But right then, she was so…
So, what?
Angry was the first thing she was. No, she was furious.
And frightened.
“What’s the matter, Torrie?” he asked, his voice rich and deep and smooth. “Have you seen a ghost?”
His question infuriated her further, and Torrie pulled in a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. “I don’t know. Maybe you can tell me. There was a little girl upstairs.”
The fact that he didn’t appear surprised by her news sent another whirlwind of anger through her. “Are you certain?” he asked.
“Of course I’m certain. There was a little girl upstairs, wearing a dirty green dress and black shoes. She says her name is—”
“So you’ve finally met Eleanor,” he put in.
“Finally?” He had a little girl living in his house this entire time, and he’d kept her hidden away, obviously locked in that master bedroom like some dog kept in a kennel. Torrie was outraged.
He met her gaze. Then his gaze moved to beyond her, and his hard expression softened. “Yes, finally. Hello, darling Eleanor. Please come in and join us.”
Her rage nearly boiled over. He sounded as if she’d simply met Eleanor at a birthday gathering or something, as if Torrie’s meeting her now was nothing. But she kept a lid on it. In fact she was so shocked when she turned and saw Eleanor standing a few feet away, she could barely breathe.
When she finally found her voice behind her shock, she asked, “How could you?” Torrie’s words were breathless as she forced them out through the tight throat of her anger.
“How could I what, dear?”
Dear? Dear? She wanted to reach into the nearest drawer, grab a knife and scalp him she was so mad and shaken. But she didn’t know if there were any sharp knives in the drawers yet. She thought she’d seen a ghost, and he stood there and called her dear. Since when had she become his dear? Did he think after one dinner and one kiss he could call her dear? Obviously.
“How could you keep this little girl hidden away? She’s not a dog to be kept tucked away in a kennel. How could you lie to me?”
He blinked. “Lie to you, Torrie? I promised you last night I would never lie to you, and I’ve told you no lies.”
“You never told me you had a—a daughter! She is your daughter, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” he replied calmly. “She is…” he paused, “my daughter. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
Torrie glanced down at the child, two heads shorter than herself. She had dark golden curls and the blue eyes of her father. She watched Torrie with apprehension in her expression. Torrie forced herself to calm down. The last thing she wanted to do was frighten the child. “Yes, she is beautiful, that’s beside the point.”
“What is the point?” he asked.
“Don’t patronize me.”
“Don’t talk about her as if she isn’t standing there listening to every word. Now what is the point?” he asked again.
Torrie had to stop and think. What exactly was the point? This child was none of her business. She was obviously no ghost. This child was his daughter, and he had every right to keep her away from the workers and the construction.
“The point is you’ve been keeping her locked in a room, hidden away from everyone.” Torrie knew it wasn’t much, but it was suddenly all she had. His child was none of her concern unless there was abuse involved. This child did not look pale or neglected in anyway. In fact, she looked as if she might have been playing in the dirt in the back yard, or perhaps in the cellar digging with Will. What a strange, nagging thought…
“I wanted her away from the work and away from the workers until her room was finished. And the master bedroom I fixed up is outfitted with anything she needs.”
“She needs to be in school.”
“She has a tutor.”
Torrie stared at him. She’d been in the house every day for weeks and had never seen anyone who wasn’t wearing work clothes or carrying a tool. “A tutor?”
“Yes, Mrs. Fillmore comes every night for two hours. With the move, and all the loss Eleanor’s had, I thought it best not to try and stick her into a new school with a bunch of strangers.”
It sounded so legitimate. Why didn’t it feel so? Torrie had no idea. She only knew that she’d been in the house at nearly all hours of the day, and had never seen or heard a sign of this child or a tutor. She felt the wind go out of her sails. “I’m sorry, Will. Please forgive me. It’s just that I’ve been here every day and never knew she even existed. And had I known she was here, I would have asked for her input regarding her room.” She looked down at Eleanor again. “You just took me by surprise.”
“I’m sorry I frightened you.”
“I hope I haven’t frightened you.”
The girl gave Torrie a small smile that looked a great deal like the grins Will often gave. “Papa told me so much about you. I just wanted to see you and see my room.”
“It’s okay.” It felt like a lie. Torrie felt as if things were far from okay. In fact, her heart still beat rapidly—painfully—in her chest.
“I really like my room,” Eleanor said. “Papa told me I could trust you to fix it up nicely, and you did.” She still held Miss Velvet. “And thank you for finding Miss Velvet, too.”
Torrie couldn’t help but smile. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like your room. I like your room, too. Is there anything you want or need changed? You should have had more say in it. I shouldn’t have decorated it without your input. ”
“Oh, no, it’s wonderful, just perfect.” Eleanor smiled broadly. “Can you really find me a China tea set?”
“I’m sure I can.”
“Then perhaps some time you could join me for tea in there, or you could stay overnight with me. We could have a slumber party on that little ledge above the stairs.”
“We’ll see.” Torrie swallowed hard and stared at the smudge of dirt above Eleanor’s brow, but said nothing. She didn’t dare open her mouth for a long moment as she remembered that had been her very thought when the ideas of how to fix the room had come to her. She took a deep breath. “I should go.”
