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2021-02-25 04:10:08Southampton
The change in her mother’s disposition since Charlie had agreed to begin sending them a bit of money was unbelievable to Meg; it was as if she had transformed into some sort of happy-go-lucky girl. It wasn’t what Meg would consider a fortune, but it was enough to make sure necessities were accounted for and the lights stayed on at least.
Mildred had instructed her daughter to describe a party she wanted to have and to ask for enough money for an auto in the first letter. Of course, the money would go to neither of those things. Meg didn’t even need a motor coach of her own anyway. She would much rather ride on horseback if she had to go somewhere close by, and her uncle was rarely home anymore, but his own auto was often parked in the garage where she could get Bitterly to drive her if she needed.
In her last letter, she’d asked for enough for a new dress and some proper jewelry, and Charlie had sent it, asking for a picture o
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Ghosts of Southampton Drive
Once they were several miles away from town and hadn’t seen another person or vehicle for at least fifteen minutes, Ezra pulled over. “Would you like to have a go?” he asked Meg, gesturing at the steering wheel.“Me? Drive a motor coach?” Meg asked, shocked.“Why not?” he asked.“Why, I wouldn’t know the first thing.”“It’s not difficult. I can teach you,” he replied. Before she had the opportunity to decline again, he began going over all of the various parts, showing her how they worked.When he’d finished, Meg decided it sounded simple enough. Deciding one only lived once, she shrugged and said, “All right then. Why not?”They quickly switched seats, and once she was behind the steering wheel, she realized her hands were shaking. “We’ll just take it nice and slow,” Ezra cautioned.Meg eased up on the clutch and put in t
Last Updated : 2021-02-25Ghosts of Southampton Triangle
New York City“As you can see, our workers are very busy,” Max Blanck explained to Charlie as he showed him around the work floor of his textile company, Triangle Shirtwaist. “We employee over six hundred workers, most of them young women. We prefer recent immigrants, as we want to give them the opportunity to make something of themselves.”Charlie was interested in visiting other textile companies since he would be running one himself someday—or at least he thought he would be. He was looking to do some investing of his own, and Triangle was known around the city for being able to fill large quotas quickly. Charlie wanted to see how it was done.As Mr. Blanck continued to talk up his establishment, Charlie couldn’t help but notice the girls all looked tired and worn out. The factory was stuffy without a lot of ventilation. The area was also very crowded. “How much are their wages?” Charlie asked, cutting off the s
Last Updated : 2021-02-25Ghosts of Southampton Jonathan
Once he’d bid Mr. Barnaby goodbye, Charlie pulled Stephen off around the corner of the building where there weren’t quite as many people walking by. He was usually fairly understanding, but this day had gotten the best of him. “Stephen,” he said, waiting a second until he actually had the young man’s attention. “We need to talk.”“Yes, sir,” Stephen said, a sheepish grin plastered on his face.Looking into his eyes, Charlie wasn’t sure he could see any signs of life at all. “Stephen, I appreciate the service you’ve provided over the last few months….”“Thank you, sir.” The smile widened.“However, I’m afraid our arrangement simply isn’t working out,” Charlie continued.There was a vague form of recognition now. “It isn’t?” Stephen asked.“I’m afraid not,” Charlie replied, shaking his hea
Last Updated : 2021-02-25Ghosts of Southampton Dolly
SouthamptonRuth was growing into quite the curious little child, and though Patsy kept her most of the time during the day while Kelly and Daniel worked, Meg insisted on letting her stay from time to time so that she could spend the day playing with the little one.At nearly two, she was in constant motion, always getting into things and running about. Meg liked to take her outside and push her in the pram. Ruth often had a better idea and would climb out and play in the flowers. She seemed to like the lilacs and oleander the best, too, but Meg was always very careful to make sure she never put any of the plants in her mouth. She knew that oleander was extremely poisonous.Ruth had fiery red hair, the same color as her mother’s, which curled up at her neck. Her vocabulary was immense for such a small child, and she kept Meg on her toes answering inquiries and explaining what different items were. She loved to look at picture books, particularly of animals
Last Updated : 2021-02-25Ghosts of Southampton Fire
New York City“I really think that celluloid is the way to go,” Charlie said, his feet resting on the edge of his desk, a stack of research sitting next to them. “I think it’s the wave of the future.”“All of the evidence points that direction,” Jonathan agreed with him. “It’s just a question of how much you’re willing to put in.”“Right,” Charlie nodded. That was always the question. How much of his money should he invest in whatever new business, new project, new technology was coming out next? So far, he’d made some very wise investments with the small sum his father had given him to start off with and the wages he’d been earning working for his father since he graduated from Harvard the year before. He knew, however, it may take quite a sum to re-establish Westmoreland Textiles, and that was always in the back of his mind.“I think you should go with the fu
