Natasha's Hope

by Heather Greenis

  The Natasha Saga

  Natasha’s Hope, Book 3

  By

  Heather Greenis

  Digital ISBNs:

  EPUB 9781771459167

  Kindle 9781771459174

  WEB PDF 9781771459181

  Print ISBN 9781771459198

  Copyright 2015 by Heather Greenis

  Cover art by Michelle Lee Copyright 2015

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book

  * * *

  Dedication:

  To my family and friends. Thanks for your support.

  Chapter One

  Keeghan’s Dream

  The screen disappeared.

  “Alexander! No,” Keeghan begged. “Don’t end it yet. I need to know what happens. Izabella agrees to marry Stewart, right? Tell me I’m right.”

  Alexander stood, looked into the distance, smiled, and walked off.

  “Humph,” Keeghan groaned. “That man drives me crazy. I hate these terrible endings.”

  Will put his arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

  Present Day

  A stinging sensation raced from her ankle into her foot and up her calf. Ow, what the…? Opening her eyes, she bent her knee, bringing her foot closer to rub it. Will jolted in his sleep, with both his hands and feet in motion. “Will, love, wake up.” Her voice cracked.

  “Uh, what’s wrong?”

  “You were dreaming. What were you dreaming about? You kicked me.”

  “Your voice! You’re crying. I hurt you. My God, I’m so sorry.”

  The dog whimpered. “I’m fine. I promise.” Keeghan leaned over the edge of the bed. Their black and white Border Collie was sitting up, looking at her. Extending her arm, she petted her head. The dog settled, sprawling on the dog bed. “That’s a good girl, Constable.”

  William rolled onto his back and pushed himself into a sitting position. Keeghan reached to the night table for a tissue and wiped the wet streaks from her cheeks.

  Will rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned. “Why the tears? Oh, let me guess. After a break for a couple of nights, you were dreaming about Stewart and Hope again, weren’t you.”

  “The saga continued,” she moaned, still attempting to wake up.

  “In your last dream I thought Stewart and Hope were happy.”

  “They were happy until the end of the dream,” she admitted. She rolled onto her side. With her head resting on the pillow, she looked at her husband. “This dream has had its ups and downs. Stewart fell in love, only to find out Natasha was a princess with awful parents. Stewart and Natasha were forced into hiding in order to remain together and had a little girl. Natasha committed suicide leaving Stewart to raise their little girl.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember all that. My memory isn’t that bad.”

  “Hope grew up, went to university and met and married the man of her dreams. Adam is an absolute sweetheart. Stewart met and fell in love with a woman that lost her husband.”

  “They have something in common. A lost love.”

  “Yup. Anyway at the end of this dream, Stewart proposed to Izabella. She turned him down.”

  “What? No,” he groaned. “The poor dude. You don’t like him, do you? Natasha declined his proposal as well.”

  “I do like him,” Keeghan blurted, defending herself. “He’s my main character and my heart is breaking for him. That’s why I was crying.”

  “Did she give him a reason?” he asked. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Don’t answer that. You can bring me up to date during the plane ride. We’re in for a long flight. You’ll have a captive audience. We’ll be in Toronto before we know it.”

  “As I recall you have a big meeting,” she reminded him. Keeghan reached for her robe at the end of their bed. “Go shave and shower. You need to make a good, professional impression today. I’ll let Constable out and feed her.”

  * * *

  By noon, Keeghan was sitting at the desk in her office, glancing at her watch, willing her husband to arrive. If they kept to their original plan for an early lunch at Will’s parents, leaving the dog with them before heading to the airport, they were tight for time. Tempted to call his cell, Keeghan reached for her phone and then pulled back, refraining.

  “Dealing with valuable clients takes time. The call will go straight to voicemail, and I won’t be any further ahead.” Reaching for the portable business phone on her desk, she called his mother to let her know they were running late.

  Fifteen minutes later, her cell buzzed with an incoming text message from James, Will’s business partner and best friend.

  ‘Will is just leaving the office. He’s on the way to your boutique.’

  Keeghan was standing at the front window with Constable by her side when Will’s car appeared and stopped. Keeghan said goodbye to her employee, gripped the dog’s collar and opened the store door to meet him at the car.

  Constable’s tail began wagging at full speed, recognizing the scent. Keeghan opened the back door and allowed Constable to hop in. Will turned and looked at her with an ear-to-ear grin on his face. Keeghan closed the back door, opened the front and sat down beside Will.

  “Your client signed the transfer forms?”

  “He did,” Will announced exuberantly. “He signed his entire portfolio over to us. We weren’t expecting that.”

  Keeghan beamed. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Congratulations, love. I’m so proud of you.”

  Will put the car into gear and pulled out.

  “The day the big commission cheque arrives, I’ll treat the four of us for dinner,” she informed him. “Jim must be ecstatic.”

  “Beyond words. Any other night we’d go out for drinks to celebrate, but not tonight.”

