Matt was my husband. I was supposed to be with him for the rest of my life when the accident happened and took him away from me. I wouldnât love anyone else. I believed.
Until, I meet Leif. He tells me to trust him and to take my chance with him.
Except, Iâm his hostage. Not only am I his hostage, but time is holding me captive too, and Iâm suddenly trapped in a world that is not mine. The year is 1756, and I am strangely in Massachusetts Bay Colony. War between Great Britain and France explodes across New England, and terrorizes the territory.
I donât know how I got here, and all I want to do is find a way home. But, the more time Iâm stranded here, the more I spend time with Leif, and I am compelled toward him.
Our lives are becoming inextricably entwined, and Iâm afraid of losing everything that I once knew and loved.
I begin questioning where I truly belong as I think of the life I left behind.
I wonder if Iâm going to withstand this, because all I know for certain is he is bound to my survival...
Matt was my husband. I was supposed to be with him for the rest of my life when the accident happened and took him away from me. I wouldnât love anyone else. I believed.
Until, I meet Leif. He tells me to trust him and to take my chance with him.
Except, Iâm his hostage. Not only am I his hostage, but time is holding me captive too, and Iâm suddenly trapped in a world that is not mine. The year is 1756, and I am strangely in Massachusetts Bay Colony. War between Great Britain and France explodes across New England, and terrorizes the territory.
I donât know how I got here, and all I want to do is find a way home. But, the more time Iâm stranded here, the more I spend time with Leif, and I am compelled toward him.
Our lives are becoming inextricably entwined, and Iâm afraid of losing everything that I once knew and loved.
I begin questioning where I truly belong as I think of the life I left behind.
I wonder if Iâm going to withstand this, because all I know for certain is he is bound to my survival...
Los Angeles International Airport
âNOW DONâT FORGETÂ to call when you get there,â Mom said as we got out of the car in front of the airline terminal.
âYeah, Mom,â I said.
âYour grandfather will be waiting for you in Cheyenne when you get there, as you know, so donât forget to call us once youâre at the ranch.â
âI know. I wonât forget,â I said. Dad rushed to get my luggage out of the trunk of his Audi sedan.
âAnd donât forget to call when you arrive in New York at your Aunt Aidiaâs,â Dad said, coming around the car toward me.
âSure,â I said. He passed my luggage to me. I took it and released the handle so I could easily roll the bag.
âGive your dad a kiss, Sweet Pea,â he requested naturally. It didnât matter to my parents that I was a full-fledged adult woman with a medical career. To them, I was still their sixteen-year-old girl. I didnât mind it, really. We were a close-knit family and cared about each other. He gave me a kiss on the side of my head and then tapped my nose.
âAll right, Mom,â I said as I turned toward her. We exchanged hugs and kisses.
âHere, youâll want this, Iâm sure.â She reached inside the car and gave me my messenger bag.
âOh yeah, thanks,â I said, grateful that she remembered it.
âTell Kyle to give us a call too before we leave for our trip. Your brother is always missing for far too long. I can never get a hold of him these days.â
âAll right, Iâll tell him,â I said.
âGood. Give him and Dakota hugs and kisses from us, and wish them a Merry Christmas from us too,â Mom said.
âI will,â I agreed.
âWeâre going to miss you kids for the holidays this year,â Dad said.
âDonât worry about us. You and Mom just go ahead and have a nice time in Hawaii. You havenât had a vacation together since I donât know when. Itâs long overdue.â
âIâm still concerned, you know. Are you sure you donât want to come with us instead?â Mom asked.
âNo, definitely not. Stop worrying about me. Iâm fine,â I insisted. Mom sighed, looking at me with some skepticism.
âYouâre sure?â she pressed.
âYeah, Iâm sure.â She didnât believe me. She knew a lie when she heard one; being a former prosecutor, she could unravel anyoneâespecially her kids. But she didnât press anymore and seemed to let her troubled thought go.
My mom, Bernadette Seveine Engle Esperanza, was a woman with a pleasant disposition. Especially when she decided to quit her longtime career as a federal attorney to instead become a law professor at UCLA.
