Amanda appeared in the doorway, a tentative, half smile on her lips. “How do you like it? Hope you don’t mind sharing the bathroom with the kids. Josh and I have our own bath adjoining the master bedroom.”
Paige laughed and began opening the suitcase set on the bed. “Sharing a bathroom? I can think of worse things than finding a rubber ducky hiding behind the shower curtain.” More than once in the past year she’d shared the kids’ bathroom. The only thing new this time was that Amanda was well enough to notice and care about the slight inconvenience.
At the sound of Josh’s footsteps coming down the hallway, Paige looked over at the doorway.
His hands rested on Amanda’s shoulders and he gazed down into her eyes. “Sorry babe. I’m not going to be able to take next week off, after all. It’s crazy busy and they need me in Montreal ASAP for a meeting.” He turned and for a few moments his eyes locked with Paige’s.
Her neck muscles tightened and she stared back, nodding slightly. It would be okay. Even though she’d counted on him being around for a little while longer getting settled, eventually she was going to have to get used to it, being on her own keeping an eye on things. It had to be important at work for him to cut his time with the kids and Amanda so short.
Amanda sighed but seeing the anxious look on Josh’s face, she took a deep breath and her chin rose high. “We’ve still got the weekend with you and we’ll get most of the unpacking done.” She took his hand and looked over at Paige. “How about we give you some time alone to finish in here? I really appreciate you keeping the kids busy earlier. Thanks Paige.”
She watched the two of them leave and heard their voices fade as they wandered down the hall. Josh leaving early was just a minor hiccup. She lifted a couple of dresses from the suitcase and walked over to the closet to begin hanging things up.
When she opened the closet door, she noticed a small wooden box tucked at the far side, on the floor. After hanging the clothes, she bent to pick it up. The varnish was old and chipped, the top of the box showing inlaid swirls of different types of wood and a brass latch at the front. Her fingers tingled when she pinched the old fashioned wind-up key protruding from the back of the box.
She eyed the box as she drifted across the room and sank down on the bed. Her fingernail hooked in the latch, opening it and she lifted the lid. A whiff of something sweet, like camphor drifted from the velvet lining inside. A brass cylinder, punctuated with Braille like tiny dots, was mounted next to long, fine metal teeth of a comb. A music box? She twisted the key at the back, winding the small mechanism until it became tight.
When she let go of the key, hollow, bell-like sounds rose in the air. Her mouth fell open as she listened to the music. The tune was melancholy, something that bespoke of bygone days, filled with a wistful longing. The tines of the comb lifted and each time one was displaced by a blip in the brass cylinder, ringing a tinny, hollow note. Her chin drooped lower, almost to her chest as she gazed down at the rolling brass tube. The tension of the day melted and her shoulders sagged lower. There was nothing but the tinkling tune of the box resting softly in her warm and heavy hands, as she breathed faintly.
“Aunt Page?”
She jerked upright, and her fingers became claws clutching the box when Julian’s voice broke the reverie. Couldn’t they just leave her alone for one minute? It had been so peaceful sitting quietly, listening to the music.
Her eyes narrowed looking over at his small boy, his hands holding the toy truck. “What do you want now?”
His mouth fell open while he stared blankly at her for a moment. He couldn’t even make eye contact, as he gazed over her shoulder. With a start, he spun on his heels and ran down the hallway, while his high pitched voice called for his mother.
For a few seconds, Paige sat there feeling numb. Her throat began to thicken and she swallowed the lump that was forming there. She’d never spoken so sharply to him before...scaring him so bad that he’d run away from her!
She snapped the lid of the music box shut and rose to her feet. If she hadn’t been so caught up in the haunting beauty of the box and the tune, she wouldn’t have snapped at her nephew. What was wrong with her!
Still...She looked down at the box. It was a beautiful antique. If she had to venture a guess, she’d wager it was probably over a hundred years old; it had to be worth a fair bit of money. Why would anyone leave it behind? Again, the tips of her fingers became numb as she stood deliberating what to do with it. She couldn’t just leave it out on her dresser and risk the kids breaking it.