  “Nope, we’d miss our flight. We better get going. I called your mom and told her we’re running late. Are you planning to tell your parents about your client? They’re going to be so proud of you.”

  “No,” he responded, shaking his head. “I don’t want to jinx it. Technically, he can still change his mind. I’ll tell them when the money starts coming in. Besides, I want their attention focused on Constable, her feeding schedule, and the fact she’s accustomed to two walks a day. It will be good for Mom and Dad to have a decent walk twice a day. Good quality time for them.” He turned his head and gave her a quick ‘smart ass’ grin.

  She smiled. From what Keeghan had witnessed, Kirsten and Lucas had a great relationship “After this, they may refuse to take her again.”

  “That’s not going to happen. Constable’s their grand-dog.”

  * * *

  They had a smooth flight over the prairies. Changing planes in Toronto, their journey continued. As promised, Will was attentive as she spoke in detail about her dream. Will briefly discussed his meeting with the wealthy client and then joked about joining the mile high club while they flew over the great pond, otherwise known as the ocean. They both napped instead.

  Arriving at Heathrow, they switched planes and were in the air again, flying toward their destination. Once settled into their hotel room, they went out for a late lunch, and then Will suggested a walk to get some much needed air and exercise. The couple returned to their room, experiencing the effects of jet lag, and retired for the evening. After spending Sunday sightseeing and getting their bearings, both William and Keeghan were eager to visit Picton University.

  Rising early, Keeghan slipped into an off-white sundress w
ith a multi-coloured pattern. Will stepped out of the washroom in beige walking shorts and navy golf shirt. After a huge breakfast, they were on the road toward Picton University. Leaving the rental car in a parking lot, they walked toward the beautiful three-storey stone structures. Sauntering around the property, they found a multitude of large olive trees, manicured flower gardens, and a slow running river at the back. They worked their way back to the library.

  “If my dream is accurate, both Natasha and Stewart, and Hope and Adam, had a beautiful setting to fall in love.”

  “Are you ready to look at archives?” Will asked.

  Squeezing his hand slightly, she entered the three-storey, circular-shaped stone library with Will a few steps behind her. Approaching the main desk, a large portrait of a young couple with a small child captured Keeghan’s attention. “What an attractive family,” she whispered to Will.

  William looked up at the portrait and smiled. He stepped up to the librarian’s counter.

  “May I help you?” The middle-aged woman pushed a strand of brown hair out of her dark eyes.

  “I hope so, but first, I’m curious about the portrait.”

  “Yes, we are asked regularly about that,” she responded, glancing back at the wall. “Unfortunately, we don’t know who they are. We’ve been told the portrait was donated to the university years ago, along with a substantial funding donation. The Board of Directors have discussed removing it, but are skeptical in case there is a family connection to the school they aren’t aware of. We do not want to lose funding, or a possible donation.”

  William gazed around. Impatient to begin, Keeghan looked at the woman. “My husband William called the school last week and was told we’d be granted access to your archives. We are interested in seeing records with graduating classes beginning in eighteen-seventy.”

  “Beginning? You’re looking for multiple years?”

  “Yes.”

  She disappeared and returned with five books. William grabbed the archives and Keeghan led the way to an empty work space. Rows and rows of bookshelves crowded the centre of the room. On either side of the librarian’s counter were individual workstations where students were sitting with their laptops. All working areas backed onto windows. Wandering past the students, they found tables with chairs. Will placed the books on a round table, pulled out a chair for Keeghan, and sat beside her. They each opened a book. An hour later, Keeghan leaned back and stretched.

  “You’re surprising me. I haven’t heard a word of complaint.”

  “No. but I’m going to need a break,” he admitted. “What do you say we take these books back, go for a walk, and return for round two.”

  “Yup. This is going to take longer than I expected.”

  He snickered. “You are always a bit impatient with research, unless it comes to your store.”

  “That isn’t research. That is looking through pages of brochures or websites at pictures of products. Shopping for things that will sell. I enjoy that. The day I don’t, I’ll sell the boutique.”

  Keeghan grabbed the books and took them back to the librarian.

  “We’re going to take a little break. We’ll be back in a while.”

  They returned to the library after lunch. Depressed by mid-afternoon, Keeghan pushed her chair back.

  “I expected better luck with this,” she admitted, rubbing her eyes.

  “Me-e-e, too,” he responded, “but I’m not ready to quit.”

  “No. Not after travelling this far. We’ll give it another half hour and then take-off for the day.”

  It was a bit of a challenge to keep her mind from wandering, but Keeghan was meticulous, looking at pictures and the corresponding information.

  Joshua Strathroy

  Marcus Strathroy

  “Will,” she murmured, attempting to get his attention. “I found the twins. I found Natasha’s brothers.”

  “Your royal family?” William shifted toward her and studied the pictures. “Any sign of Stewart or Natasha?”

  “I haven’t seen either of them, but they didn’t graduate until the following year.”

