Spirit of the Revolution (38 page)

“Oh, I can’t complain. I can still get around on my own accord and no one has put me in a home just yet, so I suppose all is well for the moment,” she said.

“Aunt Helen,” Jo said in mock sternness. “You know very well, not a single soul in your family would allow you to go to a nursing home. After all, why should a nursing staff have all of the fun?”

Helen laughed and nodded. She pivoted a bit then, so she could look Jo fully in the eye. “Tell me, sweetheart. Are you seeing anyone seriously right now?”

Jo shook her head, knowing her question related to someone who actually breathed. “No, no I’m not.”

“Are you even dating at all?” she asked.

“Nope, not for quite some time now.” Jo smiled. Helen asked the question each time they met. The adorable woman meant well, and Jo found she simply couldn’t take offense.

Helen paused for a moment then, as if to choose her words. “Well, you know Jolena, I’ve come to realize, not all of us are meant to find our soul mate during mortality, and that knowledge gives me a measure of comfort on my lonelier days.

“You must remember, we’ve suffered through so many terrible wars throughout the centuries, and so many wonderful young men lost their lives in defense of their homes and countries. I wouldn’t hesitate to say they numbered in the millions. I firmly believe they need someone to love, too. Perhaps the man destined for you died during one of those wars, and is waiting for you on the other side.” She patted Jo’s hand, which rested on the table.

“Actually, Aunt Helen, you’re right. Mine died during the Revolutionary War, June 16th, 1778, right here in Pennsylvania.” Jo took another sip of her water as she maintained eye contact. Perhaps the little devil inside prompted the admission, but she just couldn’t help herself. She allowed herself a smile as she took in the woman’s shocked expression. Nevertheless, Aunt Helen wouldn’t repeat the statement to a living soul.

Caught up in the fun of the moment, Mathias manifested his form to Aunt Helen. With a possessive hand around Jolena’s waist, he gave the woman a nod and flashed a grin. Her mouth dropped, as she looked him over from head to toe. He gave her a really good look too. Once she couldn’t possibly dismiss his presence as mere imagination, he winked and faded away.

“Oh, it looks like I have one more picture to pose for,” Jo said as she pointed a finger at Carolyn who frantically motioned her toward the wedding party. “Perhaps we’ll have another chance to chat later?”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Mathias whispered. He’d wanted to get Jolena all to himself for a while now. She looked exceptionally beautiful in the gown she wore tonight. The shade of blue she wore matched the color of her eyes to perfection and as the only adornment to the dress she wore the pendant he gave her for Christmas.

His lovely lady smiled and then hurried away to get the last of the pictures over with. She seemed just as anxious to spend the remainder of her evening with him. While the camera snapped, he approached the leader of the small orchestra that provided the music. He leaned close to his ear and whispered his request. Once the photographer declared the session complete, Mathias made his way to Jolena’s side. On a whim, he changed into a black tuxedo. Her mouth opened in surprise, and then curved into a dazzling smile.

Mathias offered his hand and said, “After all this nonsense, it looks as if you could use a bit of fresh air, shall we?”

He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, led her through the open doors and outside. The floor, decorated with scores of flowers and lights, remained empty. The feat took a great deal of effort on his part. While Jolena performed her duties as maid of honor, he visited each guest and made that very suggestion. They all complied.

He wanted to make this evening just as perfect for her as he possibly could. Despite his earlier request inside the mine, she found it impossible to return to Scotland any before the end part of June, too late to do him any good. But his disappointment didn’t matter. He really didn’t need the forest or the waterfall behind the castle to tell her how very much he loved her.

“Care to dance the night away with me, my love?” he asked as the first strains of “Greensleeves” wafted out of the reception hall. Her instant look of surprise mingled with delight made his efforts all worthwhile.

“I would love to dance with you.” The miracle of the mine had yet to evaporate completely. She could still feel a trace of Mathias’s body when he held her.

