Chapter 22
B everly lifted her head as the bell over the door jingled, and she smiled. Eleanor entered with Jonah at her side, his hand resting gently at the small of her back. They made their way to Eleanor’s usual corner table.
Every Tuesday, for as long as Beverly could remember, Eleanor arrived for breakfast and sat at the same table. But now Jonah joined her. The change in routine might have seemed small to others, but in Magnolia Key, where traditions were as predictable as the tides, it felt significant.
“Good morning, Beverly,” Eleanor called, settling herself into her chair.
“Morning, Eleanor. Jonah.” Beverly grabbed two menus and headed their way.
Eleanor waved off the menus. “No need. I’ll have my usual, and Jonah will have?—”
“The veggie omelet with wheat toast,” he finished, smiling at Beverly.
She nodded, tucking the menus under her arm. “Coffee for both?”
“Please,” they answered in unison, then exchanged a glance that made Beverly feel like she was intruding on something private.
She returned with coffee, two mugs, and cream for Eleanor.
“Thank you, dear.” Eleanor nodded.
“It’s nice to see you two enjoying breakfast together.”
Eleanor’s cheeks colored slightly. “Well, it made sense. Jonah’s been so kind, letting Cliff and me stay with him while the repairs are being done. It’s the least I can do to treat him to breakfast.”
“Ellie,” Jonah said gently, “you don’t need to explain having breakfast with me.”
Her blush deepened, and Beverly had to bite back a smile. She’d never seen Miss Eleanor— no, Eleanor —looking so flustered.
“And how are the plans coming for the fundraiser?” Jonah asked, steering the conversation in a new direction.
“Really well.” She poured their coffee. “Tori is letting us use the theater next Saturday. Cliff’s been amazing at getting donations for the silent auction.”
The door chimed again, and she glanced over to see Dale rushing in, his hair windblown and eyes wide with excitement.
“There you are!” he called out, spotting Eleanor. “I knew I’d find you here. I need to talk to you.”
Eleanor set down her coffee cup. “Dale, we’re having breakfast.”
“It’s about Vera,” Dale said, slightly out of breath but keeping his voice low. “And Prince Lawrence.”
Eleanor’s expression changed, and she straightened in her chair. “Well, don’t just stand there. Join us.”
Dale pulled out a chair at their table and sat down, nodding hello to Beverly and Jonah.
“What have you found?” Eleanor asked.
Dale pulled a folder from his messenger bag and extracted a piece of paper. “This,” he said, sliding it across the table. “Look, that’s Vera. And Prince Lawrence.”
Eleanor picked up the paper. She studied it closely, her eyes narrowing as she examined the image. After a long moment, she nodded. “Yes, that’s Vera.”
Beverly leaned in to get a better look. The black-and-white photograph showed a young woman in an elegant dress standing beside a handsome man in formal attire. They were posed in front of what looked like a castle.
“Where did you find this?” Eleanor asked, still staring at the photo.
“I was actually doing some research on castles in Switzerland, nothing to do with Magnolia Key’s history.
But I came upon an article from a paper in Switzerland.
” Dale’s eyes were bright with excitement.
“I emailed the paper, and they sent me this copy of a photo from their archive. The caption identifies her as Miss Vera Whitmore of Magnolia Key and him as His Royal Highness, Prince Lawrence of Bardonzia.”
“What year was this?”
“Nineteen-thirty-five. And once I knew the location, I did some more digging. Your great-aunt Vera and Lawrence lived in Switzerland in that castle you see behind them in the photo.” He paused. “And they both died in Switzerland many years later.”
“But what about Lawrence’s wife? And wasn’t he to become king of Bardonzia?”
“His wife died of influenza, in nineteen-thirty.”
“But he was king, wasn’t he? Why would he move to Switzerland?”
“He never became king. He gave up his birthright, and his brother became king after their father died.”
“He gave up all that for Vera?”
Dale nodded. “He did. He must have loved her very much. And they got married.” He dug in his bag again. “Look, here’s a photo from their wedding.”
Eleanor stared at the photo. “My family sent her away, practically exiled her, when there were rumors about her and Lawrence. They couldn’t abide with talk about the Whitmore name. It’s no wonder she never contacted us to let us know where she was or that she was happily married to Lawrence.”
Beverly watched as Eleanor’s fingers traced the outlines of the figures in the photograph. The older woman’s expression softened, and for a moment, she saw something unexpected in Eleanor’s eyes—was it wistfulness?
