Uncharted Inheritance (The Uncharted Series Book 3)

by Keely Brooke Keith

“What are you going to do?” Connor asked.

  “I don’t know yet. Volt was going to send a message to the navy about the icebreaker as soon as he had the American communications online.”

  “Do you think he’s done it already?”

  “I’ve been here ten days. If he didn’t send it yet, he’s probably dead.”

  Bethany wondered if Justin was going to mention his desire to take gray leaf medicine to the sick men on his ship, but he only spoke of communications and technical things. She wondered if Connor was going to mention the old airplane she had found below the bluffs, but he did not. She lifted a comb and listened to the men downstairs as she untangled her hair, but her name was not mentioned again.

  * * *

  Bethany lay in bed staring at the moon through the window. As she watched its bright, oval shape trek across the sky, she imagined Justin downstairs on their last night quarantined together. Though eager to leave the cottage, Bethany felt a sudden wave of sadness. It seemed wrong to grow sentimental of time spent imprisoned. Yet no matter which angle she considered the experience from—frightening, boring, horrific, lonely—she was determined to enjoy the final hours. She climbed out of bed and felt the heat of the gray leaf log as her bare feet passed in front of the grate in the wall. Straightening her tattered nightgown, she opened the bedroom door and peeked downstairs. The lantern on Lydia’s desk was out, and the only light came from the glow of the log burning in the downstairs fireplace. She listened for movement, and when she heard nothing, she assumed Justin was asleep. Overcome with curiosity, she crept down the stairs and stopped when she saw him.

  Justin was sitting on the edge of the cot with his thumb holding his place in an old book. He raised a brow and grinned when their eyes met. Then he clapped the book shut. “I was hoping you’d come see me tonight.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course.”

  She almost giggled but only ran her fingers through her hair and considered herself womanly for being able to control her gestures. As Justin stood and tossed the book onto the cot, Bethany sat on the steps. She expected him to walk to the side of the stairs and look at her through the balusters as he had the night before. Instead, he rounded the newel post and rested his hand atop it as he looked her. She smiled and scooted to the edge of the step, hoping he would sit beside her.

  Justin’s gaze moved across her nightgown then back to her face. He lifted his chin. “Now you look like a peasant girl.”

  Bethany glanced down at the old nightgown and groaned. “I know. I can’t believe we have to wear clothes out of the rag pile, but it all has to be burned tomorrow anyway.”

  “We?” Justin lifted the collar on the loose button-front shirt he wore. “Is this out of your family’s rag pile too?”

  “Yes, I believe that was my brother’s shirt years ago.” Bethany smiled. “You’re quite the peasant yourself.”

  “Oh great.” Justin chuckled. “So what should a couple of peasants do to make the most of their last night locked in the village medical cottage?”

  He sat beside Bethany on the step and turned to face her. She felt an exhilarating mix of hope and doubt as she studied his features; she liked him and could love him, if she had the smallest confirmation that he loved her. The faint lines in the tanned skin of his forehead attested to his age, but that only meant he had more experience and wisdom than her and could take care of her—if he wanted to. She saw her reflection in his dark eyes and wondered what she looked like to him. He might find her a pleasing woman to be adored or just an importunate child to be dismissed. One edge of his mouth curved up as he grinned, and she felt desperate to know what he was thinking. More than that, she wanted to know what he was feeling. The emotions she sensed in him were a muddled mixture that provided no insight. She wanted him to tell her again about liking her voice and she wanted to be kissed and she wanted to be loved. He may leave the Land tomorrow and she may never see him again, but if by some chance this charming and mysterious stranger had fallen in love with her, she could convince him to stay. They could build a home and have a family and her father would know exactly what type of work in the Land would suit Justin. She would be the envy of the village women and she could captivate the young girls with her stories of being loved. But as much as she wanted to love him, she did not really know him. And as much as she wanted to be loved by him, he did not really know her. Though his mysterious past was undeniably attractive, it also seemed frightening. Questions shrouded Bethany’s fantasy. She drew her head back a degree. “I just realized I know very little about you.”

