Chapter 5
T he next morning, Felicity was helping Gran with the breakfast dishes when Brent entered the kitchen. “Good morning,” he greeted them.
“There’s some coffee if you’d like some,” Gran said, waving a dishcloth at him.
“Thank you, I appreciate it.” Brent poured himself a cup. “I got so engrossed in my research that I lost track of time and missed breakfast.”
Felicity dried her hands on a towel and turned to face him. “I was planning to head into town for lunch at Coastal Coffee. Would you like to join me?”
His eyes lit up. “That sounds great. I’d love to.”
She finished helping Gran while Brent lounged in the kitchen with his coffee. After they were done, they said goodbye to Gran and set off, walking side by side along the quiet island streets. The sun was warm on her face, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of salt and tropical flowers.
As they entered Coastal Coffee, a cheerful bell above the door announced their arrival. It had always charmed her that so many of the businesses here on the island had bells over their doors.
Beverly, the owner, looked up from behind the counter and grinned. “Felicity! So good to see you, honey.” She came around to give her a big hug.
“It’s great to see you too. I’ve been meaning to get by here to catch up with you.” She returned the embrace, then gestured to Brent. “This is Brent Dunn. He’s staying at the B&B while he researches the history of southern Florida.”
Beverly shook Brent’s hand, her eyes twinkling. “Well, welcome to Magnolia Key, Brent. You’ve come to the right place for history. This island is full of stories.”
They settled at a table, and Beverly brought over menus. Felicity was glad to see it was mostly the same as ever. She liked that about Coastal Coffee, about most of the island. Things didn’t change much.
After they ordered, Felicity stopped Beverly as she walked past. “Can you join us for a bit?”
Beverly glanced around the cafe. “Sure, Maxine is here to help. I can take a few.” She took a seat. “So I haven’t seen Darlene in a while. She keeping busy with the guests?”
“She is. The B&B is mostly booked for the entire summer.”
“We’ve been particularly full of tourists this summer. Which is good for business, but sure makes for some long hours.”
“That’s why I’m here to help her.” She leaned forward. “And you’ll never guess what we found in an old guest book at the B&B.”
Beverly raised an eyebrow. “Do tell.”
Brent chimed in, “There were entries from a Prince Lawrence of Bardonzia, dating back to the early 1900s. Apparently, he visited Magnolia Key regularly, and Dale mentioned some sort of scandal back then, but we don’t know if it relates to Prince Lawrence or not.”
Beverly’s eyes widened. “Bardonzia? Dale mentioned that country when I showed him the painting I found.”
Excitement shone in Brent’s eyes. “Really? We spoke to Dale at the antique shop, and he mentioned the prince too, but he didn’t have many details.”
Beverly nodded. “There have been a few mysterious things found around town recently. That painting I found. An old letter written in code. And a pendant that was found in a drawer in the dressing room at the theater.”
Brent leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. “Fascinating. I wonder if they’re somehow all connected.”
She felt a thrill of anticipation at the idea of digging deeper into the island’s secrets. “Maybe we could ask around, see if anyone else has heard stories or found anything related to Prince Lawrence.”
Beverly smiled. “You two might just uncover a century-old mystery. Magnolia Key has a way of revealing its secrets when the time is right.”
As they enjoyed their lunch, they continued to discuss the intriguing mystery, and Felicity’s enthusiasm grew with each new piece of information. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so excited about something.
“So, Beverly,” Felicity said, leaning forward, “tell us more about this painting you found. What did it look like?”
Beverly took a sip of her iced tea. “It was a rolled-up canvas I discovered in an old bookcase here at the cafe. When we unrolled it, we saw a scene of a building that looked just like the one that it used to be on Magnolia Key. There was an intriguing detail—the letters M and B intertwined over the door.”
Brent’s eyes lit up. “M and B… Magnolia and Bardonzia, perhaps?”
She nodded, her mind full of possibilities. “That’s a good theory. And you mentioned a coded letter too?”