“I should go get your food,” Beverly said, feeling like an intruder in their moment. She hurried to the kitchen, and when she returned, Dale was gone. Eleanor was sitting quietly, and Jonah was sipping his coffee.
“You okay, Eleanor?” she asked as she placed their food on the table.
Eleanor nodded thoughtfully. “I am. After all these years, I finally know that Vera had her happy ending.”
Eleanor walked beside Jonah along the sunlit sidewalks back to his cottage.
Jonah unlocked the door and held it for her.
Winston trotted up to meet them, then immediately headed to his bed in the corner of the living room.
She smiled as the dog turned in three circles before settling down with a contented sigh. At least that was a familiar routine.
“Would you like some tea?” Jonah asked, heading toward the kitchen.
“That sounds lovely.” She sat on the comfortable armchair by the window, feeling unsettled.
Jonah returned a few minutes later with two steaming mugs of tea and handed one to her. “Sorry, I don’t have fancy teacups like you have at your home. But don’t worry, we’ll get you settled back home in a few days.”
It surprised her that she no longer longed to move back into her home where she lived alone with Winston. She’d gotten used to quiet mornings with Jonah and playing card games with Cliff at night.
Jonah sat down in the chair opposite her and studied her face. “You were quiet on the walk home. Are you okay?” he asked, concern etching his features.
She took a sip of her tea before looking up at him. “I am. Just… thoughtful.”
“About what?”
She set her mug down on the small wooden table beside her. “About so many things. About Vera. About all the pieces we’ve found out about her over the months.”
“It has been quite the trail of breadcrumbs, hasn’t it?”
She nodded. “First, there was that rolled canvas Beverly found in her office—the painting of Bardonzia. How strange that something so significant was tucked away and forgotten all these years.”
“And you said Maxine found the coded letter from Vera in an old purse,” Jonah added.
“Yes. Then they found Vera’s pendant at Tori’s theater during the renovations and the hidden letters from Lawrence under the floor of Jenna’s cottage, the cottage Vera used to live in.”
She sipped on her tea for a few moments. “And then the letter from Lawrence to Vera that was found hidden at Darlene’s B&B. All these little pieces of their story scattered across our island like a treasure hunt… like it was meant for us—for me—to find. To finally find out the truth about Vera.”
“Maybe it was fate poking you in the right direction.”
Eleanor stood and walked to the window, gazing out at Jonah’s garden.
“I’ve always wondered what happened to Vera, you know.
All these years, I pictured her living out her life lonely, all alone.
” She turned back to face Jonah. “The Whitmores didn’t speak of her much, if ever.
There was always this… shadow over her memory.
This sense that she’d done something inappropriate by falling in love with Lawrence. ”
“Times were different then,” Jonah said gently.
“Yes, they were. The family thought she’d tarnished the Whitmore name with all those rumors about her and Lawrence. But no matter how the family insisted she marry one of the so-called proper men her father paraded before her, she refused.”
“She sounds like a strong, determined woman.”
“I admire her so much. I wish…” She turned to Jonah. “I wish I’d been as strong as she was. That I would have chosen you.”
“Ah, Ellie, we can’t change the past.”
“No, we can’t. But I wish I could change what my family did to her. Sending her away. I never saw her again. But now…” A smile tugged at her lips. “Now I know she and Lawrence found each other again. Despite everything, despite everyone who tried to keep them apart.”
Jonah rose and joined her by the window, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “And she lived happily ever after with her prince,” he quipped with a grin.
She leaned into him, feeling his warmth against her. “Yes, she did. In a castle, no less.”
Jonah turned her around to face him. “You know, I think people should always believe in what their heart is telling them. Like I think we should, Ellie. We’ve gotten to know each other better with you staying here in my home since the hurricane.
We’ve gotten to know the people we’ve become.
And… I don’t want to live without you, Ellie.
Without seeing you first thing every morning and last thing every night. ”
Her heart seemed to freeze in her chest as his words sank in. She stared at him, her mind spinning with a thousand thoughts as he lowered himself to one knee before her. He looked up at her with such openness, such vulnerability.
“Will you marry me, Ellie?”
The world around her seemed to go silent. Even Winston lifted his head from his bed in the corner, watching them with curious eyes. Her hand fluttered to her chest.
Marriage. At her age. It seemed almost absurd—and yet, looking down at Jonah, his eyes filled with hope and love, it felt utterly right.