A Leap of Faith: A completely heart-wrenching and addictive time-travel novel (The Hands of Time Book 2) by Irina Shapiro

Author:Irina Shapiro [Shapiro, Irina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2024-04-29T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-ONE

Charles’s unease grew as the sun began to make its ascent into the summer sky. The forest was still shrouded in shadow, darkness pooling between the trees and in shallow depressions, but the tips of the trees were already bathed in the pink glow of the coming dawn. He had been searching all night, and he was bone-tired and hungry. Charles hadn’t fully realized until last night just how much he loved his cousin. Finn could be annoying and whiny sometimes, but he was Finlay’s son, and that made him special.

Charles had adored his brother, and wanted nothing more than to be just like him when he reached adulthood. Finlay had been the ‘fun brother.’ Alec was always busy with the business and his own life, devoting most of his time to Violet. Charles hadn’t been jealous; he’d loved Violet as well. She had been beautiful and sweet, unlike his sister Rose, who was always crying and praying. Finlay had already been in his teens when Charles was born, but he never treated him like a baby. He took him hunting and fishing, and taught him to ride. Once, he even took him into a tavern in the village.

Then everything changed. The bloody flux wiped out most of the Whitfield family within a few days. Charles lost his parents, Violet and her newborn son, his uncle, and several servants. Only Finn, Alec, and Rose had been spared, leaving Charles scared and bewildered. Rose ran away to a convent, and Alec spiraled into a drink-fueled depression that only worsened his horrible grief. Only Finn took the time to comfort the little boy and ease his terrible pain. Charles didn’t blame Finlay for bringing him to Uncle Thomas and Aunt Lottie. Finlay wanted what was best for him, and his aunt and uncle became his surrogate parents until Uncle Thomas took him to Virginia, where Charles was eventually reunited with Alec.

He’d been overjoyed to see Alec again. He missed both his brothers terribly, not really understanding that Finlay was gone. He kept imagining him back at Yealm Castle, riding his spirited stallion and flirting with tavern wenches. Eventually, it sunk in that his beloved brother was dead, buried in a lonely grave by the abbey ruins. He wasn’t even in a proper graveyard. His resting place was probably overgrown with weeds and flowers that grew tall enough to obscure the stone bearing his name. It had been Alec’s idea to bury him by the abbey, away from prying eyes, and those who might wish to desecrate the grave of a traitor.

Charles had been happy when Alec and Valerie came. He liked Valerie, and enjoyed playing with little Finn. He had been adorable, toddling everywhere after Charles like a devoted puppy. It wasn’t until one night the following November, when Charles was thirteen, that he’d overheard the conversation that changed his life. He wished to say goodnight to Alec and Valerie, but heard them talking and stopped outside their door. They were speaking of Finlay.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.