So even though Catherine managed to function and live with the growing disappointment of not hearing from Vincent, she still needed closure of some kind, and so after much consideration, she decided it was time to go forward with her plan.
Yes, Catherine was ready to ask Mr. Smythe, should the opportunity present itself, to intercede, by passing some correspondence on to Vincent, aka: Mr. Wells for her.
And so in wanting Vincent's note to have the right tone, Catherine, wrote, and re-wrote, until ultimately ending up with her final draft. Which said:
Dearest Vincent, I hope you don't mind my placing this note in your book, but with Peter gone, I had no way of contacting you, and since you haven't reached out to me, I have begun to think meeting you had been a dream. In fact the only proof I have that night wasn't a dream, is the gift of your copy of Wordsworth. Of which I thank you.
So, through our mutual love of these old masters, I am hoping they will perhaps provide a vehicle for me to connect with you once more, but this time instead of Wordsworth, it is because of dear Shakespeare.
Vincent, since I haven't heard from you, I have to wonder if all we spoke about and shared that night, remained with you as it has with me.
But if you have reconsidered our relationship, I can try to understand, but I need to hear it from you...my heart needs to hear it from you.
In full disclosure, I confess to have heard Brigit's newscast where she expressed her interest in returning to you once again.
So I guess what I am asking, is if you have deepened your relationship with Brigit?
Please find a way to respond to this note...but if you don't, I will try to think it is because you could not find the words. All my love, Catherine
And so, the next day, as the lunch hour approached, Catherine stopped by her Dad's office, who was in a meeting with Marilyn, to ask, "Can I pick you two up anything for lunch?"
And because Catherine was reaching out to them, actually talking about food, both Charles and Marilyn were happy to see that perhaps Catherine was moving past her depressive state. And so in reply, Marilyn cheerfully said, "Oh nothing for me Dear, I brought in some leftovers."
And as Charles said he would love something, he then contemplated the possibilities asking, "Which way are you heading?"
Informatively, Catherine replied, "I'll be going into the Village, I want to stop by Mr. Smythe's."
Happy to hear Catherine would be near one of his favorite haunts, Charles replied, "Good, get me a chicken salad from Bernie's then."
With a nod and smile, Catherine replied, "Can do Dad."
So Charles in response and with a cheerful, daddy tone, said, "Thanks kiddo."
And so anxiously, Catherine headed for the village, and as she walked into the book shop, she felt at home upon hearing the familiar tinkling that chimed above the door.
And as soon as Mr. Smythe saw it was Catherine, he stopped in his tracks and recited, "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East and Catherine is the sun!"
With a warm smile and a bit of a giggle, Catherine corrected him, saying, "Isn't it "Juliet is the sun", Mr. Smythe?"
To which he raised his brow and said, "Well, to Shakespeare's Romeo perhaps Catherine, but in my eyes you are the fair one! I must say you are lovelier each time I see you, my Dear!"
Incorrigibly Catherine thanked him, and then said, "Mr. Smythe, you are an eternal flirt!"
Admittedly he said, "Only with you, my Dear...only with you, and I am so glad you kept your promise to visit me more often."
Mr. Smythe then brought his hand to his chin, as he contemplatively said, "And I must say..."
Because Mr. Smythe stopped in mid-sentence, with curiosity, Catherine asked, "Yes Mr. Smythe?"
To which he shook off his day-dreamy state, and said, "Well, I must say you seem to be right on time!"
And because Catherine knew they had not set a schedule of any sort, she questioned, "On time? It sounds as if you were expecting me?"
To which Mr. Smythe dreamily explained, "Yes...I suppose I was, you see the last time you were here, a contact of Mr. Wells also arrived, within the same hour no less...not to mention referencing the same book as well!"
With hope in her voice, Catherine asked, "Are you saying someone has placed another order for Mr. Wells?"
Assuredly he said, "Yes, a young lady placed the order about a week ago, and the oddest thing...I contacted her to let her know the book was ready for pickup, and understand that I would have given it to her, but...when she came in about an hour ago...I couldn't find the tome! However alas...here it is!"
As Mr. Smythe held up the book, he continued, "I only just now located it, and it was right there on the shelf the whole time...quite odd that it alluded me while the young woman was here...don't you think?"
