It took effort and more time than usual for the images to crystalize out of the abundant whispers. The room grew cooler, and I opened my eyes once to see the sun was setting before closing them to focus once more on my task.
The elusive visions formed after some time. I clutched the material of my dress, unable to believe what I saw, unable to stop the visions or stop watching.
A burning hearth … a cool fall day. The wedding gown was in its place by the window.
John was pacing near the fire. He was angry, yelling. It was the night before the wedding just after the largest feast he'd ever given.
A woman who could've been my doppelganger screamed back at him.
The picture did our likeness no justice, and I stared at the woman who could've been my twin in astonishment. Aside from our hair - real-Josie's was straight - there was virtually no difference.
"No wonder he didn't know the difference," I murmured. In one year, John had gone from robust, healthy and a little overweight to the shell of a man I mourned.
Unable to hear their words, I could at least see what happened.
Real-Josie was screaming and crying, and John's face grew redder, his eyes flashing in a way I wasn't able to imagine after my brief interaction with him.
By the way both gestured to the wedding dress, it was as Nell suspected: Real-Josie didn't want to marry the man chosen for her by her father.
Josie rested a hand on her stomach, and John froze, staring at the spot with a mix of horror and fury. Real-Josie laughed and spun away from her father. He grabbed her arm and hit her once. Stunned, Josie stared at him.
Reeling from what he'd done, he took a step back.
"Walk away, John," I whispered tightly. "Please walk away." Tears warmed my cheeks. There was one reason I could think of that this room had been preserved from that night and recreated for the daughters that kept showing up at his door. I saw John mouth the words with child, and my heart sank. If an unwed woman going out alone was an issue in this era, an unwed woman who was pregnant had to be the ultimate gossip-worthy transgression.
Real-Josie laughed again, this time gesturing at John angrily. She grabbed the wedding dress and tore it off its stand, flinging it and the priceless heirloom jewelry that rested on it all over the room.
John picked up the bracelet that landed near his feet, his expression one of great sorrow and anger.