The Critchfield Locket (2 page)

“Yes, sir.”

Mr. Baxter waited for
Nicholas to depart the library first before embarking on his daily duties.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .             

Kate had strained to overhear the discussions between the two men while Mrs. Granville made herself busy by packing up the doctor’s tools and remedies. After they had left and Kate was finally alone, her listlessness was evident. Her mind could not make sense of what had happened or of what was still happening. She spotted a book, ‘Leaves of Grass’ by Walt Whitman on the bedside table.
Perhaps a little reading will help.
             

Kate
’s listlessness carried her in and out of slumber. She decided that sleep would not prevail and rose out of bed. The morning light had begun to filter in through the windows of the room as she made her way over to a dressing table. She looked in the mirror and saw that her hair was styled into a bun that sat high on her head and her bangs were curled under. Though disheveled some from being in bed, it still held its style well.

Do I usually wear my hair like this? I do not understand what is going on here, but I am determined to get to the bottom of it.

Kate sighed and began to change back into the clothes she arrived in, a task that turned out more difficult than it should have been. Trying to put on a corset, without assistance was proving troublesome, so she decided she would go without. Her dress did not seem to fit as well as it had yesterday with the corset but that was not enough reason for her to try harder. She believed she did not need it as it was too early for anyone else to be awake and made her way back down the winding staircase. Wonderful aromas permeated up the staircase, getting stronger as she got closer to the bottom step.

Upon investigation, she spotted an open door
near the back of the grand staircase. Through the doorway, Kate could see yet another set of stairs. These lead downward and were ordinary in appearance. Curious, she found herself descending the steps without thought. Her empty stomach grumbled as the scents of breakfast fare became stronger. Following the scent trail, she passed three doors before reaching the kitchen. She heard Margaret’s voice as she approached.

“What do you suppose he will do?” Before anyone could answer,
Kate cleared her throat as she entered the room. The two women Margaret had been speaking with, quickly rose from their seats.

“Ms. Dornacher, you are up with the sun this morning. I hope you are fe
eling better.”

“Thank you Margaret, that is very kind of you.”

“This is Ms. Cora Husk, the cook, and that is Ms. Adeline Rusch, her assistant. If you are ready to break your fast, Ms. Cora has some bread fresh out of the oven that goes well with Ms. Adeline’s blackberry jam.”

Kate
’s stomach grumbled in earnest.

“Bread with jam would be very nice, thank you.” She seated herself at the table, next to Margaret
and directly across from a boy who looked about thirteen years old.

“Ms. Dornacher, this is my brother Robert. He helps Mr. Baxter in carrying out errands and such for Mr. Bennett.

“Nice to meet you, Robert.”

He paused before acknowledging her greeting.

“Nice to meet you too, ma’am.”

“What is that you are reading?”

“The Adventures of Briscoe County.” His words tumbled out almost with a sigh.

“Ah, I see.” She glanced over at Margaret who only shook her head.

“Mr. Bennett, good morning sir!” The tone of Ms. Rusch's voice indicated she was a little surprised and flustered at his presence.

“Good morning all. Well enough to eat now, Ms. Dornacher?” He noticed
Kate’s cheeks pink up a little as he looked her over. “Perhaps today will bring you some recollection as to why you landed on my doorstep.”

Kate
noticed he appeared tired, and like her, was still dressed in the same clothes he had worn the day before.

“That is my hope sir.”

At that moment, Mrs. Thompson entered the kitchen, taking full charge of the situation.

“Margaret, please help Ms. Dornacher prepare for the day.” The older woman tsked as she shook her head.
Kate’s ignorance with her clothing was evident to all who saw her.

Kate
glanced at Mr. Bennett once more before she dutifully followed Margaret out of the room and back up the stairs.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Robert excused himself from the room as Ms. Rusch and Ms. Husk busied themselves once again with cooking and cleaning the kitchen. They did anything they could to avoid Mr. Bennett’s stern eye.

“Sir, if I may…” Mrs. Thompson briefly hesitated.

“Yes Mary, what is it?”

“Ms. Dornacher arrived yesterday
in what appears to be a fine dress. I did notice that it was dirty and torn, perhaps a result of whatever happened to her.”

“Yes, I observed that as well. What is your point?” His sleep deprivation was beginning to show.

“Given that she appears to be a ‘Lady’, perhaps we should take it upon ourselves to see that she is well looked after.”

Nicholas
’s expression changed from contemplation to remorse.
If only she had not ended up on my doorstep.
“Perhaps you are right. I trust you will do what you think is best. I will make inquiries first here, then in Loganville. Perchance we might discover the truth behind Ms. Dornacher’s arrival. For now, I must freshen up before my morning meetings. Please send Thomas to my room when you next see him.”

“Yes sir, of course.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kate
felt uneasy with Margaret helping her to bathe. Ever the modest one, she pulled her knees up to her chest, and then wrapped her arms around her legs as Margaret washed her hair.

“Really Margaret, I have forgotten many things but I believe I am still capable of bathing myself.”

“Mrs. Thompson would hold me responsible if something happened to you.”

“Nothing shall happen to me. I would prefer it if you left me unattended while I finish. I will call for you when I am done.”

Although she wanted to disagree, Margaret knew she must not and left Kate to her own devices. Once Kate finished bathing, she sat back, relaxing in the comfort of the warm water. She did not even notice that her eyes had closed. Kate awoke suddenly to screams, and realized they were her own, soon followed after by Margaret’s. Kate’s dream was so real, so disturbing that when she cried out in her dream, she had actually cried aloud. Her cries had frightened Margaret and drew her quickly into the room. Margaret had feared the worst until she saw the look on Kate’s face. Both women were breathing heavily, trying to regain their composure.