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SouthamptonMeg awoke to the sound of voices coming up through the radiator pipe. She blinked a few times and then looked at the time. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. Who could her mother possibly be speaking to?Slipping on the pink robe her mother had given her for Christmas last year (possibly the only gift her mother had ever given her that she actually liked), she crept over to have a better listen.She could clearly recognize her mother’s voice, but the man’s seemed foreign to her. She tried to piece together the conversation the best she could to determine who he was and what he might be doing there.“There’s no way out, I can assure you,” he was saying. “I’ve spent years trying to come up with something… anything… but it’s legally binding.”“Perhaps there’s another attorney we can speak to,” her mother replied.“I’ve spoken
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Meg stared at Kelly as if she had just revealed she was actually a giant talking tomato with legs. “You’re what?” she asked, shock and a bit of outrage in her tone.“I wanted to tell you…” Kelly stammered. “It just never seemed like a good time.”Shaking her head, as if she were trying to clear away the obstacles, Meg said, “Well, have the baby in America. How far along are you? It’s not as if passage takes months anymore.”“It’s not that,” Kelly sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s just that I’ve promised my mother we’d stay here until the baby is born. She wants to see the child, and I owe that to her. Who knows when we might see my mother again.”“Why can’t she come with us?” Meg asked, still trying to solve the problem.“Oh, no. My mother would never come to America. My brother and his family are here. As
Last Updated : 2021-02-25Ghosts of Southampton Bank
Meg had never been in a bank before, and she wasn’t quite sure what one was to do. When she walked in, she saw a teller behind a counter talking to another customer and a few other workers scurrying about. She decided the intelligent thing to do would be to get in line behind the other person and wait her turn.It only took a moment for the other gentleman to finish his business before Meg found herself looking into the smiling face of an older fellow who wanted to know how he could help her. “Good day,” she began. “My name is Mary Margaret Westmoreland, and I am of the understanding that my father, Henry Westmoreland, may have opened an account for me before his death. It’s been several years ago….”Before she could finish, the teller was nodding. “Oh, yes. Miss Westmoreland, it’s very nice to meet you. Please wait one moment while I go and retrieve the president, Mr. Rogers.”Meg nodded, and the fell
Last Updated : 2021-02-25
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Ghosts of Southampton Love
She’d been in Charlie’s bedroom a few times before, but this time was certainly different. Butterflies fluttered around her stomach, some of the nervous variety, but most of them fueled by excitement.They were sitting on the edge of his bed, the door closed and locked, the drapes pulled tightly. She knew that there were a few servants elsewhere in the house, but they would leave the couple undisturbed at least until mid-morning. Glancing up at him, she could see that he felt much the same way that she did.“It turned out quite well, don’t you think?” Charlie asked, clearly meaning the wedding.“Yes,” Meg nodded.“Even though a few guests certainly had too much to drink.”She giggled, thinking of one older gentleman who had made quite a spectacle of himself trying to climb atop one of the tables to dance. He had been escorted out, but Meg was thankful for the diversion. For once, everyone wasn&r
Ghosts of Southampton Married
Ruth looked adorable in her pink dress, which hung to the floor, nearly tripping her as she danced around her parents. Kelly had stood beside Meg, along with Grace, and Charlie had been proud to have both Walter—who turned out to be every bit as silly as Charlie had described—and Quincy on his side.Now, it was all over, except for the reception. Then, Meg would return to Charlie’s house—the house they would share together—and embark on a new adventure, that of being Mrs. Charles Ashton.“Meg Ashton,” she said aloud, once the last of the well-wishers had moved along. “What do you think?”Charlie was already grinning from ear to ear, but his face brightened even more. “I think it sounds remarkable.”“That’s my name now, you know? Meg Ashton.”“What about Mary Margaret Ashton?” he asked, leaning close to her ear.“Heaven’s no. That&rsquo
Ghosts of Southampton Progress
Sitting next to Meg alone in the overly opulent dining room, Charlie couldn’t help but smile. Even though the voices still clung to him, he had a feeling Dr. Morgan could actually help. For the first time since he’d arrived back in New York City, he felt hopeful that he could return to his former self.“You look awfully chipper this evening,” Meg said, as she took a sip of her soup. “I suppose that means Dr. Morgan was helpful?”“It does,” Charlie admitted, noting how lovely she looked in the light blue gown she wore. It made her eyes sparkle. “He really does know precisely what to ask and how to ask it.”“Are you studying him as much as he’s studying you?” she asked, amusement pulling at the corners of her exquisite lips.He looked at her for a moment, his head tipped to the side a bit, seeing if she would break into a giggle. She did. “And what if I am?”&ld
Ghosts of Southampton Help
