Creighton Manor (45 page)
“I’m going to miss our late night talks at Polly’s.” She reached out for Gillian’s hand squeezing it tightly.
"I have to stay. I belong here.”
"I know." Samantha nodded.
She brought Samantha near in a fierce hug.
CHAPTER FIFTY-
SIX
A few months had passed and the clinic took shape. It would officially open in a couple
of weeks with tw
o doctors dedicated to research and
one
doct
or who would treat the patients
. Zachary would be interning with the doctor at the facility.
Jerry encouraged the progress without interfering, except when it came to convincing Gillian and Zachary to let him inoculate them. He managed to get his hands on a few things before he made the leap to the past. He had already taken care of Tyler when he was in the hospital. He knew he may be fooling with the future, but then destiny shouldn’t have let them time travel. He reasoned that it was only fair that he be given the chance to see that his loved ones had a fighting chance to survive in what he saw as a cesspool of diseases.
The day finally arrived for Samantha and Jerry to go home. Again, the backyard was the portal, enabling them to step from one time to the other with Molly as their guardian to lead the way.
Jerry turned and shook Zachary's hand. Zachary gripped his hand tightly. "Take care of her." Jerry nodded toward Gillian.
"You have my word on that."
Samantha hugged Gillian, trying not to cry, but she lost the battle.
Jerry extended his hand for Tyler to shake. "You, young man." This statement seemed strange to Jerry, since Tyler was technically his elder. "You make sure you take care of your aunt and uncle."
Tyler nodded. "I will, sir. One day, I want to be a doctor just like you."
Jerry smiled at the little boy. "I have no doubt that you will make a fine one, too." Jerry turned to Gillian. He hesitated about giving her a hug, but she put her arms around him first.
"I'll miss you," he said hugging her back.
"Me too." Gillian sniffled.
They parted and Jerry took Samantha's hand as they walked over to the other side. They turned to say their final goodbyes and Jerry shouted. "I left my doctor’s bag in my room with medical supplies and in the zipper compartment there is something extra you’ll probably need. I took the liberty of liquidating your assets into something that would be beneficial to you here." They barely heard the last as they faded away. Molly had stayed behind. Tyler was giggling as he chased her.
"What do you suppose Jerry meant by that last statement?" Gillian asked.
"I have no idea, but I plan to find out."
They went directly inside. Zachary pulled out a pouch
from the doctor’s bag,
pouring the contents onto the bed. "Hell and damnation! Would you look at that; I've never seen so many gems at one time."
"It can buy quite a bit of equipment needed for the clinic."
"More than enough." Zachary took Gillian’s face in his hands and kissed her. "I am a lucky man. I have everything I could possibly want." He caressed her cheek. "I was chasing after Creighton Manor, believing it would make me whole again, but it was you all along, wasn’t it? You’re my heart, Gillian Creighton, my love, my life." He swept her, weightless, into his arms and spun her around. She was still laughing when he fell onto the bed with her. She looked up at him and he saw the heart-rending tenderness of her gaze. She placed her hands on either side of his face.
“I love you.”
“A ghile mo chorí.”
“Zachary, you know what those words do to me?” She smiled with meaning.
“Oh, I know full well my dear wife.” His lips slowly descended to hers.
CHAPTER FIFTY-S
EVEN
Three years later . . .
Henry Norman adjusted the camera, before looking up again. “Mrs. Creighton would you mind moving over a little to the right.”
Henry wanted the picture to be perfect. He positioned the Creighton family so the Ida Belle stood as a backdrop for the photo. He was just about to take the picture when Mrs. Creighton yelled for him to stop. He watched her arguing with Mr. Creighton, who held up his index finger for him to wait moment.
“Are you sure, Gillian?” Zachary asked as he picked up his little girl, cradling her in his left arm.
“You were holding Cayla. Tyler was standing beside me. Oh my.” She scanned the dock.
“What is it?”
“Molly was with us.”
“We haven’t seen her in quite awhile. Are you sure?”
Henry had walked over to them now. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but we
’
re losing the light.”
“We’re sorry,” Zachary told him. “We’re ready now.” He looked to Gillian and shrugged. With a sigh, she took her position next to her husband. Henry took the picture.
He had it framed and it hung in his studio for years. It was one of his favorites for the lighting was simply perfect, but there was always one thing that had puzzled him about it. Next to the Creightons, there was a dog tilting her head to one side, looking right at him as if she were posing for the camera, too. He would have sworn the mutt hadn’t been there when he took the picture, and yet, her presence made all the difference in the world
.
