Shadows and Lies: A World of Gothic: United States

by Raine English

  He glanced at the clock on the table next to him. ““What brings you here at midnight?”

  It was evident by the hopeful gleam in his eyes what answer he was looking for, and I was glad that I could provide that to him.

  “I want you to know how honored I am that you have so much faith in me that you want to leave Turnberry in my hands. I’ll do everything possible to make you and my mom proud.”

  His pasty complexion brightened a little. “You’ve made me very happy, Livvy.” He looked up at the ceiling. “Did you hear that, Annie? Your daughter is going to fulfill your dream.” He tried to sit up more in bed, but was overcome with a hacking cough.

  I plumped up his pillows, and when he seemed more comfortable, he said, “Water…Livvy.”

  I ran from the room. As I headed down the hallway, one of the bedroom doors swung open, and Jaxon stepped out.

  “Everything okay?” he asked as I raced by.

  “My grandfather just had a terrible coughing fit. I’m going to get him something to drink. Will you please stay with him for a minute?”

  “Of course.”

  I ran down the staircase, through the vestibule, and on toward the kitchen. Once there, I opened a cabinet and took out a glass. On the shelf above it, I spotted a pitcher. As I reached for it, a plastic bag with what looked like sugar inside dropped out onto the counter. I shoved it back onto the shelf and then filled the pitcher with water, adding a few ice cubes, and then headed back upstairs.

  Jaxon was standing next to my grandfather’s bed, talking to him in a hushed tone.

  “Here you go, Grandpa,” I said, pouring him a glass of water and holding it for him as he took a sip, then I set the glass and pitcher on the bedside table. He looked paler than before, and my chest tightened with worry. “Maybe I should call the doctor.”

  He shook his head. “I just need some sleep. There’s nothing the doctor can do anyway. Besides, you’ve made me so happy, Livvy. I’ll sleep peacefully now that you’ve accepted my proposition. And Jaxon was telling me he offered his services to you. You should take him up on it. He’s a good man. One of the best I’ve ever known. He’ll make sure this place is run with precision. And who knows, maybe someday the two of you can put that ridiculous feud between our families to rest.”

  I felt my cheeks grow hot as I glanced over at Jaxon.

  “Asa, you know that anything I can do for you, I will, and that goes for your granddaughter too. Within reason, of course…” he said, referring to Asa’s attempt at matchmaking.

  I leaned over and kissed my grandfather’s cheek. “Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  He smiled and then closed his eyes. “Good night, Olivia.”

  Jaxon and I left the bedroom, and for the first time since running into him in the hall, I realized I was wearing night clothes. I pulled my robe closed tighter, hiding my thin cotton gown. He still had on the clothes he’d worn at dinner. Only his shirt was open more, exposing his broad, muscular chest. I shifted my gaze, not wanting to stare. But it was too late. His firm mouth curled, leaving no doubt that he knew he was a very attractive man. One who few women could resist.

  “For what it’s worth,” he said, “I wish you much success with the bed-and-breakfast, whether I stay on at Turnberry or not. Who knows, you may prove me wrong and turn out to be a country girl at heart.” Despite his words, there was a gleam in his eyes and a crisp tone in his voice that held a challenge.

  “I can’t promise that I’ll stay here forever, but I assure you it’ll be at least six months. Good night, Jaxon.” Without waiting for a response, I walked away, leaving him standing in the hall.

  When I was back in my room and settled in bed, I pulled the covers up over my head, as if that would block out the image of his handsome face. There was something about him that was so familiar, that, crazy as it might sound, I felt like I knew exactly what it would feel like to be held in his arms. Yet at the same time, he irritated me like no man I’d ever known. How could someone that I barely knew extract such strong feelings from me? I thought of Dale back in Boston, patiently awaiting my return. He’d never evoked emotions like that from me. Maybe that was the problem. I closed my eyes, and as I drifted off to sleep, I knew I needed to tell him in the morning that I wouldn’t be coming back…at least not for quite a while.

