My years at Rock Ledge Island Station were lonely, though I had befriended an injured seal that Momma helped me nurse back to health. I named him Eli. He stayed with us until a great storm passed through the winter of my seventh year, and he was gone, swallowed up by the sea. I spent the entire year crying for my beloved pet, my only friend, until Daddy told me one day that I had cried long enough.
I was sitting on my favorite rock, staring out at the endless, dark ocean, as I had done almost every day, even through the bitter winter. However, on that particular day, the air was dry and the sun warmed my face, though inside I felt as dark as the water that surrounded me.
“Lillian, look at me,” Daddy said. He took hold of my chin and made me stare up into his dark amber eyes. “It’s time for your mourning for Eli to end—as of today. You have had more than enough time to put your heart to rest.”
“But Daddy, I miss him so.”
“In life, my darling, you will come to learn that time is your greatest asset. Time heals your heart, and soon your loss will turn into your fondest memory, and the love you had will forever remain in a place that you will never have to let go.”
At the time, I didn’t quite understand what he meant, but I did not cry another day for Eli.
The vessel anchored, and it was time to load up the boats and make our departure. Daddy lifted me up into the row boat, and I sat near Momma, who was staring over at the island. The day was bright and warm; not one cloud floated by in the pale blue sky.
On the shore of the island two young boys enthusiastically waved their hats as their parents, the assistant keepers, waited to help us disembark. I was amazed when I stepped foot on the island and climbed up the steep embankment to see the structure.
The conical lighthouse was nearly one hundred and nineteen feet of granite, with three windows along the tower and a lantern room at the top. At the bottom was the newly-constructed, white, two-story wood house with dark green shutters that was going to be our home.
The boys from below hurried to greet me as I waited to enter the house. “Hello, there,” said the tall boy with wildly curly hair, greeting me with a warm smile. “My name is Heath Dalton, and this is my younger brother, Ayden Dalton.”
Ayden was years younger, with glossy, jet-black hair and big, dark, midnight-blue eyes. He stayed almost hidden behind his older brother, peered around him, and then rudely stuck his tongue out at me.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Lillian Arrington.”
Heath extended his arm and shook my hand.
Ayden quickly ran off and headed back down to the shore. From behind the house a large, hairy, black dog ran after him.
“That’s our dog, Lady,” said Heath. “A fisherman gave her to my father last year after he saved the man from drowning when his boat sank in Lake Michigan.”
Every lighthouse keeper had saved fishermen and sailors—sometimes dozens a year. Daddy had rescued two that very year.
From down below, someone called Heath’s name. “I have to assist with the trunks. It was nice to meet you,” he said and hurried off.
Daddy arrived with the first of many trunks, and I followed him inside the house. Momma was only steps behind.
On the first floor was an enormous main room with one fireplace. The floors were laid with strips of oak, the windows tall, with wide-open shutters. To the left was the kitchen, and in the foyer was a narrow stairway that led to the two bedrooms on the second floor. With great anticipation, I ran upstairs and claimed my room. It was large, with a fireplace and my very own closet. The window faced the mainland in the not-so-far distance.
“What do you think?” Daddy asked from the doorway, where he stood smoking his pipe.
“I love it here,” I cried, running to him.
He hugged me tight then kissed the top of my head. “Let’s get settled. Start unpacking, and when you’re done, we will head to the Daltons’ quarters for supper. They are a very nice family,” he said. Then, in his usual mild-mannered way, he quietly strolled back down the stairs.
Ayden and Heath arrived with my trunk and dropped it at the foot of my bed. Ayden hurried out while Heath lingered for a moment.
“This is quite a house,” he said, glancing around. I was mesmerized. His hair was the color of honey, and he was tall, almost as tall as Daddy. Heath had a heart-shaped face, a small nose that pointed slightly upwards, and his skin was already tanned from the early summer sun. I believed he must have been sixteen years old, but later found out he was only fourteen.