The people depicted in this book are fictional characters, but one of the events they witnessed truly happened. The Great Mississippi Steamboat Race did take place at the end of July in 1870. Captain John W. Cannon and T.P. Leathers were at one time partners. When they ended their partnership, a mutual hatred developed between them.
Leathers took the Natchez on a fast trip to St. Louis. He beat the J.M White record that had stood for twenty-five years. Everyone believed this is what brought about the race from New Orleans to St. Louis. Both Leathers and Cannon insisted they wouldn’t race, but no one believed them.
Cannon stripped The Robert E. Lee and took no passengers. He arranged a refueling in midstream. Leathers was confident that he would win and took freight and passengers with no preparations. Unfortunately, for the Natchez, the Robert E. Lee broke the New Orleans to St. Louis record with three days, eighteen hours and thirteen minutes. This speed has never been bettered by another steamboat.
True figure of history: Henry C. Norman moved to Natchez in 1870 and was an assistant photographer to Henry Gurney. Mr. Norman’s obsession with photography has given us the chance to see Natchez life through the years. He took portraits, street scenes, parades, ceremonies, news events, and just ordinary day to day life. We have Joan W. Gandy and Thomas H. Gandy to thank for saving many of these photos from being destroyed. They have put together a fine collection of books with Mr. Norman’s photos
.
The Queen Mary Hotel is located in Long Beach, California and has many events, one of them being the Scottish Festival that my family and I attend every year. They have dancing, games and vendors selling jewelry, medieval swords and other items of interest. For a short time, the Queen Mary had the Titanic exhibit available with the items that had been brought up
from the ocean floor
and preserved.
The mention of the haunted tours is something offered daily along with their other tours of interest. I took the paranormal evening excursion with their mystic host. She took us to places on the ship that aren’t offered for view on the other tours. To say the least, it was interesting, spooky and entertaining.
John Pedder is said to haunt the Queen Mary with numerous sightings through the years. I thought it only appropriate to mention him since he is quite determined to reach us. John was a fireman/cleaner in the number 3 Boiler Room in 1966. For some reason on this routine drill, the eighteen-year old tried to squeeze through the watertight door that closed in less than six seconds. Some speculated he was trying to play a deadly game of “Chicken” and unfortunately lost.
On the haunted tour, they mentioned that there are ‘hot spots’ and vortexes throughout the ship, the pool being one of the most active of the paranormal sightings. The lady in white supposedly haunts the Main Lounge (it’s called the Queen’s Salon now
.)
The haunted stateroom is where Winston Churchill stayed. According to legend, he planned the D-Day invasion while taking a bath and playing with toy ships. People have reported smelling cigar smoke.
There isn’t a haunted stateroom refurbished with riverboat artifacts. Nor is there a photo from Henry C. Norman’s archives on display. That was simply added for the story.
####
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If you loved this Karen Michelle Nutt book, then you won't want to miss any of her other fabulous tales
.
Time Travel:
A Twist of Fate
Lost in the Mist of Time
At the Stroke of Midnight
Storm Riders (western, steampunk)
Heart of a Warrior
Fallen Angels:
Eli: Warriors for the Light (Fallen Angels, Book 1)
Lucca: Warriors for the Light (Book
2)
The Curse of Tempest Gate
Vampires and Shifters
Magic of the Loch
Twilight’s Eternal Embrace
Moon Shifter
Destiny’s Prerogative
Love’s Eternal Embrace
Magic of the Loch
Autumn Moon
Paranormal Elements:
Wanted
Second Time Around, “The Spirit of Love”
Mr. O’Grady’s Magic Box
Black Donald’s Coin
Shattered Illusions
About the Author:
Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband, three fascinating children, and houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chihuahua/Yorkshire terrier is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.
Her Book, Lost in the Mist of Time, was nominated for New Books Review Spotlight Best Fantasy Book of the Year Award 2006. A Twist of Fate was a nominee for Best Time Travel P.E.A.R.L. Award for 2008. Creighton Manor won Honorable Mention P.E.A.R.L. Award 2009.
Her new passion is creating book covers for
Western Trail Blazers
and
Rebecca J. Vickery Publishing
. In her spare time, she reviews books for PNR-Paranormal Romance Reviews.
Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the m
ost fabulous human phenomena—
falling in love.
Visit the author at:
http://www.kmnbooks.com
Stop by her blog for Monday interviews, chats and contests at: