The Fragrance of Her Name (48 page)

Lauryn caressed the ancient looking penmanship with her fingers as she continued to read, “
Keil McCrea and Erynn Shayla O’Halleran. William O’Halleran, Sean O’Halleran. Virginia Anne O’Halleran aged 8 years, Carissa O’Halleran aged 15 years
.”

As she looked at the photograph again, Lauryn felt as if she couldn’t breathe. “Brant. It can’t be. The similarity…it’s a coincidence, right?” She looked to the Captain. “Captain? It’s just coincidence, isn’t it?”

But the Captain was fading. “I’ll leave that to you.”

“
But, Captain?” Lauryn called. He was gone. Odd, Lauryn thought, that he should leave when they had just found…

“
Similarity?” Brant exclaimed. “They could be twins, Lauryn.” And it was true! As much as Lauryn’s mind fought the reality, it was true. Carissa O’Halleran was the exact image of Penny McGovern.

“
And would you look at that,” Brant breathed in an awed whisper. Lauryn was stunned by their discovery, yes. But not too stunned to be even further astonished when she looked to the piece of sheet music he handed to her.

In a hushed, disbelieving tone she read the title of the music,
“Sweet Lauralynn. By Brandon Carmichael Masterson. July 11
^th
, 1863
. The Captain wrote this song?”

“
No wonder that old Union Soldier song was so important to Laura. I used to wonder why she was so determined that I memorize it,” Brant whispered.

“
Now, you know,” Lauryn whispered. Then, looking to the photograph again she said, “Brant…”

“
I know,” he agreed, reading her thoughts. “I think we better make a trip over to see your friend, Penny.”



“
This is insane, Brant,” Lauryn whispered as Brant knocked on the large oak door of the McGovern house. “What are we doin’ here? It’s just a coincidence. That’s all it is. I’m certain it can’t possibly be anythin’.” But even as she tried to convince herself that Penny’s resemblance to her great-aunt Carissa was purely mischief of nature, she knew. As surely as Brant had told her he knew. Carissa and Penny were somehow related.

“
You know as well as I do that it isn’t a mere coincidence, Lauryn,” Brant mumbled seeming to read her thoughts.

Lauryn could hear approaching footsteps emanating from inside Penny’s home. A moment later, the door opened to reveal none other than Penny McGovern standing before them.

“
Lauryn! Mr. Masterson,” she greeted in her delighted, friendly manner. “Whatever brings the two of you to be knockin’ on our door?”

“
Um…um…” Lauryn stammered. She felt Brant’s hand at the small of her back encouraging her.

“
May we come in for a moment, Miss McGovern?” Brant asked.

“
Well, of course, silly ducks! Come on in.” Penny smiled, obviously very pleased at a visit. “Mama’s out just now, and Daddy and Jeffrey are down sellin’ horses…so I do hope it was me that the two of you were hopin’ to find at home.”

“
Actually,” Brant began taking the seat in the parlor Penny gestured for him. “We do want to talk to you.”

Penny raised an eyebrow. “My. This does sound serious! And dear Lauryn…you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Brant chuckled and shook his head at the irony. It was Lauryn who finally held the old photograph out for Penny see. Penny cocked her head to one side, clearly puzzled, and took the photograph.

“
This is a beautiful photograph, Lauryn!” she exclaimed. “Why…where ever did you…” She stopped, and Lauryn held her breath. “Would you look at that,” Penny giggled with delight. “Do you know how very few photographs we have of Granny McGovern when she was young? Where did y’all come across this?”

Lauryn was overcome and put a hand to her temple. “You mean…you mean you recognize someone in that photograph, Penny,” she whispered.

“
For pity’s sake! Of course, I do!” Penny held up the photograph and pointed directly to the image of Carissa O’Halleran. “That’s my Granny Carry. Don’t tell me y’all don’t see the resemblance she and I share?”

“
Oh, we see it, all right,” Brant mumbled.

“
My stars!” Penny sighed looking at the photo once more. “Just look at her! As young as springtime.” She smiled and studied the photograph a moment longer. Then she asked, “Who are these other people? I had no idea Granny stood in a weddin’!” Penny quirked an eyebrow. “Still, they look familiar. As if I’ve seen them somewhere before.”

