by Bird, Peggy
“Jade, listen to this!” Matt began to read the letter aloud:
London, England
October 28, 1616
Dearest Adam,
I have just received your most recent correspondence regarding your nuptials. Your description of the occasion was wrought with such loving detail and depth of feeling that I have taken the earliest opportunity to write these few lines hoping they find you in good health. I must admit your letter moved me to tears. It is no doubt feminine folly to be so emotional over a letter, but I blame the romantic sensibilities of a loving and devoted mother. I can imagine you there, looking out at the lake as you took your vows. You are a special son, and if I am a bit overcome with happiness at your joyful union, it is, I imagine, quite forgivable. I am only sorry to not have been there in person.
If your father were well, you can be certain I would have made the ocean journey. As it is, I worry for him. He is not as hearty as you would remember. This bout of illness has aged him much. It has slowed him and eased his temperament as well. He is changed. It is possible you would even enjoy his company now …
• • •
Matt trailed off, reading the rest of the letter to himself.
Jade was outraged. “Don’t stop now!”
Matt glanced up at her. “I thought you weren’t interested in this stuff!”
Jade scooted herself closer to Matt. She bumped him with her hip and he held the letter closer to her, pointing out where he had left off so she could read for herself.
They finished the letter, but there was no other mention of the wedding ceremony of Adam Cartwright. Adam’s mother went on to write about Adam’s brother, sister, and a parade of other names. She detailed the events surrounding those lives, filling him in with news of family and friends and the life he had left behind.
For some reason, the details of the wedding ceremony seemed important, like a clue to the whereabouts of the treasure might be found there. It was a total hunch, but Matt was a good judge of human character. It was what made him a good writer, getting into the minds of people. He had spent a lot of time with the Cartwright story and Adam’s life. It seemed like a long shot, and yet his gut was telling him to follow this clue. The location of the wedding was somehow significant.
Somewhere out there was a letter from Adam to his mother, if it hadn’t been destroyed or lost.
Matt went to his desk and shuffled through the folders until he found what he was looking for. He handed the folder to Jade.
“These are copies of the letters my assistant found in London. They are copies of Adam’s letters to his mother.”
Jade opened the file and began to sift through. These were typed, probably transcribed from the originals, and much easier to read. She glanced up at Matt and her eyes were sparkling with excitement. “Is the wedding letter here?” She didn’t even wait for him to answer before turning back to the folder. She was already reading some of the earliest letters.
Matt had his own hunches, but he was curious as to why Jade had singled out the wedding as well. “Do you think it’s important?”
Jade shot him a look. “The wedding? It was to them.”
Matt nodded and declared again, “I thought you weren’t interested.”
Jade smiled. “I said I wasn’t interested in the treasure.”
Matt persisted. “You called me a romantic. And not in a nice way.”
Jade shrugged and ignored the accusation. She went back to reading the letters. “The wedding is important.”
Matt gestured to the folder she was holding. “It’s not there. I’ve read all of these, and none of them describe the wedding.”
Jade ran her hands through her bangs. “These are good.” She pointed to one of the letters. “Here. This sounds like the north side of the lake. There’s a clearing like the one he describes here. The light filters through the trees and in the spring, the pollen is so thick it’s like fairy dust in the light shafts. Here, read.”
Matt read the paragraph she pointed to. It was good writing, vivid and emotional. “He loved this land.”
Jade nodded. “If we can find that letter, and he describes the wedding site in this kind of detail, I think I can find it.” She was excited about finding the treasure; Matt could hear it in her voice. Her enthusiasm made him smile. Somehow, Ms. Cynical had turned into a five-year-old on Christmas morning and Matt had a ringside seat. If he weren’t enjoying her so much, he might have made fun of it. Instead, he just grinned.
“Okay,” he said, “I think I have some connections that might help. I’ll make some phone calls and see if we can find that letter. No guarantees though.”