Dr. Morgan’s office was on the third floor of a five story building, nestled between two similar looking offices, and Charlie attempted to be discreet as he slipped inside for the first time. He knew that the field of psychiatry was growing in acceptance, yet he didn’t necessarily want to make an announcement to the world that he needed help. However, the accompanying chorus of voices that stepped off of the elevator with him was a reminder that he hadn’t been capable of getting better on his own.The receptionist was an older woman with a nice smile. She asked Charlie to wait one moment while she informed Dr. Morgan that he was there, and though there were a few leather bound chairs to choose from, Charlie chose to stand instead. He peeked beneath the curtains at the few autos and pedestrians traveling about below and wondered if any of those people belonged in here as much as he did.“Mr. Ashton!” Dr. Morgan said, his quiet voice still s
Ghosts of Southampton Gown
Meg sat on a plush sofa in Maurice’s shop near Columbus Circle. From here, she could see the people outside bustling by on a warm June day, and she wondered where they were going and if any of them would mind if she went along. She’d rather be just about anywhere else.“I like the taffeta,” Grace was saying, “though with that tulle underneath, it seems a bit too… poofy, don’t you think?”It wasn’t Meg she was speaking to, so she remained silent, watching a plump, older woman proceed down the sidewalk with a little boy who she believed might be the woman’s grandson. He seemed reluctant to walk, and Meg imagined they must have had a disagreement. Perhaps he wanted a snack from one of the many street vendors, and Grandmother had said no….“Meg? Are you listening?”She turned her head to see Pamela addressing her. “I’m sorry—were you speaking to me?”
Ghosts of Southampton Analysis
“The brain is still quite a mystery,” Dr. Morgan was saying as he sat across from Charlie in a plush velvet chair, Dr. Shaw seated nearby. Circles of smoke lingered around them from the cigars of several dozen gentlemen seated in similar groupings, discussing business and other inconsequentialities. Jonathan and Edward were sitting across the room, and Charlie glanced in his friend’s direction every once in a while, noting that he seemed unusually amused about something.“I’ve been reading Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis,” Charlie said with a nod. “Do you think there’s any truth to his findings? Particularly regarding the unconscious mind?”Dr. Morgan nodded. “I can’t say that I completely agree with all that Freud has to say, but I do with his theory that the unconscious mind plays a larger role in our actions than we previously understood.”“Do you believe memories can be tr
Ghosts of Southampton Encounter
The First Class dining experience aboard the passenger liner they’d booked the next day to take them home was nothing compared to Titanic, and the ship was much smaller, which made the rocking more obvious, but as Meg sat next to Charlie at dinner, she was just happy to have him with her. She had been right in thinking he’d be more at ease on the way home.They’d insisted on having Jonathan and Carrie accompany them, and no one had objected. Dr. Shaw belonged there with them as much as anyone else, but Meg enjoyed watching Carrie’s face as others served her for a change, and Meg thought she looked lovely in one of her gowns.They’d spoken at great length about all that had transpired, and yet, from time to time, someone would still muse aloud, bringing the most astounding topics back to the conversation. Meg hadn’t allowed herself to shed a single tear for either Bertram or her mother, and she was hopeful that Ezra would get
Ghosts of Southampton Over
Mildred only raised her eyebrows at Charlie but didn’t say a word about his blunt statement of what Meg certainly saw as the truth. “I shall go upstairs and fetch Bertram for you,” Mildred said, glancing at the detective before she turned to ascend the stairs. “It will give me the opportunity to say goodbye to him privately.”Meg was certain that last comment was a jab at her, her mother implying what Meg had always known was true, that the relationship between her mother and uncle was more than either of them were ever willing to admit to, but Meg ignored it. The emotions running through her mind were too much, even for her carefully guarded compartments, and she felt like she might begin to crumble at any moment.“Miss Westmoreland, we are prepared to take your statement whenever you are ready,” the detective said quietly, a weak smile pulling at one corner of his mouth out of politeness.“Give her a few moments,
Ghosts of Southampton Considerations
They began to make their way through the kitchen, and Meg noticed Tessa had moved on to some sort of baking. She offered a smile but said nothing as they passed through. Meg made a mental note to make sure that Tessa received enough money that she wouldn’t have to work anymore. It was the least she could do for the woman who’d served her mother and put up with her uncle for so long.Mildred was standing in the foyer speaking to an officer Meg didn’t recognize. The other officers Det. Weber had mentioned must have arrived, because several men in uniforms stood both inside the entryway and on the porch. Officer Brown was speaking to the ones on the porch, and Meg decided to wait for him to notice her rather than announce her presence and be forced to get on with her report of what happened with her uncle any sooner than necessary.“Mary Margaret,” Mildred said, turning to face her daughter. “You’ve returned. Did you get everythin
