Natasha's Legacy (34 page)

“I’d like that. I think it’s time I visit the
Venderkemp Orphanage.”

“The orphanage has special meaning now. We’re
going not as guests but as family,” Keeghan boasted. “This is the
Hetherington heritage. Something to tell our children.”

“I would like to make a donation to the
university on behalf of the Donovan / Venderkemp / Hetherington
family,” Will continued, “and place a plaque under the portrait of
Stewart, Natasha, and Hope. I’m going to take my digital camera
with us and take some pictures from the school archives.”

“I want a
thorough
tour of the building and the property,” Keeghan told Will. “The
staff wouldn’t allow us to tour the grounds of the orphanage while
we were there,” she informed Papa. “
That’s
going to change. We’re going to see every millimetre of that
place.”

Papa Victor never looked up to acknowledge
the comment. His focus was on the family portrait that he held.

“Make the arrangements, William. I think it’s
time I face my past. I need to revisit Nana and Papa’s home. Nicole
needs to meet Victor, Lucas, and William Hetherington. Eventually
they will be seeing your names on the financial documents. Our
history is over there and Uncle Alex is right. It is about time
Lucas learned about his heritage.”

“Papa is exhausted,” Keeghan whispered. “I’m
exhausted. We should go home.” They stood, planning to leave.

“Nana Natasha’s legacy,” Papa Victor
whispered. “Natasha was denied her rights when she refused to
return to the castle. She detested anything that reminded her of
that part of her life. For Nana Hope, the crown was a reminder of
her mother’s pain. I love and respect Nana Hope and Papa Stewart
for declining the offer to return to the castle.” He pushed the box
containing the crown toward his knees. “Take that with you,
William. I’m going to call your dad and invite your parents out for
dinner tomorrow night. If you’re not too tired from your trip, I’d
like both you and Keeghan to join us. I’m sure it will be an
interesting conversation.”

“We’ll be there. We’ll be crashing early
tonight. We have to readjust our bodies to the time change, but we
will see you tomorrow. Come on, Constable. It’s time to go.”

Keeghan walked into the house, poured two
glasses of water, retrieved her laptop, and sat on the sofa.

“Email,” she informed Will. “There are a
couple from Julianne.”

“Two? Something on our friend’s mind?”

He put fresh water down for the dog and
joined her on the sofa.

“Yup. Julianne found herself a charity to
support. She sent a link to an organization called ‘The Healing
Cycle.’ Hospice Palliative Care. She’s raising money for them.”

“Shit. I meant to tell her I’d send money
when we got home. I didn’t want to use my credit card on an
unsecured site. We’re fortunate my papa and your nana are
healthy.”

“It’s not just for seniors, Will. It’s for
people of all ages. Young and old and everyone in between. Giving
terminally ill people a reason to smile, making their last days as
pleasant as possible. Allowing them to die with dignity.”

“That hits the heart, doesn’t it. Julianne
researches the hell out of an organization before she gets behind
it. I’ll read that tomorrow and we’ll send some money. I expect
we’ll be adding this one to our list of ‘substantial
donations’.”

“No arguments here. I’d like to see the
Healing Cycle go national.”

Dressed in a light floral cocktail dress,
Keeghan grabbed her two-inch heels from the closet and walked down
the hallway. The door opened and Constable charged in. Will walked
in behind the dog.

“We’re back,” he announced. “A mini adventure
around the property.”

She looked at Will, admiring him in his
burgundy silk shirt and black pants. “I’m glad I bought that shirt
for you. It brings out the colour in your face, and your eyes.”

“Is the Kong ready?”

“Yup.” Keeghan turned her attention to the
dog. Constable sat and looked up at her, waiting and eager for the
treat. “A dog cookie within a toy. Here you go.”

Constable gripped the Kong in her mouth and
went to her dog bed.

“We will be back in a few hours, Constable.
Be a good girl.”

The dog never looked their way, eager to
retrieve her treat. Keeghan took her place behind the wheel with
Will beside her.

“I received an email from the humane
society,” she informed him. “A reminder of the fundraiser next
month. I volunteered both of us to help.”

“Same group working?”

