I had refused to sit beside her in the Mirror Room and watch for her ghostly husband to appear. I supposed I could have, just to please her. But like all daughters, I thought there would be more time to forgive. More time to love.
That is until the morning she did not emerge from her room and I woke to find her wedding ring on my finger. When had she done this? When had she given me the ring? Had she come to me in the night seeking my help and I didn’t wake? I couldn’t be sure. How would I know now?
We laid Mother out in the parlor in her blue dress. It was old-fashioned and worn, but she loved it because her husband loved to see her in it. We said our goodbyes and then she was gone, ushered out of Sugar Hill forever. She would not be buried here in the family plot; the space beside Chase Dufresne was reserved for Athena. Mother would be buried at Thorn Hill, and that meant I would never see her again. For I would never go back there.
That’s when the Lovely Man returned, the one who used to come to me when I was a girl. The one who frightened me when I was younger, with his soft voice and sweet kisses. He didn’t force his kisses on me now. He had something else in mind. If I gave him what he wanted, he would give me what I wanted.
And how I wanted what he offered.
Revenge.
The boat spun around as if invisible hands were moving it—and they likely were. That didn’t frighten me, but it probably should have. And then suddenly, the Lovely Man was in the boat, sitting on the bench across from me. He didn’t speak but only smiled and watched me as he liked to do, his dark eyes glittering like the stars above.
What harm would there be in accepting his offer? What other recourse did I have?
Mother was gone, and there was no one to tell me any different. The Lovely Man had visited me several times after her death, and it didn’t surprise me when he came to me in a dream and demonstrated exactly what he would do to my “brother” Champion. I liked what he showed me.
He whispered in my ear, “Now, my lovely…I’ll give you what you want, but you must give me what I want. This will go to another.” He’d touched the ring with his finger, and the metal warmed. I flinched but relished the pain. The deal had been sealed. I would see my vengeance fulfilled, and the ring would go to someone else. But to whom?
What did I care? Let another woman wear the horrid thing—I never wanted it. I never wanted any of this! Anger burned white-hot in me, and I grew stronger in it. I felt the softness of Annalee disappear, day by day, but I delighted in the destruction of who I used to be.
Vain, foolish girl. May she never rest in peace.
Yes, rest in peace…the Lovely Man whispered without moving his mouth. I felt a chill wash over me, but I didn’t move. I half imagined I would never leave this boat. And who would miss me?
No one much visited me in my self-imposed exile except for Emilio Sota, friend of my dear Dominick. At first, I welcomed his visits. He was, after all, a lifelong friend of the family. But after a few attempts at holding my hand and some rather painful throat-clearing sessions, I decided I would not see him again. My brother undoubtedly sent him to me hoping that I would take a liking to him, but no such alliance would tempt me away from my purpose. And then came the day when I saw Champion Dufresne in all his pompous glory. On his arm was a fat, blond woman, undoubtedly very wealthy. He paraded into the church, his arrogant head held high as if he were not the greatest and foulest of sinners. As if God Himself should have been thankful Champion had deigned to attend His House of Prayer. Immediately I arose and left the sanctuary, and I knew that my departure did not go unnoticed. He smirked but did not look directly at me.
Minnie came to me that afternoon, her dark eyes piercing my soul, her strong hands nearly crushing mine. “Let’s put an end to this, Annalee. We can do away with him, you and I—if you trust me. If you would welcome the power I offer you.” I snatched my hands away. I didn’t know if I was unhappy that she would speak to me so openly about such things or that she had touched me. I did not like being touched. Not since that day.
“Power? What power do you claim to have? The kind that traps souls in mirrors?”
Minnie made a sound that led me to believe she thought me completely stupid. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, girl. I never cast magic on your mother—or no damn mirrors. But here I am now, for no reason other than to help you. Walking around here like a skeleton, like one of them ghosts up there in that Mirror Room. Why don’t you just go on up there and die too, just like your mother? You might as well—I couldn’t help her. She wanted to die. Do you want to die, Annalee?”
