PROLOGUE, CONTINUED
Thoughts of his own children, Grace who was twelve and Charlie who had just turned nine, brought a tear to John’s eye. “Yes, of course,” he replied. “How old is she now? Six?”
The smile broke free this time. “Yes, six—going on thirteen, I believe. She’s a little twig of a thing. Always running about. Feisty, full of life.” He didn’t bother to wipe the tears away that were trickling down his cheek. “After losing the other three before we ever even knew them, Meggy has been the breath of fresh air I needed. I can’t imagine….” He paused, his voice catching in his throat. “I can’t imagine my life without Meggy in it. And my heart breaks for her knowing that soon enough, she will have to carry on without her old Da. That’s what she calls me, Da. Must be those Irish nannies,” he chuckled, finally brushing the tears from his face.
John realized he was crying as well, but he also let out a laugh as he pictured his friend running around the garden with his little girl, her thin arms wrapped around him. “Little girls are God’s gift from heaven.” He remembered his Grace when she was that age, how he’d come home from the factory and set her on his knee to read a story each evening.
“So are little boys,” Henry replied, and there was a pointedness to the statement that brought John back to the present. “That’s what I came to talk to you about, John.”
Henry uncrossed his legs and scooted forward in his seat, setting the glass down on the table next to him. With the motion, John could see just how frail his friend had truly become. His movements were not natural; they were forced and calculated, as if each one took all of his concentration. “What is it?” John asked, unsure where this conversation was headed.
“Charles,” Henry said. “He’s a good boy. You’re a good man, a good provider, a good father. I know your son will be, too. I want to ask you to do me a favor. As a friend. I want Charlie to take care of my Meggy. I want him to marry her, to make sure she’s taken care of. I can’t imagine stepping out of this life not knowing what might happen to her. If I know Charles Ashton will be waiting for her, well, then, perhaps crossing over won’t be quite so bad.”
John didn’t hesitate, not even for a moment. “Of course,” he said, nodding with sincerity. “Absolutely. Whatever you need.”
Henry nodded, as if he had known his friend would come through for him. “I’ve put away 50,000 pounds in a safe deposit box at The Bank of New York, along with a very specific copy of my will. Here is another copy for you along with a key to that box,” he said as he pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket. “If Charles marries Mary Margaret before she turns twenty-one, the company will be his. He’s to take the money and give half to my wife, the other half to my brother Bertram, who will be running the company in my stead. If he waits until after Meggy is twenty-one, he’ll still get the company, but the money will be hers. If he doesn’t marry her at all…”
“You don’t need to worry about that, Henry. I already gave you my word.”
“I understand that, but life isn’t always exactly what we expect, now is it?” he asked, managing a weak chuckle. “My Meggy is strong-willed, like her mother. If she marries someone else, or if she turns thirty without marrying Charlie, then the company will still belong to Bertram, but the money will be donated to the charity I’ve named in the will. I know it sounds rather complicated, but everything is for a reason.”
“I’ve no doubt,” John nodded, accepting the sealed envelope and slipping it into his own jacket pocket. “I can assure you that Charles will marry her before she turns twenty-one, as that is your hope, is it not?”
“It is,” Henry nodded. “I should like for my wife and brother to have the money, to be pacified by that, and to stay out of Charlie and Meggy’s lives so that they can go on about their business without having to worry about interlopers.”
John knew he must be missing something, but he simply nodded. He didn’t need to know the details of the situation with Henry and his wife and brother. “Charlie is a good boy, that’s for certain. I know that he will understand and will willingly accept Mary Margaret as his wife.”
“Good,” Henry nodded. “It’s likely best to start preparing him sooner rather than later.”
“Indeed,” John nodded. “But here’s to hoping you have several more years to spend with us, old friend, and that you are there to give Meggy away on her wedding day.”
Henry scoffed, leaning back in his chair as if he could no longer hold himself forward. “That would be lovely,” he finally said, his gaze not reaching that of his host. “She does have some money of her own. I’ve put it away for her. I will make sure she knows. I want her to be… taken care of.”
“Surely, Mildred will see that she is,” John offered.
“One would think,” Henry agreed. “I should hope a mother would look after her only surviving child.” His eyes were off in the corner of the room somewhere, and once again, John realized he wasn’t getting the full story. After a long pause, he added, “Meggy is a strong girl. Strong in every way. I know she’ll be all right, even after I’m gone.”
“I will do everything I can to look after her,” John assured him.
“I know you will,” Henry nodded. “You’ve always been a good friend, John.”
“You’re like a brother to me, Henry,” John replied, leaning forward and gingerly placing his hand on his friend’s knee as if he were afraid any pressure might cause him to shatter like glass or dissipate like an apparition.
Henry covered his friend’s strong hand with his frail one. “Do whatever you must, John. Please. Despite what my colleagues might think, my business is not my legacy, Meggy is. She’s all that matters.”
