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The beauty of that meadow reminded Hannah of the reasons to live in the world, and the reasons to mistrust those who saw wickedness in others, but never in themselves.
What people believed often came to be, and blame was placed where it was imagined.
The world was a dangerous place where people were punished for their sins and most believed that good fortune depended upon a measure of faith and superstition.
for women were blamed for much of the world’s troubles, and there were known to be witches in this county.
“Remember one thing,” Hannah told Maria. “Always love someone who will love you back.”
Do as you will, but harm no one. What you give will be returned to you threefold.
but she was convinced she had nothing to fear from water, only from men who saw evil where there was none.
for Maria, she was polite and cheerful, for Hannah had always said there was no need to ever let anyone know what you were thinking. Why be punished for your thoughts or beliefs?
It was a dangerous world for women, and more dangerous for a woman whose very bloodline would have her do not as she was ordered, but as she pleased.
evil was seen by those who lived their lives with fear and intolerance.
Fate is what you make of it. You can make the best of it, or you can let it make the best of you.
Believe what the world shows you, and make no excuses. See what is right before you.
but once the refugees arrived in a land they claimed as their own, they became as intolerant as their persecutors had been.
The English took what they wanted and felt was divinely given to them, land they claimed for God, but kept for their own use.
This was an enchantment, and he, who judged others harshly when they came before him in his chambers, did not judge himself for his wrongdoings.
A legal document was worth little, for laws are made to serve the men who create them, and are rarely meant to honor women, but land is difficult to take away from the rightful owner.
Why is this still true today
literary magic held the greatest power.
What men could not understand, they wished to burn.
Beware of those in power, of kings and judges and men who think they own you.
They always want to burn a woman who defies the rules. They want to turn lies into the truth.
Anne Hatch was there, doing her best not to cry, losing her faith on this day, not in God, but in mankind and in those who sat in judgment and saw evil where there was none.
“To any man who ever loves an Owens, let this curse befall you, let your fate lead to disaster, let you be broken in body and soul, and may it be that you never recover.”
The curse
Know what you want, and be sure of it, for regret gives birth to more regret and nothing more.
Still magic continued, the sort of practical magic that cured and healed and helped both with love desired and love gone wrong.
Every man lost all that he loved in this world by the time his life was through. It happened to some sooner and some later.
That was when she’d made a vow that she would never watch another woman burn.
Do as you will, but harm no one. What you give will be returned to you threefold. Fall in love whenever you can.
she was reminded of the first lesson Hannah had taught her. Words had power.
If they called her beautiful, that was a mark against them, for what a person was could not be seen with the naked eye.
There are none who can fight as fiercely as a mother and a daughter, and none who can forgive more completely.
Fate can bring what you least expect, and it brought them a daughter they called Hannah Reina Dias Owens, named after Hannah Owens and Samuel’s mother. In this way two women were returned from the ashes and remembered each day when their names were spoken.
These are the lessons to be learned. Drink chamomile tea to calm the spirit. Feed a cold and starve a fever. Read as many books as you can. Always choose courage. Never watch another woman burn. Know that love is the only answer.
