private lessons, but he had no ambition to be wealthy
and powerful. He was a beautiful man: poetic,
romantic, a dreamer I suppose, and he was very
handsome. I expect you will inherit his good qualities,
Cathy. I really do.
"However by the time you begin reading these
letters, I don't suppose you will know all that much
about Alden. The family wasn't proud of him as they
should have been and they refrained from talking
about him if they could. It was as if his personal
creative ambitions were considered a sign of-
madness. Perhaps he was a little mad, but all creative
people are. I found his disregard for material wealth
and for all the things Franklin and his family found
important to be charming. He was refreshing, as
refreshing as a warm but crisp late summer breeze,
and he had a sm
ile that could melt the hardest, iciest
heart-- yes, even Geraldine's.
"He spent a lot of time with Geraldine. He tried
to get her to play the piano and she did take lessons
from him, but I think she did it more to be in his
company than out of any love of music. She did
passingly well, but the moment she found out about us, she stopped the lessons and hasn't put her fingers
to keys ever since.
"I know Geraldine felt more betrayed by Alden
than she did by me. Her deep love and affection for
him soured into jealousy and hatred. It got so she
wouldn't speak to him unless she absolutely had to
and she avoided him as much as she could. She didn't