I began this story on:
September 8, 2011, 1:46 PM
The Jewel Box ~ June 3rd, 1841
By Ora Lea Harrison
William lay awake for a long time the night before Zoe’s birthday. He couldn’t decide if he should tell her of the hidden compartment that he’d put into the jewel box that he’d made for her fourteenth birthday.
He’d been pondering for a while now about where would be a good hiding place for the jewels that he’d inherited. He wasn’t really happy about keeping them in the small trunk in the attic any longer.
He didn’t want the responsibility for the stones to be placed on Zoe’s small shoulders but felt that she was the one to pass them on to.
He’d already told Anne Marie, his wife, about what he was thinking and knew that his secrets had always been safe with her.
He was aware before he'd even asked her to marry him that she was the right person to hold his family's Jacobite background in her heart as well as keep to herself the information that he was a direct descendant of an Earl of Scotland. Those days and lands were far away but his own family had still been so entrenched in it that he had heard about it all of his young life. He knew only too well the reasoning for his being born in America or not at all.
Even here, in America, you never knew where the underground might be, next door, even. He wanted that to be the 'old' way and hadn't hampered his own children with the knowledge of their ancestral wars, etc.
Remembering how his parents had told him about his background in nobility in Scotland and admonished him to always keep the knowledge a secret but to make sure that his descendants were aware was never far from his mind.
Not having his own son to pass this information on to, he had to choose one of his daughters and he’d never felt right about telling Zoe’s older sister, Deborah. She was sweet but more of a social butterfly and had married a man with an English background, for heaven’s sake.
He could only hope that the level headedness that Zoe had shown up to now would stay with her and she would marry a man worthy of her.
William finally came to the conclusion that he would wait until Zoe’s twenty first birthday to let her in on the secret and would tell Anne Marie to be sure and let her know of it in case of his demise before the appointed time.
That taken care of, he slept soundly until morning when the shrieks of his younger daughter let him know that she’d beat them to the breakfast table and had already opened her birthday gifts.
Later that afternoon, Deborah was admiring Zoe’s new jewel box that Zoe had already put in the place of honor in the middle of the dresser in the bedroom that she used to share with Deborah.
Walking down the stairs, she said, “Poppa, you did such exceptional workmanship on Zoe’s box. Her’s does seem to be a little heavier than the one that you made for me, you must have used a different wood. I do love the way that you made it a secret the way that you open it, winding the little music box. I like that her music box has the same music as mine, ’The Eriskay Love Lilt’ . It’ll be a new tradition for our daughters to come, having our Scottish heritage in our jewel boxes.”
William gave his oldest daughter an affectionate hug and said, “Dee Dee, without a son, you’re the head of the clan in case of my going on, remember that, okay?” William didn’t really feel the words that he was saying but seeing as how he’d already made his choice, he didn’t want his older daughter to feel left out, if she ever found out.
Deborah’s husband, Edward, looked at her and said, “If my ancestors knew that their grandson’s were being raised by a Scottish lassie, they’d be rolling over in their graves.”
Deborah smiled coquettishly at her husband of four years, flipped her skirt and mocking a Scottish brogue, said, “Aye, Master, and they would now, wouldn’t they?”
William expertly hid his squeamish feelings and moved into the kitchen where the birthday cake was being kept for last. He didn’t share Edward’s political convictions, much less the fact of his English blood.
He wouldn’t let that spoil his younger daughter’s ‘coming of age’ party however and picking up the cake, headed for the dining room with it, singing a little song that he made up on the spur of the moment.
“For she’s a lovely lassie, our Zoe is, happy birthday, Zoe. May the Good Lord always grant you the true desires of your heart,” he continued with his blessing, wishing that she could always stay his little girl.
The party had been planned for an early time so that Deborah and her family wouldn’t have to drive home after dark nor have need to stay the night.
After they had gone, William sat on the front veranda with his little family and enjoyed the early evening breezes.
In a while a wind began coming up and he said, “I feel a little chill coming in. Anne Marie, why don’t you go out to the kitchen and get some of that corned beef and vegetables that were left from our party dinner and serve it on a platter with a loaf of bread while I make a fire in the fireplace?”
Anne Marie smiled at her husbands suggestion and graciously went to the back of the house, followed by Zoe who stopped to give her father one more loving kiss.
During supper, several times, it seemed to Zoe that she caught her father looking at her in a concerned way. With the conversation going however she didn’t have a chance to ponder it.
As soon as the supper things were put away and the family was sitting around the early fire at their individual pastimes, William finally decided to talk to Zoe, as he’d wanted to do all evening.
“Zoe,” he began a little hesitantly, “I’ve not discussed this with your Mother but feel that we need to talk with you about something that you should know.”
Zoe looked up from her new book that Deborah had given her for her birthday with a puzzled look on her face, so this is what Poppa’s been worrying about this evening, she thought.
“What is it, Poppa?”
“Zoe, what we’re going to tell you must not be told to anyone else, do you understand?”
“Of course,” Zoe replied slowly, moving her head to one side, wondering.
“Zoe, your Mother and I haven’t talked to you girls about this but as this is your personal ‘coming of age’ day, I feel that the time has come.”
He tapped his pipe and wondered how he should begin, Zoe was such a trusting child, always had been. He didn’t want to thrust this upon her but there wasn’t really another way.