Humor filled his eyes as he fused his gaze to hers. “You look exceptionally lovely this evening, Jolena. I must confess it truly surprises me that someone hasn’t whisked you away and made you his wife by now. Although, I’m sure countless numbers have tried.”

She giggled, but at the same time, managed a shrug. “I suppose there may have been one or two along the way.”

“Did you find them all so very distasteful then?”

A breath of laughter escaped as she dropped her head close to his chest. “No, Mathias, no one on this earth, past, present or future, could ever take the place you already have in my heart. Didn’t you know? Haven’t you guessed? You’re the man I’ve waited my whole life to find.”

He held her all the tighter. “And I have waited for you all of mine. I love you Jolena Leigh Michaelsson, from the very depths of my soul. No matter what comes—no matter what happens in the future, somewhere in your heart, you must
always
remember that,” he whispered.

The intensity, with which he spoke the words, drew Jo’s gaze upward. Something entered his eyes then that—

The desire to understand the expression abruptly ended as Mathias lowered his lips to hers. As they touched, an exquisite electrical shock filled her entire being, beginning somewhere in the pit of her stomach. The current spewed forth in fluid warmth, which would rival any volcano eruption known to mankind. The heat encompassed her soul in every direction at once. Not even in her dreams did she experience such a tender, passionate kiss. She held completely still so the kiss could linger for as long as he willed it so.

Finally, he broke free and captured her gaze. She shook her head in wonder. “Oh, Mathias, I never believed that I could feel such—” She stopped as if searching for words.

He chuckled softly. “Just shut up, Jolena, we can talk later,” he said as he once again sought her lips.

He didn’t need to ask her twice.

Chapter 30

“Could I talk to you for a minute, Jolena? I don’t mean to interrupt you, but it’s getting late, and I need to talk to you before you go to bed,” Jedediah said.

“Of course. I just finished practicing, anyway.” Jo could see from his expression alone that he needed to tell her something important. Something he found difficult to say. She put her violin away and sat down in one of the leather chairs. “Why don’t you sit beside me?” She patted the empty chair.

Jedediah simply nodded and sat down. He lifted a hand to his mouth and gave it a rub. Dakota inched forward and looked up expectantly. He stroked the dog’s head and neck.

“Jolena, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me, and most especially for your help in solving our final mission. You put so much time and effort into helping us and you risked your life in order to get it done. You’ve given so much of yourself from the moment you entered this house and never once asked for anything in return. This house is bright and cheerful again, and you’ve made us feel as if we’re all part of your family.”

“You
are
part of my family, Jedediah. And because we’re family, you don’t have to thank me for anything.” Jo stopped short as Jed held up a hand to halt her words.

“Yes, I do—because you see—because this is my last opportunity to do so, at least for a while, that is.”

She could see he had trouble meeting her gaze, and it alarmed her. “Your last opportunity?” Jo shook her head. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Finally, Jedediah looked up and met her gaze head on. “Never once in my life, have I run away from anything because of the difficulty of the task, and I don’t want to start now. So, I’ll just come right out and say what I have to say.”

Jo placed her hand lightly on top of his. “You know you can tell me anything, Jedediah. I’ll understand, I promise.”

“Thank you, because I’m going to need your understanding. I’ve come to tell you… You see, I think I’m going to go ahead and take that next step. I’m…I’m finally ready to let go of my life here and get on with whatever comes next.” He paused and peered into her eyes as if gauging her reaction.

At once Jo’s throat constricted while a lump formed and the formation of tears stung her eyes. The day she dreaded finally arrived. Common sense told her the boys shouldn’t remain earthbound indefinitely, and she didn’t want them to stay behind once she met her demise. But did he have to go right now? She found she could only nod in response to his words.

“The spirit pouch I gave you for Christmas,” he said. “I never did give you all of the details surrounding it, and I would like to share a little bit more about that with you now. The girl, Runs-Like-a-Deer, as her people called her, gave me the pouch. After she converted to Christianity, my father gave her the name of Rachel. She’s very pretty, Jolena, just like you. And just like you, she’s gentle and kind to everyone she meets. To this day, she keeps a special place in my heart. I’ve never said this to anyone else, but I think—I think maybe I might’ve married her, if she didn’t die of the yellow fever, and of course, if I didn’t die myself.

