Sacrifices of the Soul, Chapter 45
 
 

Eve had pretended to be asleep when TC came into check on her right after dawn. He had told her that he had found another job, and that it was going to help with their trip to the Vineyard.  After she heard TC's car drive off, Eve turned over and just sat there, staring at the ceiling. Before she had gone to bed, Eve had thought of a plan. But, it would take skill and finesse. If she were successful, she would have a future. If she failed, any future with TC was certainly over, but, any positive future, period, would most likely be gone also.

Eve got up and went to take a shower, but decided to take a long bath, instead. She had to finalize in her mind, the details of this plan. Once she finished the bath, she went into the closet to select the 'perfect' outfit, which she decided was a pair of khaki pants with a pink polo shirt - conservative and reserved. Added to the aura that Eve was going to create.

Getting downstairs in the kitchen, she selected all the proper baking ingredients from the pantry, and got the fresh blueberries from the fridge. She had her dough ready in no time, and pre-heated the oven. Once she had mixed the blueberries in, it was just enough time for her to go upstairs and change in to the outfit that she had chosen.

Eve was downstairs, going over in her mind what she was going to stay when the timer went off, and she removed her treats from the oven. She put them in the picnic basket, lined with linen napkins that she had discovered in the house. They were a perfect background for her treats. She also gathered the smallest jar of what appeared to be homemade strawberry preserves from the pantry, and off she went.

She looked at her watch as she approached the house. 8:30a.m. Early, but, not too early for an early riser like Nannette DeJoine. Eve knocked on the door, and a maid came to the door.

" I'm here to see Mrs. DeJoine. I'm Eve Wharton."

" I'll tell her that you're here."

A few minutes later, Nannette DeJoine appeared at the door. " Eve, what a surprise. What brings you here?"

" You were such a wonderful host, I thought I could possibly show my appreciation. I thought you might enjoy these.", Eve said, presenting the basket.

Nannette uncovered them, " Blueberry scones. How wonderful. I haven't had any decent ones since my trip to England." She smells the basket, " Homemade?"

Eve nodded. " I hoped you'd enjoy them."

" I'm sure I will. But…I hate to eat alone. Would you like to join me?"

" I'd love to. " Eve followed Nannette to her dining 'nook', a little off the kitchen. It was bright and full of sun.

" It must be wonderful to be able to enjoy the mornings in here. So much Sun.", Eve said, nodding to the maid, who had set in front of her a wonderful fruit plate.

" It is. It's one of the perks of this house. "

Eve nodded as she sipped some tea.

" So, where is Thornton this morning?"

" He had errands to run."

Nannette nodded and attended to her tea. She knew that TC was doing odd jobs for people. But, she appreciated that Eve knew to be discreet.

They had the mindless chitchat over breakfast. She asked Eve how she was enjoying the Vineyard, and Eve told her about her plans to become an OB-GYN, and general practitioner. They discussed a little politics, and then, the conversation turned personal.

" So, Eve, you were telling me that you were raised by your Aunts?"

Back to the Inquisition, Eve thought. It was time. The information had to be dolled out in just the right amount of time in order to be believable.

Eve nodded. " Yes. My mother's sisters."

" They had no children?"

" No. They were independent women, who made their own way. They just never chose their path, and after I was placed in their care, it never came up again."

" Your parents….they died in an accident?"

Eve was silent. For a little bit too long. " Yes.", she said, not looking up from her teacup.

" What kind of accident was it, if you don't mind me asking?"

There was a silence between them that was about to transition from uncomfortable to very uncomfortable, when Eve spoke in a quiet tone. Barely a whisper, " it…..it wasn't an accident."

" Pardon me?", Nannette asked hesitantly.

Eve let the silence be a barrier once again, and then quietly spoke up, " it wasn't an accident."

Eve looked up at Nannette, who knew that she was on the verge of something, and wanted to play it well. She saw that Eve was fidgeting with the napkin in her hand, and reached out her hand across the table,

" Eve, what is it?"

" I……I've been hesitant about talking about it. It's still so painful."

"  Yes…."