She walked to the closet and set the box back where she’d found it. When it left her hand, she knew that it wasn’t just fear of Julian breaking it that made her want to hide it away again. This was something she’d discovered in her room. It was hers...at least until she figured out what to do with it. It had been nice holding it, listening to the ancient melody.
After a brisk brush of her hands together, the dust scattering off, she continued unpacking the rest of her clothes. The suitcase slid softly on the wooden floor and was soon out of sight under her bed. In no time flat she had gone through the boxes sitting beside her chaise lounge. She hummed the tune she’d heard when with her arms full of toiletries, she strode down the hall to the bathroom she would share with the kids.
***
In Paige’s bedroom, the white eyelet lace dress she’d hung carefully in the closet fell from the hanger. It ended up a pile over the music box, covering it. Three muffled tinny notes sounded, then stopped.
Chapter 9
The next day...
Paige’s eye creaked open at the soft pat on her arm. Avril stood next to the bed watching her with doe-eyed innocence, the ragged, one eyed bunny tucked in the crook of her arm. It was early morning but not so early that the sun hadn’t made an appearance. She yawned and threw the duvet off to the side. The kids getting her up at the crack of dawn was the down side to living at Amanda’s. Left to her own devices, she would sleep until noon.
The smile that teased the corners of Avril’s lips, her eyes becoming brighter made it all worthwhile though. Paige pushed herself up and out of the bed. “Hey Avril. Ready to get dressed?”
Avril nodded. Her tiny bare feet raced across the room and she disappeared down the hallway.
Paige grabbed her light cotton robe from the chaise lounge where she’d laid it out the night before. As she slipped it over her shoulders, she blinked wide a few times to clear the sleepiness. Surprisingly, she’d slept well, especially considering it was a new environment. It was such a change from Toronto; so quiet, no ambulance or police sirens or big trucks screaming by.
When she stepped inside Avril’s room the little girl hugged the bunny tight, staring at something across the room. Paige glanced over but the only thing breaking the monotony of the beige wall was the closet door gaping open. Avril giggled and then turned to face Paige, dropping the bunny and pushing down on the waistband of her pajamas.
“Hold on there, Avril. Let me get a change pad and some clothes first.” Paige snatched the lined pad from the change table and spread it on the floor. She hated using the high table now that Avril was so big. It probably wouldn’t be much longer that the toddler would need a diaper at night. She was practically perfect during the day, using the potty.
She leaned over and opened the drawer in the table, rooting around for undies and an outfit for the day. All the while, Avril stood in front of Paige, her tiny hands resting on her aunt’s thighs while she peeked around at something behind them.
“Here we go!” Paige held up the blue jean shorts and a pink top, smiling down at Avril. But the little tyke was intent on whatever game she was playing, peeking around and ducking back with a shrieking giggle.
Paige dropped the clothes onto the floor and she tickled Avril’s neck and shoulders. She began singing one of Avril’s favorites, “We’re gonna shake, shake, shake the sillies out.”
Scooping Avril’s legs out from under her, she lowered her niece onto t
he change mat. “Someone’s in a silly mood today.” In a flash the toddler’s diaper and pajamas lay in a heap and she was dressed in shorts and a T shirt.
When she took the little girl’s hand and led the way from the room, Amanda was just emerging from her bedroom. “How’d you sleep last night?” She smiled at Paige and bent to pick Avril up, giving her cheek a kiss.
There was a warmth in her chest when Paige looked at Amanda, seeing her already up and dressed for the day, looking after Avril now. This was definitely a good sign. “Great, actually; I slept like a rock. It’s so quiet here.” Paige stepped across the hall and hesitated, about to go into the bathroom. “How about you?”
“Wonderful. Of course we were pretty tired from the move but even so, I like the peace and quiet.” Amanda took a step down the stairs and then turned to Paige again. “I’m afraid it’ll be just pastries for breakfast. I’m going grocery shopping today to stock up.”
