Shadows and Lies: A World of Gothic: United States

by Raine English

  We walked through the rest of the garden in silence until we reached the back patio. It was filled with people and the sounds of trumpets, trombones, and tubas. The musicians who’d led the procession had set up out there. My grandfather’s funeral was more like a bon voyage party than a time to mourn, and I had the feeling he would have approved of that.

  “I’d like you to meet my mother and stepfather,” Jaxon said, heading over to a handsome middle-aged couple leaning up against the patio wall.

  The woman had the same tawny hair and blue-gray eyes as Jaxon. She held out a slim hand. “I’m Cynthia. It’s so nice to meet you.”

  “And I’m Nigel.” His handshake was firm and confident, matching his distinguished demeanor. Tall—though not as tall as Jax—and sinewy, with streaks of silver hair at both temples, he reminded me of a college professor.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” I wondered if Jonathon Clairmont was here too.

  As if reading my mind, Cynthia said, “I’m sorry my brother couldn’t make it to Asa’s funeral. Jon is away on business, but he asked me to offer you his condolences.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “How are you liking our fine state so far?” Nigel asked with a cool, appraising look.

  Before I could answer, Jessica rushed up to me and sputtered, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’re needed in the kitchen right away.”

  “Excuse me.” I had to run to keep up with my cousin, and when I reached the doorway to the kitchen, the two workers who’d made me sweet potato pancakes the other day were huddled on the floor together crying.

  I knelt beside them. “What’s wrong?”

  The short, stout woman answered. “Molly saw that awful ghost of Tucker Sheldon.” The woman’s mouth trembled as she hugged her friend.

  “Miss Olivia, that means I’m goin’ to die,” Molly wailed.

  I took her chin in my hand and tilted it up so she looked directly into my eyes. “You are not going to die,” I said firmly.

  “But I know what I saw.” She sniffled.

  “Where did this happen?”

  “The back hall. I was goin’ upstairs with a plate of food for yar Uncle Paul. He was in his room. Said he needed some quiet. Dat’s when I saw dat horrible black shadow.”

  “Maybe that’s all it was…just a shadow.”

  Molly looked at me like I was dense.

  “I know the difference between a ghost and a regular old shadow.” She started to sob uncontrollably again.

  I didn’t want to upset her more by downplaying her belief in ghosts. “Molly, try to calm down. You’re not going to die. I promise. Take the rest of the day off and go relax.” I looked over at the woman beside her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know your name.”

  “I’m Pat,” the stout woman replied.

  “Why don’t you take the day off too and spend it with Molly?”

  Pat nodded.

  A crowd had formed in the doorway behind Jess. What I didn’t need were people spreading rumors of a ghost at Turnberry before I’d even opened the bed-and-breakfast.

  Jess must’ve been worried about the impact of Molly’s words too, because she poured her a glass of sweet tea. “This always makes me feel better.” She handed the beverage to Molly and then ushered both women out of the kitchen.

  After that, the crowd soon dispersed, and I noticed Jaxon resting his shoulder against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.

  “I told you we’re a superstitious lot.” His mouth formed into a crooked smile. “You hungry?” He opened the refrigerator, took out a chicken salad casserole, and popped it in the toaster oven.

  A few minutes later, we were sitting at the counter on stools, eating the casserole right out of the glass baking dish.

  “Your mom and stepdad seem nice,” I said, taking a forkful of food.

  “My mom’s wonderful. Nigel, well, let’s just say I’ve learned to tolerate him. He can be pretty overbearing at times, and for a kid, that can be tough to deal with. As an adult, I take him with a grain of salt.” He seemed pensive, not angry.

  I regarded him with somber curiosity, wanting to understand him better. “If you don’t mind my asking, what happened to your dad?”

  He hesitated a minute before answering. “He left when I was twelve. Went back to LA. Life here was too tough for him.”

  There was no denying the bitterness in his tone, and I knew that was where the comment had come from that he’d made to Jessica about me being a city girl who wouldn’t be able to handle life here. I reflected on his pain. There was nothing worse for a young boy than to have his father leave him.

