Chapter 6
Clara woke early for work, anxious to see if there were any more boxes from Victoria”s estate delivered. If the boxes were brought to her, it would make her feel much better. The idea of breaking the law didn”t thrill her.
But she was determined to get to the bottom of Samuel and Eleanor’s story.
She got to work early, making sure she put a little more care into her appearance in anticipation of seeing James. It was fun to date. Her self-esteem was healthier than ever. Knowing a man could find her attractive and want to be with her was a huge ego boost.
She”d only been at work an hour when James walked in carrying a bouquet of wildflowers and Clara”s favorite coffee. The unexpected gesture left her feeling spoiled, and she couldn”t help but smile as he presented the gifts.
“These are for you,” James said, handing her the flowers and coffee. “I thought they might brighten your day.”
Clara, genuinely touched, thanked him and placed the bouquet on the desk. “They have absolutely brightened my day. Thank you.”
“I was hoping I could keep digging into your history books,” he said.
“Of course,” she nodded. “While you do that, I”m going to dig into more of Victoria”s boxes. Maybe I”ll get lucky and find one of the journals.”
“Divide and conquer,” he smiled.
As she sifted through old, musty books, Clara”s determination grew. It wasn”t just her own curiosity driving her; she understood the significance of solving this mystery for James”s grandfather. She didn”t know the man, but she wanted to help give an old man his last wish.
After searching through a couple of boxes, she ventured out to check on James.
“How”s it going?” Clara asked.
He pulled on one of the binders. “Samuel is mentioned in this newspaper article,” he said. “It”s about a year before he disappeared. It says he was supposed to take over the family business. There is also a woman mentioned. Her family was from New York City. Apparently, it was an affluent family, and the match was essentially arranged if I”m reading between the lines correctly.”
“Was he seeing Eleanor at the time?”
James shook his head. “I don”t know. They kept their romance pretty quiet. My grandfather said his father didn”t know until after she was gone.”
Clara bit her lip, mulling over the information. “So, if he was betrothed to this rich New Yorker while possibly seeing Eleanor... that could definitely have sparked a scandal.”
James nodded, running his fingers along the edge of the newspaper clipping. “It adds another list of suspects. If that affluent family found out Samuel was ditching their daughter, they might have tried to get revenge.”
“Do we know anything about what happened to the woman from New York?” Clara asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Not much. She”s mentioned as being engaged to Samuel, but then there”s no trace of a wedding or even a break-up in the paper.”
“That”s strange,” Clara said, frowning. “You”d think there would be some mention of it, especially if her family was as prominent as you say.”
James nodded. “Exactly. It”s like she just disappeared from the public eye completely.”
“Perhaps it”s a dead-end,” Clara suggested. “Maybe it doesn”t have anything to do with Samuel and Eleanor.”
“Maybe,” James said, although he didn”t sound convinced. “But it still feels relevant. I”ll see if I can dig up more on her later.”
A customer came in, pulling Clara from James. She took care of some of her regular duties while keeping a close eye on James as he worked. She was scanning in the returns when James leaned against the counter.
She looked up and smiled. “What”s up?”
“Have dinner with me. It doesn”t need to be shop talk. Just us.”
“I like the sound of that, but I have a better idea.”
“Oh?”
“Come over. I”ll make dinner. I get off at five.”
“That sounds like a very good idea,” he nodded. “I”ll be there. Can I bring anything?”
“Just you,” she replied.
After work, Clara rushed home to get started on dinner. It had been a long time since Clara had cooked for anyone. She found herself enjoying the act of preparing a meal for James. She had reached for her favorite recipe book and decided on a comforting Italian dish. As she chopped and sautéed, her thoughts kept wandering back to James. His family secrets were like a thrilling novel she could not put down.
At five-thirty sharp, the doorbell rang. Clara’s heart fluttered as she opened the door to find James in casual attire, carrying a bottle of red wine. He entered the house, instantly filling the space with warmth and coziness only he could bring.
He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “It smells amazing in here.”
“Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes.”
“Should I open the wine?” he offered.
“Please.”
She set the table, lighting a couple of candles to set the mood. As they ate, Clara couldn”t help but notice the comfortable dynamic between them. The sense of trust and companionship that had developed between them gave her hope for the future.
“I think it”s really cool you take care of your grandfather,” Clara said.
“I wouldn”t have it any other way. Where we”re from, he”s kind of a local legend. He worked as a hiking guide until he was seventy. He taught me everything I know.”
“Sounds like a remarkable man,” Clara replied, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
James nodded, a soft smile curling his lips. “He is. Always full of stories too. He actually told me once that the secret to a long life is not allowing your shoes to get worn out.”
They both laughed. “What does that even mean?” she asked.
“I think it”s his way of saying to keep moving, keep exploring,” James explained, a fond look in his eyes. “Don”t let life wear you out.”
Clara chuckled, loving the odd nugget of wisdom. “That”s quite profound. I”ll have to remember that.”
James leaned back, stretching his legs under the table. “He”s full of sayings like that,” he said with a shake of his head. “Some make more sense than others.”
After they finished their meal, Clara suggested they move to the living room to review the information they had gathered. She brought out the journal and the notebook she”d been using to make notes about what she found.
“Wow,” James nodded. “You”ve really been dissecting this thing.”
“I might be a little obsessed,” she mumbled. “I could care less about the necklace. I want to know if they got to be together. I know it isn”t likely, but wouldn”t that be incredible if they did? What if they ran away together like they were in the witness protection program? She couldn”t reach out to your grandfather because it would endanger them.”
“That”s a good story, but I think we all know it”s unlikely.”
“But isn”t that the very essence of mystery?” Clara asked. “It”s all about the improbable, the impossible even, turning out to be true.”
James chuckled, the sound reverberating through the room. “You”ve got a point there, Clara. And who knows? Maybe we”ll stumble upon something that will prove us both wrong.”
“Will you tell your grandfather if we do find proof Eleanor ran off?”
He thought about it. “Yes. Either way, he needs to know what happened. It might hurt him to know she abandoned them, but he will at least know what happened to her. Maybe we can find where she”s buried.”
“Buried?”
“She would be a hundred and fifteen,” he laughed. “I have no illusions we”re going to find her alive.”
“Good point.”
For the rest of the evening, they poured over the documents and notes they had collected. Every now and then, their hands would brush against each other as they passed a paper or pointed at a line in the journal. Their eyes would meet for a brief moment before they would shyly look away. As the night went on, she felt herself growing fonder of him.
Suddenly, Clara’s fingers brushed against an old photograph sandwiched between the worn pages of the journal. It was a sepia-toned image of a young woman with kind eyes and a shy smile. The woman bore an uncanny resemblance to Eleanor”s description in the journal. “James, look at this,” Clara said, holding out the photograph.
James took it from her, his brow furrowing as he studied it closely. “It looks like it could be Eleanor,” he mused. He flipped it over, checking the back for any writing. “It doesn”t say, but I bet it is.”
“You should show it to your grandfather,” Clara said. “He”ll know.”
“I wonder why Victoria had it?”
“Maybe she found it,” Clara offered.
He studied the picture for a few more seconds. “You”re okay if I take this?”
“Of course.”
“You know what we have to do,” he said.
She nodded, knowing exactly what he was going to say. “Should we plan for tomorrow night?”
“Yes. We”re going back in. Together.”
“I should probably tell you I”m not going to last long in an interrogation,” she joked. “I”ll give up your name in a heartbeat.”
“I”ll keep that in mind,” he laughed.