“He was inconsolable. His relatives came from Boston to get him and took him home. He never returned to the island. Many years later he married again and had a son, your ancestor.”
The three of them sat in silence for a while, listening to the birds and the wind, the tragic story hanging over them.
Jamie broke the sadness. “You know, if I’m going to be in a haunted house, I’m glad the ghosts are two hot babes.”
Hallie and Caleb couldn’t help laughing.
Caleb reached into his pocket, withdrew an old key, and put it on the table. “That should open the side door.”
Jamie picked up the key. “And we’ll see them inside?”
“Only if you’ve not yet met your True Love.”
“What?” Hallie asked.
“Jared didn’t tell you that part?” Caleb had to feign innocence, as he well knew that Jared wouldn’t have told them the old story.
“No, he didn’t,” Hallie and Jamie said together.
“The legend is that the Bell girls still like to match people and the only ones who can see them are ones who need their help. If the door opens, they’re allowed to go into a beautiful room, and the dear young ladies will be there waiting for them.”
“And if they aren’t needed?”
Caleb shrugged. “Then they’ll see a room that has been closed up for a very long time. Henry kept all the doors locked after he bought the house. I’m not sure he ever went in there after the first time. By now, it must be a very dusty room.” There was a lot more to that story, but Caleb wasn’t going to tell it, at least not now.
Jamie gave a little snort. “Wait a minute! If Edith can see them, does that mean she’s looking for her True Love? Isn’t she a little, you know, past that?”
Caleb didn’t smile. “Are you asking if she’s too old to find love?” His voice was louder and deeper.
“I’m just trying to put some reality into this fairy tale, that’s all.” Jamie’s voice was also rising.
Hallie glared at him. “If you get into a fight and hurt your knee, I swear I will cut your clothes off before I call an ambulance.” She turned back to Dr. Huntley. “So why wouldn’t the door open for me? I know Jamie has someone, but I don’t.”
“Who do I have?” Jamie asked quickly, but when Hallie gave him a look, he said, “Oh, yeah.”
“You’ll have to figure that out on your own.” Caleb looked at his watch. “I’m afraid I have to go. My lovely wife is waiting for me.” He s
tood up. “Perhaps you two could come to dinner some night.” A look at Jamie’s frown stopped him. “But with the coming commotion of the wedding, it might be too much.”
Jamie and Hallie walked with Dr. Huntley to the front gate and watched him go to the end of the lane. When he was out of sight, they looked at each other.
Hallie had the key in her hand. “So now what do we do?”
“We go see a dirty old room that has been locked up for who knows how long?” Jamie said.
“If we see it as dusty, that means you and I have already met our True Loves.”
“No,” he said. “It means that the place hasn’t been cleaned.”
“But Edith—”
“Obviously has a key,” he said. “The next time I see her I’m going to put her in a stranglehold and make her talk.”
“You do that and she might stop stealing Betty’s food and delivering it to us,” Hallie said.
“Good point. So? You ready to open the door?”
“Maybe we should wait until the morning when the light is better and we can—” She broke off when Jamie started toward the side of the house. He was getting quite fast on his crutches! By the time she got there, he was standing in front of the double doors.