“
The little girl…there…” Brant said pointing to Virginia. “That’s Virginia O’Halleran Kensington. Lauryn’s Nana.”

Lauryn couldn’t speak. She felt as if she might swoon, if the truth be told. Carissa had lived! Obviously she had married and had a family. That would make Penny her cousin!

“
What?” Penny gasped. “You mean your Nana and my Granny knew each other way back? Why that’s wonderful, Lauryn!” Penny giggled with delight and squeezed Lauryn’s hand affectionately.

“
Actually, Penny,” Lauryn whispered. “Carissa O’Halleran…was my Nana’s older sister.”

“
Her sister?” Penny repeated. “But…that can’t be, Lauryn. I would certainly have known that.”

“
Are you sure that’s your grandmother?” Brant pressed. “Are you positive?”

“
Yes! I know this is her!” Penny insisted. “And anyway, look there…at her wrist. She still wears that same bracelet to this very day. Why didn’t I know any of this? I don’t think anyone knows of it.” Penny continued to stare at the photograph, as if it would speak back to her and explain.

“
What do you know about your grandmother?” Lauryn asked. “Will you tell us about her?”

“
Why?” Penny seemed suddenly very defensive. “I can tell there is more to this than y’all are tellin’ me.” She inhaled deeply and then looked directly at Lauryn. “You tell me what you want to know about her…why you don’t already know about her…and what I don’t already know about her.”

Brant, however, was impatient. He snatched the photograph from Penny. “This is Virginia O’Halleran,” he began to explain rather roughly, pointing to Lauryn’s Nana. “This is Carissa O’Halleran.” Again, he pointed to the image of the young woman in the photograph. “And this…” he said, lowering his voice. “This is their sister, Lauralynn O’Halleran.”

Penny frowned for a moment but then her face brightened revealing her sudden understanding. “Lauralynn?
The
Lauralynn? The one they never found? I thought she looked familiar.”

“
Yes,” Brant sighed, tossing the photograph onto the sofa in frustration.

“
We’re thinkin’ that maybe your granny knows somethin’ about her…about that day she disappeared,” Lauryn confessed.

Penny frowned. “Why would Granny know?”

“
They were sisters, weren’t they?” Brant growled.

“
I never knew that before now. And I’m sure there’s a reason for it.” Penny was close to tears. Lauryn could see the moisture heavy in her eyes. “Would you like to tell me what that reason was?”

“
Are you certain you want to know,” Brant asked gruffly.

“
Brant, be patient,” Lauryn said softly. Brant sighed with impatience.

“
Tell me,” Penny demanded. “Just tell me what you know, Lauryn.”

“
It’s not…it’s not a very flatterin’ story, Penny,” Lauryn warned. She adored Penny! They had been friends as long as Lauryn could remember. It upset her that she would have to tell her long-time friend such a tale.

Once again, Brant buffered the pain for Lauryn by telling the tale himself. “Lauralynn fell in love and married a man from Knoxville,” he began suddenly patient and in a very compassionate manner. “Brandon Masterson….my great-uncle. Carissa had fallen in love with Brandon as well and was apparently very envious. She…she tried to put a wedge between Brandon and Lauralynn.” Lauryn looked to Brant lovingly, grateful for his tact and sensitivity to Penny’s feelings for her grandmother. “It was bad enough that old Kiel O’Halleran disowned Carissa…banished her from the family. The old O’Halleran family bible has an entry…
Carissa O’Halleran born June 20, 1847-died
. It had been assumed all these years that she died at birth. But Lauryn and I have been going through letters and talking to people and we know she lived. It’s obvious in just looking at you.”

Penny was silent. Frowning. “What…what did she do to cause her father to disown her?” she asked simply. Again Lauryn felt a lump in her throat and was unable to answer. She didn’t like the fact that her beautiful, joyously natured friend was distressed.

“
She became pregnant and insisted that it was Lauralynn’s husband who was the baby’s father.” Brant had a way of just saying things plainly. Lauryn felt physically ill when she saw the tears escape Penny’s eyes and begin traveling down her cheeks.