  Justin’s shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “What’s to know?”

  “Where you are from, for instance, and—”

  “The States.”

  “I meant your family and your village and what your childhood was like.”

  He sighed and looked away. “That doesn’t matter.”

  “It does to me. Do you have family in America?”

  He put his arm over the stair behind her shoulders then lowered his voice. “Let’s just enjoy tonight, okay?”

  “Okay,” Bethany repeated then bit her lip. He did not want questions and she did not want to be found annoying. She wanted to talk but remained silent. Maybe she should have stayed upstairs. Ambivalent, she lifted her hands then mindlessly laid them on her thighs. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I came down here.”

  Justin angled his body toward her. He began to trace around her hand. His finger casually grazed her leg while he outlined her hand. “I think you do.”

  She watched his hand as it floated above hers. His cuffed sleeve left his forearm exposed and bluish-green points of light glowed on the watch at his wrist. Her gaze followed his arm to his chest then she remembered the tattoo beneath his shirt. He was right: she knew why she was down there—she wanted attention and affection. But as his fingers trailed along the skin of her leg, she realized the attention he was willing to give her skipped a few steps that she longed for. She moved her hand out from under his and began to inspect the silver charm dangling from her bracelet. “I just wanted to talk.”

  Justin released a long breath. He glanced at his watch then looked back at her. “Fine. Talk.”

  * * *

  Everett waited while Connor swirled the water in his glass. He felt both eager and reluctant to hear the report. Connor’s mood always shifted when he spoke of the outside world, of the war he escaped, or of the possibility of anyone finding the Land. Everett glanced across the Colburns’ kitchen table at John and Levi. They too were watching Connor as they waited for his response.

  Connor set his water glass on the table. “Mercer says he doesn’t know yet if he will try to leave, but the Land is not what he expected. He said he knew I survived the crash and he felt that the people we were fighting for abandoned me. Then they did the same thing to him after the communications breakdown when they left him in Antarctica. For three years he has fantasized about what it would be like to find the Land. I think it was a coping mechanism after all that he went through. Then he got sick and just before he left the ship, his friend got the communications systems back online. Now that he is here, he misses his old life—and Mercer’s life includes things that aren’t exactly congruent with the way most people here live.”

  John lifted a palm. “It sounds like he needs a challenge. Hard work will take his mind off whatever he misses and give him a dose of reality. And he has been stuck in the cottage the whole time he has been here. Reading dusty journals about life is nothing like living it.”

  “It doesn’t matter what he decides to do.” Levi shook his head. “I don’t trust him.”

  “Nor do I,” Everett added.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Connor said, “I don’t want to make him sound like some kind of criminal—he’s not. People have to work hard for years to get where we were in the military and then it’s a demanding life of stress and sacrifice. A lot of guys survive by having the mindset that since they work hard, they deserve
to play hard. We just don’t have the kind of entertainment in Good Springs that Mercer prefers.”

  Levi pointed a thumb at the door. “Then he should leave.”

  “That is up to him.” John rubbed both hands across his face. “He is here now and we will help him however we can. I have called a meeting of the elders tomorrow at noon, and I expect you three to be there.” Everett nodded even though he felt awkward taking his father’s place among the elders. John stood from the table, “Good. Now if you will excuse me, gentlemen, it is getting late.”

  As John left the room, Levi shifted toward Connor. “Did you test the receiver we built?”

  “Not yet.” Connor lifted his water glass. “I’m still afraid that producing radio waves may get someone’s attention out there.”

  Everett leaned forward. “What receiver?”

  Connor and Levi exchanged a glance. They had a secret. Everett curled his toes inside his boots while he waited for one of the two men he most trusted to open up. “Well?” he asked. “What’s going on?”

