Chapter Twenty Six

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to let you know that I will be on vacation next week, 10-20 and so there will be no post.  The posts will return to the normal schedule on 10-27!


“I want to know if this place is for sale because I’m buying it,” Will announced.

Mercedes and Morgan both stared at Will incredously. “Are you joking? You had better be; this place would be a money pit!” Mercedes exclaimed as she looked nervously at Will. She was shaking her head, clearly disturbed at Will’s statement.

“No, I’m not. In fact I couldn’t be more serious. Why not buy it for heaven’s sake?” he asked them.

“I think Mercedes pointed out the most relevant fact; Will, you’d sink a fortune in this place just trying to make it, what habitable? DO you actually want to live here, is that the point?” Morgan turned to Mercedes and looked at her helplessly. He silently called out to her “Help me!”

She shrugged her shoulders helplessly, still shaking her head. Will always operated on logic; this was not logical. Nor practical or even normal as far as she could tell. What did he hope to accomplish by it she wondered. She finally voiced that thought.

“I do want to live here, yes. Is it practical, hell no! But I feel – I feel like I have to, okay?” he told them as he walked slowly over to the mural and touched it lightly, tracing the graceful lines of the gazebo with his fingertip. “It’s crazy, I know. But she LIVED here; she – maybe she even died here, who knows. I can’t be with her but I can be here in this house; her house.” His voice cracked with his declaration.

Mercedes heard that crack in his voice and knew that it was born of desperation and of love. Strangely she understood him, this Will, the emotional one. He was normally so business-like and rational. Emily had managed to spark a side of him that Mercedes had tried for years to find. And somehow she didn’t feel resentful; she felt happy for him. He knew what it was, real love – the kind that is simple and true, faithful and – and forever. Her breath caught in her chest and she swallowed a huge lump that was threatening to burst from her throat.

“Then that is exactly what you should do Will,” she told him.

"Are you both out of your freaking minds?” Morgan asked, his voice resounding through the room like thunder. “Oh, this is rich! Mercedes, he has managed to convince you that this is a good idea now? What did I miss?” He wandered over to the window to try to look out but there was so much dirt and grime on the panes it was impossible; all he saw were blurred brown-tinged shapes that meant nothing to the human eye. “Think about this: it’s not a sound idea. Will, I know you love her, I do. She was great and I do believe, however improbable that is seems that she was from 1822, that she lived in this house, I really do. But you can’t get her back by living in this house. I just don’t think it works that way.” He met Will’s eyes and saw that he hadn’t swayed his friend at all. He nodded sadly and looked back out the window.

“How does it work then Morgan?” Will asked quietly.

Morgan ran his hand through his hair, the coal-black strands winding around his fingers. “You know what? I don’t know Will. I – I just don’t think that you living here is the answer. It just seems so improbable, impossible really. And not to mention bordering on, oh hell, crazy!”

"Like her appearing here in the first place?” Mercedes inquired softly. “The – the whole thing is crazy guys, let’s face it. People would think we were nuts if we tried to explain all this. Hell, we’d think we were nuts if we hadn’t been a part of it. But it happened Morgan; it DID. Maybe if he lives here she will come back, who knows? Maybe not. Will, are you prepared for that? Are you willing to risk waiting the rest of your life for something that might not ever happen?”

“I have to,” he told them simply. “I just – have to.”

“I know Claire Carlisle over at the realty office. I’ll ask her about finding out who has title to this place,” Morgan told Will. He held out his hand to his best friend, hoping that Will would reach out for his in return. He knew that he had hurt Will with his disbelief.

Will didn’t hesitate for a moment before grabbing Morgan’s hand and then took it farther and hugged him; a quick guy hug that Mercedes laughed at.

“You two, you’re impossible!” She wrapped her arms around both of them and pulled them all close together.

The three musketeers they used to call themselves. As if remembering that in unison they all called out, their voices mingling together perfectly as it had through so many childhood adventures:

“All for one and one for all!”



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Emily finished her bath and was shivering almost violently. It was cool in the room and while she was used to the fact it was not any easier to bear. She dried as quickly as she could and pulled on a voluminous nightgown that covered her from head to toe before slipping into the bed. She reached up to pull the bell for Molly and didn’t have to wait long for her to arrive.

“Yes miss? Oh, I see ye’re done with yer bath. I’ll just get Patsy and Jed and we’ll get this mess out of here for ye.” She noticed that Emily was huddled under the covers, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees as she sat in the bed. “Be ye cold miss? I can get ye another quilt, I can.”

“Thank you Molly, that would be lovely,” Emily told her gratefully.

Molly went to the chest at the end of the bed and pulled another quilt out and laid it over Emily before saying, “I’ll get ye some tea after we get this tub out of here. Are you feeling alright though miss? Mayhaps coming down with a fever or something?” Molly asked. It wasna like Miss Emily to be feeling so puny.

“I do believe I am fine Molly, but thank you for asking. I think I am only chilled, it is a bit drafty in here.”

Molly nodded before leaving to find Patsy and Jed. Personally Molly thought if Emily wanted drafty she should go up to the attics with the servants slept; she’d see what drafty really was!

It wasn’t hard for her to find Jed; it never was when he was not in the stables grooming the horses. He could always be found close to wherever Molly was, waiting to catch a glimpse of her and if he were lucky a quick squeeze and kiss. She laughed at his attempts to catch her but she also knew she wanted him to. Jed was a fine man and one day would be head of the stables; he had a grand future in front of him, just as he was an exceptional figure of a man!

“Now then, where is Patsy?” she asked him after allowing him a quick kiss.

