I drag myself out of the Council Chamber. Cranmer let me read the letter once he finished with it, and it said Ruby White. But she's here at Court, so unless there are two Ruby Whites running around, then my mum is hunting humans. How am I going to tell Mummy? Am I going to tell her? What about the rest of the group?

I find the piece of paper and sit on my bed. What do I do now? Who do I approach? How can I tell Mummy that Mum could be killing people? I look at the paper, but nothing appears. What's going on? Has William lost it?

Someone knocks on the door. I put the piece of paper away and answer it.

William is standing there. "Will!" I hug him tightly. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"I was not expecting it either, but the Doctor brought me here. He said something about meeting King Henry VIII."

We sit down together, and I tell him about the failed plan. "I'll try and keep to history for the time being."
"That sounds like a great idea. But what made you change your mind?"
"I thought about what history would be like without Henry VIII and Edward VI. We need to stay on track now, but I don't know if the queens believe me."

Will shakes his head and pulls me into a hug. "You girls will figure it out."
"I hope so." I reluctantly let him go and stand up. "Something else has happened. King Henry has given me a position on his Privy Council until Queen Anne returns."
"That is good news. It gives you more power—"
"I don't want power, William! All I want is to get through this and make it to the other side relatively unharmed."
Will nods. "But you know you will feel hurt when you get there." He stands up and takes my hands. "You have not said anything about it, but I know the bad thing is coming soon."

28th of February 1912. He has less than two months.

"It gets worse," I say. "Is Mum still in 1912?"
"I never met her. None of the officers have."
"But the others—"
Will shakes his head and sighs. "None of us met her."
If that is true, then why had the officers acted like they've known her in my time? What is going on here?
"But we do know another woman who became a mother figure to you, and you call her "mum" instead."

How is that possible? The woman I call mum in the future is the same person here! There is no way it can be someone different. Unless Mum has a twin...

"Who is she?"
"The Doctor said I shouldn't tell you."

Rats! I guess I'll have to find out the hard way. "Then I need to find Mum—Ruby—I don't know what to call her now."
Will hugs me. "I know this is a massive shock, but I can say this: you adore the woman who becomes your mother. Sarah Jane loves her too."
"That's good to know, but if Captain Smith—" I stop myself. Could there ever be a possibility of Mummy and Captain Smith getting together? No, he is married by the time they meet. They will not find happiness yet.

But they have a chance. The only way I will find out is if I get through history successfully and make it to the twenty-first century.

"Captain Smith will not leave his wife."
Of course, William wouldn't know! It is before the Titanic. He hasn't died yet or discovered what happens in the early twenty-first century. "I know." I sigh. I guess I won't get any answers.

Right now, I must focus on finding Mum—Ruby—and figure everything out. Should I consider her my mum now? "Where would Ruby go?" I ask out loud.
Will sighs. "I am afraid I do not know. As I barely know her, it is going to be difficult."
"But you recognised her in the TARDIS!" I realise. "That cannot have happened unless you at least recognise her in your time!"
"That would normally be true, but not in this case. Captain Smith told us to play along just in case you got confused."
"Confused as to why you didn't recognise Mum?"
Will nods.
"Okay, that makes sense."

I try and think about the different conversations I had with Mum—Ruby. "She did mention she liked exploring the grounds. She could be out there."

Someone knocks on the door. "Enter!" I call.
The Doctor pops his head around the door. "Sorry, I've come for Will."
"But—"
"You only have a couple of hours until I need to return you to 1912. I'm sorry, but I can't drag the day out longer."
"Can I say goodbye?"
The Doctor nods. "Sure. I'll just wait here." He disappears again.

"Where else have you been?" I ask.
"1531, 1534—but I haven't stepped out of the TARDIS, so I do not know if that counts or not—1543, 1899, and January 1998."

January 1998? Why would he go there? Although it was several weeks after I've seen the Titanic film. Does he—no, he can't know about that.

"At least I get to meet you a couple more times before our timelines match up."
"Please make sure you do not tell me anything."
I grin and hug Will. "I won't. Anyway, I better go and find Mum—Ruby—and discover what's going on."
Will nods. "See you around, Emma." I nod, and he walks out the door. I hear him talking to the Doctor but decide to let the conversation be private. He wouldn't want me intervening.

I head out of my room and begin exploring the palace. Where would Ruby go?

I eventually find her in the Great Hall. "Mum—or should I call you Ruby?"
Mum looks over in surprise. "What?"
The best way I can get answers is to ask Mum directly. But it is centuries from now, so she may not have an explanation now. "I got a visit from my husband, who is living in the twentieth century."
"That's great. How is he?"
"He told me some concerning information. He said that you weren't with us in the twentieth century."
Mum looks confused. "I wasn't? Maybe my time away will last longer than I thought."

Time away? What's going on? "You're not planning on killing anyone while you're away, right?"
"No, of course not! What do you take me for?" Mum throws down the project she's working on. "All I am after is some time away from Court. I want to explore the world I now call home. Is that too much to ask for?"
"No, I guess not." I rub my arm. How could I have been so sorely mistaken? How did I jump to that conclusion?
"I am going to tell Sarah Jane and the others tomorrow. Please, don't say anything until then."
"I won't."