Natasha's Legacy (32 page)

“It was a long time ago, long before I was
born. I read the diary and the journal. I was told stories as I
grew, but it’s been years since I’ve thought about it.”

“Take your time,” Will encouraged.

“Alex spoke to you in a dream?”

Keeghan smiled, nodding.

“I find that rather interesting, knowing Nana
Natasha spoke to Papa Stewart in his dreams. I’d love to hear about
your dream and I’ll attempt to and answer your questions as you
think of them.”

“It’s your dream, love.” Will swallowed a
mouthful of beer. He settled back on the sofa with his arm around
her shoulders.

“Alex began by filling in details of
Natasha’s life within the castle but the actual story started the
first time Natasha saw Stewart by the river.”

“Uncle Alex did take you to back to the
beginning.”

Papa Victor sat back and enjoyed the story as
his memories came to life. His eyes watered as she mentioned
Natasha’s death but the smile reappeared on his face when
Izabella’s name was mentioned.

“Bella. Nana Hope spoke so fondly of her.”
Papa Victor took another sip of his beer and continued listening.
His eyes began to twinkle when Keeghan mentioned Adam.“Papa Adam
was so shy. The first few years living with Papa Stewart, Izabella,
and Nana Hope must have been interesting. Three outgoing
personalities and one shy, quiet one living under the same roof.
Being rather shy and quiet myself, I can’t imagine.”

Papa Victor turned his head and looked toward
Keeghan. It was no secret. Keeghan had a quiet demeanour compared
to Will.

“Can you imagine getting married and living
with three Williams?” he asked.

“Not as adults. No.” She chuckled. “Your
grandson keeps me on my toes.”

“Keep your feet planted on the ground, my
dear. I doubt that will stop. Please continue.”

Keeghan spoke of the birth of Alex and Rose
and their lives growing up. It wasn’t until she mentioned the birth
of Rose’s twins that Keeghan stopped herself. Without knowing what
happened to Alisha, she meant to be a bit more subtle when she
mentioned Papa Victor’s twin.

“I never knew you had a twin sister,” Will
injected. “Neither you or Dad have ever mentioned Alisha’s name.
With a family as close as ours, I find it strange you didn’t keep
in contact with your own sibling.”

Papa Victor’s eyes swelled and the tears
raced down his cheeks. He pulled a tissue from the box beside him
and wiped them. “Alisha and I were inseparable as we grew up. She
was the carbon copy of Momma with her spunk, while I was a bit
quieter. She always encouraged me to speak up and join a
conversation. During our summer vacation from school, Nana Hope and
Papa Adam took us to the orphanage daily to play with the children
and visit Uncle Alex and Aunt Sarah. Alisha loved children and
wanted a large family of her own. A mutual friend of ours began
courting Alisha and I was thrilled when he put a ring on her
finger. They were married three months after I met my bride.”

Papa Victor paused and wiped his eye. He sat
very still, deep in thought. A lump formed in Keeghan’s throat. If
Alisha were alive, Will would know her. Neither Will or Keeghan
uttered a sound.

“David and Alisha bought a home fairly close
to Momma and Poppa’s. We remained close. Your nana and I were
married the following year. Two years later, we welcomed Lucas
Alexander into our home. I know Alisha and David were happy for us,
but they were disappointed they didn’t have a child of their own.
Lucas was a year and a half when Alisha invited the family for
dinner to inform us she was pregnant. We were ecstatic for her. It
had taken Aunt Vicki a long time to begin her family. I convinced
Alisha she would have a houseful of babies within a few years.”

Papa choked back his tears for a second time.
Like Will and Lucas, Papa Victor was normally a happy, comical man.
Keeghan wiped the tears forming in her own eyes.

“I had never seen my twin look as happy. She
was so excited about the prospect of being a momma,” he whispered,
unable to stop the tears.

Keeghan closed her eyes, but her tears
continued streaming down her cheeks.

“Alisha got incredibly sick during the final
phase of her pregnancy.” Papa Victor placed his hand over his
mouth. He closed his eyes. His hand dropped onto his lap as he
reopened his eyes and looked at Will. "My twin sister did not
survive giving birth."

“Oh my God,” Keeghan cringed.

