Finding Elizabeth (8 page)

She says that it is warmer in Arkansas than
in Massachusetts and we will need lighter clothes for the upcoming
summer months.

So far I am not impressed with our new town.
The mercantile did not have a large selection of dress goods, but I
did pick out two pieces that I thought would be lovely and cool for
a warm summers day.

I do hope mother will let me help her with
the dresses. I have grown bored with the same pattern. I told her
we are nearing the 20th century and I am quite tired of wearing
such old fashioned styles.

While mother was finishing up shopping, she
allowed me to go next door to see if the postmaster had any mail
for us. To my delight there were two letters, one from Andrew and
another from Thomas. I quickly hid the one from Thomas in my
reticule. Although I was anxious to read it, I did not want mother
to know he had written. She was of course delighted to hear from
Andrew as was I.

As soon as we returned home I feigned a
headache and went to my room to read the beautiful letter from
Thomas. He is well and still working in Boston. He has saved enough
money for the trip and a small dowry, but knows to impress father
he will need much more. I suspect he has lost money on the cards,
or surely he would have enough saved. The words were beautiful and
I shall cherish them forever.

I will speak to Annie in hopes that she will
let us send letters by way of her, so as not to alert father. I
must go for now, mother is calling me.

Elizabeth

Barely able to keep her eyes open, Claire
just sit there for a while thinking about Elizabeth and her
journal. She sounded like such a sweet young woman who always
remained hopeful, despite her harsh upbringing. The way she spoke
of William showed that she really loved him and enjoyed spending
time with him. Wishing Adam could have been here to see his
ancestral home, and read the words written by a distant aunt,
Claire drifted off to sleep, as the journal quietly fell to her
side.

***

Claire woke early to the sound of sleet
hitting the window. As she arose, she realized it was Tuesday and
Daniel would be here this morning. She couldn't help but think
about the possibility of a relationship with him. He was a great
guy, and it didn't hurt that he was good looking. Janet had been
right, they do have a lot in common. They both love history,
antiques, going to auctions and estate sales. But how could she
move forward and just forget Adam? When they got married she vowed
that she would remain true to him, but the vows also said until
death do us part.
Seriously Claire, stop it! you don't even know
if Daniel is interested in you.

Sitting down with her cup of coffee and a
bagel she made a list. She added two columns, things to buy for the
house and things to buy for the store. Just as she stood to get
more coffee, the doorbell rang. Looking at the clock,
hmmm,
Daniel is early.

As she reached the foyer, the doorbell rang
again. Opening the door quickly she heard,

"Oh my God Claire, why didn't you tell me
you inherited a mansion," as Jen grabbed her for a hug.

Recovering from the hug Claire said, "Get in
here out of the cold, you will freeze to death. I can't believe you
didn't tell me you were coming."

"Of course I didn't. You would have told me
not to drive in the snow and ice, besides I wanted to surprise
you," Jen retorted.

"It is definitely a pleasant surprise. Are
you hungry? Do you want a cup of coffee?" Claire asked as she
ushered Jen into the kitchen.

Jen grinned guiltily, "I would take the
coffee, but I stopped at McDonald's on the way here. So what are
your plans for the day?"

"The contractor is stopping by sometime this
morning so we can go measure for a loft in the store. Speaking of
which, I was hoping maybe you would consider helping me set up and
open the store. You know I wouldn't have as much fun on my treasure
hunts without you, besides that I value your ideas."

Jen slowly sipped her coffee, sitting the
cup down, she smiled, "I was hoping you would ask. It seems like
forever since we have been to a good auction. I have to say, I'm a
bit jealous of your home and that you won't be nearby anymore. I
can't imagine you living here and me an hour a way in
Bentonville."

"Actually," Claire said, "I was really
hoping you would want to move in here with me and be partners in
the store. I don't want to be that far away from you. There have
already been too many losses in my life."

Jen wrapped her best friend in a hug, "You
know I would love to, but I can't right now. I met someone and
things are starting to get serious. I just didn't know how to tell
you without hurting your feelings. I will come visit though, and
after seeing your new home you will probably get tired of seeing
me. But I will definitely be here to help you get the store up and
running."

Hearing the doorbell Claire looked up at
Jen, "It's ok, and I want to hear all about this mystery man later.
But right now the contractor is here. Are you ready to go check out
the store?"

With a huge smile, Jen followed Claire to
the front of the house. As soon as Claire opened the door she heard
Jen mumble under her breath, "You didn't tell me he was
gorgeous!"

After Daniel and Jen were introduced, they
headed out the door. Daniel insisted they take his four wheel drive
truck because the roads were slick. They chatted all the way to
town as the girls tossed around ideas for the store.

As they turned on main street Claire pointed
out the buildings she knew were hers. And finally when the beauty
shop came into view she nearly shouted, "That's it, isn't is
perfect?"

"Oh Claire, it is perfect. I am so happy for
you," Jen said.

While Daniel was taking measurements for the
loft the girls walked around making notes on where they would set
up the displays and what other shelves they would need. There were
customers in the salon, so they left as soon as Daniel had the
measurements he needed.

Before heading back to Claire's house they
stopped by the store for the items on her list. She had already
enlisted the help of both Daniel and Jen and was ready to get home
and get started on the attic.

Daniel could only watch as the girls talked
non stop and the way their conversations overlapped and then
circled back around was comical. Daniel couldn't quit grinning. He
hadn't seen Claire this animated or excited and he loved seeing
this side of her.