“Probably. It’s always the same people doing
all the work. A lot of people are associated with the organization,
but for some reason, they don’t like giving up their time to help
the cause they are supposed to believe in. It’s frustrating, but at
least I know we do what we can. I’m so thankful you’re willing to
help me help them, Will.”

“This world would be in serious trouble
without volunteers. Any idea what we are doing?”

“Not yet. I’m sure we will be front and
centre. We always are.”

Walking into the restaurant they noticed
Will’s parents at a corner table with Papa Victor.

“Your mom is wearing the pink blouse and navy
blue cotton sweater she bought at the boutique.”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. All three
looked up when Will and Keeghan approached the table. They took
their places on the other side of Papa

“Did William tell you they are going to make
me a grandpapa?” Papa Victor asked.

Kirsten’s eyes shifted from her son, to
Keeghan, and finally to her husband. “Lucas. You never told me
that. Oh my gosh, I’m too young to be a nana.”

“Nice try, Mom. You would still say that if
you were in your sixties,” Will joked.

“It’s been a long time since we had a little
one in the family. I’m looking forward to bragging rights. Spoiling
privileges. How far along are you?” Kirsten asked.

“We’ve
just
started
trying,” Will responded. “We’re having fun, hoping for the best,
but we aren’t exactly expecting success the first few rounds.”

“He shoots, he scores!” Lucas joked. “That’s
my boy.”

Both Keeghan and Kirsten buried their heads
in their hands. Slowly, Keeghan lifted her head and peeked through
her fingers as she looked at Will. “For your sake, I hope you don’t
shoot blanks. Papa Victor and your dad will be disappointed if we
don’t get pregnant.”

“I’ll have a chat with my buddies down there.
I plan to make you a mom.”

“Wine?” Kirsten asked.

Will handed his father wine glasses from
around the table and once the waitress took their orders, Papa
Victor began discussing his heritage.

“You had a twin?” Kirsten asked, digging into
her purse for a tissue. “Oh my gosh. I had no idea you lost a
sibling.”

The remainder of the evening was spent
sharing memories. Their laughter could be heard around the
restaurant.

“The orphanage was never discussed when they
came for a visit?” Lucas questioned. “I don’t understand why Alex
and Sarah never motioned it.”

“They were more interested in hearing about
our lives. I had a successful career following in my poppa’s
footsteps, and then years later, the next generation arrived.
William was born. The orphanage children meant the world to Alex
and Sarah, but they both realized life existed beyond it.”

“Dad, you should have spoken of the orphanage
years ago. When I was William’s age. Kirsten and I would have gone
over a few times a year just to keep an eye on things.”

“I’m
not
in the mood
for a lecture from my son. I procrastinated and I regret that, but
now you know the details.”

“E-enough,” Kirsten whispered to her husband.
“You’re also known for procrastinating.”

“After my visit with William and Keeghan, I
had a little nap and began thinking about my family. Past and
present. I don’t want you to leave your existing lives to return to
Kassima to manage the orphanage. Knowing Uncle Alex, that was not
his intent in giving Keeghan the dream, but the financial
commitment must continue. I agree with Uncle Alex when it comes to
the trust fund.”

Keeghan nodded. Reaching over, she held Papa
Victor’s hand.

“I promise. Will and I will ensure the future
generation feels the same pride and commitment we feel at this
moment, now that we know the history of our family.”

“I began looking through some boxes in
closets this morning. I found the old family photo albums. When you
have some time, we can sit down and go through them.”

“I’d love that,” Keeghan squealed.

“If you don’t mind some extra company, I’d
like to see them too,” Kirsten admitted. She reached for Lucas’ arm
and looked at his watch. “It’s getting late. I’m sure Will and
Keeghan are tired from their trip.”

Papa reached under the table and handed
Keeghan a bag. Peaking inside, tears swelled in her eyes.

“The diary and the journal?” she
questioned.

“The diary?” Kirsten asked. “After the
condensed version, I’d love to read the books.”

Lucas nodded.

“I’ll let you read it once I’m done. Papa,
what are the other two books?”

“Uncle Alex’s journal and Momma’s
journal.”