“Their son passed away the following day,”
Papa Victor continued.

Keeghan placed her hands on her nauseated
belly. “Hope miscarried twice. Hope and Rose must have been
devastated.”

Papa nodded. “The entire family was
devastated. David and I spoke at the funeral, but he began avoiding
contact with our family shortly afterward. It made losing Alisha
even more difficult,
so much more
painful.
I lost my sister, my newly born nephew, and one of my best friends
within a month. David took solace in his own family and we lost
touch.”

Will jumped from his seat beside Keeghan and
moved toward him. Kneeling in front of his grandfather, he held his
hands.

“I am so sorry. I had no idea.”

“After her death, Alisha’s name wasn’t
mentioned in my company. I’m sure Momma and Nana Hope talked about
her in private, but never in the presence of my family.”

Keeghan wiped her cheeks with her tissue.
Will put his fist against his mouth, but a tear escaped his
eye.

“It was a long time ago, but there are days I
still miss her. Especially since your nana passed.”

“Oh Papa,” Keeghan whimpered.

Will leaned forward and gave Papa Victor a
hug before returning to his squatting position.

“Your nana and I had wanted a larger family,
but after Alisha’s death, we decided against a second child. We had
a beautiful, healthy son. We were both content with that.”

Keeghan nodded.

“After losing my sister, I couldn’t bear the
thought of losing my wife. Of raising our son on my own. I didn’t
want history to repeat itself.”

Keeghan closed her eyes and shook her head.
She had never seen Papa Victor without a smile on his face.
If only I'd known. I wouldn't have mentioned
Alisha. I've renewed such painful memories.

“I am so … so very sorry. Alex didn’t give me
much detail about you or your sister. Alisha’s name was mentioned a
few times, but I was never given your name. You were referred to as
the twins.”

Papa stared at his bottle of beer. “The
spunky one was the vocal one. The women in the family always
dominated conversations.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. Then
he took another breath. “Obviously, I was named after Aunt Vicki
and Alisha was named after Nana Natasha.”

“Victor Alexander,” Will remarked.

“And Alisha Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth. After Stewart’s momma,” Keeghan
acknowledged.

“Indeed. Momma was determined with the
Hetherington surname, the Donovan connection would dominate our
given names. That thrilled Nana Hope and Papa Stewart. I don’t
think my poppa was given an option.”

“The way Rose was described, that doesn’t
surprise me.” Keeghan chuckled. “I don’t think Richard would
argue.”

“With such a strong family base, why did you
move so far away?” Will questioned.

“I was offered a position over here. It was a
wonderful opportunity. Our families were completely supportive of
the decision. They promised to visit regularly, and they did. Lucas
was getting ready to head to public school, so the timing was good.
As flights became more popular, Momma and Poppa came two or three
times a year and at least once a year, Uncle Alex and Aunt Sarah
came with them. I persuaded Alex and Sarah to visit at least once a
year on their own. With my bride’s family, we had company on a
regular basis. We took Lucas over a couple of times shortly after
we moved but it was difficult seeing the orphanage. There was
always a child that reminded me of Alisha and that was painful. The
move was good for me and my family.”

“Did Sarah and Alex ever marry? Sarah was
questioning whether they were jinxed, cursed as they called it,
when my dream ended.”

“Their wedding was postponed, but they were
married the year after Papa Stewart passed. Just to prove the
family wasn’t cursed, they were married on what would have been
Papa’s Stewart and Nana Natasha’s anniversary. You saw the romantic
proposal?”

“I saw both the proposal on the night of his
birthday as well as the night at the restaurant.”

Papa Victor chuckled. He shook his head.
“Crazy fool. Uncle Alex didn’t have to show you his wall of
shame.”

“You’re too funny. I love your wit,” Keeghan
admitted.

Will looked at her and winked.

“I’m glad Sarah made him suffer through that
proposal. It was good for him since he didn’t do it right the first
time. Come to think of it, poor Papa Stewart was forced to propose
twice as well. I felt sorry for him. I can’t imagine getting turned
down. Nana Natasha declined the engagement ring. He wasn’t
expecting that any more than he expected Izabella to stop him from
proposing….”

Papa Victor looked at his grandson. “Please
tell me we have been getting it right ever since.”

