The Missing Mortals, page 45
Martha echoed Emma’s thanks and then had Emma help her put her bracelet on.
“This is great! Thanks!” Sebastian exclaimed as he examined each of the knife’s blades.
“I’m glad you like them,” Lord Dinswood said as he watched them with a satisfied smile.
“We’ve got a surprise for you too, sir,” Doug said.
Lord Dinswood looked at them all with raised eyebrows. He couldn’t begin to imagine what the surprise might be.
Doug didn’t wait for Lord Dinswood to ask what he was talking about; he plunged right in. “We found the seventh Mortal.”
Doug let the news sink in for a moment before going on to relate the events that had taken place while they were down in the cave. He told about discovering the west tower and how they’d found the tombs of Darius and Rebecca along with the sculpture of Mary holding the baby Jesus. “We didn’t bring it with us, sir. We were afraid something might happen to it if we tried to bring it down. It wasn’t worth the risk,” Doug explained when he had finished his story.
Lord Dinswood was quiet while Doug spoke. Emma noticed his eyes growing misty. She suspected that he never expected the last Mortal to be found, at least not in his lifetime. His next words confirmed Emma’s suspicions.
“I didn’t think I’d ever get to see it,” Lord Dinswood began softly. “I can’t believe you found it. A simple thank you doesn’t quite seem adequate, but I’ll say it anyway. Thank you all.”
“You don’t have to thank us, sir,” Doug said. “We found it totally by accident.”
“In my experience, son, there are no accidents,” Lord Dinswood told him gently. He thought back to the youngsters’ stories of how each piece was found. He could see the Lord’s hand in each of the discoveries, and he was grateful. Lord Dinswood grew quiet then as he struggled to get ahold of his emotions. Doug’s description of the last Mortal had affected him greatly. It had been the final gift of a doting husband to his beloved wife, and it had a sentimental value far beyond its monetary worth. To his knowledge, excluding the four youngsters before him, only two other people had ever laid eyes on the seventh Mortal: Marnatti, who sculpted the piece, and Darius Dinswood, who commissioned it.
Although he was anxious to see it, it didn’t appear that that was going to be possible for quite some time. The tower would have to be repaired first and then some sort of lift installed so he wouldn’t have to climb any stairs. All the repairs and modifications would take time. Still it gave him something to look forward to.
“Sir, I was curious about something,” Doug began, after giving Lord Dinswood a moment to collect himself.
“What’s that?”
“Well, I always just assumed that Darius and Rebecca were buried in the Dinswood family cemetery. It seems like somebody would have noticed their absence before now.”
Lord Dinswood looked at Doug with a raised eyebrow. “Now that you mention it, there are crypts bearing the names of Darius and Rebecca Dinswood in the family mausoleum. I know because I’ve seen them. After what you’ve just told me, we can now assume that those crypts are empty, mere decoys. It seems Darius wanted to make sure that the actual tombs were never discovered.”
“That’s what I thought,” Martha exclaimed. “Before he died, Darius must have left instructions that upon his death he was to be laid to rest next to Rebecca in the west tower. Then the tower was to be sealed and declared unsafe to keep it all a secret.”
“I’d say that’s exactly what happened,” Lord Dinswood agreed. “And for nearly three hundred years, his ruse worked. If you four don’t mind, I’d like to honor Darius’s memory by keeping his secret a little while longer. What I mean is, I’d like this information to stay just between us.”
“Dad knows,” Doug informed Lord Dinswood. “But he won’t tell anyone.”
“I’m sure I can trust your father,” Lord Dinswood said with a smile. He had a lot of respect for Jacob Harwood. These last several months, as his illness had progressed, Jacob had cared for him more like a son for his father than an employee for his boss. Between them, there had grown a mutual admiration and affection. Lord Dinswood had no doubt that Jacob would respect his wishes in this matter.
With that settled, Lord Dinswood talked with the youngsters a little longer. He asked them how their classes were going and if they were excited about the new facility that was nearing completion.
“Even with the delays caused by recent events, it should be ready for the start of the next school year,” Lord Dinswood told them. Then he went on to explain that although Sutton was no longer in charge of the project, the work was progressing and would be completed on schedule.
When the youngsters noticed that Lord Dinswood was beginning to tire, they thanked him for their gifts and said their goodbyes. The two girls each gave him a hug, and the two boys shook his hand. It was a good thing they left when they did, or they would have seen an old man cry.
THE LAST DAY of school came all too quickly. Every student went to homeroom to receive final report cards, and then they were dismissed to go do their packing.
