Loving You (Remembrance Series, Book 2) (9 page)

The note was a bit cryptic and left Gregory and I confounded. I wondered what was ahead that would require my full strength. Did I need to learn to toughen up and stand my ground more? I grasped hold of the note tightly and felt a calming presence emanate from it. At least we were not alone in our journey.

The remainder of the weekend was pleasant, filled with movies, board games, swimming and just having a good time getting to know more about my soon-to-be family. Mom seemed to enjoy herself, too. She compared recipes with Lorraine, talked about her childhood, shared about how her and my father met, told about my father’s career and what she hoped to do in the future. To all of our surprise, my mom wanted to get more involved with fundraisers for cancer research and to join a few clubs to keep busy.

Lorraine was elated. She and Mom talked for hours on end about the clubs and organizations Lorraine belonged to. Before the weekend was up, Mom had a calendar of activities planned and some luncheon dates set up with Lorraine. The two were getting along wonderfully.

The following week moved quickly and each day I found my strength returning and an ability to handle more and more work. My thoughts were confirmed when the doctor finally relented and allowed me to return to work, early. My only limitations were regular working hours for the first few weeks, before handling a more rigorous schedule, and no lifting over five pounds for a couple of weeks.

Gregory and my mother decided it would be beneficial for me to stay at his townhome, so I would have a less cumbersome drive and could have more time to relax. He even invited my mother to join us, offering her the spare bedroom; but she declined and said maybe another time.

The dreams seemed to be stuck in a loop, where we were not getting any further information about Hannah or Aaron. The only thing that stuck out was the name Franklin and how one of the brick buildings, that regularly served as a backdrop in the dream, seemed quite familiar to me.

I did a search of individuals with the last name Franklin, but it yielded over a hundred matches, which would have lead to a lot of investigative research, unless we had something more to go on. So, I opted for researching historical brick buildings during that were in existence in 1775, but hadn’t been able to match the one from my dreams.

Between the warning Ray had given us and the statements Caroline had made regarding the current work environment at my office, I had been leery to return to work. I was quite surprised when I stepped off the elevator to a big “Welcome Back, Jordan” sign and a round of applause. I almost had to do a double take to make sure I was in the right office. The auras of most of the employees were yellow and white, with a sense of calmness about them.

The first day and the rest of that week went as planned. Thanks to Terry taking on more work, I only had the items she couldn’t handle plus a few new reports the board of directors wanted for an upcoming financial meeting to ease me back in.

Gregory surprised me, mid-week, by bringing me a summer floral bouquet and taking me out to lunch. He had been spoiling me by getting take-out or making simple things he could cook at home, so I didn’t have to worry about dinner when I got home from work.
A girl could definitely get used to all this attention.

We visited with mom over the weekend and brought some of my things back to her place. To our surprise, she insisted on me staying at least another couple of weeks at Gregory’s to avoid overdoing myself.

I had almost gotten complacent with the way things were going, when the bottom dropped out. Pamela returned back from a conference and came storming into the office flinging random accusations at staff members. Then, suddenly, she would be calm as a cucumber and acting concerned and caring.

Her disposition was all over the place. It appeared she was having some sort of an internal struggle. Her aura was scattered with red, black and some yellow around the edges. I couldn’t get a good read on her temperament, but noticed when she was back in the office the nasty dispositions began to resurface throughout the floor. You could feel the tension rolling off of everyone.

I knew something was up when she started being overly concerned for me being back to work so soon. “Are you sure you have the doctor’s permission to be back so soon? I don’t want you overdoing and reinjuring yourself, by coming back too quickly.”

Her voice seemed sincere, though I questioned her intentions. “You know the company’s policy. I wouldn’t be back here unless I was released from my doctor’s care. Granted I still have some limitations, but I can work a regular workday schedule.”

“Don’t hesitate to call on my department for assistance. I can gladly lend you Tiffany to get coffee, make copies or carry anything you need.”

“Thank you, Pamela. I’ll keep that in mind; but I have Terry to help with those things. I appreciate your offer, though.”

To my surprise, she sent Tiffany over to check on me a couple times a day and she even bought me lunch, one day. Everything inside me screamed, “Get away from here. She’s up to no good.” But, I had to know what was going on, to see if I should finally put a stop to it. This was my chance to see if I could identify conflict and stand up for myself.

