“Why would a change purse have a picture inside?” Carla asked.
“There’s definitely something there.” Linda passed the bag to Pat.
“We need a magnifying glass,” she said.
“Well, let me just whip mine out of my bra,” Deb said.
“You’d need a magnifying glass to see what’s in your bra,” Pat shot back.
“Does anyone have one in their sewing kit?” Aury asked.
“At the hotel,” Carla offered. “I’m not sure which bag I shoved it into, though.”
The ladies passed the leather pouch around, each guessing what it could be.
“It’s too faded to make out,” Suzanne said.
“Maybe it isn’t a picture. Maybe it’s just scratch marks from when it was made,” Carla said.
“It could be a maker’s seal,” Linda suggested.
“I wonder why the pouch was still hidden? If the kids couldn’t figure out the puzzle, you’d think Mary would have given them clues until they got it.” Aury pulled out a chair and plopped down.
“They must have been interrupted,” Linda said.
“Someone could have gotten sick,” Carla said. “Sickness lasted a long time in those days, and they might have forgotten about the game.”
“Good morning, ladies!” Scott’s warm voice called from the doorway.
“In here,” Aury called.
Scott entered the library bearing a tray of sandwiches and placed it on the coffee table. “The path is almost clear. You’ll be able to make it home today,” he said.
The ladies cheered at the news.
“We still can’t get a car in here, so you’ll have to walk most of the way. We have a cart waiting on the other side of where the road caved in to take you out to the road,” Scott explained.
“No offense, Scott, but I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again,” Linda said.
“None taken. You’ve all been troopers, and I appreciate your patience.”
“Aury has kept us busy with a treasure hunt,” Carla said.
“Ah, yes, the treasure hunt. How’s it going?”
“We’ve found three clues so far. This morning we found what we think was a change purse.” Aury handed him the open pouch. She pointed to the mark on the inside.
Scott squinted at the picture. “What is it?”
“No idea. We thought you might know,” Linda said.
He looked again. “It doesn’t look like anything in particular.”
“It came with a clue,” Linda said. She read it to him.
Scott handed the bag to Aury. “You have your work cut out for you. Think you’ll figure it out before dinner? I could use a buried treasure to rebuild this place.”
“We’ll do our best.”
“I’ll be back in a few hours to help the first two of you to the path.”
“We’ll be ready. Carla, I think you and Linda should go first. You have people waiting for you at home,” Aury said.
“You’ll get no argument from me,” Carla said.
Aury followed Scott to the front of the house. “How bad is the damage?”
“Bad,” he admitted. “I was barely making the payments before. I don’t think I’ll be able to recover from this.”
“Won’t the insurance help?”
“It will pay for some repairs, but with a storm this size, the insurance companies will be swamped. And I’ll lose money from the other organizations I had booked to come in over the next six months.” Scott forced a smile. “But there’s a reason for everything.”
“Maybe you’ll be able to take the insurance money and build your new hall sooner than planned,” Aury said.
“Good thought,” Scott said. “Well, see you in a little while.”
Aury watched him go, thinking how nice it would be to find a treasure for him.
Chapter 16
When Aury reentered the house, she found the ladies gathered in the dining room.
“Hey, Aury, want to join us? I found a deck of cards in my bedroom,” Suzanne said.
“Not now. I think I’m going to head over to the motel while it’s still light and see what we can save.”
“I’ll go with you,” Pat said. “I need to get out of this house for a while.”
“Should we all go?” Carla asked.
Aury thought about the trek through the woods and the debris that might block the path. “I don’t think so. Let Pat and I check it out first, and we’ll let you know what we find. Why don’t you give us your car keys? We may be able to put some things into your cars if they aren’t too wet.”
“I left mine in my room,” Linda said. “But my room’s unlocked. I was in B-three.”
Only Suzanne had her car keys with her, but the others told Pat and Aury where to find theirs. Fortunately, Carla thought she left her keys next to her sewing machine rather than in her room. Aury didn’t think she would be able to unblock the door to Carla’s room. She’d have to mention that to Scott. Maybe he could bring something for them to cut the brush.
Pat and Aury left the others to their card game and set off through the woods. The ground was saturated from the deluge, and puddles dotted the path.
“It’s a shame. It’s pretty out here when the sun is shining,” Pat said.
Aury agreed. “It’s hard to believe there was such a big storm only a few days ago.”
Fallen trees had blocked the path in several places. In some areas, they were able to climb over, but in others, they had to backtrack to find a way through the thicket. When they emerged into the clearing, their clothes were soaked through.
In the daylight, the damage to the motel looked worse than it had in the middle of the night. Many fallen trees had hit the building in addition to those that blocked safe passage for the vehicles.
Pat and Aury climbed through the broken window into the work area where the sewing machines were. The sour smell of wet cloth permeated the air. The majority of the damage was at the front of the room where a tree had punched a hole through the roof. Water dripped from various places in the ceiling where it must have traveled along the rafters to settle in low spots.
