by Lynn Wolfe
“Agnes, you should have waited for me before you started doing the heavy cleaning. You know I’m more than capable of helping. You might want to wipe that smudge off your nose, too,” Mary suggested with a laugh.
“Miss Mary, your helping wouldn’t seem right. You ‘re now the owner of the plantation; you needn’t be bothered by household chores.”
“Oh dear, Agnes, we’re not going to act any differently now than before, are we? The correct answer is, no we’re not, is that understood?” Mary didn’t give Agnes time to reply before she continued. “I’ve brought a few of the things I own and I’ll send Taylor back for the remainder of my things tomorrow. Now, what have you done so far and what’s left to do?”
“I’ve finished the downstairs cleaning and placed Nettie’s personal items in a box for you to go through. I assumed you’d have me stay in the same bedroom downstairs I’d shared with Nettie. I also have some sandwiches prepared for lunch when you’re ready to eat.
“I thought you might be coming here, today. Then, if you wish, I thought I’d go to work on the upstairs.”
“We could go to work on the upstairs! My thoughts exactly! That is, lunch first and then we can see what’s in the upstairs bedrooms that Nettie has kept from everyone. Although, I hate to think of how many spiders and critters made their homes upstairs undisturbed. Agnes, you might hear me let out a good scream or two if I should see something moving.”
Agnes chuckled. “Aye and we best cover our heads while we clean! I’d often offered to dust and sweep upstairs but Nettie wouldn’t allow me. She said someday the dust will get taken care of. I guess she was waiting for you to come along, Mary!”
After eating their lunch Mary changed into one of her older and very plain dresses. She borrowed an apron from Agnes and wrapped her head in a bandana. She and Agnes were now ready to enter the first bedroom at the top of the stairs. Mary knew by the location of the door in the hallway, that the bedroom went back towards the front of the house similar to the library below. She assumed there’d be a fireplace above the one in the library and she wasn’t disappointed. The fireplace was an exact replica of the one downstairs. She’d have to have Taylor make sure the fireplace was still in working order before she chanced lighting a fire.
“I think this shall be my bedroom,” Mary said, satisfied with the size of the room and the lovely fireplace. However, she saw the mattress was covered in dust, as was the furniture and the trunks and chests that dotted the room. Mary was certain no one had ever bothered to open the trunks and chests by the amount of dust coating them. They appeared to have been placed in the middle of the room and left there. Why would Nettie have left this room in this condition?
“Agnes, do you think Nettie ever wondered what these trunks and chests held? And why are they just sitting in the middle of the room?”
“This is what I know, Miss Mary. When Nettie got word her husband had been lost at sea, she had what was left of his belongings from his storage building he had in Baltimore, brought here. When they delivered them, she had them placed in the various rooms upstairs. She told me she never opened any of the trunks or chests. In fact, I believe, she never entered into their bedroom after the first night she learned of his passing. She chose to sleep in the smaller guest room just across the hall.
“After she closed his office in Baltimore, along with disbursing his things from the storage building, she closed the other rooms upstairs except for her bedroom. Only after her accident, was I allowed to get some of her things from her room. Once I completed that task, only Taylor has been allowed upstairs to verify there were no leaks in the roof.”
Mary just shook her head in wonder. “Strange, isn’t it? Well, first off, let’s remove this mattress and take it outdoors where we can beat the dust off before we tackle the remainder of the room.”
She had Agnes bring them a bucket of warm water to dip their cleaning cloths in, as they took off the first layer of dust. They then took another damp cloth and gathered up the rest. After a couple of hours they had completed their cleaning of the tops of the dressers, trunks and chests. Then they swept the dust off the floor and mopped it clean. Finally the room was ready to be used!
“Are you as interested as I am as to see what these trunks and chests hold?” Mary asked.
“Aye, I’ve always held a curiosity of what Jackson had in the trunks and chests, I can hardly wait to see what we might find!”
Mary decided to open the trunks first. She chose the most ornate trunk to see what it held. She was delighted to find materials of satin, velvet, and a mixture of wonderful calicos. Another ornate trunk held nothing but ladies nightgowns with matching robes. Nettie would have loved these, Mary thought. What a shame she never knew what they held.
“My, my, Miss Mary, what lovely things!”
“Nettie should have enjoyed what Jackson had brought her instead of closing these rooms off. Jackson would have wanted her to have these things he collected.” Mary said. “I guess we’ll never know the reason for Nettie choosing to leave things as they were, Agnes.”
Then Mary went over to the two plain chests. These had been the most difficult to move. She was shocked to the core when she opened the first chest and saw nothing but diamond necklaces, bracelets, jewelry with rubies and emeralds adorning them and diamond tiaras.
“Miss Mary, is what I’m seeing real?”
“I suspect it is, Agnes. I’m almost afraid to open the second chest.” Without touching anything in the first chest, Mary opened the second chest and found it loaded with gold coins, the likes Mary or Agnes had never seen.
Mary quickly put the chest lids down and felt the sweat upon her forehead. “My, I’m at a loss of words. Do you think Nettie had any idea what these chests held, Agnes?”
