When the woman paused, Lilly injected a thought. “Do you still resent her? Do you still think she wasn’t as good as you?”
Nurse Summit shook her head and sighed. “Absolutely she is as good as me. As anyone I’ve ever met. We might not have seen eye-to-eye, but she is a fine nurse.”
So, Nurse Summit still thought Oleta was alive.
“Open the gift,” the nurse said.
“Did you look at it?”
“No. I may be many things, but I’m not one to look into things that aren’t my business.”
Lilly opened the drawstring bag with fumbling fingers and drew out a long, thin chain with a large emerald-shaped amethyst suspended at the end. “Oh, my.”
Nurse Summit’s eyes widened. “My goodness. Would you look at that? Must be about four carats.”
Lilly didn’t know much about gemstones, but she was pretty certain from Nurse Summit’s wide-eyed reaction that this necklace could be worth a significant amount. “I can’t believe she would leave this to me. I think her family should have it,” Lilly said.
“She wanted you to have it, or she wouldn’t have requested it go to you.”
Lilly’s eyes filled with tears. As one spilled over, she dabbed at it with the handkerchief. She slipped the velvet bag and necklace into her reticule for safekeeping. “Thank you, Nurse Summit.”
“For what?”
“For giving this to me.” They went silent for a long time. Lilly’s mind ran in several directions and she didn’t know what to say. Grief gripped her in strong talons. She hated feeling useless. “What do we do?”
Nurse Summit shifted papers on her desk. “We tell Superintendent Healy our suspicions.” She sighed. “I hardly want to believe it, but Oleta must be dead.”
The words spilled from Lilly. “No. We can’t.”
Nurse Summit looked at her as if she’d become a candidate for commitment. “I beg your pardon?”
Lilly swallowed around the tightness in her throat. “Never mind. Of course we should tell him.” Lilly scrambled to add an explanation for her statement. “He will be so distressed.”
“Wait here while I get him.”
The woman exited her office and but left the door open. Lilly stared around the room but didn’t see anything. She crinkled the handkerchief in her hands and forced tears into submission. Her dearest Oleta had perished, murdered by a monster. Not the type of monster that crawled out from under the bed or hid in closets, but the human kind. Who would do such a thing? And second to all of that, why would Oleta give her such a valuable necklace?
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and she stood. Nurse Summit had returned with Dr. Healy. The older woman’s eyes were moist, and Dr. Healy’s gaze held only coldness.
“What is this nonsense about Nurse Franklin being murdered?” he asked.
Fierce defensiveness rose inside Lilly. “I know she is. There’s no other explanation for her disappearance.”
“How can you?” He made a scoffing noise. “She’s simply missing. I won’t have you distressing the staff with lurid imaginings. Maybe my decision to employ you as a companion for my daughter was a mistake.” He glanced at Nurse Summit, eyes filled with heavy condemnation. “I hired her on assurances from you and Nurse Franklin that she was capable.”
Nurse Summit settled into the chair behind her desk, weariness in her eyes. “Oleta knew her twenty years and I trust Oleta’s judgment.”
“That may have been a huge mistake. After all, if the woman has run away, she clearly has problems. Twenty years with this institution may have been too much for her.”
“You knew her for twenty years, too. Didn’t you trust her judgment?” Lilly blurted out the question.
He chuckled softly, but there was no humor in the sound. “I knew her to be competent, but things do change. Mental states change.”
Frustration made Lilly want to scream. “It isn’t only me that believes Oleta must have met with catastrophe.”
“Catastrophe? Don’t be ridiculous. Did she have any paramours?”
“Good heavens, no,” Nurse Summit said.
A satisfied smile curved his mouth. “Well ... in her culture I suppose it’s easy to be led astray. It may have something to do with her disappearance. She could have run off with a man.”
Lilly blinked. “Her culture?”
“Of course.” He plopped his hat on his head. “Her people are known to be lazy and troublesome.”
Lilly’s understanding finally caught up with her disbelief. She wanted to yell in his face. She took a deep breath and tried to quell her anger. “She is ... was a wonderful woman who does not deserve such talk.” She shook with the desire to pummel something. “You cannot disparage her that way.”
Thunder in his eyes sealed her fate. Dr. Healy stepped toward her, one index finger out to emphasize his point. “You speak too frankly, Miss Luna. My wife likes you and so does my daughter. However, I think you’re a bad influence on them. There is no reason to come back to my house, Miss Luna,” he said. “We’ll send your affects back to the asylum, and you can stay here where you obviously belong.”
Without another word, he left the office and slammed the door. Lilly’s heart sank, sorrow hanging over her, and despair her only friend. Silence partnered her disbelief. She had lost her avenue for revenge.
Chapter 17
Morgan watched as Della’s mother Ethel Peterson entered the room first, elegant in a violet shade that startled the eyes. He didn’t give a fig about fashion, other than when it made a woman’s charms all the more noticeable. She probably sent away to Paris for much of her clothing simply because she could say that she did. He imagined Della did the same. Della Peterson entered the parlor and a strange panic surged inside him. He stood as they entered, resurrecting the military forbearance that had earned him praise from the military cadre in school. But he’d rather face down a wall of enemy soldiers than a mother determined to marry off her daughter.
