Refuge on Leebrick (The Hills of Burlington Book 4) Page 15

  “So you think it may be the same throughout.”

  Beth simply shrugged. There was really no telling for certain until she read through all of it.

  “His name was Jonas of Vilina,” Tom said into the silence.

  All eyes turned to him. Most had questions that no one voiced. Not yet. A few were slightly weary and a bit more cautious than the others. He understood that. Other than Jake he was still a big unknown to them. He might be family in some distant convoluted way but that meant little when the connection went back who knows how many generations before you reached the point where whoever it was, that connected them by blood, eventually met. “He was the king of a small country that no longer exists. A small kingdom landlocked between what was then Lithuania and land held by the Teutonic Order. It was a kingdom surrounded by war.” He paused, remembering the older man’s thoughts. There had been a constant worry for his home even as he was besieged by his grief, a sense of loss that would never diminish as so many others had over the course of his lifetime. “All they wanted was peace but it was a rare thing in those days. By birth he was the youngest of four sons. He loved Julya for as long as he could remember. They grew up together. He planned to marry her. Then within a year’s time all three of his older brothers died. Two in war and one for reasons I’m not real clear on. His thoughts on that are murky and his anger is very, very close to the surface when he does think of it. As the only one left of his family line he no longer had the option of marrying her. No longer had the choice at all as to who he married. But the children they shared were the only of all his children born of his blood that were born of love. She never married and he never loved anyone but her.”

  He closed his eyes as his head pounded to the beat of his heart. This time it was Beth who laid her hand on his shoulder. “You heard his thoughts.”

  “Yeah, as clear as I hear you talking to me. But his were the only ones I could hear clearly on my own. And somehow I know his memories as if they are my own.” He looked around the room. He saw just about every emotion in their faces except doubt. That alone stunned him. If he was in any other position than what he was he would be full of it. “He doesn’t have a lot of good ones.” He sighed deeply. It had to be said. “Except the memories he had of her.”

  “The Teutonic Order,” Carrie said quietly, almost in a whisper. Looked at her husband who was standing quietly across the room from where she was sitting.

  “They were along the same lines of the Knights of Templar,” Court said in response to her silent question. Knew he would be doing his own research by the end of this day.

  “A tough place to be on numerous levels,” Jake said, turning his gaze from his daughter to his old friend. He wasn’t quite as surprised as the others in the room. He knew from their talks that Tom was strong in whatever it was within him. He knew too that whatever it was he shared with them just now was more than likely only the tip of the iceberg. He planned on making sure he got below the water’s surface before the day was out.

  “Very tough,” Tom agreed. He looked at Beth. “Want to try something?”

  She moved to stand beside him. She knew without asking what it was he wanted. She placed her hand on the page of the open book, one she knew wasn’t filled with pain and grief. Tom laid his hand on top of hers. “Wow!” Beth whispered.

  “That’s one way of putting it,” Tom said but his thoughts were on what they had just learned.

  “Beth…” Casey began only to be silenced by the single finger her niece held up in a gesture for silence. Because Beth looked more intent than anything Casey subsided. A quick glance at her brother told her he was watchful but not unduly concerned.

  Not even a minute later Beth removed her hand from the book as Tom did the same. While she moved over to stand with Wes, Tom remained where he was. His gaze steady and thoughtful on the old book as if there was something there that spoke to him.

  “Okay. What was that about?” Casey tried again.

  When it was apparent Beth was going to leave answering her aunt’s question up to him Tom spoke slowly, carefully, as if he was making his way through a minefield. “Individually each of us can get a sense of the overall situation. We each have an ability to hone in on a specific individual. For me it’s the King. Jonas.” He glanced back at Beth. “And yours is his daughter.” At her slight nod he continued. “Together, I guess you could say we…overlap.” He settled for that since nothing else quite fit. “Together it’s a whole lot more amplified. Kind of like going from watching that little black and white TV with the grainy picture when I was a kid to watching today’s hdtv. Both video and audio.” He looked around the room. Saw the questions. Wasn’t certain he was up to them. He knew Beth wasn’t.

  “What about the two people you’re most closely linked to?” Mary asked. Knew it was what everyone really wanted to know.

  Tom sighed. Wondered how to word it so they wouldn’t begin to consider him a candidate for some serious therapy. Before he had a chance to find out Beth answered for him.

  “For those moments, in that space of time, we’re so close it’s almost as if we are with them, are them,” Beth spoke quietly. But her voice was strong and her belief in what she said was firm. And everyone couldn’t help but know that. Respect it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “Tell me what you think, Casey,” Mary knew she was pressing her cousin but believed they all needed to better understand what was going on if that was even possible. She also firmly believed they did better when they talked about whatever they were dealing with openly. She shifted her gaze and looked to Carrie for help. She couldn’t help but think that Carrie would have noticed as she had that Casey had been uncharacteristically quiet since the day before. The very fact that she hadn’t deluged either Beth or Tom with questions had been obvious. That, along with her continuing silence had said far more to both of them than had she done as she normally would, asked lots and lots of questions. Mary knew they were all exhausted from what they’d experienced and looked it. But she’d spoken with her cousin a couple of times since then, both in person and over the phone, and she’d said little. Mostly responding to questions. It simply wasn’t like her.