“
Penny, I don’t mean to cause you pain or to upset you or make you sad,” Lauryn assured her. “It’s just that…we have to find out what happened to Lauralynn. And we know, from these letters we found that Lauralynn had seen Carissa a short time before the battle when she was lost. We just…we were just hopin’ that somebody in your family knew somethin’ to help.”

Penny wiped at her tears and sniffled. “I suppose…the one to ask would be….Granny Carry.”

“
She’s still alive then?” Brant asked. “Where? Can we talk to her?” Lauryn sat in stunned astonishment, unable to speak. Her grandmother’s sister, alive still?

Penny shook her head and rose from her seat going toward the window. “She….she lives in Memphis with my Uncle Nathan. She’s not well at all. She’s been bedridden for months and months.” Penny stood wringing her hands nervously. Then suddenly, and unexpectedly, she turned back to face Brant and Lauryn. “She’s a good, good woman. Always loving and kind and…and…honest. This is so hard to take in.”

Lauryn rose to her feet and rushed to Penny enveloping her in a loving and friendly embrace. “It’s all right, Penny. It’s fine.”

“
Think of it this way, Miss McGovern,” Brant offered. “You and Lauryn…you’re cousins.”

“
What’s all this about?” Jeffrey asked entering the room.

Immediately, Penny released Lauryn and answered, “Wonder….wonderful news, Jeffrey.”

Brant dropped his head for a moment, uncomfortable. “Brant and Lauryn….Brant and Lauryn have discovered a family connection.”

Lauryn fancied for a moment that Jeffrey’s smile of greeting faded slightly. “How so?” he asked. “Good to see you again, Brant.” Jeffrey offered a handshake and Brant accepted.

“
Well,” Lauryn began, for Penny shook her head, clearly too unsettled to tell the tale to her brother. “It seems that your Nana and my Nana were…were sisters.”

“
What?” Jeffrey exclaimed, smiling and obviously in disbelief. “What nonsense have you two girls cooked up this time? And Brant? How did they lure you into such a game?”

“
It’s no game,” Brant stated, retrieving the photograph from its place on the sofa nearby and handing it to Jeffrey.

Jeffrey studied the photograph for a moment frowning. He turned it over, reading the information written on the back of it. “Well, I’ll be dipped in….in batter,” he stammered.

“
It seems true enough,” Lauryn began. “Isn’t it…isn’t it marvelous, Jeffrey?”

But Jeffrey frowned, apparently skeptical. “If it’s so
marvelous
, why does Penny look like she’s goin’ to vomit, Brant looks like he’s ready to beat the waddin’ out of the devil…and you, Lauryn…” His eyes narrowed as he continued, “You look like you been seein’ one too many ghosts these days.”

It was Penny who came to their rescue. Lauryn was grateful because Brant had inhaled deeply, straightening his shoulders and clinching his jaw tightly shut as if preparing for battle.

“
Dear Jeffrey…” Penny began. “It’s all…it’s all quite lewd, actually.” Penny swallowed hard. “It seems that Lauryn’s great-grandfather…I guess we can call him great-grandpappy now, too…it seems he had Granny McGovern…um…disowned when she was younger.”

Now it was Jeffrey’s turn to appear indignant and defensive. He inhaled a deep breath and curtly said, “Really? And you believe that, Pen? That Granny could do anythin’ to warrant her own father disowning her.”

“
It’s true, Jeffrey,” Brant nearly growled. “I’m not saying that your grandmother isn’t the most wonderful of women. By the look of your family…your sister…she must be a great person. But even great people make mistakes…in their past…perhaps mistakes that have been paid for dearly…not to be talked about later on. And…”

But Jeffrey put a hand up to quiet Brant’s explanation. He hung his head guiltily for a moment and then said, “I know all about it.”

“
What?” Penny and Lauryn exclaimed simultaneously.

“
Granny told me…last month when I was in Memphis. She…she was afraid she was goin’ to pass on without any of us knowin’. Daddy didn’t even know. He thought Grandpa McGovern was his real father. But…but he’s not.” Jeffrey reached out taking Penny’s hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

“
Did…did she tell you who was his father, Jeffrey?” Lauryn ventured.

Jeffrey swallowed hard. The defensive expression gone from his face, replaced by the relief of truth telling, he said, “Yes.”

“
And….” Brant prodded.