Page 7 of Written with Love

Juliette laughed softly, watching him in amusement. “It’s just spaghetti, Max.”

“No it’s not.” He groaned in appreciation, shoveling more food in. His head felt clearer with every bite. By the time he finished his second plate, the dull ache in his skull had faded, and the room didn’t feel like it was tilting anymore.

Juliette propped her chin in her hand, watching him. “Feel better?”

He sat back with a satisfied sigh. “A little.” He rolled his shoulders. “Pretty sure your spaghetti has healing properties.”

She smirked. “Good. Because I’m not carrying you back to the doctor’s office if you pass out again.”

“I didn’t pass out,” he pointed out, and then he asked. “Would you at least call me an ambulance?”

Juliette pretended to think. “Depends. If I can show myself around your place and have a look?”

And just like that, the ache in his head was almost worth it.

“I think I feel good enough for a short tour.” Max stretched with caution and ignored the slight ache in his skull. Standing, he held out his hand to Juliette, palm up. “You up for it?”

She smiled as she took his hand. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to it, tough guy?”

“Positive,” he murmured, curling his fingers around hers as he led her forward.

The air shifted as they moved through the house, the salty tang of the ocean drifting in through unseen cracks. The distant crash of waves against the cliffs hummed beneath their footsteps.

“Did you know that one of the first lighthouse owners was a young couple who met right on this spot?” Max began, glancing down at her as they stepped into the base of the lighthouse. “Rummaging through all the stuff that was left behind, I found a lot of documents. After they married, they were put in charge of the lighthouse. Not the original lighthouse. That one sat closer to Ocean View mansion.”

Juliette’s eyes widened with curiosity. “Really? I knew there was an old lighthouse on their property that was much smaller. I always thought that it was just for show. Like a garden feature.”

He chuckled. “No, that was the original lighthouse. Almost immediately, however, they found out that the lighthouse was far too small to fit the needs of this part of the coast. There was a massive storm in the eighteen-fifties that hit this area, and the light wasn’t strong enough to help a ship named The Lincoln, which sank off the coast.” His voice dipped slightly, carrying the weight of history.

“I didn’t know about the shipwreck,” she admitted, running her fingers along the cool brick wall as if she could feel the past in its rough texture.

Max continued, leading her towards the doorway that would take them to the lighthouse and all those stairs that would guide them upward. “After the storm, the town rallied and had this one built up here, higher on the cliff, hoping to keep it safe. It’s almost a hundred feet high and stands at ninety-three feet tall.”

When he pushed open the door, she stepped in and whispered, “Wow,” as she looked up into the darkness of the spire.

He flipped a switch and the flood lights on the stairs turned on. He thought she said wow again, but in here the sound of the waves below was even louder than in the house section.

Juliette tilted her head as they started their climb. “What happened to the couple?”

Max glanced over, catching the flicker of curiosity in her gaze. “They moved in to the property shortly after they married. They weren’t the first to live on the grounds, but they were the first to live in the home portion after it was built. Then, shortly after they moved in, the husband was shipped off to war… and never came back.” His grip on the railing tightened slightly as they reached the first landing.

She paused, turning to face him. “Wait… is this the woman with the diamonds?”

He chuckled. “Diamond. Singular. The rumors claim there was a treasure chest of diamonds. The facts that I have found state that there was only one. Apparently, one of the rarest in the world.” He continued upward, the metal stairs creaking faintly beneath their steps. “After her husband was lost at sea on his way home from the war, she waited for a miracle. She kept the lighthouse running for nearly a full year after his ship went down off the coast of Africa somewhere, still hoping.”

Juliette swallowed. “That’s heartbreaking.”

Max nodded. “The story goes that exactly one year to the day after his ship sank, she fell ill and passed away. The lighthouse was automated not long after, and no one else has lived on the property full time since.”

As they climbed higher, the wind outside whistled softly through the cracks in the structure, adding an eerie weight to his words. “How do you know all this?” she asked.

“I’ve found some interesting papers while cleaning the property up. Her name was Karnia Bergman,” he continued, casting a glance at Juliette. “She was Swedish royalty—third in line for the throne. Apparently, she came here on vacation with her family and met Harry Rothschild, a local seaman, and fell instantly in love. They married soon after, and, because she broke with her family’s wishes, she was left penniless.”

Juliette’s grip on the railing tightened. “That’s awful.”

He nodded. “The only possession she was allowed to take with her was a gift given to her on her sixteenth birthday—an engagement present from an arranged marriage to an English earl.” Max paused as they stepped onto the final landing. “The diamond was called the Ocean’s Heart.”

Juliette gasped softly. He didn’t know if it was from the details about the diamond or the view that they had just stepped into. The great glass light rotated behind them, casting slow-moving beams across the dark horizon. Every now and then it illuminated their silhouettes with its rhythmic flashes.

“This is…” She trailed off and stepped forward, placing her fingertips against the cool windowpane. Below them, the town of Pride glittered in the darkness, the lights reflecting off the ocean like scattered stars. “…amazing,” she finished.

Max didn’t answer. He was too busy watching her—the way the light kissed her skin, the wonder in her eyes, the way her breath fogged up the glass ever so slightly.

And for a moment, just a moment, he thought maybe he understood why Karnia had stayed and hoped for what had never returned.