My dad, Leonardo Miguel Cielo Esperanza, had a relatively friendly, easygoing dispositionâparticularly for being an army veteran. He served three tours in Vietnam as a field trauma surgeon before I was born and did a stint in the First and Second Gulf Wars until he ultimately settled as a burn specialist at the VA hospital here in LA. Now my parents have settled comfortably as a retired couple, living in the same house they have had for five decades in Santa Monica.
âSheâll be just fine, Bernadette,â Dad encouraged, assuaging Mom. But he knew otherwise too. âYou better get going, Sweet Peaâdonât want to miss your flight.â
I glanced at my phone and caught the time. The plane would be boarding soon, and I could see through the terminal windows that the line through security was already long. It was going to take a while to get through it before I reached my departure gate.
âOkay, yeah, I better go,â I said, tucking my phone inside my coat pocket. I gave my parents one more hug and kiss before leaving them, then darted through the automatic glass doors and inside the terminal.
After scanning my e-ticket and easily checking myself into my flight, which helped me bypass the long line at the airline counter, I staked out my place at the end of the security line. I anxiously waited in line with everyone else who was departing before I finally entered the security checkpoint. Passing through the metal detector, I shoved my toes back inside my red pumps and grabbed my carry-on luggage. I trotted toward the correct airline gate just in time to board my flight headed to Cheyenne. I was making a pit stop in Wyoming to visit my grandfather and his wife before arriving at my final destination in New York City.
After pushing my suitcase inside the overhead compartment on board the airplane, I was happy to finally take my seat. I tucked my messenger bag beneath the seat in front of me and retrieved my phone from my coat pocket to check my messages. While waiting for everyone to board the plane, I sent out a couple of emails to my close colleagues at the pediatric medical practice we shared. I also texted my brother, Kyle, who lived in Manhattan with his wife, Dakota. I was very much looking forward to the visit, since we hadnât seen each other in a little over a year. After texting, I browsed the Web to further pass the time before the plane was ready to depart.
Noticing that it was going to be a full flight as passengers continued streaming into the cabin, I knew that I wasnât going to have the luxury of an open seat next to me as I glanced at the crowded aisle. A pleasant middle-aged, beachy couple moved awkwardly down the aisle with their young son, their hands full between the young child they were minding and the carry-on luggage they were holding. Their child appeared to be approxiâ mately four years old, and he was cute as a button with plump pink cheeks, big brown eyes, and slightly long, wavy auburn hair nearly touching his shoulders. His parents seemed to have their hands curiously full with him as they passed by my seat. The toddler boy was quite expressive and communicative while he asked his father all sorts of questions about flying on an airplane. It seemed that it was the boyâs first flight. He was evidently amazed by his surroundings, and between his tiny tightly gripâ ping fingers was a pin of airline wings that the captain had given him the minute the family had boarded.
Watching the family pass by made me think about my own circumstances. My child probably would have been a few months younger than this cute little boy walking by me now if the acciâ dent hadnât occurred. It had been three and a half years since it happened, and not a day went by that I didnât lament and dwell on it. The sadness at times was unbearable. So when I could, I forced the memory of my unexpected tragic loss out of my mind, not wanting to be reminded of it.
âHi,â a young man said, appearing to be about my age, as he lifted his carry-on baggage up into the overhead compartment.
âHi,â I replied modestly, interrupted in my thoughts as I observed him close the compartment door. He proceeded to sit in the aisle seat next to me. He was noticeably attractive, with a slightly chiseled face, dark-brown hair, and blue eyes.
âThought I was going to miss my flight. I shouldâve just shown up in boxersâwouldâve made it through security a lot quicker, Iâm sure,â he joked.
âYeah, I guess so.â I laughed a little. âBut you might have been arrested for indecency, and then you really wouldâve missed your flight.â
âYeah,â he chuckled. âEnjoying the friendly skies is long gone, unfortunately.â
âYeah.â
âOh well,â he said, shrugging his shoulders. âSuch a long time ago, it seems.â
âIt does seem long ago. And we arenât that old.â
âI know.â He lightly chuckled as he fastened his seat belt, ready to go. âBut I always sound old, though, whenever I fly.â
âOh.â I smiled.