SouthamptonMeggy Westmoreland loved the toy pram her father had brought her back from New York City. She had snuggled two of her favorite dolls inside, wrapped up tightly in a blanket which had been a gift from her late grandmother. It was a lovely spring day, and she pushed the pram back and forth along the stone path that trailed through the back garden. While she loved all of the beautiful flowers that grew here, the lilacs and oleanders were her favorite. She had even named one of her dolls Lilac, despite her mother’s insistence that it was a “ridiculous name.” The urge to pick the flowers was overwhelming, but she had learned her lesson the hard way when she was only three, and the sharp slap to her hand hadn’t been forgotten. Her mother and uncle sat under a shade tree in the distance now, and the possibility of getting away with even pulling one petal free was simply not worth the risk.As she walked back and forth, stopping occasionally
The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon as Meggy finished brushing her hair and placed the brush back on her dresser. “Now, say your prayers and off to bed,” her nanny, Patsy, directed, giving her a quick peck on the top of her head. Though she’d only worked for the family for about a year, Meggy liked her best of all, and she especially liked it when she was allowed to bring her daughter, Kelly, to play. Most of the time, however, Meggy’s mother forbade Kelly from visiting, and she spent most of her time with her grandmother while Patsy carefully tended to someone else’s child.As Patsy put out the lights, Meggy kneeled and said a proper prayer, asking God to look after all those she loved, and as Patsy neared the door, she rose, whispering, “Good night,” with a sweet smile.“Good night, my love,” Patsy smiled in return, watching the little girl climb into her bed before she went out, leaving the door open just
As he entered the parlor and saw Mildred sitting in her usual chair near the unlit fireplace, a lantern illuminating her embroidery, he wondered what that must be like, to love someone so much you couldn’t fathom going on without them. He had been in love with her at one time. She had been a clever, cunning young woman, with beautiful hair and sparkling eyes. He knew almost immediately she was after him for his money and the promise of a prominent life, but they had become involved more quickly than he had planned for, and he’d asked her to be his wife one evening when she’d come to him in tears, carrying the evidence of their indiscretions beneath her ample gown. A month later, after they’d made their vows, the first of their three tragedies occurred, and that evidence was buried in a tiny box in her father’s family plot. He had thought at the time their loss would bring them closer together, but that was the beginning of Mildred’s emotional rati
Southampton The swing was creaky. Her father had promised to look into it, to see if he could switch out the rope or tie it to a different branch, but he hadn’t gotten a chance to, and with every sway to and fro, Meggy was reminded that her father wasn’t coming home this time. She would never see him again.Her mother had said he’d had a heart attack, and when she’d questioned what that meant, she’d been sent out of the room. Later, Patsy had explained that his heart had stopped working, and now he was in heaven with Jesus. Meggy didn’t think it was fair that Jesus could just take her Da like that. Didn’t he have enough other people to keep him company? Her Da was the only person in the whole world she’d wanted to keep, and now he was gone. Forever.“Whatcha doin’?” Ezra asked sneaking around the back of the tree.“Nothing,” Meggy
Meggy’s prayers went unanswered, however, when her face made contact with the rough fabric of Patsy’s skirts. “Miss Meggy, darlin’ whatever are you doing?” she asked just above a whisper.Happy that it was Patsy who had found her out and no one else, Meggy let go a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Nothin’,” she replied looking up into the kind eyes of her caretaker.Patsy shook her head, frizzy red curls dancing around her mob cap. “Now, I know that isn’t true.”“I was just…. Mother and Uncle Bertram were talking, and I wanted to know what they were saying, that’s all. I thought maybe they might say something about Da.”Smiling, as if to say she understood, Patsy reached down and took her charge’s little hand. “How would you like a cookie?” she asked, leading her into the kitchen.“Mother says I shouldn&rsquo
New York CityCharlie Ashton always enjoyed walking the floor of his father’s factory with him, listening to the owner encourage the workers and comment on their effort. Everyone always seemed so happy and proud to be doing their job. Today was no different, as Mr. Ashton proceeded up and down the rows, patting workers on the back, calling almost every single one of them by name, despite the hundreds of individuals they passed. Charlie wondered how he knew everyone so well, and when he’d asked, his father simply said, “People are important.”The sounds of the machinery made parts of the factory very noisy, and whenever they would approach some of the more dangerous areas, John would always take Charlie by the hand, even though he was nearly eleven years old—practically a grown man—and his head reached his father’s shoulder. He said he wanted to make sure nothing happened to his right hand man, so Charlie shrugged and took his f
Southampton“Time for bed,” her mother repeated for at least the third time. Meggy continued to pretend that she could not hear her. She had been playing at reading for nearly half an hour now, not budging from her chair in the parlor, despite the fact that she knew her mother didn’t like her to be downstairs. Meggy didn’t like her room anymore.“Mary Margaret!” she shouted this time. “Get upstairs and change this instant or else I shall fetch Ms. Strickland from her chambers and have her put you to bed!”Meggy took a deep breath, realizing she would have to go now, despite the fact that she would have done almost anything to work her way around it. But without a word of back-talk (which would have gotten her a fat lip at the least) she gathered up her book, dragged herself out of the room, and began her slow ascent up the stairs.She took her time washing up as well. No longer would Patsy come in and help h
New York CityCharles Ashton’s study looked out over the courtyard of his parents’ estate. The gardens and hedges were gorgeous and a large fountain decorated with cherubs sat directly in the center of his view. He considered himself quite blessed to have the opportunity to take a break from his studies to look out at such a lovely vision.His father believed that children should stay at home with their parents until it was time to go off to a secondary school to study, so John had hired the best tutors to come into their home to educate both of his children, and despite the fact that she was female, his sister Grace studied just the same as he did, though in another room with a governess instead of a male tutor.Charlie had always been told he was quite bright and his tutor gave him high marks in nearly every area. He studied hard and paid particular attention to math and business as he knew how important those two subjects would be when he took ove