Page 61 of Until the End

“Your family?” Lottie asks.

“Yes, I am the great-great-great granddaughter of Reginald Ramsbury.”

“Wow. How did we not know that?” I turn to look at Carson, who just shrugs.

“How much do you know about the Ashcrofts?”

“Quite a bit. One of Reginald’s sons, Charles, married the youngest Ashcroft, Elizabeth.”

“Holy shi–crap.” Gia barely catches herself.

Alice just chuckles. “Come have some tea with me. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Excitement dances down my spine as we follow her into the kitchen at the back of the house. It’s separated from the rest of the building and looks more functional than the public-facing areas. It makes a question pop into my head. “Do you live here?”

Alice directs us to sit at the table while she puts a kettle on the stove. “I do. Those stairs there lead to the second floor, where I live.”

We wait for Alice to finish puttering around the kitchen. She sets little plates, cups, and a platter of cookies on the table.

“This is amazing, Alice. Thank you,” Carson says.

“It’s nothing. I’m thrilled to be hosting some young people for a change. Most of my family has moved on fromhere. They visit around the holidays, but I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like to.”

My heart cracks. Gazes lock among our group, a silent conversation passing between us to ensure we visit more often.

Alice pours us tea before finally sitting down at the table. “Now, what would you like to know?”

Lottie starts the story, explaining how we found the letters and what we’ve learned so far. “We were hoping to learn more about Virginia and Elizabeth to try to figure out who these letters belonged to.”

“Can I take a look?”

I pass the printed sheets over to Alice. “We have the originals tucked away in a box. We didn’t want to chance damaging them.”

Alice gasps. “Oh, my word. This is Colin Ramsbury’s handwriting.” She holds up a letter with the scriptier type of lettering.

“So were these letters Elizabeth’s, then?” I ask.

“No, I believe they were Virginia’s.” Alice passes the letters back to me. “The story goes that Virginia was supposed to marry Colin Ramsbury. They were the eldest children of the two most influential families in Sonoma, and while the marriage was arranged, Virginia and Colin became close friends. About a month before they were to be married, Colin was found beaten bloody, and soon after, he and Virginia went missing without a trace. They believed whoever attacked Colin had something to do with their disappearance, but no one could ever figure out what happened.”

“Oh my gosh,” Lottie whispers.

We’re stunned by the story. It’s hard to fathom that the letters we found are connected to such a sordid history. Poor Virginia and Colin.

“Then, who was the second man writing to Virginia?” Gia asks.

Alice shakes her head. “I don’t know. There was never any indication Virginia had another suitor.”

“Maybe that’s who hurt Colin and kidnapped Virginia,” Michael suggests.

Carson shrugs. “It’s the most plausible answer. Two men were writing love letters to the same woman. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t have found out about each other at some point.”

“What if Colin and Virginia ran away after Colin was hurt?” I don’t want to believe they were killed because of jealousy. It hits a little too close to home with my own jealous ex breathing down my neck.

Alice hums. “That was always the theory my family believed. There wasn’t a single sign of an altercation or anything nefarious. And my great-grandmother told me Elizabeth always thought Virginia stole some of Elizabeth’s clothes to make their escape. Elizabeth believed it was Virginia’s way of secretly telling her she was alive.”

Until I find evidence to say otherwise, that’s the story I’m going to believe, as well. Colin and Virginia deserve their happily ever after. Maybe one day, we’ll be able to find out what truly happened to them. For now, I’m just happy to know who these letters belonged to, even if their story wasn’t the happy one I was hoping for.

Chapter 36

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