A wave of nausea overtook him and he bent over, hacking into his fist. Eli stood beside him, studying the people. People who now knew that the one who’d violated their perimeter was ill.

He spat blood in the dirt, ran his sleeve over his mouth, and slowly straightened. Many were backing away, eyes wide. Others were appearing around buildings, curious.

Ben was about to take another step when he saw a young woman staring at him in disbelief, no more than twenty paces away. The world around him stilled. It had been ten years, but he knew her face—beautiful and grown, her eyes bluer than he remembered.

Tears blurred his vision. The name he’d given her described her perfectly. Grace.

Chapter
Seventeen

ONE OF MY DUTIES AS ANDREW’S WIFE WAS TO STOCK his pantry and refrigerator once every week, usually on Wednesday afternoons when I was mostly free. I was walking to his home the back way to see what was needed, doing my best to avoid drawing any attention, when I noticed Clair, Colin’s wife, hurrying toward the town center, clutching her long dress so she could move quickly.

Strange, I thought. It isn’t like her. She’s baring her stockings!

Then I noticed others heading the same direction and I knew something was happening. Too curious to mind my own business, I hurried around the Martins’ house and saw what they were seeing: a man and a boy walking along the main street toward the town center.

Strangers.

I nearly turned and ran, but the sight of the boy, so young and innocent, stopped me. Without knowing why, I found myself walking toward them.

The man suddenly doubled over and began to cough, which concerned me. Others were pulling back, but I was pressing forward. The boy’s eyes were on me now, blue eyes that drew me.

“Where are you going?”

I twisted to see Bobbie standing to my right. My heart leaped. It was the first time she’d shown herself in public.

“No one can see me. Where do you think you’re going?”

“Who are they?” I asked.

“Strangers,” said Lucy, who stood a few paces from me. She’d heard my question to Bobbie.

“No need to use your voice in public, Grace. I can hear your thoughts. It doesn’t matter who they are, only that you don’t know who they are. It’s not safe. This is the kind of thing that will get you in trouble.”

You don’t know who they are? I thought.

She looked in their direction and frowned. “No, but that’s not the point. Your only concern is keeping your baby safe.”

I looked back at the visitors and saw the man was straightening. Then looking at me with kind eyes.