  “Even if what you’re thinking is foolish, and really, considering what we’re talking about how can we not look at it in that light to some extent?” Carrie interpreted the look Mary sent her as it was meant and did what she could.

  Casey took another sip of the hot coffee. Not so much because she needed fortification but more to clear her thoughts. If she was going to explain what she had been thinking about she wanted to be as clear as possible in doing so. “I think that there are lots and lots of descendants from these women. There’s probably lots of branches in our family tree going off in all sorts of directions. And we know many if not most of them had numerous children. More than one daughter in many cases.” She watched both her cousins nod slightly. They were with her so far. “I think who we connect with, who we are able to hear…see…whatever…has to do somehow with who we are directly descended from.”

  “You’re talking about Beth,” Carrie said softly. She was hesitant to interrupt and slow Casey’s flow but she wanted to make sure she was following her.

  “Beth certainly is the strongest in that regard. But I think the rest of us are able to hear or sense somehow with those we came from.” She looked at both of them but her eyes stayed longer on Mary. Waiting.

  “Yes,” Mary finally said in agreement. “I think some of what we feel is more than just wishful thinking.” She paused. She just wasn’t prepared to go much further than that at the moment. And she knew with a quick glance at her other cousin that Carrie wasn’t either. “So…what you’re saying is if we looked closely at our family tree and went back in the right direction we would find a direct line to Julya and her daughter.

  “I’d be willing to bet good money on it.” Casey paused, took a breath. “And I think we’d find Tom is her direct descendant as well. I’m not certain how but
I think that his ability to sense the feelings as strongly as he does from Jonas is the same as Beth’s ability to practically get inside their daughter’s head.” She wondered not for the first time that she was able to speak so easily about something she would have described as just so much hooey not at all that long ago. Then she took a deep breath to make her confession. “And because of that I took Terry over there to see if she got any vibes from the room.”

  “Did she?” Mary asked, thinking this would be as good a time as any to make her own confession.

  “No. And because of that I really didn’t go into it with her. Not yet. But Terry’s sharp. If I’d told her what’s going on she would have honed in quicker than an eagle as to why I’d taken her over there like I did. But I just didn’t want to deal with it. I was already depressed. We’ve been like sisters since we met so I was certain she was somehow connected. Especially after finding out Tom is.” She saw the hesitant look on Mary’s face. “What?”

  “Actually, a couple of things now that you’ve brought it up.”

  “I’ll say it again. What?” Casey pressed when her cousin went silent, the only sound coming from her direction was the tapping of her fingers against the table top to some unknown rhythm only she heard.

  “Maybe you should take Mark over,” Mary finally said. “Actually it might be better if your brother did instead. He’s known Mark longer.”

  “Mark?”

  “Come on, Casey. For as much as you and Terry are friends so are you and her husband. Maybe even more so in some ways. And if you get right down to it whose idea was it to move here? I know Terry fell in love with the old homes but wasn’t it Mark who first looked into the newspaper that was for sale here then contacted your brother about it? For that matter who else is good friends with Mark if not Jake?”

  “You’re right,” Casey agreed slowly. She wasn’t certain how she felt about it but now that Mary had brought it up she couldn’t think of a reason not to follow through on her suggestion. Then she thought of what Mary had said initially. “You said a couple of things. What’s the other?”

  “Hmmm.”

  “Spill it.”

  “I took Grace over. I guess you and I were thinking along the same lines, just different people.”

  “And?” Casey asked after a few moments of silence. She glanced over at Carrie to see if she knew anything. The other woman just shrugged but was listening intently for what Mary would say next.

  Mary almost hated to answer after seeing Casey’s disappointment that Terry hadn’t felt anything upon walking into their great-grandmother’s room. “She’s connected,” she finally said unable to think of any easier way to say it.

  Casey sighed. It made sense and she said just that. “Somehow I’m not surprised. I mean, think about it. Not only does she come back here and connect with all of us but her grandfather and his father were connected to both our grandparents and great-grandparents.” She looked at both her cousins before saying what had just popped into her head. “To our great-grandmother.”

  “That’s what made me think to take her over there in the first place.” Mary took another breath and kept going. “I asked her not to say anything about it for the moment. To tell you the truth she was hit pretty hard going in there. Not so much so as Beth but close.”

  “You’re guessing she comes straight down the same family line.”

  “Maybe. I think your theory is pretty close to the mark. At least that’s what it seems like so far. It would probably help if we could get a family tree that just goes straight back without having to flip around to a zillion different pages to follow it through. But in the big scheme of things, I think your idea that those of us who are direct descendants are stronger in whatever this is than those who are descended from her but in more of an indirect way.”

  “You know,” Carrie began thoughtfully having taken her time to let it sink in, not that it ever truly would. “I think what Casey’s honed in on makes a lot of sense. I can’t believe I’m saying this but it does.”

  “I’m glad you think so because I also think you need to talk with your Mom,” Casey said giving her cousin a direct look to let her know just how serious she was.