  “I could use some fresh air. What about you?” I pushed my stool back and stood.

  “Sounds good,” he replied, his voice having lost that hardened edge.

  Outside, the musicians were packing up and most of the people had left. Just a few stragglers were sitting at a table, polishing off a bottle of whiskey.

  We wandered across the lawn, bypassing the gardens as we headed toward the riverbank while serenaded by the cicada’s high-pitched song. At the base of an enormous cypress tree covered in Spanish moss, Jaxon stopped walking. I immediately recognized this spot as the one where Jane had said good-bye to Ellis.

  “Quite a day, huh?” he asked. “You must be exhausted.”

  I don’t know if everything finally caught up with me, or what, but I was suddenly overcome with emotion. My eyes filled with tears, and before I knew what was happening, I was in Jaxon’s arms.

  “It’s okay to be sad,” he whispered against my hair.

  “I wish I could’ve had more time with my grandfather.”

  “No amount of time is enough. It’s always hard to say good-bye to a loved one.”

  There was such a wistful tone in his voice that I wondered to whom he was referring. And then his mouth covered mine, passionate and demanding, as if this kiss could somehow quell the ache I sensed went through to his soul. I could tell that when he loved, it was deeply, and that his heart had been broken.

  Shivers of desire raced through me, something I never experienced with Dale, and I returned Jaxon’s kiss with reckless abandon. Standing on tiptoe, I wrapped my arms around his neck, surrendering to my growing passion for this man. What seemed like hours later, we walked back to the house hand in hand.

  Sitting out on the patio was Jaxon’s mom, stepdad, and Jessica. A slight frown marred her beautiful face as her gaze lingered on us, and once again I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something going on between her and Jax. My stomach twisted into a knot. I hoped he wasn’t playing me for a fool and leading me down a path of heartbreak.

  Chapter Eight

  I HADN’T REALIZED how exhausted I was until my head hit the pillow. It wasn’t so much sleepy tired as emotionally drained. I thought of the kiss I’d shared with Jaxon and how the touch of his lips had sent a shock wave through my entire body. I’d never felt that before…not ever.

  I always knew I’d find the one man who was right for me, and after that intimate moment with Jaxon, my heart was saying I’d found him. It was my head that was holding me back. What if Jax didn’t feel the same way about me? What if he really was involved with Jessica somehow? Until I had those questions answered, I wasn’t ready to admit that he was the one.

  I thought of that fiery bond between Jane and Ellis. That was what I wanted and needed. Without it, I would never commit myself to anyone.

  With a sigh, I reached for my handbag—I’d put it on the nightstand before getting into bed—and took out the small leather-bound journal Jaxon had given me. I flipped through it, stopping to read various passages, and when I came to the part that recounted what I’d experienced in the secret room, all of Jane’s hopes and dreams flooded through me.

  As I read on, I discovered that Ellis had never gotten over her. Sarah died from some unknown illness about a month after Jane left. However, it was widely blamed on Tucker Sheldon’s curse, and that was what starte
d the ill will between the two families. A few years later, Ellis wound up marrying a woman named Catherine Millicent, but she never had his heart.

  The following pages were all about business, and his writing became dull and passionless. He’d taken over the running of the plantation after Samuel died.

  My eyelids were growing heavier by the second, and the last thing I read before falling asleep was that Ellis was getting ready to go up north on business.

  ~*~

  THE NEXT MORNING, as I was about to go downstairs, I met Uncle Paul in the hallway. He had his suitcase in hand.

  “It’s time for me head home, Liv. I’ve been here much longer than planned. Jess says she’s staying to help you with the bed-and-breakfast.” He kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

  After he left, I went to the kitchen, and the first thing I noticed was how quiet the help was. The second was that Molly wasn’t there.

  Theresa was at the stove, grilling sausage and eggs. Dottie had taken a loaf of cornbread out of a baking pan and was cutting it into squares. And Pat was stirring a pitcher of orange juice. Not only weren’t they speaking, but they all wore long faces.

