after 1880 found
nothing. Deciding that maybe Elizabeth had married Thomas, she
searched for Thomas or Elizabeth Campbell. Nothing that matched the
time frame or the states where she knew they had lived. Feeling
frustrated Claire closed the laptop.
Hearing a knock at the back door, Claire ran
to answer it, knowing before she got there that it was Janet.
"Come in out of the cold, I was just getting
ready to make another pot of coffee, would you like a cup?" Claire
asked.
With a shiver Janet said, "That sounds good,
it's freezing out there. I think we have had nearly a foot of snow
fall overnight and they are calling for more today."
After starting the coffee Claire turned to
Janet, "So did you have a good time on your trip?"
"We had a wonderful time. The hotel at the
casino is amazing and they have live music every day. We spent a
lot of our time in the evenings just dancing. I even learned a new
line dance," Janet giggled at the memory. "We tried several
restaurants and of course we gambled a little too much, but it was
worth it to just get away for a couple of days." Then with a
knowing smile Janet asked, "So what have you been up to the last
couple of days?"
Carrying a tray with coffee and peanut
butter cookies, Janet followed Claire into the small room off of
the kitchen. Claire started a cozy fire before speaking, "Well I
met a wonderful man who was kind enough to take me to dinner on
Saturday evening. Then on Sunday he took me on a tour of the
property. I can tell by your grin that you are hoping Daniel and I
will be more than friends. He is a great guy, and if the
circumstances were different, I would love to explore a
relationship, but it's too soon for me. And I don't even know if
Daniel is interested in me."
Picking up her coffee, Janet took a long
sip, "I'm sorry, I should have warned you that Daniel was a young,
charming man. I can't imagine why he wouldn't be interested. I'm
sure you have figured out the two of you have a lot in common.
Claire, I don't want to offend you when I say Adam is gone, but you
are alive. Please don't torment yourself with the what ifs and
should haves. You are a young, beautiful woman and although you are
not ready yet, you will be when the time is right. I don't even
know Adam, but I know he would want you to live your life and be
happy."
Wiping away her tears Claire grasped Janet's
hands, "Thank you for the kind words. I'm just not sure how to put
this behind me. Adam has been a part of my life since junior high.
I can barely remember a time without him. I see him in everything I
do, and everywhere I go. I find myself pushing the memories away
and burying them and I know that I should face them so that I can
get past this."
With a thoughtful smile Janet said, "If you
ever need to talk, I'm a good listener. Now what is this that
Daniel told me about you looking for information on Elizabeth Van
White?"
"Yes I am. It all started when I found
Elizabeth's journal. It has been great getting to know her, through
her words, but I have been looking for her portrait. I know she sat
for one because she wrote about it, but I haven't been able to find
it anywhere in the house. Do you know which room it's in?" Claire
asked.
"Come to think of it, I don't remember
seeing a painting of Elizabeth," Janet said.
"Then when Daniel was showing me around, I
noticed that she wasn't buried in the cemetery with the rest of the
family. Neither was William, but I just discovered that he married
and moved away. He was on the 1930 census in Oklahoma, but I can't
find any mention of Elizabeth. Except for the 1870 and 1880 census,
but nothing after they moved here from Boston," Claire said.
Janet nibbled on a cookie, "Have you looked
for the painting in the attic?"
Claire grinned, "Oh, I didn't even think
about that. That's where I found the journal, but there is just so
much stuff. I barely got started on a small corner of the
attic."
Smiling
nothing. Deciding that maybe Elizabeth had married Thomas, she
searched for Thomas or Elizabeth Campbell. Nothing that matched the
time frame or the states where she knew they had lived. Feeling
frustrated Claire closed the laptop.
Hearing a knock at the back door, Claire ran
to answer it, knowing before she got there that it was Janet.
"Come in out of the cold, I was just getting
ready to make another pot of coffee, would you like a cup?" Claire
asked.
With a shiver Janet said, "That sounds good,
it's freezing out there. I think we have had nearly a foot of snow
fall overnight and they are calling for more today."
After starting the coffee Claire turned to
Janet, "So did you have a good time on your trip?"
"We had a wonderful time. The hotel at the
casino is amazing and they have live music every day. We spent a
lot of our time in the evenings just dancing. I even learned a new
line dance," Janet giggled at the memory. "We tried several
restaurants and of course we gambled a little too much, but it was
worth it to just get away for a couple of days." Then with a
knowing smile Janet asked, "So what have you been up to the last
couple of days?"
Carrying a tray with coffee and peanut
butter cookies, Janet followed Claire into the small room off of
the kitchen. Claire started a cozy fire before speaking, "Well I
met a wonderful man who was kind enough to take me to dinner on
Saturday evening. Then on Sunday he took me on a tour of the
property. I can tell by your grin that you are hoping Daniel and I
will be more than friends. He is a great guy, and if the
circumstances were different, I would love to explore a
relationship, but it's too soon for me. And I don't even know if
Daniel is interested in me."
Picking up her coffee, Janet took a long
sip, "I'm sorry, I should have warned you that Daniel was a young,
charming man. I can't imagine why he wouldn't be interested. I'm
sure you have figured out the two of you have a lot in common.
Claire, I don't want to offend you when I say Adam is gone, but you
are alive. Please don't torment yourself with the what ifs and
should haves. You are a young, beautiful woman and although you are
not ready yet, you will be when the time is right. I don't even
know Adam, but I know he would want you to live your life and be
happy."
Wiping away her tears Claire grasped Janet's
hands, "Thank you for the kind words. I'm just not sure how to put
this behind me. Adam has been a part of my life since junior high.
I can barely remember a time without him. I see him in everything I
do, and everywhere I go. I find myself pushing the memories away
and burying them and I know that I should face them so that I can
get past this."
With a thoughtful smile Janet said, "If you
ever need to talk, I'm a good listener. Now what is this that
Daniel told me about you looking for information on Elizabeth Van
White?"
"Yes I am. It all started when I found
Elizabeth's journal. It has been great getting to know her, through
her words, but I have been looking for her portrait. I know she sat
for one because she wrote about it, but I haven't been able to find
it anywhere in the house. Do you know which room it's in?" Claire
asked.
"Come to think of it, I don't remember
seeing a painting of Elizabeth," Janet said.
"Then when Daniel was showing me around, I
noticed that she wasn't buried in the cemetery with the rest of the
family. Neither was William, but I just discovered that he married
and moved away. He was on the 1930 census in Oklahoma, but I can't
find any mention of Elizabeth. Except for the 1870 and 1880 census,
but nothing after they moved here from Boston," Claire said.
Janet nibbled on a cookie, "Have you looked
for the painting in the attic?"
Claire grinned, "Oh, I didn't even think
about that. That's where I found the journal, but there is just so
much stuff. I barely got started on a small corner of the
attic."
Smiling
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