by C.P. Murphy
Chapter Twenty-Six
The spring of 1815 had brought an end to the war and by that time, Millersport had returned to a normal lifestyle. The Samuels family could face the days knowing that their beloved Amelia was no longer with them. They never forgot her or what happened but could smile when speaking about her, instead of crying like they had spent so long doing.
Beth had giving birth to her first child just months after Amelia’s death. Her labor was harder than it should’ve been because along with the physical pain, she felt the emotional strain of a lost loved one. Henry had delivered his first granddaughter in which David and Beth named Amelia. They called the child Millie for short and everyone else followed suit. By the spring of 1815, they also welcomed a son, David Jr., into the family.
Henry and Ruth wed after being in love almost all of their lives. The family wasn’t surprised at all and was happy for the couple. Seven months later, Ruth gave birth to Mary, the daughter she’d always wanted. Henry had shown no emotions towards Mary. By March, when the baby was eleven months old, Henry hadn’t held her even once. He had a low tolerance of her night time cries and was annoyed by her laughter during the day. Some thought he was jealous of the attention Mary received from her mother but that wasn’t the case. From the moment he found out Ruth was pregnant, Henry thought this child was someone to fill the void left by Amelia. He wouldn’t have it and wouldn’t share the love he had for his eldest daughter with anyone; although his relationship with Anna had grown. He had noticed how grown up she had become and vowed to right with his last unwed daughter. Mary, through his eyes, was Ruth’s child.
Besides the occasional nightmares of her sister’s death, Anna’s life had changed the most. She no longer behaved like a tomboy and had become feminine. Because Ruth had moved into the house and has resumed all the chores, Anna was encouraged to socialize and begin courtships. After she learned to fix her hair and apply perfume and lipstick, Anna was one of the most beautiful girls in the village. Though she liked the attention she received, Anna didn’t take courtships too serious. She could never settle until she learned what happened to Amelia. It was a topic that nobody wanted to talk about but everybody wanted answers to. Then one day all the recollection and emotions came rushing back when one man returned to Millersport. As soon as Anna had heard the news, she raced to see if the rumors were true.
Patrick sat on top of his horse as the mare slowly galloped through the village streets. People gathered to greet him. A year and a half earlier those same people considered him an outcast, a killer, but were now extending a welcome to him. He knew why. During the war he’d used his anger to fight the enemy. In doing so, several battles were won and Patrick Buchanan had become a war hero. It wasn’t his intention, he only wanted the war to end so he could return to Millersport to seek Amelia’s killer.
Emma stood on the side of the street, waiting for Patrick to pass her. She needed to get his attention so she could speak with him. Since Amelia’s death, Emma had slipped in and out of depression. She couldn’t get over the guilt she felt for interfering with Amelia’s relationship with him. Every time she read about Patrick in the newspaper, she recalled the argument she had with her best friend the night she died. The same argument that gave Emma a bruise on her face that lasted for weeks. She couldn’t stand the thought of Amelia never forgiving her. As the horse moved in her direction, she called out, “Patrick, please stop. I need to talk to you.” She hoped that if he would forgive her for her lies, then Amelia’s soul would too.
Patrick slowed his horse down when he heard Emma call out to him. He remembered her too well, and the trouble she caused, and had half of mind to just ignore her. It wasn’t his nature to disrespect anyone though. He stopped the mare next to her but stayed on top as if to tell her he wouldn’t stop for long. “What is it?”
She became nervous as she noticed Jacob and Thomas stepping closer to her. Emma had hoped that her conversation would’ve been private but she could tell that it wouldn’t. Patrick looked to her and she could tell that he was becoming very impatient with her delay in speaking. She didn’t want Thomas to hear what she had to say, knowing he became sore whenever anyone spoke of Amelia, and her unexpected audience made her change her mind about what she would say to him. “Only that I’m glad you are back,” she said.
Tapping the horse on its side, Patrick continued to move through the village. As he passed he noticed that Thomas Van Martin had been next to her and the boy he remembered to be her beau. Maybe her sudden silence had to do with Thomas being there. He turned to take a second look at the girl and noticed the beau putting his arm around her waist in a loving manner but he saw something else and wondered if anyone else had noticed it too. Thomas had been glaring at the couple and the young man he knew as Jacob was returning the angered look. As he moved forward, Patrick wondered what that was all about. The last time he was in Millersport, the two lads were good friends.