Thinking it was an odd happenstance, mainly because Mr. Smythe knew his shoppe's inventory so well! But then realized the old Masters were at it again!
So, luckily, since the book wasn't found earlier, Catherine still had a chance to place her note inside of it, and if Mr. Smythe agrees...well her plan may just work out!
And so Catherine hesitantly asked, "Mr. Smythe, I was actually hoping to contact Mr. Wells, and since our mutual friend who had picked up his Wordsworth book is out of town, I have no other way to reach him other than maybe through you. So...well, if you think it would be all right, could I contact Mr. Wells by putting a note inside his book for him?"
With pursed lips, he looked down at Catherine through his spectacles, and then with a tip of his head, Mr. Smythe expressed, "Well this is an unusual request indeed, however, for you? Well, I don't see any harm."
Happy Mr. Smythe would allow her request, Catherine reached into her purse for the note she had written to Vincent, and held it just for a moment as a thought occurred to her! And so Catherine curiously asked, "May I ask what his book request was?"
Upon looking over the top of his glasses, Mr. Smythe knowingly answered, "Twas, Shakespeare's Sonnets."
And knowing it was because of reading a passage from Shakespeare, when the idea of reaching out to Vincent through a book order first occurred to Catherine, she softly exclaimed, "Oh Mr. Smythe...not Shakespeare?"
Seeing the peculiar look upon Catherine's face, Mr. Smythe mystically asked, "Another coincidence my Dear?"
To which Catherine, in a stunned manner answered, "Yes..."
And then thinking this coincidence was the validation she needed to do this, Catherine then gave her letter to Mr. Smythe.
Mr. Smythe seemed to absorb a vibe from the correspondence himself before he reverently placed it inside the cover of the book, and then with caution, Mr. Smythe said, "Now Catherine, it is hard to tell when his book will be picked up, when I promised the young lady, that I will call her as soon as I locate the missing book, she explained how difficult it was to get away from work, but will come as soon as her schedule allowed. So it could be a time before Mr. Wells receives this letter from you."
Upon hearing the uncertainty of the time frame, Catherine lowered her eyes, as she replied, "I understand Mr. Smythe."
Catherine then shook the doubting from herself, as she with gratitude said, "Thank you for allowing me to do this."
Kindly Mr. Smythe said she was most welcome, and then as she said goodbye, he replied, "After the book is picked up for Mr. Well's I will let you know. So I will be in touch with you my Dear...safe travels."
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The days slowly passed, without any word from Mr. Smythe, and through this waiting period, Catherine managed to settle into an existence, where her hope of hearing from Vincent on his own volition, was gone.
And so she threw herself into her work, she ate to live, but found little joy in anything very much, except for the loving care her Dad showered upon her.
Yes it would seem once again adversity helped Catherine realize how much she loved and still needed her Dad.
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Meanwhile, Vincent below in his world, immersed himself in to his responsibilities, and his relationship deepened even more so with his Father, as Jacob tried his best to help Vincent through this trying time.
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Yes, both Catherine and Vincent, in their perspective worlds carried on, but to the concern of loved ones around them, as they both lacked a hope, or a cheerfulness, they once had.
Unfortunately, the one person who could have halted all this misery was Peter, and he was at his Mother's deathbed, many miles away.
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Then meanwhile, one day below in the tunnels, a letter arrived for Vincent, and it was from Brigit, saying that yes, she would love to come for a visit to see her dear friend.
Though this news pleased Vincent, and he would welcome Brigit, he remained stoic and mindful, which concerned Jacob greatly, because he had hoped news of Brigit's visit, would be the catalyst needed, to help his son get over his heartache for Catherine.
Realizing the only news that can really help his son...would be news about or from Catherine, herself.
So, in the meantime, the tunnels were abuzz, preparing for Brigit's visit! Everything was getting a spit polish, and that included the Guest Chamber, where Brigit would be staying.
The Guest Chamber was a truly cozy wee chamber, and it held a homey enchanting quality, which made it a welcoming abode indeed.
And though it was smaller than the live-in chambers, it had all the same needed amenities, hosting a comfy reading chair, a dear writing table nestled privately in the corner, and in the other corner, was a beautiful old secondhand chifforobe, which was made from a rich, dark pine. And then on the night stand was an interesting book assortment stacked for the guest's literary enjoyment.