Heath smiled at me then told me he was going to someday be a doctor, not a lighthouse keeper. “As soon as I graduate from school, I will attend Harvard,” he told me. “I plan to set up practice in Boston. Have you ever been there, Lillian?”
I hadn’t known anyone other than Momma and Daddy, let alone been anywhere other than a rocky, desolate island, far out at sea. I had only seen storms and fog and ships navigating the deep, icy waters of the North Atlantic. The only company we had were either rescued sailors or dead fishermen washed up onto the rocky beach.
“No, I have never been to Boston,” I replied. “Have you?”
“Have I?” he replied with a huge grin. “That’s where we’re originally from.”
Just then, Ayden walked in carrying a large wooden box filled with all my books. Every month, the lighthouse tender made his way out to Rock Ledge Island to deliver our supplies, and that always included a new box of books and teaching supplies for Momma. Since I was three, she had tended my schooling. I loved writing and especially loved reading. The books I read took me to faraway places. In my mind, I met new people and had great adventures. My books were my only escape from my dreary, isolated existence.
“That’s the last of it,” Ayden huffed.
“I presume we will see you at supper?” Heath asked.
“Of course,” I replied then thanked them for bringing my belongings up to my room.
“See you then,” I called from the opened window of my bedroom. Heath smiled, and Ayden scowled at me.
Just before we gathered around the large wooden table set up outside the Dalton quarters, I was introduced to Edward and Opal Dalton. Edward was near Daddy’s age and Opal was years older than Momma. Momma didn’t have a speck of gray hair on her long, thick, chestnut-brown hair, unlike Opal. Momma’s skin was the color of light ivory and as soft as silk. She had large green eyes and her features fine and delicate. I resembled Momma, except my hair was platinum blond and turned even lighter during peak summer months.
Opal greeted me with a pleasant smile, and Edward said, “Hello, young lady.” Ayden looked much like his mother, but Heath was the exact image of his father.
The feast was grand, the occasion meant to celebrate new beginnings on Jasper Island. Edward gave the prayer before we began to eat. I sat with Momma to one side and Heath to the other. Daddy and Edward sat at each end of the long, pine table. Ayden sat beside Opal, opposite me. From listening to the adults talk, I gathered the Daltons had arrived from Great Point Station in Michigan only two days prior. In years past, they had also been stationed on the other coast of America, way out in California.
Despite their age difference, Momma and Opal quickly became friends, and of course, had much in common. I could see how happy Momma was to have another woman to talk to. They chatted, Heath ate beside me, and Ayden asked to be excused. He had quickly finished his meal and wanted to explore the island.
“Wait for us,” Heath insisted.
Ayden frowned then barked, “No.”
“You wait for your brother and Lillian, you hear?” Edward stated firmly. Ayden sat back down with his arms folded over his chest and shot me a look of disgust. I couldn’t imagine why Ayden disliked me so.
Heath took his time and carried on a conversation with Daddy, talking about other stations and such. Daddy had only been keeper of one lighthouse, but had served in the Confederate Navy. Daddy told me he decided to become a lighthouse keeper after years spent at sea.
/> “The keepers stay up all night to make certain those at sea stay safe. Now it’s my turn,” he told me. “The other benefit to my service, Lillian, is that we can be far away from the disgrace of the war.”
Daddy didn’t talk about the war between the North and South often. The only time it was mentioned was when he had a point to make or a lesson about life that he believed I absolutely needed to know. When he spoke of the disgrace, I wasn’t certain which side he believed was disgraceful. Even though Momma and Daddy were from the South—Savannah, Georgia, in fact, I believed in the war and the fight to free the slaves. I never expressed my feelings; I never wanted to hurt Daddy. If the Daltons were aware that Momma, Daddy, and I were southerners, they didn’t show any prejudice.
“Are you ready, Lillian?” Heath asked, and stood. I gladly followed him when he announced he was going to show me around.
