Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 102280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Lily made another note. “That sounds useful.”
“It was. Though . . .” Mrs. Pennington hesitated. “Well, some people thought the Aldriches lived rather well for a lighthouse keeper’s salary. They had nice clothes, improved the cottage, and had money for little luxuries.”
“Did anyone think they had another source of income?”
“Oh, just idle gossip. Small towns are that way—people notice when their neighbors seem to be doing better than expected.” Mrs. Pennington’s tone suggested she didn’t approve of such speculation. “Edmund probably made extra money helping local fishermen with navigation advice. And Mathilde’s translation work would have paid something.”
“Of course.” Lily turned to a fresh page in her notebook. “Did you ever hear any stories about the lighthouse itself? Local legends, that sort of thing?”
“Well, old buildings always attract stories. People claim to see lights in the windows and hear footsteps on the stairs. Nonsense, of course, but it makes for interesting conversation.”
“What kind of lights?”
“Oh, just the usual ghost story material. After Edmund died, some people claimed they saw lights moving around the lighthouse at night. Not the regular beacon, but smaller lights, someone carrying a lantern.” Mrs. Pennington smiled indulgently. “Of course, that was probably just Mathilde moving around in haste. Grief can make people see things that aren’t really there.”
“But people kept reporting lights after she left?”
“So they claimed. Though I always suspected it was just reflections from passing ships, or maybe teenagers playing pranks.” Mrs. Pennington’s tone became more serious. “You have to understand, Lily, lighthouse keeping was lonely work. The families who lived there were isolated, especially in winter. It’s natural that people would develop stories to explain things they didn’t understand.”
Lily nodded, but she was thinking about the timeline Sarah had created. If people saw lights after Mathilde left, and if those lights continued for years afterward, it suggested something more systematic than grief or teenage pranks.
“Mrs. Pennington, would it be possible to visit the lighthouse? To see the keeper’s quarters?” While her father had given her a tour, he didn’t take her into the quarters and she desperately wanted to see what was left in there.
“Oh, I don’t think that would be safe, dear. The building hasn’t been maintained in years, and I believe the town council keeps it locked.” She paused. “Won’t your dad help?”
“He will,” Lily said. “But I don’t want to bother him about his job.”
“I see,” Mrs. Pennington sighs. “I suppose I could ask around. If it’s important for your research.”
“I’d appreciate that. It would help me understand what daily life was like for the keepers and their families.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
They spent another hour looking through photographs and documents, with Mrs. Pennington sharing stories about various lighthouse keepers and their families. Most of the information was routine—descriptions of daily life, community events, the gradual changes that came with modernization.
But Lily focused on the small details that didn’t quite fit the official narrative. Mathilde’s sudden departure. The Aldriches’ apparent prosperity. The mysterious lights that people reported seeing long after the family was gone.
Individually, these details might mean nothing. But together, they suggested a story more complex than the official records indicated.
Walking home that afternoon, Lily thought about her conversation with Mrs. Pennington. The older woman had been helpful and informative, but caution colored her responses. She shared the official version of events while hinting at community speculation and local legends, yet she was careful not to endorse any theories about what might have really happened.
That evening, Lily spread her research materials across her bedroom floor, creating a comprehensive overview of everything she’d discovered. Sarah’s timeline served as the foundation, with photographs, interview notes, and document copies arranged around it in rough chronological order.
Looking at it all together, she had to admit that her findings weren’t particularly dramatic. A lighthouse keeper who died in an accident. Some community speculation about the family’s finances. A few local legends talk about mysterious lights.
But questions remained that the official records didn’t answer. Why had Mathilde left town so suddenly? What was the source of the Aldriches’ apparent prosperity? Who was seeing lights at the lighthouse, and why did the reports continue for years?
These might have simple, innocent explanations. But they were the kind of questions that serious researchers asked, the kind that separated real investigation from mere documentation.
Lily pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and began writing a list of follow-up research tasks:
1. Check town records for any documentation of the Aldriches’ financial affairs
2. Look for shipping records that might show Mathilde’s translation work
3. Try to find more detailed accounts of Edmund’s accident
4. Research the lighthouse keepers who came before and after the Aldriches
5. See if any surviving family members might have stories
In writing this, Lily realized that her simple history project had evolved into something more complex. She was no longer just documenting the lighthouse’s past—she was trying to understand the human stories that official records had reduced to basic facts.