The four youngsters had agreed to meet in the lounge as soon as they were dismissed. Emma and Martha were the first to arrive, but Doug wasn’t far behind. Eagerly, they shared the results of their hard work. Emma and Doug had both made straight A’s again. Martha had gotten an A in everything except math. While they waited for Sebastian to make an appearance, Martha chewed her lip nervously. She knew he’d been working harder these last several months so he could get into the Alpha-O’s next year. Martha hoped his hard work had paid off. It just wasn’t any fun doing things without Sebastian along.
A few minutes later, Sebastian came in waving his report card proudly. Martha grabbed it from him, and as she scanned it, her eyes widened in amazement. He had received an A in every class except Miss Grimstock’s. In her history class, he had miraculously managed a B.
“I bet I get into the Alpha-O’s next year,” he told her with a satisfied grin.
“I bet you do too,” Martha agreed, laughing. Then she surprised even herself by giving him a hug. “Congratulations!” she said into his shoulder. “I knew you could do it!”
When she finally let him go, Sebastian was blushing with pleasure. To cover his friend’s embarrassment, Doug punched him lightly in the arm and said enthusiastically, “Way to go!”
“Good job, Sebastian,” Emma said, adding her congratulations. “I can’t wait until next year when we’re all Alpha-O’s. It’s going to be so much fun!”
They talked a little while longer about some of the activities the Alpha-O’s were planning for next year and then split up to go to their dorm rooms. Emma, Martha, and Sebastian were leaving for the airport later that afternoon and still had some final packing to do. Doug went along with Sebastian to keep him company while he got ready to go.
Later, they ate their last lunch of the school year together in the dining hall, and then the buses began pulling up in front. Doug helped them get their luggage out to the buses. After they’d loaded their things in the bus’s lower compartment, they stood back and watched solemnly as the other students did likewise. This was the part of the school year Doug hated the most—saying goodbye to his friends.
Clarice and Reggie came out a moment later, and Sebastian and Doug helped them get their things loaded too. Emma wondered briefly where Susie was; then she saw her with Daniel a few buses down. When Doug and Sebastian finished with the luggage, Clarice murmured her thanks, and Reggie shook their hands.
“Thanks, guys. I guess I’ll see you next year. The new gym’s going to be great,” Reggie said brightly as he climbed onto the bus behind Clarice.
Emma knew that she, Martha, and Sebastian should be boarding as well, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave Doug just yet.
They were still standing on the terrace when Emma saw Preston Danvers emerge from the school. Emma tensed as he walked toward them. She was certain he would say something nasty to either her or Doug. Emma couldn’t prevent the small sigh of relief that escaped her lips when he walked right past them without even glancing in their direction. She looked up at Doug to see if he’d noticed Preston going by. He had noticed all right. His whole body was tense as he stared at Preston’s retreating back with an unreadable expression. Doug didn’t relax his stance until Preston had boarded his bus.
A moment later, all students were instructed to board their respective buses by none other than Miss Grimstock. She was wearing her usual no-nonsense look, the look that dared any student to disobey. Emma saw Sebastian shiver and smiled. Martha’s fear of heights was nothing compared to Sebastian’s fear of Miss Grimstock.
Martha and Sebastian boarded first so that Emma and Doug could have a moment alone. As usual, Emma found herself feeling awkward and shy. Angry with herself for being such a goof, she looked up at Doug. He was smiling at her with that special smile that he reserved just for her. As she smiled back, she felt her embarrassment melt away.
“I’m going to miss you most of all,” Doug said as he continued to smile down at her. Then his expression sobered. “I don’t think I would have made it through this last year if it hadn’t been for you.”
Emma leaned back and looked into his dark eyes. He was just as handsome as ever, but the stress of the last year had taken its toll. He seemed older somehow. Not knowing how to respond to his statement, she hugged him instead.
Immediately, he put his arms around her and drew her close, resting his chin on the top of her head. They stood there like that until they heard the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat. They both looked around to see Miss Grimstock standing only a few feet away from them. She was staring at them, her eyes narrowed in what Emma recognized as her most severe look.
Embarrassed, they parted, but Miss Grimstock remained where she was. Their chance at a private farewell had come to a sudden and unexpected end.
Not knowing what else to say under the watchful eyes of Miss Grimstock, Emma murmured, “I’ll see you.” Then she looked at Doug’s handsome face one last time and boarded the waiting bus.
“I’m counting on it,” Doug replied softly after she had gone. He stood on the steps and watched until the bus bearing his friends turned onto the main road and disappeared from view. The rest of the buses soon followed. Doug was just turning to go back into the school when Bobby Wilcox came strolling through the main doors as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“You’re too late, man. The buses have all gone,” Doug told him.
“Dad’s coming to pick me up,” Bobby replied. “Should be here any time now.”
Doug nodded his understanding thinking that Bobby would go on about his business, but instead he walked up to Doug and stopped directly in front of him.
Bobby didn’t waste time but came straight to the point. “Just so you know, Harwood, the truce is now officially over.”
