Chapter 16 #2
He gasped and his face split with a broad smile as he twirled her around again. “WooHoooo!” He shouted and then stopped suddenly and dropped to his knee in front of her, pulling something out of his pocket. “Marry me, Charli,” he said, holding a delicate rose gold ring between his fingers.
“Oh my god! The boy’s proposing! Yes!” came a loud voice from the doorway. Jack and Charli both glanced to the side to find the ladies of the Royal Conch Society huddled together, all watching with wide eyes and hopeful expressions.
“Shhhh! Don’t interrupt him. You’ll spoil the mood. She hasn’t said yes yet,” nagged Flora.
“Hush!” urged Miriam. She arched her eyebrow at Jack. “Get it finished, boy.”
Jack chuckled and looked back up at Charli. “Marry me, baby.”
Charli laughed nervously and blinked her eyes to hold back tears. She sniffed and nodded vigorously. “Yes, Jack. Of course I’ll marry you.”
His smile grew even bigger as he slid his family ring on her finger. The room erupted in celebration as he stood and yanked her in for a long kiss.
“Okay, you two. You can do all that kissy-kissy stuff after we’re gone. Now it’s time for us to celebrate.” Hazel held up a bottle and gave them a wicked grin. “I brought your favorite tequila. Looks like it’s gonna be a great night to do some shots.”
* * * *
An hour later, Charli sat at the table and watched as Sadie and Iris argued with Jack—her fiancé!—about the exterior color of paint to use on the other houses within the compound.
“No, Jack!” Iris slurred. “You need to have at least one pink house. It’s Key West for cripes sake!”
Holding firm, Jack pressed his lips in a line and shook his head. “Nope. Not a chance.” When Iris opened her mouth to argue, he continued, “I agreed to a teal house, but that’s it. We want Paradise West to be taken seriously here.”
An elbow nudging her arm brought her head around to find Miriam sitting next to her with a serious expression on her face. “I almost forgot to tell you...”
She leaned back, reached inside her bra, and slowly drew out a long gold chain. “I have something for you.” Dangling from the end of the chain was a small gold key. “I’m willing to bet that this is for the box.”
Charli’s eyes bulged. “Jack and I were wondering where we’d find the key. How did you get it?”
“It was in the archived materials Dottie left to the society,” Miriam replied with a smile.
“When you told me that Amelia’s box required a key, I knew I had seen one in the pile of materials we received.
Up to that point, we had no idea what it was for.
” She shrugged again. “Maybe Dottie wanted us to keep it safe until the box was found.”
Charli’s heart pounded in her ears. “Hold on a sec. Let me grab the box.” She ran to the office and grabbed the box from the side desk drawer where she’d placed it for safe keeping.
All eyes watched her as she raced back to the kitchen and placed the box carefully on the table.
Everyone stared reverently at the box as if the contents were a lost treasure.
She held her hand out to Miriam, who placed the key in her palm. Charli took a slow, deep breath and inserted the key into the lock. Holding her breath, she turned the key and gasped as the enameled top of the box sprang up. Silence spread through the room.
Stunned, she simply stared at the box. Jack walked over to stand behind her, his hand on her shoulder.
Slowly Charli reached a hand in and pulled out what looked like a newspaper clipping.
“What is it?” Cornelia whispered.
“This is the article dated November 1870 about the ships going down in the hurricane. I found this on the films at the library, but this is an original.” She set it aside and drew out a small gold ring.
Charli looked up at Jack. “Amelia said Ian had given her a ring before he left the last time. I wonder if this is it.”
He pursed his lips and stayed silent.
Next, she took out a folded piece of thin paper, similar to what was used in a bible. She slowly opened it and began reading. She gasped, her hand coming to her mouth.
“Charli, what is it?” Miriam demanded. “What does it say?”
Charli glanced up at Jack, who was staring at her with alarm in his eyes.
She laid the paper flat on the table and began to read.
“Malcolm Ian Kennedy was born on this Saturday, March 4th, 1871, in Jacksonville, Florida. His beloved father was Ian Kennedy, d. October 1870, and his mother is Amelia Jane Brown.”
“Malcolm...” Jack breathed, staring at the sheet as his brow furrowed.
Charli reached into the box and pulled out another folded piece of paper with familiar handwriting scribbled on the back and jagged edges. “This looks like the paper from her diary.” She glanced at Miriam. “The last page of the final diary had been ripped out. I wondered what had happened to it.”
Miriam nodded, giving Charli a solemn look. “Read it for us.”
Chari blinked and bobbed her head, took a deep breath, and began to read.
March 4, 1871
I never thought I would feel love again after losing my Ian, but I now know that I am wrong.
Malcolm Ian Kennedy was born early this morning, and he is simply the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.
His hair is dark like his father’s and he already has Ian’s beautiful golden eyes.
I have never experienced such horrible pain as I did this morning, but now as I watch Malcolm nurse at my breast, I feel nothing but a deep peace. This moment is truly bittersweet.
The group was silent as Charli finished the entry. She turned the page over and stared at the writing.
“Go on,” Hazel urged.
March 24, 1871
I didn’t think my heart could break any more than it already has, but I was wrong.
Terribly, terribly wrong. Mother has written that Malcolm and I are to return to Key West within the week.
Upon arrival, I will prepare for marriage to a new suitor and Malcolm will go to Elizabeth and Timothy to be raised as their son. I do not think I can bear anymore.
Gasps sounded around the room as the meaning of that entry sank in. Stunned, Charli glanced up at Jack. He stared at the paper in her hand, his face stony.
“My grandfather was really Ian Kennedy and not Timothy Sullivan,” he said slowly.
“I think we’ve found the final piece of the puzzle.” Charli paused for a moment, holding Jack’s gaze. “Amelia was your grandmother, not your aunt. That’s what we were supposed to uncover.”
“How could she stand it?” Charli shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Losing her fiancé only to have her family force her to give away her baby? I can’t even comprehend that.”
“It explains why she jumped,” Miriam replied, sagely. “She lost everything and couldn’t take anymore. She took her life to end the misery.”
Jack pulled her into his chest, his hand rubbing her back soothingly. “You did it, baby. You figured it out.”
Charli sobbed into his shoulder. “But it’s all so sad,” she cried.
“We knew it would be. This was never going to have a happy ending,” he soothed. “But at least now we know what really happened.”
He eased back and smoothed her hair from her face, staring down at her. “What really matters now is that we have each other.” He placed a soft kiss on her lips. “And we can start working on our own happy ending.”
Cheers erupted throughout the room.
Miriam held up a shot glass. “We need a toast.” She waited until everyone had their drink in the air. “May Amelia finally be at peace.”
“Cheers!” shouted the group, as everyone took a drink.
“And here’s to Jack and Charli’s happy ending!” shouted Flora.
“CHEERS!” came the resounding reply.
Charli laughed and cried as she drank the toast, knowing in her heart that as long as she and Jack were together it was definitely a happy ending.