BREAKING CURSED BONDS

by Elisabeth Zguta

  “Do you need help picking her up at the hospital?” Jeremy chimed in. “I’d be glad to lend a hand.”

  “That’s nice of you to offer, but I’ll be fine. I’ll have Evans with me.” After a swig of coffee, Robert stood. “Come on, Evans, time to go,” he bellowed down the hallway.

  As soon as he left the room, Jeremy spoke up. “That was awkward.”

  Michelle snickered until she looked over at Father. She immediately stopped.

  “Father, any second thoughts about today?” Emilie asked. “It’s not too late to change your mind. We can find another way to help Rachael. Maybe if we just keep a good watch on her health, she’ll be okay.”

  Pierre put down the paper he had been reading and looked at his daughters intently. “The decision was made, Emilie, and we are going through with the plan. There’s no time to lose. I need both you girls to be strong for me today. No matter what happens, we go through with it to the end. Don’t let me down. Promise me.” He rose from his chair, and excused himself.

  Emilie heard the doors to the library close behind him. She didn’t begrudge him his alone time today.

  Jeremy turned his head to the side and lowered his voice. “Emilie, I’ll do it. When Father Eddie arrives later today, I’ll take the drink instead of your father. I promise to return, so don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

  “You can’t do that,” she replied softly, almost in a whisper. “Father won’t let you. Once his mind is made, there’s no changing it. Besides, I don’t want you hurt, either.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Years ago the captain survived because he was strong. I’m younger and stronger than your father. Surely he’ll understand that I stand a better chance of making this work.”

  It was silent again. Michelle looked at Emilie and Jeremy. “Keeping secrets, Em?”

  “Of course not. You trust me, don’t you?”

  Michelle guffawed. “Emilie, the two of you are the only people I trust in this entire world.”

  They finished breakfast and Jeremy left for work, promising to return when called back for the ceremony.

  The nurse arrived an hour later. A rigid woman, she stood straight and looked around the front hall with probing eyes. She handed Evans her papers from the health agency that had sent her, and they exchanged a few words. Emilie sat on the stairs and watched. It didn’t take her long to decide she didn’t like the nurse.

  Evans showed the newcomer to the front bedroom that had been prepared for Rachael. Moments later, attendants brought Rachael in, rolling her on a stretcher to the bottom of the stairway. They folded the legs up and carefully carried her to the upstairs front room. Emilie followed behind.

  Everyone fussed around the bed, while Emilie stood back and watched. They carefully laid Rachael’s fragile body onto the massive king-sized bed. She looked ashen, a ghostly figure on the verge of death. Emilie almost didn’t recognize Rachael with her sallow face and sunken cheeks. Even her hair lacked its usual vibrance. Michelle walked in and patiently waited with Emilie, in the corner of the room

  Robert had made a good choice putting his wife in the front guest room instead of his own. From here she’d be able to see people come and go, which would be good for her. The southern sun filled the room, making it the most cheerful of the house. The wallpaper was a blue print of ancient maidens garbed in flowers, beautifully matching the Wedgwood lamps and vases on the bedside tables. The French doors opened up to the porches that encased the front of the house, and overlooked the estate’s entrance. Beautiful, cerulean satin drapes hung down the sides of the panes of glass, complementing the blue sky and enveloping the room in soothing tones, exactly what Rachael needed to feel better.

  Robert walked into the room, and the nurse stepped back from Rachael’s bedside. He sat on the bed close to Rachael and spoke softly to her, gently running his fingers down her long strands. He smiled at Rachael and Emilie swore she felt a warm tenderness coming from her brother, a special feeling she had never felt from him before. His wall was down as he gazed at his wife, adoring her. Rachael managed a smile for him before he left. “I’ll see you later this evening sweetheart,” he said softly as he left her bedside. He nodded to Emilie as he left the room.