Jade smiled up at Matt. “There’s no guarantee that when we find the wedding site there will be anything there, either. That’s not the point. It’ll be fun to look and see, find out what’s there. It’s all about the journey.”
Matt thought about the two of them, Jade and him, about their relationship. He nodded at her. “I couldn’t agree more.”
• • •
A frustrating five days later, the Aston Martin was back. Jade gave a heavy sigh. The exhale was forceful enough that Meg turned around and slammed her hands down on her hips. “That’s it! You are done with being pathetic and mournful. Get your ass off of that stool and go have sex with that man now, or I am revoking our friendship.”
Jade raised both eyebrows high enough to get them lost in her bangs. “Should we do that here, on the countertop, or do you recommend the parking lot? Maybe on the hood of Ms. Parker’s car?”
Meg fought a smile by glaring at Jade instead. “I don’t give a good goddamn where you do it. You can do it in the middle of the lawn with Jeff watching for all I care—”
“Eww!”
“—but just stop sighing!”
“Ooooh, are we talking about what I think we’re talking about?” Beatrice Kent swept into the kitchen with an empty platter in her hands and set it down on the counter. “I once did it on stage. Of course, not with an audience present, but oh my!” She gave a little shiver and sat down on a stool next to Jade.
Adele stalked in three steps behind Bea, rolling her eyes heavenward. “Oh Lord, not this story again.”
Bea turned to Adele and stuck her tongue out. “You’re just jealous.”
Adele barked out a laugh and shook her head. “What on earth of? I’ve done it in much more exotic places than on a stupid stage.”
Jade shot Meg a pleading look, but Meg pretended not to notice. She was not going to help.
Bea narrowed her eyes. “Oh, really? Like where?”
Jade was thinking about putting her fingers in her ears and chanting, “La, la, la, la, I’m not listening.” She might have done it, too, but just then Samantha Parker strolled in from the hallway, looking like a million dollars.
Her hair fell in a golden curtain around her shoulders and swung when she walked, almost in perfect time with her trim hips and skyscraper legs. Her eyes glittered, and her golden skin glowed. She wore another slim pencil skirt, this time with a snugly fitted v-neck sweater made of tissue thin cashmere. The outfit hugged every important curve, which for Samantha meant all of them. She was in three-inch heels that looked like they cost more than Jade’s entire wardrobe. Everything was black except the gold and stainless steel Tag Heuer watch at her wrist. If she had earrings on, Jade couldn’t see them. Samantha’s hair was that thick. Jade tried not to glance down at her own cotton t-shirt and khaki pants. She hoped they weren’t covered in coffee stains.
Samantha paused for a moment at the door and looked around. Adele was still talking. “It just so happens that I can name about a half-dozen interesting places I’ve had sex!”
Sam’s mouth had opened to say something, but at hearing Adele’s declaration, she quickly shut it. She leaned casually against the doorframe with her arms folded across her ribcage. She was settled in for the duration. Meg feigned disinterest as she walked to the fridge and took out a new tray laden with small crust less sandwiches
.
Bea challenged Adele. Apparently, the presence of a newcomer was not going to dissuade her in any way. “Harrumph. This I’d like to hear! Name them.”
Adele thrust her hand out at Bea and counted each one off on her fingers. “Well, there was the bearded ladies tent, a dental chair, in front of the wax figure of Clark Gable at Madame Tussaud’s, the bullpen at Yankee Stadium, the bathroom of a 747 … ”
Jade shot a pleading look at Meg, who finally took pity on her. She thrust the tray of sandwiches into Adele’s hands and gently led the sisters toward the door to the dining room. “Would you ladies mind setting this out on the side board? Thanks so much.” Meg nudged them out the door with a pat on the back. They were still arguing as they left. “The airplane doesn’t count; it’s too mundane.”
“It does too count!”
Samantha quirked an eyebrow at the retreating pair. “Are they always like that?”
Meg and Jade answered simultaneously, “Always.”
Sam shook her head and laughed. “How did they even end up on that topic?”
