Mandie and the Secret Tunnel (11 page)

“Oh, no, no! It must be a lie! To think my own mother and father could have done such a thing to me!” Elizabeth sobbed.

“Jim took you, Amanda, off to Swain County and had the misfortune of meeting Etta McHan, a widow with a daughter, who immediately latched onto him and got him to the altar. He never came to Franklin again, that I know of. You see, he and I were both in love with Elizabeth and he figured I had a hand in breaking up his marriage, but, so help me God, I never even knew you existed until a few months ago,” John Shaw continued.

“That, that—woman—in my father’s house—is not my real mother?” Mandie could hardly believe it.

“That’s right. Not one whit kin to you, nor is her daughter. And I have Uncle Ned to thank for informing me of your father’s death and of your existence. And, Amanda, he did get my letter about Elizabeth before he passed on and after I put two and two together, he wrote me about you.”

“Then, you actually didn’t know about me, Uncle John?”

“No, not until just before your father passed away. You see, Jim never came back to the house here. He just went off without ever seeing me and I had no idea he had taken a baby with him. I also fell for the lie about your death,” her uncle said.

“Honor thy mother,” Mandie was mumbling to herself.

Elizabeth, trying to recover from the shock, suddenly stretched out her arms to Mandie. “I’ve always had a strange feeling—Come to me, my—my daughter!” Mandie rushed into her arms and their
tears mingled, as Mandie babbled incoherently, “Oh, Mother, Mother, my very own
real
mother! I’m so, so glad! I’m so happy! Thank you, dear God! Thank you, dear God!”

John Shaw turned to Mrs. Taft who was silently wiping tears from her chubby cheeks. “I’m sorry I had to do that but, but I had to. Let’s leave them be, now. Come on, I’ll show you to your room where you can be comfortable.” He offered his arm and without a word the old lady rose and left the room with him.

“Let me look at my beautiful daughter!” Elizabeth held Mandie at arm’s length. “And all those years I’ve missed being with you. Oh, my baby!” She held Mandie close. “I won’t miss another minute away from you. You can be sure of that, my darling. And your father, Amanda—I loved him so much.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “It’s too late now for that, but it’s not too late to claim my own daughter.”

“My father never loved that—that woman. I’m sure of that.” Mandie told her. “She never loved him either. Oh,
why
didn’t my father tell me who my own mother was?”

“Don’t blame him, my child. If anyone is to blame, it’s myself. I shouldn’t have given him up so easily,” Elizabeth told her as she stroked the girl’s soft, blonde curls. “And believe me, I will never give you up.”

“Oh, Mother!” Mandie cried.

“And you know—we have the same name.
Your father named you Amanda Elizabeth, which is my own name. That proves he loved me, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, yes, I know he must have loved you, Mother, because he never loved anyone else.”

Upon learning who the visitors were, Joe was overwhelmed and Polly could only stare at the beautiful young woman. And Mandie would not let her mother out of her sight, and was reluctant to go to bed that night, even though she would be close by.

Mandie knelt by her bed that night and thanked God. “Oh, God, you are so good to me! I know now that you do love me. All the trials and troubles I had to go through were necessary to bring back my own real mother. Please forgive me for ever doubting that you loved me. I should have remembered— ‘
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want!
’ ”

And while Amanda tossed and turned in her bed, too excited to go to sleep, John Shaw and Elizabeth Taft were alone in the parlor. Mrs. Taft had retired early, complaining of being tired from her journey, but, actually, glad to get away from the two who had stirred up the secret past.

It had started to rain after supper, and John lit the fire in the parlor to keep out the sudden, damp chill that so often came in the mountains. He and Elizabeth were sitting on a low sofa in front of the fireplace, silently watching the flames jump and sing as they raced up the chimney. Neither had
spoken a word after bidding Mandie and Mrs. Taft good night.

Finally, John leaned closer covering her small white hand with his larger rough one. “Elizabeth—”

“Yes, John—” Elizabeth breathed softly, placing her other hand on top of his.

“It’s—it’s been a long time—” John faltered.

“Too long, John. And even now, Mother didn’t want to come to your house. I threatened to make the trip by myself and then she gave in. I really believe she was afraid to face you after all these years,” Elizabeth said.

“Well, I imagine she must have realized that somehow your trip here concerned Jim.”

