The Dowry

by C W Lamb

  The reason they had decided on lunch the night before was that Robert had mentioned his intent on sleeping at the house the following night. The counters were being delivered early the following day and he wanted to be sure he was onsite when they arrived at dawn.

  Kissing her as she closed in on him, he held her for a moment before replying. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t feel right having her here. Glancing up at the painting of Charlotte, there was a tinge of guilt at the thought.

  However, without a firm, rational reason, he sure wasn’t going to spoil a good thing so early in its development. He didn’t know where this thing was going between the two of them, but he did recognize that saying no was a relationship killer after last night.

  “I think it’s a great idea, I just wasn’t sure you would be comfortable on that cot,” he replied as he pointed to the wood and canvas framework.

  “Hey, I was a Girl Scout! Besides, that’s yours, I have another out in my car,” she added as she rushed out the door before he could comment more.

  She quickly returned with two boxes; one he could see was a cot similar to his own, the other he couldn’t quite make out. He needn’t have worried as she presented it to him straight away.

  “And I bought this as well, so we have options,” she said proudly, as she handed him a queen-sized inflatable mattress.

  “You kids planning a sleepover?” RD declared as he entered the room at just that moment.

  Taking the mattress box from Sandra, Robert placed it to one side, out of view and turned back to his friend.

  “No, we were just thinking that you should stay tonight and meet the counter guys tomorrow while we go dancing,” Robert replied, knowing RD’s views about ghosts in the house.

  “Very funny. Besides, I can’t, the wife is flying in tonight and I have to pick her up at the airport. You two have fun though,” he said as he left the room.

  “Chicken!” Sandra tossed after him with a laugh.

  With that, the two sat and enjoyed the late lunch that Sandra had brought along. At one point, Sandra uncovered the portrait of Charlotte, wanting to discuss the exterior color combinations represented there. While Sandra continued to reference the house in the background, Robert was continually drawn to the woman in the foreground, staring out at them.

  As they ate, Robert was conflicted between enjoying Sandra’s company and the foreboding feeling he was getting about her spending the night with him in the house. His recent concessions to considering an actual ghost had him unsettled. In the end, he set it aside as he would eventually be living here and he damn well better be able to have her over for the night, possibly even more.

  After eating, Robert and Sandra both got back to work, each concentrating on different parts of the house. Charlotte had originally employed the traditional combination of both interior shutters and shades, with some drapes. As the latter was just beginning to become affordable for the average home with the large textile mills sprouting in the North, they had been used sparingly. At some point in the past, conversely, the shutters and shades had been removed, leaving just the newer drapes for window treatments throughout the house.

  It was Sandra’s task to measure every window in the house to refit shutters once more, moving from room to room and detailing each on the sketchpad she carried. Robert, working with the subcontractors, had been in the basement most of the afternoon as they were finishing up the master electrical breaker panel and final plumbing connections.

  Most everything consisting of piping and wiring had been routed downstairs to the basement from the floors above. There, they had not yet been connected to the main feedlines, which was the work they were now completing. Robert was bouncing between the two subcontractors, answering last minute questions and assisting as needed. It had been several hours since he had last seen Sandra, when he heard her calling his name from the backyard.

  “Robert, can you come outside please?”

  At this point, he had been working with the plumbers, preparing the kitchen for the expected counters, and so they had moved upstairs from the basement as they progressed. He motioned them to continue without him as he exited the room.

  “What’s up?” he asked as he came out the dining room doors and down the back-porch steps.

  Sandra was standing in the yard looking up at the house. He turned to see what she was looking at, following her gaze. She was looking towards the house, looking up as if studying the roof.

  “I can’t figure out how to get to the windows in that room. I thought it was the study, but then noticed it was a double stack. I even went into the attic, which creeped me out, I might add,” she said as she pointed up to the tower room facing the backyard.

  “Here, let me show you,” Robert replied with a laugh, impressed that she had detected the slight discrepancy betraying the hidden room.

  Taking her hand, he led her back inside and then up the stairs until they entered the study. Releasing his hold on her, he went over to the bookcase and triggered the release, allowing it to swing free and revealing the hidden staircase.

  “That is just too cool!” she said with the giggle as she stepped forward to enter before Robert.

  Without warning, the door suddenly slammed shut, barring her access. That action startled them both, causing her to jump back, almost falling in the process.

  “Robert!” she cried out as she stumbled backwards into his arms where he caught her.

  “That’s never happened before. Are you ok?” He asked as he held her until she nodded in reply.

  Releasing her, he stepped forward and once again opened the portal. This time he kept a hold on the door while he ushered her past. As she entered, he looked about the empty study, searching for a possible explanation.

  “Charlotte!” he muttered, both admonishing the possible perpetrator and, for the first time, giving voice to his growing conviction she might actually exist.

  Climbing the stairs behind Sandra, they both emerged into the tower, its windows providing a commanding view out to the river and beyond.

