Chapter 2
Meghan looked at Edward, “Is there a reason why you asked me to come back Edward? After all grandmother really never wanted me around.”
“Well Miss Meghan you are the only child of Thomas Mitchem and your grandfather never changed the will. Oh, he told your grandmother he did, but he would never cut out a grandchild and for what it’s worth he did like your mother. So, you are to inherit your father’s share of the Mitchem estate.”
She looked at him a bit shocked as they continued up the stairs and toward one of the guest’s rooms. Edward had carefully chosen the last room at the end of the hall it was bright and sunny and lacked the dark atmosphere of the rest of the house. Edward opened the door and Meghan followed him in the room. She stepped into the room and looked all around.
“This is beautiful Edward. Thank you so much.” She hugged the old man, and it was as if the years had melted and she was that young girl again.
Edward looks at her and smiles, “if you’d like after you’ve settled in, you can stop down at the kitchen for a snack before supper.”
“I’ll do that Edward.”
The old man smiled and made his way out the door.
Meghan’s attention was drawn to the window as she heard the sound of car door closing in the driveway. As she looked out the window, she saw the assortment of aunts, uncles and cousins arriving for the reading of the will of Lucille Mitchem. She noticed Katherine walking over to her aunt. Oh, there was no mistaking Katherine she had grown to look like their grandmother.
Her attention was distracted when she heard a familiar name, “Dr. Gentry!”
She looked up the driveway at the direction Katherine was looking and there was Mark Gentry, still as handsome as ever. Her hand went to her locket, the locket he had given her, and it had not left her neck since he put it on her neck fifteen years ago. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed him until this moment. But what he was doing here was another story. Was someone ill? She looked at the locket in her hand and slowly opened it. It was the picture Anna had taken of Mark and her on that Christmas she spent at the Gentry’s. He still was as handsome as went they took that picture. Oh, did she have such a crush on him, and often wondered if he did also. They had lost touch over the years but seeing him standing out there erased all those years and she was that fifteen-year-old girl enchanted by him all over again. She moved from the window and went back to unpacking her bags. Strange to find Mark here after all these years.
It was sometime later when Meghan made her way down the stairs and toward the kitchen.
As she turned the corner, she was met by her cousin Katherine, “Well if it isn’t dear little Meghan. Tell me what brings you here little cousin, surely not to grieve for our grandmother.”
Meghan looked at her and was about to answer when Mark walked into the hall. “Megs! My sweet Megs, it’s been too many years.”
He gives her a hug and whispers in her ear,” just smile honey and I’ll get you out of this.”
She nods her head and smiles. Mark holds her a bit away from him, “I have to admit, you look as beautiful as the last time I saw you.”
The look of confusion on Katherine’s face was priceless. “You too know each other?”
Mark looks at her,” Know each other? Why she was my sister’s roommate at finishing school. We all celebrated a holiday together.”
The gleam in his eye told her he was enjoying this too much and she really should make him stop. She was about to stop him when he looked into her eyes and took her hand in his, “Megs, I have some things I have to do in town, please say you’ll come with me? There’s so much we have to catch up on.”
She suddenly feels fifteen years old again and sneaking out of boarding school to spend the holiday the Gentry’s. She smiles and heads for the stairs and Mark’s eyes follows her not to go unnoticed by Katherine.
“So, you know my cousin, and you didn’t know that she was one of the Mitchem’s?”
Mark turned and looked at her, “no I never knew she was in anyway related to your grandmother. I took on this assignment at the request of Doctor Jacobson seems your grandmother was a close friend of his.”
“Yes, Uncle Arthur went to school with my grandfather. He was best man at my grandparents wedding.”
He looks at Katherine, something told him there was no love lost between her and Meghan. Before he could think further Meghan came down the stairs and smiled at him. “Did I take too long?”
He placed his hand over his heart and smiled, “an eternity and then some, but oh how it was worth the wait. You look beautiful Megs.” He takes her hand and places in his and they head for the door. He holds it open for her and follows her out. Holding hand’s, they race down the steps and head towards Mark’s car. Always a gentleman held the car door for her.
She smiles at him, “it was almost as fun as the time you took me to your folks house for Christmas.”
He looked at her how could have let her get away from him that day. He looked down and saw the locket around her neck, “You kept it!”
“Of course, I kept it, it’s very special to me.”
“Special?”
She smiled at him, “It’s a good picture of me.”
She smiled as he moved closer to her, “it’s a beautiful picture of you. One I’ve carried with me all these years. You don’t know how many times I wanted to try to find you, to tell you …” He gently lowers his lips on hers.
He smiles at her, “I’ve wanted to do this for fifteen years.”
She smiles at him, “Why did you wait so long?”
He starts to laugh, “Megs, you are full of surprises I think that’s what I love about you.”
She looked at him and at the same moment realized what he said. “You love me?”