“I’ve no clue. But this makes me wonder what kind of activity Jackson was involved in. Doesn’t it you? I mean, where did all those jewels and coins come from? In my way of thinking, only a pirate could have taken such bounty.”
“Maybe that’s the reason he wanted Nettie to open the trunks and chests with him. The reason he kept them in the storage building. Yet, why would he put the valuable items in such plain chests? Of course, I guess that answer is obvious, if anyone had broken into his building, maybe they wouldn’t bother with something so plain. Do you agree with my thinking, Agnes?”
“Aye, that’s the only thing that seems to make any sense.”
“We must clean out the closet and place these two chests there for the time being, out of sight. Promise me you’ll not speak of what we have found to anyone.”
“You have my word, Mary. I fear to think what might happen if word got out we were in the possession of such items.”
Mary could only nod. She walked over to the window to clear her mind. What other secrets might they find as they continue to clean the rooms upstairs? What does the attic hold, if anything? Oh, Nettie, what secrets did you keep?
Mary and Agnes spent what was left of the afternoon cleaning out the closet which held nothing but a few dresses and some old blankets and linens. Mary knew they had no need of these items so she set them aside to be given to charity.
They had to push the chests into the closet because they were too heavy for them to lift. Mary barely could close the closet door due to their size. At least they were out of sight. Once they brought the mattress back in, she and Agnes made up the bed with nice clean sheets and a comforter. They worked hard to erase the scratches in the wood floor where they had slid the chests across. They were now barely noticeable.
The next day, which great anticipation, Agnes and Mary tackled the next bedroom. This room held two twin beds, two dressers and two nightstands. The closet held several blankets and extra pillows and dust was everywhere. Again, the mattress had to be taken outside and beat with a broom. The dressers held fine table clothes and napkins. Agnes told Mary this was the bedroom Nettie used after Jackson died. But there was no more jewelry or coin found this day.
All the furniture Mary had co
me across so far had been made out of walnut and was quite heavy. Beautiful lace runners were atop each dresser. Mary hoped they could be brought back to life, for they’d faded considerably due to age and neglect.
There were some old photos of probable family members on top the dressers. What a shame that Agnes had no idea who those people were.
Mary asked Agnes to wash all the table linens and runners and place them downstairs. Mary placed the old pictures in a dresser drawer for now, until she could bring herself to let them go.
In the next room Mary found where Nettie had created her nursery. A baby bed and cradle were set apart by a small dresser. In the dresser Mary found several knitted baby outfits, booties, and blankets. This bedroom closet was empty. They thoroughly cleaned the room and left the baby things in the dresser drawer for the time being. Mary figured this dresser could be cleaned another day. She again regretted she’d never have any need for the beautiful baby items.
Two other bedrooms were completely empty. They needed to wash the walls and the floors needed mopped. The last bedroom held a large bed and three plain trunks. Once they cleaned the mattress and floor, Mary opened the trunks. The first trunk held ivory carvings and small trinkets from Africa. The second trunk held beautiful china. Mary thought the china was possibly an eight piece setting but she couldn’t tell if anything was broke and she didn’t recognize the pattern. She decided she’d have Taylor take this trunk to the kitchen so it could be unpacked, cleaned and then determined what to do with the dishes. The third trunk held maps and ledgers from the ship.
Thank goodness the upstairs cleaning was finished except for the hallway. Mary and Agnes found themselves exhausted after each day of cleaning. Now, the attic was the only part of the house left to be done.
Mary and Agnes were relieved but disappointed to find the attic held only old furniture and a few trunks that held little value. The attic floor was made of oak planks and there was a nice, wide stairway to the widow’s walk. Mary found it odd that Jackson would put a window’s walk on a home that was unable to view the ocean. Mary carefully went up the old steps and walked around the top of the house. Mary found some loose boards and railings that she’d have Taylor fix as soon as he had some free time.
The view was spectacular and Mary felt a sense of awe looking out to the land she now owned. She took a deep breath and for the first time allowed herself to realize how wealthy she truly was. “Oh Nettie, I owe you so much. I hope I do not disappoint you. I’ll try my best to make you proud,” Mary whispered out loud knowing no one could hear.
Mary felt a pull in her heart thinking about England and Minnie. She prayed Minnie was doing well and her health was good. Maybe, someday, she’d go back to London and visit her dear friend. But for now, she must learn to run a plantation and fulfill her promise to Nettie.
Mary asked Agnes to see that all the bedrooms were furnished and to have Taylor make any beds or dressers needed to complete the rooms. Mary and Agnes could pick up new sheets in town and Mary decided she and Agnes could make the quilts and comforters needed once they sorted through what they found.
Chapter Forty-Four
Parker Plantation
James was busy between his horses, crops and helping out his father, as needed, with the shipping company. He knew his father had been concerned something might happen to him before he’d have the final arrangements made for the sale of his company to Charles Pierce, Edward’s nephew.
He’d been meeting with his father every few weeks so he could keep him posted on what still needed to be done to complete the sale of his company if for some reason he took ill or worse.
James was aware he disappointed his father when he showed no interest in taking over the reins of Parker Shipping. Yet, it was a sad circumstance none of the Parker men were going to stay and run the business, started by their grandfather in America, and his father before him in England.