Doug had been hoping that, after all this time, Bobby had forgotten about the feud, but apparently that was not the case.
Bobby didn’t wait for a reply or the explanation Doug had promised him when they’d both first agreed to the truce. Instead, he turned abruptly and went back the way he’d come. Doug stayed where he was, mulling over what Bobby had said. Compared to the year he’d just had, the feud with Bobby seemed pretty trivial. Doug shrugged his shoulders and grinned ruefully. For the past several months, he’d been praying that things would get back to normal. Everything concerning his dad and Lord Dinswood was finally back to normal, and just now he’d learned that Bobby Wilcox still hated him. It seemed his prayer had been answered.
Two months later, Lord Dinswood stood in the turret of the west tower viewing the tombs of Darius and Rebecca for the first time. Repairs to the tower had gone very quickly, but installing the elevator had been more of a problem than he’d anticipated. Although there had been some snags along the way, the work was finally finished and Lord Dinswood was pleased with the results.
The first-floor entrance to the tower had been reopened and was now guarded by a sliding metal door. A keypad to the right of the door insured that only those who knew the access code could enter. Once through the door, it was only a short walk to the lift. The lift was similar to the kind you would find in some of the fancier hotels. Its walls were transparent so that the occupants could look out as they ascended. The doors of the lift opened onto the bridge that connected the turret to the castle’s roof. The bridge and its supports had been totally reconstructed with new wood.
The turret had also been inspected and had been found to be in excellent condition, needing only some minor repairs and, of course, some new drapes. Other than the new drapes, it remained much as it had been when the kids had seen it, and the stone steps leading up to it were the only ones Lord Dinswood had been required to climb. Fortunately, there weren’t very many of them, and Lord Dinswood had made it into the turret room without any difficulty.
He had requested that all seven of the Mortals be placed in this room. Each one now rested on top of its own marble pedestal. The pedestals were approximately five feet tall and were arranged in a semicircle at the heads of the tombs of Rebecca and Darius. Lord Dinswood was seeing the seventh Mortal for the first time. The sculpture of Mary and baby Jesus was more beautiful than anything he could have imagined. This mother and child had been intended for another mother and child, Rebecca and her son. Lord Dinswood could understand why Darius had chosen to place it on Rebecca’s tomb. It had been meant only for her, and with her it would stay.
Lord Dinswood’s eyes grew misty as he looked at the seven symbols of Darius’s love for his wife Rebecca. Although the story of Darius and Rebecca was a sad one, Lord Dinswood had recently come across some information indicating that the ultimate ending had been a happy one.
A few weeks ago, he had found an old family Bible in the secure section of the library. In that Bible, he had found the baptismal record of one Darius Bartholomew Dinswood. According to the date on the document, Darius had been an old man at the time of his baptism, but Lord Dinswood knew from experience, that as long as one had breath, it was never too late to change one’s eternal destiny. He could only imagine Rebecca’s joy when she saw her husband coming through heaven’s pearly gates.
Lord Dinswood looked at his watch and realized he needed to get going. He had been invited to go fishing with Frank Munsen. Jacob and Doug were going along too. Lord Dinswood hadn’t been fishing in a very long time, and he was really looking forward to it. He was also looking forward to seeing Frank again. It had been a long time since he’d last seen him.
Frank’s wife and daughter had been working in his bookstore in Windland for the past couple of years. During that time, he had gotten to know Frank. Lord Dinswood had a high regard for Frank Munsen and knew him to be a good and honest man. As a result, he hadn’t been at all surprised to learn how Frank had helped Doug when he had needed it the most and had even saved Doug’s life. As a token of his gratitude, Lord Dinswood had signed over ownership of the bookstore to the Munsen family. Frank had initially refused the gift, saying it was too much and that he hadn’t helped Doug expecting a reward. But Lord Dinswood was not a man to be denied, and the Munsen family now owned a very lucrative business in the small town of Windland.
Before leaving the turret, Lord Dinswood let his gaze wander over the seven Mortals one more time. In their current arrangement, they looked like guardian angels silently watching over the remains of Rebecca and Darius. Lord Dinswood smiled with satisfaction. A year ago, the Mortals had been nothing more than a story, treasures from the past believed to have been destroyed in a moment of grief. Incredulous as it seemed, they had survived the centuries, and now here they were before him, all seven Mortals together. After nearly three hundred years, they were home at last.
Ellen Alexander was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois. She attended the University of Illinois and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology. After graduation, she and her husband Jim moved to Dixon, Missouri, where they raised their three sons. Ellen taught high school chemistry in Dixon for twenty-six years. Now retired, Ellen spends her time writing and enjoying her grandchildren.
Ellen Alexander, The Missing Mortals