  “I’m confused. I thought you said Stewart and the twins were the same age.”

  “They were, but Stewart took a four-year program. The twins only went for three years.”

  “Right!” He nodded. “As I recall, Stewart’s Natasha, graduated the same year. I’m looking forward to seeing a picture of her.”

  “You know what she looks like. We saw her family portrait. We don’t know what Stewart looks like.”

  “An old portrait with five people in it. No, I want to see a good picture of her. Something with a little more detail.”

  Will pushed the book back to her, allowing Keeghan to study the twin’s faces.

  “Good-looking guys. Back to the search for Stewart and Natasha. Keep flipping pages, Will,” she remarked, hoping he was looking at the men as well as the women. “Will, do you think Stewart will be listed twice? There is a possibility he won’t be listed until he graduated with his masters. I know they list them separately now, but we don’t know how they recorded that kind of information over a hundred years ago. Another thought. Donovan is a fairly common surname. It could have been back then as well. What are the chances there was more than one Stewart Donavan?”

  Will scrunched his nose up. “That won’t help our search, but he took a double major, didn’t he?”

  “Yup. He was a smart guy. Architecture and Engineering.”

  “It isn’t common practice to study both today. I have my doubts it was back then either. Keep looking, Keeghan. Let’s see if we can find this guy and his future wife.”

  Keeghan reached for the next book and turned to the first page. The search continued. Two books later, Keeghan’s eyes locked on a picture. So excited, she could barely contain herself. She pointed and then began tapping the page.

  “Look,” she squealed. Her tone louder than acceptable for a library. “This is Stewart.”

  “Shh.” A chorus of voices sounded from around the room.

  “Keep your voice lowered, Keegh,” he warned. “I don’t want to get kicked out before we find everything we’re looking for.” William glanced at the pages in front of her. “How do you know it’s Stewart?” he questioned, keeping his voice lowered. “You keep telling me the faces in the dream are a little fuzzy.”

  How can you question this? It’s so obvious. “Look at the picture, Will. The guy is gorgeous, and those eyes. They’re amazing. I wish these pictures were coloured.”

  William raised his eyebrows. “It’s a good thing I know this guy lived a hundred years ago or I’d have reason to be jealous. He’s invading your dreams on a regular basis, something I’m not able to do.”

  Keeghan leaned over, placing her lips by his ear. “Look in the mirror. Love at first sight. First impression was wow, and then I was envious of your girlfriend when I discovered you were such a sweetheart. I was thrilled when we reconnected—then you kissed me.” She put her hand over her heart and began patting it.

  “Nice recovery.” He winked and then blew her a kiss. He turned his attention back to the picture.

  Stewart Donavan – Architecture / Engineering

  “There couldn’t possibly be two Stewart Donavan’s that are this attractive.”

  “Nor two that both just happened to graduate with a degree in engineering and architecture,” he admitted. “Way too much of a coincidence.”

  Keeghan reached under her seat for her dark leather handbag, removed a small notepad, tore a piece off, and placed it in the book to mark Stewart’s picture. She turned her attention back to the book, eager to find Natasha.

  “Oh my gosh. His valedictorian speech,” she whispered, her voice a little higher pitched than she wanted.

  Keeghan pulled the book closer, reading every word before pushing it toward Will. Keeghan stretched, allowing Will time to read each and every word. His lips curled into a smile.

  “That was incredibly well writte
n,” he acknowledged.

  “Natasha graduated the same year,” Keeghan reminded him. “Since the students are listed in alphabetical order, slip ahead a couple of pages. There are a few letters between ‘D’ and ‘S’.”

  William continued looking for Stewart’s future bride. “Wow,” he exclaimed. Keeghan glanced at her husband and then shifted her attention to the book. She scanned the portraits until her focus stopped on a beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes. Pulling her chair toward Will’s for a better look, she read the caption under the photograph. Natasha Strathroy – English Literature

  “Oh my gosh. This is so exciting. My characters, my characters have faces, and they were real.”

  “We found your princess,” William confirmed. “An English Lit major, just like in your dream. Somehow, I think our engineering student had some assistance with that speech. You would have a hard time convincing me that a blunt engineer could write that well, especially knowing Miss Strathroy had such an important role in his life.”

  Keeghan smiled. It was written from the heart and would have brought tears to the eyes of the graduating students.

  “According to my dream, she was writing a diary at the same time. That speech has the same passion I feel in my dream.” Recalling details of the dream and Natasha’s desire for privacy, she continued. “I was expecting proper surnames, but now that I see the names in print, I’m surprised they were used. Natasha and the twins enrolled under different surnames, fictitious names while attending school.”

  “Once they graduated, would it matter?” Will questioned. “The school records would have to be accurate.”

  “I know. But when the students saw this, the truth would be out. Natasha and Stewart went into hiding as soon as they graduated. She couldn’t go home. Any student or professor from the university could have described Stewart once they knew her surname.”