The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor

by Amy Reade

  “What did Ruby say?”

  “She told him she doesn’t mind if he takes charge, as long as the people who live here continue to honor Gran’s memory and as long as people remember that she is a co-owner.”

  “I don’t think anyone is likely to forget it again,” I noted.

  He sat down on the bed and Lucy, still asleep, shifted and flung her arm across his lap.

  “Isn’t this great?” he whispered, nodding down at Lucy.

  I nodded, smiling at her chubby face. “She just adores you,” I replied.

  “We make a great trio,” he told me, winking.

  “I agree.”

  He removed Lucy’s arm slowly and carefully so she wouldn’t wake up, then kissed me. “I should get back to my place,” he said. “I have files to review tonight. Court in the morning. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  When I returned to the manor in the morning after taking Lucy to school, Animal Control was parked in the drive and four men stood around the pond with all kinds of implements that I assumed they would use to try to catch the alligator. They were talking to Graydon. I was thankful they hadn’t arrived while Lucy was still there, or I would have been fielding her questions for days. I was surprised when they all got into their van and drove off, leaving their equipment behind.

  “What’s going on?” I asked Graydon when he came in the house.

  “They’ll come back tonight and set the traps for the alligator.”

  “Why don’t they do it now?”

  “Because they still have other properties to visit and because the gators come out at night to feed. That’s the best time to catch them. They’ll set up traps by the pond and along the riverbank.”

  “What happens if they catch an alligator?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  I thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Just tell me the gator doesn’t get returned to Peppernell Manor.”

  “Don’t worry about that. If the gator is alive and unhurt, I think they’ll send it to the Everglades, where there are endangered gator populations. If the gator is hurt, they’ll have to euthanize it.”

  I shuddered. I hated to think of the gator being killed, but on the other hand, I didn’t want to ever see it alive at Peppernell Manor again.

  I went to work in the slave cabins that day, cleaning out the brush and the rubbish that had accumulated in the corners and around the cabins’ bases. I couldn’t do any more inside the manor until the mason I’d hired to work on the basement floor had completed his work. He said it should only take him a few days. While I worked, the steeplejack arrived and began his work. I took some time to watch him to learn more about his job and the work he was doing. It was fascinating.

  By the time I had bagged up all the refuse from the cabin sites, the steeplejack had finished his work for the day and it was time to get Lucy. We spent the afternoon and evening indoors since there was a gator lurking around somewhere outside, but I couldn’t wait for the gator to be caught so we could once again enjoy being outdoors, visiting Addie and Heath in the evenings.

  The men from Animal Control came back after dark and used large electric lanterns to see as they set the traps. Lucy was in bed, sound asleep. If I craned my neck I could watch their activities from my window. Graydon and Heath were outside with them; they probably were more of a nuisance than a help, but I’m sure they were fascinated with the process of setting an alligator trap.

  I watched until everyone dispersed and Animal Control took their lanterns with them. In the morning I was awakened by the sound of voices outside. Moving quietly to the window so Lucy would remain asleep, I peeked outside. It wasn’t quite light out yet, but I could see from my perch.

  There was an alligator in the trap by the pond. It was attached to a long line that led somewhere—I couldn’t see where. The beast was enormous—at least six feet in length. The men from Animal Control were outside and they used some kind of instrument to tranquilize it from a short distance away. I hoped, on second thought, that they hadn’t just killed the animal before my eyes, but then when I saw them carefully lift the gator I figured it was still alive. They were probably taking precautions in case it should wake up too soon. It took the strength of all four men to move the alligator onto a large sling that was lying on the ground nearby. I noticed Graydon and Heath standing safely off to one side, allowing the people from Animal Control to do their work unimpeded.

  After that the gator was loaded onto a sledge-like contraption and dragged out of my sight. When Lucy and I went downstairs to breakfast a short while later, Heath and Graydon were reliving the experience excitedly over breakfast, but they stopped talking about it when we walked into the room.

  “Everything taken care of?” I asked.

  “You bet,” said Graydon. “Did you see any of it?”

  “Yes,” I answered. “Some of it.”

  Heath took one last gulp of coffee, grabbed his briefcase, kissed me, and rumpled Lucy’s hair saying, “Why don’t you guys run over and see Addie before school? She’s been lonely.”

  Lucy let out a whoop of joy and I told her I’d take her over to the carriage house. Poor Addie hadn’t had any visits from her best friend since the alligator attacked Brad. I had been afraid to walk anywhere on the property with her until the gator was caught.

  After I had dropped Lucy off at school, I returned to Peppernell Manor, where Graydon was outside talking to the steeplejack and the mason about the alligator.

  “Carleigh,” he called to me. “I got a phone call from Animal Control. Want to know more about our gator?”

  “What did you find out?” I asked. The steeplejack and mason listened with obvious interest.

  “It was a relatively young male, healthy, who was probably displaced or confused after the hurricane. He still had a piece of Brad’s pant leg in his teeth. The guys from Animal Control think Brad was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The gator probably thought he was some kind of food and lunged at him from inside the pond.”

