Chapter 10 - Catching the Stars in a Jar

Buried in a stack full of books, Lina hung from the ladder in the library checking each of the back walls of the bookshelf so for another hidden cupboard. She had removed every book from top to bottom, looking for either the lost page of her great grandfathers journal. She had read every cover to every book, hoping she would find something, but her efforts had fallen to waste.

She pressed against all the wood edges to the bookshelf. Lina began to wonder if the last page was in the basement, or that maybe the information she was searching had been obliterated along with the rest of the basement. Nonetheless, it was worth checking out anyway. Lina stepped away from the library, leaving it in dismay.

Making her way down the hall, she saw the door to the conservatory was open. She glanced inside as she passed out see her uncle sitting on the steps inside, drinking his usual bottle of whiskey. He sat in solitude, thinking to himself.

Lina let him be. Approaching the end of the hall, she opened the door to the ballroom balcony and used the stairs. Looking down from the balcony, he could see her father standing at the fireplace, with his hand up to his forehead.

George looked back to see Lina making her way down the stairs. He turned his gaze back to the fireplace, rubbing the sides of his head.

"Everything alright father?" Asked Lina reaching the bottom step.

"Fine, fine dear. Just a bit of a headache is all," replied Geroge smiling back at her. Lina rounded the stairs and opened the door below the balcony into the kitchen. She stepped inside to see Delilah and her mother preparing dinner at the stove, with her aunt's children running endlessly in circles around the kitchen.

"Children, please settle down," said Ruth kneeling the dough for the dinner rolls, looking just as worn out and drained of all her energy as George and Edward.

"Kids! Do what you aunt said!" shouted Delilah.

The children all stopped and giggled.

Lina walked across the kitchen to the basement doorway, hearing the sounds of saws cutting through wood down bellow. The musty smell of burned wood and dust made it difficult to breath. Reaching the bottom step, Lina looked across the basement to see Clive and Mr. Reed both sawing away at the new supports for the house which were being placed next to the old ones.

"Now, I figure we'll lash this one to the old burned one like the others. Not worth the effort to remove them after we are done if they are still good underneath," said Clive to Mr. Reed.

Lina looked over at where the Merchant Royals plaque was. The paint had been burned away, but the name was still carved into the charred wood. She sorted through the charcoal on the floor with her foot, seeing there really wasn't much left for her to look through.

"Lina," said Clive from across the basement.

She looked back over at him.

"This isn't a place for you to be hanging around in. You kids know it's dangerous down here," he said to her.

"Yes, uncle," she replied. Lina started making her way back up the stairs, looking back at the sign for the Merchant Royal.

Clive waited for Lina to start back up the stairs before he turned his attention back to his work.

As she made her way back up the newly replaced basement steps, she saw a head poke out from the doorway at the top.

"Lina, Samuel's here," said Meena. "He's even brought you flowers."

Lina smiled and hurried up the last few steps. Meena ran ahead of her, trying to race her to the foyer. Hurrying through the kitchen, her mother lifted her head to lecture her about going downstairs, but missed the chance before she ran out the kitchen door.

Samuel was standing at the locked doors to the gallery in the foyer. Her tried to slide them apart, but they wouldn't budge. He turned around to see Meena and Lina run out from the sitting room doorway.

"Hey Sam!" Shouted Meena sliding across the stone floor of the foyer.

"What's in that room?"asked Samuel to Meena as she ran over.

"Don't know. Never been in there. Mr. Reed says it's under renovation, but I've never seen anyone go in or out," Lina replied walking over to him.

"Strange," he replied.

Samuel extend his hand of flowers to her.

"Do you intend to bury me in flowers?" Asked Lina with a smile taking them from his hand.

"If it pleases you?" He replied.

"What are the jars for?" asked Meena looking into Samuels potato sack in his other hand.

"Uhhh, I'll show you," he replied walking over to the front door.

Samuel opened the door for the girls and let them step out onto the front porch ahead of him Into the late evening air. He placed the potato sack down on the floor and pulled the glass jars out.

Lina glanced across the yard to see the caretaker trimming the bushes near the gate. He looked over at her with a cold stare. Lina looked away towards Samuel, still feeling his eyes watching her from across the yard.

Samuel handed a jar to Meena. He stepped out into the yard and waited with the jar in one hand and the lid in the other.

"What are you doing?" Asked Meena.

A firefly flashed no more the three feet away from him. Samuel hurried over to it and swept it into his open jar with the lid.

"Ohhhhh! I've always wanted to try that!" Said Meena hurrying out into the yard next to him.