  Connor set his glass on the table. “We found an old radio. It’s a portable, modulated radio receiver and transmitter from the Second World War. It’s over eighty years old and it still powers on. It’s not receiving any radio signals from outside the Land and we couldn’t know if it sends signals unless we built a separate receiver. So Levi and I have been using the wires and pieces from the satellite debris to make one.”

  “What are you going to do with it if it works?”

  “I don’t know.” Connor looked toward the back door. “We have no defense here in the Land and with Mercer showing up I feel like… I should keep everything we find in case it’s needed some day.”

  “Everything we find?” Everett repeated. “Who found the radio?”

  “Bethany,” Levi answered.

  Everett’s confusion grew. He had been busy with his father’s death and with the farm, but never had he felt so left out. He frowned. “Bethany found a radio? Where?”

  “In an old airplane—”

  “What?” Everett stood and looked at Levi. “Is that how she got connected with Mercer? He came here in an airplane? You said he came here on a boat.”

  Connor put a hand on Everett’s arm. “Calm down. The old plane she found has nothing to do with Mercer. It was buried in sediment below the bluffs. It has been there for decades. She was digging for minerals for pottery and found it.”

  Everett sat back down. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

  “I told her not to tell anyone,” Connor explained. “It’s war wreckage and I didn’t want villagers getting hurt on it. Plus, we had to bury the pilot.”

  “The pilot?” Everett pushed a hand through his hair. “Does Bethany know about him too? How many secrets are you hiding?”

  Levi poked a finger toward Everett. “It’s not like that. Bethany ran home when she found the airplane, and Connor was the first person she saw. He told her not to tell anyone, but he told my father and me. We have been working with him during low tide to remove everything usable from the plane. No one else knows about it.”

  “It’s really not that big a deal,” Connor interjected, trying to ameliorate the situation. “The wings are missing from the plane, the engine is crushed, and most of the instruments are rusted. You are welcome to go see the wreckage or check out what we’ve salvaged. Everything usable is in the back of the barn.”

  Only feeling a degree better, Everett studied Levi and Connor. So they had not told him before; at least they were telling him now. “Does Mercer know?”

  “No,” Connor answered. “I’d need a really good reason to generate radio waves from the Land, and I have a feeling if Mercer knew about the transmitter, he’d want to use it.” He leaned back in his seat and heaved a sigh. “This has been stressful on all of us. The quarantine will be over tomorrow. Let’s get some rest.”

  The issue needed more discussion. Everett was not sure what to say, but he had more questions than answers. He waited a moment before he stood from his chair. “I want to see this radio.”

  “We’ll show you tomorrow.” Levi yawned as he took his glass to the sink. Then he glanced back at Everett. “Let’s go.”

  Everett followed Levi to the door. Connor walked to the table and bent to blow out the lantern. Everett glanced out at the cottage and saw only the faint glow of firelight in the curtained windows. He turned back to Connor. “Are you going to check on Beth?”

  Connor shook his head. “She’d be asleep by now.”

  Everett thought of Bethany in the cottage and imagined her in the bedroom upstairs alone and bored. He doubted she was asleep, but he closed the kitchen door and walked with Levi to the road. The cold night air made him shiver. Levi rushed ahead, but Everett kept glancing back at the cottage and the upstairs window. He wanted to see Bethany and tell her he would be waiting for her when she came out of quarantine. “I’m going to see if she’s awake.”

  Levi stopped at the road. “Do you want me to wait?”

  “No, if she’s up, I want to talk to her for a while.”

  “Fine. I’m going home to my wife,” Levi said as he walked onto the road.

  Everett jogged across the grass to the side of the cottage. He picked up a clump of dirt and threw it at her window then waited. When she did not appear, he tried again. After the third clump of dirt, Connor opened the back door of the Colburn house.

  “I had a feeling you’d try to wake her up.” Connor stepped out the back door and rubbed his hands together. “It’s freezing out here.”

