at him. “Tina, let’s go unpack your bags.”

Tina looked up from the table. She’d heard everything they were saying, but she seemed unable to dig herself out of the black hole she’d fallen into. Maybe Elle was right. The least she could do was unpack. “Alright,” she muttered, heading down the hallway to her bedroom.

She opened her suitcase and started tossing clothes on the floor. “Laundry,” she said. She handed Elle her shoes and she put them in the closet. As she neared the bottom of the suitcase, she saw an envelope and remembered that she was supposed togive a note to Zeke, but there was only one envelope and it wasn’t the one addressed to him.

“Oh, no! Sara gave me a letter to give to her brother. I feel terrible about it. She was so nice to me and the one thing she asked me to do, I screwed up.” She scavenged around in the bottom of the suitcase, hoping to find it, but it wasn’t there.

Tina sat on the floor next to her bag and opened the other envelope Sara had given her. Inside she found the recipe for the tea. Ayla’s Blend was written at the top in big bold letters. She held it close to her chest.

“What’s that?” Elle asked.

“A recipe,” she replied.

“For what?”