My mother’s fist slammed down on the desk, or something. “There is nothing shameful about my family, Anne Overstreet. How dare you say such a thing! As you remind me, your daughter is married—to my son. She is a Delarosa now, and as far as the world knows, she carries his child. Or would you like the truth about that little fact to come out?”
Anne said something, but I couldn’t hear her. She was equally angry but calmer than my mother. “How do we know what the truth is, Jacinta? Perhaps your son mishandled my daughter, took advantage of her before they were married. I have no reason to suspect otherwise. Memphis has always been a good girl, the best behaved, the most modest.”
“No reason? It was not modesty that got her in this condition. She told you herself that Max Davenport was the child’s father. You know that my son would never dishonor Memphis. He loves her, and he is no murderer.”
“And who killed Max Davenport, Jacinta? Who? It must have been someone in this house!”
“What do you care about Max Davenport? I would think you would be grateful that he was gone. Your daughter’s secret is safe.”
Anne’s voice dropped, and I could not hear her reply.
“All I have ever done is try to bring our children together, for their happiness, for our mutual satisfaction. What is done is done, Anne.”
“You tried to pass your idiot son off on my daughter—on me. You took advantage of her condition and my kindness. He is damaged, and what kind of husband would he be? What kind of father?” My stomach turned to hear Jonatan described in such a way. I heard a mean slap, and then Anne yelped in pain.
“Get out of my house, Anne Overstreet! Do not come back here again. You are no longer welcome here.”
“I am going, but I am taking my daughter with me.”
“What do I care? Let her face her own future. I am sure she will reap as much shame as she deserves.” Mama said nothing else but stomped to the door. I ran across the hall and hung back in the opposite room.
Five minutes later, Memphis was leaving. Nobody cared that she was pale and sickly, that she could barely catch her breath as she walked down the stairs. At least she was no longer bleeding, but she cried pitifully and begged to stay at Seven Sisters. To her credit, all she talked about was Jonatan. Mama and Anne exchanged a few barbs while Memphis wept; I hovered back, unwilling to get involved in their fight. When the door slammed behind them, Mama returned to the study, and now I could hear her weeping.
What should I do now?
Not long after my sister-in-law rolled away in her carriage, another pulled up in its place. Lettie was nowhere around, and the other two housemaids were busy airing out Jonatan’s room. No matter. I was not too proud to greet a visitor. We had so few of them these days.
As Papa was nowhere around, I walked to the front door and opened it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The open carriage held two passengers: my new friend, Philip Beaumont, whose blond hair glistened in the sunshine, and Jonatan, who was dirty from head to toe.
With the biggest smile I’d ever worn, I ran to meet them, but my joy was short-lived. My brother did not recognize me. He did not hurry out of the carriage and challenge me to a footrace as was his custom. There was no barrage of silly names or kisses and hugs. The dark circles under his eyes, his gaunt frame and his dirty clothes sickened me for his sake.
My brother had returned to Seven Sisters, but he returned to us a changed man. I would never have guessed how much.
Chapter Eleven—Carrie Jo
“Guess who’s here?” Rachel’s voice sang over my phone. “I’m at the front door with coffee and donuts. Please open the door, Carrie Jo.”
“What?” I said with a smile, happy to hear Rachel’s voice; she sounded like her old self. As I opened the door to let her in, I realized that not only did she sound like the Rachel I knew and loved, she looked like her too. No more slicked-back hair, angry expression and excessive black eyeliner. Her hair was soft and brushed without a hint of gel in it. She had a big smile on her face and even wore earrings. She had ditched the nose ring too. For some reason, I thought of Mia, my late friend who had always been so changeable in life. Mia would sometimes show up looking like Marilyn Monroe, and the next day you’d swear she was Cleopatra reincarnate. I wondered, and not for the first time, whether Mia’s ability to change like that had something to do with her mental illness. And was I seeing these symptoms again with Rachel? I hoped not.
“What an awesome surprise,” I said as I opened the door and took her into the kitchen.
