Page 46 of The Witch

The thought makes me drop the dress like it’s burning hot. If Caroline really is lurking around Pemberton, she wouldn’t like that the descendent of her nemesis is manhandling her frock. That’s exactly the sort of thing that would infuriate a spirit. I take a step away from the box—I’ve seen enough. All I want right now is to get out of the attic and never come back.

But just before I’m about to turn around and leave, I see something that catches my attention. Something yellow sticking out from under the box with the peacock-blue dress in it.

I shove the box to the side, and the motion sets off a cloud of dust that elicits a sneeze on my part. For a moment, I almost think I can see the shape of a person in the dust particles; then I decide that I’m being ridiculous.

But there is definitely something under the box. Two somethings, actually. Two envelopes.

When I reach down to pick up the envelopes from the floor, I can see how old they are. The once-white paper has turned yellow and fragile. Are these letters from the seventeenth century?

Except when I turn over the first envelope, I see the name on the return address: Ethel Eldridge.

These letters were written by Ethel, and from the looks of them, they were written quite a while ago. They are addressed to Gertrude Eldridge, which was the name of my great-grandmother. These are letters from Ethel to her mother.

Both of the letters are sealed with stamps on them, but it’s clear neither of them was ever mailed. Why would somebody save envelopes with letters in them that they never bothered to mail?

I hear a sound coming from outside. I walk over to the window that overlooks the front, and I see Mick and Ethel standing together on the lawn, deep in conversation. If she comes inside, she’ll almost certainly discover that I’m up in the attic. So I push the box back to where it was, and I tuck the two envelopes into the waistband of my jeans.

When I wrench open the attic door, I can hear Ethel’s voice from downstairs. I lock the attic door and go down those treacherous stairs as quickly as I dare. I manage to get to my room and close the door behind me just as Ethel’s footsteps start to ascend the stairs to the second floor.

That was a close call.

Alone in my room, I look down at the two envelopes. Ethel’s name is written in spidery black script, although she has printed her mother’s name in all caps. According to Gram, Ethel had a terrible falling-out with her parents and cut off all contact with them. Whenever I probed about why she fought with her parents, I never got a straight answer.

I suspect that answer is in these letters Ethel wrote to her mother.

Except all of a sudden, it hits me that it might be wrong to open them. These are private letters between Ethel and her mother. If they were already opened, that might be different. But the envelopes are sealed. I would have to rip them open to read them. I’m fairly sure Ethel wouldn’t appreciate me doing that.

That’s when I notice one of them is already open.

The glue keeping it sealed must have lost its stickiness, and now the envelope is hanging open. All I need to do is reach in, pull out the letter, and read it.

I shouldn’t do it though. It would be a complete violation of Ethel’s privacy.

Oh, who am I kidding? I’m definitely reading this letter.

34

Dear Mother,

I have some news.

First, I want to say that Letty and I are doing well in Pemberton. I’ve been trying to keep her company until Walter gets back. We also have that girl, Celia, who is helping with the work around the house, and she has been wonderful.

Do you remember that boy I was dating last year, Howard? The soldier who was shipping out with Walter to Vietnam? He came to dinner, and you said how much you liked him. Well, I liked him too. In fact, after his tour of duty ended, we were planning to get married. He gave me a ring, and I’ve been waiting patiently for him to get back home. I was planning to tell you next time we saw each other.

Last week, I got news that his helicopter was shot down. He was killed.

As you can imagine, I have been a mess this past week. Letty has done what she can to comfort me, although she is still worried about her Walter. Celia has been a comfort as well, although I must admit I feel a touch of jealousy because her fiancé, Mick, is right here, working on the grounds.

It would be bad enough just knowing that Howard isn’t going to make it home, and that the love of my life is now buried in the ground. Unfortunately, the next piece of news might be even more upsetting to you.

I am having a baby.

Clearly, this was not a planned event. On the last night that Howard was here, we were overcome with sadness, and we couldn’t help ourselves. We both regretted it after, but also, I don’t regret it. Howard was the love of my life, and it is a blessing that there is still a part of him inside me.

I am sure that this letter has left you horrified. The only person I have told is Celia, and I have sworn her to secrecy. I still have not told Letty, because she and Walter have struggled so much to try to conceive a child. I don’t even know if I will have the courage to mail this letter to you. I know it will break your heart to discover I conceived a baby out of wedlock, and I can’t bear to disappoint you.

I have a difficult road ahead of me. But I want this baby. This child will be a piece of me and Howard.