The Hope of Hattie Phelan: Volume I

26

Courtship

Aunt Margarette cried a lot when we got home. I remember her mentioning how she wanted the necklace and all of the sudden, there it was. It made me angry that God was letting her go through grief all over again. Aunt Margarette was a devout follower of Him, and He seemed to keep dragging her through more pain.

I watched my Aunt Margarette walking outside through the kitchen window. She was talking with Uncle Gillan as she continued to weep. I watched as her husband comforted her as she cried. My attention was turned from the window as the front door of the house opened. I went to the front parlor as Bernie entered the house. He looked worried as he took his hat off.

"Wally said Ma was needing me urgently?" Bernie asked, looking around for his mother.

"She's outside with Uncle Gillan," I said, gesturing towards the back of the house. He set his hat on the loveseat before rushing towards where I pointed. I followed him as far as the kitchen as he left the building. I watched through the window as Bernie fussed over his mother before she showed him the locket. He hugged her, and they stood out there talking for more time.

Constance came down the stairs, tears in her eyes as well. I raised my brows, wondering why she was taking it to heart so much. She gave me a sad smile before walking over to look where I had been staring. Her breath hitched before she turned away, trying not to cry.

"Are you all right?" I asked, unsure of what was going on with her. She had been acting strange since she fell ill in town before the engagement party.

"No, I'm not," Constance said, looking away as tears formed in her eyes. "Can we talk upstairs?"

I felt myself steel against her request, but the look in her eyes made me give in.

"I guess so," I shrugged, following her up the staircase. I looked over to Bobby's room to see that Nancy was playing with him to keep him distracted from what was going on. We entered Constance's room, which was technically the attic space. I had not really been in here too much so I admired her homey decorations.

"I've been achin' to talk to someone, but I don't know who." Constance let out a cry, before sitting on her bed. "Everyone is too attached fer it to be easy."

"Whatever is wrong, Constance?" I asked, never seeing her like this before. I sat down beside her, my hands fidgeting in my lap.

"It's Bernie," she said through a sob. "He said he wants to court me, and I don't know what to do."

"When was this?" I asked, tensing up. Bernie and Constance? My stomach rolled with distaste.

"Whenever we were lookin' for your birthday present he seemed to be leadin' in that direction, but I rushed off before he could ask for sure. But at your party he asked on the front porch while ye were gettin' me tea."

"And you said yes?" I asked, feeling bitterness rise in my chest. She kept trying to weasel her way into my life and I didn't like it. Not only did she steal Da's place on the train, but now she could possibly become a part of my family—she already was a constant reminder that Da wasn't here, so if she married Bernie, she'd be a part of the family forever. I had to stop it from happening.

"Nay, Harriet," she said, putting her head in her hands. "I told him to talk with his parents about it first. I'm afraid to jump into somethin' because what if it isn't God's plan?"

"It moved quite fast," I said, with a shrug. There was a knock on the door before I could continue talking. Nancy peeked her head through the door before seeing the distraught Constance.

"Are you all right?" Nancy asked, walking over to sit beside her. I stood up to walk to the door.

"I'll be fine," Constance replied as she wiped her eyes. "I just need to pray."

As if that would work, I thought with a huff before shutting the door.

-=+=-

I was washing the counters in the kitchen whenever Aunt Margarette emerged from the outdoors. She seemed to be fine, though the aftermath of tears was still evident on her face. She rubbed my arm as she walked by before setting the locket on the counter. She began to cut up the loaf of bread she'd made earlier in the day.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking at her worriedly.

"It is just processing it all," she said, voice crackly. "It wasn't just a reminder of Lincoln but of your mother."

"Why so?" I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion.

"That locket was your ma's that she gave to me," Aunt Margarette said with a sigh as she shook her head. "And as a silly woman in love, I gave it to Lincoln, believing he'd come back to return it. I shouldn't have given it to him; I should have kept it."

"Well, you have it back now," I said, trying to soften the mood in the room.

"Would you like it?" Aunt Margarette asked after a moment of silence. I looked over at the locket sitting on the counter. It was circular with an intricate gold lace-like lid, a soft pink stone in the center. It was beautiful.

"Only if you want to give it," I said, before pausing. "Do you want the pictures inside of it?"

I lifted the necklace to open it, looking closely at the wedding picture of Aunt Margarette and Lincoln Beckett.

"Yes."

I took them out carefully, handing them to my aunt. She looked at them for a moment before placing them in the pocket of her dress. I unclasped the chain of the necklace, trying to close it around my neck but failing. Aunt Margarette walked over to help me clasp it.

"Thank you," I said, looking down at it now around my neck.

"Of course," she said as I turned to face her. "She would have wanted you to have it."

I looked down at the necklace on my neck, sadly thinking about the previous owner of the necklace—my mother. Sniffing slightly as tears threatened to form, I smiled at Aunt Margarette.

"I love you," I said, pulling her into a hug.

"I love you, too," she whispered softly into my hair as she wrapped her arms around me, and for the first time in a while, I felt peace wash over me for a moment and I was able to rest.