âI liked it better when I was a kid.â
âYeah?â
âYeah. Everything was easier, straightforward and fun. Not
like it is today with so many obstacles in the way. Iâm wondering when theyâll start asking me for my ID to buy a cup of coffee,â he said ironically.
âHopefully not before we land,â I said.
âYeah, no kidding,â he responded with a grin.
The door at the front of the plane had been latched shut, and
one of the flight attendants began speaking over the intercom. While the flight attendant was giving instructions, the plane jarred a little as it started backing away from the terminal and taxied out onto the tarmac. My neighbor retrieved his phone from his pocket and checked the time. He then placed his phone on his lap, and I gazed out the window as we rode down the runway. There were several planes ahead of us waiting to move, so we waited for a little while before taking off. The flight attendants had already taken their seats, and the cabin was quiet from further announceâ ments, leaving passengers to speak quietly among themselves.
âSo, are you from Wyoming?â my neighbor asked.
âNo,â I said. âIâm from LA. Iâm visiting my grandfather and his new wife there.â
âOh, I see. Shouldâve known,â he said.
âWhy?â I asked curiously.
âYouâre too pretty a girl to be from there,â he said.
âWhat?â I asked awkwardly. âWell, Iâm sure there are plenty of
pretty girls there too.â
âNone like you, I can tell ya,â he said confidently as he shook
his head a bit.
âYeah? How do you know?â
âIâm from there.â
âAre you?â I responded surprisedly.
âYeah. I was born there. Lived there my whole life until I went
to college.â âReally?â
âYeah.â
âSo, where did you go to college?â
âI went to Cal Tech and studied computer engineering. I work
for Sony now as a programmer,â he said.
âDo you work at the studio in Culver City?â
âYep.â
âOh,â I said, impressed.
âHow about you?â
âIâm a pediatrician. I share a practice in Santa Monica with
some colleagues of mine from medical school.â
âThatâs great. Where did you go to med school?â he
inquired.
âHarvard,â I said. âHarvard?â âYeah.â
âWow, nice,â he said. âIâm Jim, by the way.â He introduced himself and stretched out a large hand for me to shake.
âIâm Sylvina,â I said, shaking his smooth hand. âThatâs a beautiful name,â he remarked. âThank you,â I said.
âWell, itâs nice to meet you,â he said.
âNice to meet you too,â I replied politely.
âOh,â he said, hesitating briefly. âI shouldâve known.â
âKnown what?â
âYour husbandâs a lucky man.â He noticed the sparkling platâ
inum bands on my wedding ring finger. His eyes locked on to the flawless two-carat, cushion-cut pink diamond glittering in the sunlight coming through the window beside me.
âThank you,â I said demurely. I didnât reveal the fact that I was a widow. Instead, I chose to leave the impression as it was because in my heart I was still married, and I wanted it to remain that way. Coping with the loss of my husband was something that remained at the forefront of my consciousness every day, and I didnât know if I could ever move beyond the void it had created in my life.
My travel companion didnât have much else to say after he observed the ring on my finger, except for a few humorous comments here and there that we both got a chuckle out of. I spent most of the time in flight listening to music on my phone, working a little on my laptop, and napping. Overall, the flight was comfortable, except for a bout of light turbulence, which bounced and rocked the plane a bit like a small roller coaster. The jarring didnât last for long, though, and the rest of the flight was smooth.
After several hours, we landed easily, and I disembarked, wishing my traveling companion a nice farewell.
When I arrived at my grandfather Edâs sprawling Wyoming ranch, I was happy to be reunited with him and his new wife, Julie. They placed me in a nice guest bedroom for my brief visit, where I could glance out the windows and view the Grand Tetons in the background. The snowcapped mountains were toned in hues of cool gray and lavender against a cloudless light Prussian blue sky, and the earth seemed calm but formidable. The scene was captivating, and it inspired me to wonder about my true place in the world. I often thought about it when I was alone since I had lost my husband and infant to an untimely death. But I thought about what had happened to me even more so now, since the awe-inspiring environment surrounding me was still and quiet, removed from the noise of everyday distracâ tions consuming my mind back at home.