And so since Mary and Rebecca volunteered to ready the Guest chamber, together they scurried through the tunnel main, carrying candles, freshly laundered linens and quilt to top the bed with.
And as the two chatted, they tried to remember, who their last guest had been that occupied the chamber!
And so it was Rebecca who had the eureka moment, saying, "Oh Mary, I remember now, it was Lin! Remember when she and Henry had a newlywed spat, and she came here to stay the night?"
To which Mary announced, "Yes...of course I remember now!"
Thoughtfully, Mary then continued, "It was rather sweet really, how even after they quarreled, Henry had secretly followed her, wanting to make sure she arrived here safe and sound."
And then Rebecca continued the story, by saying, "And then after Lin found out Henry was her secret protector watching over her, it melted her heart, and she could not stay mad, OR stay away from him!"
With a widening of her eyes, Rebecca then recounted, "And poor Vincent had to escort a very insistent Lin, back home in the middle of the night!"
Mary giggled as she said, "I believe it was the shortest spat in history! Now remind me, how did Lin find out Henry had followed her?"
Remembering the details very well, Rebecca revealed, "Well, while Father was counseling Lin, I guess the information accidentally slipped out."
Raising her eyes heavenward, Mary giggled even louder, as she recalled, "Accidentally indeed! I think we all knew, there was no accident about it! Ah, Father is such a wise man..."
And so as Mary and Rebecca entered the chamber, they worked as one, when they firstly made up the bed, by changing the linen, and putting on the down-filled quilt. Satisfied, it looked just so, they then dusted about, replenished the candles, and then made sure the torches were well oiled too.
And as they sat down to catch their breath, their conversation became about Vincent.
To which Rebecca thoughtfully asked, "Do you suppose Brigit's visit will be good for Vincent and maybe raise his spirits?"
With a tender tone, Mary replied, "Well she is a grieving daughter, I suppose it should be the other way around."
In reply, Rebecca noted, "But poor Vincent is still grieving himself."
Mary had to agree, and said, "Yes...still grieving the relationship he was hoping to have with Catherine...ahhh, the disappointment. But even though he is vulnerable himself, well I think helping someone else will be good for him."
Upon hearing Mary's comment, Rebecca thought maybe she should tell her what she knew about Brigit, and so she hesitantly shared, "I don't think Vincent will mind my telling you this, but I think you should know something...even though Brigit knew about Vincent's feelings for Catherine on Halloween night, Brigit had told Vincent, she was hoping to develop a relationship with him, and she was quite bold and forward about it! Vincent said so himself."
In reply, Mary scolded, "Land sakes Rebecca! You should have told me this before! This information definitely sheds a new light on Brigit's visit! It is possible she is coming here not to mourn, but to woo Vincent!"
And because the thought had crossed Rebecca's mind too, she still wanted her mentor's opinion, and asked, "Mary you really think so?"
To which Mary pleaded her case, saying, "I only said it was a possibility, but now that you have made me aware of Brigit's audaciousness, well, I fear Vincent is quite susceptible, and his virtuousness is at risk!"
Feeling guilty that her information, had painted Brigit so harshly, Rebecca tried to back peddle a bit by saying, "Well maybe she IS only coming to mourn."
In reply, Mary adamantly said, "Either way Rebecca, even if she is coming here for sympathetic solace, well this is just as dangerous! She is a woman all alone, needing emotional comfort from the man she is lusting after! I fear a very caring Vincent, may fall prey, and give it!"
To which Rebecca argued, "But Mary, don't forget, you said it yourself! Vincent is a virtuous man, and the way he feels about Catherine...well I..."
With an affirmative nod, Mary butted in to say, "Yes, well you just never know where this volatile combination will lead! Call it women's intuition, but I am beginning to think Brigit O'Donnell is going to be a hand-full, in more ways than one!"
To which Rebecca embarrassingly said, "Oh Mary!"
Sternly Mary replied in summation, "You can "OH MARY" all you want, but I for one, until we know exactly what Brigit's needs are, will be watching her very closely!"
In a resigning fashion Rebecca ultimately agreed by saying, "Then Mary...So will I! I will do my part too. We must stick together! I sure don't want to see Vincent taken advantage of either."
Mary looking back at Rebecca, said, "Yes there seems to be so little we can do for Vincent right now, but watching out for his virtue is the one thing we CAN do!"
