“No, it’s a renouncing. You must renounce Ambrose, Annalee. You must tell him—you must say out loud that you renounce him and that you forever break your promise to him. Once you do this, you can’t call him back or change your mind, or you’ll surely die. But if you do this now, before he claims Ida, maybe it will be enough. Maybe the Good Lord will help you, and that will be enough. That is all I can do for you, girl. That is the last and only thing I can do for you.”
“What about Ida?” My heart felt like a heavy stone.
“I can’t say what will happen to her, but if you leave this matter like it is, she won’t have no chance at all. He’s coming for her, but you’re the tie that binds him to her. Cut the cord, Annalee. Cut it quick! I can’t do anything more.”
The weakness of her voice worried me. At least Ida had settled down. “You aren’t going to leave me, Mineola. I need you, and so does Ida. Dominick needs you too, although he won’t admit it. Please say you won’t leave me as Mother did.”
“I’m not dead yet,” she said as she flashed a rare smile at me. “Now say what I say and mean it in your heart, Annalee, or it won’t do a bit of good.”
As the storm wailed around us, I stood in the center of the room, holding Mineola’s hands. I took a deep, purposeful breath and repeated the words she spoke, doing my best to speak them honestly.
“Spirit that is called Ambrose…I renounce you. I broke my contract with you and appeal to the Almighty to judge between us. I renounce you in my waking hours and when I sleep. I renounce you in life and in death. I renounce you now and always. Be gone, and never turn back. Never return to me, or I pray that the Almighty will cast you into utter darkness. Be gone forever.” Mineola sank into her chair as I finished speaking. It was as if my recitation had drained the last bit of energy from her, and that made me feel even guiltier. I hated knowing I had caused her such grief, and I did not hold it against her that she had not taught me the Old Ways.
I knew enough already. Far too much, actually.
After it was done, I felt lighter and more hopeful, but I wasn’t sure anything had changed. How would I know? I asked her as much, and she gave me that smile again.
“I don’t know, Annalee, but that’s all we can do now. Go get you some rest. I’ll watch over her now. She sleeps, see? You go to sleep too.”
“I won’t leave her, Mineola,” I whispered fearfully.
“Then sleep here, child. Rest yourself.” Pointing to the bed, she sat in a nearby rocking chair and hummed as the thunder rolled over Sugar Hill. I lay in the bed, staring at sweet Ida’s face and listening to Mineola’s song.
Oh no! This had been what my dream was about; this was what Mother wanted me to know. I had blood on my hands, Ida’s blood, just as Mother had my blood on hers! Blood, blood everywhere.
I let hot tears slide down my face as I felt Ida’s soft fingers curl around my pinky. After a few minutes, my heart calmed a bit, and I grew sleepier by the second. But I didn’t dream. Not about Ambrose or anything else.
When I woke up, the house was quiet. The storm had cleared out, and there was a bit of sunshine filtering through the attic windows. The baby gurgled happily in the bed beside me, but she wasn’t fussy yet. That wouldn’t last long. She’d be wet and ready to eat soon. Ida didn’t like wet clothing.
I propped myself up on my elbow and smiled at the three of us sleeping through a storm. But then I could see that Mineola wasn’t sleeping. Her head was tilted awkwardly to the side, and the rocking chair tilted forward. She could fall it if she wasn’t careful. That couldn’t be comfortable or safe. Carefully, I crept out of bed and went to her.
“Minnie? Mineola?” I reached out for her hand, but she didn’t stir. It was too late. Mineola had left me sometime during the night.
Her eyes were wide and staring. Her mouth was open as if she’d meant to tell me something or wanted to cry out but couldn’t find the strength.
Or someone had strangled her.
Faintly, I heard the lullaby again, the one that Ambrose had sung to Ida earlier.
I had no doubt that his hands had choked the life from Mineola.
And from this day forward, the two of us, Ida and I, were on our own.