“Of course I don’t,” I lied. “What would you ask in exchange for this help you offer, Mineola? Money? I don’t have any money except for what my brother gives me. Perhaps you should ask him for some and leave me be.”
“It’s because of your brother that I’m here now. He takes care of me.”
I snorted. “I should’ve known you weren’t doing any of this for my benefit.”
With a sly smile, she shifted her hip and cocked her head. I shivered. Yes, she had me in her sights, and I didn’t like the feeling. “You know, tragedies happen to a lot of people. Mothers lose their babies every day. Men get sold and sent away from their families. You don’t know how lucky you have it, girl.”
I rolled over on the settee and tried to ignore her.
“So much tragedy in the world, but you can only see your own. That’s a devilish place to be. Feeling sorry for yourself never helped nobody. We are women of action, you and I. We do what must be done, and we don’t wallow in self-pity.”
“I am doing what needs to be done, Minnie,” I replied, whimpering like a spoiled child.
“I don’t see you doing much of anything, and after what that man did to you… Had that been me, he would have woke up missing his manhood. You would never have caught me walled up here at Sugar Hill like I done something wrong. You need to make that man pay, and then you’ll feel better.”
“I have a plan. I don’t need your help. I have someone to help me already,” I bragged. Why had I told her that? I knew how she felt about the Lovely Man. She saw him too, and he saw her, and he hated her.
“You go on ahead and do what it is you plan to do. Let me warn you, making tricks with the devil will cost you nothing less than your soul, girl. Better to seek help from the living than from the cursed dead.”
As the boat spun, I felt sleepy. I didn’t believe a word of Minnie’s warning. The Lovely Man was no devil. I stared into his dark face and felt desire rising within me. I wanted to touch his long dark hair, feel his skin under my hands. As if he heard me, he lay beside me in the boat. Together we looked up at the stars. He held my hand. He felt cold, but then so did I.
“Are you the devil, Ambrose? Will you steal my soul?”
I think you’ve stolen mine.
“Come to me, Ambrose. Make me strong. I will have my vengeance. You will help me, won’t you?”
When you say my name, Annalee, I am strong. I will punish all those you hate.
“I hate Champion Dufresne.”
Then he will die…
He was kissing me now, kissing my neck, and tears streamed down my face.
I heard the last glimmer of Annalee crying out against this, but I didn’t listen to her. Let her die too.
I would have this. And I would have my revenge.
Chapter One – Summer Dufresne
No one mentioned that today was the first anniversary of Jamie’s death, but I remembered. I would visit him soon. Imagine going from a wedding to a cemetery in one day. That is, if I could sneak away from my needy family. Hopeful Dufresnes were already casting a cautious eye in my direction. They wouldn’t bombard me with financial requests at Avery’s wedding, would they? Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the lot of them, I clamped my lips and waved at the happy couple.
Avery waved back and gave another gracious smile to the gathered family and friends. How many were here? Two hundred? Probably more. I suddenly fel
t sorry for Robin, who had to make sure everyone was fed and happy. We definitely didn’t pay her enough.
Yes, today had been a beautiful day. What a treat to see little Dolly Jane, who was suddenly not so little, walking down the aisle as a miniature bride. And I’d begun to make my own peace today with my late Aunt Anne, the woman who had done her dead-level best to prevent me from being here. I didn’t hate her for it; I didn’t hate that she had given the matroneship to Avery instead of me. I’d been in the wrong, under the spell of the Lovely Man. She was right, I would have done whatever he asked me, but I felt no such loyalty now. Those ties had been broken, and I had been restored. I pretended she knew that and approved of the change. Gently rubbing the lace fabric of Aunt Anne’s dress with my fingers, I let my heart experience something it hadn’t in a while—hope. It had been right to wear this today; Aunt Anne would have loved this, and I missed her. She always held out hope that her family would be all right. I appreciated that now. Now when I couldn’t tell her. So the best thing I could do was cultivate some of her vision and love for family myself.
