Free The Book of James by Ellen J. Green Page A

continued. “Nathan
    Monroe. He was involved in the abolitionist movement before the
    war and had these tunnels built. He took in people from all over. A well-known stop on the Underground Railroad.”
    I listened quietly to this history and tried to imagine what it
    would be like to live for days at a time within these cramped wal s.
    “You don’t have to come through these tunnels to get to your
    room, of course,” she went on. “You can walk around the perimeter of the house to the back; this is just a shortcut.”
    She stopped talking as we came to a small door. She took a
    set of keys out of her pocket and unlocked it. The door was heavy, 68
    ELLEN J. GREEN
    and the hinges creaked when she pushed it open. We stood at the
    bottom of a steep, narrow staircase.
    “It’s just up these stairs, here.”
    She climbed to the top with ease and opened the adjoining
    door. When I reached the landing, my eyes widened with surprise.
    The room, situated on the corner of the house, was spacious and
    comfortable. The stone had been cut away along the sidewall to
    accommodate three large windows. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves
    and a display of art covered all available wall space. Dominating the center of the room were a brocade sofa and matching love seat in a soft, creamy color. French doors opened out onto a small patio.
    “Cora, this is beautiful.”
    The corners of her mouth rose slightly. “I’ll show you the
    bedroom.”
    I followed. A large antique four-poster bed with a canopy filled
    one side of the room.
    “This is so much more than I expected,” I said.
    “These rooms were once a meeting place for my great-
    grandfather and his supporters. They would sit in here and plan
    strategies during the war. It also provided a place to wash and toilet, for the colored people.”
    I winced at her choice of words.
    “As a girl,” she continued, “I used to come here . . . it was so
    quiet. Of course, this space was different then. No windows at al , completely closed in so you couldn’t see it from the outside. It was just this room and a washroom. I redid them as guest quarters.
    Rebuilt it al , real y. Opened it up. I don’t have a separate guest cottage, so this is it.”
    I walked to the window and looked out at the garden in the
    back of the house. The small figure of a woman stood just within
    the edge of the woods. She was staring at the house.
    “Cora, I think your friend is back.”
    THE BOOK of JAMES
    69
    Cora joined me. She shook her head. “Don’t be frightened
    by her. She’s harmless enough. She grew up in that house right
    through the woods and tends to find herself back here all the time.
    I’ve even found her walking about inside this house. Her brother, Harrison, is taking care of her for now, but she might require a
    full-time nurse pretty soon. Her mind wanders so.” Cora’s head
    jerked suddenly to me. “Please don’t tell her about Nick. I want to tell her in my own way. She and Nick were very close, and I’m not sure how she’ll react.”
    “Of course,” I responded.
    Cora walked through the living room and exited through the
    French doors. I stood by the window and watched her cross the
    large clearing to the edge of the woods. Ginny stood in the same
    spot, simply staring at the house, until Cora approached her and
    the two began to talk. I was about to turn away when I heard a
    sharp tone. Ginny’s face was contorted in anger. Maybe she’s telling her about Nick , I thought. I couldn’t hear their words, but the conversation was clearly becoming more heated when Cora suddenly
    put one hand on the woman’s back and the other on her frail arm
    and rather roughly encouraged her back through the woods.
    I watched them disappear into the foliage, certain that the
    older woman and I would become acquainted over the next week.
    She looked brimming with all kinds of information about Cora,
    Nick, and possibly someone named James.

CHAPTER 16
    I dragged my suitcase into the bedroom to