  “She’s not asleep.”

  Connor closed the door behind him. “How do you know?”

  “I just do.”

  “Then why isn’t she coming to the window?”

  Everett looked at Connor and felt a dull knot in his gut. “She is with him.”

  “No.” Connor shook his head. “They’re asleep.”

  “Go check.”

  “Everett—”

  “Please, just go check.”

  * * *

  Bethany looked away from the blank spot of wall that she had been staring at for several minutes. “And sometimes I dream about her. Those are my favorite dreams. But I really don’t remember her; I was only five when she died. I just remember what people told me about her. My father always says I’m emotionally sensitive like she was.” Bethany turned her face toward Justin. Though he was sitting beside her on the stair with his arm behind her back, it was the way he listened that made her feel close to him.

  The skin around his eyes creased as he grinned and reached for her hand. “You’re so different from the women I’ve known.”

  She felt flattered but wondered how many women he had known; she searched his face, hoping it was a high enough number to make her the last woman he would ever want and low enough that he still had something left to give. She could ignore the matter altogether if she knew he loved her. “How am I different?”

  “You are trusting and innocent.” Justin’s low voice hummed as he strung his words together. “Well, you’re not that innocent or you wouldn’t be down here right now. But you can’t help being attracted to me, can you?” She felt a twinge of guilt mixed with desire. Her cheeks got warm and she looked away. Justin squeezed her hand. “You’re like a—I don’t know—like a lamb or something.”

  “I am like a lamb,” she repeated, remembering how Samuel used to say that too. The memory made her miss him …and Everett. It felt like an eon had passed since she last saw Everett. Though he had talked to her once through the window, he had yet to return and she missed him. Justin let go of her hand and regained her attention. He curled his forefinger and ran his knuckle along the edge of her jaw. “Your innocence is beautiful. I know you’ve never been with a man before, but there is so much I could teach you. Do you trust me, Bethany?”

  Her mind went blank as she watched Justin’s mouth. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? When he moved close enough to kiss, her insides tightened. Just as
she parted her lips to answer him, the cottage door flew open. She jumped and pulled away from Justin, but he did not flinch.

  Connor slammed the door shut. His nostrils flared as he lowered his chin. “Get upstairs, Bethany.” He looked at her with eyes full of fury and distain. “Now!”

  “No, Connor. We were just talking.”

  Connor stared at her for what felt like a torturous eternity, then his glare moved to Justin. “I told you to leave her alone.”

  “I don’t need this,” Justin huffed as he stood and marched up the stairs. When Bethany heard the washroom door slam, she dropped her face into her hands.

  “I’ll be sleeping in here tonight,” Connor said.

  Abject humiliation drenched Bethany. Wanting Connor to leave and not come back, she pulled her hands away from her face. “That is not necessary.”

  “Oh yes, it is. And when he gets out of the bathroom, I want you to go upstairs, close the door, and don’t come out until you see daylight, understand?”

  “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “He’s not right for you.”

  “Why are you acting like this?” She lifted her chin. “You are not my father.”

  Connor raised his eyebrows. “No, I’m not, but I can go get your father if you like.” When her shoulders slumped, Connor nodded. “That’s what I thought. Last I heard you’re still under your father’s authority and you need his permission to be alone with a man.”

  “I’m an adult now. Besides, that’s a stupid rule.”

  Connor ignored her protest. “Your father trusted me to protect you. I left you alone out here because I thought you were mature enough to handle it, but I see I was wrong. Everett and Levi were right.”

  “I’m so tired of everyone telling me what to do. I like Justin. I don’t care what you are worried about—I’m going to give Justin a chance. You can’t keep us separated. We’re going to spend time together once we are in the house anyway.”

  “He’s not coming to the house tomorrow.”

  Bethany wondered if Justin planned to leave the Land after all. She did not want him to go. Her hand gripped the stair rail. “What do you mean?”