Near the house was a vegetable garden, and close by a chicken coop. The woodshed was also near, as was the fog signal house, and not too far from that was the pump house.
“Over yonder is the oil house, and way down below is the boat house. It’s in disrepair; the plans are to rebuild it this summer.”
Ayden followed as we made our way to the other side of the island. We strolled slowly and I listened as Heath described the last keeper’s tragedy.
“His name was Victor, and he was killed in the fire that destroyed the first house, which was built back in 1815. He had been keeper for ten years.”
“And his ghost still walks the island,” Ayden chimed in, as we stood looking back at the lighthouse.
“Oh, Ayden, don’t scare her,” Heath said, and he patted me on the head. “It’s all nonsense. Ayden’s head is full of that kind of stuff.”
“No, it’s not!” Ayden shouted. “It’s true. I’ve seen the ghost.”
Heath laughed and started walking ahead. Ayden picked up a rock and threw it at Heath’s head, just missing him. Heath laughed even harder, and Ayden’s eyes welled up with tears. Before he would allow me to see him cry, he ran off.
“Come on, Ayden; come back,” Heath called, but Ayden wouldn’t return. “He’ll be fine,” he said, continuing to lead. “This is my new telescope. I have already seen a pod of humpback whales.”
The telescope stood out on the bluff and faced the great expanse of ocean.
“Go ahead, look through it.”
I had never looked through one before and was amazed at how far out into the ocean I could see.
“On clear nights, I come out to study the stars. Do you know all the constellations?”
Heath was so much older and wiser than I, and I admired his intelligence.
“Have you ever heard of Galileo?” he asked. “Did you ever read Starry Messenger?”
“No, I haven’t,” I said, lowering my eyes for fear he would think me unintelligent.
“I will give you the book to read. I can teach you everything you would ever want to know about the galaxy,” he said, looking up into the early evening sky. I was excited that Heath was so interested in me—that he wanted to teach me things I never imagined I would learn first-hand.
“Later tonight, if the fog doesn’t roll in, we’ll come out here and gaze up at the stars through my telescope. Maybe Ayden will want to come, too. For now we should be getting back now. I have evening chores to do. Besides, you’d better ask your father if you can stay up that late.”
Heath apparently thought I was a little girl. He didn’t realize I often worked as Daddy’s first assistant when Momma wasn’t feeling well. I knew how to wash the windows of the lantern, trim the wicks, and had even hauled oil to the top of the tower. I had once stayed up all night, ringing the bell until the fog lifted.
“I’m not a little girl,” I said on our way back. “I don’t have to get to bed.”
Heath stopped and turned to me. “If you don’t mind me asking, Lillian—how old are you?”
“I am eleven.”
Heath smiled, his eyes softened, and then he said, “Just as I thought. Ayden is eleven, although he acts more like a five-year-old.”
We stood for a moment as Heath waited for my reply. I didn’t have one. Once again, I lowered my eyes, fearing he would see my insecurities. To my surprise, Heath didn’t ignore my feelings as he had done with Ayden.
“Don’t feel bad. You’re a smart girl, Lillian. I can see that. You and I are going to learn so much here. After the summer is over, I will row you out to the mainland, where you will attend a real school. Doesn’t that sound exciting?” Heath put his arm around me, and my heart skipped a beat.
“Yes, it does,” I said, giving him a warm smile. Heath smiled in return and walked me back to my house, his arm still on my shoulders.
Before I went to sleep that night, I stood at my window and watched the fog roll in. Daddy stopped in to see me before he made his way up to the tower. “Would you like to work the fog signal tonight, Lillian?” he asked.
“Yes, Daddy,” I replied. Daddy nodded his head and said he would see me shortly. Momma soon came up to my room to brush my long hair. It was a ritual we followed every night, even when she wasn’t feeling well. Momma had gone to dozens of doctors on our infrequent visits to the mainland, and none of them could figure out what was wrong with her. She was often tired and achy, and her only relief was sleep. That’s when I would take over as first assistant for her. I had been learning the duties of a keeper since the age of four. Daddy said I was a natural—that if I wanted to, I could grow up to be a principal keeper. He was certain of it.