  “I almost hate to ask this, but what are they going to do with him?”

  “I asked them about that, and they are indeed going to release him into a threatened population in the Everglades down in Florida.”

  “Good. I didn’t want him to die, but I certainly didn’t want to ever see him around here again.”

  The conversation drew to a close and the hired men and I got to work on our respective tasks. I had a look at the work the mason was doing down in the basement; he seemed to be doing a beautiful job. As soon as he was done I could get started on the walls and storage rooms.

  Before picking up Lucy from school that afternoon I went to the hospital to check on Brad’s progress. He had shaved, but his eyes still had a haunted look.

  “They’re letting me out tomorrow,” he said by way of a greeting.

  “Where are you going after you get out?”

  “I’m thinking of staying right here.”

  “Why don’t you want to go back to Chicago?”

  “Because my daughter is here. I want to be close to her.”

  “You’re still going to have to deal with the consequences of being at Peppernell Manor, spying on me, the other night. They caught the alligator, by the way.”

  “Good. Did they shoot it?”

  “No. They’re sending it to the Everglades to introduce him into a threatened population of alligators down there.”

  “They should have shot it.”

  I cocked my eyebrow at him. “You wouldn’t have been hurt at all if you hadn’t been snooping around where you weren’t welcome or permitted.”

  He looked at me with a hangdog expression and I ignored it. “You are going to have to go back to Chicago to get your stuff,” I pointed out.

  “I brought it with me. It’s all in the back of my car. The rest I put into storage in Chicago.”

  I was somehow surprised by this. “You were planning to stay all along?”

  “Yes.”

 
“Why didn’t you just tell me, ‘Carleigh, I’ve decided to move to South Carolina to be closer to Lucy’ instead of embarking on this crazy scheme of yours?”

  “I don’t know. I had to find out if you had a boyfriend and I couldn’t trust Lucy to keep her mouth shut if I asked her.”

  “She’s three,” I reminded him. “I’m not sure how much information you could have gotten out of her anyways.”

  “I know,” he replied miserably.

  “Where are you going to stay?”

  “I found an apartment in Charleston.”

  “Are you going to continue trading?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t want you interfering with Lucy. I’m not sure you’re even going to be allowed near her if you’re charged with trespassing or whatever else stalkers get charged with.”

  “Enough, Carleigh. I’m sorry, all right? Is that what you want? An apology? I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t need an apology from you. All I want is a promise that you’re going to leave me alone from now on.”

  “Okay. I’ll leave you alone. I promise.”

  “And Lucy?”

  “What about her?”

  “Are you going to promise to leave her alone, too?”

  “No. She’s my daughter and I want to see her whenever I choose.”

  “You’re forgetting that I have primary custody. That still holds true even if we’re not in Illinois anymore.”

  “Okay. Then we have to work out an arrangement where I can see her.”

  “Let’s work on that after your current troubles are over. I don’t even want Lucy to know you’re in South Carolina until this whole thing is cleared up.”

  “All right,” he snapped.

  “I’ve got to go.” I walked to the door and turned the handle, then looked back at Brad. He looked pathetic lying there in the hospital bed, and I felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for him. “Brad, I hope we can get through all of this and be friends. For Lucy’s sake.”

  He just nodded, avoiding my eyes.

  CHAPTER 22

  With the weather getting cooler I could finally turn my attention to Thanksgiving, which was only a few days away. I was excited to take Heath to Florida with us to meet my parents. Lucy only had two more days of school before we left.

  She and I had dinner with Heath again that evening. Addie was sound asleep in the carriage house. As we sat on the patio and enjoyed hamburgers on the grill, one of Heath’s specialties, the talk centered on our Thanksgiving plans. Lucy was thrilled that Heath would be joining us at Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Florida for the holiday. She didn’t yet understand the full meaning of Thanksgiving, but she understood that it was a time for family to be together, and she was getting excited to see her grandparents again. After dinner Heath walked us back to the manor in the gathering darkness.

  He hugged Lucy and kissed me good night. Lucy watched, wide-eyed, and asked Heath, “Do you love Mama?”

  He laughed. “I sure do!”

  Lucy looked at me and said, “Me too!”

  What a wonderful way to end the evening.

  The next day the steeplejack and the mason finished their jobs in the slave cabins and the manor basement. I was thrilled to now be able to get started on both projects. I decided to start with the basement’s plaster walls; I could work on the slave cabins while the plaster cured. I didn’t need the assistance of the Charleston plasterer to do the basement walls because it wasn’t a public space and there were not many spots that had to be repaired.

  The police visited me on Lucy’s last day of school before Thanksgiving vacation. They had a few follow-up questions for me. They told me that Brad was out of the hospital and settling into his new apartment. He had been charged with trespassing and stalking, since he had been on the Peppernell property several times spying on me, but was out on bail. They asked me if I was taking precautions to avoid dealing with him. I told them that I had spoken to Brad, that he had promised to leave me alone, and that we had agreed to work out an arrangement for him to spend time with Lucy after his legal troubles were over. The police clearly placed little faith in Brad’s promise to leave me alone and advised me to stay away from him. They gave me a list of steps to take in case he continued to bother me. I really didn’t think there would be any further trouble, but I took the papers they offered me and assured them I would take the necessary precautions.

