Journey jerked in shock, her arm flailing and knocking over her own glass of iced water. “Oh, crap. I’m so sorry.” She jumped up to find some help and paper towels. When she returned with a waitress in tow, the woman quickly mopped up the mess she’d made. “I am so clumsy.”
Apple still held the box she’d managed to keep dry. “No harm done.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Journey took a deep breath, then realized she hadn’t responded to Apple’s comment. She couldn’t ignore it and she couldn’t refute it. “Yes, he does. There’s a strong resemblance, isn’t there?”
Apple dug into the box and pulled out a tintype that Journey had never seen before. “Look, there he is. Reno Black the first, standing with his friends. Don’t they all look staid and serious?”
Journey stopped breathing as she studied the photograph. “They do. Wow. Do you know who everyone is?”
“I do. Benjen is as interested in this stuff as his mother.” She laughed, pushing a strand of hair behind one ear. “Daniel says he’s just like her. Anyway, this is Kingston and his wife Fancy.”
“I have often wondered what they all looked like.” She grinned at Apple. “The men are all so handsome. Fancy is pretty too, isn’t she? And this other girl, who is she?”
“That’s Amelia, the one who spent some time as an Indian captive, and the young man next to her is her brother Ace. And this guy standing next to Reno is Clay Bennett. He was a preacher.”
“Right. I remember. He was Reno’s best friend. And this is Jericho Wright, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Apple answered. “He was Kingston’s half-brother. His mother was the Ramsay’s nanny. And this fellow here is Boone Roberts” She pointed to the only one in the whole picture who was smiling. “He was a jack-of-all trades from New Orleans.”
“That’s right, Reno was telling me a little bit about him. He worked on a riverboat for a while and later he made moonshine and worked for a funeral director.”
“Wow, I didn’t know that. What an interesting life he must’ve led.” Apple’s eyes lit up. “We’re going to have to get together. I know Benjen would love to pick Reno’s brain. Wouldn’t it be neat if we could contact the descendants of these folks and put together a reunion? Can you imagine everyone sharing the tidbits of information they know about this bunch? It’d be like making a memory quilt.”
Journey nodded. “It would be great.” She felt funny lying to Apple about Reno. But what choice did she have? Looking down at the photo, she tapped the tip of her finger on the face of a very distinguished gentleman. “Oh, I bet this guy is Gentry, isn’t it? He looks English.”
“Yes, that’s Gentry Nelson, Duke of Montagu.” Apple made a humming noise, then spoke softly, “You know, there’s some mystery about him. Knowing he was royalty; it seems like we’d have more knowledge of his life than anyone – but we don’t. Maybe his descendants do. We should look into that.”
“Have you ever just googled him?”
“Yea, I have. I didn’t find much and I’m not really sure what that means. There was a reference in Wikipedia that the dukedom was extinct, whatever that means.”
“According to my ancestor’s journal, Gentry’s sister took in Saul and his siblings.”
“That’s interesting? You said you have his journal?”
“Yes. I’m hoping to get some more information soon. My great-aunt is visiting her brother in Wichita Falls right now.” She shook her head. “Actually, she’s there to be with him while he dies.”
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry.”
Journey nodded, sadly. “Thank you. He’s been ill for a long time. Anyway, she told me that Uncle Myles has a big collection of historical records and she’s planning on bringing some of them home with her when she returns.”
“Well, let me know what you find.” They both leaned over the photo once more. Just looking at it made Journey feel funny, knowing one of the men was alive and well, waiting for her to come home. “This man must be the doctor. His name was Domino, right?”
“Yes, but I can’t remember his last name at the moment. Can you?”
Journey didn’t get a chance to answer before the hostess interrupted them when she brought two more guests to the table.
“Journey, I hope you don’t mind. I invited these girls to join us. Pardon the saying, but I’m killing two birds with one stone.” She stood and hugged the two women. Both were dark headed and very attractive. “Journey Stanton, this is my sister-in-law, Jewel Blackhawk.”
“Hello, good to meet you, Journey.”
“Same here.” Journey’s mind was abuzz trying to place Jewel’s accent.
“And this is our dear friend, seems like a sister, Skye Blue McCoy.”
“What a beautiful name.” She took Skye’s hand in hers. Although her skin wasn’t much darker than Jewel’s, there was no doubt in Journey’s mind that Skye was Native American. “It’s so wonderful to meet you both. Apple didn’t tell me this was going to be a party.”
“Not a party. Exactly.” Jewel eased down into the booth. “We’re here on a mission.”
“Oh?” Journey couldn’t really read their mood. She didn’t know if this was a serious matter or not. “Should I leave?”
“Oh, lands, no.” Jewel batted her hand in the air. “We could use another woman’s viewpoint.”
Journey smiled and pointed to Jewel. “You’re from Louisiana, aren’t you?”
Jewel threw her head back and laughed. “Guilty as charged. My father was a Creole and my mother is a Cajun. And I’m Gumbo yaya. A good mix of both.”
“She’s also a palm reader.” Apple leaned close to Journey and whispered in her ear, “And she’s a witch.”
Journey’s eyes bugged out of her head. “I want a reading.”
“You got it,” Jewel promised. “After I’ve had some of Casa Chapala’s famous enchiladas and a