  “Mom?” Carrie couldn’t think of a single reason that would connect her mother to their current conversation.

  “Aunt Charlie?” Mary’s voice was every bit as surprised as Carrie’s but in hers there was also an underlining hint of speculation that wasn’t in her cousin’s.

  “Remember when she asked Beth who the man was?” Casey tapped her fingers against the top of the table. Playing out a rhythm along with her thoughts much as Mary had been doing. “I don’t remember exactly what she said at the time but she was pretty specific. I was watching her. She heard something that rang a bell for her.”

  “Shaky.” Mary closed her eyes as she tried to remember those moments. “I think she said the man with the shaky voice.”

  “Yeah. Something along those lines.” Casey looked at both her cousins. There was something more there and as far as she was concerned Carrie was the one to find out what it was. “It wasn’t just simple curiosity. She was upset. Seriously upset and holding it in.” She pinned Carrie with a look. “You need to find out what that was all about.”

  Carrie sighed. The most obvious wasn’t always the best way to go about things. “I’m not arguing with you, I think you’re probably right. But I don’t know that I’m the best person to get the information from Mom.”

  “Why?” Casey asked in a voice that was just short of a demand.

  “Because for any one of a number of reasons my mother might not want to share that information with me.” Before Casey could demand the whys of that she gave them to her. “She doesn’t want to worry me. If that’s not the case she’s not certain how I’ll take it. What I’ll think of her and there’s always the possibility I might tell one of my brothers whom she alternately loves and sadly…fears.” She shrugged, lifted her hands palms up in a gesture of absolute frustration mixed with defeat. “With a little time I could probably come up with a half a dozen or more reasons that anyone but me is a better alternative to talk with her about this. And let’s face it, odds are by now she’s already spoken to Mallie about it so she might be an even better starting point. Certainly a less stressful one for my mother.”

  “I think we should start with your mother. Even if she has spoken to Mallie, which I doubt in this particular instance, I don’t want to go there if we can avoid it. Like you, Mallie is devoted and unquestionably loyal to your Mom and wouldn’t likely feel the need or ability to betray that trust between them.” Mary gave her cousin a speaking look. “I can understand all your reasons, Carrie, but at the same time you should take the time to think about where your Mom is at the moment. She’s not down south living with or near any one of your brothers and hasn’t been for a long time. She’s been here where you are. Don’t you think that says quite a bit?” Mary almost bit off her lip when she was done. She hadn’t meant to be quite so abrupt. She started to say so when Carrie spoke first.

  “No, don’t apologize. Not when you’re right, Mary. I’m worn out and all this has only added to that. Mom would tell me if I pressed. I just don’t want to do that right now.”

  “Problems with Rob?” Casey asked carefully.

  “No. Nothing like that. Things are going far better there than I could have ever hoped for. Honestly. It’s like I said. I’m just tired and you know how that makes me cranky.”

  “Okay,” Casey agreed. Her cousin spoke no less than the truth. She did get cranky when she was tired and had been like that since they were children. No one needed her midday nap quite as much as Carrie did even as they had gotten older and the rest of them no longer took one. And truth be told she had a point. Aunt Charlie could easily clam up if she wasn’t approached the right way. And that thought had her looking towards her other cousin. “Mary,” she said simply. She really needed to say little else.

  Mary knew it had been comi
ng. “I’ll talk with her. We were planning to get together today anyway so I could poke her memories about the Summer Street house.” She gazed out the back kitchen window as her thoughts aligned on how she could somehow ease her aunt into sharing childhood memories of her own grandparents home and her time there. From there maybe she could get her to talk about whatever it was she knew about the man both Beth and Tom saw. The man who was also very likely their direct ancestor many, many generations into the past.

  “Let me know what you find out,” Casey said as she stood to leave.

  “I’ll let both of you know if I’m able to find out anything,” Mary promised. “Where are you heading?” she asked both of them.

  “I’m going to have a quick visit with Grace then head on home. I’ve got more research I want to do.” Casey waved as she breezed out of the kitchen towards the front door.

  “Same here, at least the heading home part,” Carrie said as she carried some of their dishes over to the sink. She wondered as she had many times over the last year or so if their keen sense of family was driven by something inside them or if it was all that surrounded them that was a constant reminder of where and who they came from. She turned, the dish towel still hanging limply in her hands. “What do you think about all of this, Mary?” She didn’t like to sound like the party pooper she knew she could be but she needed someone else’s thoughts on it. “What do you really think?”

  Mary leaned back against the counter where she’d been filling up her coffee cup again. She knew her cousin. Casey would research until she was blue in the face to prove or disprove what they’d seen and heard yesterday. If she couldn’t do either she would simply accept that the reality of it was somewhere in the middle. Casey didn’t have a problem with unlikely possibilities. Even impossibilities. Carrie was more pragmatic. Not to the point that she had to touch something to believe it existed but close. Mary knew all of this had to tear at her. “Carrie…” she began, not certain how to express her own thoughts let alone how to do so that would somehow help her cousin come to terms with any single part of it let alone all of it. Not when she was still trying to do the same herself.