A/N: Set in the year 1908.
Samantha, Nellie and the girls had lived with Aunt Cornelia and Uncle Gard for about four years when Samantha turned thirteen years old. There was a lot going on in the mind of this young girl. She was trying to grow up and she had her best friend and her two younger sisters who needed her constantly. Plus, there were questions Samantha had about herself that Aunt Cornelia couldn't answer. Samantha wished that somebody could answer them for her; but it didn't seem possible.
One day, there was a rapping on Samantha's bedroom door. She walked over and opened it. Aunt Cornelia was standing there.
"Aunt Cornelia." Samantha opened the door further and took a few steps back so her aunt could come into the room. She smiled at Samantha.
"Gertrude just got the mail. When I saw the letter on top, I knew that you would want to get it quickly and send a letter back." Aunt Cornelia smiled again.
"Who is it from?" Samantha questioned. Aunt Cornelia held out the letter and Samantha took the envelope from her. It was from Grandmary! Samantha couldn't believe it. She hadn't seen Grandmary and the Admiral since they came to the city for Christmas. "Oh it's from Grandmary!" Samantha exclaimed and hugged Aunt Cornelia. Aunt Cornelia chuckled.
"Yes it is. Go ahead and open it." Aunt Cornelia paused. "I am figuring that you want to be alone while you read it so I'm going to go find your uncle. We are taking you girls for dinner in the city tonight." Aunt Cornelia walked over to the door, put her hand delicately on the doorknob and closed the door behind her. Samantha sat on the bed and opened the letter.
"My dear Samantha, I cannot believe how much time has passed since the Admiral and I were in the city to see you, Cornelia, Gardner, Nellie, Bridget and Jenny. I am sorry that I have not written to you before now, but I did not want to interrupt your school studies. Since you are out of school for the summer I feel now is an appropriate time to write to you. Especially since your thirteenth birthday is coming up. That is another difficult thing to believe. The admiral and I were talking about how mature you were for your age a few days ago. Your mother and father would be so proud of you. I know I am Samantha. You are a wonderful and beautiful young lady. Your Uncle Gardner and Aunt Cornelia have said nothing but good things since you went to live with them several years ago. I must apologize for having you live with them Samantha, but you needed a home with a real family instead of just living with me, and they wanted a family; so then when the Admiral asked me to marry him, I was hoping you wouldn't mind. I knew they would take good care of you while you were with them. When you first left I was worried about how you would grow up being in the city instead of here with me; but when we came to see you I saw that you were growing up properly. Well Samantha, I think I have already written too much. I must end my letter here. Give all my love to your Aunt Cornelia, Uncle Gardner and the girls. Grandmary."
Samantha laid the letter on the bed in front of her. She started to cry thinking of Grandmary. Oh how she missed her and the Admiral so much. She loved Aunt Cornelia and Uncle Gard; but there was a connection with Grandmary that she had that she didn't have with Uncle Gard. Samantha walked over to the desk and pulled out a piece of her best stationary. She wanted to send out a letter back to Grandmary as soon as she could; but she wanted to make sure the spelling and grammar was correct or Grandmary might take back what she said about Aunt Cornelia and Uncle Gard taking proper care of her schooling.
"Dear Grandmary. It does feel like a long time has passed since you were in New York City to see all of us, but really it has only been a few months. I have not thought that much about my birthday. Aunt Cornelia says she wants to take me to the theatre for my thirteenth birthday, and that sounds exciting but I do not spend a lot of time thinking about it myself. I do spend an awful lot of time thinking about mother and father. I have questions that Aunt Cornelia and Uncle Gard cannot answer for me. I know that it would be things that I could talk to mother or father about, but they aren't here to answer them for me. Maybe I am mature for my age. You taught me so much in the seven years I lived with you and in the four years I have lived with Aunt Cornelia, she has taught me some different things about how to behave like a young lady. Do not fret about me Grandmary. I love you so much and I would never want to hurt you, but I do like living with Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. It's fun having somebody to play with; I'm glad they adopted Nellie, Bridget and Jenny. I came to New York with everything that you taught me about being a proper young lady, so I won't change from who you thought I would be whether or not I left Mount Bedford. I love you Grandmary. I will be sure to give them all your love. Your granddaughter, Samantha."
Samantha put the pencil down on the desk and stood up. She took a special envelope out of the drawer. She slipped the letter into the envelope and carried it downstairs. Samantha found Uncle Gard when she walked into the parlor. He was reading the newspaper.
"Uncle Gard?" Samantha asked. He looked up at her.
"Good afternoon Sam." He replied with a smile. He put down his newspaper and hugged her tightly. "How's my girl this afternoon?"
"I'm fine Uncle Gard." Samantha smiled. She looked down at the envelope. "Can you help me?"
"Sure can." He looked down at the envelope. "Does it have to do with that letter?" He laughed. Samantha grasped the letter with both hands.
"Yes. I got a letter from Grandmary today. I wrote back to her. I was hoping you could send it out for me?" Samantha questioned. Uncle Gard nodded.
"I will. Here, let's go put it on my desk and I will drop it off when I leave for work tomorrow. How's that sound?" He asked. Samantha nodded.
"I think that will be fine Uncle Gard." Samantha said. They walked out of the parlor and into the library that had Aunt Cornelia and Samantha's books as well as Uncle Gard's desk. He put the letter on top of his important work papers and next to his briefcase.
"I promise I won't leave without that tomorrow Sam." He kissed the top of her head and she giggled.
"Thanks Uncle Gard." Samantha said. Then she stopped. "Uncle Gard?" Samantha turned to face him. He looked over at her.
"Yes Sam?" He asked. Samantha opened her mouth, but then closed it again.
"Nothing." Samantha said and hurried out of the library leaving her uncle to laugh and shake his head. Samantha rushed up the stairs and ran right into Gertrude who was holding a pile of dirty sheets and pillowcases. They fell all over the floor. "Oh Gertrude, I'm so sorry!" Samantha exclaimed and helped her pick them up.
"This is why there shouldn't be children running around." Gertrude muttered under her breath, but Samantha still heard her. Samantha had learned to stay away from Gertrude because she didn't have one of the nicest personalities. Samantha walked up the stairs and into her bedroom. She sat on the bed and picked up the book she was reading last night off the headboard. Just as she opened it, Nellie, Bridget and Jenny walked into her room.
"Hi Samantha." Nellie said. Samantha looked up at her.
"Hi Nellie. Hi Bridget. Hi Jenny." Samantha smiled. They walked up and sat on the bed with her.
"Whatcha doing?" Jenny asked Samantha.
"I'm reading a book. I was reading some of it last night before I went to bed but I didn't get to finish it." Samantha replied. Samantha smiled to herself. Several years ago, when she lived with Grandmary she was lonely and by herself. Now, she was the oldest of the four girls at Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia's house. Nellie was twelve like Samantha was. Bridget was ten and Jenny was nine. It was fun to have others to play with, but sometimes Samantha just wanted to be alone. Samantha knew that Jenny knows what it feels like to be an orphan because her parents died right after Samantha met her; but Nellie remembered her parents, Samantha didn't. Samantha's parents died when she was two years old. She had lived with Grandmary from then until she turned nine. In 1904 was when she moved in with Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia in New York City. Maybe if Samantha could go see Grandmary. Any time that Samantha asked about her mother and father while she lived with Grandmary, Grandmary would tell her that she was too young to talk about such things and that it wasn't proper; but now that Samantha was getting older, maybe Grandmary would talk to her about it now. She would have to ask Aunt Cornelia and Uncle Gard if she could take a trip to Mount Bedford before school starts back up in a few months.