“Most likely out in the hay with Rowley, just where I’d like to have ye my girl!” Jed answered, trying to pull her back into his arms.

Molly lightly swatted his hands away and said, “Well then go find her, we need to get the water and tub out of Miss Emily’s room. I dinna think the lass is feeling too well. I want to get her into her bed and asleep!”

He mumbled into her neck that that was exactly where he’d like to get her and she laughed merrily. “Well, Romeo, you dinna have a chance if you displease me ye know!” and she laughed all the harder at his shocked look as he took off down the hall to find Patsy. She did not know what he was more surprised about – the fact that she told him he wouldna get into her bed where he had never been yet or the implication that he might actually get there sometime.

It didn’t take long for them to get the water and the tub out of the room and soon Emily was sipping her tea in the quiet of the evening. Again she noticed the stillness and peace of the night and was appreciative of it. Even with all the others in the house she could only occasionally hear muffled sounds and the peace was not lost on her. She laid her head back against the headboard and thought about Will.

She wondered what he was doing. Or would that be what he would be doing? She shook her head at the confusion of it all. Yet, if he did not exist right now somewhere – sometime – why did she feel his presence so often? She thought again of the feeling this afternoon in the commons and it was almost like he was right there with her, if only for but a moment. Like – like he had walked through her soul.

Goose bumps rose along her arms at the remembrance and the tiny little hairs on the back of her neck rose wildly. She hugged herself tightly and prayed that tonight while she slept she would dream of him again. She was so tired that she knew she would slumber heavily though and it seemed doubtful. But still, she hoped.

Yes, she hoped with all her heart.




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The rest of the evening flew past for the three musketeers. Morgan left a message for Claire and Will jumped nervously every time the phone rang but in the end they didn’t hear from her that night.

Will only picked nervously at his dinner Mrs. Burton noticed and wondered what was up with the boy. He sure was acting mysteriously she decided and wondered if she asked him about it if he would actually tell her. She decided to go for it when she picked up his plate that had no more than a few bites of food gone from it.

“You know, you just barely touched that roast beef I spent all afternoon on. Not like you, that’s one of your favorites, if I remember correctly. Do I?” she asked.

“Yes, it is. I guess I’m just not too hungry. I’m tired for one thing because I didn’t sleep too good last night,” he responded, looking down at the table and playing with his napkin.

“Um hmm. You planning on sleeping in your own room tonight? Or should I get the other room ready for you?”

“I think I’d like to stay in the other room, if you don’t mind making it up that is? I don’t want to be a bother though.” He looked up at her as he replied and his eyes were full of shadows.

Yup, something was bothering the boy. “No, it’s not a problem. Be worth it if you get some sleep and stay outta my kitchen in the crack of dawn and not make messes. So Will, what do you suppose is bothering you anyway? Have anything to do with Miss Emily being gone?”

Will’s eyes grew large with his surprise and then darkened perceptibly. Mercedes noticed and immediately interrupted the conversation. “Oh, by the way, we ran into Horace Parker today. I told him you would call and set a date for him to come to dinner! He is really looking forward to it Mrs. Burton. Can you call him soon please? I don’t want to disappoint him,” Mercedes said.

Mrs. Burton’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. She knew that Mercedes was trying to draw her attention away from Will. That scamp had always been good at it too and she decided to let it work tonight. From the looks of Will he wasn’t up to any real questioning so she replied, “Yes, I’ll call him tomorrow. Haven’t seen Horace for a while and it’s always fun to have him to dinner.”

Mercedes smiled at her; they shared a penetrating look for a moment and both nodded, each accepting what had happened. But Mercedes also knew that she was suspicious and wasn’t going to let it go.

“I’ll get that room done for you Will, only take a few minutes. You want to move your toilet articles or should I?”

“I’ll do it – thank you Mrs. Burton, I appreciate the trouble you’re going to,” he told her.

“No trouble, just my job.” She left the room and Will let out a deep breath. He knew she was going to ask more questions too, the only thing would be how long she waited to do it.

All three knew it wouldn’t be long.



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They watched a movie on TV, or at least pretended to. None of them could have said later what it was or what it was about, but it killed time and gave them something to do while acting as if they weren’t waiting on pins and needles for the phone call from Claire. At eleven they all gave up the pretense and said their goodnights as they made their way up the stairs. Will headed off down the opposite hallway from Morgan and Mercedes and stopped in front of the door to his room.

That’s when the painting caught his eye. Really caught it, because he had seen it before, lots of times. He had always liked it actually, but now there was something about it and he suddenly knew what it was. He called out to Morgan and Mercedes who came running down the hallway.

“Look, at this painting,” he told them, peering at it closely. A slow smile crept across his face as he lightly traced something in the bottom corner. “Look, right here before our eyes,” he exclaimed triumphantly.

“Yes, it’s the grove,” Morgan said. “Or at least what used to be the grove I would imagine.”

Will was still staring at the painting, touching it tenderly, almost reverently. “No Morgan, really look at it!”

Morgan and Mercedes both frowned in concentration at the painting. It was the grove, only much bigger than it was now. The colors of the trees were magnificent, bright green against a perfect cerulean blue sky. In front of the grove was the road, you could barely make out the white stripes in the lane, the painting was so old.

It finally penetrated Mercedes mind what she was looking at. Tears started to run down her cheeks and she grabbed Will and hugged him tightly! Her eyes found the signature then and she nodded at Will. “She did it, she sent us a message!”

Morgan stood for a moment more and then it became clear to him as well. The road, the road that obviously would not have been there in Emily’s time. And a signature at the bottom of the painting:

Emily Pennington, 1822.



Copyright 2008 by Cynthia Hope Hodge

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