Letters in Time, Reiss Susan [read me a book TXT] 📗

bed, on her knees. Could that be what Daniel was suggesting?

TJ was still trying to catch his breath. “Before sun up. Something woke me. There it was on the desk. What he said about the miniature reminded me… I had to run up to the house and that is where I found this.” TJ held out his hand and opened it. A painted oval miniature with a silver chain lay in his palm. “I remembered my mother put a jumble of things in a small box. It took me a while to find it, but here he is. Daniel.”

Daniel.

My fingers trembled as I picked up Emma’s necklace. The painting wasn’t refined, an effort by a fledgling artist. Even though it was small, it was easy to see that the face of the dark-haired young man was handsome, filled with compassion. His dark brown eyes were alive and his full lips were about to draw up into a smile. Emma had added some redness to his cheeks that may have been a result of his time working on the plantation. He had a well-shaped chin and a nose that blended with his other features. I thought she had captured the essence of the young man who was writing letters to me.

“Emma?” TJ spoke softly. “Emma?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said with a start. “Thank you for finding the necklace. It’s amazing to see a portrait of—”

“A ghost.”

I raised my eyes to TJ’s face. The mask of disbelief and suspicion was gone. “You believe me?” My words quivered.

“I think I have to. If this is a hoax, you deserve a gold star for pulling off such an elaborate deception. But I don’t see how you could have known about the necklace. Yes, I do believe you, but I think we should keep this between us, don’t you think?”

Looking back at the miniature, it took me only a moment to agree. It was good to see Daniel’s face, finally. I wasn’t surprised that he had a sweet expression. Somehow his personality—his compassion, his loyalty—came through in his letters. “I wish…”

He waited, but finally had to ask, “What do you wish?”

“I wish there was some way to reunite them.”

TJ took off his ball cap, ran his fingers through his hair, and resettled it on his head in a gesture born of nerves or deep thought. "I don't know how to do that. Usually, people who loved one another in life are buried next to each other, that whole idea of spending eternity together."

“But Daniel was murdered someplace in Virginia during the Civil War. His body was probably tumbled into a mass or unmarked grave.” I could hear the tears of regret in my voice.

“So, that’s not an option. I suppose we could put a headstone next to hers in the family cemetery,” TJ suggested. “What do you think?”

I sighed, looking at the Lone Oak across the creek, my fingers playing with the chain.

“Emma? What do you think of the idea of a headstone for Daniel?” TJ asked again.

“Sit down and let me talk through a jumble of thoughts.”

He settled into a chair and Ghost rested his head on TJ’s thigh and they waited.

“The idea of a headstone is a nice gesture,” I said. “Only, it’s obvious that Daniel’s spirit is restless or he wouldn’t be writing these letters.” I looked up at the man and his dog and said gently, “TJ, I don’t think he realizes that he’s dead.”

I noticed a little shiver run through TJ’s body. He was as unsettled by the thought as I was.

I went on, thinking aloud. “What if Emma’s spirit is still out there longing for Daniel? What if there was a way to reunite them?”

His eyes grew wide as the significance of my words hit him. “You want to have a séance?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t need a séance to connect with Daniel. No, it might be something simple. Remember Daniel seems to be chained to the desk. What if Emma is…” my words trailed off. I had run out of ideas.

Thankfully, TJ carried the idea along. “What if Emma is connected to something, too?”

“Or some place. Remember the background of her portrait.” I pointed to the Lone Oak.

He craned his head. “Yes, and there was a stand of crepe myrtle. But the perspective is all wrong.” He looked at his watch. “Look, I’ve got some things to do today including a trip to the Western Shore. You keep thinking about what we might do. I’ll walk along the shoreline and see what I can see.” He stood and pointed a finger at me. “Don’t you go traipsing around in the grasses and weeds! If you fall, I might never find you. We can talk again tomorrow.” He pulled out his phone, ready to get on with his schedule. “I think you’ve accomplished a lot for one day.” He added softly, “You made me a believer.”

I held out the necklace with the miniature to him. He shook his head. "No, you keep it safe. Maybe it will inspire you."

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“If an invitation is issued, an acceptance or regret must be issued if it includes R.S.V.P. =Repondez s’il vous plait – answer if you please.”

How to Write Letters

by Professor J. Willis Westlake, 1883

I spent the rest of the day puttering around the Cottage, racking my brain for an idea of how to reunite the lovers. I was tempted to walk along the shoreline to find the perspective where Emma’s portrait was painted, but TJ was right. If I fell, he’d never find me in the thick