After making it home safely Claire cooked
some chili and put in the crock pot for dinner while Jen made soup
and sandwiches for their lunch. While they ate Daniel talked about
his ideas for the loft and sketched out his thoughts on a notepad.
After a few changes to the railing and stairs, Claire and Jen were
satisfied. Quickly cleaning up their lunch dishes they headed to
the attic. Claire grabbed the portrait of Elizabeth and asked
Daniel if he could hang it for her. "I'm not sure where I should
hang it, but I was thinking it should go in her bedroom, what do
you think Daniel?"

"I don't know either but we can hang it in
her room. If you change your mind later I would be happy to move it
for you," Daniel said with an eager smile.

As Daniel hung the painting Claire continued
showing Jen the rest of the rooms on the second floor, pointing out
her favorite pieces of furniture.

Jen was in awe, "I am so excited Claire,
this is like a time capsule."

Laughing Claire said, "That is exactly what
I thought."

Daniel caught up with them and they
continued looking in each room until they reached the attic. Jen
flipped on the flashlight Claire had picked up at the store as
Daniel found the string for the overhead light.

Jen stepped in so she could get a better
look, "Are you kidding me? I have never seen so many old pieces in
one room. This place is huge, and it's packed full of stuff. I
think we could spend weeks up here and not see everything."

"I know, I have only been up here twice. The
first time I spent a long time looking at the things I found in a
dome top trunk. At this rate it will take me the rest of my life to
get through everything. I am just not sure what to part with,
someone obviously loved this stuff enough to keep it rather than
throw it out. Besides I keep finding things that Elizabeth
mentioned in her journal. I just don't want to part with something
that was important to her," Claire said.

"Why is that?" Jen asked with curiosity.

Claire thought for a moment, "I'm not sure,
but would guess it's because I'm getting to know her through her
journal. I almost feel like she wants her story told. Besides,
these things belonged to Adam's ancestors. It just doesn't feel
right letting them go."

"How about if we just look for items that
are newer, say items that are vintage, rather than antique. Just
until you finish the journal and figure out if anything else is
important," Daniel suggested.

"That's perfect, and besides that, there is
no way we are getting though all of this today," Claire
giggled.

While Daniel ran downstairs and grabbed the
boxes and tissue paper the girls started in the front corner. They
went through boxes and trunks trying to figure out what to get rid
of and what to keep. By the time Daniel returned they already had a
large pile.

He shook his head, as he looked at the pile
of vintage lamps and clocks, a couple of small radios, a pair of
1950's candlesticks and a mid-century chair. He put the boxes
together, and the girls started filling them. As soon as they
filled a box, he would take it downstairs to the room they had
decided was the easiest to use for a staging area.

They continued to work most of the day and
finally, the stale attic air and hunger started to get to them. As
Claire looked around, she could see little progress. This was
definitely going to take some time, but she was in no rush. She
wasn't ready to part with her treasures yet, and if she was honest
with herself she wasn't even sure if she wanted to live in the
house. It is beautiful, she thought, but it is just too big for me.
Even if I got remarried and had a half a dozen kids it is too big.
Maybe I should turn it into a museum or give it to the historical
society after it is restored. But in her heart Claire knew she
would never part with such a precious gift that belonged to
Adam.

As they reached the bottom step Claire said,
"Hey Daniel, why don't you call your parents and see if they want
to come eat dinner with us. I'm going to make cornbread to go with
our chili."

"I will chop the onions and shred the
cheese," Jen offered.

Thirty minutes later the five sat down to
eat. They talked for hours about Daniel and Claire's ideas for the
home and antique store and about the treasures they found in the
attic. Janet, Steve and Daniel relayed stories about living at the
estate and what the grounds would look like over the coming summer
months.

Because the roads were getting worse, Daniel
agreed to stay in the guest house with his parents for the night.
After saying their goodbyes, Claire and Jen headed upstairs.

"I have to say Claire, this house is a
little spooky at night. Can I stay in your room with you?" Jen
asked.

"Yes, it will be so much fun, just like when
we were kids. Besides I wanted to talk to you about this mystery
man," Claire retorted.

After they were ready for the night, the
girls climbed into the huge bed and Claire began, "So spill it
sister, who is he?"

"Oh Claire he is wonderful, his name is
David. I met him at a convention for work and we have been seeing
each other for a couple of months. We love going to auctions, and
we go dancing and to the movies. He has such a good heart. He is a
veterinarian, and he works with abused and neglected animals and
operates a small shelter. David is kind, warm and loving. Just the
type of man I had hoped to meet someday," Jen said with a faraway
look.

Taking out her cell phone Jen showed Claire
his picture, "Not only is he a genuinely nice guy, he is good
looking." Claire nodded in agreement as Jen continued, "I'm sorry I
didn't tell you about him. It's just that you have been so lost
without Adam. I didn't want to bring up anything that might hurt
you. Adam was a big part of your life, but Claire, he is gone and
you need to find a way to get past the hurt and move forward.
Nobody expects you to start dating or remarry right away, but you
need to find some peace, so that one day you can."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Claire
thought for a moment before speaking, "Is it bad that I have been
thinking of Daniel in that way? It's crazy, we just met on
Saturday, but I just feel so calm and relaxed around him. It just
feels easy with him, like it was with Adam. I find myself thinking
of Daniel when he isn't around. But I don't even know how he feels
about me."

Jen laughed, "Are you kidding me? Haven't
you noticed the way he looks at you? He looks at you like you are
the only person in the room. And the way you finish each others
sentences. It's like you have known each other for a lifetime. I
know you just met, but I can tell he cares about you. I think if
you give him a chance he can help you leave Adam in the past.