“Yes, an old friend of thirteen years ago doesn’t just suddenly invite you to ‘a most important occasion’ at his house without good reason, and what good reason it was, John!” She smiled at him as tears of happiness filled her eyes.

“Elizabeth, I wish I had known the truth years ago. Even though I was in love with you, I would have done anything I could to get you and Jim back together.”

“John, I can never thank you enough for giving me back my daughter,” she said, squeezing his hand between hers.

John turned to her, “Then, Elizabeth, would you consider sharing her with me, now that—”

“Oh, John, no, don’t say that. I don’t want to hurt you, but you know how much I loved Jim. I’ve never looked at another man.”

“I know that, Elizabeth. But he was my brother
and he is no longer with us. I would be willing to take a chance because I love you so much.”

“But that wouldn’t be fair to you—” she hesitated.

“That’s for me to decide. It would be enough to know that you were finally mine.”

“John, I just don’t know. I really am truly fond of you, but in a different way from the way I loved Jim.”

“I know that. But, I’m hoping that with time you will love me, too. It would be wonderful to share Amanda with you, too. She is the only living relative I have left, except some distant Cherokee cousins.”

Elizabeth was silent for a few moments. “Let me think it over tonight. And I’ll see you at breakfast—early,” she said, rising as he still held both her hands.

“Fine, Elizabeth. I hope you sleep well and have pleasant dreams of me.” He laughed. “I don’t imagine you will sleep a wink after all the excitement, but, anyway, you are right. It is time to retire. I’ll be up with the birds in the morning, and I hope I have something to sing about.” He bent and kissed her lightly on the lips.

Elizabeth looked solemnly up into his face. “Until then, John.”

After hours of tossing, unable to sleep, Mandie finally slept soundly for two hours then awoke with a start. She sat straight up in bed, trying to remember what was so special. The first streaks of light were in the sky and she could hear the twittering of the birds in the tree outside her window.

Then it suddenly came to her. Her mother—her real mother—her very own mother was here in this house!

She bounced out of bed and hastily snatching clothes from the drawers and the wardrobe she was quickly dressed. She quietly opened her door and crept down the long stairway.

The smell of fresh coffee was in the air and she knew Jenny must be up. Slipping into the kitchen, she found Aunt Lou busily giving the day’s instructions
to Jenny, who was rolling out the dough for the morning’s biscuits.

“Aunt Lou, is my mother up yet?” Mandie quickly asked the old woman, who was startled by the sudden presence behind her.

“She ain’t been in here if she is, my child,” Aunt Lou smiled and put her arm around the girl. “Set yo’self down over there. I’ll get fresh milk for you while you wait on dat important lady.”

Mandie smiled and sat down at the table. Aunt Lou wiped one hand on her apron and poured a glass of milk from the pitcher on the sideboard.

“Here, you drink this. You ain’t et a bite since them people come here. Your stomach’s gonna be stuck to your backbone, first thing you know.”

Mandie laughed and gulped the milk down. “Thank you, Aunt Lou. My stomach does feel kinda hungry.”

Liza breezed into the kitchen. “Lady’s in the dining room. Mr. John, too.”

Mandie scrambled to her feet and ran for the door, “Oh, I have to go. Thank you, Aunt Lou. Thank you, Liza.” Then turning back, she added, “And thank you, Jenny!
Thanks, everybody!
”

She hurried through the door, then slowed down to approach her mother and Uncle John who sat at the table. They both turned to smile at her.

“Good morning, Mother. Good morning, Uncle John,” she greeted them, slipping into a chair at the side across from the two of them. The thought of her real mother being present still seemed a bit strange to her.

“Good morning, my darling. I hope you slept well.” Elizabeth reached over to pat her hand.

“Good morning, my dear,” Uncle John said, watching the two.

“Mother, I thought about it all night last night. Where are we going to live?” Mandie questioned.

“Why, we’ll go back to Asheville, of course,” Elizabeth told her.

“But, couldn’t we stay here with Uncle John? You see, I’ve just found him, too, and I’d like to get to know him. He looks so much like my father.” Mandie looked from one to the other.

“Well, Elizabeth?” John queried.

“Well, John—” the young woman began.

Mandie nervously interrupted. “I was thinking about this so much I couldn’t sleep last night and I think I have a good solution to our problem.”

“Why, what’s that?” Uncle John asked.