I wasnât sure how I was going to get through this holiday season, as I turned away from the windows feeling bereft of happiness.
***
TODAY. New York City.
It was biting cold outside. I scurried in from the winter air as
I rushed inside Dean & DeLuca CafeÌ in the Village. Dakota and I had planned to meet here for lunch, since it was close to the bookshop she owned. I glanced around the cafeÌ for a table and spotted a couple of free seats in front of a large window. Dakota hadnât arrived yet, so I quickly grabbed the vacant seats and made myself comfortable.
Shortly, a waitress came up to me and took my order for hot cocoa and a peanut butter cookie. She was young and pretty, and seemed nice. She appeared to be about twenty years old, and was most likely a NYU student, I gathered. But, I thought to myself, why on earth would she have cut her blonde hair so short, spiked it up like a pineapple top, and dip-dyed it bright carmine? And what on earth possessed her to have pierced her nose and bottom lip with noticeable, small silver studs? I just didnât understand it. I also wondered about the black nail polish on her dainty fingers and the strange interlacing Celtic tattoo around her wrist. It never failed to baffle me why some girls her age would tarnish their attractive looks that way.
I shrugged mentally. Live and let live, I supposed.
âOkay,â said the waitress as she took my order with a pleasant smile, then left me by the window.
The café was becoming packed with people. The lunch crowd had arrived. I sensed it was going to be a moment before the waitress would return with my order, so I picked up the stray Newsweek magazine laying on the empty chair next to me and started flipping through the pages. Before I started reading too far into one of the news articles, I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time: 12:10 p.m.
âHey, sorry Iâm late,â Dakota said suddenly as she swept through the place and slid into the seat beside me.
âNo problem. How are you?â I asked.
âGreat, except frozen. I need a coffee or hot cocoa,â she said. âIâve got hot cocoa coming.â
âSounds good. I think Iâll order the same.â She quickly flagged
the waitress and ordered. âDid you also order lunch already?â âJust a cookie,â I said as our waitress left us.
âA cookie? Is that all?â she asked.
âI know thatâs bad, but Iâm not too hungry.â
âStill, you could have a salad or something.â
âI know,â I said.
âAll right,â Dakota said, and snatched the cafeÌ menu from the
middle of the table to look at it. âOkay, Iâve decided,â she said, making a hasty decision. She just as swiftly returned the menu to the center of the table and proceeded to order for both of us when our waitress returned.
It was nice seeing Dakota again, and it was pleasant having lunch together like we often did when we were in college. She and I were best friends in school. I was thrilled when she told me that we were going to be sisters once my brother had proposed to her. I really enjoyed her company because she had a unique sense of humor, was carefree, and we had a lot in common. Her wry, mocking sense of humor always caught me off guard with laughâ ter. She could always shed light on a grim situation and made me consider a less serious side to life. But the most important thing about Dakota was that she was extremely supportive of me when my husband died, and for that, I would always be grateful to her. She was my best friend, and she was my sister.
âSo tell me. How are you doing?â she asked me as the waitress set piping hot cups of hot cocoa before us along with my cookie.
âAll right, I suppose,â I answered.
âThatâs a load of crap. I can tell just by looking at you,â she said. âYou look awful.â One thing about Dakota was that she could always be depended on for her frankness. âWhat? Well, you do,â she said, clearly observing the annoyance on my face.
âThanks,â I replied, rolling my eyes.
âSeriously, are you eating?â
âAm I eating? You mean am I going to eat here with you? Uh,
obviously, yes,â I said. Dakota frowned at me.
âWell, youâre too thin. Nobody is gaunt on purpose,â she said
sarcastically.
âDo I look that thin?â I asked with a little concern.
âMaybe not that thin. But any thinner, you would,â she
answered honestly.
âI havenât been that hungry lately,â I admitted. Dakota nodded
contemplatively.
âDonât misunderstand me, Sylvie. Youâve always been beautiâ
fully thin. People would die to have your natural ballerina figure, but right now youâre too thin. You need to eatâregularly.â
âI do eat regularly. Now can we just leave it alone?â
âFine, for now.â We both took a sip of our hot cocoa. âSo, are you dating anybody?â she asked as she set her mug on the glass tabletop.