In spite of his reasoning’s, he blurt out in a hurry, “Zoe, a close ancestor of mine was an Earl of Scotland and we’ve inherited the family jewels from him.”
He was disappointed at his ineptness in the telling of this when he usually was a pretty good speaker, if he said so himself.
Zoe looked startled at the sudden revelation and standing up, exclaimed, “What do you mean, we’re royalty?! Mommy?!”
Anne Marie got up from her place across from her husband and stood next to Zoe. “It’s alright, sweetie, what your Father is trying to tell you is true. He just feels that now is the time for you to know since you’re fourteen now.”
“We’re not nobility any longer, Zoe, except as the children of our Lord and Savior,” her father tried to continue. “Our ancestor’s were but with the government being taken over by the English, all of them that could, left the country before they were murdered or imprisoned. It was a very difficult time in Scotland at the time.”
“The thing is this,” he continued, “When I began studying making a jewel box for you like I did for Deborah for her fourteenth birthday, I realized that you weren’t like her and your box should reflect that.”
“I’ve been thinking of where I could put our family jewels for a while now but nothing that came to mind seemed right. I’ve kept them in a small trunk in the attic for years now but lately it doesn’t seem to be the best place for them. Don’t ask me why, I just have that feeling.”
“Anyhow, when I was looking over my plans, I saw how I could make a hiding place inside the box for the gems. I wish that I had shown them to you before I sealed the box, they’re really beautiful, aren’t they, Anne?”
“Yes, they are. They’re also worth a lot of money, Zoe. We’ve never had to do without, your Father has always been such a good business man and has made his money work for him.”
“We never know what the future holds, however,” her Father picked up. “I decided a while back that you are the only possible heir. Deborah is married to a wealthy man and will never be without and won’t need these the way that you may. Your Mother may have need of the jewels, as well, if I go before her so that she can be independent and you girls will still be able to have your own lives without worrying about her.”
“There’re other reason’s that we decided that we want you to be the heir of our ancestor’s property. It‘s a huge responsibility and I was wanting to wait until you‘re twenty-one to tell you about this but then, as this day has commenced, I knew that you needed to know now.”
“Sweetheart, you must never let the box out of your possession, not for any amount of time. If you feel that you must travel, make sure that the box has been put in the charge of someone that you completely trust. This is very important. You won’t really understand this now but one day, you’ll see the reason for it all.”
“When I created the box, I wanted it to have a secret way of opening so that it wouldn’t be so easily accessible to just anyone who may come into contact with it. Your sister found out about the way to open it but she will soon forget in her lively world. If you should ever come to such desperate straits that you feel that you need to cash in some or even all of the jewels, you just cut along the edges of the bottom of the inside of the box and press on the edges of the floor of the box and it will open for you. You’ll have to pull the floor up yourself, however.”
“Remember, Zoe,” her Mother admonished, “Even one jewel is worth much, they’re cut already and ready to be made into jewelry of which you may want to do for yourself one day.”
“Whatever you do, remember, you’re the steward of the jewels and they’re not playthings. Sometimes, you may have a close friend or two that you want to confide this to but always remember, they won’t always be your close friend but one day they may recall what you told them and tell someone who isn’t an honest person. People have killed over material things like this before, do you understand?”
Anne gave her husband a look and quickly told her daughter not to worry, that she knew that she was to be trusted, that was why she had been chosen over her sister.
Zoe had sat back down while they were talking and now she got up and told her parents that she’d better be going to bed, that she needed to think about this new situation.
She didn’t feel up to being glib about such a huge thing as this so just kissed her parents good night and walked slowly up the stairs.
Zoe put out her lamp and lay in her bed for a while thinking about the events of the day, especially the past hour.
It all seemed unreal. Looking back she could see how her Father had always been treated with respect and wondered if other’s may have known about his high rank if he’d still been living in the old Scotland. The Scotland where the Scottish people ruled themselves and didn’t mingle overly much with other’s. She’d learned much about her Scottish heritage from the novels and books that her Father kept in his library.
All of a sudden, she was awaking to a moonlit room, wondering that she had slept with so many thoughts in her mind. Looking at the clock on the mantle, she saw that it was exactly midnight.
She wished that she wasn’t too big to go to her parents room and sleep on the trundle bed the way they had let her do sometimes after Deborah had married. Why hadn’t her parents had another little sister for her the way they had for Deborah? That was the way it seemed to her, anyhow.
Stepping out of the bed, she walked off of the bedside rug and onto the cold wood floor and went to the dresser where the new box lay. How wonderful it had been when she had first seen it and she’d come upstairs all through the day just to look at it one more time to admire it.
Now, she wasn’t sure of how she felt about it. Of course she was grateful that her Father had such trusting feelings towards her but still… it was more than she was able to think about just now.
Sighing deeply, she went to the window to look outside where the world was bathed in moonlight. Seeing a shooting star, she closed her eyes and made a wish. She wished that her world would never change, that she could always be living with her Father and Mother and be cared for and loved by them.
She began to wonder what the jewels looked like and if she, herself, would be the one to use them to support herself or a loved one.
Going back to bed, she settled in a little nest on the feather mattress and felt the softness of the feather pillow around her head and smiled. She couldn’t be unhappy for long, her world was too joyful.
The End
Finished writing September 8, 2011, 11:27 PM