“Rose kept a journal? It wasn’t
mentioned.”

“Momma read Alex’s journal after he passed
and then gave it to me. Poppa was the only one allowed to read
Momma’s while she was alive.”

“I can’t wait to read them,” Keeghan
announced, her tone bubbling with enthusiasm.

After promising to make the arrangements for
another trip to Kassima, William and Keeghan said goodbye to his
parents and grandfather and left for home. With jazz music playing
on the car stereo, they were quiet as they travelled.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

“I feel so stupid,” she admitted. She stared
out the car window into the dark night. “Your gorgeous blue eyes.
They have been passed down for generations, at least since
Stewart’s father. They were discussed so often in my dream. Why
couldn’t I solve this puzzle?”

“A lot of people have blue eyes.”

“Not like yours,” she grumbled. “There were
other signs. The whole finance business came through Richard. Both
Papa and your dad worked for a bank. You’re still in finance.”

“You weren’t looking for a family connection.
I tried to convince you the dream came from something you saw on
the history channel.”

“You avoid physical labour, just like
Stewart, and the Donovans were known for procrastinating, just like
the Hetherington’s. I’m still tempted to hire someone to finish
those damn steps. I plan to go for walks when I’m pregnant, but I
won’t be able to get to the water unless they get repaired. I would
never forgive myself if I slipped and lost our baby.”

“Give me a few weeks, Keeghan. I promise, the
steps will get done. I’ll ask Jim to come over and give me a hand.
I’ll treat him to a round of golf and a case of beer.”

Keeghan leaned over and gave Will a quick
kiss on his cheek before staring at the road ahead of them. “If
only Alex had mentioned the name Victor.”

“It wouldn’t have helped. I didn’t know Papa
had a twin. If Alisha had survived, that would have helped us, but
Victor is a common name.”

“If only Alex had shown me the scene when
Richard’s surname was revealed—”

“I would have been helpful with that
information. I would have been pleased to remind you my full legal
name is William Alexander Hetherington.”

Keeghan turned toward Will and giggled. “Adam
was formally introduced in my dream, why not Richard?”

“It doesn’t matter. The
mystery is
solved and we now know why the story is important
to us. I have quite the family heritage.”

“We’re fortunate, Will. Papa is still healthy
enough to remember his past. I enjoyed the dreams, but I loved
listening as he reminisced. Natasha’s legacy. I think Nana Natasha
would be pleased.”

“Something happens as we age, as we get
closer to starting our own family. For some reason our heritage
suddenly becomes important. Someday, our children will expect us to
have answers about our families. Thankfully, we are going to have
it. Not all people are as fortunate.”

Will took Constable out for a quick walk when
they got home. Keeghan changed into her night attire and put on her
housecoat. With the diary in her hand, she sat on the sofa. Within
minutes, she was curled up, leaning against a pillow with her feet
tucked in beneath her. The door opened and Contrastable ran toward
her. The dog jumped onto the sofa and snuggled against her feet.
She gave the dog a rub and continued reading. Grabbing his laptop,
Will sat down on the chair beside the sofa. She continued reading
in the quiet, peaceful room.

“Okay, I sent a donation to the Healing Cycle
and emailed Julianne so she knows. I’ve also sent an email to book
our trip back to Kassima. Do you need a break yet? I’m looking at
the website Papa mentioned.”

“Let me finish this entry.”

Keeghan marked her spot, closed the diary,
and set it on the coffee table. She rose and snuggled onto Will’s
lap for a good view of his computer screen.

“Wow! Those buildings are beautiful,” she
remarked. “Obviously Donovan and Carson Incorporated still hire the
best employees.”

“Yup. My great great great….” William glanced
toward the ceiling. They both counted the generations with Victor,
Rose, Hope, and Stewart to make sure he had enough greats.
“Grandfather Stewart would be proud of the business he started with
his pop.”

“Stewart would be proud of his entire
family,” she remarked. They finished looking at the site. “I’m
looking forward to our return trip to Kassima.”

“I’m sure I’ll get confirmation in the
morning. I’ve asked for a flight around the first of the month.
Hopefully that gives us both enough time to get organized at work
before we leave again.”