Paige nodded. “Need some help with that?”
“No. I’m good. Josh mentioned taking the kids swimming at the lake, Maybe you could join them. After working so hard yesterday, you need a break. It’ll be fun.”
Julian and Barney raced down the hallway, scampering between Paige and Amanda. “Swimming?” The young boy grinned up at his mother.
She ruffled his hair and bent to kiss his cheek. “Yeah. Hey! How about saying good morning to your Aunt Paige?”
Paige looked down for a moment picturing the hurt look in his eyes when she’d spoken sharply to him the day before.
There was just a momentary hesitation before he spoke, his eyes searching hers. “Hi Aunt Paige. Are you coming swimming too?”
“You bet!” A slow smile spread on her cheeks and she let out a long breath. It was like the music box thing the day before hadn’t happened.
“Come on, Julian. Give your aunt a chance to get ready for the day. Your dad’s fixing breakfast.”
Paige turned and went into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind her. She would make it up to Julian later that day. And she hadn’t been swimming in a lake since she was a kid camping with her family. This would be fun.
***
Twenty minutes later, finished in the bathroom, she wandered back to her own room to get dressed. She slipped the bathing suit on and then stepped over to the closet to get the terry-cloth cover-up. The white lace dress laying in a heap on the floor caught her eye. She could have sworn she’d hung it up so that the shoulder straps hooked into the slots in the hanger.
She picked up the dress, and her fingers brushed the satiny wood of the music box. For an instant the skin on the back of her neck prickled and she felt an icy chill wash over her bare arm. She looked down at the box and jumped when a single note sounded, high and ringing hollow.
Her heart was in her throat and she jerked her hand away quickly. Staring at the box, she took a deep breath. She must have jostled it making the roller move.
She hooked the dress onto the hanger, purposely threading the spaghetti straps inside the thin slotted hooks to ensure it stayed put. When she placed the hanger on the rod, she glanced down once more at the music box.
There was something about it...she wanted to pick it up and listen to the tune again. It wasn’t anything familiar, but rather some old fashioned song that was really kind of off-key and monotonous.
She sighed and bent to pick it up, standing in the closet opening and lifting the lid of the box slowly. Once more she twisted the wind-up key until it grew taut. The brass cylinder rolled slowly and the hollow bells of the tune filled her ears.
Paige’s chin dropped and her vision blurred, listening to the melody. She sank down onto the floor, holding the box on her lap.
Her mind filled with the picture of a young girl in a full dress, twirling gracefully, her fingers pinching the hem on one side, holding it at waist height. White lace frothed under a shimmering forest green skirt and a flash of smooth tawny thigh flashed as she danced. Auburn hair swept her shoulders, the waves and curls red hued when they caught the light.
The song stopped and Paige’s eyes once more became focused. She blinked and shook her head slightly, seeing her own dresses hanging limp in the closet. She got to her feet, shaking her head at the sudden lapse into sitting around daydreaming, listening to an antique music box. She should be getting ready. Josh and the kids would wonder what was keeping her.
She set the box back into the corner of the closet and spied her cover-up. She slipped it over her head and tightened the drawstring belt. At the sound of a car engine starting she stepped over to the window and peeked down into the driveway. The black jeep was backing up and then turning to drive out the driveway. Amanda hadn’t even waited until she was down for breakfast? The stores were probably not even open yet.
Paige slipped her feet into her sandals and left the bedroom. When she reached the bottom stair, Josh’s voice coming from the living room caught her up short. She stepped in and saw Julian sprawled on the sofa playing a game on his small tablet while Avril colored a poster on the floor. Josh was in the midst of stacking a bookshelf, emptying a cardboard box at his feet.
“Hi Paige. I saved a pastry for you. There’s still coffee in the pot if you want any but you may have to nuke it first.” Josh finished the last few books in the box and picked the container up, already on his way over to the entrance. “We figure you went back to bed so we didn’t bother you.”
“What?”
Julian set the tablet aside and rose from the sofa. “Can we go now?” From the whiney way he asked, his patience had worn thin.