âNo.â
âYouâre still not ready,â she commented. Her tone was one of understanding rather than nosy persistence.
âNo. Iâm not,â I replied honestly. She shrugged a little with a compassionate look.
âMaybe in time,â she responded thoughtfully.
âI donât think so,â I said certainly.
âI understand. But donât be so sure, because you never know
how life will turn out.â
âI know what youâre saying. I hear you, but I just donât feel it.â âIâm not pushing you.â
âNo... I know.â
Our waitress finally returned to our table with our order and
carefully placed our food in front of us. She inquired if we needed anything else. Dakota and I were both satisfied, so our waitress retreated and we were left alone again.
âDid you visit your Aunt Aidia?â Dakota asked as she bit into her panini.
âYeah.â
âHow is she?â
âGreat. She gave me the recipe for her chocolate lava cake. I
canât wait to try it out,â I replied as I scooped up a bit of Chinese chicken salad onto my fork.
âMmm... sounds good. Are you going to eat any of it once you make it?â Dakota asked. I gave her a quirky grin.
âMaybe,â I said.
âWell, make sure you give me some when you make it.â
âFor sure.â
âPromise me youâll make it when we get to my parentsâ
house.â
âYeah, sure,â I said, smiling.
âMy parents are really excited to have all of us this year for
Christmas.â
âIt should be nice,â I agreed. âIs your sister and her family
coming too?â
âMm-hmm, theyâre arriving today from DC,â she informed me. âDesiree is big as a house with her third child. Theyâre driving. The plane was off-limits for her because of all the restrictions. Itâs a painâespecially with two- and three-year-old toddler boys.â
âYeah, I guess it would be,â I said.
âI think theyâre having a boy again this time.â
âOh, thatâs nice.â
âYeah, well, weâll see. Sheâs kinda got her hands full with two
right now.â
âIâm sure sheâll be all right.â
âShe was hoping for a girl, though, to kinda offset the boysâ
energy.â Dakota and I both laughed a little. âShe and her husband have agreed that three is the limit.â
âSo theyâre not going to try for any more afterward for sure?â I inquired.
âNo, theyâve made up their minds.â
âOh.â
âSeriously. Isnât it amazing, though, how there are plenty of
others who keep trying and trying until they get what they want?â
âI know.â
âI assure you, that would never be me.â
âNor me,â I agreed. Dakota lifted a knowing eyebrow and
subtly nodded her head. âSo, I take it you and my brother still donât see yourselves having kids?â I asked casually. Dakota stuffed her mouth full of her panini again and began chewing.
âWell,â she started with a mouth full of her sandwich, âIâm not ready for that. But Kyle wants one.â
âDoes he?â I asked interestedly.
âYeah. But I donât know.â
âWhy not?â
âI donât know...â she said as she chewed. âI like owning my
own business. Thereâs just so much to my bookshop that I really enjoy. Plus, I havenât gotten to the point yet where I can hire a good manager to look out for it when Iâm not around,â Dakota explained after she swallowed the food in her mouth.
âOh.â I understood. âSo, you mean if you got to the point where your business allowed you more freedom, then youâd be ready for a child?â
âWell... I donât know. The thought of being solely responsible for an innocent human being kinda freaks me out a little. Besides, I still just like being able to hang out with our friendsâ go to a play or movie every once in a while, whenever I want to. I couldnât do that with a kid,â Dakota said honestly.
âThere are babysitters, you know?â I suggested.
âSure there are. But how would youââ she interrupted herself.
âItâs okay,â I reassured.
âWell, I was just going to say, youâre even busier than I am. I mean, youâre a physician. How were you going to handle being a mom and a professional at the same time?â she asked.
âOur plan was that I was going to take some time off with the baby, then Iâd go back to work,â I answered.
âSo, were you going to hire a nanny once you returned to work?â she inquired.
âNo. We were going to leave the baby with my parents.â
âOh.â
âBesides, I was also going to shorten my work week by a day,
since I could do that with my practice.â
âOh,â she said thoughtfully. âThat sounds like a workable situâ
ation.â I nodded a little. âYou know, Kyle told me that men are at the mercy of women when it comes to having children.â
âWhat do you mean?â I asked.