  Emilie stood back, and watched as Nurse Ratchet fidgeted with the monitoring instruments and equipment. Finally, the nurse settled down in a chair beside the bed, and the two sisters went to Rachael’s side. She looked so small and helpless, and a memory from years ago struck Emilie.

  Her welled-up anger bubbled to the surface. She forced herself to hold back her tears, determined to put on a strong, comforting face for her friend. This is not Mother. Emilie forced a smile, her face ready to crack at any moment. “Rachael, don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you. Would you like me to read to you?”

  “I’d love that, maybe later, when Robert goes to the office.”

  Rachael had forgotten that Robert had already left the house. Emilie hung her head. Rachael had always been the bright one, the whiz who knew everything and was on top of any situation. Now look at her…

  “Of course,” she said. After a moment, “Look, Michelle came all the way from Boston just to congratulate you and Robert on your marriage. You know, we won’t be happy until we can all celebrate together.”

  Rachael smiled up at Michelle. “I am so happy you’re here, too. I promise we’ll all go shopping together for the wedding reception.” Rachael winced. They stepped back and the nurse injected her with some pain medication.

  “She’ll sleep now, for a while.”

  The two sisters sat near Rachael on the bed, giving each other concerned glances and then smiling at Rachael, holding her hand, until Emilie’s old friend drifted into a gentle sleep. Emilie wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t help thinking that someone she loved would soon be in danger of dying in order to save Rachael. The plan was sketchy at best. Her misgivings weren’t just because of that, though, she felt a premonition about her father. He was too willing. Emilie knew something was wrong.

  Her vision blurred, so she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Instead of seeing normally again, she saw a hazy mirage of the Chief Saturiwa. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, frightened by the image. It appears in my dreams and again now? What is my subconscious saying to me? She pushed the illusion into a corner of her mind.

  Michelle leaned her head toward Emilie, looking concerned. “Don’t worry, Emilie, things will work out.” She whispered, to avoid disturbing Rachael as she drifted off. “A lot has happened, Em, and I’m trying hard to understand all the revelations that have been dumped on me in the span of a day. It’s a lot to comprehend, yet something like this was inevitable, wasn’t it? You already knew and tried to warn us years ago. And these problems between Robert and Father have been going on for months now. I knew something was wrong, too.”

  Emilie heard Michelle’s words but was more interested in what was going on in her sister’s mind. She carried a burden. Emilie sensed it, but what? She grabbed Michelle’s hands in hers. “I’m glad you’re trying to understand this stuff. I know it’s not easy for you,” Emilie said. “But I feel like there’s something you’re holding back. What aren’t you telling me? Is it about Robert?”

  “You’re right, there is something. I’ll explain it all to you, but first I need to talk with Father. I promise, I will tell you everything very soon.” Michelle rose from the bed and quietly left the room. “I’ll be back soon, Emilie,” she said over her shoulder.

  Emilie nodded. After Michelle had gone, she got up and went to the desk across the room, where a familiar-looking book lay amidst other novels. She opened it to a dog-eared page and read aloud.

  "‘With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to the truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.’"

  Her heart ached as Robert Louis Stevenson’
s words hit home. When they were children, the book had been one of her brother’s favorites, now, it seemed oddly appropriate that he should have such fondness for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The passage brought a tear to her eye, thinking of Robert and his dual personalities lately. He could be so good and yet, so bad. Then she mulled over the two men who had started this curse, Captain de Gourgues and Chief Saturiwa. They had truly started a shipwreck, two men’s spirits colliding into one.

  Something clicked in her brain. Emilie put the book down and went downstairs to her father’s library.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Emilie walked into the library. Her presence must have surprised her father and sister, because they both looked up like startled deer. She knew something was going on between them.

  “Can I help you with something, Emilie?” her father said.

  “Sure, you can help me. You can be straight with me for a change, and tell me what’s going on. No more putting me off under the guise of protecting me. I want the truth, now.”