Despite my natural propensity for negativity, I couldn’t deny it had been a memorable day. Even family elders Danforth and Judd were on their best behavior. Wonder what Bray would think about Danforth being here… Danforth looked dashing in his white and blue pinstripe seersucker suit with matching bow tie, like he’d raided Matlock’s closet. He didn’t seem to mind or care that it was January and way too early to be wearing white, and who was I to judge? We Dufresne’s did things our own way. Danforth caught my eye and nodded at me, and I returned the gesture. But I didn’t trust him for a minute. Avery and I are the matrones now, old man. Get over it. I smiled to myself.
You think you’re better than Avery? I could almost hear Aunt Anne’s accusing voice in my ear.
No, Aunt Anne. We’re partners now. Let sleeping dogs lie. She said nothing else, and I focused on tossing rice over the heads of my younger cousins. Someone had let Pretty Boy, Avery’s basset hound, out to enjoy the festivities too. Between excited yaps, he licked up the rice until Arnold Lee scooped him up and hauled him away. The boy looked so much like his grandfather. It was hard to believe Handsome was gone.
One other person missing today was Jessica Chesterfield. She’d been called back to My Haunted Plantation—and not only called back but promoted. I smiled again just thinking about that phone call. Avery might have been America’s Newscaster, but I was the Dufresne Negotiator. And it didn’t cost me a thing. Yes, Jessica was the head of the team now and calling the shots on those investigations. She’d said she would try to make it down between filming locations, but it hadn’t worked out. She was like a little sister to me—a creepy little sister who saw ghosts and uncovered hidden skeletons buried in walls. I respected her, and that respect was something I didn’t bestow on many people.
Moments later, Avery and Reed were whisked away. They were headed to the Mobile Regional Airport and then on to Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda, to enjoy an extended honeymoon. A whole month away. What would a whole month on vacation be like? I couldn’t imagine it, but I didn’t feel jealous, not one little bit.
I liked being at Sugar Hill. In fact, I loved it. Over the past year, Avery and I had settled into our roles of dual matroneship quite easily. She resided at Thorn Hill, by her own choice, while I remained at Sugar Hill.
While she and Reed were away, I would keep plenty busy. I had two directives: finish the renovation of the Grand Ballroom and finalize the arrangements for the Starlight Ball, a fundraising event to benefit the Starlight Foundation. It was Avery’s pet project, but I’d had some involvement with it the past few months. I was surprised and flattered that she’d entrusted it to me. Once she and Reed had made up their minds to marry, there was no stopping them, so Super-Summer stepped up. The Starlight Foundation was a worthy charity, and I’d done plenty of homework on them. The organization helped blind veterans regain their eyesight and had done great work so far.
Lucas laughed beside me, shaking me out of my reverie. Apparently, something amusing happened while I was daydreaming about the busy month that sprawled ahead of me. And once again, I couldn’t help but think about Jamie.
God, I missed him. I missed what could have been. What would he think about all this? Would he be standing beside me tossing rice at the happy couple, or would he be the guy standing up and objecting?
No way. He would have been mine. Mine to have and to hold forever, but you can’t hold a memory.
Or a ghost.
“I remember you, Jamie,” I whispered.
“What’s that, Summer? You talking to me?” Lucas stepped closer. My cousin wore a new suit today, the one I’d surprised him with last week. He couldn’t be an official Dufresne without a proper suit.
“Nothing important. Nice suit. I’m glad it fits you so well.”
Lucas and I stood together on the sidewalk a little ways from the rest of the Dufresne clan. Nobody seemed to mind that the bride and groom had the same last name—after all, they weren’t blood-related—but it was kind of humorous seeing Dufresne and Dufresne on the wedding invitations. Guess that was just my sense of humor.