" My parents didn't die in an accident."

" No?"

Eve shook her head. " No. ……….my mother was murdered."

" Oh my. You poor dear."

Eve pulled her hand back, her bottom lip quivering, with quiet tears streaming down her face. She looked down into her lap, and said, barely above a whisper, " my father was the one who killed her." And then she put her head in her hands and sobbed.

Nannette was shocked. She hadn't expected a confession like this. She was just looking into background because she was concerned.

Eve was crying quietly, but consistently, and Nannette got up, and went over to Eve and hugged her.

" Darling, it's going to be alright. It really is."

Eve cried for a little bit longer, and then pulled up to look at Nannette. She had a pained look in her eyes. Nannette sat back in her chair, and Eve let her hold her hand in support.

" It…..it's so horrible."

" I can imagine."

" No, I don’t think you can. I lived a very sheltered life until then. I truly didn't think anything bad happened in the world. When my parents died….", Eve began crying again.

After a few moments, Eve stops, and blows her nose, but still sniffing. " I….I loved my parents. But, it’s so difficult to talk about it. They…..they called it a ‘crime of passion’, but, for me, it was the day my world ended, and very little has been right since. I…I’ve tried to live my life as I think they would have wanted it to be, but, I…I have problems being close to people, which is why my relationship with TC has been sort of a miracle. Most guys took my reticence as an affront. That I was snobby. TC was patient with me. So patient. Respecting me all the way."

Nannette nodded, " That’s because Thornton is a gentleman."

" A true one.", Eve replied. " No man has ever treated me the way that TC does. That makes him so special. Which is why, I’ve been so afraid to tell him the truth about my background."

" Why?"

" My father killed my mother. ‘Crime of passion’? That’s not what some have said. I heard the whispers."

" The whispers?"

" Yes…that my father was crazy. And, if he’s crazy, then……couldn’t he have passed it along to me?", Eve sobs again. " Who would want a crazy woman?", she wails.

Nannette takes her hand again. " Eve…calm down, sweetheart. It’s not your fault. You were a child. An innocent child. Sometimes parents do things without thinking, and sometimes, children pay most for those mistakes. You were never to blame. And Thornton of course, could never hold you responsible. You HAVE lived your life in a way that your parents would be proud. So proud. In a little under a year, you will be a graduate of Harvard Medical School. ANY parent would be proud. You have taken adversity and turned it around. You are elegant, and poised to boot. Nobody with an ounce of sense or compassion would ever try and condemn you for a tragedy that happened when you were a child. Nobody worth anything."

Eve stops crying and looks at Nannette with sad eyes. " You honestly believe that?"

" I KNOW it. You are a sweet young woman. And, you deserve to live your life. Thornton is a wonderful young man, and you’ve brought light back to his eyes. I’m so pleased to see him happy."

" You think I make TC happy?"

" I certainly do. And, I’m glad we had this talk. I understand so much more now."

" It….it felt good to get it out."

" Things like this always do. "

Eve gave her a slight smile, and they were holding hands when the doorbell rang. Eve and Nannette both heard TC’s voice at the door.

" Oh My God, that’s TC! I don’t want him to see me like this.", Eve fretted.

" You go to the ladies room and freshen up. I’ll speak with Thornton."

" Thank you, Mrs. DeJoine."

" It’s Nannette, Eve."

" Thank you, Nannette."

Eve got up, and went to the washroom on the first floor. Once she had closed the door, she stood up against it, letting out a huge sigh and nervous tears. She ran some water and splashed it on her face. Looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t believe her performance. She tried to assess the morning. It seemed as if Nannette had believed her. But, she couldn’t be certain of it, until other things happened.

" Hi Auntie, is Eve here?", TC asked.

" Yes, she is, Thornton. Why don’t we step out on the porch and talk."

TC was concerned about Nannette’s words.

" Is something wrong with Eve?"

" Not physically. Emotionally, though, Thornton, she needs your love and support. She seems so strong, when you first meet her."

TC nods. " I know. But, underneath, she’s vulnerable. I know she’s had a lot of pain, but, she doesn’t really want to talk about it."

