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Chapter Seven

This is it, Clay thought as he stopped his horse in front of the path leading up to the lavish estate. After being in Arlington for a week, he'd finally made it to the home addressed on Jeremy's secret letters. Planning to write the family concerning him, Clay had returned to Jeremy's room, during a time in which being caught was remote, and copied the mailing information from the letters; but when he learned of his pa's business trip to Arlington, he decided to investigate the address in person. It took some time for him to persuade his father to let him tag along, but he eventually agreed to it. Now here he was, in Arlington, Virginia, on the verge of discovering the truth about Jeremy's past.

Clay lightly kicked the sides of his horse and proceeded down the path to the house. When he reached the estate, he dismounted and was immediately greeted by a servant who led his horse away. As he cautiously walked up the steps, he admired the detail and beauty of the mansion, and contemplated what he would say to the people that lived there. He didn't know their names; there had been no sign posted at the property's entrance. So, his only option was to ask for Jeremy and hope that he'd obtain the information he sought.

Clay took a slow deep breath, then knocked, within seconds the door opened to reveal a female servant.

"May I help you?" she asked

"Yes" Clay answered "I'm looking for Jeremy Bradford."

The servant's welcoming stance quickly faded.

"There's no one that lives here by that name." she said shakily, then attempted to close the door.

"Wait" Clay said, as he raised his hand, preventing the door from closing "Was Mr. Bradford ever a resident here, because he gave this address as his home."

"I can't provide you with that information"

"Well may I speak with the governor of the house?"

"Mrs. Donovan isn't home." The servant nervously replied

"Please" Clay appealed "Jeremy and I go way back," he lied "We were in the orphanage together... I just want to know where I can find him."

"He's not here" she finally confessed "He hasn't been here for a year."

"Do you know where he went?" Clay asked eagerly

"No…Mr. Donovan only said… Jeremy was leaving… because he wasn't a good fit for the family."

"Well maybe I can speak to…"

"No," she interjected "I've said too much already. Now please go and don't come back." Before Clay could stop her, she slammed the door in his face.

"Ma'am…" he begged as he knocked on the door "Ma'am please!" But the servant did not return.

He stood there a moment, disappointed that he hadn't learned more. He'd already concluded that this home was Jeremy's previous address, what he wanted to find out was why Jeremy no longer resided there. Why was he not a good fit for this family? Clay asked as he began descending the steps. Did he pull the same tricks here he'd pulled in Lexington? He had to find out…and since the servant was being tight lipped about what happened, he had no choice but to go straight to the source – the Donovans; he would be in Arlington a few more days, his pa and Isaac still had a few more details to work out with the horse deal. That would give him just enough time to track down the Donovans and in turn learn the mystery surrounding Jeremy.

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"I don't think that's going to work." Marita said firmly as she put a file away. "The builders clearly want a contract that's more beneficial to them." It had been a month since she and Sean had started working on the hospital project and still they had failed to secure a contract with the builders.

"Well what do you suggest I do?" Sean asked heatedly "I can't give them everything they're requesting."

"I'm suggesting you compromise." She answered softly as she joined him at the window. "I know that you can't accommodate all of their demands, but the agreement can be adjusted where as you and the builders can attain the things that are most important to you."

Sean stood there a moment, gazing into her eyes…missing what she'd said. His heart began to pound more rapidly and a strong desire to kiss her gradually washed over him. They were supposed to be discussing business, but his heart didn't seem to care…feeling the heat of his stare, Marita turned away from him, quelling the mood that was threatening to emerge.

"I'll map out the areas in which we could be more accommodating." She said as she gathered her pad and pencil from the desk.

It had been difficult, but she and Sean had worked hard to conceal their true feeling for one another. They couldn't afford to let an incident like the one at Jeremy's dinner occur again, especially amongst the public. So, they'd remained completely professional, instantly thwarting encounters similar to the one that had just occurred.

