A soft smile came across Sally’s face.

“What happened next?”

“I went over after a while and asked if she liked the tea. She actually smiled at me, Katherine!”

“Wow. I haven’t seen her smile at anyone in weeks.”

“I know. Well, later on, when she asked for her check, I said it was on the house today.”

“And what did she say?”

“She gave me a sort of sideways look—suspicious, like—and asked why.”

Katherine chuckled. “That sounds more like Rosie. What did you tell her?”

“I just said I had noticed her looking sad of late, and hoped to cheer her up.”

“And how did she react to that?”

“Her eyes got all swimmy and she said, ‘thank you’ and started rummaging in her bag for a hankie. I went off for a bit, but when she stood to leave, I went over and said, ‘Have a good day, Rosie.’ And she smiled again a little.”

“That’s certainly progress.”

“Yes. The only problem is, I can’t give her free tea and scones every day. So what should I do next?”

“I think it was more your gentleness that won the day, rather than the tea itself. Just keep being kind, and God will show you what’s next.”

Sally suddenly giggled. “You sounded exactly like Auntie H. when you said that.”

“Why, thank you! Must be the dish soap. It makes you wiser.”

“Is that so? Well, in that case, I’ll wash, you dry.” She gave Katherine a playful push and tossed the dish towel at her.

“I guess I should have seen that coming,” Katherine said with a rueful smile.

* * * *

When the dishes were done and everything prepped for the next day, Katherine took the box of papers over to the Braddock’s house. She paused on the doorstep and looked up at the sky.

The stormy clouds that had drenched Harborhaven all day had blown off somewhere else, and the clear sky glimmered with stars. Even the gleam of the porchlight couldn’t blot them out, and Katherine stood gazing, not quite ready to pull herself away from the scene.

She let the peacefulness of the crisp night seep into her. It had been awhile since she had taken time to be still like this, just staring up at the stars, breathing out soft puffs of cloud into the frigid night air.

She thought of that evening on the wharf when she asked God to help her get the rest of the Harborside block back. Looking down at the box in her arms, which was just beginning to feel heavy, she closed her eyes and prayed again.

Lord, so much is happening. You have brought the owner’s executor here at exactly this time to make this offer. Please help us find the information we need, and please help the trust to have enough money to buy backthe warehouses.

Opening her eyes, she climbed the steps to the front door of the Braddock’s Victorian mansion and rang the bell.

“Katherine, come in. Jeremiah’s napping, but I’d enjoy some company. Did you bring more papers to sort?” Serena ushered her into the hall which always struck Katherine with a sense of grandeur. A wide wooden staircase spiraled up to the left of the door, reminding Katherine of the Harborside’s much smaller staircase.

She stopped and looked up through the middle of the staircase as Serena continued down the hall toward the small sitting room. She had seen this house from the outside all her life, and always wanted to see what the inside looked like. Although she had been in the stately old mansion many times now, she hadn’t stopped to really look around until this moment. Oh, how she wanted to explore!

“Coming?” Serena asked, an amused smile crinkling up the corners of her eyes.

“Yes. I was just admiring the staircase.”

“It is beautiful, isn’t it? But then, I might be biased.”

“Braddocks do seem to be partial to spiral staircases,” Katherine said with a laugh.

“Oh, yes. And this one was designed to be especially grand.”

“Edward again?”

“You’ve been paying attention.” Serena smiled at Katherine before letting her eyes trace the wide curve of the staircase. He built this just before the Harborside’s brick façade went up. The Braddock’s original home was plain and simple, and much smaller.”

“Like the old farmhouses that used to stand where Cliffton is?”

“Yes, in fact, it was essentially just like those. After Anne and Jeremiah died, Edward decided to pull down the house, which as you can imagine caused great consternation among the rest of the Braddocks.”

This sparked Katherine’s memory and she hurried to set her box on a chair and retrieve the unopened letter. “I haven’t found anything about the trust, but I did find this today.” she handed the letter to Serena. “It looked intriguing.”

Serena turned the letter over slowly in her hands. “That’s Granny Braddock’s writing, for sure." She squinted at the address on the front. "But, does that really say Braddock?... And in such a faraway place as New York!”

“I wondered why it was never opened.”

“Yes, that is odd.” Serena’s hand hovered over the flap for a moment, then she looked up at Katherine. “We should wait for Jeremiah. He would want to be here when we open it, especially if it means there’s another Braddock somewhere.”

Serena set the letter down on a small table beside the captain’s favorite armchair, saying softly to herself, “Maybe we aren’t the last ones left, after all.”

18 The Letter

The time had finally come. Serena and Katherine leaned nearer to the captain’s chair, heads bent close, eyes alight with anticipation. The cozy glow of the fireplace mingled with soft light from a number of table lamps scattered throughout the room, making it feel warm and welcoming, but echoing the mysteriousness of the unopened letter.

Captain Braddock flipped the envelope over to examine the address. “Yer right. It is certainly to a Braddock, and in New York.” Picking up an antique silver letter opener Serena had set beside the letter, he slid the long, thin blade under the flap.

The room was still. No one moved or breathed, and the only sounds were the ticking of the mantel clock and the soft tearing of paper. Unfolding the letter, the captain held it up to Serena. “I think you should read it out to us, since this light makes it hard on my eyes.”

Serena nodded, took the age-yellowed paper in her hands, and began to read.