Jeremy gave Isaac his share of the trust money from England and a small cozy house on a large parcel of land was purchased on the outskirts of town. Surrounded by forest and river, it was the perfect surroundings for Isaac and his new family. Jeremy also presented Isaac and Annabelle with the portrait of Alicia Whittaker that had hug in Pheasant Run. He had returned with it from his last trip to England and he and Martha were waiting for just the right time to give it to Isaac.
Annabelle traveled into town each day to work with Martha. Minnie watched Thomas and Isaac began his new career as marksmanship instructor. Their property was just right for a shooting range and several of the city gentlemen took instruction from Isaac. Thanks to Phillip Carruthers’ word of mouth advertising, business grew daily. Isaac kept several horses on the property, charging boarding fees. Happy with his new life, he didn't miss the wagon trains at all. On his days off, he hunted and fished and spent time with Annabelle and Thomas. Arthur Langley, realizing some of the mistakes he had made by being away so much from his own family, encouraged Isaac to settle down. Isaac would still help Arthur organize the trains and the homesteaders and now boarded the horses used on the wagon trains at a considerable profit. Life was perfect for Isaac and his family. Alicia Whittaker watched over her son and his family from her honored place above the mantel.
Abraham returned home from Louisiana. He and Martha chatted on the settee. “ I'm going to continue my medical missionary work in Louisiana and Mississippi. Since the Civil War, there are many impoverished exslaves in the regions that need medical attention.” Martha could not help but think how handsome Abraham was and how proud she was of him. “I'm happy and content doing all I can. Martha, the dreams continue but now I can use my gifts to help the people that need it the most.” She remembered all the times she had dreaded Abraham's dreams and now he was using his gift to help people. Another of my sons has found his happiness. “You make me very proud to be your mother, Abraham.”
Isaac, Ezekiel and Abraham spent a few days together reconnecting as brothers. Noticing a new lightness to Isaac, Abraham was happy for his brother and Annabelle. He took time to check the stabling facilities and make a few suggestions as to how the horses should be fed and housed. Isaac was grateful for the advice and deeply admired his brother's selfless dedication to the sick and needy.
“Isaac there's something we need to tell you. I've waited for the right time and I believe this is it. First you need to know that no one, including Mama knows this.” Abraham sat with his brother on the fence rails of the paddock. Ezekiel stood beside them, one foot up on the rail, his arms leaning on the fence.
“What is it Abraham? You seem rather serious.” Isaac looked from Abraham to Ezekiel and he could see that they were both very serious.
“We need to tell you something important.” He stopped to take a deep breath. “The day that Father died, Ezekiel and I were outside the church. We were supposed to stay in the cabin so Uncle Jeremy could surprise Father but we wanted to watch. We stood on some crates and looked in the church window. We saw Father and Uncle Jeremy standing in the church.”
“We also heard what Father said. Something about some land that he had sold that really belonged to Uncle Jeremy. They were both very angry.” Ezekiel interrupted. “We saw Father pull a gun on Uncle Jeremy. He said he was going to shoot him.”
“Then you busted in and we……” Abraham stopped to take another deep breath glancing at Ezekiel. Isaac stared at him in shocked silence. “We saw what happened. We heard everything you said. That Father killed our Mother. He hit her and threw her down the stairs and we saw you shoot him.”
“Abraham and I decided to tell you now. We don't want you to carry any secrets or any guilt. We understand why you did it Isaac and we hold no animosity towards you.” Ezekiel reached out and rested his hand on Isaac's arm.
“He was a terrible man our Father and you did what you had to do.” Abraham stopped talking and put his arm around Isaac's shoulder. “He probably would have killed Uncle Jeremy and maybe even Martha eventually. We are glad he is dead.”
“But you never said a word. You both acted like you believed the robber story all these years.” Isaac could hardly believe his ears. His brothers had known all along that it was he that had shot their father.
“We both swore a vow of silence when we sat with you in the cabin afterwards. We weren't sure if you could hear us but we told you that we saw you and that we would never tell. We were scared to death that you would die too and then it would just be the two of us all alone. Ezekiel thought that maybe you would shoot us, being very afraid of you back then, but I knew you wouldn't.”
“Those were scary days after Father was shot. We didn't know if Martha was just going to leave with Uncle Jeremy and Austin. We were glad when you got better because we knew you would look out for us. Even if we did think you were a big meanie and a real pain in the butt back then.” Ezekiel joked sensing the tension in Isaac's face. The humor broke the tension. The three brothers laughed together, even the air was lighter now that the secret was out.
“A big meanie, eh? Well I was that. Sorry I treated you guys and Martha so badly.” A big load had been lifted from Isaac's shoulders. He didn't have to keep his secret from his brothers anymore. They knew and they forgave him. Isaac felt free now to tell Annabelle. It was the only secret separating them. If his brothers could forgive him, Annabelle would too. Isaac would make sure that his own son would have no reason to feel anything but love for him. Now it really was over. The three brothers were reunited in the truth and would always be together.