As she put the last fluff to the pillows, Rebecca then said, "Yes if only Vincent had received some sort of an explanation from Catherine. Do you think one of us should find and contact Catherine, and at least find out why she ended things so abruptly with him?"
In reply, Mary nodded in agreement, and said, "Father and I discussed that, but he said Vincent was emphatic about handling this his own way, and Father feels it is right to honor his wishes. But now..."
To which Rebecca asked, "Yes?"
Subjectively Mary replied, "...well, with Vincent's heartache growing, instead of subsiding, I can't help but wonder if Father is rethinking this, because he subtly mentioned, that with Peter out of town right now, there is no way to even try to contact Catherine. Maybe when Peter returns, some resolve can come about for Vincent."
As Rebecca nodded in agreement, she then asked Mary if Jacob should be informed of their concerns about Brigit coming to seduce Vincent. To which Mary replied she thought Jacob should be told, and to leave it to her, that she would do so straight a way!
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Meanwhile, via a note from Jacob, Lin was asked to escort Brigit to the tunnels. To which Lin excitedly wrote back, "Yes, I will escort Brigit, and, I will be bringing your book for Vincent as well."
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It was a week away from Thanksgiving, and the city was dressed in its festive holiday baubles, of Christmas lights, bows, and evergreen garlands.
And because it was such a beautiful Fall day, Catherine decided to walk to work, and as she traveled down the street, she suddenly felt a snowflake lightly touch her nose, and then she felt another as it fell onto her lashes. And as she looked upward, she saw the biggest, most beautiful snowflakes she had ever seen in an all out snow flurry.
As a smile came to her lips, Catherine realized she had not felt a genuine joy about anything since that fateful night, she had met Vincent.
Taking in a deep breath, she happily greeted the doorman, and then asked, "Jake, how is Bruno doing?"
Jake tipped his hat at Catherine, as he opened the door for her, and said, "Just fine Miss Chandler, in fact he is going to be back on duty tonight. That flu sure knocked the hel...heck out of him!"
Warmly, Catherine smiled back at Jake, and said, "Well I am glad he is better, but we will miss you. Happy Thanksgiving if I don't see you Jake."
With a tip of his hat, Jake replied, "Thank you Miss Chandler...and the same to you."
It was then Catherine noticed the new painting in her building's lobby! Thinking back she remembered Jennifer mentioning her gallery was filling the commissioned request. And as Catherine stepped up to it, she smiled as she noticed...it was by Ivan Aivazovsky, one of her favorites. Realizing Jennifer knew this, and most likely chose it for her, Catherine thought she better call her friend, and thank her.
As Catherine then rode up in the elevator, she took a deep breath, and as she exited onto her floor, she cheerfully greeted Madge the temp.
And because Madge did not know Catherine personally, or without the pall of heartbreak, she had wrongly misinterpreted her as being maybe a bit standoffish. And so this cheerful greeting caught her off guard, prompting Madge to say good morning in return, thinking, "Hmm, that is the friendliest I have ever seen Catherine! Here I am, just fitting in, and its time for Rita to come back!"
And so as Catherine continued onward, she next greeted Marilyn, before peeking into her Dad's office, and with a smile said "Good morning Dad."
Surprised his daughter was in early, Charles rose to greet her, and cheerfully said, "Good Morning Princess, you are looking like the old Cathy this morning. Feeling better?"
Reflectively Catherine said, "The snow makes me feel happy Dad."
Nodding Charles smiled at his daughter and said, "Well that's a start. Happiness may come slowly. Today it is the snow, and tomorrow it will be something else. It takes a long time for the heart to heal."
With a loving smile, Catherine hugged her Dad, and softy said, "Thank you so much Dad."
Although Charles definitely enjoyed the hug from his daughter, he couldn't help but to ponder the reason for this display of gratitude, and so he asked, "Thanks for what kiddo?"
To which Catherine gratefully said, "For not expecting too much, or pushing....for giving me time to work through this..."
With a knowing look, Charles shared, "I know it is still difficult, but the trick is to put the pain in its own little box, and put a lid on it...so you can continue on the road of life, look around, and find a little joy."
With heartfelt emotion, she then said, "...I remember you telling me that a long time ago...and I am trying, and even though I am finding a way to function, I still miss Vincent so much. I just wish I could understand what went so wrong."