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Southampton
Meg awoke to the sound of voices coming up through the radiator pipe. She blinked a few times and then looked at the time. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. Who could her mother possibly be speaking to?
Slipping on the pink robe her mother had given her for Christmas last year (possibly the only gift her mother had ever given her that she actually liked), she crept over to have a better listen.
She could clearly recognize her mother’s voice, but the man’s seemed foreign to her. She tried to piece together the conversation the best she could to determine who he was and what he might be doing there.
“There’s no way out, I can assure you,” he was saying. “I’ve spent years trying to come up with something… anything… but it’s legally binding.”
“Perhaps there’s another attorney we can speak to,” her mother replied.
“I’ve spoken
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Ghosts of Southampton Money
Meg stared at Kelly as if she had just revealed she was actually a giant talking tomato with legs. “You’re what?” she asked, shock and a bit of outrage in her tone.“I wanted to tell you…” Kelly stammered. “It just never seemed like a good time.”Shaking her head, as if she were trying to clear away the obstacles, Meg said, “Well, have the baby in America. How far along are you? It’s not as if passage takes months anymore.”“It’s not that,” Kelly sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s just that I’ve promised my mother we’d stay here until the baby is born. She wants to see the child, and I owe that to her. Who knows when we might see my mother again.”“Why can’t she come with us?” Meg asked, still trying to solve the problem.“Oh, no. My mother would never come to America. My brother and his family are here. As
Ghosts of Southampton Bank
Meg had never been in a bank before, and she wasn’t quite sure what one was to do. When she walked in, she saw a teller behind a counter talking to another customer and a few other workers scurrying about. She decided the intelligent thing to do would be to get in line behind the other person and wait her turn.It only took a moment for the other gentleman to finish his business before Meg found herself looking into the smiling face of an older fellow who wanted to know how he could help her. “Good day,” she began. “My name is Mary Margaret Westmoreland, and I am of the understanding that my father, Henry Westmoreland, may have opened an account for me before his death. It’s been several years ago….”Before she could finish, the teller was nodding. “Oh, yes. Miss Westmoreland, it’s very nice to meet you. Please wait one moment while I go and retrieve the president, Mr. Rogers.”Meg nodded, and the fell
Ghosts of Southampton Proof
SouthamptonApril 7, 1912MegThe dress was light pink, flowing, in a soft chenille. The bodice was fitted and adorned with rhinestones that shimmered in the light. Her hair was pulled up off of her neck in a tight roll with ringlets framing her face. The shoes were silver with a faux-diamond-decorated clasp. As she gazed at herself in the mirror one last time, Meg took a deep breath, hoping God would give her strength to go through with this—if there was a God who heard the cries of young ladies trapped in worlds to which they were certain they didn’t belong.“You look lovely,” Charlotte said, smoothing her gown in the back.“Thank you,” Meg replied. Kelly was out for a few days, so Charlotte had been called upon to help her dress for Alise’s ball. Her mother and uncle were no longer attending such events, mostly because her uncle was seldom invited after the scene he’d caused so many years ago at Ch
Ghosts of Southampton Abandoned
CharlieIt was half past nine, and Mary Margaret still hadn’t made her appearance. Charlie slipped his pocket watch back inside of his jacket and took another sip of his drink. Surely, she’d be there soon. What could possibly be keeping her?“It’s not like her to be late,” Alise mentioned, sliding up next to him.“She said she’d be here at nine,” Charlie sighed. “You’re certain she’s not here?”“I don’t see her,” the debutante replied.“At least you know what she looks like,” Charlie muttered.“I told you. She’s tall with blonde hair and a witty smile. She’ll light up the room as soon as she walks in, and half a dozen young fellows will trip over themselves scrambling to have their turn to spin her around the dance floor. She dances like a ... a swan.”Charlie couldn’t help but chuckle at the description.
Ghosts of Southampton Attack
SouthamptonApril 8, 1912Meg“Miss? Miss? Get up!”Meg felt the jostling but could hardly pry her eyes open. Where was she? What time was it? Who was shaking her? After another hard jerk, she opened her eyes, and realized it was Charlotte.“Miss, your mother is asking to see you in the parlor,” the younger woman exclaimed. “She’s quite put out. Hurry! You should dress.”It took Meg a moment to realize that she was still in her room—but that she shouldn’t be. A glance at the clock on the wall showed her it was half past nine.Ezra had never come.Her mother knew.Charlotte scurried about the room, grabbing clothing items, hurrying her to take her night clothing off, and forcing her undergarments and gown on. She tossed some slippers in Meg’s direction and then, before Meg could even stand, threw herself on the bed and began to pull her hair up into a bun.
Ghosts of Southampton Fair
Charlie “Well, how was the ball?” Jonathan asked, handing Charlie a cup of coffee as they sat on his hotel room balcony overlooking the ocean.“It was actually quite fun,” Charlie admitted. “That Alise Townly is a character. And the English certainly know how to throw a party.”“That’s good to hear,” the liegeman replied. “So why the long face then? Was Miss Westmoreland not quite the beauty you had anticipated?”Setting his coffee cup on the table between them, Charlie replied, “I wouldn’t know.”“What’s that now?”“She didn’t attend.”Jonathan nearly choked on the liquid he was swallowing. “How’s that? Did you say she didn’t attend?”“That’s correct.”“At all?”“Unless she came and left
Ghosts of Southampton Gone
SouthamptonApril 9, 1912MegMeg’s dreams had morphed into nightmares, as if her unconscious mind wanted her to remember the events of the day before. She dreamt of her mother standing in the doorway screaming at her, saying she’d ruined everything, of the awful things her uncle had said, and finally of sinking in ice cold water, spindle fingers grasping at her ankle. When she awoke, the sun was already up, and Kelly was sitting on the edge of her bed, a worried expression on her face.“What time is it?” Meg asked, her eyes not yet focused.“Nearly nine,” Kelly said, a bit of relief washing over her countenance. “I tried to wake you, but you wouldn’t budge.”Meg yawned, but stretching hurt too much, and she didn’t want Kelly to see her wince, so she sat up carefully. There was no reason for Kelly to know what had happened, not yet anyway, and since she was already feeling much bett
Ghosts of Southampton Answer
CharlieCharlie had learned from business to always trust his gut. He knew when he was being treated fairly and when he was about to be made to look like a fool. Even though he was quite certain that this was not the day that he would meet Mary Margaret Westmoreland, her mother had asked him to return, so he intended to comply even if it turned out to be yet another waste of time.While he was off paying his visit, Jonathan was trying to find out if there was more to this story. He had a very hard time believing that Mary Margaret was actually sick the day before. If there was information to be found, Jonathan Lane would find it. Of that, Charlie was certain.Arriving at the Westmoreland residence, Charlie found the household in a bit of an uproar. Servants were scurrying about, and Mrs. Westmoreland was sitting in the parlor, red-faced and wiping her nose with a handkerchief, as if she had been crying. He was shown in and took the same seat he’d been in o
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