  Michelle smiled. “Father and I were just making plans, that’s all.” She walked over to Emilie, took her hand, and led her to a chair, then sat down in the chair beside her. “Listen Em, I understand. After you left last night, Father Eddie and I went over your notes. Then, when I held that old book in my hands, and turned the pages, well, suddenly the concept of the curse made sense to me. I mean, I get it now. Anyway, we made plans for today, and listed the ingredients for the damn potion.

  “That’s when it really hit home,” she continued, “and I started to worry, too. The drink Father’s going to take is toxic. No wonder you broke down and begged him not to do it. But, Em, we have to go through with it. There’s no other option.”

  Emilie pulled her hair back behind her ears, and started twisting the ends around her finger. “Father’s chances of surviving this ceremony are slim.” She closed her eyes a second, holding back her tears.

  Michelle drew in a deep breath, then let it out. “I asked Father to reconsider, too. What we are about to do is dangerous, and I’m not just talking about the poison he’s about to ingest. We’re attempting to hop into the other world. You know how I hate supernatural stuff like this. Besides that, we already lost our mother. I don’t want to lose my father, too.”

  “Don’t talk about me like I’m not in the room,” Pierre said.

  Michelle suddenly dropped her head, and for a moment Emilie thought she was going to cry. But Michelle cleared her throat instead. “You know, I regret all the time I lost with Father.” Michelle turned around and looked at Pierre. “All these years I’ve stayed away, ever since I left for school. I guess I just want you to know that I do love you, Father. Even though you aren’t the most nurturing man in the world, I know that you want what’s best for us, out of love, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for the family, and for me.”

  Pierre stood behind his desk, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He seemed like he was searching for the right words. The vacant stare was gone, and that observation gave Emilie a small lift.

  “Michelle, you’re right. I’ve never been a supportive father. Ever since your mother died, I felt there was nothing left inside of me to give. I’m a selfish man, I didn’t want to be reminded of her, and you children remind me of her all the time. Especially you, Michelle, you have the same blue eyes.”

  Surprised by his words, Emilie was relieved that he had finally shared his feelings. The room was silent for a moment. The clock in the hallway bonged the noon hour. Pierre stepped closer to them.

  “I thought you were better off, thought it was best to keep my distance. It was the only way I knew how to survive in this world. I hope someday the three of you will forgive me. I’m afraid that I’ve hurt Robert beyond repair, and that is my hell to bear. I should have paid attention to what he was going through. I know from experience that it’s not easy for a boy to lose his mother.”

  Pierre smiled at his daughters. His face transformed, and suddenly Emilie wanted to know more about him. She had never dared dream of this kind of conversation with Father. The day Mother died, it was as if she’d lost both parents. All these years gone by with only sad indifference between them, she hadn’t felt a connection to him the way a daughter should with her father. Emilie imagined it was even harder for Michelle, being younger and away for so long.

  Michelle had tears in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly and turned away. Emilie felt her sister’s remorse. She, too, wished their relationship with Father had been different. Neither of them wanted to lose him. But he had made his choice, and seemed willing to die if it came to that. If he didn’t make it back from the other world, at least they’d had this last chance to let him know how much they cared about him.

  “Father, you look like you need a hug,” Emilie said. She looked at Michelle, who stayed in her chair with no intention of moving. Pierre opened his arms. Emilie got up and embraced her father, feeling the warmth and comfort.

  “I made my choice and don’t want you girls to worry anymore. We’re doing this, so let’s move on. We have more important things to discuss.”

  Michelle harrumphed. “Like what?”

  “This is critical, so please listen to me seriously, especially you, Michelle.” His tone was urgent. He looked at his watch. “I’m going to get right to the point, we don’t have much time. I take no pleasure saying this, but your brother isn’t in his right mind. He’s been manipulating things at the company. When I realized what Robert was doing,” he shrugged, “well, I’ve known changes were required for some time now.”

  Pierre paced the floor in front of them, speaking as if dictating a letter. “Emilie, the other week when you helped me to my office…”

  “You mean when I called Doc?”