  “This is absolutely beautiful!” Sandra commented as she surveyed the area.

  “There is your answer for the door.” Robert pointed to one of the many windows, this one ajar, likely opened by one of the workmen as they had performed some duty in the space.

  “Funny, I didn’t feel a draft,” Sandra said absently before going back to studying the view.

  With that, Robert went over and closed the window while Sandra began measuring and sketching. Rather than leaving her alone with her work, he decided to remain for a while and watch. Even he wasn’t buying the notion that the door slammed because of an open window, and whomever it was, they seemed to have a strong dislike of his decorator.

  ----*----

  By the time the workday had finished, Robert and Sandra found themselves alone well before dark. The last to leave had wished them a good night, with RD closing the gate as he departed. Without a functioning bathroom in the house to clean up in, they both agreed a swim in the river might be a good idea to wash the dirt of the day away.

  Though neither had a swimsuit, and it was still too light out to go skinny-dipping without possibly upsetting the distant neighbors, they agreed that their underwear could do in a pinch. Grabbing the bottle of wine and a blanket that Sandra had brought along, they headed out onto the wooden pier and stripped to their underwear. Hunter, not interested in participating, found a comfortable spot and laid down.

  Jumping into the river, they splashed and played like a couple of kids. A good swimmer himself, Robert dove to the bottom, verifying the notion that it was no deeper than seven or eight feet here near the end of the dock. There he found a muddy bottom, devoid of rocks or tree stumps, but black as night. After a short swim, both climbed the newly installed metal ladder at the end on one piling, something Robert had added for just this reason.

  Using the blanket as a towel, both he and Sandra dried some before Robert spread it out and they both lay
on it, allowing the fading afternoon sun to finish the drying process. Opening the bottle of wine, they took turns passing it back and forth as neither had thought to bring cups.

  “Oh Robert, this is idyllic,” Sandra said in a dreamy tone.

  “I have to agree, this is the life,” he replied before accepting the gentle kiss she offered, as they lay side by side on the blanket.

  He turned slightly, allowing himself a better view of her body, the wet exposed skin still glistening in the fading sunlight. She lay on her back by his side, eyes closed with both arms extended over her head as if surrendering to the moment, the position creating a halo around her angelic face. He could tell by the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she was breathing that she was relaxed.

  Unable to stop himself, he reached out to touch her, lightly drawing his finger tip across her stomach from top to bottom in an ever more intricate pattern as he made a game of connecting the droplets of water. Every so often he would see her catch her breath as his traveling fingers wandered down the length of her body to the top of her panties, her hips ever so slightly thrusting forward to meet him. She seemed to hang in anticipation of his next move, then appeared almost disappointed as he made his way back up her body once more.

  As darkness started to take hold, he paused his teasing as he watched her suddenly stir. She rose up slightly, bringing her arms down from over her head to allow her to rest on her elbows as she was looking about. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, he watched her sit up and reach behind, unhooking her bra and then tossing it aside. Next came her panties, those landing next to the bra.

  “So they can dry,” she commented before rolling up next to him for a more passionate kiss.

  He delighted in the touch of the warm bare skin of her breasts as they pressed into his chest. He pulled her into him, her right arm now circling his head as she drew him to her. As they kissed, he felt her slide up his body, confusing him for a moment until he felt a tugging at his waist.

  Considerably shorter than he, she had managed to hook his waistband with her left hand, pulling down hard, and then used her foot to continue the process down his legs. Her urgency excited him as he helped her work to discard his only clothing, all without breaking their kiss. Free of the entanglement, he helped her as she slipped fully on top of him, her small form now straddling his.

  He watched her face in the growing darkness as she broke their kiss. Slowly, she rose off him slightly, her body now sliding down the length of his. Her nipples hardened as they skipped off his chest, the only contact her breasts made with him. Eyes closed, her movements were slow and guided, until a small gasp escaped her parted lips. Her rhythmic actions caused her breasts to dance before his face, the effect spurring the desire within him.

  Suddenly she was bathed in a bright white light, coming off the water and startling them both.

  “Woo hoo, you go baby,” the both heard from a passing boat filled with teenagers, apparently intent on harassing the neighbors with a spotlight.

  “Assholes,” Robert muttered in frustration as Sandy had slid off him, diving to hide her nakedness behind his large frame.

  ----*----

  Darkness had well set in by the time the two made their way back up to the house. They had waited until the intruders motored past the dock and around the bend in the river before collecting their things. Fortunately, the moon was out and lit the path, bright enough for the three to easily make it to the back porch, with Hunter leading the way.

  Thought the mood had passed, neither had bothered to dress, perhaps hoping for its return. Carrying their clothes in their arms as well as the blanket and the empty wine bottle, they climbed the back stairs and Robert opened the door for Sandra.

  Entering the house, they dropped their bundles in the dining room by the doors and carefully made their way into the parlor, where Robert was able to light the lantern. Still naked in the dim light, neither made an effort to cover up as, even without drapes, they were so far from the road it wouldn’t be possible for passing motorists to see them.

