Southern Treasures

by Coleman, Lynn A.

  Matt stopped at the end of Front Street. “Where do we go from here?”

  “Oh, sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. I live up Duval a couple of blocks. My brother and I purchased the home shortly after we arrived on the island. I have a small apartment, and he and his new wife live in the main part of the house. Carmen was a widow with three young children when Daniel met her.”

  “A brave man to take on an entire family.”

  “Seems to be a lot of that going around after the war. So many families left without husbands and fathers.”

  “True. War rips at the very heart of a family. I lost my father and brother during the war. Thankfully, my son was spared. By the time he was old enough to fight, the war was ending. At least it had ended in Savannah.”

  “I understand the North took Fort Pulaski in 1862? How did that affect the city?”

  “Just about ruined us. My business, by virtue of its trade, was perhaps one of the hardest hit. Shipping cotton became a primary target of the North. They didn’t want us earning money to reinforce the troops with supplies.”

  Peg nodded soberly. “We were spared bloodshed on the island. As soon as word got out that Florida was seceding from the Union, Captain J. M. Brannan marched on Fort Zachary Taylor and took possession of it for the North. He actually sent for reinforcements before he marched. So it wasn’t long before additional troops from the North came here.”

  Peg halted. “This is my home. Thank you for the escort. It wasn’t necessary, but it was nice to get to know you a bit.”

  “Pleasure was all mine. I’d love to visit with you again, if you don’t find that being too forward.” Peg Martin was easy to talk with. Perhaps he could establish a relationship with her of some sort that would help him build up to telling her why he’d really come to this remote island. Of course, there might be no need to tell her at all. It might simply not matter.

  Who are you fooling? he chided himself. He, more than anyone, knew the importance of the information he had. She would want to know. She had a right to know. Didn’t she?

  “Good night, fair lady, may your dreams be blessings from our heavenly Father, gifts of mercy, peace, and joy.” Matt kissed the top of her hand and departed.

  Why on earth did you do that, Bower? Now the woman will never want to see you again. She’ll be certain you’re after a romantic relationship. Was he? No, he had been a happily married man. One only finds true love once in his lifetime, and Esther was that love. But the golden image of Margaret Martin fused in his mind as he watched the silver moon edge past the palm trees that lined the road. Was he ready for another relationship? No, he couldn’t be. Esther had only been gone for a little over two years. And what about Micah? What would he say?

  “Micah, I miss you, Son,” he whispered into the night air.

  ❧

  Peg unlocked the door to her small apartment. A part of her missed the full use of the house, but it had been practical for Daniel and Carmen to have the majority of the dwelling. She often wondered if Daniel had put off marriage because of her and her past. Just how many lives does one sin affect? Peg closed her eyes and blinked back the tears. No, she wouldn’t cry again. After all, she’d opened her heart to Bea—wasn’t that enough?

  Peg filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove. Lighting a small fire, she got comfortable for the evening.

  Matthew Bower seemed like a fine man. She looked down at her right hand where he had kissed it. She’d been kissed many times in formal greetings, but never had she experienced the warmth that traveled up her arm as his lips touched her skin. Now, Peg fought off a chill that ran through her body.

  Oh, admit it—he’s handsome and nice, and you’re attracted to him. She heard the water boiling in the kettle and poured a cup into an old mug she’d had for years. She dropped in a pinch of English breakfast tea leaves, her favorite, and brought the mug to the living room, where she lit a small oil lamp and fished out some needlework from her bag beside her chair.

  Needlework by day and night. “You really should get out and enjoy life, Peg,” she said out loud. “And speaking to yourself is a sure sign of senility.” Perhaps being social with Matthew Bower wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  Peg picked up her tea and sipped it slowly. Had she really not accepted God’s grace and forgiveness for her past sins, as Bea had indicated earlier?