“Yes,” Beverly confirmed. “It was found in an old purse. We couldn’t make sense of it at first, but I later found out it was written in some kind of family code. Ones the Whitmores used. It instructed someone to meet at the landing on a Friday night.”
“Whitmore? As in Miss Eleanor?”
“Yes, it was her son, Cliff, who told me about the family code they’d used over the years.” Beverly’s eyes clouded briefly.
“Gran told me that Cliff is trying to get the codes changed so he can build a high-rise building at the end of the boardwalk.”
“It’s not going to happen. We won’t let it,” Beverly said firmly. “No matter what Cliff wants.”
“I hope you can stop him. That will ruin the whole feel of the island.”
Beverly nodded. “Anyway, back to the mysterious items that have been showing up.”
She turned to Brent. “This is incredible. We’ve got a mysterious prince, a coded letter, a painting of a building that looks just like one that used to be here on the island, and a pendant. They must all be connected somehow.”
He nodded, his expression thoughtful. “It’s like pieces of a puzzle, scattered across time. We just need to figure out how they fit together.”
As they continued to talk, her excitement grew. The mystery was captivating, yes, but it was more than that. It was the thrill of discovery, the joy of learning something new. She realized how much she’d missed this feeling—the exhilaration of piecing together information, of following a trail of clues.
“You know,” she said, almost to herself, “this reminds me of why I became a teacher in the first place. I wanted to inspire curiosity, to help students uncover new knowledge.”
Beverly reached across and patted her hand. “It’s easy to lose sight of that initial passion sometimes. But maybe it’s still there, isn’t it?”
Felicity nodded, surprised by the lump in her throat. “Maybe.”
Beverly rose. “Sometimes we all need a reminder of what lights us up inside. Sounds like this mystery might be just what you needed.”
After Beverly left, she turned to Brent. “So, where do we start? How can we dig deeper into this mystery?”
He grinned, clearly pleased by her enthusiasm. “Well, I think our next step should be to compile all the information we have so far. Maybe we could create a timeline of events, see if we can spot any patterns or connections we might have missed.”
She nodded eagerly. “That’s a great idea.”
“We’ll use my room as our command center.”
“Works for me.”
As they said goodbye to Beverly and left the cafe, she couldn’t wait to get back to Gran’s and get started on their research.
Late that night, Brent stood at the window in his room, gazing out at the moonlit water. The gentle lapping of the waves against the shore created a soothing rhythm that seemed to match the slower pace of life on Magnolia Key. He was growing increasingly fond of the island’s peaceful atmosphere and friendly inhabitants, particularly Felicity and her grandmother, Darlene. Okay, especially Felicity.
He was excited to jump into researching the mysteries surrounding Prince Lawrence of Bardonzia and his connection to the island. The clues they had uncovered so far—the painting, the coded letter, and the pendant—hinted at a fascinating story waiting to be revealed. If, and that was a big if, they were all somehow connected.
But it wasn’t just the thrill of the historical hunt that had Brent looking forward to the days ahead. He had to admit that he was thoroughly enjoying Felicity’s company. Their conversations flowed easily, and he found himself captivated by the way her eyes sparkled with each new discovery. It was as if the island’s secrets were breathing new life into her, gradually erasing the weariness he had noticed when they first met.
He smiled to himself, anticipating the time they would spend together as they continued their research. There was something about Felicity that drew him in, a kindred spirit who shared his passion for uncovering knowledge.
He couldn’t wait to see where their investigation would lead them, both in terms of the island’s history and their growing connection. At least he felt a connection to Felicity.
Did she feel anything toward him?
As he stared out the window, his mind was full of ideas for their next steps. Tomorrow, he would suggest they go to the mainland and visit the big regional library to search for any historical records that might shed light on Prince Lawrence’s visits. And perhaps, if the timing was right, he would ask Felicity to join him for dinner at one of the local restaurants before heading back to the island. The thought of spending more time with her, both in and out of their research, filled him with something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
He took one last look out the window, his mind still swirling with thoughts of the island’s mysteries and the intriguing woman who had become his partner in unraveling them.