Page 64 of The Promise
"You realizethat we have no idea if this is even possible." Michael's voice was tight, the line of his shoulders mirroring his tone.
"I know, but we'll never know for certain unless we try." She wanted to scream or explode or do something to stop him. But she couldn't. His pain was her pain and she had to send him back. It was the only way. And no matter what she lost in the process, she was determined to help him.
They walked on in silence, and Cara forced her thoughts to the practical, running through everything they'd discovered in the last few hours, trying to make the pieces fit. There were just so many unanswered questions. Halfway to the mine tunnel, her overloaded brain suddenly pushed a thought front and center. She stopped dead in her tracks. "It's the pendant."
Michael stopped, too. "What are you talking about?"
"The pendant is the key."
He frowned down at her. "You think this whole thing was caused by a necklace?"
"No, but, I think it's part of the equation."
"Why?" He raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Because I had it on when you found me. And again when I found you."
"So this is a special pendant?"
"Yeah, it belonged to my great-grandmother. My mother gave to me on my sixteenth birthday."
Understanding flashed in his eyes. "The night your parents' died."
She nodded miserably.
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry." He pulled her into his arms. "No wonder it means so much to you."
She nestled there for a moment, then, swallowing her pain, she pushed back so that she could see his eyes. "It's the only thing I have of my mother's—of her family. When my great-grandmother Faye died, my mother went to Virginia to sell her house. In the attic she found a trunk. It had belonged to a woman named Alice Camden. Inside she found the pendant, and a packet of letters from Silverthread."
She leaned into him, her voice muffled against his chest. "The letters were all addressed to my grandmother Mary. They were short letters, without much news really. References here and there to life in Silverthread, but mainly they were filled with words of love. Words from a mother to a daughter."
"So Alice was really your great-grandmother?"
"Yeah. Faye was her sister. Anyway, mom tried to find out more about Alice, but there was nothing. It was almost like she'd never existed at all. Except that we had her pendant. So you see, it was a big deal when she gave it to me. It represented all we had of our true heritage." She bit her lip, trying not to cry. This wasn't the time.
"It's a lovely story, Cara, but it could just be coincidence."
Her gaze met his. "There's more. When they couldn't find you, when they told me I'd imagined you, I couldn't stand it. I'd lost everything. My parents, my life, and then you." She exhaled on a sigh, feeling his arms tighten around her. "I thought I was going to die, too, for a while. And then slowly, surely, I healed. But I couldn't bring myself to wear the necklace. It symbolized all I had lost. I gave it to my grandfather and told him to sell it."
"But he didn't."
"No, he didn't. He kept it in a drawer by his bed. One more thing he was right about." She fought to keep the pain fromher voice. "It was silly to blame an inanimate object for all my troubles."
"But easier." As always Michael understood. Without the words even being spoken.
She drew in a deep breath. "Anyway, I found it when I was going through his things. I still couldn't bear to look at it, but I took it with me to the cabin. Then a few days ago, I saw it in my jewelry box and put it on. I can't explain why I did, it just felt right."
She reached up and laid a hand on his cheek. "It was the day I found you. I just didn't make the connection until now. It's the pendant, Michael. Alice's pendant."
"You think it's what pulled me through time?"
"I do. That and the connection between us. First, I needed you and then you needed me. Or maybe it was me who needed you. I don't know. It's confusing."
He brushed his lips against hers, even the slight contact making her ache for him. "I would have died if you hadn't found me in the tunnel."
"I know," she whispered. "But I would have died in the fire if you hadn't pulled me out." She shook her head. "Anyway, it's not important who saved whom. What's important is that we need the pendant to get back, and I don't have it." She tried to keep a brave face, but the hopelessness of the situation overwhelmed her and she felt tears threatening. "I must have lost it."
"Shh." He placed a finger over her lips. "It's okay. The necklace is safe. It's in the bathroom by the sink. I took it from you the night of the fire."
