Come, Josephine

Chapter 12

1927

   We returned home to an unsettlingly still house, and as we entered the yard, Jack signalled at me to halt.
I pulled up the horse and watched him for any clues as to what was going on, but I only saw fear in his eyes. Not fear of mamma, I realised, but fear of what was to come.
We dismounted and lead the horses to the barn silently in a somber fashion. Something melancholy hung over us, looming ominously like a dark rain cloud, and made the air feel still.
Jack tethered each horse to the far rail, and untacked both with irritating slowness. He discarded the saddles over the rail, and returned the horses to their stalls. I hung back, watching from afar.
He returned to where he had left me, and took my hand. He opened his mouth to speak, and shut it without saying a word. I suppressed my urge to press him on it.
As we crossed the yard, Jack halted me in my tracks. It was abrupt, and startlingly unlike him, yet perfectly expected. He forced both hands onto my shoulders with a tight grasp, "Josie, remember we are always going to be together, and I will always have your back no matter what, okay?"
"Jack, you're scaring me."
   He frowned, and shook his head, "I... I mean Rose- your mother- needs to tell you something that might worry you, but I need you to be brave, okay?"
   He released the tight grip and went inside, panic rising in my throat. The anxiety choked me to the point where I felt I might collapse.
Could mamma be pregnant?
   She had been acting unusually recently, and had become tight-lipped and stiff. Something about her had been different, somehow. She had been eating as little as possible, and withdrawn from the outdoors. She rose before all of us, and became upset easily.
   What if she was just planning to leave Jack?
   Inside, mamma sat on the couch, and something in her lap caught the light. I recognised the wooden object- and suddenly, I realised why. It was the box mamma had pried from the floorboards on the day of our escape.
The warped wood caught the light strangely, casting uncomfortable shapes across mamma's skirts.
   She patted the space beside her, and walked across the room, treading carefully, slowly. I felt as if I was trying not to disturb whatever ghouls and ill wishes haunted us.
   I sat beside her, my breath caught in my throat. She gave a sheepish smile.
   "You aren't pregnant, are you?" The words blurted from my lips, and I watched mamma throw a nervous look at Jack. He suppressed a laugh.
   "It's not that, Josie," she frowned at the box, "it's about this."
   Jack strolled over, trying to be causal. He went to the back of the couch and placed a hand on mamma's shoulder, grinning as she leaned into his touch.
   She placed her own hand over his and squeezed it, and I could feel her drawing strength from him.
   "I think you should tell her."
Mamma nodded, and took my hand in her's, "Josie, in this box..."
She yanked out the nail, and I saw Jack wince out of the corner of my eye. She opened the lid a crack, peered into the box, and widened the opening. She then scooped it out and placed it in my lap.
The diamond was distractingly beautiful, and sent the sparse light spiralling out in all directions. I gasped at the azure stone, and the steady weight it gave.
Mamma noticed my awe, "Josie, this diamond has caused many problems, and it is too valuable to sell. Any buyer would want a background check- proof of ownership, even. It's too dangerous to keep it."
"I wish you had been honest with me about the glory this diamond has," I smiled down at it, and back at mamma.
She went to speak, but Jack started, "I only wonder why you want to give it up now, Rose."
"I haven't been honest," she said, "I have also been receiving... letters."
Jack frowned, and anger flashed in his eyes. I saw him struggle with his words until he ground out two simple words, "from who?"
Mamma shot him a look that was worth many words. He understood instantly. Cal.
He squeezed her shoulder again, and reached over to stroke my cheek. I tried to grin, but my lip wobbled.
Jack said, "It's okay, Josie, I promise."
I nodded, and mamma handed him the letters that she pulled from her apron. She turned to me and forced a smile, "Jack's right," she looked at him warmly, "and I feel the need to apologise to both of you for how tense things have been-"
"-no, Rose, it's equally my fault," he raised a hand to silence her, and shot her a look.
Mamma's own expression was venomous, "will you let me finish? Jack, I'm sorry, and I wasn't mad at you, I was just... trying to deal with this."
He nodded, and waved the letters, "I'm going to read these, okay?"
She nodded, and turned to me, "we'll always be together, right?"