As much as he wanted to go home and relax, there was one place Patrick was determined to stop. After a few turns through the small village, he entered Mount Hope Cemetery and searched for his love’s grave. It took a while but once he found it, he stopped his horse, fell to his knees, and put his hands over his heart as he felt it break all over again. “Oh Amelia,” he spoke out loud, “I miss you so much.”
“I’m sure she misses you too,” a soft voice spoke behind him.
Patrick whipped his head around to see who had spoken to him. She stood in the sunlight, and again Patrick thought there was an angel in front of him. He shielded his eyes and could see a young and exquisite girl standing there. After letting his eyes adjust, he inspected the girl. Patrick saw the remarkable resemblance of the love he had lost and realized that little Anna had been busy growing up while he was away. “Dear Anna,” he said, “How grown up you’ve become.” He stood and embraced her. She was softer than he remembered as if she had gained some much needed weight. He held her out for him to see again. “You look wonderful.”
Anna blushed. There had been several beaus in the past year but none had ever made her feel so embarrassed. She glanced into his deep eyes and could see why her sister had fell in love with him so fast. He let go of her hands and she shook the thoughts from her head. This man, she told herself, would always be Amelia’s and as attractive as she thought he was, he was off limits. Anna felt safe with him, unaware that was how her sister once felt. “I knew you would come here,” she said to him.
Patrick looked down at the grave and wiped a tear that fell from his eyes. He’d been so lonely since Amelia had left him. Though he had become a war hero, he knew that nobody else in the village would befriend him how Amelia had; except Anna. Patrick was convinced that when the young girl talked to him she spoke her sister’s words. She also seemed to know him well for knowing how to find him so fast. “It’s all I’ve wanted to do since that awful day.”
Anna thought about the things that had gone through her mind since he had left. The newspaper had run a story on him and his efforts to fight in the Battle of Lake Erie. That was almost right after he left. Then the newspaper reported the British had burnt the city of Buffalo and Anna had heard nothing about him since then. There had been rumors he was also in New Orleans but the newspapers didn’t confirm that. All she could do was pray for his safe return. “I’ve worried about you and am so glad to see you are fine.”
Patrick worried about her while he was gone. He knew that the monster was still out there and worried that innocent girls, such as Anna, were targets. “I’m glad to see you are safe too. Tell me Anna, did they ever found out who had taken her away from us?” He rubbed her tombstone as he waited for Anna’s answer.
She looked down to the ground. There had been no witnesses and little evidence. As much as she hated the idea, the residents of Millersport healed from their pain fast and nobody seemed interested in finding the real killer. Everyone she knew, wanted to know who had done it, but nobody would go out of their way to try to find out who ha
d. “I’m sorry Patrick,” she replied with regret, “They’re not even looking.”
“Not even looking?” Patrick was upset with her answer but he knew why. When he left, though freed from the trial, everyone still believed that he was the guilty one. When he left town, they still believed that and it wouldn’t surprise him if they stopped their thoughts when word broke out about his acts in the war. “Hypocrites,” he stated but then felt the need to apologize to Anna.
“Oh, don’t apologize,” she answered. “I feel the same way, so does my family.”
He once had a hatred for Henry Samuels and felt as though he was to blame for pointing the finger at him. Time had worn that down too, knowing that Amelia meant the world to her father and vice versa. “How is your father?”
Anna told him about his marriage to Ruth, her new sister Mary, and his never healing broken heart. “He has depended on the constable to find the answers we are looking for but I’m afraid that the constable has let it go. We need someone like you to help us.”
“I’m honored to help, I want to find out who has done this too,” Patrick told her. “But, I’m afraid that your father won’t want my help.”
“Does that mean you won’t?” Anna questioned.
Patrick reached out and placed her hand in his. She still displayed her faith in him and he wouldn’t let her down. “Anna, I won’t stop searching for the answers. If your father doesn’t want my help, then I’ll do it on my own.” She smiled at him and he knew that his words had made her happy. It was a promise not just to her but to Amelia’s soul too. One way or the other, he would give Anna the answers she needed. He embraced her one more time, and they said goodbye to each other. Anna had walked away as Patrick climbed up on his horse. He turned his head one last time and looked down on the grave. “I promise,” he said hoping Amelia could hear him, “I’ll find out who had done this to you.”
