Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 524

It was a short travel diary entry.

But the handwriting was clearly not Theodore's. She knew his handwriting too well.

Besides, it was obviously a photocopy. Was this Bart Pearson's travel diary? Had Theodore gone there, photocopied a page, and mailed it to her?

She had never known Bart well. People say handwriting reflects personality, and his was strong and forceful. The writing style was concise, all short sentences—very straightforward, but it also conveyed a sense of power.

She put the postcard in her drawer.

A week later, a second letter arrived.

This time it wasn't a postcard but a sketch, or rather, a printout of a hand-drawn sketch on a standard sheet of paper.

Emma couldn't immediately place the people in the drawing. Accompanying it was an actual letter from Theodore.

*Emma,*

*I couldn't help but write to you. I wanted to tell you that after leaving the Lake District, I stumbled upon the very B&B where Bart once stayed.*

*It's on the road leading away from the lakes, a century-old house, a classic English country cottage. It’s absolutely lovely. I wish I could send you a picture; you would adore it. The inside is filled with antiques you’d love too.*

*Best of all, the walls are covered in paintings—some are family heirlooms passed down through generations of owners, others are gifts from guests.*

*The sketch you're holding is one Bart left behind. Do you remember what he drew? If not, flip it over.*

Emma eagerly turned the sketch over.

She recognized the handwriting now—strong, forceful, every stroke neat.

Bart had written: *Brought my friends to their favorite kind of cottage. Who was it that liked these short, stout little houses?*

His friends.

She turned the drawing back over. Bart was a decent artist. With the context in mind, she could now recognize several of their classmates.

There was Bart himself, Theodore, Layton, and a few other boys whose names she couldn't recall. And there were two girls: herself, and Renee Chance.

She couldn't bring herself to put the drawing down.

Setting it aside for a moment, she continued reading Theodore's letter.

*You know, the landlady actually remembers him. She said he stayed for nearly half a month, taking his sketchbook out every day to draw.*

*She also said she remembered him so vividly because he was so handsome! His cool car, cool jacket, cool boots, cool easel—and his eyes, she said, were the most handsome of all.*

*I asked her, 'More handsome than me?'*

*She said yes, without a moment's hesitation. She said Bart was brimming with a vibrant energy for life, far more handsome than a listless gentleman like me.*

[Emma, those were the days of the purest kind of happiness.]

Renee sent the message.

Emma couldn't quite remember how happy she'd been back then. Her life had revolved around studying, dancing, and silently loving someone from afar.

Perhaps the profound pain she'd experienced since had faded the memories of both joy and sorrow from that time.

[Emma, where did you get this sketch?]

Renee asked.

She replied: [Theodore sent it. Bart drew it. It was hanging on the wall of some country B&B in England. Isn't that wild?]

Renee was astonished.

[What's Theodore up to? Are you two... not fighting anymore?]

Emma explained that Theodore was traveling, following in Bart's footsteps. She knew what Renee was really curious about was her relationship with Theodore.

"Renee," she began. Divorcing Theodore had been like tearing her own skin off, and her subsequent relationship with Sebastian had left an indelible shadow on her heart.

After typing out Renee's name, a thousand words swirled in her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to type them.