It was sweet that Mitchell stood in for Avery’s dad. I would have never imagined that. It was a kind and thoughtful gesture, and my brother looked like a million bucks, as our father would have said. But then again, it was hard for anyone to look bad in a tuxedo. I could tell Mitchell wanted to talk to me, but I avoided him. My brother, who was never one to be impetuous, got married a few months ago without saying a word to me about it. He didn’t need my permission, and Angie seemed like a nice person, but it ticked me off and I couldn’t explain why.
What was up with all these folks getting married?
I hoped this trend didn’t continue. Mitchell staggered toward me with his ridiculously tiny wife practically running beside him. I spun around and looked for something to do. Hopefully, he’d get the hint. I didn’t want to deal with him. All I could think about was kicking off these horrible high heels and finding something to eat. I needed to eat before I visited Jamie.
“You hungry, Lucas?”
Lucas beamed—he looked as tired as I did. “Sure am.”
I took his hand, and we headed away from Mitchell and Angie. Lucas didn’t appear to notice my avoidance tactic. Good. I didn’t feel like explaining my meanness to one more person. “Welcome to the world of Dufresne leadership. You have to grab food when you can. Right now I know where there’s a stash of jambalaya. Follow me to the kitchen.”
My cousin and I meandered through the crowd and made our way through the many sets of French doors in Sugar Hill. Jazz music played; we had two live bands, one here in the house in the small ballroom and one on the Great Lawn. The trio inside was definitely my favorite. It was cooler in here too, and there would be less traffic in the kitchen. Robin told me earlier that she’d stashed me a dish of jambalaya in the fridge. I was willing to share it with Lucas.
“Have a seat. Won’t take but a second.” Most of the kitchen staff kept busy cleaning up, so we were largely alone, and I was glad for the silence. Avery and Reed’s outdoor wedding had been a beautiful affair, but no matter how hard I tried I always ended up walking more miles at these events than I’d planned. I was exhausted. I kicked off my shoes and nudged them as far out of the way as I could. Lucas and I ransacked the fridge in search of leftover snacks and Robin’s promised treat. A few minutes later, we were sitting at the bar enjoying some hot jambalaya. He thoughtfully poured us two glasses of lemonade, and we chowed down and watched with some amusement as a few of the children slipped into the kitchen looking for goodness knows what. My reputation must have preceded me because they spotted me at the island bar and took off running in the other direction.
“How’s Arnold Lee? Is he coping with the divorce all right?” Lucas and his wife had recently separated; she was not a pleasant person, from what I gathered, and had moved out of state just to irritate Lucas. The two managed to share custody,
but it was a struggle. Lucas refused to bring the family in on his situation, but I assured him once again that Reed was more than up to the job if he wanted his legal help.
As always, he remained hopeful. “No. I think we can work it all out if we’re just a little more patient with each other.”
Lucas was new to this world, and I liked his innocence. I wondered what it felt like to be innocent. Although he had wealth and influence at his fingertips now, he wasn’t comfortable using either of them.
“I think you’re making a big mistake, Lucas. Don’t let her have the upper hand. He’s your son, and he’s worth fighting for.”
Lucas put his spoon down and wiped his face. With a serious look he said, “Do you think I’m not fighting for him? That I don’t worry every day that I’ll never see him again? That I’m somehow not engaged in what happens in his life?”
Feeling like a heel now, I sank down in my chair. “That’s not exactly what I meant. It’s just that I know you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, including your ex-wife’s, but sometimes you have to do it. For the good of your family. For Arnold Lee.”
Lucas rose from the barstool and stood with his hands on his hips. “Get this straight, Summer. I would die for my son, but I don’t believe a long legal battle with his mother is going to help him at all in the long run. I appreciate the advice, but I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. I’m sure we’ll get it worked out. Thanks again.” And with that he left me alone.
Man, I’d screwed that up big time!
I waited five minutes to see if he’d return and then grabbed my keys and headed to the cemetery. I pretended none of that had just happened. Obviously, I’d have to apologize later for my misspoken words. I valued my relationship with Lucas and wanted to get back on his good side.
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