“Yes, you sound tired,” Will commented.
“I am.” She gave Eleanor a soft look. “And I guess I’ve just been so involved in fixing the house and doing the work I never noticed you. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” Eleanor said. “I pretty much stayed away. But I really like the work you’ve done. I see where you’re fixing up a bedroom for—“
“For guests who might want to stay there,” Will interrupted. “And that second bedroom is coming along well, by the way.”
“Thank you. I had a bit of trouble finding the two beds I wanted. But they should be here by early next week.” Torrie couldn’t help but wonder what Eleanor might have said had Will not interrupted her.
“Perfect.” Will reached out a hand, and Eleanor moved to his side, placing her small hand in his.
Torrie looked at them both for another moment, and then she turned and headed to the door. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
“Good night,” Eleanor called out.
“Stay here, Eleanor, while I see her out,” Will said, following Torrie.
Torrie noticed Eleanor looked disappointed but nodded and did as he asked.
At the door, Torrie took a deep breath, suddenly feeling as if she could sleep standing on her feet. “I’m so sorry I said anything. I hope I didn’t upset her. She just took me so much by surprise.”
“It’s understandable.”
“No, it isn’t. She’s a child. I’m the adult, and I sure didn’t act like it.”
“You were acting in her best interest, and I thank you for it,” he said. Without another word, Will touched his lips to hers.
Torrie easily kissed him back. His kiss left her breathless. “Why does everything seem so clear, so right when you kiss me or when you touch me or when you hold me?” she asked once she’d gotten her breathing un
der control.
“Because perhaps it is,” was all he would say. He pulled the door open for her, and the cool fall air of the darkened night seeped in. With it came the crackling sounds of leaves in the wind. Moonlight trickled through the trees of the yard and lit up the porch. “Rest well, my Torrie. Tomorrow is another busy day.”
Torrie got home, feeling suddenly hungry and lonely. She should have invited Eleanor and Will for a burger at the diner. Or she could have called and ordered out a pizza. In fact she was so lonely, out of sorts and confused by the time her microwave dinner was heated, she no longer wanted it. After one bite that tasted like the cardboard that housed it, she threw it in the trash. All she wanted was to get back into her car and drive to Hargrove House, to sit with Eleanor and talk about what kind of books she would like to line the shelves in her room, or what color tea set she would like. Will could build a fire in the fireplace, and she and Will and Eleanor could sit beside it and eat take out like a picnic. Or they could play a game.
What was she thinking?
Will had literally pushed her out the door. She shouldn’t waste her time dreaming about sitting with him and his daughter by the fire. Besides, she had other upcoming jobs. She listened to her messages and looked through the folder Jane had left for her that she’d retrieved on her way home. But she found she couldn’t concentrate on any other job. She spent the next half hour looking on line for the right table to put in the second bedroom, but found nothing suitable.
She went through the mail.
There was an envelope with the return address of D. L. Haskins, Attorney at Law.
Great, she thought as she tore it open and scanned the contents of the single letter.
The Miller family would like to resolve the issue of the return of a family heirloom without legal proceedings…Blah…Blah…Blah.
Without thought, Torrie went over to her nightstand and opened the drawer. She took out the ring she kept stashed there and stared down at it. In the soft bedroom light, the ocean of emeralds sparkled like moving waves. It was a beautiful ring, but that wasn’t why she was reluctant to return it.
There was something more, but Torrie couldn’t put her finger on what it was. She felt the ring was hers somehow, or that the Millers didn’t deserve it.
She knew it didn’t make sense, but she couldn’t shake the feeling. She didn’t even want Nick Miller with it. She just wanted the ring, pure and simple.
By the letter, she had until December to return it.
How nice of the Miller family and their attorney to give her more time with it, she thought sarcastically before placing it back in the drawer and tossing the letter in with it.
She could play some more piano or look more for beds, but she decided to give it up for the day. She fixed a cup of hot tea and carried it into the bathroom with her.
But she couldn’t seem to get the water hot enough for her bubble bath, and it didn’t relax her as she’d hoped it would. She tried to watch television, but after flipping through the stations and finding nothing at all of interest, she clicked the stupid tube off again. She shouldn’t want to put her clothes back on and go back to Hargrove House. She shouldn’t want to put the emerald ring on to wear over there, either. She told herself she shouldn’t.
Finally, she forced herself to slide into bed. But she thought the cold loneliness of it just might suffocate her.
By midnight, she slid out of bed and swallowed down two pain-relieving sleep aid tablets that hit her stomach like rocks, but finally kicked in and relaxed her a half hour later. She dreamed of Eleanor, having a tea party in her new room. Along with the residue effects of the drugs she’d taken, waking from the dream left her feeling sluggish and hung over. It was the last thing she needed. Work on the house was moving too quickly, she needed to be on her toes all the time.
And as it turned out, Will was right.
