He was a father, but he was also aware that this news could mean death for both of them and for the unborn child. “What do we do?” Isabella asked, her own tears flowing silently. “I don’t know,” Thomas admitted, “but I won’t let you face this alone.” They began to plan.
desperately. Thomas had heard stories of slaves who had escaped north, to territories where slavery didn’t exist. But these stories also spoke of relentless pursuits, of dogs trained to hunt fugitives, of punishments they preferred not to imagine. Isabelle considered other
options. She knew a healer in the person of an old woman who said she knew herbs for women’s problems, but the idea of getting rid of the baby was impossible for her. She already loved this little bit of life inside her. During the following weeks, Isabella became an expert in the