  “Good morning,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

  “Mornin’,” Theresa replied dourly.

  “Where’s Molly?” My gut told me this glum atmosphere was about her.

  Sure enough, Dottie confirmed that by saying, “She’s not been out of her room since yesterday. Been sick as a dog.”

  “Has anyone called a doctor?” I asked, alarm bells going off in my head.

  Pat stared at me. “What good would dat do? Once the curse takes hold, no medicine can cure it.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” I said in a tense, clipped voice. Three pairs of eyes were glued to my face.

  Theresa put an egg and two sausage links on a plate and handed it to me.

  “Would you mind keeping it warm?” I handed it back to her. “I’m going to go see Molly.”

  “Of course, Miss Olivia.” She set the plate on the stove. “If ya go up the back stairs, hers is the third room on the right.”

  “Thank you.”

  As I went up the dark, narrow stairway, a sense of uneasiness came over me, so I hurried down the hall, stopping in front of a well-worn wooden door. This was the same oppressive atmosphere that I’d felt in the slave quarters last week.

  I knocked on the door a few times before opening it, then I peered inside the small, gloomy room. Molly lay unmoving on the twin bed, a plastic basin beside her. Her face was chalk white, and a line of perspiration glistened above her upper lip.

  I walked over to her and touched her hand. “Molly,” I said softly.

  Her eyes fluttered open, and there were dark purple shadows beneath them. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it to work today, Miss Olivia.”

  “My goodness, I’d never expect you to work when you’re ill. Please, don’t worry about that. All I want is for you to get better.”

  Frown lines wrinkled her forehead. “The curse won’t let me.”

  I sat on the edge of the bed and took her cold, clammy hand in mine. “I know you believe the curse is responsible for this, but I happen to think differently. Just the other day, I was as sick as you, but look at me now. I’m fine. No curse. Probably just some food that didn’t agree with me.”

  Her face brightened a bit, but then her frown returned. “I’ll bet dat’s because ya didn’t see Tucker’s ghost, did ya?”

  I had to admit I hadn’t, and I’d bet she didn’t either. What she thought was a ghost was probably nothing more than a shadow. “I’m going to have a doctor come look at you and see if there’s something he can give you to make you feel better.”

  “Thank ya, Miss Olivia.”

  I was glad she didn’t argue with me, but I assumed it was most likely because she didn’t have the strength to. “I’ll be back soon,” I said, closing the door softly behind me.

  When I went back to the kitchen, Theresa immediately handed me the plate of sausage and eggs that she’d been keeping warm for me. I took a few bites, then said, “I know you don’t think a doctor will do any good for Molly, but it’s worth a try, even if only to give her something to make her more comfortable. Don’t you agree?”

  Theresa nodded, and so did the other women. After I finished eating, I asked, “Have you seen Jaxon this morning?”

  Dottie stopped loading the dishwasher and wiped her wet hands on her apron. “He was here a few minutes ago when ya were upstairs with Molly. Had somethin’ to eat, and then said he was goin’ to be in the study makin’ some phone calls.”

  “He wanted to schedule some newspaper ads for the openin’ of the bed-and-breakfast,” Theresa added.

  “Thank you. That was delicious,” I said, handing my plate to Dottie.

  Sure enough, I found Jaxon in the study, sitting at my grandfather’s old rolltop desk.

  He flashed me a grin when I came in. “Good morning.”

  My cheeks warmed as I recalled the heady sensation of his lips on mine, and I hoped the kisses that we’d shared wouldn’t make things awkward between us. “About yesterday,” I began, but he quickly cut me off.

  “What about it?” Amusement flickered in his eyes.

  I licked my lips nervously. “It was a very emotional day for me.”

  “I know.” He sat back in the chair, leisurely stretching his long legs.

  Jax wasn’t going to make this easy for me. “I don’t want what happened between us to interfere with work or make things weird or uncomfortable.”

  His brows shot up. “Why would it?”