Mrs. Peterson’s golden hair reminded him of his mother’s and was piled on the woman’s head in a tall pompadour. Her virtually unlined face made it difficult to tell her age. Her striking blue eyes and peach complexion made up for a rather plain face. She was still slim, and his wildest guess at her age put her at fifty.
Della was far prettier than her mother, but less worldly. Her presence, instead, could be described as regal. Like the opulent Victorian parlor, Della’s beauty could make any man salivate. The first time Morgan had seen her at a woman’s social club charity event in Simple, his body had reacted. Her petite frame brought out a man’s instinct to shelter, her flashing blue topaz eyes teased. He’d appreciated her slim, intriguing lines beneath a pale blue dress. Each lush curve probably inspired every man between fifteen and eighty to touch and taste. All those feelings had rushed through him that first time. Then she’d opened her mouth and killed the fantasy.
He couldn’t remember why all those qualities had drawn him. Lilly Luna had dashed thoughts of Della’s beauty from his mind. That’s why I came here. Lilly wouldn’t obsess him any longer if he forgot her by courting another woman. When Lilly returned to the Healy mansion, he’d keep his hands to himself and his lust dowsed.
Morgan cleared his dry throat. “Ladies, thank you for seeing me without much notice.”
“Oh, Mr. Healy.” Mrs. Peterson batted her eyelashes as she extended her hand. “You are quite welcome to call any time.”
He bowed over her hand, but didn’t kiss it. “Mrs. Peterson, you are a gracious hostess.”
He felt ridiculous, but his father and mother had drilled impeccable manners into him from a young age. Sometimes he bloody well hated pretense. He released Mrs. Peterson’s hand and took Della’s.
Della smiled radiantly. “Mr. Healy.”
“Wonderful to see you again, Miss Peterson.”
Della’s eyes twinkled as she retrieved her hand. “And you.”
Mrs. Peterson sent for tea. She settled on a couch with her daughter and Morgan took
the couch across from them. Conversation jumped from weather to harmless gossip. Between each word and the next he understood more why Della couldn’t hold his interest. Della’s mother sat there like a hawk salivating for carrion and Della prattled.
Conversation continued at a sedate, boring pace. He stood and wandered to the window to look outside at winter. Tea didn’t arrive, and Mrs. Peterson left the room to discover what took so long. She closed the parlor door. Della stood before he could retire to the couch again. She glided toward him, graceful and prim.
“Normally I would never think of saying this but ...” Her voice was so sweet and accommodating. “I want to express my concern for your dear sister. I hear that Lilly Luna is quite insane. Are you certain it’s safe for her to care for Patricia?”
Amazing. Behind the simpering, Della had boldness, too. “If my father says she’s qualified, then there’s no reason for concern.”
Della continued her advance, stepping closer with each syllable. “Mrs. Trammel next door has heard all sorts of strange things about Lilly. That she sees ghosts and has conversations with dead people.”
Oh, hell. Rumor mongering. He clenched one fist in frustration. In the back of his mind he wondered at the validity of the rumors. Certainly since Lilly had come to live at his home, his mind had opened a little to the possibility of the supernatural. Still ....
“I won’t discuss her private life, Della. It’s not our concern.”
She pouted. “Oh please don’t be cross. I didn’t mean to offend.”
He should be damned used to facile civility, but he could barely hold on to it. “I’m still not going to discuss anything about Lilly.”
The pout remained, like a photograph. Della wrinkled her nose—a tiny twitch designed to convey disapproval. “You call her by her first name?”
Any lust he’d experienced in the past for Della had vanished. Lilly’s image remained in the back of his mind, haunting him. Lilly. Damn her turning his world upside down and being so unforgettable. He gritted his teeth. He needed to concentrate on what could be, not what couldn’t.
“Della, I don’t understand where this conversation is headed and why you want to talk about a servant in our house.”
She wandered to a table with a brocade cloth over it and a gramophone upon it. She turned on the music machine and strolled back to him. This time she stood much too close. Her feminine scent teased his nose, but it only reminded him how Lilly allured him.
“I know you’ve thought about it.” She placed a hand on his chest and fingered his lapel. “You want to kiss me.”
Flabbergasted, he gently pried her hand off his. “You’re mistaken.”
Her lower lip protruded. “I saw the way you looked at Lilly when we were at the shop. You wanted to kiss her, but she’s not marriageable material. I am.”
God save me. He’d hoped to hell his attraction to Lilly wasn’t that obvious. Della clutched at his hand and pushed it between her breasts.
“Della—”
The door open just as she tightened her hold on his hand and snuggled it closer between her breasts. Mrs. Peterson’s voice ripped through the room. “What on earth is going on here?”
* * *
Lilly settled into her old room with barely a blink. In a bizarre way, being in this room gave her stability and confidence. It returned her to her roots, no matter how dire or unpleasant those roots proved to be. She sat on her bed for a second, tired and unwilling to move an inch if she could avoid it. Her plan had crashed down around her.