  “Hungry?” Robert asked as he began organizing their bedding.

  “Not particularly, you?” she replied as she watched him move the air mattress into place. Unzipping the individual sleeping bags, he laid one on top of the other and then zipped them back together. This made a larger bed that they could enjoy together.

  “I’m good, we ate late,” he said as he motioned that the bed was ready for her.

  “We should probably get our clothes for tomorrow or the counter guys are going to get quite a show in the morning,” she giggled.

  “Good idea,” he replied as he motioned for her to follow as he grabbed the lantern to light their way.

  Once they had collected their clothing, wringing the wet underwear out on the back porch and leaving them to dry there, they headed back into the parlor. There, they found their mattress bed in a shamble. Both sleeping bags were tossed aside and the mattress itself was completely flattened, a gaping hole slashed in the center.

  “OK, Robert, this is really starting to freak me out!” Sandra said on the verge of tears.

  “First, something stabs me in the ass, then a door slams in my face and now this!”

  “I’m sure some critter just got in the house. We can still use the cots,” he said, trying to project calm.

  “Robert, you are a great guy, but we just can’t seem to connect. I would love to see more of you, but I am not spending one night in this place with you, ever!” she snapped as he watched her dress in a hurry.

  Not even bothering to retrieve the wet underwear they had left out to dry; she slipped her pants and shirt on in record time, sliding her shoes over bare feet as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. Not sure what more he could say to explain things, he offered to drive her home, which she pointedly declined.

  As he watched her pull out of the drive, he couldn’t be sure in the poor light, but it appeared that the gates he had watched RD close earlier, opened as she neared them. Obviously open as she passed through them and turned onto the street without stopping, he now had no choice but to accept the evidence before him. Heaving a big sigh, he went back inside and turned into the parlor.

  “Well, I hope you are happy! This is not how I expected this night to go,” he said to Charlotte as he stared up at the face staring back at him.

  “What’s with you anyway? I work my ass off to fix-up this place, and you take exception with me finding a little joy in my life. It’s not like you are going to climb down out of that painting and take her place at my side,” he commented while motioning to the sleeping accommodations spread across the room.

  “Sandra’s a great woman. I bet she would love this place as much as you did,” he finally added, winding down as he realized he was talking to a painting.

  With that, he stepped up and covered the image of the woman, an action akin to slamming the door on her… and feeling foolish as he did so. Turning away from the painting, he watched as the dog made himself comfortable, using the deflated air mattress as his bed.

  ----*----

  “You have a good night?” RD asked as he held Sandra’s panties and bra up for examination. He had just come in from the back porch where the countertop truck sat parked nearby.

  Both men were now standing in the kitchen as they watched the delivery and installation team set the new stone countertops in place. It was going to be a long morning as each piece of the stone counters had to be custom cut for the final fit. Robert was fortunate to find a small reference to the marble Charlotte had imported to complete her kitchen design, her one extravagance.

  “Right up to the point where someone slashed our air mattress. Sandra was so freaked out that she packed up and headed straight home,” he replied while taking the underwear set from RD and tucking it in his pants pocket.

  “That’s bizarre, but it explains the call I got from her, pulling out of this project. Any idea how it happened?”

  “I am running out
of excuses for half of what’s going on around here. I am to the point where the ghost story is almost believable. It’s kinda weird, though, when you consider the things that are happening. No one is even close to being hurt… well, except the door slamming in Sandra’s face. I could even make a case for the house throwing a temper tantrum for most of it,” he replied, not believing he was actually saying it.

  “Except for those women drowning off the dock,” RD threw in.

  “We went swimming there last night. Not a problem,” Robert replied in response.

  “I don’t know what to tell you, buddy, but you had better make peace with whatever’s here. If you don’t, you aren’t going to be bringing many dates home with you.”

  Chapter 12

  Foxworth House, 1862

  Charlotte was standing in the kitchen with Jefferson, who had managed a quick visit home as his unit was passing through the area. With his horse hidden in the carriage house, the two were talking quietly as Charlotte made tea. They chose to stay in the kitchen as they were being cautious, since the Yankees had been raiding the area from riverboats. Several times in the last few months, a boat would show up at their dock and the Northern troops would ransack the place looking for Confederate soldiers.

  For this reason, they stayed where she could see the pier as well as having one of the boarder’s children down at the water keeping an eye out. Because of the war, she had been forced to take in permanent boarders to help offset the loss of business income. With the fighting, the number of travelers needing lodging had gone to zero. For that reason, and the company they provided, she had two families living with her, both mothers and children, as their men were off fighting.

  “I brought you something,” Jefferson announced as he produced a cloth-wrapped parcel.

  Taking the offering, she discovered a beautiful blue and white ceramic bowl inside the protective bundle. At its center was the image of a riverboat, one identical to her father’s.