As Catherine hung up the phone she looked over at Noodles, and smiled at the little sleeping dog who had managed to steal a piece of her heart, and she then quietly closed the doors to her bedroom. Catherine then settled in, and watched the flickering flames within her fireplace, pondering her fate, and wondered how to pick up the pieces. As she sat, she recalled, of how it was right here, she and Vincent spoke of their feelings for one another, and how he had promised to send word about seeing her again. It was then that something Jacob had said struck Catherine! Yes, according to Jacob, Vincent had kept his promise, and had left a note along with the book...and then Catherine wondered, could the note still be somewhere on her balcony? And even though finding any type of note, wouldn't really change anything, not now, not since Vincent had been with Brigit, but still, Catherine wanted to know what he had written to her, on the night they had met. So as she draped her coat about her shoulders, she stepped out onto her balcony, and after lighting a candle for light, she went over to the little bench where Vincent had left the book. Tipping the bench so she could look around and beneath it, her heart stopped, as she then found a frozen folded piece of paper, partially hidden by the newest snowfall. Catherine then stepped to the candle, and gently unfolded the letter, carefully separating the page from itself. And so with tears streaming down her face, she held the letter reverently, as she read the smeared inked message...it said: Dearest Catherine, Though I have just left you, it is hard for me to resist the force that is drawing me back. I know last night was magical and enchanting for us both, and I pray the remains of the night still linger with you, as they do for me. I will be calling on you tonight at the hour of seven. If you wish to see me as well, please leave me either a note, or light a candle, then I will know my visit is welcome. If there is no sign awaiting me, I will not be as persistent as your other suitor had been, but instead, I will silently slip away, and will not torture you or myself with foolish dreams. I shall fill the moments until I can see you again, with thoughts of your loveliness. Be well, Dear Catherine, Vincent As Catherine read the last line, she heard Vincent, who was standing behind her say, "You found my letter." Stunned by the fact Vincent had returned, Catherine turned to find him looking so striking, as the flickering light, from the candle's unsteady flame, found his beautiful face. Yes, Vincent did look so very striking, regal, and strong, for he was now armed with the knowledge of Catherine's love and devotion for him. And now with an understanding of all that went wrong between them, his heart was transformed from one full of doubt...to a heart full of love and power...love for Catherine, and the power to change Catherine's sadness to joy, once she knew, and understood their truths too. As Catherine wiped her tears away, she looked down at the letter she held in her hands, and with a helplessness, born of despair, she found her voice to say, "If only I would have found this letter too, it would have changed everything, everything." Taking a step closer, Vincent agreed, "Yes..." As Catherine sorrowfully bent her head, still believing he had made love to Brigit, she tearfully said, "On the night we met, we had so much hope, I can still remember the warmth from it." Vincent nodded, and huskily whispered, "I too have savored the warmth we owned then..." Vincent continued to look steadily at Catherine, as he said, "Just as you have found my lost letter to you..." Vincent then reached inside his cloak, to take out the letter she had written to him. And when Catherine saw it, she cringed at the sight of it, and said with a helpless whisper, "My letter." To which Vincent acknowledged, "As a way to contact me, you put this within the cover of the book I would be getting...this is the letter you were talking about in the park...the night Peter's Mother had died..." Sadly, Catherine then confessed, "After Peter had left, Mr. Smythe was my only connection to you...seems so long ago when I asked that of Mr. Smythe..." Feeling so foolish now, Catherine continued, "Even though I told you there was no longer any need to, I hoped that after you did read my letter, you would have reached out to me...and yet...even after I revealed my heart to you in that letter...you were with Brigit." To which Vincent gently explained, "Catherine...I only received your letter tonight after you sent me away, it was the first I had seen, or read it...and you should know...I was never with Brigit, not in the way Father told me Mack had implied..." And so in wanting to make sure Catherine understood his resolve, in a deep velvety whisper, he explained, "The kind of togetherness you thought I shared with Brigit is inconceivable for me. To have been with her, would have betrayed all I know to be true, betrayed what is within my heart." As Catherine looked into Vincent's eyes...the window to his soul, with hope, she softly asked, "Tell me Vincent...what is in your heart?" Lovingly Vincent answered, "From the very first moment I saw you, my heart knew and recognized you. This bond between us, I profess existed always within my heart...and in yours...quiescently waiting for us to meet..." These words from Vincent lifted all pain and doubt, knowing what he said was true, because Catherine felt the same connection too. Tenderly, Vincent then continued, "After you sent me away, Father told me things tonight, and he explained away many misunderstandings. The things he told me, gave credence once again to the truths I believed were true for us on the night we met, and offered me renewed Faith." Feeling so grateful for Jacob's part, Catherine said, "Yes...the things your Father told me, renewed the Faith I once had too..." With a nod, Vincent dreamily noted, "Faith is a powerful thing...especially when it is restored." With a thoughtfulness, Catherine softly answered, "Yes..." And then she added, "...and Hope when restored and owned, is powerful too..." In silent response, Vincent nodded, and then tenderly questioned, "As we stand here tonight...is it too late to ask you to restore your Hope and Faith Catherine?" And so standing there on this snowy night, at a place that would become their window to the world, Catherine looked up at Vincent and softly replied, "No Vincent...it's not too late..." To be continued Chapter Twenty-Eight |
| Hero of my Heart! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Twenty-Seven __________________________________ |