The Sailor's Inheritance

The Betrayal

The days passed quickly spending time with her sisters. It was strange and yet refreshing to be spending the day making gowns and talking with them as if they hadn't left to live their own lives. Their husband's had kept to themselves or would excuse each other and head into town on business errands. Catherine was starting to hope that they could stay for a long time.

The time however was cut short for her father passed away the next night during the very early morning hours.

Catherine had been awoken by the physicians that tended to him before the sun had even risen. She could tell by the moon that filled the halls as she walked into his bedchamber that it would still be many hours before the sun would cast its light.

Catherine saw her father in his bed looking like he was sleeping and she said her goodbyes before taking a candle with her to alert her younger sister's.

On her journey down the hallways to the guest bedrooms that her sisters were staying in she heard men in hushed voices talking. She slowed when she turned the corner to see George and Johnathon in a very heated whisper argument.

She didn't catch anything they had said when they spotted her.

"Catherine" George said with feigned sincerity. "we just heard about Lord Cutler. we were on our way to tell Abigail and Sarah."

"yes." was all Catherine could muster between her confusion and her grief.

"why don't you go bid him farewell we will be down to his room at once." This time George smiled and entered his room. Johnathon simply huffed and turned towards Sarah's room.

confused by whatever their argument was Catherine indeed turned around and headed back to her fathers room. she was joined shortly by her sisters company and they all mourned together.

The hours passed with many people coming to the home physicians and morticians. Catherine was grateful to have Sarah there to help serve tea to those who wanted and to comfort herself for unlike her sisters she had no husband to console her.

During this thought of appreciation the physician stated the business was completed and that he believed all the sister's should try to get a few more hours of sleep in before the dawn and that the rest of the legal business could be completed during the day.

With that everybody retired back to their bedchambers. Catherine sat in her reading chair by the balcony in her room and watched the coaches carrying the men and the body of her father leave for the town. She heard a knock sound on her bedroom door and believed by the softness of it that it must be Sarah or Abigail unable to sleep like herself. She briskly walked to the door and opened it as far as she could expecting to be wrapped in her young sisters arms. When she was taken by surprise at the sight of George.

"George?" she asked with immense curiosity as it was completely unbecoming for him to be at her bedroom door at this hour.

She watched as multiple emotions crossed his face and as he opened his mouth to speak Catherine heard an intense crack throughout her head. The pain that followed was the last thing she could decipher before the world fell black like a curtain before her eyes.