“I wasn’t taking chances. Keeghan escaped
from my life after high school. I wasn’t going to lose her twice. I
embarrassed her, but she smiled and let me put the ring on her
finger the first time.”

Papa Victor grinned.

“The engagement at the restaurant was
beautiful and romantic,” Keeghan recalled. “I know I was crying
right along with Sarah when Alex showed her the ring.”

Papa Victor’s face lit up. His blue eyes
sparkled. “What was Uncle Alex thinking? To include the engagement
but not their wedding in your dream. I don’t think it was possible
for either of them to look happier. We were told it was their fifth
anniversary and they wanted to renew their vows. No one questioned
it. Years later, Momma joked Uncle Alex wanted another honeymoon.
If you ask me, I don’t think their honeymoon ever ended. Their love
for each other never did.”

“So you remember the day?” Keeghan asked.
Returning to the sofa, Will rubbed Constable’s back and then
settled in beside her. “I’d love to hear details of their
wedding.”

“They exchanged vows at the orphanage, by the
pond. Sarah’s brother Andrew walked her down the aisle while her
parents, Ingrid, and their child sat in the front row watching.
Matthew, Richard, Andrew, Ingrid and Momma Rose stood up with Uncle
Alex and Aunt Sarah along with Alisha and me. To this day I still
remember hearing the stories. Apparently, I noticed Nana Hope had
tears running down her cheeks. Thinking she was upset, I told
Alisha and she ran over to comfort her, not understanding tears of
happiness. After a big hug, Alisha reminded Nana Hope that Uncle
Alex and Aunt Sarah were happy. There weren’t a lot of people at
the wedding, but the entire congregation could hear Alisha’s
confident voice.”

Keeghan chuckled at the young child’s
innocence.

“Papa Adam leaned over and whispered
something to Alisha. Poppa Richard snuck into the aisle and assured
me Nana Hope was fine, but that I needed to stand with him. I
turned around to see Momma holding Alisha’s hand as they walked
toward me.”

“That would have been cute to watch,” Keeghan
admitted. “Expect the unexpected when children are around.”

“Uncle Alex was so nervous, his hands were
shaking and his voice trembled. Momma and Nana Hope didn’t think he
would be able to speak, but somehow, he managed to say his vows.
Alisha and I danced and played with our cousins during the party
afterward, like it was their first and only marriage. It was years
before Uncle Alex confided the fact that was their first and only
marriage. I couldn’t believe they weren’t married earlier. Contrary
to nowadays, it was unheard of back then. To this day, it amazes me
that Izabella shared Papa Stewart’s home, but wouldn’t marry
him.”

Keeghan nodded. “I cried when Izabella
declined his proposal. She could have lost him from her life.”

“Hopefully, Alex shows you his wedding in
your next dream. Even now, I know you will enjoy seeing it.”

“I have my doubts I’ll be having any more
dreams. The first time I had the dream, Alex told me the story was
important but didn’t tell me why. The mystery is solved and you are
filling in the blanks. Alex wanted Will to know about his heritage.
I apologize for being blunt, but he was obviously questioning
whether you would tell us about the orphanage.”

Papa Victor scowled and then looked toward
the ceiling. “For someone who procrastinated, waiting years to
marry the woman of his dreams, you’re being impatient, Alexander
Stewart Venderkemp. I would have told Lucas and William
eventually.”

“Did Alex and Sarah have children?” Keeghan
asked.

“Allow me to recite the story that I have
heard many times. Sarah was fussing in the yard when a buggy
stopped by the main doors. She glanced up and smiled as she always
did to acknowledge the couple. The woman handed her husband an
infant, leaned over to speak with the young child beside her,
stepped down from the buggy, and the infant was put into her arms.
She approached and told Sarah she and her husband were not able to
support another child. She hoped the orphanage could find their
daughter a loving home. Then she placed her baby girl in Sarah’s
arms. The woman kissed her tiny forehead, whispered ‘I will always
love you,’ turned, and left. Speechless, Sarah watched them ride
off. Sarah walked the baby into the building and up to the medical
area to see the doctor. After a thorough examination, she was told
the baby was healthy and could be adopted. That little girl did not
leave Sarah’s side. The bassinet was cleaned and set beside their
bed.”