“Where’s AJ?”
“He’s taking a nap, and don’t you dare wake him up,” I warned her with a smile.
“Nope, not going to do it. It’s you I want to talk to, you and Ashland. Here, have a coffee.”
“Thanks, Rachel. Ashland isn’t here, so you’ll have me all to yourself. This is so…unexpected.”
“Just like old times, huh?”
“Yeah, I was kind of thinking that.”
Before I could ask her how she was doing and what she’d been up to, she blurted out, “So, are we getting the band back together, boss? I need to know because I’ve got some decisions to make.”
“You mean the restoration business? All that kind of stopped when Ashland got sick, Rachel. I think at this point, we’re just taking things one day at a time. I would love to start the business back up, but even if we did that today, it would take a while to get our first client.” I couldn’t believe we were talking about this. What would Ashland say? He and I hadn’t even talked about it with each other, not in any real way.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I know for a fact there is more work to do; we still have Idlewood, and I am the new head of Restoration for Idlewood. Can you believe that? The Brotherhood owns the place now and wants me to finish the work there, but I told them I couldn’t accept their offer until I knew what you and Ashland were going to do. So, that’s why I’m here.” She steadily pulled donuts out of the bag, six of them, all covered in powdered sugar.
“I have mixed feelings about that, Rachel. I want you to take over at Idlewood, of course, I mean you are uniquely qualified to do so, and thank goodness those horrible Taylors are gone…but the Brotherhood? Do you really trust them? Austin—I mean, David—didn’t trust them at all, and he had been with them for years.”
“I don’t trust anyone anymore. It’s not a matter of trust. It’s the opportunity. Surely you get that, CJ.”
That stung my heart deeply, but I nodded. What Rachel had been through with Angus, well…it had changed her, and she was right. Working at Idlewood was a unique opportunity for anyone in our field. Rachel swirled a black swizzle stick around in her coffee and then placed it on the napkin beside her. Still guarded, still afraid. I toyed with the idea of saying something like, “It’s his loss,” or “He’s not worth it,” but she knew that already. I couldn’t understand why she’d fallen so hard for Angus, but she certainly had.
Sometimes people break our hearts and we’re okay. Other times, we’re not. It’s a tough thing to deal with.
“I know that keeping your heart in a box seems like wisdom, Rachel, but you can’t live like that. You have too much love to give.” She was frowning at my answer, but Baby Boy ran into the room at hearing her voice.
“My favorite Moon Pie and Chunk-a-lunk!” she said as she scooped him up. “Goodness, you weigh a ton.”
“I’m not a pie!” he squealed, giggling as she tickled him all over. He hugged her neck and kissed her cheek and was just as quickly gone again. It was good to see her smile, even if only for a few brief seconds.
“It’s not just Angus, Carrie Jo. I just can’t trust myself. I’m mad at me more than anyone. I feel like everyone thinks I’m a fool.”
“I don’t think anyone who knows you believes that, Rachel. If I have ever made you feel like a fool, then tell me about it. We have that kind of friendship, you know.”
She stuffed a donut in her mouth and smiled, covering her powdered lips with h
er hand. Of course, she changed the subject. “So no on the business, then? I was hoping that was why Ashland called me.”
“Ash called you?”
“Yes. You didn’t know?”
“No, but I’m not surprised. We’ve had a lot going on lately.”
“The Brotherhood’s offer is a good one. I can’t pass it up.”
“You don’t have to sign in blood, do you?” I said, trying to joke with her. I immediately regretted saying it.
“No. Not this time.” She brushed crumbs off her fingers and whispered, “I don’t understand, Carrie Jo? How can you so easily walk away from Tallulah, Bridget and Gage? They are all still there at that house. I don’t think we uncovered all the pieces of that puzzle.”
Should I tell her the Black Wolf has been defeated now? That Muncie vanquished him once and for all?
“When do we ever have all the pieces? I still have questions about my own life.”