Meg shrugged. “Who knows with those two? They do end up on some pretty strange tangents.”
Sam smiled. “I guess at their age you’ve covered all of the boring stuff. I hope I’m still having those … interesting conversations when I’m that old.”
Meg nodded. “It sure beats talking about the weather!”
Samantha laughed. “I was thinking the exact same thing!”
There was a moment where no one said anything, but before it could turn to awkward silence, Samantha continued. “So, I just dropped in to find out what there is to do around here.”
Meg made her way toward the counter to continue stirring the dough for breakfast scones. “You mean, other than hiking, swimming, sailing, canoeing, fishing, horseshoes on the front lawn, or general lazing about? Oh, and don’t forget canasta with Mr. Boyle. He’s a real card shark. Plays every Sunday after brunch without fail.”
Sam laughed and jerked her head toward the dining room door. “With those two ladies?” Meg just nodded in response. “No thanks. I’d lose my shirt!”
Meg smiled slyly back at Sam. “No, their strip poker game is Saturday night.”
Sam cringed. “That’s a … vivid image.”
Meg had bent down to pull a baking sheet out from the cupboard. She popped back up to answer with a shiver, “Yeah, a little too vivid.”
Meg wiped her hands on a rag on the countertop and walked toward Samantha, hand extended. “Meg Hammond.”
“Hi, I’m Sam Parker.”
“Yeah, so I hear.” The two women shook hands and smiled at one another.
Jade sat and watched in horror as her best friend and Matt’s friend made nice. Then something occurred to her. “You go by Sam mostly, right?”
Sam nodded. “Unless I’m trying to be snotty or pretentious.”
Jade tilted her head. “Did you … ” She thought about how to phrase it delicately, without offending, then gave up. “Are you the one who broke Matt’s nose?”
Sam laughed. “Yep, that was me.” She lifted her right arm, put her right hand on her own shoulder, and presented her elbow. “I was a bony kid. Smacked him with this. Hit him just right, too. There was this great spurt of blood. It was everywhere. All over the rug, the couch, on the silk throw pillows. It cost a fortune to clean them. Aunt Elizabeth was so furious.” Sam paused in the story and looked carefully at Jade. “I’m surprised he told you about it.”
Meg asked, “Why?”
Sam lifted a shoulder. “He probably wouldn’t like me saying this, but he usually doesn’t like to look … weak.”
Meg nodded. “Total guy thing.”
Sam looked at Jade again. “If he told you, he must trust you.”
Jade stared down at the countertop, avoiding Sam’s gaze. This was the problem all along. Matt was willing to trust Jade, but somewhere along the way she had lost her ability to trust anyone or anything. She didn’t trust men not to break her heart, and she didn’t trust herself to pick a man who was reliable. She had fallen in love so easily with Nick. At least it had seemed that way at the time. Now if something was too easy, too good, that fast, she didn’t quite trust it to last.
She could see her future stretched out ahead of her. A future where she jumped in and out of relationships, praying they never got too serious and nothing bad ever happened. When they did, she would undoubtedly find a way out and move on. She knew that Matt hadn’t lied to her to be deceitful. In fact, if she really looked at it, she had known it even in the moment that he came clean. It just gave her the perfect excuse to run. If it hadn’t been that, she would’ve found some other reason to run. Nick was out of her life, but Jade was still making decisions based on that relationship.
Jade knew that if she wanted something different, something more, she was going to have to do something different, risk something more. She had no idea how to make a relationship with Matt work, or if they even had a relationship anymore. But she was willing to give it a try.
Jade sighed and got up from the stool at the counter. She was suddenly restless and wanted to walk. She left the kitchen through the door to the yard without a word to either Sam or Meg.
Chapter 18
The next morning, Matt got the envelope lying on his doorstep with a tray of scones and a large insulated carafe of coffee. There was no note or clue as to who left it. Whomever it was had simply knocked on the door and then ran. Matt smiled; it seemed like the kind of prank Sam would pull. He set the tray up on the small table in the kitchen, poured himself a cup of coffee, and brought it to the couch along with the envelope.