  Chapter Five

  I WOKE TO the sound of banging on the door and the loud whine of sirens. I shot up in bed and grabbed my robe. My heart was thundering as I raced for the door. Something must’ve happened to my grandfather.

  Uncle Paul stood in the hall, his face sallow and drawn. “Liv, Asa’s gone.”

  My hands flew up to my mouth, and I thought my chest was going to explode. “Oh no! I was just with him a few hours ago. I went to his room around midnight to tell him I would open the bed-and-breakfast. I never thought that…” My voice broke and my throat tightened up. There was no way I could say those words. Instead, tears streamed down my cheeks. “W-what needs to be done?”

  “The paramedics are with him now, and Dr. Becker is on his way. He’ll make the declaration, and then the body can be picked up by the mortuary.” His voice was cold and matter-of-fact, and I attributed that to shock.

  “I want to see him. I need to see him.” Without waiting for an answer, I rushed past him down the hall to my grandfather’s bedroom.

  Standing outside the door was Jess, her face red and blotchy. Next to her was Jaxon, and behind him Theresa and a few other staff. I peered inside the room to see a bevy of paramedics around his bed, so that I couldn’t get a look at my grandfather. Just as I was about to step inside, loud footsteps thundered down the hall. A moment later, a small, thin man carrying a black medical bag pushed inside. He was with Asa for a few minutes before joining us out in the hall.

  “I’m so very sorry for your loss,” Dr. Becker said to us all before shifting his gaze over to Jaxon. “You’re using Kaylene Funeral Home?”

  Jaxon nodded.

  “I’ll give them a call now.” He pulled a cell phone from his pocket.

  Before he dialed the number, I asked, “Is it all right if I spend a moment with him?”

  The doctor’s eyes were full of compassion. “Of course. Take all the time you need.”

  I waited for the paramedics to pack their bags and leave before going over to the bed. At first it looked like my grandfather was just sleeping, but then I saw the blue tinge to his lips and skin, making this all too real. “Grandpa, why did you have to leave so soon? I barely got to spend any time with you. I’m so sorry that I didn’t get to visit after Mom died. It was just too painful for Dad to come back…and for me too. I’m so grateful for yesterday, though, and for coming to see you earlier. It would’ve broken my heart if you’d left before I had a chance to give you my decision. I’ll take care of Turnberry. I promise. I’ll make it the best bed-and-breakfast in Louisiana.” Tears streamed down my cheeks and into my mouth, and my throat burned. “Mom has you now, and I’m happy that she’s no longer alone.” I took hold of his cold hand and squeezed it. “Good-bye. I love you.”

  When I left his room, my heart and mind were numb. My legs felt like rubber as I walked, not knowing or caring where I was headed. A fog came over me, and I felt like I was falling until a strong arm around my waist put me back on my feet.

  “Good thing I was close enough to catch you,” Jaxon said, staring down at me.

  “Catch me?”

  “You almost took a nosedive.”

  “Really? I’m sorry. This all just seems so unreal, and it brings back memories that I’d rather not have.”

  “You don’t need to explain.”

  I looked up into his blue-gray eyes. “Does this make me a weak city girl?”

  “A city girl? Yes. Weak? No. You have every right to be light-headed.”

  “Thanks.” I offered him a slight smile.

  “You’ll feel better after having breakfast.”

  I made a face. “I can’t even think of fo
od.”

  “How about something to drink?”

  I ran my tongue over my dry, parched lips. “That I can handle. But first I need to get dressed,” I said, looking down at my bathrobe.

  “Probably a good idea. I’ll meet you in the parlor in twenty minutes.”

  “Okay.” After I left him, I took a shower and picked out what to wear, all while in a daze. It wasn’t until I was downstairs and seated in an old overstuffed chair that I realized my pants and shirt didn’t match. Not that I cared what I had on, but my fashion faux pas seemed even more apparent when Jess walked into the parlor looking as beautiful and perfect as ever. She set down the tray that she was carrying and handed me a glass of sweet tea.

  Thankful for the cool beverage, I took a long drink. A moment later, Jaxon came in with a basket of blueberry muffins.