“Is something wrong Miss
Katherine?”

“Oh Margaret, I am so sorry for startling you. I must have drifted off to sleep.”
Kate could hear some commotion outside of the room, but before she could properly cover up, Mrs. Thompson barged in. Kate squealed once again. The frightful look upon Mrs. Thompson’s face was soon replaced with anger, anger directed towards Margaret.

“What has happened?”

“I left Ms. Dornacher to tend to herself.”

“I asked her to. I must have drifted off to sleep after I made her leave the room. I, I had a frightful dream, that is all.”

Mrs. Thompson slipped out the door briefly to speak with Mr. Baxter. “Everything is all right, she merely had a terrible dream. Tell Mr. Bennett we apologize if we have disturbed him.”

Kate
decided she would allow Margaret to assist her in order to avoid any more mishaps.

“Mrs. Mary, do we have fresh clothing for Ms. Dornacher? I would hate to see her fine gown over-worn.”

“Yes Margaret, I would agree, but for now she will have to wear it. I will ask Mrs. Dickson to bring over some ready-made clothing that might appeal to Ms. Dornacher until new, suitable items can be acquired.”

Kate
looked between the two women as they discussed what to do with her. Although their decisions made sense, Kate resented the fact that she was not even consulted.  As she waited there in her room, her thoughts went back to her dream. She could remember being terrified, but the details, the details she could not remember. She was not sure if she really wanted to remember.

She walked over to one of the room’s south facing windows. The view from the guest room overlooked the gardens and beyond them, at the very edge of the property, train tracks could be spotted. She saw movement below as Mr. Bennett strolled through the spring garden. He took a seat at a well dressed table as Ms. Rusch approached with a tray of coffee.
Kate watched as Mr. Bennett sipped his hot coffee in quiet solitude. Then to her surprise, he looked up, in her direction. At such a distance, she could not clearly read his expression and quickly pulled away from the window. She did not want him to think she was intrusive.

Margaret soon returned to the room followed by a woman whose clothes were finely made. Two men followed behind the woman, each carrying a large trunk. After placing their loads where they had been instructed, the men bowed and quietly left the room.

“Good morning, I am Mrs. Dickson. You must be Ms. Dornacher.”

“
Katherine, please call me Katherine.”

“Then you must call me Rose, for that is what my friends all do.”

Rose was wearing a beautiful skirt and jacket ensemble made of fine green silk. Her blouse was white with intricately detailed lace and a high collar.  She appeared to be close in age to Kate and her gentle demeanor and a warm smile helped Kate relax for the first time since she had arrived. While Rose unpacked the clothing from the trunks, she began asking questions.

“What can you tell me about yourself? What are your favorite colors, material,
and styles?”

Kate
pondered the questions a few moments, a few too long for Rose’s comfort.

“Oh my dear, I am truly sorry. These are the standard questions that I ask of all of my clients.”

“It is quite alright. Please do not trouble yourself over my inability to readily answer. My memories are so jumbled right now, but I do believe that I am fond of the color blue. As for style and material, I will leave that up to you.” She smiled at Rose who then reached over and took her hand.

“I do believe we will get along just fine.”

Rose was relieved that her meeting with Kate had gone so well. Although she had many friendly acquaintances, she missed the closeness she had with her dear friend Emily Critchfield. With Kate, she felt the beginnings of that same kind of kinship. Although they were all unsure as to how or why Kate had happened upon them, Rose was hopeful that Kate would find a place close by, she wanted her to stay. Before departing from Critchfield Manor, Rose left an invitation for Kate to call on her freely.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thomas assured Nicholas that Ms. Dornacher’s screams had been caused by fright and not harm. His first instinct had been to rush to her side, to aide her, but fear had gripped him. Thomas noticed his brief hesitation and was quick to volunteer himself to the task. So quick was he, that he had left before Nicholas could object. Now that he knew the cause for Ms. Dornacher’s distress, Nicholas was glad he had chosen to stay in his room and avoided embarrassing himself or Ms. Dornacher more than she had already been.

He slowly made his way outside to the Spring Garden.
Nicholas loved this garden. Although his home was only a few years old, the garden flourished as if it had always been there. The blooming hyacinths, tulips and daffodils brightened his mood. Ms. Rusch poured him a cup of coffee and left him to his thoughts. As he began to drink, he absent mindedly looked up towards the house, towards the room that Ms. Dornacher was staying in. He did not expect to see her in the window, much less looking down at him. He was just about to nod in recognition but she quickly moved away from the window.

I wonder how long she has been standing there.

He checked his pocket watch. It was eight o’clock, time for his meeting with Edward Dickson and an associate, Arthur Wooldridge. Edward and his wife Rose had been good friends to Nicholas. Surely they would help him now. He smiled and offered friendly greetings, as the other gentlemen chose seats around the table.

“Gentlemen, thank you for meeting me on such short notice…”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nicholas
had hoped that Edward and Rose would take Ms. Dornacher in. But he also understood Edward’s reasons for declining. Edward had two small children at home, no matter how proper Ms. Dornacher may appear they did not have enough information to truly judge her character.

Mr. Wooldridge agreed to find out what he could through his connections. As a prominent businessman, he had
friends or acquaintances within several major companies and establishments. Given the scope and reach of these contacts, they should soon discover the truth behind Ms. Dornacher’s sudden appearance. He hated to admit to the possibility of never knowing, of never finding out, or of Ms. Dornacher never remembering.