  She scanned the solitary apartment. Bare walls, no paintings of family members or loved ones. Nothing more than a few hangings she had made to try and brighten up the place in a small way. The muffled laughter from the rooms next door revealed her empty life tonight. Life had moved on without her. She’d kept herself on the sidelines, refusing to accept that life could be different, that God’s forgiveness covered a multitude of sins, including hers.

  “Lord, I don’t understand why Matthew Bower affects me so. Why am I so afraid of him and yet feel so comfortable with him? How can life be so confusing? Neither one of us is looking for a relationship, a romance. You know I could never have another romance with a man. But I would like to establish a friendship with him, if that is all right. He seems like a fair man, an honest man. Oh, but don’t let him buy my building. I couldn’t possibly afford to rent a store in town.”

  Peg finished off her prayer time with a few moments of reading God’s Word. By the time her tea was finished and her daily readings were done, it was time for bed. For the first time in days she felt peace. Real peace. A God-given peace that allowed her spirit to calm.

  ❧

  A few days later, the sun shone brightly through her sheer white curtains, greeting her with a kiss of sunshine. Life was good. The anniversary of her son’s birth weighed less upon her shoulders as the fateful day approached. Opening her heart to Bea had been a wonderful release, a reminder that not all condemn, and that some even show compassion when others stumble.

  She was spending less and less time with Daniel and Carmen, having resolved they needed their own private time to build their new family. But each day she’d run into Matt Bower. Their friendship grew slowly, very slowly. He still set her on edge when he was around. It didn’t make sense—the man was a perfect gentleman. Yet possibly that was the problem. He seemed almost too perfect, although he did admit to his own shortcomings, like being unaware of his wife’s illness for nearly a year.

  Micah, she learned, was his son. There couldn’t be a prouder father, she thought. He positively beamed when he spoke of the boy. But he wasn’t a boy any longer; he was a man, twenty years of age. Could it be that I’m jealous of Matt and his relationship with his son simply because his son is nearly the same age as mine would have been?

  Peg dusted the ceramic pottery Gus Witchell had made for the shop. Matt was right; her trinkets did bring in pennies compared to what a thriving business could do for several families on the island. Should I consider relocating?

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Nathaniel stepped up to her.

  “I’ve got to get that bell back up on the door,” Peg teased.

  “Why’d you take it down?”

  “To polish it. But I never got around to putting it back up. So, what can I do for you today, Nate?”

  He fished an envelope from his pocket. “I received a letter from Julie.”

  “What did it say?” Peg made herself comfortable on the stool behind the counter.

  “She apologized for not spending an evening with me and said she felt unworthy of becoming my wife.”

  “Did she tell you why?”

  “No, not really, just words…like she wasn’t the same woman I once knew. It’s all very strange.”

  Peg nibbled her lower lip. Should she tell him what she suspected? “Nate, have you ever known a woman who was, was…” How could she put this tenderly? “Who’d fallen prey to a man’s unwanted advances?”

  Nathaniel’s eyebrows came together and creased his forehead. “No, I suppose I never have. Are you saying… ?”

  “I’m not saying anything except that I
am seeing signs of a woman who may have been attacked.”

  Nathaniel crumpled the letter in his hand. Red infused his pale features. Peg leaned over and placed her hand upon his. “Nate, if she’s feeling unworthy, perhaps something happened to her. Women feel an incredible shame when something like this happens.”

  He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. “If that be the case, I have some rather unholy thoughts toward the man who, who…”

  “That’s natural too. Pray, and write Julie again. Tell her that no matter what has happened you still love her and want her to be your wife.”

  “Why would her family not allow me to see her if that were the case?”

  “Some families feel ashamed. In some cases, they believe their daughter or sister allowed it to happen. If she were a victim of an unthinkable act, they may not believe she was totally innocent.”

  “That’s ludicrous.”