Chapter Nine
Summer Dufresne
“Robin, has Jessica been down for breakfast yet?” I asked as I munched on a bagel covered with cream cheese. I flipped through the newspaper and read the obituary to myself. It was done beautifully, thanks to Reed’s connection at the newspaper. There would be no wake for the elegant Pepper Dufresne because she didn’t want one, but tomorrow, this place would be swarming with relatives who would want to visit me after the funeral. I wanted to speak with Jessica and let her know that, although I skipped out on dinner last night, I wanted her to stay as long as she liked.
And I was curious to see if she’d spotted Dominick. I also decided I’d tell her what I’d seen. It was wrong to ask her to probe around in the dark without knowing who or what to look for. That wasn’t cool. I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t shake the vision. Maybe I just wanted to talk about it.
“No, ma’am. I haven’t seen Jessica since yesterday.”
“What?” I put the bagel down and stared at her as if she had two heads.
Before she could explain, Pam popped her head in the dining room, “Miss Summer, there’s an emergency in the ballroom. If you could come, please? It’s your friend.”
I flung down my linen napkin and made a beeline for the ballroom. Fortunately, most of the scaffolding and construction equipment was gone now, with just a few minor pieces of equipment left for the flooring installation. And as expected, about four members of the construction crew were there to repair the leak in the ceiling, but there was a surprise guest lying on the floor. Jessica! The sparseness of the room made her appear even more frail and helpless.
I scrambled to her side. “Jessica?” As she wasn’t conscious, I asked Jeffrey McDavies, the general contractor who sat on the other side of her, “What the hell happened, Jeff? Has anyone called an ambulance?”
“We got in a few minutes late. Had to stop by the warehouse for some material,” he began with an apology.
“I really don’t care about your time card right now,” I shot back impatiently. “Just tell me what happened.”
His puzzled expression said it all, but he continued, “When we got here, she was on the floor. She wasn’t moving or talking or anything. She couldn’t have fallen off anything because we took the scaffolding down over the weekend. I guess she was walking through and passed out.”
“Has anyone called for an ambulance?” I asked again as I saw Jessica’s eyes flutter open. They were vivid blue with dark smudges beneath them, evidence that an old soul lived behind them.
“Dominick?” She stared past me at the ceiling above. Who or what was she looking at?
Surprised to hear that name come from her lips, I said, “No, Jess. It’s me, Summer. You’re in the ballroom at Sugar Hill.”
She struggled to sit up, and I helped her. I was no nurse, but it had to be a good thing if she could get up on her own. Jessica had a noticeable knot on her head. “I…I was in the garden.”
“Yes, you said you were going to the garden yesterday. Have you been lying here the entire time? Did you hurt your head or something? I see a lump.”
Jessica’s pale hands flew into her loose hair, and she felt around her scalp. “Ow! I don’t think so. I can’t remember. One minute I was in the garden, the next I was here. Will you help me up? It’s so foggy. Like my brain has been asleep.”
Robin spoke up, “Maybe you should sit for a minute. The ambulance is on the way.”
“I’m okay, I swear. Please don’t go to all that trouble.”
“Are you sure?” I asked her suspiciously as I eyed Robin.
“Yes, I’m sure. I’m just embarrassed is all. Okay, that hurts. I must have tripped. I think I did bump my head just a bit.”
Taking my cue from Jessica, I gave Jeffrey
my thanks and helped my friend limp out of the ballroom. We found a quiet corner in the adjoining music room and sat for a moment so she could collect herself before going upstairs. Jess insisted that we cancel the ambulance and swore she’d be okay.
“I don’t know what to say, Summer. I don’t know what happened. I am sorry for any trouble I caused.”
“Nonsense. You aren’t any trouble. What’s the last thing you remember?”
Her sad eyes focused, and she answered in a whisper at first. “The garden. I was headed to the garden. In fact, I went in, and that’s the last thing I remember, I think.”
“But you thought I was Dominick. You must have seen Dominick because you were looking for him when I found you. That’s the first thing you said to me when you saw me, do you remember that?”
