The dreams had become more vivid over the past few months. Flashes of places Abby had never seen, people she had never met. Yet they felt familiar, like memories long forgotten that were now resurfacing.
She stood on a cobblestone street, the hems of her long skirts dusting the stones. A horse-drawn carriage clattered by as she clutched her shawl tighter against the evening chill. The gas lamps bathed the shop fronts in a warm, flickering glow. She glimpsed her reflection in a window - the face looking back was hers, yet not hers.
"Eleanor!" a voice called. She turned to see a man waving, his top hat slightly askew over his kind eyes. "I was hoping to catch you before the supper hour!"
She opened her mouth to respond, but awoke suddenly in her bedroom, morning light filtering through the curtains. The dreams were coming almost nightly now, transporting her to this other time and place, where she seemed to inhabit another woman's body. They felt too real to dismiss, too vivid to ignore. What was her subconscious trying to tell her?
Abby rolled out of bed and prepared for her day, pushing the visions from her mind. She taught history at the local high school, and she had a full day of classes ahead. But the dreams lingered at the edges of her thoughts.
As she lectured about the Victorian era, Abby scanned the old photographs projected on the classroom screen. The genteel ladies in their billowing gowns, the gentlemen with their walking sticks and top hats. They looked so familiar. Her gaze settled on one portrait of a smiling woman. She felt her breath catch. It was the reflection she had seen, the woman from her dreams. Eleanor Montgomery, wife of prominent businessman Bartholomew Montgomery, the caption read.
The final bell rang, jolting Abby from her reverie. The students hurried out, but she remained seated, staring at the projected image. _Could it be? Did I know this woman? _The idea seemed far-fetched, yet inexplicably certain. She knew then what she must do next.
The next week found Abby far from home, having impulsively booked a ticket to England. The history department head had grudgingly granted her request for personal leave on short notice. Part of her felt foolish chasing a fanciful notion across the Atlantic. But the pull was too strong to ignore - she needed to learn more about this Eleanor Montgomery.
Abby stood outside the ornate stone mansion, not surprised she had found it with ease. She had seen it nightly in her dreams for months, from the peaked roofs dotted with chimneys to the sculpted hedges lining the cobbled walk. Taking a breath, she lifted the heavy brass door knocker.
Moments later she was seated in a lavish parlour, accepting a cup of tea from the current Lady Montgomery. Portraits of ancestors lined the walls, and Abby recognised Eleanor at once. The current Lady Montgomery had been bemused but welcoming when Abby introduced herself as a historian researching relatives of the family.
"Your home is simply stunning. If I may ask, how many generations has it remained in your family?" Abby respectfully inquired.
"Over two centuries now," Lady Montgomery replied proudly. She launched into a glowing account of generations of Montgomerys who had inhabited these walls. Abby's mind wandered as she gazed out the expansive window at the garden. Had Eleanor strolled those same paths? Laughed with her husband on that stone bench? She could almost see Eleanor's ghost there amongst the roses, beckoning her.
"My dear, are you alright?"
Abby glanced up to see Lady Montgomery frowning, and realised tears were quietly sliding down her cheeks.
Over the next few days, Abby explored the city streets and archives, hungry for information about Eleanor's life. Her marriage, her charitable works, even the day a carriage accident had tragically claimed her life at age 29. Every detail resonated with Abby, affirming the inexorable link she felt across the years.
Why had fate intertwined their souls across the span of time? What was she meant to glean from this echo of the past? The questions consumed her.
On her last day in the city, Abby took a longing look up at stately Montgomery Hall. Whatever this reawakened bond meant, she knew she had to see Eleanor's final resting place. She had learned Eleanor was laid to rest in the old cemetery on the edge of town.
Abby wound slowly through the weathered tombstones, overcome with a powerful sense of walking the path Eleanor herself had trod so many times before. When she found the Montgomery memorial at last, she sank down on the cool grass. Tracing her fingers over the carved letters of Eleanor's name, a deep understanding blossomed within her.
This kindred spirit had shown her that the bonds of shared experience and universal emotions resonate across the artificial confines of time and place. Her love and laughter, hopes and heartbreaks echoed into Abby’s modern, fast-paced life - once so disconnected from the past. Eleanor’s joys and tragedies were Abby’s as well.
At last, Abby whispered farewell to the dear friend she had always known, yet never met. She would carry Eleanor’s memory as she returned to illuminate history’s forgotten stories for new generations. For the first time, the past felt likes like home - and the future brimmed bright with possibility.