âThat itâs really women who decide when men can have chilâ dren. Essentially, if we donât want to, then itâs not happeningâ but if we do, then all of a sudden, there is a baby,â she said.
âHmm... Thatâs interesting.â
âItâs true, isnât it?â
âWell, Matt and I both really wanted to.â
âYeah, but if you didnât want to, then would it have
happened?â she asked, lifting her brow in question. I thought about it.
âI see your point,â I replied.
âExactly,â she said. âHey?â
âHmm?â I took another bite of my salad.
âNot to abruptly change the subject, but have you packed yet?
Because weâre leaving tomorrow.â
âI just have a few things left to put in my suitcase. Iâm pretty
much done.â
âThatâs good, because I still need to pack everything before
Kyle comes home. I need to close the shop early today to do that.â âWhat time does he want to leave tomorrow?â I inquired. âEarly. He wants to be out of town by seven at the latest, since
weâve got an all-day drive,â she said.
âOkay,â I said.
âWanna hang out with me while I close up the shop? Keep me
company while I pack?â she requested as her glance fell onto my figure skates resting by the window. âOh, you went skating?â
âI was going to,â I replied.
âOh, okay, then go,â she said instead.
âWell, sure, I can keep you company,â I responded.
âNo, no, itâs okay, just go and have fun,â she encouraged.
âAre you sure? Cause itâs no big deal.â
âYeah, no, go skate. Itâll be good for you.â
âOkay.â
âWhich rink are you going to?â
âThe Pond.â
âOh, itâs nice there.â
âYeah. Iâm only going for a couple hours. So I can still help
you pack if youâd like.â
âYeah, thatâd be great.â
âHey, do you think we could stop off at Amherst on the way and go to Atkins to get some of those cider doughnuts?â I asked eagerly.
âMmm, of course! How could we not? I wouldnât think of driving through without stopping,â Dakota said excitedly.
âI wish we had enough time to visit our campus. It would be so nice to walk around,â I said, reminiscing.
âI know, like old times.â
âYeah.â
âI loved Mount Holyoke.â
âMe too. It seems like I was just there yesterday.â
âPlease donât remind me,â I said ironically.
âSpare me. You look like a kid still,â Dakota scoffed. âSo, yes,
weâll definitely stop for those doughnuts.â
âYum.â
On the heels of our conversation, we agreed that I would meet her back at her home at four oâclock.
Taken by E. C. Roderick is a time-slip novel with a romantic story. The story begins during the Christmas Season in 2017. While out on an errand during a snowfall, Sylvie has a car accident and found herself transported back to the eighteenth century. She is taken hostage by soldiers, immigrated from Scotland.Â
Sylvieâs voice was strong and distinctly contemporary compared to the language and vernacular of 1756. Roderick has worked hard to emulate the Scottish accent, but the amount of it pulled me out of the story. The setting was beautifully portrayed, however; it dominated the essence of the narrativeâthat of a woman lost in a different time. Overall, the research in this novel was extensive. However, the storyâs pace and tension were lost in the amount of detail and description. Sometimes I wondered what the purpose of the scene was in driving the story and characterâs action forward.
The premise of how Sylvie was to return home kept me reading on, along with a few moments where the stakes increased momentarily. There were a lot of questions I asked, always a good thing as a reader, but a lot of these questions were not answered, and this left me feeling a little disappointed.
The mechanics of the love scenes were beautifully written; however, I felt the relationship required stronger, authentic connection between Sylvie and Leif. In doing so, Sylvieâs choices would become more dire. I felt their emotional relationship was not as realistic.Â
Sylvieâs skills as a modern-day paediatrician were used in some parts in a matter-of-fact way, and being a woman wasnât highlighted as a major obstacle. Some events seemed too convenient. More of an opportunity to get right into Sylvieâs true feelings was needed. We were told about her emotions, but not given an opportunity to live them with her.
The writing was impeccable, and the story contains a cast of characters that paints a true world of 1756.Â