“From that Christmas I came to get you. I thought you would grow up and forget all about your roommates’ brother.”
She looked at him, “looks like we both were wrong. I didn’t think you would be interested in a young schoolgirl and you didn’t think I would be interested in a college man. Oh how we were so wrong.” She put her arms around him and kissed him.
She looks at him,” I’ve wanted to do that for such a long time.”
He looks at her, “well please don’t feel you need to stop. I could get used to it very easily.”
He turns his attention to getting the car started and heading into town. As they drive off Katherine looks out the window. She has been watching them all this time. She had no idea she knew doctor Gentry. From the looks of things, they seem to know each other quite well. It seemed to Katherine fact a well-known doctor would know her lowly cousin.
In town Mark and Meghan were enjoying the sights, sights she hadn’t seen in too many years. They stopped in at a coffee shop to sit and relax for a few moments. Mark sits across from her just smiling, happy in the fact he found her after all these years.
Meghan smiles at him, “why are you just staring at me?” “I just can’t believe you are here!”
“Well to tell you the truth I’m can’t believe it either.” He looked at her, “I mean I never connected the last name with you. Well I really didn’t know where your family was from.”
“You could have asked Anna, by the way, how is she?” The smile on his face disappeared and he lowered his head. “She died five years ago in a car accident.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry Mark.”
“It seemed she was driving with the kids after a soccer game this guy came out of nowhere and just hit the driver’s side and spun the car around to the next lane and she was hit again. The kids were strapped in the back seat and were unharmed. Anna was rushed to the hospital, but her injuries were so severe they …”. He lowered his head. Anna was his little sister, and they were close. Her death still affected him after five years.
He lifted his head and looked at Meghan, “sorry it’s…”
She reaches across the table and takes his hand in hers, “no, there is no need to apologize. I know how close you and Anna were.”
“She was also close to you; she was so upset when she couldn’t find you to have you at her wedding.”
Meghan wished she had kept in touch, but she foolishly kept her distance something she will now regret for the rest of her life.
“You mentioned her children were safe.”
“Yes, she has three Anne Marie, James and Meghan, she wanted to name her after you.”
It was Meghan who was brought to tears now. She remembered those four years at Willard and the friendship between that had developed them. She foolishly distanced herself from her and everyone else. Now she regretted those lost years.
It’s Mark who takes her hand now, “don’t go blaming yourself for something you had no control over. Even if you had stayed close to Anna. There was nothing you could have done to stop that car from hitting her.”
She looks at him, “you can’t be sure of that. I could have been in the car with her I could have….”
“You could have been killed also Megs. I’ve been wandering around for the past five years searching for something to give me hope again. When I saw you, it was like my search was over. I know now it was meant for me to come here. I couldn’t believe I found you after all this time.”
Meanwhile back at the Mitchem home Katherine was still wondering how her cousin would know Mark Gentry, after all she didn’t seem to travel in the circles he did. He seemed to know her very well though. I bit too well. As she looked out the window her mother came in the room.
”Is there something interesting out there Kathy?”
She turned and looked at her mother, “mother did you know Dr. Gentry knew Meghan”.
Her mother looked at her, “really? I had no idea.”
“Yes, I saw them, and he offered to take her into town.”
Sarah wondered herself at how the good doctor knew her niece especially when she had plans to have him for her daughter. “Don’t worry Katherine, I’ll get to the bottom of this. I’ll make sure she’s gone before the weekend.”
A smile came to Sarah’s face, she had so set her heart on getting the young doctor for herself.
It was later that evening when Mark and Meghan arrived back home. They had already missed supper, but she knew that Edward was probably in the kitchen and if she knew Edward he probably had some leftovers.
She looked at Mark, “are you hungry?”
“Famished.”
“Come with me.” She led him down the hall and into the kitchen. Just as she suspected, Edward was in the kitchen getting ready to put away the leftovers.
He looked up and smiled at them, “Ah Miss Meghan, I was wondering when you would show up.”
He smiled at Mark, “When she was a young girl she would always sneak down to the kitchen before going to bed and get a snack.”
“Yes, and you and Martha always made sure there was something here.”
Mark looked at Edward and realized he was at Meghan’s graduation. “Edward of course, I kept trying to figure you out since I got here. I knew I had seen you somewhere, but I didn’t know where.”
Edward smiled, “oh I was quite certain you would know the moment you saw Miss Meghan.”
Mark smiled,” to tell you the truth I didn’t even know Megs was a member of the family. There are photos all over the walls but not one of Megs.”
Edward looked at her than to Mark, “I think I’ll warm up two plates for you two.”
With that he rushed to the pantry to get the plates. Mark looked at her, “Well?”
“Well what?”
“Come on Megs, the walls are covered with photos of everyone but there’s not one of you. It’s like you don’t exist.”