  “Yes, and thank God you did. He came and checked on me, and said he didn’t like how I looked. He ran some blood tests. I asked him not to say anything because I didn’t want you to worry, but it turned out I’d been drugged over an extended period of time.”

  Emilie drew in a breath. “How? Why?”

  “That’s what I wanted to know. Once I realized what was happening to me, I took action. I have some loyal employees, thank God, who brought to my attention certain things when I started asking questions. Then I had security install video surveillance in my office. Before long, I had proof. My secretary was drugging the coffee with low doses of lysergic acid diethylamide.”

  “Father, that’s LSD.” All the pieces started coming together for Emilie. Robert’s strange moods, the conversation Laura had on the phone, he likes his morning coffee. The bizarre behavior her father had displayed at work. She gulped back her surprise.

  “Father, I am so sorry. I didn’t realize.”

  “I know. You believed I was crazy, like everyone else. But it doesn’t matter now. Once I found out, we did more digging. I had the accountants audit the books quietly, and that’s when we uncovered that Robert has been stealing company funds. The money was traced to fake aliases, all hiding Tom Bennett. You heard Robert yesterday evening; he seems to care more about that man than me, his own father. I have no idea what he was thinking, and he has no idea who he’s dealing with. Tom Bennett is a monster.”

  Emilie shivered. She remembered the way Tom Bennett had glared at her with those threatening dark eyes, and the horrible feeling she’d experienced when he had touched her hand. The audacity. Surely it wasn’t an accident that he had bumped into her in Tours. He must have been behind all the spying. But why? She was horrified to think that her brother was involved with that man, and that he had drugged their father. No, it has to be a mistake, is Robert capable of this? Nothing surprised her anymore.

  Michelle had been listening in silence, but at mention of Tom Bennett, she gasped. “Jackson Bennett says the same thing,” she said. “Remember him, Rob’s college roommate? He approached me a few weeks ago, and told me things about his father. He gave me a heads-up that something fishy is going on. We’ve been working on it together
ever since.”

  Michelle took her sister’s hands in hers, and pleaded. “Emilie, like I said last night, I wanted to tell you the other week in New Orleans, really, but decided to wait for proof. We finally got our hands on some documents that prove the embezzlement.” She let go of Emilie’s hands and turned to their father. “I planned on showing everything to you, Father. That’s why I came home with Em…except you already know.”

  Michelle's face pinched with worry. “Father, you have to stop Robert. Tom Bennett hates you. Jackson told me how his father is obsessed with you, talking about bringing your legacy down. Sounds dramatic, but obviously he’s doing it, taking your money and using Robert. The traitor! I’m so disgusted with Robert for going along with this crazy man’s plans. Sorry I waited to tell you, Father, but I have proof now.” She reached for her bag, on the floor near her chair, and pulled out a manila folder. “Here’s what Jackson and I came up with.” Michelle held the folder out to Father.

  He took it. “Thank you. Yes, I know all about it,” Pierre said. “Tom Bennett has been a threat for many years. Your mother despised him, he had evilness about him.”

  Emilie shivered, knowing the feeling.

  “Your mother had a gift much like you, Emilie, and she knew things. I truly thought we had heard the last from Tom Bennett after she died. Did your Aunt Victoria tell you about him, Michelle?”

  “No, why would she?” Michelle said.

  “No reason. I just assumed she might have shared the story since you’ve spent so much time with her up in Boston.”

  “She didn’t mention it,” Michelle said. “I’m so sorry that he’s bothering you after all these years. We’ve got to stop him, even if it means stopping Robert, too.”

  “Well, my fate is sealed,” he said. Pierre stood quiet a moment, his head bent as if praying. “I’m just upset over Robert, I didn’t see it coming. I was so absorbed with myself that I never noticed what was happening to him. I wasn’t even aware they knew each other, Robert and Tom. Or that his roommate Jackson was Tom’s son.” He hung his head. “Oh, will God forgive me?”