Chapter 23 — The Rolltop Desk

The weeks went by—the winter doldrums ended—and spring arrived. Stephanie was up early, eager to begin her day. She took a shower, made a peach pie, and took Brooks for a walk. She looked up on the hill at Stratford Place, awed by the beauty, the opulence—the manicured lawn, rose gardens, and wildflowers blooming in the surrounding spacious fields. Then she went to her rose garden and trimmed up the roses. She thought about Thomas’s brother, Jacob, and how they used to work in the garden together. She missed him. But most of all, she missed Thomas.

Later, Richard came by for dinner, and they invited Bradley, his personal assistant. Richard grilled steaks, and she made the salad and baked potatoes. They had wine with dinner and an apéritif of sherry afterward.

Bradley helped her clean up the kitchen while Richard answered messages. Bradley was loyal to Richard and the best personal assistant ever, but he had become her good friend, companion, and company when Richard was out of town. Against the backdrop of the sometimes gloomy estate, he brought a ray of sunshine. Most of all, he was her confidant.

Bradley and Thomas’s assistant, Adam, knew each other. When Richard was out of hearing distance, she asked him if he had played chess with Adam. It turned out that he had. She ventured further. “Did you see Thomas?”

“I did. We talked. Thomas is miserable,” Bradley said, clamming up when Richard came back into the kitchen.

Stephanie forced a smile and excused herself, and went to her room, locked herself in the bathroom and cried heart-wrenching tears. It had only been a moment, but enough to tell her that she had not had closure with Thomas. She fought the urge to call him.

Life with Richard was good, and they were getting along better. The wedding plans were underway, and on the surface, everything seemed to go smoothly. But secretly, she was tormented and wounded from memories of her star-crossed boyfriend, Thomas Shrock.

She busied herself with ongoing projects with the house. When she pulled out her worn notebook, there were notes and drawings in Thomas’ hand from past projects that she and Thomas had worked on together. They were her treasures. Love divided unfairly. Richard always seemed to come up short.

She worked diligently, with unswerving conviction and concentration on renovating the house. One day she glanced out the window and saw a delivery truck from Fritz & Thomas and then heard a knock at the front door. She heard Becca answer the door and called down, “What is it, Becca?”

“Thomas had a desk delivered for you. Where do you want it?”

Stephanie stood shaken at the top of the stairs. “Bring it upstairs to my bedroom,” she stammered. Her hand on her pounding heart, as she watched Jacob and Sawyer heft the massive cherry roll top desk up the stairs. They moved her small desk to the other side of the room and placed the new one against the wall near the window.

After the rolltop desk had been placed perfectly, Jacob said, “Thomas made it himself. It’s for you to do your writing. There’s a secret drawer on the top right. He told me to tell you that he left a letter in there for you.”

Curious, Stephanie placed her hand against the smooth cherry wood, and the secret drawer slid open ever so slightly.

“Don’t open it now,” Jacob said. “Thomas said it’s private.”

“It’s a beautiful desk,” Stephanie said, marveling at the quality. “I can’t thank him enough. There aren’t enough words to describe how much this means to me.”

“You might marry Thomas in the church,” Jacob said, his expression deadpan.

Stephanie paled and bit her lip.

“We should go,” Sawyer said. He turned to Jacob and said, “Wait for me in the truck.”

Stephanie grabbed Jacob by the arm as he turned to leave and said, “Ask Becca to get you some cookies and milk. There’s fresh milk in a crock in the refrigerator with a dipper.” Unable to contain her emotions, she hugged him. “You’re all grown up. You look so much like Thomas did at your age. You’ve got the same gray eyes, but you’re a little taller.”

“Yah. Everyone says that. I’m not a little boy anymore. I’m going to my first Rumspringa Saturday.”

Stephanie was taken by surprise. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Yep. Her name’s Adeline. She’s English like you,” Jacob said. “You should come to Rumspringa with Thomas and meet her.”

“An English girl? Do Fritz and Emily know that you’re dating an English girl?”

“Yep. I’m not cowardly about it like some people, I know.”

Stephanie turned crimson.

“Go have your cookies and milk,” Sawyer said. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Jacob had to have one more word. “You’ve got to stand up for what you believe, Steph.”

“Go,” Sawyer said, with a tone that told Jacob he meant it.

Stephanie watched the tall, good-looking, gray-eyed boy walk out the door, knowing full well that he had repeated the exact words she had instilled in him when he was younger. She’d always told him to stand up for what he believed, and he was. But she wasn’t. Jacob was right. She was cowardly.

She dropped her eyes and smoothed her dress, trying to compose herself, very much aware of Sawyer’s eyes on her. She looked up at him with a question. She hadn’t seen him since the night of the exorcism. He’d saved her life. It seemed like she should say something prophetic to him, but she felt tongue-tied.

“I hope you’re doing well,” Sawyer said. He spoke haltingly. “There are some quilts at my grandmother’s cabin. I want you to have them. And I thought you might like to see Thunder.”

“Thunder?” she asked. “Are you talking about my horse?”

“Yes, I board horses for Thomas, and I have your horse.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. I must owe you money. I’ll write you a check.”

“It’s not about money,” Sawyer said. His voice got more robust. “I could saddle him up, and we could go for a ride down by the creek.”

Stephanie smiled. He’s saved her life the night of the exorcism, and she would always be grateful. “Don’t you want to save the quilts for the woman you marry? I’m sure you’ll marry one day, and your wife would want them.”

“I’m not the marrying kind. My grandmother’s quilts should go to someone special. I’d be honored if you’d take them.”

Stephanie was wondering why he would give her family heirlooms. “I’ll come by tomorrow if that’s okay,” she said. “I’d love to see Thunder and go riding.”

“Look forward to it, mam,” Sawyer said, tipping his hat.

Stephanie’s heart skipped a beat. The feeling she’d had for him the night of the exorcism was still there.