“You’re a special girl, Lillian; you can do anything you want. Look at your mother. She is smart and funny and the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. You’re just like her,” Daddy said as I sat on his lap when we were at the very top of the watch tower, staring out at the sea.“The whole world is yours to make of what you want. It doesn’t matter what people say or think. You do what makes you happy, no matter what.”
Whenever he spoke, I gazed into his eyes and somehow knew his words would help me in my most troubled times.
Momma came in, led me to the bed, and then began to brush my hair. “Do you like it here, Lillian?” she asked.
“I do, Momma. Very much.”
“Are you happy to have friends?”
“I am. I know Ayden, Heath, and I will become the best of friends. Heath is so smart; do you know he wants to become a doctor someday?”
“Really? That certainly would be an achievement.”
“And Ayden—well, I don’t think he likes me much,” I said, and sighed heavily.
“Why do you say that?”
As she continued to take long strokes of my hair with the soft brush, I tried to think of an answer, but nothing at all came to mind. Momma saw my trouble.
“I think I know why,” she said softly. I tilted my head and turned around to face her.
“He thinks you are the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. Since the moment he laid eyes on you, since the first moment you stepped into the room, you captured his heart,” Momma said wistfully, her eyes glazed over, as if in her mind she were far away, in another time and place.
“Momma, what do you mean?”
Her eyes fell onto me and she smiled. “It means Ayden loves you and will someday proclaim his love to you.”
I didn’t think for one minute that Momma was right. Ayden didn’t think I was beautiful. And the only man who loved me was Daddy, and the only man I secretly wanted to be in love with me was Heath. If anyone someday would proclaim his love to me, I wanted it to be Heath. I wasn’t ready to confess to Momma my feelings about Heath. I was too embarrassed. I had seen what love was; I had seen Daddy and Momma together. They shared themselves in a way that both frightened me and left me curious at the same time. When Daddy kissed her, she would melt away in his arms, and nothing else mattered. When Daddy climbed in bed with her, I was afraid. On the nights that Daddy loved her, I closed my eyes and wished myself away. I was scared to have a man love me lik
e that. I wouldn’t want Heath to love me in that way.
“You look tired, my sweet girl. Why don’t you lie down and sleep?”
I yawned and rubbed my eyes, then said, “I promised Daddy I would give the fog signal tonight.”
“I will do that for him. You get some sleep; it has been a long day,” she said, and pulled the covers up over me.
I agreed and kissed Momma goodnight. As she closed the door, I thought of what it would have been like if the fog hadn’t rolled in, and Heath had taken me out to his telescope and showed me the constellations. I hoped we would be able to do it some night. I hoped he wouldn’t forget his offer.
By late morning, the fog had burned off, and shortly after cleaning up the breakfast dishes, which I washed over at the well pump, I suggested the boys and I go see if we could find some rocks with fossils in them. Heath thought it was a great idea. Ayden showed no interest.
“I would rather haul the oil up to the tower than search for some boring fossils,” he grunted.
“Okay, it’s your choice,” Heath said, shrugging his broad shoulders. He turned to me and winked, then said, “It’s just you and me, kid.”
The day was warm, and as predicted, the brisk ocean breezes kept the summer days from ever becoming too hot. On the beach were thousands of rocks, both large and small. Immediately, Heath found a rock that had a plant fossil embedded in it.
“What kind of plant do you think it was?” I asked, watching him peer closely at it.
“I’m not sure. I will have to look it up in my book. Let’s get more, and we can make a pile over here.”
We combed the shore and found dozens of rocks, and as I sat picking through our pile, Heath came over and said, “Close your eyes and put out your hand.”
Box Set: The ArringtonTrilogy Page 32
