Page 62 of Weeping Roses
He draws a file open from the side of his desk and glances my way with a concerned expression.
“I have some documents for you to sign, authorizing me to present the boxes to you. I will need some form of identification that I must copy for our records and your signature, here, here and here.”
He slides the paperwork across the desk and I nod, fumbling in my bag for the driver’s license I always keep in my purse.
As he sets about taking a copy, I glance at the official document and reach for the pen, signing my name with a flourish.
My fingers shake as I do so because there is something so incredibly important happening here and if I didn’t know better, my aunt set this up for a very good reason.
He returns and smiles as he collates the signed documents.
“May I fetch you some tea before we venture to the secure room?”
“No, um, thank you David. I’m good, thanks.”
I’m so nervous my palms are sweating and he nods, apparently satisfied that everything is in place.
“Then follow me, Polly and I will take you to a private room to unlock the safety deposit boxes.”
As I follow him, my nerves are all over the place because there could be anything in them.
It’s as if everything is riding on the contents of those boxes and I am more than excited to discover what they hold.
We head down to the basement and pass through several security coded doors before we reach a small room with one large table in the center and nothing else. I glance around me nervously, noting there are no doors, windows or even security cameras in here. It’s almost a cell and David says with an encouraging smile.
“This room is private in every way. I will leave you here because the contents of the boxes are for your eyes only. There are no cameras, hidden devices, or subterfuge of any kind. You are free to spend as long as you need, but a word of caution if I may.”
I glance at him with trepidation and he says with a serious expression. “I would advise against removing anything from this room. Your aunt was most insistent that what’s inside is for your eyes only and seemed agitated that the contents might fall into the wrong hands. Obviously, that is at your discretion and not understanding what is inside makes it your call to make.”
He nods toward the door and smiles reassuringly. “There is a bell on the wall. Just press it when you’re done and I’ll return.”
He smiles. “Now, wait here and I’ll fetch your boxes and their respective keys. There is a tamper seal that was applied by your aunt that you must break before gaining access. If you have any questions at all, I will be happy to answer them.”
As he leaves, I’m more nervous than I was before and finger the pendant as a comfort mechanism. This is thrilling yet scary at the same time because what in the hell was my aunt involved in that the contents of these boxes are so top secret?
David returns quickly and I note with interest he is carrying two small boxes. He sets them down on the table and hands me two small keys.
“I will leave you alone. Take as long as you need.”
I smile gratefully as he exits and when the door closes, I am left with a sense of responsibility, I wasn’t expecting.
Aunt Veronica was a stranger to me and yet here I am, entrusted with her secrets. If anything, I’m sad about that because she died alone and I wonder what that must have felt like.
If she was in love with Andrei Romanov, it must have been a bitter sweet experience because from the sound of it he was never going to leave his wife. I am so interested in discovering more about her, him and their relationship, so I take the first key and insert it into the lock with a sense of trepidation that I may not like what I’ll find.
As instructed, I break the small tamper seal, not really understanding why it’s necessary. I only have David’s word that my aunt secured it, but I don’t miss the sense of occasion as I break the plastic tie.
The last person to touch the contents of this box was Aunt Veronica, and I’m sad I never got to meet her. I wonder why she kept her distance. My parents never spoke about her much, just referred to her as the black sheep of the family and changed the subject whenever I raised it.
I’m surprised to see a sheaf of letters tied in a red ribbon inside the box and as I open the first one, I notice they are letters, much the same as the ones I found in her desk at Thorn House.
These letters are from Andrei. I recognize his writing and it seems wrong to be reading them at all. They are private correspondence and date back many years, judging by the date scrawled in black ink at the top of each one.
My darling Veronica.
I am lost without you. Russia is a lonelier place, knowing you are so far from me.
Has it really been three months since I last held you in my arms?