  I shrugged, not quite sure how to explain what I was feeling.

  “Look, Liv, nothing’s changed. We shared a couple kisses—very nice ones, I might add. But that’s all there was to it. There’s nothing to worry about. You were upset, I was there. End of story. So are we good?”

  I blinked quickly in shock. I hadn’t expected him to say that, but at least I knew exactly where I stood with him. Nowhere. What happened yesterday had been just a brief moment of passion. One that he probably had with lots of women.

  “Yes, we’re fine.” I shifted my gaze away from his penetrating stare. “Molly’s sick. Do you think Dr. Becker would come out to have a look at her?”

  “I’m sure he would.” He opened the desk drawer and pulled out the notebook where the wireless network key was written. “What do you think’s wrong with her?” he asked as he flipped through the pages.

  “I don’t know. Maybe one of the casseroles from the funeral didn’t agree with her. Although, the staff thinks it’s the curse.”

  His expression changed, but I couldn’t read it.

  “Here you go,” he said, handing me the book.

  Our fingers brushed as I took it from his hand, and a tingle ran up my neck. “Thanks.”

  “Jess asked me to go into town with her to meet with the interior designer. Guess they’re going to be picking the material for the guest rooms. You don’t mind, do you?”

  A strange feeling settled in my stomach. Could it be jealousy? “No, of course not. Why would I?”

  “I don’t know. Just checking, boss. Wouldn’t want to do anything to upset you.”

  “As long as you both do what I hired you to do, I don’t care how it gets done.” When I left the room, I could tell he was staring at my back. Good. I was glad that I’d gotten the point across that what happened between us yesterday didn’t mean anything to me either.

  Although, I might have fooled him, I couldn’t fool myself. I was afraid I was falling hard for Jaxon.

  ~*~

  IT WAS SURPRISING how quickly Dr. Becker came out for Molly. I doubted there was a doctor anywhere in Boston who’d make a house call, never mind doing so within a few hours.

  After his examination, I asked, “Is she going to be all right?”

  “I believe so. Could be a virus or a touch of food poisoning. It’ll just have to run its course. I did give her something to help with the n
ausea, though. I’ll be back to check on her in a few days. If you need me before then, just give a call.” His calm manner was reassuring.

  “Thank you so much, Dr. Becker.”

  “My pleasure.”

  After showing him out, I went back upstairs to see Molly and was glad that to find her sitting up in bed.

  “Aren’t you happy I had the doctor come out, if for no other reason than to put your mind at ease? No ghosts. No curse. Just a regular illness that should be gone in a few days.”

  She smiled a little, but I could tell she wasn’t totally convinced. “Thank ya for everythin’, Miss Olivia. I hate to have been such a bother.”

  “It’s no bother. Like I told you before, I just want you to get well.”

  Her eyes fluttered, an indication that she needed more sleep.

  “Is there anything I can get you before I leave? Something to drink, maybe?”

  “Dat would be nice.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right back.” Downstairs in the kitchen, the choices were orange juice or sweet tea. I didn’t think the juice would be good for her stomach, so I poured her a glass of the tea. When I went back up to her room, she was already asleep, so I put the drink on her nightstand.

  After leaving her, I went into my grandfather’s study to go over the stack of bills that had been piling up. I had no idea if we were anywhere near on budget with all the projects we had going on at once. The bed-and-breakfast was scheduled to open next month, and I hoped that nothing would come up to derail it. As I went over everything, I realized that we hadn’t hired an electrician to put in the additional outlets that were needed in the guest rooms.

  I opened the desk drawer, running my hand along the back of it in search of grandfather’s notebook, thinking he might have an electrician listed in it. He seemed to have everything else.

  When I pulled it out, I half expected to drag out his journal as well. However, that was nowhere to be found. Who would take my grandfather’s diary? Who would even know it was in that drawer? I remembered earlier, when Jaxon took out the notebook to get me Dr. Becker’s phone number. He might have known the journal was there, but would he take it and why? I made a mental note to ask him when he got back from his trip to town with Jessica.