Kim also invested significant time back in the castle, either in the attic or the wine cellar. The discovery of Elizabeth’s diary had been a great incentive to her. It had also wiped away the discouragement built up by so many previously fruitless hours.
In the very beginning of September during Kim’s first trip back to the castle after finding Elizabeth’s diary, she’d found another significant letter. It had been in the same sea trunk as the diary. It was addressed to Ronald and was from Jonathan Corwin, the magistrate who originally occupied the Witch House.
20th July 1692Salem Town
Dear Ronald:
I esteemed it prudent to draw your attention that your removal of Elizabeth’s body from its interment on Gallows Hill hath been espied by Roger Simmons who in like manner did see the son of Goodwife Nurse remove his mother’s body to the same end as yourself. I beg of you my friend not to flaunt this act in these unruly turbulent times lest you bring more molestation to yourself and your family for raising the departed is seen by many as witch’s work. Nor would I in the mood of the public call attention to a grave for the likewise reason that it result in you being wrongfully accused. I hath spoke with said Roger Simmons and he hath sworn to me that he will speak of your deed to no man except a magistrate if he be deposed. God be with you.
Your servant and friend,Jonathan Corwin.
After finding the Corwin letter Kim entered a two-week period of finding nothing related to Ronald or Elizabeth. But it did not dampen her enthusiasm for spending time in the castle. Belatedly recognizing that almost all of the documents in the attic and the wine cellar had historical significance, Kim decided to organize the papers rather than merely look through them for seventeenth-century material.
In both the attic and the wine cellar she designated areas for storing papers according to half-century periods. In each area she separated the material into business, government, and personal categories. It was a monumental task but it gave her a sense of accomplishment even if she wasn’t adding to her collection of documents relating to her seventeenth-century ancestors.
Thus the first half of September passed comfortably, with Kim dividing her time between decorating the cottage and searching and organizing the castle’s disordered archives. By midmonth she avoided the lab altogether and rarely saw any of the researchers. She even began to see less of Edward as he came home progressively later each evening and left earlier in the morning. 12
Monday,September 19, 1994
It was a gorgeous fall day with bright warm sunshine that quickly brought the temperature to nearly eighty. To Kim’s delight some of the trees in the low-lying marshy areas of the forest already had a hint of their fall splendor, and the fields surrounding the castle were a rich blanket of goldenrod.
Kim had not seen Edward at all. He’d gotten up before she did at seven and had left for the lab without breakfasting. She could tell because there were no soiled dishes in the sink. Kim wasn’t surprised since Edward had told her several days previously that the group had begun taking their meals together in the lab to save time. He’d said they were making amazing progress.
Kim spent the morning in the cottage with her decorating project. After a week’s indecision she was able to decide on the fabric for the bedspreads, the bed hangings, and the curtains for both upstairs bedrooms. It had been a difficult choice, but having finally made it, Kim felt relieved. With the fabric number in hand she called a friend at the design center in Boston and had her place the order.
After a pleasant lunch of salad and iced tea, Kim walked up to the castle for her afternoon of searching and organizing. Once inside the mansion she had her usual debate between spending the afternoon in the wine cellar or the attic. The attic won out because of the sunshine. She reasoned there would be plenty of gloomy, rainy days when the wine cellar would be a relief.
Moving all the way around to the distant point of the attic over the servants’ wing, Kim set to work on a series of black file cabinets. Using empty cardboard moving boxes that had brought Edward’s books to the cottage, Kim separated the documents as she’d been doing the previous weeks. The papers were mostly business-related from the early nineteenth century.