basic details. “I can’t imagine why Rose would have buried a writing desk.”
“Maybe it was intended as a legacy,” Micah said.
“For whom?”
“Abimael.”
“Who’s Abimael?” the professor asked.
“In her diary, the woman who buried this desk said it was for someone named Abimael, but we don’t know who that person is,” Ashley said.
“No. We do know who he was,” Micah said. “He was Henri St. Pierre’s son, and one of my ancestors.”
Everyone turned toward the Rev. “Oh my goodness. Why didn’t you—”
“I was about to tell you that when the professor arrived.”
“Oh. Wow. So I guess that means Rose and Henri weren’t the only ones living on the island back in the 1720s,” Ashley said.
Micah cleared his throat. “Well, Thomas Howland Teal lived here with his mother. And then Abimael, when he was born some years later.”
“Oh, look,” Laurie said, interrupting the conversation that had suddenly taken an unexpected turn.
Ashley shifted her gaze to the hole in the ground where the professor was digging. A moment later the woman pulled up a small heart-shaped brooch of tarnished metal.
“It’s a Georgian heart,” the professor said.
“Oh boy. I knew there would be jewels,” Jackie said.
The historian laughed as she met Jackie’s excited gaze. “Well, I suppose so. But not valuable ones. The garnets crowning the heart aren’t worth that much. But whoever put this here treasured it, I’m sure. A heart brooch like this was a token of love.”
“From the cap’n to Rose?” the boy asked.
“No,” Micah said. “I’m thinking maybe it was from Rose to Abimael.”
Ashley turned. “What? Why—”
“Ashley, Abimael and Henri ended up at Oak Hall. There are records of them living there in deeds of property and wills and such. We also know that Abimael was Thomas Howland’s most trusted slave. He was well educated and worked side by side with Thomas to build an empire.
“It’s only a guess, but I think we know now why your grandmother didn’t want anyone to read Rose’s letters. I think Thomas Howland Teal and Abimael St. Pierre were half brothers.”
Chapter Twenty-One
On Saturday morning, after a long two days of travel and meetings, Jessica got up and dressed for tea with Granny, making a point to put on one of her pinkest dresses.
It was a tiny rebellion against her grandmother. One she’d been subconsciously waging for the better part of a year. But today she picked the hottest pink dress in her closet.
She had a lot to say to Granny, starting with the fact that she’d just been offered a dream job in Miami with a salary and benefits that were nothing short of amazing. Damon Brant wanted her, and he was determined to make her an offer she couldn’t refuse.
In fact, Jessica had halfway accepted the job Thursday night during dinner at a swanky restaurant. But Damon had told her to think it over for a few days before saying yes. “Giving up your own business to go work for someone else is a big step,” he’d told her. “Make sure it’s what you really want to do.”
It had been what she’d wanted to do on Thursday night, but today, as she sat down in her own little office space to get a few hours of work done before going to Granny’s house, her certainty had evaporated.
If only Caleb Tate hadn’t tried to intimidate her. If only the people in town hadn’t told lies about her. If only…
Yeah, Magnolia Harbor would be a perfect place to live if it weren’t for the past.
At two o’clock she left her office and made the short walk down Harbor Drive to the historic section of town. It was a gray day, with rain in the forecast, but a crew was busy hanging the Heritage Day banner across the main street anyway. The big weekend was coming up in mid-September.
The festivities would start the Friday after next, with the winners of the third-grade history project being announced. On Saturday, there would be historical demonstrations at the park, pirate cruises down to the spot where Captain Teal’s ship had been sunk in the hurricane of 1713, a craft fair at the high school, and a dinghy regatta.
And just for fun, every restaurant in town would offer a special drink with the word “hurricane” in its name.
The whole campy event would be topped off with a swanky ball at the yacht club, where only the most important people were invited.
Momma and Daddy used to go to the Heritage Day ball. Jessica had never possessed any desire to attend, which was