Sighing, Pat headed toward the kitchen area. “I’ll grab some trash bags. Let’s take what we think is worth saving. We can sort it out later.”
Aury found one of the wagons they had used to haul boxes and equipment from the cars. She went from table to table, gathering sewing machines and quilting notions. Luckily, she knew where everyone had been sitting and was able to match their items to their cars.
Because both doors were blocked, they propped open a window at the front of the motel and passed things through the opening. It was slow at first, but they got into a rhythm. It took a few hours, but together Pat and Aury were able to clean out most of the workspace.
Suzanne’s car was damaged, so they had to split her belongings into two other cars for eventual transport. Pat tied up the damp cloth in garbage bags.
“We’ll need to wash this as soon as possible so it doesn’t mildew. Some of it we can take to the house and lay it out to dry if you don’t mind carrying things.”
“Let’s put some of the bigger pieces out on the cars. Then we won’t have as much to haul,” Aury suggested.
“Good call. I’m surprised so much of it stayed dry. We were lucky a tree didn’t go through the roof.”
They spread the largest pieces out on the hoods of the cars that weren’t covered with debris. From the largest downed trees, they hung fabric over the branches. Aury stepped back and admired their work while Pat pulled a cell phone from her pocket and snapped a picture.
“This is one for the scrapbooks,” she said.
Chapter 17
As promised, Scott returned, but it had been more than a few hours. This time he came bearing bags of cold cuts, bread, and cheese along with a cooler full of drinks. “Sorry for the delay. It took longer than we thought.” He set the items on the kitchen table. “Grab some food, and we’ll get going before it gets dark.”
“Aury, your grandmother called me back to check on you,” Scott said.
That brought a smile to Aury’s lips.
“She said she’s sorry she missed this retreat, seeing as you are having so much fun without her.”
“She must be feeling better,” Aury said.
“I’m to tell you she’s fine and staying where she is until they get the electricity situation sorted out. She’s keeping the others entertained by teaching them games she played when she was younger.”
Aury knew many of those games. Her grandmother had taught them to her when Aury stayed overnight. Gran didn’t have a television set. She said it made for a lazy brain. Instead, she taught Aury logic puzzles and riddles.
“She would love the scavenger hunt,” Aury said.
“We could use her help with some of these clues,” Suzanne said.
“Maybe you can bring her out once we get everything cleaned up,” Scott suggested.
Carla wiped her hands on a paper towel. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s get going.”
“Do you need to get anything?” Scott asked.
Linda shook her head.
“Nope. Everything is at the motel, and the door to my room is blocked,” Carla said.
“Oh, yeah,” Aury said. “Do you think you could bring something to cut away some of the branches so we can get into the rooms?”
“I’ll try on the next trip. You won’t be able to haul all your stuff out, though, until we can get a vehicle out here. Is there anything you have to have?”
They all shook their heads.
“I’ll still see what I can do. Alan’s waiting for us. He’s going to drive you to town,” Scott said.
“Let’s not do the next retreat during hurricane season,” Linda said as she hugged Aury.
Aury laughed. “Where’s your sense of adventure? Think about the story we’ll have to tell when we talk about our quilts.”
“See if you can find the treasure without us. That will be a great story,” Carla said.
Aury walked with them as far as the hole in the road. The ground was still wet and extremely muddy in parts, so it took them over a half hour to reach the makeshift path around the hole.
Scott and Alan had cut the branches into the woods to the side of the trail. Alan helped Linda and Carla pick their way over hidden roots and underbrush. Once on the other side, they loaded into the four-wheel drive mini-Jeep waiting for them. It was open to the elements, but better than walking the last three miles to the road.
It was getting dark under the trees by the time they got settled. “I don’t think we can make another trip tonight,” Aury said.
Scott frowned. “I think you’re right. I’m sorry. I thought we’d make better time.”
“Don’t worry about it. We can hang out for another night. Just bring more coffee in the morning?”
“Will do. Thanks for your patience,” Scott said.
Aury waved before heading down the path toward the manor house.
Chapter 18
You’re up bright and early,” Pat said when she found Aury sitting in the kitchen the next morning.
“I kept thinking about our treasure hunt. After we found the first clue, we never went back to the diary. I thought since Mary Townsend put the first clue in there, maybe she wrote down the rest as well.”
“And?”
“No such luck. Let me read you some passages.
“I was right. Sarah got the first clue right away. When she puzzled out the second clue, I was pleased to see she did not speak the answer aloud. She waited and coaxed Frederick until he was able to discover the answer for himself.
“Then later she writes:
“The weather has turned much for the better, but the children want to continue with the hunt. I stay up late at night designing new clues to keep them entertained.
Sarah has taken to uncovering the clues on her own but leaving them for Frederick to find in his own time. His young attention span does not match hers.