The papers slid out easily, and he shuffled through them. There was a cover page, some notes, and a letter. Matt felt his heart rate kick up at the salutation in the letter. It was from Adam to his mother.
On the one hand, Matt didn’t believe that the treasure was still out there. Too much time had passed and from what he could glean, the chest had been wood and the metals in many of the pieces would have been delicate and susceptible to the elements. But the search for it had become a game to him, piecing together these lives from so long ago, finding clues, coming up with theories. Matt loved to win and was fascinated with putting the puzzle together.
He set aside the letter for later and looked through the notes. There were descriptions of various artifacts and pieces of jewelry. One description really caught his attention. It was a ring, a large brown diamond surrounded by marquise cut emeralds that circled the diamond like a ring of leaves. That sounded like the piece Adam Cartwright had intended for Alsoomse’s wedding ring. The sources seemed to corroborate one another, lending credibility to the contents of Adam’s letters. Matt smiled and flipped through some of the other pages. Nothing else seemed to jump out at him, and he was just about to dig into the letter when there was a knock at his cabin door. He had less foot traffic at his Manhattan penthouse. Of course, that building had a doorman …
Matt put the letter down and went to the door. Sam stood there in a pair of ratty sweat pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt printed with the words: shirts with a haiku/ they’re kind of overrated/ but I’m wearing one. Matt wondered how a woman who looked so put together Monday through Friday could turn into such a fashion disaster on the weekend. Her hair hadn’t been brushed and stuck out at crazy angles. Of course, she had the New York Times in her arms, so Matt let her in.
She immediately dropped the newspaper on the couch, noticed Matt’s coffee and went to the kitchen to pour herself a cup. “How come you get room service, and I had to go to the main house to get my paper?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t even order it. I thought you might have dropped it off.”
Sam walked back in from the kitchen with her mug. She was shaking her head. “Nope. If it hadn’t been for the paper, I would still be in bed.”
Matt sighed and moved the envelope, notes, and letter onto his desk. He could always look at them later. He started to flip through the p
aper section by section. “How did you get the paper out here anyway?”
Sam sat on the couch and sipped her coffee. “I have my ways. Give me entertainment.”
Matt slid the section toward her and took the sports section for himself. They settled in and read in comfortable silence for a while until Sam spoke. “I think I finally have a plan.”
Matt lifted his head from the paper and smiled with relief. “Oh thank god.”
“Did you know that Ben is escorting Jade to a retirement dinner honoring her father?”
Matt had not known, and it didn’t make him happy to find out now. He frowned at the news. Sam smiled smugly, which made Matt frown harder. She was supposed to be on his side, but seemed to relish delivering the bad news. “How do you know this?”
Sam shrugged, “I talked to him, to Ben. I was fishing for some angle, anything useful and he seems to have a lot of information about everything. He’s really a pretty great guy. I kind of like him … ”
Matt’s patience grew thin. “The plan?”
“Well, I did a little digging and the dinner is honoring Doctor Sawyer, but the Board of Regents also turned it into a fundraiser for Doctor Sawyer’s pet project, the Library of Antiquities.”
Matt’s scowl turned into a look of speculation. “So, you don’t have to be invited to attend?”
Sam shook her head. “No, as a matter of fact, you already purchased two tickets to attend the event.”
“Two tickets, huh?”
Sam batted her lashes coquettishly at Matt and faked a pleased gasp. “Why, I’d love to go!”
Matt shot her a wide grin. This plan was starting to have potential. He was pretty sick of sitting back and playing the sensitive guy. That strategy was turning out to be extremely lame. In what he supposed was typical male fashion, he was ready to take action. Get on the court. A fundraiser was right up his alley. Thanks to his mother’s training and years of dance lessons, Matt was a natural at these events. He was damned charming and looked good in a tux. Or so he’d been told.
