“I understand. I met her a couple of mornings ago on the beach,” Everly confirmed. “I’ve never met such a sad spirit before. I really hope we can reunite her and Sam tonight.”
“Me too,” Jax said. “When I was a little boy, my father would tell me bedtime stories about pirates and their adventures on the high seas, but it was my mother who told me the story about Sam and Maria. What happened to them was just so unfair; her father not allowing them to marry and then Sam dying in the shipwreck. I always thought those two deserved a happy ending. Maybe tonight is the night they get it.”
“I hope so.” Everly turned to Blake. “What did you bring from the museum?”
Blake reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, which he used to unlock the bag. He pulled out three items. Each were carefully wrapped in what looked like chamois fabric.
“Hi Blake, I’m so glad you’re here,” Ten said as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Cope was behind him. “And you brought your son. Nice to meet you, Jax.”
“Same. My father told me about his meeting with you and your daughter. If the two of you can do what you claim, this will prove to be a momentous night.”
“Jax is a skeptic,” Everly said. She rolled her eyes.
Ronan snorted. Jax would learn soon enough just what Ten and Everly could do. There was no doubt in his mind that Everly would reunite the lost lovers. There was nothing he enjoyed more than when his daughter strutted her stuff.
“Back to what we brought,” Blake said. He unwrapped the first item, which was a silver coin. He set it on top of the cloth and reached for the second bundle. Opening it revealed a gold coin. Lastly, the third item, which was a gold ring with a flat top and something engraved into it.
“That ring belonged to Sam,” Everly said without hesitation, a look of excitement in her eyes. He wore it all the time and used it when he sent messages and letters.” She turned to Tennyson. “I don’t understand why, but he dripped candle wax on the letter and pressed the ring into it.”
Ten grinned. “It’s a signet ring. People used them to seal letters as a way to prove who the sender was. If you got a letter from Sam Bellamy without the ring’s design stamped into the sealing wax, then you knew the message didn’t actually come from him.”
Blake and Jax exchanged a silent look, before the elder Chambers held the ring out to Everly.
“It’s an S for Sam!” Everly traced her fingers over the stylized letters.
“We found the ring with the skeleton with the broken arm,” Blake said. He pulled out his phone and tapped several times before setting it in front of Everly. The grisly picture showed the ring on the skeletonized remains of a hand. “Pirates liked to wear the jewelry of the people they robbed as a sign of their ferocity and strength. We’d wondered if the ring was something stolen or something that was handcrafted for a particular person.”
“Dad, there’s no way she can know this ring belongs to Sam Bellamy,” Jax said, with a small shake of his head. “She probably saw it in the pictures you showed her of the remains with a broken arm.”
“We never saw a picture of this ring,” Ronan said, angry that he had to stand up for Everly’s integrity. “I also don’t remember seeing it displayed at the museum.”
“We’ve never put it on display,” Blake said. “It’s been locked away in a bank vault since 1995 when I found it. Jax didn’t meet you the other day, he doesn’t understand what you can do.”
“It’s okay,” Everly said with a grin, as if she knew something Jax didn’t know. “We need to get down to the beach.” She hopped off the sofa and went to the sliding glass door.
Ronan was right behind her. When he stepped onto the deck, he was bathed in light from the full moon. He couldn’t ever remember seeing the moon that bright before. Taking Everly’s hand, he led her down the path toward the beach. “You feeling okay?”
Everly nodded. “Yeah, I’m good, but you need to make sure Uncle Fitz stays close to Aurora. She’s gonna be scared. Woofie’s gonna be excited and will want to run to Sam. Uncle Jude needs to make sure that doesn’t happen until after Maria and Sam find each other.”
Ronan nodded and gathered Fitzgibbon and Jude, quickly filling them in on what Everly had said.
“Do you think I should take Aurora back into the house?” Fitz asked. He looked worried and a bit scared himself.
“I don’t think she’d go willingly.” Ronan pointed to where the kids were standing at the edge of the sea, holding hands.
“Good point.” Fitz watched as the kids broke apart and walked back toward the adults.
“I’m ready, Blake,” Everly said. “Can I hold the ring?”
“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Jax said.
“It’s fine,” Blake pulled the ring out of his pocket and handed it to Everly. “Work your magic, Everly.”
With a nod, Everly walked back toward the water, stopping when gentle waves were crashing onto the sand. “Sam? Are you there? It’s me, Everly. Can you come see us?”
There was no response to Everly’s questions. Several minutes ticked by with Jax looking more and more smug as time passed.
“What’s that?” Ronan asked, catching sight of a faint light further up the beach. He couldn’t see what it was, but knew it was coming closer.