Pamela’s politeness continued on for another week and a half. I let her get so close to me that it scared both Caroline and Gregory. I tried reassuring them that I knew what I was doing. “I’m a grown woman who’s capable of handling her own affairs and deciding who her friends are.”

I hated that I couldn’t divulge what I was up to. But, I needed Pamela to believe that Caroline and I were having problems at work. Sadly, it worked a little too well, because there was quite a bit of friction with her by the end of the second week.

Caroline called me in her office, “The mood in the workplace has changed drastically. There is a lack of cheerfulness and camaraderie. Jordan, I would appreciate if you kept your eyes and ears open for anything. Plus, please stay away from Pamela, something is not right there and I don’t want you getting caught up in anything.”

I knew Caroline worried that Pamela was getting to me, too, but I was infuriated with the whole set up Pamela was working. I realized that I was being drawn into her little coup, because I must have something they needed to help get the advantage on whatever they were planning. But, my loyalties remained firm and above all, I hated being played!

It unnerved me to be close to Pamela, but I knew I needed to gain her trust to find out what her hidden agenda was. She had told me some secrets about a couple of employees, this last week, and swore me to secrecy. I knew her scheme was to test my ‘loyalty’ to her. I just hoped that she would divulge her plans soon, because the longer I was around her and her clique, the more I tended to dwell on the negative side of everything, which frightened me.

Even Gregory and I were having disagreements over the issue of Pamela, but we made sure never to go to sleep angry, because we knew unless we had a united front, the darkness would creep into our dreams and our lives. “I know there must be some reasoning to what you’re doing, Jordan, but I’m not happy with how close you and Pamela have become. All that I ask is that you be careful.”

That night our dreams took a sudden turn. I had watched, for the past few weeks, as Hannah had befriended Lucinda’s handmaiden, Mary. She had gained her trust and discovered Lucinda had been working with Rebecca to keep her away from Aaron.

Mary had always kept her hair and face slightly covered, when I saw her. But, tonight she removed her bonnet and allowed the hair to fall freely down her back. I was startled to see a younger version of Pamela, staring back at me. “I am sorry we have to meet in the darkness of back alleys, Miss Clark. My mistress would do me harm if she were to discover that I have been giving you information.”

“My apologies, Mary, I mean you and your mistress no harm. I only desire to know what is going on so that I might be able to stop their plans. I am merely trying to protect the one I love.” I put my hand on hers, trying to soothe her worries, but felt a shock as our skin touched.

“Miss Roberts seems out of sorts, as though controlled by someone else. Mrs. Williams simply tells her to do something and she does. This is not like Miss Roberts. She normally questions everything and never takes orders from another woman.”

“Can you tell me why either of them want to prevent mine and Aaron’s union?”

Mary shook her head. “Miss Roberts’ heart actually belongs to that of the captain of one of her father’s vessels. With the war afoot, her father is losing money and needs the connections and monetary backing that Aaron’s family name would provide. Though she has fought with her father for the right to marry Captain Thomas, who has already asked for permission to wed; it was denied.”

“So, where does Mrs. Williams fit into all this?”

Mary shrugged her shoulders, “For some reason, Mrs. Williams maliciously despises you. I overheard her tell Lucinda that your union is forbidden and must not happen or all hope would be lost.”

We heard footsteps in the distance. I inched my head around the corner to see if I could spot anyone, but saw only a bare street. When I turned back, Mary was gone and Aaron was standing in her place.

“What are you doing out here alone my love? This is not the kind of hour a woman should be out on the street by herself.” His arms wrapped around my shoulders, as he pulled me close to his chest for a warm embrace.

A gunshot rang out from the distance, as I bolted upright in bed.

Gregory’s arms quickly surrounded my waist, pulling me into his side. His lips were at my temple, giving me a reassuring kiss. “It’s all right. I’m right here and I won’t let any harm come to you.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “What is it with these dreams? They don’t feel like they are only visions of the past, but of things to come.”

“We don’t know that, Jordan. It could be that the darkness is playing with our imaginings. We’ve both been on edge lately in regard to Pamela. As a result, they could’ve slipped into your visions and played with our dreams.” His words were reassuring, but the look on his face held the same fear as mine.