Free Seduction of Souls by Patricia Gauthier

virile blacksmith’s apprentice by the name of Nathaniel Buford.  He had been orphaned at the age of twelve and taken in by the local blacksmith and his lovely wife.  Having no children of their own, he was treated like a son.  They even had plans to give him the business once he attained the age of twenty one.  He was very well liked by the townsfolk and had young women practically standing in line to get a look at him.  His future was secure, but he would always be a working man, able to make a living but by no means wealthy.
    Charity’s father was a tyrant, but a very wealthy and influential man.  Frankly, my grandmother thought him quite a bully.  You see, he never hesitated to point out his wealth and social standing, using it to get his way in everything. More than once my grandmother recalled seeing poor Charity’s skin marred by his temper.
    When Mr. Meriwether stumbled upon Charity and Nathaniel in the stables, in a rather indiscrete and awkward position, he exploded in anger.  First he beat Nathaniel to within an inch of his life, only stopping when one of the hired hands at the farm pulled him away. 
    He then grabbed Charity and a nearby horsewhip, and began beating her.  He used such force that her dress was ripped to shreds and blood soaked her entire back.  When she regained consciousness she was locked in her room and the maid was tending to her wounds.  She was not allowed out until her father had arranged a hasty marriage to an elderly man willing to overlook her tarnished virtue.  A Mister Harold Bremmer, if I recall correctly.
    Heaven help her, Mr. Bremmer was old enough to be her grandfather, but he was wealthy and hoped to have an heir to leave his fortune to.  In those days women were not allowed to own any property or have any personal wealth of their own.  But I digress.
    As you can imagine, Charity was devastated by the forced marriage.  As soon as she could she made her way to the blacksmith’s shop to talk to Nathaniel, only to find out that he had gone missing on the night they had been discovered.  If anyone knew where he was, they would not tell her.  Seven months later she gave birth to a son, Kade.  Three months after her son’s birth her husband died in his sleep.
    Years later, before the hired hand died, he admitted that he had loaded Nathaniel Buford’s unconscious body onto a wagon train headed out west.  No one ever heard from Nathaniel again and Charity never remarried.   
    The poor child was a widow at seventeen and grew to be a lonely, bitter old woman.  She died at the age of seventy two, alone, and she is buried in the family cemetery on this property.  Her soul however, still wanders this house, looking for her lost love.   She will never be at peace until they are reunited, and that I have no idea how to accomplish.  Go through the trunks in the attic and use whatever is available, but please, my dear, don’t give up.  Her immortal soul is depending on you.
     
    My Kindest Regards,
    Juliet Meriwether Harvey
     
    RayeAnn sat there, still stunned after reading the letter for the fourth time.  Her heart ached for all that Charity had endured.  When she noticed the chill in the air she headed back into the house.  Remembering Ryker’s nasty mood she walked up to him and handed him the letter.
    “Read this.  It came in the mail today from the attorney’s office.”
    “Why the hell would I want to read your personal mail?”
    “Maybe because it’s from my dead aunt and it pertains to Charity and Nathaniel?’ 
    She waited patiently for him to read the letter, wondering what things her aunt had tried in an effort to reunite Charity and Nathaniel.  RayeAnn found herself wishing she had met Aunt Juliet when she was alive.  From the letter she sounded like a sweet little old lady.  Now that her interest was piqued, she decided to not only research Nathaniel but her aunt as well.
    “Well, this sure fills in a lot of the blanks for us.  Are you