Page 140 of A Time of Witches

On an entirely different continent, Sybil woke in the middle of the night to a sense of peace. Her connection to the earth had faded after the mark on her arm disappeared. But in that blissful moment, she was bathed in the beauty of the earth, the soft, breathy sigh of an enchantment that had run its course to completion.

Sybil closed her eyes, savoring the embrace of that power. And the relief that the men who had harmed and killed so many would never do so again.

Her husband stirred beside her. John reached for her, drawing her against the familiar comfort of his warmth.

She closed her eyes and savored the tranquility in her body and soul.

They had begun their life in the New World, in a place called Maryland, where they could begin again.

There was peace in knowing that their girls would remain safe.

Not only Jacinda, born of her and John’s love so long ago, but also the girl who Sybil had helped escape from prison. Little Maggie, who learned to speak again after all she had endured, a mother who was slain before her eyes, the unjust arrest under the accusation of witchcraft in her mother’s place. The New World suited her, winning shy smiles from time to time, and a tentative curiosity that seemed to grow with each passing day.

The New World suited them all, a chance to start over. To live again.

And they would cherish every moment.

Epilogue

Lilith

One year later…

Dragon ran to Lilith before the crunch of tires on gravel could be heard in front of Brackenmere Manor.

Essie had finally arrived.

Lilith practically ran outside as Essie freed Amara from her car seat, wrapping them both in an all-encompassing hug. The vanilla-scented lotion Essie favored curled around that embrace, bringing with it a lifetime of memories of friendship, laughter, and more than a few bad ideas.

Lilith released them with a grin. “I cannot believe you flew all the way to England to see me.”

“I would fly to the moon to see you.” Essie set Amara down, and the little girl immediately bolted off with Dragon. “It’s been over six months since you left Savannah. You know I can’t go that long without seeing you.”

After everything Lilith went through at Brackenmere Manor, she couldn’t bring herself to return to Savannah for good. She’d gone back long enough to pack the old house on East Waldburg Street and put it on the market, selling it for a sum that would have made even Mama happy.

And speaking of Mama, selling that house cut the last of Lilith’s ties to her. She’d walked around the empty building, feeling its vastness and a ghost of the missing part of Mama she’d never been able to find.

With that, Lilith was able to say goodbye to Savannah.

Sometimes roots could be an anchor, and Lilith was finally free to soar once she cut herself free.

Her heart was in England, in the land of her blood, in the ferns framing Brackenmere Manor, and in the little black cat who saved her as much as she’d saved him.

Essie glanced around. “Besides,” she added in a low-key whisper. “I have to meet Mr. Darcy in person.”

Lilith laughed and helped her friend with her suitcases. “He’ll be here when he gets off work. I’ll show you to your room. You okay with staying in the manor?”

“Are there still dead people moving around in it?”

“Do you want there to be?”

Essie looked appalled. “You know I do not.”

“Good thing I almost got myself killed getting that taken care of for you then.” Lilith winked. “No, they left when my birthmark did.” She lifted her arm to show where the smooth skin was now absent the crescent moon shape she’d had all her life.

“Then if you’re asking if I’ll stay in your manor in the English countryside… I dare say, I don’t mind if I do.” Essie employed a terrible English accent as she spoke, one tinged with her Southern twang. “Is it really livable already?”

Lilith hauled the larger of the two suitcases while Essie collected Amara and tucked her neatly onto her hip.