“That’s the last time she mentions the treasure hunt. There’s quite a bit more about the running of the household, how her garden fared through the storms, and her plans to make new clothes when James returns. But listen to this.” Aury flipped through the diary until she found what she was looking for.
“February 15, 1862. James and Noah still have not returned. I am concerned as James does not typically leave for such a long stretch. Perhaps the weather early on delayed them.”
She turned a few more pages.
“March 3, 1862. I have heard explosions in the distance. The sound carries across the river. We should be safe as we are far enough away that no one will chance upon us by accident. Since James has been gone with the horses, we have no way to plant the crops he planned. With no crops to take or destroy, we should avoid the interest of both sides of the fighting.
“We should at least take some precautions. I must prepare the children.
“There are a few more entries but then her diary ends quite abruptly,” Aury said, closing the book and reclining in her seat.
“What is the date of the last entry?” Debbie asked.
“March 1862.”
Pat opened a bottle of the room temperature water. “I wonder what she did to prepare the children.”
“Or if they even made it through the war. Why would she stop writing?”
“Or leave her diary behind if she didn’t have to?” Pat added.
The two were lost in their thoughts when Suzanne and Debbie joined them in the kitchen. Aury filled them in on what she had read.
“That makes the hunt a little less fun, thinking about what might have happened to the woman who made it up,” said Debbie.
“Do you want to quit?” Suzanne asked her.
“Hell, no. There still might be hidden treasure, and I mean to find it.” Debbie grabbed a package of crackers from their food stash in the middle of the table.
“Hello?”
“We’re in here,” Aury called.
Scott followed the sound of her voice into the kitchen. As promised, he carried a thermos of coffee and a paper sack of pastries.
The ladies ripped into the food unceremoniously. The coffee had lost some of its heat on its trip to the manor house, but it was fresh and comforting.
While they ate, Scott filled them in on the outside world. “Power is still out on this side of the river. Some people have generators.” He gestured to the coffee. “But for the most part, the town is sleeping as businesses wait for their turn on the power repair list. This far out, you can imagine how low we are in the order of priority.”
“What about Williamsburg? Have you heard anything?” Suzanne asked.
“The center of town has power again, but they’re estimating five to six days before they can get to the neighborhoods. The hardware stores are giving away water by the case in their parking lots. The lines at the gas pumps are ridiculous because everyone wants gas for their generators.”
“Not much to go home to,” Pat said.
“But there’s food in my pantry,” Debbie said.
“You and your stomach. The two of you are very close,” Pat said.
“That’s because we have a lot in common!”
The others smiled.
“Who’s ready to go home? I can take two more on this run and return for the last two,” Scott said.
“I’ll wait,” offered Aury.
“Me too,” Pat said.
Debbie grabbed another doughnut. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Suzanne and Debbie hugged the other two women. “We’re counting on you to find the treasure,” Suzanne said.
“We’ll try not to disappoint,” Pat answered.
When they had gone, Pat put the dirty coffee cups into the sink. “I hope they remember to wash this stuff when the power comes on or it’s going to be nasty.”
“I wonder how long this place has been boarded up?”
“They u
sed to rent it out for weddings and events. My mom said she’s been here.” Pat ran her hand through the dust on the countertop.
“I would have liked to see it back then. Can’t you imagine the dining room set for an elegant dinner?”
“Who would have thought you were such a romantic?” Pat brushed her hands together. “What do you want to do now?”
“Let’s focus on our hunt. We’re running out of time,” Aury said.
Pat followed her into the dining room. She picked up the piece of paper while Aury went for the leather pouch.
“We should have grabbed a magnifying glass when we were at the motel,” Pat said.
“Ta-da!” Aury pulled a small object from her pocket. “I’m sure Carla won’t mind. I found it when we were packing the cars.”
She took the small bag closer to the window and opened it wide for better lighting. She moved the glass until she found the right distance for the most clarity.
“I don’t think it’s a whole picture. I think it’s part of something.” She passed the glass to Pat.
Pat studied it. “I think it’s a drawing, not a photo.”
Aury took the glass again. Peering closely, her eyes squinted in concentration. “It looks so familiar. It’s like having a word on the tip of your tongue but you can’t think of it. Will you read the clue again?”
Pat read the poem aloud.
“Listen for toads
With water in sight.
Find the crag in the rock
That catches the light.”
“Well, that’s obviously the pond,” Aury said.
“It sounds obvious, but Mary Townsend could be a tricky lady. It’s a good place to start though.”
They walked to the pond that separated the motel from the dining hall. It was still muddy because little grass remained along the path. The pelting rain had added a slick slime to the hard-packed dirt.
As they walked, they kept their eye on the pond, expecting to catch some glint of light.
“It has been almost two hundred years. What if the crag in the rock is gone?” Pat asked.
“Then we have spent a beautiful day enjoying a walk by the pond. No harm done.”
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