“It’s a long story.”
He takes a chair out and sits her down,” Ok let’s hear this long story.”
She looks at him,” are you sure you want to hear this.?”
He sits down near her and smiles, “oh I’m sure, I want to hear every detail and why you are stalling?”
She looks at him and realizes that he will not move from that chair until she tells him what he wants to know. So, she slowly begins her story. It was a while before Edward had come back with some food, but he also knew that the determined young doctor would not let this go without knowing the answer to his question. Edward recognized him immediately when he arrived three months ago at the door to become Lucille’s private doctor, it a favor to Dr. Jacobson that Mark took the job. Though he didn’t recognize him Edward knew he was the young man at her graduation who seemed not only to take up much of her time but was extremely interested in her. It was for that reason Edward sent the telegram to her hoping the old address she had given them five years ago was where she still could be reached.
Meghan looked up at Edward as he places the plates on the table. “Thank you Edward.”
He nods and returns to the pantry leaving them one again alone.
Mark looks at her, “he’s very fond of you.”
“Edward and his wife were more like family to me and my mother than anyone here As I said my mother was not welcomed into the family and after they were killed my grandmother, they couldn’t wait to get me out of the house. That’s how I ended up in Willard.”
He took her hand, “and I was lucky enough to have a sister who became your roommate and introduced me to you.”
She smiled at him, “doctor how you do run on.”
“It’s only because it’s true. I was a fool to let you go the first time I won’t do it again Megs, that I promise you. Now that I found you, I’ll never let you go again”
Later that evening as Meghan sat by the widow in her room, she thought about what Mark had said how he was not let her go again. All these years she wondered if he even thought of her, after all these years she finds him in a place she never wanted to come back to this house but it’s here that she finds what she’s been looking for all this time. She heard voices on the porch it was Mark and Katherine.
“Mark, we missed you at supper.”
He turns and sees Katherine, “yes well I some errands to do in town and time just seemed to get away from me.”
She looks at him, “I didn’t know you knew my cousin.”
“Yes, we met some years ago, she was my sister’s roommate at Willard.”
“Oh so you had no way of knowing…”
He looked at her, “no way of knowing what Katherine? I knew a young girl named Meghan Mitchem not her background or who her family was who was a friend of my sister.”
He looked at her, “and now if there are no more questions, I’ll say good night to you.”
With that he walks back into the house and up the stairs to his room. At the top of the stairs, he is met by Sarah, “Doctor Gentry, I thought I heard voices. “
He looked at her,” yes, I was talking to Katherine.”
“Oh that’s fine, we missed you at supper…”
“So I’ve been told already. Sarah, it’s been a long day and I really would like to get some rest. I have to notify the hospital I will be available again to work.”
Sarah looked at him, “Oh, I hadn’t realized you would be leaving so soon.”
He looked at her, “I was only doing this for favor to Dr. Jacobson and now that my job is over, I need to get back to the hospital.”
Sarah looks down then back up at him. “Well we have two fine hospital’s here I’m sure uncle Arthur could put in a good word,,,,”
He shakes his head, “thank you but no I need to go back to where I belong.”
“When will you be leaving?”
“I suppose sometime next week. If you like I can take a hotel room in town.”
“No don’t be silly you can stay until next week; I must say Katherine will be upset to see you go.”
He nods and makes his way toward the door to his room. He looks back but she has already left. So that was her game to hook her daughter on him. He had to admit he didn’t see that coming, but with Meghan in the picture he wasn’t interested in anyone else.
Sarah was met at the bottom of the stairs by her daughter. “I talked to Mark and he seems to know Meghan from his sister, seems she was her roommate at the Willard School.”
“The Willard School?” Sarah looks toward the kitchen, “come on I have an idea.”
Katherine follows her mother as she makes her way to the kitchen. “Edward! Edward, where is that man when you want him?”
Suddenly Edward appears from the door leading to his quarters. “Is there something wrong Miss Sarah?”
“Yes, well not wrong but tell me Edward do you remember when you and Martha went to Meghan’s graduation from the Willard School?”
“Oh yes Miss Sarah, was a lovely day and …”
“Yes, yes I’m sure it was do you remember a classmate of hers named Gentry?”
“Yes, Anna Gentry why she and her family were there. Why Dr. Gentry was quite taken by Miss Meghan, they looked like such a fine couple walking together. Is there anything else you wanted.?”
“No Edward that’s all.”
He nodded and went back to his quarters. Sarah looked Katherine, “so they were as Edward said a fine couple well isn’t that interesting.”
“But mother, you heard Edward he said they made a fine couple.”
Sarah looks at her daughter, “yes but that was quite a few years ago dear. Don’t worry there’s still time, she’s not got him yet.”
A smile came to Katherine’s face as he thought about how she would find a way to get Mark Gentry interested in her.