Swallowing a groan, Eliza took hold of a large weed with both hands and tore it fiercely from the ground. The sound of male laughter caught the girls’ attention.
“There are some of your conquests now,” Catherine said, nodding in that direction.
Sure enough, off in the distance, Eliza could see Jonathan and Harrison walking along with Jeff and Christopher, their confident strides a measure of their assured place in the world. Alice scrambled to her knees, soiling the skirt of her pink dress as she angled for a better look. Theresa shielded her eyes and smiled.
“Forget spring. I think we’ll have an autumn wedding,” she mused, her eyes on Harrison. “This would be a beautiful sort of day to exchange vows, don’t you think?”
Eliza took up Theresa’s forgotten spade and drove it into the earth, ignoring the question.
“I rather think not,” Catherine said.
All three girls glanced at Catherine, surprised.
“You said it yourself. It’s too hot,” Catherine continued, looking, for some reason, at Eliza. “Your wedding cake would melt into a puddle of sugar and eggs.”
“In your opinion,” Theresa said, sitting back down on her gardening stool.
“Which, if I’m not mistaken, you asked for,” Cather
ine replied.
Stifling a laugh, Eliza drove the trowel into the dirt again. It slammed into something hard, making a loud scraping noise that set her teeth on edge.
“What was that?” Alice asked, peering over Eliza’s shoulder.
“Probably a rock,” Eliza replied.
She dug up a few shovelfuls of dirt, expecting to see another of the small, fist-size rocks they’d found so many of during their past hour of gardening. But instead, the surface of whatever she had found just seemed to grow on either side of her shovel. Eliza dug and dug until she’d uncovered what appeared to be a long wooden box. Some kind of metal band was wrapped around it, clasped with an ornately carved latch.
Eliza stole a quick glance at Helen. The girl was standing now, and Eliza’s heart skipped a nervous beat. She positioned herself so that her back was to the maid, entirely shielding the hole and its contents from view.
“Girls! Don’t look now, but I’ve found something,” Eliza whispered.
Catherine abandoned the carrots and moved closer to Eliza, starting to dig casually just a foot away. Alice and Theresa angled themselves so they could see inside the hole as well.
“What is it?” Alice asked, looking over her shoulder at Helen.
“I don’t know,” Eliza replied. “Who would bury something here?”
“Who cares? Just dig it up,” Theresa ordered.
It was an order Eliza didn’t mind taking. After using her trowel to clear away some more of the dirt, she dug in with her fingers. Finally she was able to pry the box from the ground. The case was about a foot long and flat, only two inches in height. Eliza whipped a handkerchief from the pocket of her apron and dusted the dirt from the grooves and crevices of the carved latch. It was some sort of symbol, with circles swirling together to make an exotic design, but there were no letters or words to identify the owner.
“Let’s see what’s inside!” Alice whispered fervently.
Eliza laid the box on the ground next to the hole and glanced over at Helen again. The girl was walking toward them. Eliza’s heart all but stopped.
“She’s coming,” she whispered, turning around again.
“Oh, Lord,” Theresa said.
“Theresa! Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain!” Alice scolded.
Everyone looked at her, surprised.
“Forgive me, Sister Alice,” Theresa said sarcastically. Then she sat up and called out, “Helen! Would you mind getting us some water? We’re parched, and I’m certain Headmistress Almay wouldn’t appreciate it if we all ended up dehydrated in the infirmary.”
Helen stopped in her tracks. She looked at Crenshaw House, then back at the girls, an almost desperate look on her face. “Of course, Miss Billings,” she said finally. But she cast a furtive look over her shoulder as she went inside, as if her conscience was telling her to stay.