Page 12 of Dear Bookworm Beauty
“I’m so sorry. I know I—”
Evangeline holds up her hand to stop Laurel. “I’m glad you did. I didn’t want that letter falling into the wrong hands. Josephine took great pains to keep that part of her life her own. I’d hate to see that information get out. I'm just glad you found it. I do not doubt your love and admiration for Josephine. And I believe that you would and will keep this part of her private life private."
“Of course,” Laurel agrees without hesitation.
Evangeline looks expectantly over to me.
“I’ll take it to my grave,” I assure her.
“Good,” she says. “Because I’d like to tell you what I know of what happened.”
Evangeline begins to explain the story of Josephine and Gideon's love story to us. How Gideon was hired along with his father to build this home for the La Monte family. But Gideon continued to do odd jobs around the property after it was completed. The two fell head over heels for one another, but he was just a carpenter, and Josephine’s father was an affluent man. He would never agree to a marriage between the two, even after Gideon did as he said he would and asked her father for his blessing to marry Josephine.
The war was coming, and Gideon knew that he would have to prove to her father that he was worthy of marrying his daughter. So he joined the Union Army, hoping the glory of returning a war hero would change his mind. But Gideon never returned home. Instead, he was one of the tens of thousands of casualties in the Battle of Gettysburg.
“When word got back to Josephine of Gideon’s death, she was out of her mind with grief,” Evangeline explains.
I reach over and take Laurel’s hand in mine, holding tight as the tears fall down her cheeks.
“So that’s why she never married,” I say.
“Oh, she married.”
“What?” Laurel and I ask in shocked unison again.
“Unbeknownst to her father, or anyone in her family for that matter, the two married in secret in the woods by a young pastor in town. Gideon carved their initials in the trunk of the tree to mark the spot.”
I blink away the hot sting of tears in my own eyes wanting to spill, but I don't let them.
“They had their moment of happiness together. Even though it was short—” Evangeline points at the letter in front of her. “They seized it.”
"I can't believe it," I breathe out.
“That’s so sad,” Laurel adds.
“I’d like to think that they found each other again.” Evangeline looks off out the back window. “One way or another.”
Having finally found the answers to our mystery, we eventually said our goodbyes to Evangeline and Mr. Waters, with the promise of coming back to visit soon—and keep what we found out to ourselves.
“Are you okay?” I ask, glancing over at Laurel in the passenger seat.
“Hmm?” She looks back at me. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about everything we learned.”
“I like to think that even though they are both gone. Their story continues."
“I like that.” Laurel squeezes my hand. “And I like you.”
“Just like?” I ask, trying to hide the uneasiness I’m feeling.
“Love,” she amends. “I love you.”
“Good, because I love you too. But you already kind of knew that.” I laugh.
“I did. But I can tell you right now that I’ll never get tired of hearing it. Even when we are old and gray and sitting on the porch with loads of grandkids surrounding us.”
"I promise," I assure her, unable to hold back the smile from the visual of what our life will be. "I will never get tired of saying it."
Epilogue