Her face brightened and then darkened like someone had opened a window and quickly slammed it shut. “Yes…Dominick. Oh, yes, I remember him now.” Her hand flew to her mouth, and she smiled as if remembering something that filled her with happiness. “It’s like I was there with him. Oh, he was not like the other one, not like Ambrose. He wasn’t evil, Summer. He was just a man, and he called me Ophelia.” Although her eyes held luminous tears, none of them fell. She stared into nothingness, and I felt my heart break for her. Something had happened. Something heartbreaking. Or maybe it was just those haunted eyes of hers. Jessica’s thoughts weren’t clear, that much was for sure. I immediately regretted not insisting that she go for hospital care. It wasn’t too late to insist that she do just that.
I frowned. “You know, you’ve done this before, forgotten things. You forgot after you went into that trance when you first came here. That’s when you saw Regina’s ghost and found the bodies. Is that what this is? Are there more bodies, Jessica? Is this the aftermath of a trance? I think we should take a drive to the hospital, or at least to Urgent Care.”
“No, I’m fine. And no, it’s not the same. Just some ice is all I need. That incident was entirely different. I couldn’t help Regina and her mother, but I can help Dominick. It isn’t too late!” She clutched my hand and stared at me hopefully. What did that mean? I was in way over my head here and had no one to guide me. Avery! I should have called you about Pepper. I can’t handle all this on my own.
“Wait a second. What are you saying? Dominick, if it is Dominick Dufresne you are referring to, has been dead for over a hundred years, Jess. Closer to two. You can’t help him.”
“I can, though. I know I can. Dominick’s in danger. You should have seen them, him and Champion. They were struggling in the garden. I remember that now. They were fighting over Annalee, I think. I was so frightened for him. He thought I was Ophelia.”
“I might have something to add here. I guess now is the time to tell you I’ve seen Dominick before, in my room, and once in the garden. Why would he be showing up now? And why is this old feud between them coming up?”
“I don’t know, but I have to find out. It could go badly for him, Summer. It really could.”
“Yes, but the past is the past, isn’t it? Dominick is dead, Jessica, and that doesn’t explain how you ended up unconscious on the ballroom floor.”
She leaned forward and put her head in her hands. “I just can’t remember. I will, though, I know I will. I need to rest, I think, to clear my head.”
“All right, let’s get you something to eat, and then you could rest a while. This house will be full of my family soon. Pepper’s going-away party officially starts tomorrow, but there’s always out-of-town early birds. I’m sure you won’t want to be in the middle of that organized chaos.” What had I done? Involving Jessica in the activity here had been the wrong choice. She was just too fragile to handle this place. I had forgotten how Sugar Hill affected her. “And I think it might be best if you end your investigation. I never wanted to put you in danger. I’m sure Avery wouldn’t approve either. It’s alright, Jessica. Everything is going to be all right. I swear. Let’s get you a hotel room, and I’ll book your flight home. I should never have put you back in this mess. It was damn selfish of me.”
“Don’t say that, Summer. Please don’t say that. I have to keep going. I can’t just quit like that. You don’t understand. I can’t turn off the channel once it starts, not until I have an answer. Please don’t send me away. I have to see Dominick again. I have to help him if I can. Tell me what you’ve seen, what you know. That’s why you invited me to stay. You want to find out, too, I know you do.”
I knew it wasn’t any use trying to save Jessica from any more heartache. This was how it was going to be. I had invited her here, and I couldn’t force her to quit. This was who she was. “All right, but promise me you’ll call in help. Maybe Mike?” I didn’t mention Becker’s name, but I wouldn’t say no if she wanted to bring him here.
“I promise I will do that.”
I recounted everything and didn’t leave out a detail, not even the knife. She said excitedly, “I heard your voice in my trailer, Summer. You were telling me, ‘He has a knife!’ This can’t be a coincidence. That has to be it; Champion plans to stab Dominick!”
Naturally, Jessica jumped to the conclusion that my dead ancestor wanted and needed her help. “Whoa, Jess. We don’t know that. I think you need to get something to eat and rest a bit before you do anything else.”
