Secrets from the Deep

Chapter 1

Twelve Years Later

Meg looked at her mother's tombstone as most of the attendees of the recently concluded funeral returned home, her blue eyes filling with tears. Her cousin Annie Howard and Annie's betrothed, Caden Glicker, stayed behind and comforted Meg in their arms.

"I am sorry for your loss, Meg. Is there anything I can do for you now?" Annie asked her mourning cousin. Meg turned to look at her as locks of her caramel-toned brown hair fell loose from her bun.

"Perhaps we could go back to my mother's house and start cleaning it out," Meg suggested, her voice mildly shaky. She placed a rose on the grave before she, Annie, and Caden left the graveyard.

"What a lovely house," Caden told Meg as they entered her mother's former home, an elegant house with a Georgian design.

"Thank you. Annie, how about you look through the parlor while Caden and I go through my mother's bedroom?" Meg asked.

"That would work for me," Annie replied before Meg and Caden made their way up the marble staircase to the house's second level. While Meg looked through her mother's closet, Caden approached the rosewood vanity. He began to look through the drawers until he found something more interesting than old makeup in the top right drawer.

"Meg. What should we do with this book I found?" Caden asked as he held up a small book he had discovered.

"Let me see it first," Meg said curiously as she took the book that Caden found. She opened it to find multiple old, folded-up pieces of paper. They all had Miss Rosella Turner written on them, making her realize they were letters to her mother before she was married. Meg unfolded the first piece of paper and began to read it to herself:

September 15, 1754,

Dear Miss Turner,

I will never forget our first meeting near the docks a few weeks ago. Your hair is the color of the sand, and your eyes shame the bluest of skies. You are the daughter of a rich man, but I couldn't help myself when I made my way to you. As for you, you did not care that I was an orphan with no money or name to myself, and you smiled when I introduced myself while your father wasn't present. We talked for what felt like hours before he caught us and sent me away. Even though he most likely disapproves of this relationship, I will not stop thinking of you. If you would like to, please meet me near where we first met as the sun sets tomorrow.

Dominic P. Catalani

"What is it?" Caden asked after Meg read the first letter.

"It looks like a letter my father wrote to my mother," Meg replied before opening another letter to read, eager to read more words written by her father.

April 21, 1757,

Dearest Rosella,

I am sorry to tell you that my mentor, Benjamin White, has decided that he and I will have to go on a long trip many miles from home on our dear ship, the Megara. I don't know how long this will take or when we will see each other again. I promise I'll keep you updated on what is happening as long as you continue to write to me. For as long as I live and you care about me, I will love you with all my heart.

Love,

Dominic

"Seems as though my father traveled the world a few years before he and Mother married," Meg said, intrigued as she took notice of the date on the letter. She pulled out a piece of paper near the back of the journal.

December 20, 1759,

My Dearest, Rosella,

I am delighted to tell you that I will return home very soon! I never thought this day would come ever since I left. While I am still not the richest man on Earth, I would like to ask you to marry me. I can not wait to finally see you again after all these years.

All my love,

Dominic

After Meg read the rest of the letters, there was a fierce knock on the front door.

"Annie, who is at the door?" Meg called out to her cousin, confused by the unexpected visit.

"It is Mr. Carter, the factory owner," Annie replied after looking out the parlor's window.

"Do I need to answer and talk to him? He is just going to ask me to be his whatever number wife again," Meg asked, unhappy and annoyed by the news.

Mr. Carter pounded heavily on the door a second time, showing his impatience.

"I believe that is a yes," Annie stated sympathetically.

"Fine," Meg moaned as she walked down the stairs, holding onto the railing extra hard. She then opened the door to talk to Mr. Carter, a tall yet plump man with short graying brown hair, dark brown eyes, a light stubble, pointed nose, and a strong scent of tobacco.

"Hello, dear Margaret," Mr. Carter greeted with a voice that sounded like he had been smoking his entire life.

"Megara, Sir. Meg is short for Megara, not Margaret," Meg corrected, trying not to cough from the smell that now permeated the air.

"Anyway, it has come to my attention that you are now an orphan and nearing spinsterhood," Mr. Carter stated gleefully, ignoring Meg's previous statement while an off-putting smile filled his wrinkled face.

"Sir, I am twenty-four," Meg said. "And did you have to remind me of that on the day of my mother's funeral?"

"Well, my last wife was twenty-one when I married her and not much older than you when she died. As for my daughters..." Mr. Carter began.

"Was that marriage by her choice or by force?" Meg thought, trying to amuse herself with internal sarcasm as Mr. Carter continued to talk about the ages of his female relatives when they married.

"And that is why you must marry soon, and that man to be your husband is staring at you," Mr. Carter concluded smugly.

"Mr. Carter, as generous as the offer is, I am going to have to say no once again!" Meg exclaimed as she tried to close the door on the factory owner.

"Miss Catalani, women in your position do not do well, and you should consider yourself lucky that a man like myself is offering himself in such a manner!" Mr. Carter yelled as he grabbed onto the door handle to stop Meg from closing the door all the way.

"That a man like you, who can not understand what 'no' means, is asking me to be another one of your easily disposable wives?" Meg thought to herself, careful that these words did not slip out of her mouth.

"I will be back in a fortnight, and unless you are to marry another man at that time, I will bring you to the nearest church, and we will come out of that church as man and wife!" Mr. Carter threatened before he shut the door.

"Is a wedding even allowed to happen when someone is as unwilling as I am?" Meg questioned, horrified by this idea.