  “No, that’s shame and guilt. A father feels he should have protected his daughter more. A mother feels she should have been more watchful. And on and on it goes. Some families work through it. Some kick the daughter out and turn her to the streets. I suspect since she’s still with her family, they will work it out. But you and I both know your social standing in New York, and her family may assume that your family would not accept tainted goods.”

  “Hogwash! My family would never even need to know.”

  “Nathaniel, write her again. Tell her your heart. Give her a chance to heal. I may be all wrong. Possibly nothing has happened. But if something has, I know you’re a man with a tender heart and would want to help Julie heal.”

  “You’re a good friend, Peg. How did you acquire such wisdom?”

  Because I’ve been there. “Just watched and listened over the years. You hear all sorts of problems. It’s nothing more than any other lady would have told you.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Go write another letter. Give her time to respond and see what she says. If she still loves you, then I suspect she’ll come around.”

  “I should have just brought her with me when I came. Forget the formal ideas of a year’s engagement and such. None of this would have happened,” he mumbled.

  “Now don’t you go blaming yourself for what might or might not have happened. You’ll be no use to her or yourself.”

  Peg got up from the stool and came around the counter. She wrapped her arms around Nathaniel and embraced him.

  “Thanks, Peg.”

  “Excuse me,” said a voice from the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt.”

  Seven

  Peg rolled her eyes at Vivian’s grin. It would take hours to convince her that nothing was happening between her and Nathaniel.

  “I’d better get back to work. Thanks, Peg. I really appreciate your help,” Nate said.

  “You’re welcome.” Peg hustled behind the counter. Why had she felt the need to embrace Nate in the first place? Her foolish actions would have the grapevines humming the rest of the day.

  “So, what can I do for you today, Vivian?”

  “Nothing really. I just came to browse. I’ve done my Christmas shopping.” Vivian came up to the counter and leaned toward her. “I thought you and Nathaniel were just friends.”

  “We are. I was just consoling the man.”

  “Consoling? What is going on?”

  “Vivian, you know I can’t tell you.”

  “Oh, phooey. You really are becoming quite a stick in the mud, Peg.”

  “Just call me ‘Stick,’ ” Peg teased and picked up some needlepoint she was working on.

  Vivian pulled up another stool. “Seriously, Peg, there’s nothing going on between you two?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What about the new man in town, Matt Bower? Folks are saying he’s been beating a path to your shop nearly every day.” Vivian wiggled her eyebrows.

  “Matt is also a friend. He’s from Savannah, where Daniel and I came from.”

  “Oh, so you’re old family friends?”

  “No, just have the same area in our backgrounds.”

  Vivian’s shoulders slumped. “Hrumph. Isn’t there anything exciting going on?”

  Peg wondered if some harmless gossip might be in order to occupy the island’s time on someone beside herself. “Heard little James Southard is cooing. Ellis seems certain he’s saying Dada.”

  Vivian chuckled. “He’s quite proud. You should see little Richie. You’d think he was just as responsible for the baby as his father.”

  “Oh? Tell me.”

  Vivian rattled on about Richie and the many errands he was taking to make certain James was being cared for properly, and how Cook and Bea had to do some creative thinking to keep the boy occupied. But Vivian was only momentarily distracted. “So there’s nothing to the rumor that you and Nathaniel are getting married?”

  “For the last time, Vivian, no.”

  Vivian waved her hands. “All right, all right. I can take a hint. It’s just that he made this beautiful engagement ring…”

  “Yes, I know. It is beautiful. The woman he gives it to will know she is loved.”

  “True. I rather like Nathaniel’s way of setting a ring. Nothing overdone, just simply stated, showing the jewels in the best lighting.”

  Peg pulled the thread through the cloth and tied off the end. “He is quite good.”

  “I shouldn’t keep you, but I was curious.”

  Peg chuckled. “I could tell.”

  “Two men wooing you at the same time makes for quite the conversation, Dear.”

  “Vivian!” Peg groaned.

  “Just teasing you. Have a wonderful day. Fancy that, here comes Mr. Bower.”