  That evening we packed for our trip. Lucy reminded Heath to pack a bathing suit so we could use the pool. A friend of Heath’s had promised to look after Addie while we were gone.

  Finally, Heath and Lucy and I were on our way to Florida. We left early in the morning the day before Thanksgiving and arrived in time to have dinner with my parents. We had phoned them on the road telling them that we would take them out when we arrived, since there would be enough cooking to do on Thanksgiving Day. We met them at one of Lucy’s favorite restaurants. She would be occupied coloring while the grown-ups talked.

  When Lucy saw my parents, it was a noisy and sweet reunion. My father’s health had continued to improve in the month since he became ill, but he was still a little pale and he moved slowly. He and Mom were thrilled to see Lucy and very happy to meet Heath. I stood by, beaming, as I watched all of my favorite people meet and talk. We had a wonderful time at dinner, and Lucy fell into bed when we got back to my parents’ house.

  Heath and I stayed up for a little while, talking to my parents. He and my dad talked farming and law while my mother and I talked about the progress I was making at Peppernell Manor. Clearly, they already loved Heath.

  And Thanksgiving Day was just as nice. Heath and Dad took Lucy out to a playground while Mom and I prepared dinner, and the five of us had a happy, low-key Thanksgiving meal. Over the next two days Mom and I did a little bit of Christmas shopping and the others relaxed. Lucy showed Heath how she was learning to swim, and he indulged her many requests to return to the pool.

  We were all sorry to leave on Sunday morning, but Heath and I had to get back to work and Lucy had to return to school. We left with promises to return soon and waved at my parents until they were out of sight.

  The ride home was a little subdued because Lucy and I missed my parents. Heath seemed to understand our melancholy and tried to entertain us with stories from his childhood. When we arrived back at Peppernell Manor, everyone else had just arrived home from their various Thanksgiving jaunts.

  Evie and Boone had good news—they were engaged.

  “I thought you were married to your job!” I accused her, laughing.

  “I am, but I’m cheating!” she replied.

  Graydon and Vivian had apparently known this was coming—Boone had asked Graydon for Evie’s hand weeks ago. They were all smiles as Evie showed us her ring and gushed about the proposal.

  “It was in this tiny botanical garden in a park we visited the day after Thanksgiving,” she told us breathlessly. “He got down on his knees and everything! I wanted to surprise you all together, so I waited until I got home to tell everyone!”

  Graydon uncorked the champagne and it flowed freely while we all talked at the same time about our trips and Evie’s wedding. Lucy got white grape juice and settled down to enjoy her treat before it was time for bed.

  When Heath left that night I stood with him out on the front porch for several minutes. Lucy had fallen asleep on the couch in the drawing room and everyone else was still in there.

  We watched the stars in silence, his arms wrapped around me. “Boone’s given me a great idea,” he whispered.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I think we should visit a botanical garden, too. I love gardens!”

  I punched his arm, laughing, and he said seriously, “I mean, I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

  I turned to face him. “Are you serious?”

  He smiled, his features soft in the light from the porch lamp. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’d better give me a proper p
roposal, that’s what.”

  “You shall get one, naturally. But not yet. I have to find the perfect ring.”

  We stood together for a while longer, caressed by the cool evening breeze. His arms around me felt exactly right. I was over the moon and I know he was, too.

  When he returned to the carriage house several minutes later I went indoors with an ear-to-ear smile on my face. Evie took one look at me and gasped.

  “Don’t tell me that you and Heath . . .”

  “Not yet,” I admonished her. “When it happens, you’ll be the first to know. I promise. For now, enjoy your own engagement!”

  I crawled into bed with a feeling of indescribable happiness. I fell asleep with visions of Heath and Lucy and me riding horses, walking Addie, having dinner together. We were going to be a real family.

  CHAPTER 23

  The next morning after I dropped Lucy off at school, I stopped at the shop where I had ordered the wallpaper for the slave cabins. It had arrived, and the shop owner and I gazed at it with pleasure, reading aloud to each other some of the old newspaper stories that were reprinted on its surface. There were stories about what land had been bought and sold, what had been planted, and even where slave auctions were being held. The articles were riveting. I took the paper with me, excited to get started hanging it in the cabins.

  I began hanging the wallpaper as soon as I got back to the manor. I got three sheets hung in the first cabin that day. As I stood back admiring the walls, Phyllis walked by outside. I called to her.

  “What do you think?” I asked her as she walked up the steps into the cabin.

  She looked around thoughtfully.

  “How did you find those newspapers?” she asked.

  “I found a shop in Charleston that could print old newspaper articles onto durable sheets of wallpaper. Do you like it?”

  “I think so.”

  “Do you think Sarah will like it?”