  “Dottie just baked these. They’re still warm. Try one.” He held the basket out in front of me.

  “I don’t think I could get it down.”

  “Try just a little.”

  It was obvious he wasn’t going to give up until I took one, so I reached inside and pulled out a muffin. “Thanks.” I couldn’t manage more than a couple of bites. After that, I felt like I was going to choke, so I set it down on a napkin on the side table next to me.

  Jessica was picking at hers as well. “My dad said you’ve decided to stay here and do the bed-and-breakfast thing?” Her words were cool and tinged with jealousy.

  I felt bad for her. It wasn’t her fault her father was a gambler. Yet, Grandfather barely left her anything because of that. “I think it’s the right thing to do. At least give it my best shot.” I shifted my gaze over to Jaxon, who was seated across the room from us. “And Jax is going to stay on and help run it.”

  His eyes locked with mine as he smiled his approval, but when I looked back at Jess, it was impossible to read her emotions. However, something flicked across her face that I couldn’t decipher, giving me the impression there was more to their relationship than I was aware of. I knew that was ridiculous. Jaxon had told me so, and I had no reason to disbelieve him. My cousin’s emotions were probably just running helter-skelter this morning, the same as mine were. “You know, Jess, I could use your help too. If you’d like to stay here awhile and help me redecorate some of the rooms, that would be wonderful.” I don’t know why I said that. The thought just popped into my head, and it seemed to be a charitable thing to offer.

  Her face lit up. “I’d love to help. I’m really good at decorating.”

  “Great. That’s settled, then. I feel so much better knowing you’ll both be here.”

  The mood in the room seemed to lighten some, and we chatted awhile, throwing out ideas for paint colors and new furniture. When I took the last sip of tea, my stomach cramped and I thought I might get sick. Maybe it was because it was extra sweet at the bottom or just because my grandfather’s passing had caught up with me, but I excused myself and went up to my room.

  I barely made it to the bathroom before my stomach revolted. I don’t know how long I was in there. It seemed like hours. But finally, I began to feel a little better. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I climbed into bed and fell asleep. When I woke, I was in the dark, and I realized I’d slept the entire day. I tried to sit up, but the room spun, so I lay back down and fell asleep again.

  The next time I woke, it was morning, and I was feeling much better. Before I started my day, I needed to let my loved ones in Boston know what had happened to my grandfather. Kelly would be the easiest, since her favorite way to communicate was through email. She wasn’t a phone person.

  I reached over to the side table next to the bed for my laptop. But when I turned it on, it requested the network information that I’d put in the other day. I hadn’t thought I’d need it again, so I’d thrown away the paper Theresa had written it on.

  I quickly put on some clothes and headed down to my grandfather’s study, and then over to his old rolltop desk. I opened the drawer and pulled out what I thought would be the notebook Theresa had gotten the network key from, but instead I held a leather-bound journal. I flipped through the pages and realized it was my grandfather’s diary. I snapped it closed, feeling like it would be wrong to read his innermost thoughts. Maybe someday. After all, it would surely help me to come to know him better. But not now. Not so soon after his death.

  I stuck the journal back in the drawer and slid my hand over to the side of it, where I located the notebook I’d been looking for. After copying down the network key, I put the notebook back in the drawer and headed upstairs to my room.

  Telling Kelly about my grandfather’s death was far easier than telling either my dad or Dale. Although my dad wasn’t surprised by the news, I could tell it upset him greatly nonetheless. And Dale was difficult because I also had to break the news that I was staying in Louisiana a lot longer than planned. He was nice and polite as always and still willing to wait for me, despite my telling him not to. I should have pressed the issue, but I didn’t have the energy to do so right now.

  My stomach gurgled, and for the first time in over a day, I realized I was hungry. As I was about to enter the kitchen, I overheard two of the staff discussing my grandfather’s death.

  “Theresa said when she was bringin’ Mr. Turnberry some soup, she saw a dark ghostly figure standin’ over his bed, and then the next mornin’, he was dead.”

