Read Online A Leap of Faith (The Hands of Time: Book 2) by Irina Shapiro - Free Book Online

sunlight streaming through the branches of the old oak, and sounds of birdsong filled the air, the birds oblivious to the turmoil in her heart.  This was one of her favorite places, one she escaped to when she simply needed to get away.  Valerie made the best of her situation most of the time, but sometimes, it all just became too much for her.  She could hardly tell Alec that she hated America and wanted to go back to England.  Their life was here now and unfortunately, this is where her children would have to grow up. 
    Getting accustomed to life in seventeenth century England had been difficult enough, but life in the Colonies was positively savage compared to Europe.  She’d learned to live without running water, heat, and the most basic medicine, but putting aside the living conditions, which weren’t so bad at Rosewood Manor, what really bothered Valerie was the total lack of culture and enlightenment.  Life had been reduced to the most basic of elements, most of those overseen by the overzealous eyes of the clergy.  Punishments were severe and public, designed as much to humiliate as to teach a lesson.  Watching someone get whipped, branded, or put into stocks, was about the only entertainment most people could find in the harsh reality of their days. 
    Religion was mandatory , and services had to be attended regularly and twice on Sunday, with special individuals chosen by the minister to take attendance.  The penalty for not coming to church was severe.   As closet Catholics, this was even more of a burden for the Whitfields.  Uncle Thomas had chosen wisely when he built Rosewood, since the house was far enough removed from the port and Jamestown to attract little traffic.  Not being part of the town or a settlement, the Whitfields had a little more freedom; but not much.  They still had to attend church twice on Sundays, in order to avoid the ire of the clergy. 
    They also held their own Catholic Mass at home and Alec performed the necessary ceremonies, such as baptisms and funerals, being the head of the family.  Valerie jokingly referred to it as the “Church of Alec.”  As in England, he had to do it discreetly , since not everyone at Rosewood Manor was a Catholic.
    Alec frequently went to the docks and into the town, but Valerie chose not to accompany him.  Her forays into Jamestown left her disgusted and depressed.  On her last visit , she was forced to watch ‘justice’ being carried out as her path was blocked by the rowdy crowd, hungry for their entertainment.  A man was dragged into the town square.  It was difficult to guess his age, since he could have been anywhere between thirty and sixty.  His clothes were filthy and torn, his hair so dirty and greasy that it was impossible to even guess at its original color.  The man was obviously very poor, and he shook with fear as the accusation against him was read.  He had stolen some bread and an apple.  The man tried to plead his case, but no one was listening. 
    Valerie closed her eyes , and tried to fight the bile rising in her gullet, as she heard the man’s terrible scream, her nostrils filling with the smell of burnt flesh.  The crowd roared its approval, thrilled to see the culprit punished; congratulating themselves on their own good judgment and moral fiber.  The man was quickly forgotten, and left in the square to clutch his branded hand as the gathering began to disperse and go about their business.  Valerie waited until there was almost no one left in the square and passed by the whimpering man, throwing a few coins into his lap.  Valerie was jolted by the realization that he was probably no more than eighteen, as he looked up at her in mute gratitude. 
    Valerie often thought of life at Yealm Castle before everything went awry.  She could still remember Alec and Finlay teaching her the latest dances, to the accompaniment of the lute played by John Dobbs.  They were laughing and flirting, passing her between