“Well, it’s like this,” Mandie began, and then paused to look from one to the other. “Mother, if you and Uncle John would just get married, then we could all stay together here for always!”

Elizabeth laughed hysterically. “And here I was afraid to express my own mind for fear my daughter wouldn’t like it.”

John laughed, too. “Has Amanda answered my question, then, Elizabeth?”

Mandie was confused by the conversation, and was trying to figure out what they were talking about, when Elizabeth turned to her daughter. “You see, dear, your Uncle John asked me last night to marry him—”

“He did? Oh, Mother! Oh, Uncle John!” Mandie cried, and got up and ran around to embrace them both.

Elizabeth finished her sentence. “And I told him I had to think about it overnight. I was really afraid you wouldn’t approve.”

“Oh, Mother, he’s my father’s brother!” Mandie exclaimed.

“Amanda, my child!” Uncle John got up to put his arms around the girl. She looked up into his face and saw the strong resemblance of her father. She buried her face against his chest.

“You have my answer, John dear,” Elizabeth told him.

Just then, Mrs. Taft came through the doorway. Mandie ran to her, grabbing her hand and leading her to the table.

“Guess what, Mrs.—Grandmother—you are my grandmother, you know,” she told her as she pulled out a chair across the table from her mother.

“Yes,” the old lady grudgingly admitted as she sat down.

“Guess what, Grandmother?” Mandie plopped down beside her. “My mother and my Uncle John are going to get married!”

Mrs. Taft darted a glance at the two. “This is quite sudden, isn’t it, Elizabeth?”

“Not as sudden as you think, Mother. You see, John has been asking me to marry him for the last fifteen years, through the mail,” Elizabeth told her mother, and winked at John.

“That’s right, Mrs. Taft. I never gave up,” John laughed.

Mandie cut in. “But it was my idea, really. I told them if they would just get married, then Mother and I could live here. We wouldn’t have to go to Asheville.”

“Oh—so you won’t live in Asheville?” the old lady asked. “Well, Amanda, you haven’t seen our home in Asheville yet. Your grandfather was one of the richest men in the country and when he died ten years ago, he left a fortune to your mother and me.”

“Oh, that’s very nice, Grandmother, but I’d really prefer living here where my father used to live,” Mandie told her. She looked around the huge room. “Just think. He used to eat in this very room. Oh, I loved him so much.”

Elizabeth turned to her mother. “You don’t really need me, Mother. You have all the servants. I think Amanda has a good idea. We’ll just live here and be on our own.”

“Don’t tell me you are allowing a child to make such important decisions for you!” the old lady rebuked her daughter.

“No, Amanda did not make any decisions for me. John asked me last night to marry him and I was ready to say yes this morning, provided we lived in this house. You are welcome to stay, Mother, of course, but this will be our home.”

“Well, I was just—I didn’t—” the old woman was quite ruffled at having her daughter speak to
her in such a way.

“It is better this way, Mrs. Taft,” John added. “I would never think of parting with this house. It’s to be Amanda’s at the time of my death, and I trust she keeps it in the family.”

“Have it your way, then. I’ll go back to Asheville where I have friends,” Mrs. Taft replied curtly, then added, “After the wedding, that is, so I hope you won’t delay too long with your plans.”

Plans were indeed rapidly made. Dresses were ordered, the house refurbished, and guests invited. Elizabeth insisted on having Uncle Ned come to the wedding. After all, he was kinpeople to her new family.

Dr. Woodard finally came for Joe, but promised to return with Mrs. Woodard for the wedding. Mandie was surprised to learn that Dr. Woodard and her mother seemed to know each other from way back.

Polly and her mother paid them a formal call and Mandie was again surprised to find that Polly’s mother also knew her mother from long ago. Actually, Mandie’s mother had been born and raised and lived in Franklin until her father moved to Asheville when she was sixteen. And there he had built their mansion.

It seemed to Mandie that everyone in town was talking about the forthcoming wedding and had been invited to attend. Things moved along quickly and the day soon was upon them.

Uncle Ned arrived and was given a guest room,
even though he felt very uncomfortable among the white people. Mandie and Polly were the bride’s attendants. Joe and his father stood for Uncle John. The ceremony took place on a warm September afternoon in the chapel of the church across the road where John Shaw was a member and where Elizabeth Taft had belonged before moving out of town.