Family Matters
B y
Carol Foss
They lay in a jumbled pile on the wooden floor. The old papers and artifacts had been discovered in an old box, hidden or misplaced, from an old walled up fireplace. Edith Nelson had only been trying to make some rennovations in the old mansion. It was full of the various nooks and crannys that each suceeding generation had built or torn down or blocked up, like the fireplace.....
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Evangeline O’Hara Nelson
My
dear child,
Your life with Sheamus can’t be all that
bad. I know I see him through a mother’s eyes, but filing for divorce is out of
the quesiton. Have you no shame even thinking such a thing?
I would think a descendant of a
Revolutionary hero would have set herself higher standards, even if your
forebear simply ran out to join the battle of Bunker’s Hill.
You must remember that you owe your
current station in life to your marriage. To our social
status and to his wealth. Money, most of it, that he, God bless him, earned from his own initiative, sweat and tears
in the treacherous
I know a mother’s love is blind, and it’s
difficlut for me not to see the youngster Sheamus in my heart. The one with touseled hair, frecles, and a mischievious grin,
sneaking into the pantry to swipe freshly baked cookies or to slide down the
bannister or terrorize the servants.
I know the adult has a reputation with
the ladies, but dear, please, it’s a phase many husbands go through, even my
own. Yes, he dallied too, but he always returned to me, and in time, forgot all
about his mistresses.
You call me a prude. I think you can see
now that I am nothing of the kind. I’ve endured humiliation same as you. I’m
simply asking you not to rush into anything so drastic. It would ruin you. And
all sorts of things would be brought to light best left in the dark. You did
almost run away with that scaleywag, what was his name, Lt. Crayne? Or was
there more to the relationship? A divorce suit will make everyone wonder about
your own indiescretions. Either way, you wouldn’t be recieved by anyone of
note. And the children, poor babes, completely innocent, would be shunned and
their futures destroyed. And we ourselves would be unable to recieve them as
well. One must keep up appearances, even if it would break my heart.
I implore you, I beg you. Make no demands
on Sheamus for a divorce. The family can set you up someplace of your own if
you can’t bear to live in the same house with him for the few months of the
year when he’s not at sea.
I am sending you an
firescreen I stitched long long ago. Before Sheamus was even a year old. It was
made with hopes of happiness and a long life for him.
I hope as you look at it, you’ll remember
the good things about him, when you still loved him like a knight in shining
armour. That’s what you always said he was, remember my dear? I can’t believe
you’ve come to hate him this much, unless there’s something you’re not telling
me.
I am, as always, your devoted mother in
law,
Evangeline
<>
Capt. Zebulon Lee Crayne
My
dear,
I
have to agree with your mother in law. You must to think of yourself and
your children. It wouldn’t be right to deny them the opportunites they have
only through the Nelsons. And I’d hate to think of you in dire circumstances.
I
only wish I’d been more of a man and convinced you to elope with me in the
first place. Just like we’d wanted to. But I was young
and stupid and scared of loosing my commision, placing my own wants and needs
ahead of yours, something I’ve spent my whole life bitterly regretting, letting
you get pressured into marrying Nelson.
I
will always be there for you, no matter what you decide.
Yours
forever,
zEb
-*-
Dearest
Zeb,
There
will be no divorce. I’ll grit my teeth and bear being the wife of that bastard.
I
know I can trust you to keep his dread secret, and I know I’ll take it to my
grave. But it’s so hard. Everyone calling him a pillar of the community, all of
that, when he knows what’s he’s doing is most foul. If I had but known before I married him, the
vows would never have taken place.
You’re
the only other person who knows. If his mother found out frankly I doubt it
would phase her, but my children would be horrified to
learn their father is a slave trader.So many souls, so many ruined lives, all
due to him.
I
can only hope you may find consolation in that while I am married to Shaemus, I
love only you.
Abigail
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<pic>
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“You knew?” Edith scolded her brother on the phone.
“I knew he was in the slave trade but...”
“And you never told me?”
“I only found out by accident, a while back. I thought it best not to bother you with it.”
“Harry, he was a..a...”
“I know, believe me, I know,”Nelson said with an unseen grin of his own.
“When the DAR finds out about this...”
“I’m sure a lot of other so called historical families have skeletons in the closet too, hon.”
“Well, maybe...”
“Look, Seaview will be in refit for the next few weeks. Why don’t I come down for a visit in the flying sub and give you a hand in the rebuilding. I’ll even bring Lee along, it would be a good excuse to get him away from the boat and he can visit his mother, she’s not too far away as the crow flies.”
“Speaking of Lee, ask him if he knows anything about a Zebulon Crayne.”
“Zebulon? And I thought ‘Harriman’ was bad.”
“I’ve never heard you complain about it. Anyway, they had weird names back then.”
“Who’s Zebulon Crane?”
“I’m not sure but I think he might have been Shaemus’s wife’s lover.”
Nelson snorted in derision, “Hon, she was so pure Nun’s looked up to her.”
“Well, I’m not so sure. Not now.”
“This should be a very interesting investigation. Okay, we’ll get there as soon as we finish some things here.”
“Okay, thanks Harry.”
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