No more Annalee.
I sighed with happiness. As if expressing its approval of my wish, a star sailed across the sky, sacrificing itself in a shimmering display. With a bright flash, it vanished on the dark horizon. A childhood song entered my mind, and I couldn’t help but whisper it.
Rock-a-bye baby
On the treetop,
When the wind blows,
The cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks,
The cradle will fall,
And down will come baby
Cradle and all.
Mother taught Dominick and me this song while we were still in the nursery. Back then, we still thought of her as a lost princess, beautiful and distant and always awaiting her prince, a dead prince who would never come to rescue her. And now I knew that she wasn’t really my mother and that I would never know my true mother or father. Even Dominick felt lost to me now.
Dominick gave up on keeping me imprisoned at Sugar Hill. I suspected he grew tired of hearing me cry and returned to the arms of his left-hand wife, Livy, hoping to lose himself once again. He was increasingly unhappy with his placée, but I felt no sympathy for him in that regard, and I offered him no ear or comforting shoulder. On top of his unhappiness lay a thick layer of shame for having made the arrangement, but in the end, his burning desire for the young woman outweighed his conscience.
I had no doubt our mother would have been sorely disappointed in him, yet Dominick returned to Livy again and again. As it always had been since the beginning of time, a lover’s call trumped a sister’s tears. Whenever Livy summoned him to her side, my brother returned to her like an obedient dog. I was sorely disappointed in him, but I’d long ago stopped grieving for his friendship.
He’d been gone a week this time, but despite his weakness for Livy, I felt no ill will toward him. He had been my rescuer. He had freed me from the grasp of my betrayer, Champion, Dominick’s half-brother, the son of his father and his right-hand wife, Athena. The three of us grew up together. We’d been like three peas in a pod, despite Mother’s protests. And now, when it was too late, I knew how right she’d been. Champion had never loved me the way a man should love his sister.
Yes, Mother tried to warn me, but I had mocked her, ignored her advice, and continued about my merry way to my own destruction. At first, Dominick threatened to kill Champion. He’d loaded his revolvers and called on his closest and most discreet friend, Emilio Sota. He was prepared to ride to Thorn Hill when I stopped him. As a good brother would, he was ready to defend my honor, and I loved him for that, but in this scenario, even I knew it would not end well for him. I had spent many hours watching my brothers shoot pistols and bows and toss Champion’s silver knives, and Champion was clearly superior at these gentlemanly pursuits. But Dominick would not relent, and he had every intention of challenging his brother to a duel.
“And what good would it do, Dominick? Would you kill yourself for me? We know that Champion is a trickster and has no honor, Dom. He will not play by the rules, even in the presence of honorable men. Please don’t go to Thorn Hill. Let it be. There will be a time for vengeance, a time for justice. Oh, there will be. Listen to me, brother.” At first, he wouldn’t change his mind. He had that stubborn tilt to his jaw, the slanted look to his eyes that told me he was going to follow his own mind about things. But Mineola, our mother’s mysterious companion, spoke to him on the matter.
“I see Death for you if you go to Thorn Hill. Death for him if you don’t. You choose.”
In the end, Dominick heeded our advice, and we left Champion to his own devices. Champion slandered my name around Belle Fontaine, and according to Livy, he mentioned that he intended to turn me out of Sugar Hill and claim it too. But we heard nothing else beyond Livy’s whispered gossip. Although we had succeeded in saving my brother, I often woke to see Champion’s face looming over me. The nightmares were constant and persistent until Minnie interceded with her twisted rope “dreamcatchers,” as she called them. She arranged the hanging items around my bed, and I dreamt no more.
But that didn’t stop me from remembering. Months after Champion’s cruel assault, I could still feel his hard hands on my arms, his demanding fingers tearing at my clothes, forcing my legs apart. For weeks I couldn’t sleep, eat, or talk. Champion had said horrible things to me, whispering profanities in my ear, his alcohol-soaked breath a further invasion. When he had finished with me, he left me to bleed and weep on the floor of the front parlor of Thorn Hill under my mother’s portrait. Champion had fled before Dominick arrived, luckily for him, and now that he was gone again, my brother was no longer worried that I would be further assaulted. I supposed in his mind, the worst had occurred.
One day, I dressed, braided my hair, and decided to live life again, whatever that meant. I longed to run with the wind, and I spent all my time on the back of my horse, Lorrie, exploring the long twisted riverbanks near the plantation. Spurning Olive’s service, I traveled without a companion and did whatever I pleased, although I never ventured far from Sugar Hill. It was both my haven and my prison.
Mother didn’t admonish me to take Olive with me or to be careful, nor did she comfort me or fuss over me. I received more attention from Mineola than from her, but I did not care. What else was there to say? Besides, she was gone now. Everything we had to say to one another had already been said. You couldn’t speak to the dead, could you? Oh, Mother. Why did you leave me, Mother? Why did you wither away like a dried husk of corn? You willed yourself to die and left me alone to fight Champion and the ghosts of Sugar Hill by myself. I hate you for that!
I refused to sit beside her in the Mirror Room and wait 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? But the ring was on my finger.
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 since 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.
I would never go back there. Not in death or life.
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.
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?
Why did I care? Let another woman wear the horrid thing. I had never w
anted 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 from my purpose.
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 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 on 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 good 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 anybody. 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. But let me warn you, making plans 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, I would go 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 felt sorry for Robin, who had to make sure everyone was fed and happy. We definitely didn’t pay her enough.
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. 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 title of Matrone 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.
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 Dufresnes 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 n
ot 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. 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 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 Matrones 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 over 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 had stepped up. The Starlight Foundation was a worthy charity, and I’d done plenty of homework on it. The organization helped blind veterans regain their eyesight and had done great work so far.
The Hauntings Of Sugar Hill: The Complete Series Page 49