He was pleased Edward Pierce’s nephew had made an offer to buy his father out as long as Clayton would stay on at least a year to teach him the ropes. This would give his father some time to adjust to being retired.
With Edward Pierce financially backing his nephew, his father didn’t have to worry about losing the shipping company for lack of funds in case some catastrophic event occurred. One could easily be put in jeopardy starting out in the shipping business if they lost a ship either by weather or pirates. Edward had plenty of money to replace several ships, if the need should arise.
It was common knowledge that Charles Pierce was a fine young man who seemed to have a good head for business. He was already talking about expanding their trade to even more countries once he took total control. He’d requested to keep the name as Parker Shipping, since that was the name known to many of their established traders, a name known to be a very respectable company. That would give stability to Charles Pierce to possible keep the merchants Clayton had already been established with.
James and his father liked and respected Charles Pierce. He was not only smart; his personality was one that allowed him to gain many friends, of all ages. Charles reminded James of Thomas. They both had a good head for business and they were men who had an easy manner about them, yet hard workers. He felt certain Charles would allow Parker Shipping to remain a top name among those they traded with for many years to come.
He’d agreed to come to Baltimore to meet with his father not only for the sale of the shipping company but because he’d wanted his opinion on the acts of vandalism that had been happening more frequently at the docks. He’d told James a fresh pair of eyes might see something he and others had missed.
James learned that several ship owners found they couldn’t match the goods delivered to their ledgers. His father and a few other ship owners had tried to discovery who was responsible for the missing cargo, but to no avail. Stealing was always a problem on the docks, but these particular thefts didn’t amount to a large amount of money until the last couple of months. Normally they would have discovered the culprit involved in a short amount of time. So far, no one had a clue who was taking their goods, exactly how much was taken, or why. But, the strangest thing about the thefts and vandalism seemed to be, none involved The Parker Shipping Company.
No one was blaming Clayton, yet. But one had to wonder why his was the only company that didn’t have problems.
Clayton informed James they were also trying to figure out if the thefts and the arson were related. So far not much damage had occurred. Fortunately, for Parker Shipping, none of the ships or dock slips involved their company. Was it possible the arsonist and the thief were one and the same? And why had Parker shipping been left alone?
Chapter Forty-Five
For the past several months, Henry Adler had befriended an orphan named Alfred who had been hanging around the docks on the chance someone might hire him to run an errand, or even better, hire him for a few hours work. Many times he’d be given free food out of sympathy by the dock workers, who knew of his plight of being homeless, in exchange for an errand being run or a message delivered.
Henry knew Alfred would be perfect for snooping around to gather information. He found Alfred some decent clothes and made sure he began to eat on a regular basis. He needed Alfred to keep his eyes and ears open for any news of either Clayton or James Parker, coming to the docks.
This particular day, Henry got the news he’d long waited for. Alfred said word had it that Clayton and James Parker would be coming to the dock to meet with the captain of The Emerald, on this coming Friday. They were personally going to oversee the unloading of the cargo in hopes to catch those stealing and causing the problems on the docks.
Since this was only Tuesday, Henry had time to put his plan in place. He had to be sure Chester would be ready at a moment’s notice on Friday, for his murderous plot to work. Even though Henry tried to start rumors that the person or persons involved with the treachery had to work for Parker Shipping, no one took the bait.
The plan was for Cheste
r to rent a carriage for early Friday morning. He was to remain parked on the street leading to the docks until he saw Henry talking with Clayton and James Parker. Henry’s plan was to intercept the Parker men before they went on board The Emerald.
He would signal Chester when the time was right to put their plan into motion by pulling out a white handkerchief and wiping his brow. Once Chester got the horses close enough; Henry would shove James in front of the horse’s hooves. The timing would have to be perfect, but if all went well, this would be the end of Parker.
Henry smiled at the thought of what was to come. “What a shame,” they’ll say, poor James Parker, accidently killed by a team of run-a-way horses. Henry had no doubt that the crowd would gather by the dead body to see who’d had the misfortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. No one would be looking at the carriage that raced away, or for the driver who foolishly couldn’t control the horses, at least not at first. Instead, they’d be stunned at who was killed by such a terrible accident. It would shock all of Baltimore.
Then, while everyone was busy wondering how it happened, Chester would be busy helping Henry steal a chest of gold from the Harrison Shipping Company that they’d discovered earlier when they’d unloaded some cargo. Once that was accomplished, they’d hide the carriage in the alley closest to the end of the dock. There was enough gold to last them the rest of their lives.
So far, no one had noticed Henry and Chester scouting out the ships as they went below to help bring out cargo. They’d been lucky enough to find the cache of gold hidden in a corner of the hold covered by ropes and old rigging. Whether it belonged to the captain or to the owner of the ship, Henry didn’t know. For whatever reason, it was kept hidden.
Even though Henry knew he and Chester could live a life of comfort till their dying days, that wouldn’t satisfy the need for his revenge against those who betrayed him. His whole existence was now founded on the demise of Parker, Thomas and Mary. They must pay for their sins and pay they would.