"Okay" Sean said as he forced his mind to focus on the task at hand "Let's here it…"

As Marita and Sean further discussed the contracts, Pete sat quietly in the corner, pretending to be absorbed in the paperwork before him. When in reality he was secretly watching them. Pete was skeptical when Sean first brought Marita on to assist with the project. After all, she was a woman and on top of that a Negro, but she'd proved to be an important asset, had done a surprisingly good job and she and Sean had an …odd relationship, he thought. It wasn't the normal worker/boss rapport. They treated each other like…like equals; they sparred repeatedly about the project, but just as often they were completely attuned to one another, and then there were the looks they'd sometimes share, like the one he'd just witnessed…for a brief moment it almost looked as if they were peering into each other's souls. But the expressions had faded as quickly as they had come about…could there be something between them he questioned. But before Pete could answer himself, his thoughts were scattered by a knock at the door.

"Come in." Sean muttered, displeased with the interruption

Seconds later, the door opened…

"You sure it's okay?" Alice asked as she and Lexy cautiously entered the room.

"Alice, Lexy" Sean said, surprised, as he rose to greet them "What are you doing here?"

"Jeremy's running errands," Alice answered "so we decided to come see if Marita wanted to have lunch with us."

"Marita?" he asked lightly "You're not going to invite your big brother?"

"Sorry Sean, ladies only." Lexy replied

"Oh" Sean sighed, feigning disappointment

"So Marita can you come?" Lexy asked eagerly, as she walked up to her chair.

"I wish I could but…"

"No" Sean interjected, as he returned to his chair "Go...we can finish this up later."

"Are you certain?" Marita asked, doubtful

"Yes"

"Alright…" she began; but hesitated, wanting to ask that he come with them or that he at least break for lunch too, but fearing that her concern would alarm Pete, Alice and Lexy. "…We'll finish later."

After Marita left with Alice and Lexy, Sean attempted to continue working, but found it difficult to concentrate; his mind had returned to it's thoughts of Marita. When they first began this project, he had been able to hide his feelings well, but lately it had become increasingly difficult…

"I'm going to get some air." He announced abruptly, thinking getting away from the office would clear his mind. "These contracts are driving me nuts…Pete you should take a breather too."

"I'll break later." Pete answered, continuing to work

As Sean exited, Pete again pondered his earlier musings regarding Sean and Marita's relationship. He saw the way Sean looked at her when she left with his sisters and her leave had left him scattered and unfocused. Indeed, something might be going on between them, he thought. When Pete had asked Sean about Marita, Sean had told him that she was on loan from his pa, and that she'd worked for his father for years; he even confessed that they grew up together, attended school together. It was obvious in the way he spoke of her that they were probably close. Could it be that Marita was the reason behind Sean's break up with Vivian…no he rejected…Sean wouldn't be so stupid as to fall for a Negro and give up a place in one of the richest families in Lexington for her. Marita was beautiful but…no that's not possible he thought…however, Sean could be sleeping with her, and that within itself would be enough to ruin him.

"Asa would be thrilled to hear this piece of news." Pete whispered aloud

But he couldn't get ahead of himself; though he was eager to appease Asa's anger over the failed Claison deal, this time he needed solid proof before going to him. From now on, he would keep a closer eye on Sean and Marita. If they were involved, he'd find out.

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Jeremy was disappointed. He'd been watching the house for nearly an hour and still he had not seen her. The family was home, he could tell because the back door was open, but they had not come outside. Concluding that he'd watched as long as his time would allow, he reluctantly moved to go. Just as he turned away, he heard a noise. He slowly turned back to investigate and was entranced by what he saw. It was her, the one person he'd been longing to see the past year. Overwhelmed by the feelings coursing through him, he fell to his knees, tears obscuring the details of her face. He felt so much joy as well as pain. Seeing her brought back everything that had happened to lead him to this place. He tightly closed his eyes, successfully quenching the sob that yearned to escape. When he opened them again, he found that she was still there, pleasantly frolicking in the sun. Forgetting that Alice and Lexy were waiting for him, Jeremy unwittingly decided to remain there a little longer; he slowly rested his weight upon his heels and peacefully watched as his dream unfolded before him.