Rachel rubbed her hands on a paper towel to remove the sugar. “Yeah, but I want to understand why the Shadow Man came for Angus. I want to know…well, so many things.”
I nodded in complete agreement. It sounded like Idlewood was Rachel’s Seven Sisters.
“What about Marcus? Have you seen him again?”
“No,” I confessed, “but I plan on it. There’s been no time. And when I have had the time, I just don’t do it. I don’t know why.”
Rachel brushed the rest of the powdered sugar off her hands. “Trust your instincts, Carrie Jo. If he’s not on the level…”
“I don’t distrust him. That’s not it. I’ve just been so focused on Ashland. It would have been nice to have talked more with Marcus that day, but we got interrupted and I was in such a crazy state of mind. Ashland coded, and I stayed with him from that minute forward. At least Muncie is still with me.”
Rachel’s eyes widened, but she didn’t ask me any questions. “I’m sorry that I’m like this,” she said. “I want to shake this off, I really do. Just don’t give up on me, Carrie Jo.”
“Never. You know that.” I squeezed her hand. We hugged and sat in silence with our coffee for a few moments. “Hey,” I finally said, “have you ever heard of Philip Beaumont? He was the son of Louis Beaumont, Calpurnia’s uncle.”
She raised a dark eyebrow and scrunched her lips. “I never heard of him, and I did that extensive family tree for Ashland, remember? There were plenty of Beaumonts in his lineage, but no Philip that I recall. And I don’t think Louis had any children, at least not that I know about.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, pretty sure, but I can check when I get home.”
“Would you?” I stared out the window thinking about Lafonda’s new beau. I hoped he wasn’t a charlatan like David Garrett had been. He was obviously after the treasure, but I hoped against hope that he wasn’t going to break her heart. Or worse. Someone in Seven Sisters’ past needed to have a happy ending. It was looking less and less likely that Memphis and Jonatan would.
“You really have no idea why Ash called me?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea. Maybe he just missed you like we all do. We love you, Rachel. Please don’t leave our lives again.”
“I’m trying, Carrie Jo. I better go. I promised Mom I’d pick up a few things at the store. Keep me posted on the business; if you talk to Ashland and decide to reopen, let me know quickly. I am offering you two first dibs at me. You know I would rather work with y’all than anyone else in the world. And tell Ashland I came by to see him. Where’s he at today?”
“With Henri. They’ve gone to tackle some project over at the Dale House. Some lights need replacing or something.”
Rachel stood up and dusted the powder off her clothes. “If I could just walk through Seven Sisters one more time, Carrie Jo. I’d be eternally grateful.”
“Sure, be my guest,” I said. She was right; we’d had some good times here back when it was the two Rachels, Chip and the other archaeology student whose name escaped me all of a sudden. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t feel right about letting her walk around the house by herself. Rachel seemed fragile, so I followed her quietly. AJ was happily wrecking the Blue Room; I could hear him playing and laughing at something he found funny.
Hmm…I should probably go see what my son is up to.
Rachel sang softly to herself, a song I suspected I had heard before but couldn’t quite remember where. We walked into the empty ballroom, and she spun around for a minute. “I have always loved this room.”
I wished I could agree with her. Besides Detra Ann and Henri’s wedding, the ballroom didn’t summon up too many good memories for me. I closed my eyes briefly as the images of the horrible dance and Jeremiah Cottonwood’s terrifying apparition came rushing back.
“What was it like, Carrie Jo? Seeing all those spirits in here?” I don’t know why, but her question made me shudder. Was it getting cold in here? “Were these the doors they walked out of? Terrence Dale, Bette and…”
“Why are you asking me about this, Rachel? You know the story; you were here for some of it. What’s going on?”
Rachel’s sad expression had me curious and worried about her. “You know, the Brotherhood thinks this place—not necessarily this room but the entire property—is a portal. So is Idlewood to a lesser degree. They think it is important to study the house, and I would not be surprised if they talked to you about it. What would you say, Carrie Jo? Would you be willing for their team to come here, at least for a few days?”