"The trick is you have to wait till you can see them, then use the lid to force them inside. If your move the jar too much, you might toss them all out again," he said to them.

Lina walked over to Samuel with a smile on her face. He handed her the jar with the lid on it.

"I only brought two, but you and I can share," he said to her.

Meena waited quietly in the yard with her jar and lid, like a tiger hunting it's prey. A fire fly flashed across theyard, and she hurried over trying to catch it in the jar. The firefly disappeared on her, leaving her staring into her empty jar disappointed.

"What!? How did I not catch that one!" said Meena to herself.

Samuel stood back behind Lina, holding both of her wrists, with his head resting on her shoulder. "Wait for it," he said quietly in her ear.

A firefly flashed a few feet to the left of them. Lina stepped forward, with Samuels guiding hands helping her sweep the bug into the jar.

Lina looked inside, watching the firefly flutter around with no place to go.

Samuel let go of her and stood idly by, as he watched her hold he lid over her jar, waiting patiently for another to give itself way.

Lina waded through the grass of the yard in her barefeet. Another firefly flashed ahead back behind her. She spun around in her dress and tried to sweep it into the jar.

She looked inside to see only the one firefly still flying around by it's lonesome self.

"I could have swore I caught that," she said to him.

Samuel laughed. "Not as easy as it looks."

Lina and Meena waded through the yard, attempting to catch the firefly a one after the other. After Lina's fifth failed attempt, she handed the jar to Samuel.

"Show me how you do it," she said to him.

"You just gotta be quick and catch them while you can still see them," he said.

Samuel stood with the jar in his hand, and waited. A firefly flashed near his chest. He swiftly opened the jar and gently swept it in before it got away from him.

Lina watched him as he caught three more effortlessly.

He screwed the lid on and held it up in front of her, watching the flies inside circle and glow one after the other.

"Practice makes perfect," said Samuel.

Lina smiled at him. "I didn't;t realize we were competing."

"You're good at chess. I'm good at catching fireflies. We all have our special talents," he said to her with a smirk on his face. Samuel handed the jar to her.

Lina held it up to her face and smiled. She leaned forward and kissed him on lips.

Samuel stepped back with a smile on his face and took a breath. "While we're out hear, I have something I've been meaning at ask you."

He started fishing through his waistcoat pocket, removing a small trinket that he kept converted in his hand. He kneeled down into the grass on one knee.

Lina's heart stopped. She nearly dropped the jar, feeling shocked by his approach.

Samuel held out a silver diamond ring out to her, trying to work up the courage to say the words in the late night glow of the firefly's.

"Will you marry me?" He asked gazing up at her.

Lina stared at the ring speechless.

Meena dropped her jaw, and watched them in silence. The firefly's she had worked to hard to capture all fluttered away.

"Yes," said Lina with her eyes watering.

Samuel stood up and slipped the ring on her finger, and kissed her once more.

The two of them hugged.

Lina's family all walked out from the front door and started applauding. They had all been watching them from the window, knowing Samuel was planning on popping the question to her.

Ruth and George both watched with joyful expression. Lina ran across the yard to her mother and examined the ring in the porch lights.

"Congratulations sweetheart," said Ruth giving her a hug.

Meena ran over to the porch, leaving her jar sitting in the yard. "Let me see!"

Samuel walked over to George and shook his hand. "Congratulations," said George with a big grin on his face.

"The Tenner's should be here any minute to celebrate. Samuel told everyone he wanted to propose to you alone, but we couldn't help but watch from inside," said Ruth.

"How come I didn't know?" asked Meena.

"Because your a blabber mouth probably," said Lina laughing.

Meena scowled at her sister.

Lina leaned over and hugged Samuel again in excitement.

"The champagne is ready," said Mr. Reed from the front door.

Ruth looked out across the yard to see the caretaker still trimming the hedges. "Mr. Marshall! Would you care to join us inside for dinner!" Hollard Ruth over to him.

Lina looked back, seeing the caretaker stop and look over at them. He looked at Lina and Samuel, with a blank expression. He lowered his shears and adjusted his overall straps.

"No. I have supper waiting at my cabin. But thank ya for the kind offer, mama," he said to them.

Ruth smiled at him, and turned around to walk back into the house with George and Meena.

"No matter how hard I try, he never seems to want to come join us inside. Man seems to love staying outside," said Ruth.

Lina watched the caretaker exit the front gate, staring at all of them with a cold hearted stare. She walked into the house with Samuel, where she was suddenly greeted by the rest of her family offering their congratulations.