" Maybe you should keep it that way, Thornton. Care for her. Respect that pain. Support her. She truly cares for you, Thornton."

" I care about her too, Auntie. "

" Good. I know that you’ve had pain too, Thornton. Deep pain. Let her be your port in a storm.  I think that she would love some private time with you. You know where the isolated beaches are on the Island. Take her to one, and just enjoy being with one another. "

TC nodded. " I will."

By then, Eve had some out to the porch. " TC. Nannette."

TC could see that Eve had been crying, but he had Nannette’s words of warning ringing in his head.

" Guess what, Eve? I think we should take a bikeride around the Island. Never a better way to discover Martha’s Vineyard, than with a bike. You game?"

Eve nodded. " I’d love that."

" Good. Well Auntie, we’ll be seeing you."

" Now, you two remember that since Vivian broke her leg yesterday, that I would be hosting tonight’s dinner. So, I’ll be expecting you at the regular time."

" We’ll be there.", TC replied.

TC and Eve walked off, hand in hand. Once they were out of earshot, TC asked, " You OK?"

" Better now that you’re here."

" I’ll always be here, Eve. Always."

" I’m beginning to believe that."

They spent the rest of the day riding around the Island. They didn’t do much talking. They just went to all these little places that only a native like TC would know about. He didn’t push, which gave Eve some hope. If Nannette didn’t pressure him to dump her. In fact, she seemed supportive.

But, what if she was just setting Eve up? Lulling her into a false sense of security, before she yanked the rug out from under her. She could be using the afternoon doing reconnaissance, and preparing her assault on Eve for later that evening. So, as much as she wanted to enjoy her time with TC, those thoughts were never far from her mind.

Eve dressed with care for the evening’s party. The walk over to Nannette’s house was one of the longest in Eve’s life. This was the moment of truth. They got to the edge of the crowd, and began to work it more. Eve thought that it was possible that she was imagining things, but people seemed to be nicer to her. She was greeted with a warm hug by Nannette, who even asked Eve to help her out in the kitchen. In the kitchen, Eve met the doyenne’s of this Vineyard Society. And, while these matrons had been cool towards her before, she could sense that there was a thaw in the air towards her.

By the end of the party, Eve was totally relaxed. It was clear, by the lack of questions about her ‘background’, that the word had been put out: she was cleared by Nannette DeJoine, and if things were good enough for her, Eve was to be left alone. She had passed muster.

Before they left, she gave Nannette a genuine kiss and a hug, which was returned. She walked back to the house, holding TC’s hand, but really floating on air. They got to her room, and she and TC shared a warm goodnight kiss. Once in her room, she turned on the radio in order to muffle the scream that she let out. She immediately turned the radio off, as to not arouse suspicion. Eve went out onto the deck, and sat in a chair, staring out at the ocean.

She couldn’t believe it. She had done it. Nannette had fallen for it. She believed Eve, and had reacted EXACTLY the way that Eve thought she would. People like Nannette enjoy a good scandal, but, they would never go ‘ too deep’ into it. Eve gave a not so silent thanks for the fortune of having that job in the library. Her shifts were the most undesirable, and she rarely had many students that needed help. To occupy her time, she would go into the microfiche and read stories. One time, she came upon the story of a Black doctor who had murdered his wife upon finding out that they she was having an affair. They did have a daughter, and Eve had looked, but, there was no further mention of her. Of course not, Eve had surmised. A lone little Black girl wasn’t going to be of interest to the readers. The salacious tale of a crazy and jealous ‘Colored’ was. People would remember the main details, and more than not, not know about what happened to the girl. Nannette would NEVER really repeat the story to anyone else, other than TC’s mother. And now that Nannette has supported her, Eve felt that would be enough for his mother. Nannette had made it known that she had ‘cleared’ Eve, and the rest of them fell in line.

Eve didn’t even realize that she was crying, until the night wind hit her wet cheeks. She let the tears fall. For the first time, EVER, in Eve’s life, she saw the possibilities for herself.

That she had a real future.