“One of the last things Austin said to me was to be careful of the Brotherhood. I think that’s advice I’m going to listen to, Rachel. Austin was our friend; in fact, if it hadn’t been for him, we wouldn’t have been able to take back Seven Sisters.”
“Was he really your friend? I think you and I both know Austin Simmons and David Garrett were the same person. Can you honestly say you want to be friends with David Garrett? You know what he was—and is—capable of. You would actually trust him?”
“Didn’t the Brotherhood trust him?” My heart beat faster, and I smiled nervously at her. I hoped this wasn’t true. I hoped she wasn’t here on their behalf. “You’re not here for them, are you?”
“No, but I want answers, Carrie Jo. I need them.” Both her voice and her eyes hardened.
I shivered again. “I have to check on Baby Boy. Do you want to come to the Blue Room where we can talk about this more? He’s awful quiet.” Any way to get her out of here. Was the room having an effect on her, or was it just my imagination?
She nodded her head, her bob bouncing around her shoulders. Ashland James wasn’t into mischief—this time. He was making a mountain out of his blocks and talking to his imaginary friend. At least it wasn’t the “doggy.”
Rachel sat beside me on the couch and said, “I’ve been thinking about TD a lot lately.”
“You too?” I asked with some surprise.
“Yeah, and David and Isla and how they traveled through time to find one another. Do you think that’s possible, Carrie Jo? You dream walk, you dream about the past, isn’t that a kind of time travel?”
“I guess, technically, you could call it that.”
“I have always felt like I was born at the wrong time. Since my trip to Scotland, that feeling has gotten so much stronger. I always knew that Angus wasn’t the one for me even though I wanted him to be. I think, like my mother, I missed my chance to find my soul mate. Time interfered with our happiness. David chose to go back to Isla; he left my mother for her, again. I think that’s happening to me too.”
“Don’t say that, Rachel. You’ve just had some bad luck. It happens. You can’t blame that on time. What is it Detra Ann always says? You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince. You just haven’t kissed the right frog yet.”
And then she started giggling. “Ashland would be thrilled to hear you call him a frog.”
I smiled, unsure how to take her comment. “Angus didn’t deserve you, Rachel. He should have been h
onest about his marital status from the beginning so at least you’d know what you were getting into. I am sorry he wasn’t, but you can’t give up on finding someone if that’s what you really want. Until you find Mr. Right, be the most powerful Rachel Kowalski you can be. We don’t know that everyone lives twice or whatever. To tell you the truth, I’m not comfortable with the idea that some of us don’t seem to move on. But I can’t deny what I have experienced, what I have seen. Still, I wouldn’t give up this life for anything.”
“Yes, but you have a happy life. You have a husband and a son—this house.”
“And you have a lot too, Rachel. You have a grandmother who would walk through hell for you. A mother who has worked her fingers to the bone to put you through college. A group of friends who love you. We’re a wacky bunch, but we’re loyal. Please, look at what you have, not what you don’t have. Don’t be in such a hurry to trade this life for another…none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow, Rach.”
She flung her arms around my neck and began to cry. I held her and let her sob it out. Baby Boy came close and watched for a minute and then climbed up in my lap.
He was crying too. Rachel hugged him as he told her, “It be okay. Okay, now.” Then he said a bunch of gibberish, but it was all love. I wiped my tears away and reached for a handful of tissues. I gave some to Rachel and one to Baby Boy and kept the rest for myself.
“Promise me, Rachel. Promise you won’t do anything stupid. I was just telling Ashland yesterday, I can’t lose one more person. I refuse to lose one more person.”
“I promise, Carrie Jo. I’m not doing anything stupid, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Then I had a bright idea. “If you go back to Idlewood, we’re going with you.”
“You mean that?”
“Yeah, I mean that. I’ll have to run it by the ‘boss,’ but I think we can do that. There’s really not much left to do over there. It might actually be good to think about something else besides Seven Sisters, especially after everything that’s happened recently.”
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