As Mrs. Angel would say, she’d made a hash of things. When would she learn to keep her mouth closed? It had created so many problems for her at the asylum, and in polite society it obviously didn’t work any better. She lifted her hands and removed her hat, and then leaned over and unbuttoned her boots. With a groan, she stood and carried her hat to the small wardrobe. With a sigh she placed the hat inside on a shelf, then stripped off her coat and did the same. Her hair tumbled down over her shoulders. Lilly groaned in frustration. She’d had nothing but trouble with this hat not fitting right. Rubbing her hands over her cheeks, she closed her eyes and sighed. She didn’t want to pin up her hair again. Goodness, what would she do now?
Then she recalled the necklace in her coat and retrieved it from the pocket. Soft velvet whispered against her skin. After closing the closet door, she hurried to the bed and sat down, eager to observe the brilliant facets. When she opened the bag and reached inside, a warmth slid and slipped around her body. Like an embrace, the comfort she experienced holding the necklace surprised her.
She hadn’t taken a good look at it while in Nurse Summit’s office. After the head nurse had told her she could return to her old room, Lilly’s sorrow had eased one increment. At least she could sleep tonight in a familiar place. Shame and disappointment mixed with her desire to find another way to insert herself into the Healy household. Part of her wondered if her banishment wasn’t for the best. While she hadn’t discovered who in the Healy family had murdered so many women, she’d become too close to Morgan. What if he were the killer?
No. She couldn’t believe that. She didn’t want to think she could be attracted to a man who could harm women in such a ghastly way. She returned her attention to the necklace, eager to banish thoughts of Morgan.
The stone, which nestled in her palm easily, felt warm. Dozens of facets made the amethyst sparkle in ways she’d never seen a gem do before. Not that she’d seen many. All the women in the asylum gave their jewelry to administration when they checked in. For safe keeping, of course. But she’d seen the jewels around the necks of the women at the ball, and twinkling on their fingers. None of them dazzled like this gem or had been as large. The chain appeared to be gold, and that made Lilly want to hide it. She didn’t know how much the jewelry was worth, and that worried her.
The warmth in her palm grew, and she frowned. She gazed into the stone until her body felt lax and comfortable. Behind the relaxation she became aware of a growing sense of purpose. If she discovered what happened to Oleta and who had harmed her, she might discover what had happened to all those other women.
Lilly returned the necklace to her coat pocket where it seemed most likely to stay secure. She stared into the mirror above the chest of drawers. A pale face without eyes stared back at her. But it wasn’t her face. She gasped and turned around. Becca stood in the air, floating.
“Why are you here?” Lilly asked.
“You know.” The girl’s face was less grotesque than usual, even though she had no eyes. “To haunt you.”
“Not now. I have things to do.”
Becca sneered. “You’re back. Knew you would be.”
“So you’re here to gloat?”
Something refined and light seemed to emanate from the girl’s ethereal body. “Catherine Renlow wants you. She’s tied to the basement or she’d come to see you. She says it’s very important.”
Lilly closed her eyes, weary. “She knows about Oleta.”
The girl nodded. “I liked Oleta, even though she couldn’t see me. She was nice. I didn’t like that she was nice to you, but—”
“Enough. You can go now. Tell Catherine I will come to the basement tonight if I can manage it.”
Becca hovered, her face expressionless. “I almost said I wouldn’t come up here. Not to benefit you.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Lilly shoved one hand through her hair. Lilly wanted to lash out at Becca, but she wouldn’t. Becca was ethereal. What could Lilly do to banish her? She wished she knew. “Tell Catherine I’ll come tonight.”
Becca’s white face glared and with sunken black pits for eyes, it didn’t take much. “You go down there now.”
“I’ll come later. If I go down there now I’ll be found out. But that would please you, wouldn’t it?”
Becca sniffed, the sound distinctive and very human. “Yes.”
“Why? Because I’d be sent away from here again? So you can have this place to yourself.”
A revelation came to Lilly. “I thought you followed me because you want to haunt me. Because you wish to torment me.”
Becca nodded. “I thought I did. I wanted to make you pay. And I still will.” Her small lower lip trembled. “But I tried to stay here when you went away. I followed you, but I wasn’t trying to.”
“Oh Lord.” Lilly covered her mouth with her hands temporarily. “You couldn’t help but follow.” Becca nodded. Part of Lilly wondered if Becca lied. It wouldn’t surprise her. Impatient, Lilly said sharply, “It does not make sense. Why would you be forced to stay with me if you didn’t wish to?”
“I don’t know.” Becca voice was a whimper.
Lilly had a revelation. “Unless it is because I killed you.”
Becca made a heaving sigh. “You did. You killed me. Why?”
Anger grew swiftly within Lilly. “I pushed you because you’d tormented me all my life. Teased me and made fun of me. I didn’t realize you were so close to the stairs. I didn’t want you dead Becca. Not really. You must know that.”
Becca simply glared.
“Please just leave and stop bothering me,” Lilly said.
Becca didn’t leave, but her cold face flushed with the slightest pink hue. For a wobbly moment, Lilly wondered if Becca could become more human. Lilly decided to change the subject, such as it was. “If you want redemption, you could help me instead of hinder me.”
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