  “It was seen before Miss Ann died too, and then soon after dat when Cammy took sick, and she wasn’t even a Turnberry.”

  “Accordin’ to the curse, anyone at the plantation can fall victim to it and die.”

  I was too stunned to say anything. When I was a kid, I’d heard rumors of a curse that had been put on the house back in the 1800s by Tucker Sheldon, manager of the Clairmont Plantation. My dad had dispelled such talk as nonsense, not wanting me to be frightened. Apparently, though, the rumor still existed and the staff believed in such things.

  I cleared my throat to let them know that I stood there and then walked inside. “Am I too late for breakfast?”

  A short, stout woman shook her head. “I’ve got some sweet potato pancakes here dat should still be hot.” She reached over to a warming oven and pulled out a plate.

  “Sounds wonderful.”

  Her eyes grew wide when I sat on one of the stools at the counter. “Miss Olivia, I can fix this up for ya and bring it to the dinin’ room. Ya’ll be much more comfortable in there.”

  “There’s no need to be so formal today. Besides, it’s no fun to eat alone.” The two women shrugged and went about their routines while I ate. “I heard you talking about a ghost and a curse,” I said between bites.

  “I’m so sorry, Miss Olivia. We meant no disrespect,” the stout woman said.

  “It’s okay. It’s not like I’d never heard of it before.”

  “But yar grandfather didn’t like it when we spoke of it.”

  “It doesn’t bother me. I don’t believe in such things. I was wondering about the woman you mentioned, though. Cammy. She was a cook here, right?”

  “Yeah, not for long, though. Less than six months. Right, Molly?”

  The other woman nodded. “She started shortly before yar mom…died. Worked at Clairmont before dat.”

  “Hmm, I didn’t know that. You’d said she’d gotten sick. Do you know what she died from?”

  “No, just dat she’d gotten ill suddenly.”

  “Just like my mom,” I said under my breath.

  “I know ya don’t believe in such things, Miss Olivia, but ya should know dat’s how the curse works. One day ya’re fine, and then the next, sick as a dog. Ya might even think ya’re gettin’ better, but ya’re not. Once it takes hold, there’s no gettin’ rid of it.”

  Despite knowing better, I couldn’t help but think of what had happened to me yesterday and how sick I’d been. However, common sense quickly took over, and I knew that had nothing to do with a silly curse.

  I needed to put all these superstition
s to rest, and that meant coming to terms with the past too. I needed to clean out my mother’s bedroom.

  ~*~

  IT WAS A dark and dreary day. Not rainy, just cloudy and dank. And that didn’t help the atmosphere in my mom’s room.

  I set down on the floor the big box I was carrying and went over to the window, opening it wide to let in some much-needed fresh air.

  Outside, I spotted Jaxon talking to a gardener. He must’ve heard the window open, because he looked up and waved at me. I waved back, glad I’d decided to take him up on the offer to help with the running of the bed-and-breakfast. Without him, I would’ve been lost.

  I stood there a few moments longer before getting to work packing up my mom’s things. I’d just about filled the box when something scurried past my foot.

  A small black mouse ran across the room and into the closet. Great. I sure didn’t need a rodent problem. When I went over to the closet, the mouse scooted up against the back wall and then disappeared into what had to be a hole in the floorboard. I got down on my knees and ran my hand along the floor. Not only did I find a hole but there was a crack that went up the side of the wall about four feet, over about three, and then back down to the floor. The door was nearly invisible. I pushed on it, but nothing happened. I pushed again, this time harder, and it opened, revealing a small, dark room.

  I had to stoop down to get inside, and before I realized what was happening, the door swung shut. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Suddenly, I felt like I was falling off the side of a mountain, and the speed that I was going down sucked my breath away. When I hit the ground, the world went black.

  Chapter Six

  Turnberry House Plantation – Louisiana, 1831

  “JANE, WAKE UP!” A small, soft voice cried.

  My head ached, and someone was shaking my shoulders.

  “Ya must’ve fainted,” the same woman proclaimed.