Ezekiel returned to college for his final year. He intended to travel to England and continue his professorship studies there and Martha knew that once he arrived at Pheasant Run, he would not return to St. Louis for many years. Pheasant Run would suit Ezekiel perfectly with its large library, close proximity to the college and England's ancient history. In spite of his years in the Americas, Ezekiel was a true English gentleman.
Abby, David and Anna loved little Thomas and took turns watching him for Minnie. Although she did not have as much energy as she once did, Minnie was a perfect grandmother to all of the children and she never regretted her decision to stay with Austin in St. Louis. She was very grateful they had offered to buy her a house; she continued to live in the cozy cottage for many years.
Loretta and Martha traveled to New York to promote some of their designs and received orders from most of the upscale dress shops in New York. Although the department store, Macy's was very popular with ladies of the middle class, upper class society definitely preferred Haute Couture. Many of the extremely wealthy purchased directly from Charles Worth in Paris, however several other wealthy patrons were satisfied with the designs and creations of the now famous St. Louis Haute Couture salon. The designs of the tiny St. Louis dress shop were in great demand in many of the large cities. Orders were flooding in from Boston, New York, Chicago and even New Orleans. Martha's dream had taken her from seamstress to dressmaker, to designer and now to a highly revered businesswoman in the Haute Couture industry.
John McGuire passed away from pneumonia the following year. A grieving Martha, accompanied by Jeremy traveled to England to settle his affairs. The laws of England dictated that it was Jeremy and not Martha that was the new owner of Graystone, however unlike his brother, Jeremy allowed Martha to make all of the decisions concerning the property. Jeremy always respected Martha's abilities and they were equal partners in every way. The majestic Graystone was being sold. Pheasant Run was to be maintained for the family trips to England and Ezekiel, who had returned months earlier, would occupy Pheasant Run as long as he wished. After visiting Ezekiel, Martha knew that her third son was happy and content. Now all three of you have followed your dreams.
She sat in her bedchamber one last time. The house felt more like an old friend revisited, than home to her now. She realized that her shop was decorated in the same colors as this room, funny how she had not thought of it
before. She would miss her father but St. Louis was her home now.
Martha and Jeremy made a sizable monetary gift to Emma and old Clyde and smaller gifts to the rest of the staff. “ Emma the cottage by the river belongs to you now and you should be able to retire there for a long time to come. I love you Emma and I want to thank you for being here with my family for all of these years.” Martha embraced the dear woman that had raised her through her teen years. She felt the tears rising in her eyes. Emma was most grateful but she would miss living in Graystone. She had been there since she was eight years old when she had been put in service for Martha's grandfather. After receiving a sizable sum, Old Clyde, who was now over eighty, would go and live with his son in one of the miner's houses. Jeremy was surprised when Martha presented Clyde with a gold watch. He recognized it as Jebediah's but had not seen it for years. He knew she would never give it to one of the boys; they wanted no reminders of Jebediah. Clyde was very impressed. He had never owned such a valuable possession. He hugged Martha with gratitude. She never failed to surprise Jeremy. He smiled at her proudly.
“Well Clyde, now you have a much nicer watch than I do.” Jeremy pulled his gold watch from his pocket. The broken face stared up at them, causing them all to start laughing. “May your watch mean as much to you as this one does to me. Every time I check the hour, I am reminded of my father, my best friend Austin and the day my life was spared so that I could live to win the hand of the woman I love.” Jeremy leaned towards Martha placing a kiss on her cheek. She glanced lovingly at her husband, smiling at Clyde and Emma.
Phoebe and Max would handle the disposition of the manor contents and Martha was taking only the portrait of her father as a memento. With Jeremy by her side, Martha said goodbye to her old home forever. She stopped at the mirror to check her hair before leaving. The reflection of the grand old entrance hall of Graystone surrounded her image. Goodbye old friend.
She stood on the front steps of Graystone one last time, remembering a snowy night years before. After saying good night to Clyde she stood here in this very spot. Slowly she ascended the stairs taking in the beauty of the ice sparkling like jewels on the trees and the soft white snowflakes blanketing the manicured lawns. The ice and snow had transformed the gardens into a magical, bejeweled world that night, a world of dreamlike beauty. It was hard to believe that within 24 hours of that evening so long ago, her life turned into her worst nightmare. Even now the memory of it made her shudder.
Now years later, the moonlight filtered through the trees and gave the garden a soft, romantic glow. A gentle breeze brushed her skin and the smell of spring roses filled the air. Her heart was full of love and peaceful joy. She turned and put her arms around Jeremy's neck, looking deeply into his green eyes.
“I love you, my Darling,” she whispered. “You have pulled me out of the darkness of my nightmares and made my dreams come true.”
Through dreams and nightmares, her destiny was fulfilled.
Follow the Whittaker Family saga in the next book
The Whittaker Family Reunion
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Dreams and Nightmares Page 28