“I’m telling you this because ever since I gave you the pouch, I’ve seen her from time to time. I think it’s because I finally let go of the past and faced myself forward. Every now and again, I look up, and I can see her gazing at me with this beautiful smile. She beckons me to join her, and I want to go where she is. I didn’t consider it before, because we needed to solve the details of our final mission. We wanted to know and to understand what we left undone and whether or not dying for it mattered.

“The mystery is solved now and I’ve begun to think—well, Mathias has you, and he won’t need me around as much anymore. I don’t know what’s there on the other side, and I don’t know if once you cross over, you can ever come back to say hello. But if I can come back from time to time—then I will, I promise.

“However, if for some reason I can’t, please know, Jolena, I will always keep you in my thoughts and the love for you in my heart until such time as we meet again,” he said.

Tears streamed down Jo’s cheeks. She couldn’t stop them. “When do you think—you might go?” she asked passed the lump in her throat.

“Soon,” he said, nodding more as if to himself than to her. “My next opportunity is coming up in a while, and when it comes, I need to take it.”

“I love you, Jed, and—and even though I’ll miss you, please know, I wish you all the happiness with Rachel—” Jo presented a small smile through her tears.”

Sensing she needed some time to reconcile his unexpected announcement, Jed kissed her on the cheek and disappeared. She remained in the chair long after he vacated the room. The tears continued falling as she considered everything he said, many times over. What did he mean by “the next opportunity”? For whatever reason, she concluded that a ghost could leave at will. Yet, he said it would come in “a while.” How much time encompassed a while? As she extended a hand toward the box of tissue, the desk calendar caught her eye. Her hand hung mid-air as she locked onto the date. June fifteenth screamed at her from off the page as if trying to grasp her attention. Come tomorrow morning, Mathias and her boys would pass the anniversary of their death.

That knowledge triggered a memory of something she read long ago. She read it on one of the many ghostly Web sites Carolyn sent her shortly after she met Mathias. One particular site presented theories about the various types of haunting. She got up from her seat, circled behind the desk, sat down, and turned on the computer. Minutes later, she opened her bookmarked file of ghost sites.

“Come on, Jo,” she murmured as she scrolled down the alphabetical list of names. “Which one is it?” Finding the right one took forever, but finally, she found the one she sought. She spied the button marked
Residual Haunting
and clicked.

“We define
‘
Residual Haunting’ as photographic scenes from the past. Scenes that play repeatedly, nothing deviating from the original occurrence. The ghosts are not aware of any changes to the location or the presence of mortals. There are those who believe such a haunting is an imprint in time, or for lack of a better explanation, ‘films’ left hanging in the very place and atmosphere in which they occurred. These traumatic events play repeatedly, most often on the anniversary of its occurrence though evidence also suggests they can occur more frequently.

Recent findings propose an alternative theory for such occurrences. It is believed by some in the paranormal field of science, ghosts who have chosen to remain behind, are given yet another opportunity to escape this earthly sphere, once the event of their death is replayed in full on the anniversary it transpired. That they are, in fact, aware of their surroundings and everyone in it, be they mortal or spirit. In a sense, they exist in two planes, simultaneously. They can see their environment as it was and as it is. Yet, they focus on the former. Evidence reveals that—”

“Are you all right?” asked Mathias, as he suddenly appeared, standing at her side.

Jo jumped at the sound of his voice and immediately turned off the screen. Yet, as she turned and gazed into his eyes, she could see his concern. She bit down on her lips and shook her head.

As she vacated her seat, she folded her arms against her chest and walked toward the painting. She stopped in front of the settee and absorbed every detail of the scene Brady O’Connor painted.

Come tomorrow, Jedediah would leave her with precious memories, a few amazing pictures, his treasured spirit pouch, and this painting. Sadness washed over her anew.