“I will. In the meantime, do you have any family history I could review? Maybe something in a family library? An old record like a family bible?”
“Sure, there are two studies here, one upstairs and one just over there. Feel free to use either. There are more than a few dusty old books about the Dufresne clan in both.” I rose from my seat, and she rose with me. Together we went to the kitchen, and I made sure she ate. It wasn’t much, but she did as I asked and then headed upstairs to rest.
Seeing my worried expression, she smiled confidently. “I’ll be more careful, and from now on, I’ll take my camera with me.”
“All right,” I agreed, but I was absolutely sure Avery wouldn’t like this one bit. Oh, well, I was in charge now, at least for the foreseeable future. I left Jessica to tidy herself up. She had a bag of ice now, and I heard the shower running. She flashed her sad smile, and I let myself out of the room.
I decided to head downstairs and check out the arrangements for tomorrow’s meals. We would have a crowd to feed, that was for sure. I wonder if I could find a doctor available for a house call. Reed would be the one to ask, but I couldn’t call him. Nope. Not going to break up their happy moment. I could do this.
Robin popped her head in the kitchen doorway. “Miss Summer, there’s a postal man here for you. Says you have to sign for something.”
“Okay,” I followed her to the front door and greeted the mailman.
“Summer Dufresne?”
“Yes?”
“This is for you. Have a nice day.”
I accepted the envelope and opened it while the bony-kneed mailman whistled down my steps. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Evelyn Richards demanded money, or she’d sue me over Jamie’s burial. What the hell? Well, there was no avoiding it now. I’d have to call Reed and Avery. It was an unspoken Dufresne rule.
We might not call on a birthday or acknowledge an anniversary or even make one another aware of a death in the family, but we always called when lawsuits were filed.
When it came to the family name or fortune, we were all in it together.
Chapter Ten
Jessica Chesterfield
I didn’t lie down after my hurried breakfast. My head throbbed a bit, but other than that, I was physically fine. I went straight upstairs and ransacked the study for more information about Dominick Dufresne. The upstairs study didn’t yield up much beyond an extensive collection of romance novels.
Unlike previous experiences, the memory of what happened to me came back rather quickly. The realization that I wanted more than anything to go back there—oh, that was torturous. I gathered I’d been gone in the present for only a few hours, but whe
n I was with Dominick, time seemed to have sped up quite significantly. I’d been with him for nearly a week.
I wasn’t just with him. I was with him, and I loved him. As strange as it sounded, I loved a dead man. Imagine finding the love of your life, only to learn he wasn’t alive during your lifetime. Dominick died some time ago, but to me, he was alive and warm, and I had to find a way to get back to him.
But you’re not Ophelia! This is wrong! You can’t do this!
As I plundered the library for family histories and accounts of those early Dufresnes, I thought about that first moment I’d thrown the apple at him. I smiled about that now.
I had been so afraid of him, so afraid of what was happening, but that was another me. I wasn’t afraid anymore. Gone was the girl who used to cut herself and quietly wanted to die. Gone was the girl who wanted to find proof of life beyond death—I had that in spades now, didn’t I? No, I wasn’t afraid of the shadows or of the dark anymore. I didn’t know why, but I attributed that turnaround to Dominick Dufresne and my time with him. He was so loving and accepting, so fascinated with me. I felt like a rosebud that was ready to bloom.
No, I wasn’t afraid of anything anymore.
Except for Champion Dufresne. Yes, I was afraid of him…not for me, but for Dominick. Champion had a murderous heart, as he made clear by word and deed. I tried to warn Dominick about the danger, but he assured me he would be careful. He’d kissed my forehead and squeezed my hand as if it was me he was worried about.
And Annalee, who was always holding baby Ida… What a sweet young woman trapped in perpetual sadness. She needed me too. Even though she was young and probably the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, she dressed in black daily and looked every bit the widowed matron. If only she had lived in this time and I in hers. Maybe somehow we could do that—exchange places. She was so unhappy at Sugar Hill, but I wanted nothing more than to be there.
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