The day turned out to be the busiest day yet. With men finishing on the ballroom, Susan papering one of the walls of the second bedroom, while painters painted the other three walls of the room blue, the installation of new kitchen cabinets, and the arrival of the new bathroom fixtures, everyone had plenty to do. Torrie felt as if she were caught in a whirlwind, moving downstairs then up, then down again. Overseeing it all at once was enough to make her think she might go cross-eyed. Her lack of sleep didn’t help as the sluggish feeling never fully left her. On her fourth trip down the stairs to check on the placement of yet another cabinet, Torrie had to pause by the cellar door.
Swish…Pause…Swish…Pause…
Amidst all the activity, there was still digging going on in the cellar.
“Alice, do you hear that?”
Alice was across the large room, sweeping up sawdust. “I’m sorry, Miss Torrie, my hearing is not what it used to be. All I hear is the sound of my broom. Is there something you need?”
“No, I’m fine, thank you.”
She glanced to the cellar door, having every intention of heading down there and seeing if Will had reached China yet.
“You want this small cabinet to go here, don’t you?”
One of the work crew came into the kitchen carrying a triangular end cabinet and pointed to where he thought it should go. At the sound of his words, the sounds of the digging stopped.
“Ms. Reynolds?” the workman asked, working to completely grab her attention.
“Yes? I mean, yes, that’s where it should go.”
“And you want the big pantry cabinet over here in the corner, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“That will be the next one to go up. The others line up with it.”
“Good,” Torrie put in, taking a deep breath. There was no sense in asking if he heard anything in the cellar, all was quiet.
“Torrie!” Susan called from the top of the stairs. “Can you come take a look at this…?”
Torrie let out a breath and turned, again heading to the stairs to see what needed her attention now. And yet, she could have sworn as she moved beyond the cellar door she once again heard the faint sounds of digging.
“Ms. Reynolds?” Another workman stopped her before she could head for the stairs.
“Yes?”
“Did you want to see these bathroom fixtures, make sure they’re what you want before I install them?”
“Yes, I’ll be right back down,” Torrie promised as she headed up the stairs yet again.
Torrie didn’t see Eleanor all morning. It was probably a good thing, too. The girl might have been in the way with all the activity. Will probably ordered her to stay in the master bedroom away from the work.
Hardly five minutes went by without her thinking of that little girl. She was a lovely child, but how had she managed to stay hidden all these weeks. Yes, the work made things dangerous. It was better for her not to be underfoot. But to be invisible? Impossible. No child would stay cooped up in the bedroom for weeks on end, work or no work, tutor or no tutor.
At ten minutes after one, Alice came to Torrie. “Your presence is requested out at the gazebo, ma’am.”
“Gazebo?”
“It’s out back. Just go to the trees at the end of the yard and follow the path,” Alice instructed before she moved away to another task.
With the brilliant fall day, all Torrie needed was her sweater as she made her way across the yard and into the trees. Beautifully placed and wonderfully restored, the gazebo, a white structure complete with a wooden floor and rails, was hidden among the trees but still out in the open enough to allow the sun shine in and warm the small space. The small table within was set with dishes, glasses and lunch. Eleanor sat and patiently waited. When she and Will saw Torrie coming, Will got up and approached Torrie.
He met her several steps from the step leading up into the gazebo. While Torrie stared in awe at the elaborate picnic set up, he reached his hand out to her. “Eleanor and I both thought you needed to be rescued from the chaos of the house. We thought a little while out here in the sun
and quiet would revive you for the work this afternoon. Not to mention, as usual, you’ve skipped lunch,” he said.
Torrie couldn’t help but smile up at him. His eyes matched the sky. His cheeks were filled with color, his hair in the sun reflected color—blond, gold, a hint of red.
“I really shouldn’t,” she protested. “There’s so much work to do.”
“You really should allow us to rescue you,” he insisted.
Finally, she couldn’t help but give in and place her hand in his.
He led her up the step into the gazebo. “Wow, what a rescue…” she let out, still staring. “I didn’t know this gazebo was out here. This is lovely. How did the two of you manage to sneak this out here without my seeing you?” she asked, taking in the beautiful table.
“Alice helped,” Eleanor chimed in. “She’s a master when it comes to pulling things off.”
“Is she?” Torrie wasn’t surprised as she remembered dinner.
Will pulled out her chair for her, and Torrie sat down, feeling as if her legs tingled at being off of them for the first time that day.
“She made the chicken salad that you enjoyed so much,” Will said softly from right over her shoulder. She only had to turn slightly to take him in. He was mere inches away. It wouldn’t take much to kiss him, but she held back since Eleanor was watching her every move. His earthy scent mingled with the clean, freshness of the outdoors. The heat of his body touched her and called her to move closer. Torrie would have loved to lean over and rub her cheek against his.
“That was very kind of her,” Torrie put in. “I’ll be sure to thank her.”
Around them, outside the gazebo, leaves of every color floated in the soft breeze to the ground like snow. Birds chirped. Every now and then, the subtle sounds of nature were disturbed by the rumble of truck on the highway which was yards away and hidden by trees.
“It’s hard to believe this is November, isn’t it?” Torrie commented.
Eleanor’s eyes widened with excitement and her curls bounced lightly. “It’s almost Christmas. Papa says we’re going to have a big party.”
“I heard that, too,” Torrie said.
Hargrove House: The Haunted Book One Page 8