What Waits Beyond Death's Door

Chapter 4

Edith rubbed her baby bump as she sat in the chair next to the library window. She was now three months into her pregnancy and she couldn't have been happier, mostly because the morning sickness had gone away, but she also loved that she was starting to show. Although Alan was having her be extra careful now. He was overpowering at times but she let him because she knew he was still in pain about her not loving him. "Edith would you like to come to the post office with me? The parts for the nursery have arrived and I need to go get them." Edith stood and wiped a stray patch of dirt from her dress as she recalled the dream, well what started off as a dream then turned into a nightmare.

"Yes that would be lovely." She said forcing a smile and followed him into the foyer. As he was grabbing his coat she fixed her hair in the small mirror on the wall.

"Where is my hat? I'm always loosing the damn thing?" Alan groaned and Edith chuckled. "What are you laughing at?" She picked the hat up that was on the table right next to the mirror she stood at and handed it to him.

"It was right where you always put it." Alan rolled his eyes and placed the hat atop of his head then held his arm out for Edith. She interlocked her arm with his and they both walked out to the waiting carriage.

"Good morning Mr. McMichael and Mrs. Sharpe." The gentleman at the post office entrance said then opened the doors for them. 

"Good morning to you Mr. Adams." Edith said and he bowed. Edith walked up to the reception desk while Alan talked to the man who dealt with packages. "Any letters for McMichael or Sharpe?" The man spun around and pulled a letter out of a slot then turned back to Edith.

"One letter for Mr. Alan McMichae?" He asks to make sure he got the name right and Edith nods her head as she takes the letter. The man looked rather troubled as he ran his hand through his thinning hair.

"What is it sir?" The man looked at Edith and nodded then bent down out of her view and started rifling through small boxes.

"Aha! Here it is." The man set an old leather box in front of her and Edith frowned. She'd never seen it before. "Something troubling you miss?"

Edith looked up at him, "This isn't mine." The man frowned and looked at his catalog.

"Are you not a miss Edith Sharpe?"

"I am." She said confused as she couldn't stop staring at the box. There was something etched into the handle of the box. Edith squinted her eyes and looked closely at it. 'T.S' Edith's heart beat faster as she reached out for the box. "I'm sorry I was mistaken this is mine. Thanks for your assistance."

"No problem. Come back anytime." He turned back towards his letters and put them in the correct spots. "Alan are you ready to go?"

He picked up a few pieces of wood and nodded. "This is the last of it." After he had set the wood down in the carriage's trunk he got in next to Edith and noticed she was frowning at a small box. "What's wrong?"

Edith shook her head. "I don't know. I went to get my mail and the man handed me this box. He said it was mine but I've never seen it before in my life."

"Then why did you accept it?" Alan questioned as he leaned over and looked at the box.

"I don't really know. I saw 'T.S.' stamped into the corner. Maybe it was Thomas's and he wanted me to have it." She said and then pulled the letter from her dress pocket. "Another letter from your mother." He took the letter and opened it. As he was reading he was grumbling under his breathe.

"What is it?" Edith asked looking over at him and he handed the letter to her.

Dear Alan,
         I have taken it upon myself to take a train to England and come visit this new 'living arrangement' of yours. I shall arrive by the end of the week. I can not believe you ran off with that girl. You know how I feel about her. Love, mother.