  Peg rolled her eyes. She definitely had become the subject of many conversations on the island of late.

  “Good morning, Miss Martin. How are you today?” Matt said, removing his derby and holding the door open for Vivian to exit the building.

  I’d be better if you and Nathaniel didn’t visit quite so often. Peg plopped her work on the counter. “So, what brings you this morning?”

  Matt closed the door behind him and stepped further into the store. “I’ve secured some property for my business.”

  “That’s—” Peg’s heart leapt in her chest as she caught Matt’s somber expression. His green eyes darted back and forth. “You didn’t?”

  “I’m sorry, Peg. I had to. It was the only waterfront property available.”

  Peg looked around the full store. To move everything, the shelving, the inventory… The mere thought of it sent dread into the marrow of her bones. “How soon do I need to move?” she mumbled.

  “January. I couldn’t put you out just before Christmas.”

  “Thanks, I think.”

  “Peg.” Matt stepped up beside her. “I really tried to find something else.”

  “I know.” She stepped back. Her mind raced for an alternative location.

  “I promise I’ll help you pack and do whatever I can to help you set up a new store,” he offered.

  Like come up with the money? she wanted to scream. “I appreciate the offer. I don’t even know where I’ll begin.”

  “Micah’s arriving just before Christmas. I’m certain he’ll give a hand as well.”

  “Look, Matt, the island is a great place to get folks to help. I appreciate your offer, but seriously, I don’t need it. When the time comes, I’ll have more help than I can handle.” She turned and marched back behind the counter.

  Matt nodded and retreated to the front door. He looked at the slate that told folks she’d be closed on the twenty-eighth of November. “What’s this?”

  “Oh, nothing, just a personal day. Every so often a person needs to take one.” She wasn’t about to tell him the importance of that date and what it meant to her.

  “Good day, Miss Martin.”

  “Good day, Mr. Bower.” Their fragile relationship had reverted back to formal greetings. She had to move. She definitely didn’t like the month of Novembe
r. Nope, nothing good ever happened in November. At least not to her.

  ❧

  You handled that well, Bower. Matt stomped toward town. And to bring up the notice on her door. You know perfectly well what that day represents, and you’re keeping that information from her, Matt scolded himself. If he kept this up there would be no living with himself.

  But what kind of life would…

  Nope, he couldn’t think about that. Too much uncertainty remained. If he started to think in those terms he’d never be able to simply leave the past in the past. He’d have to reveal the truth. But was he man enough to face it once it was revealed? With each passing moment, he was becoming less and less sure of himself.

  Enough rambling about things not yet an issue. You’ve got work to do. Ordering lumber, setting up a construction crew… Letters needed to be written. The next few days would keep him hopping. If he was to open his business in Key West by February, he didn’t have time for idle thoughts or worries from the past.

  “Good morning, William.” Matt beamed as he walked into the man’s office. “I might have some work for you.”

  William rolled the edges of his mustache and said, “I heard you bought Jefferson Scott’s waterfront property.”

  Matt chuckled and sat down on the oak chair. “You heard correctly.” I’m glad I told Peg immediately. Nothing is a secret for long on this island.

  “So, what can I help you with?” William pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and a pen.

  Matt liked a man always ready for business.

  The two men spoke for an hour, talking about materials needed, where to order from, how much from Cuba and how much from the North. All in all, William Horton gave solid advice, and Matt felt certain he would prove to be a valuable asset.

  “Heard you were courtin’ Miss Martin.” William beamed, his handlebar mustache riding up his full cheeks.

  “Now that rumor isn’t true. Peg has simply been a good friend. But after I bought the place out from under her, I’m not so sure she’ll be appreciating my friendship.”

  “Peg’s a great gal. She’ll get over it. She’s always been a loner. Never spent any time with any fella that I’m aware of. Terrible shame for someone as pretty as her to not have an interest in men.”