Paige’s mouth fell open seeing the bottom of the kids’ bathing suits peeking out from under the long T shirts. Even Josh was in his light clam-digger trunks, picking the stack of towels up that were set at the end of the sofa.
Avril got up and trudged over to Paige, lifting her arms to be picked up. Her thumb plopped into her mouth, a sure sign that she was ready for a nap. Her head snuggled under Paige’s chin and the steady sound of her sucking her thumb drifted into Paige’s ears.
Paige slid her cell phone out of her pocket and glanced at the time. She gasped seeing that it was now just after nine. Oh my God. When she left her bedroom to get Avril changed it had been seven o’clock. Two hours had gone by since then. Two hours during which time she’d only managed to shower and get dressed.
She hugged Avril tighter to her body, and took a few deep breaths, fighting the sudden dizzy feeling that came over her. “I think I’ll skip breakfast.”
Josh turned and looked at his daughter. “She’ll be okay until we get back. We won’t be all that long and she can have a nap later. Maybe Amanda will be home by then.”
When Julian skipped by,Barney the burly black dog raised its head from its forepaws, and got up from the mat by the front door.
Paige fell into step behind the troupe, heading through the dining room and out the kitchen door to the backyard. When she looked at the sky, the sun was almost directly overhead, and not a breath of breeze stirred the sultry air. A trickle of sweat rolled down the side of her face and she swept it away with her finger.
It was a perfect day to cool off in the lake. Her gut was tight watching Julian and Josh walk ahead of her on the flagstone path leading to the lake. The poor little tyke waiting so long for her to come down. And the time lapse... She’d never lost a chunk of time like that.
Ever.
Chapter 10
Later that day...
As they trucked up the path refreshed from their swim, Josh paused and looked over at the barn doors. They gaped open once more.
“I have to fix those doors. I don’t want to leave tomorrow and have another animal get in there for you guys to deal with.” He sighed and walked over to the barn, leaving Paige with the two kids.
Julian was about to follow his father but Paige placed her hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “You’d better get out of that wet suit, kiddo. Besides, your mom might be home from the grocery store. Aren’t you hungry fo
r a popsicle?” It was a low blow, hitting him in the sweet tooth but she didn’t feel right about him being in the barn. Josh could take care of himself and he’d be too busy working to pay much attention to his son.
“Okay. But what about Daddy? He’s still in his wet bathing suit?” He looked up at her, squinting when the sun peeked out from behind a fluffy white cloud.
“He’ll be fine.” Paige shifted Avril higher on her hip, adjusting the small child’s weight from her tired arms. From the way she was sucking her thumb, she’d be out cold pretty soon.
Julian patted Barney’s head and then skipped along the path, bumping into the dog’s muscular back the odd time. When he reached the back door, it opened and Amanda stood there, holding an orange freezie out to her son. “I saw you coming,” she said with a smile.
When Paige stepped closer, Amanda lifted Avril from her arms and kissed the baby’s forehead. “How was it?” She turned and walked back into the kitchen.
“Wonderful. Just what the doctor ordered to cool off. I love that there’s a small beach for the kids.” Paige’s tummy growled as she stepped inside, spying a bowl of green apples on the granite island. She bit into one and squeezed her eyes at the tart flavor.
“Shhh!” Amanda held up a finger and then pointed at Avril, smiling as she left the room. Julian took a seat next to Paige, slurping loudly on the frozen treat.
He looked up at Paige and his eyes were narrow and serious gazing into hers. “I don’t like your bedroom.” He pushed the orange ice up the plastic tube and popped a piece into his mouth.
Paige paused mid bite and looked at him. Was it because of the bird or the music box, when she’d been cross with him? “Why not? I like it. It’ll be better when the window is fixed.” She looked over at the doorway. “I must remember to ask Amanda if she called the people to repair it.”
The Haunting Of Larkspur Farm (Ghosts and Haunted Houses): A Haunting In Kingston (The Hauntings of Kingston Book 4) Page 5