“Aunt CJ? Are you awake?”
Ashland fell back on the bed with his phone in hand, and I tried not to laugh at him. Everything was getting in the way of our lovemaking. Poor guy. Well, that was the price you paid when you had little ones.
“Yes, I am awake. I’m coming, Lily.” I scurried over and kissed Ashland briefly as I put my shirt back together. I whispered to him, “Why don’t you get the shower started? Just don’t use all the hot water before I get in there. This won’t take a minute.”
“Okay, but I was looking forward to your performance.” He smiled flirtatiously and got up as I headed to the hallway.
I smiled back and headed to Lily’s room. Hopefully she wasn’t sick. “Hi, kiddo. What’s the matter?” I closed the bedroom door behind me softly.
Lily’s pink and white pajamas were askew. I don’t know why, but the child always looked out of sorts. Her curly hair was in her eyes and she clutched her favorite book, Gulliver’s Travels, in her hands. “Will you read to me?”
Lily knew how to read perfectly well, but she loved when I read to her. I had to admit, I loved it too. Baby Boy didn’t have the patience for that sort of thing. Not yet, anyway. His trick for stalling bedtime was to ask for one more sip of water. He didn’t get those close to bedtime anymore. “Um, okay, but just one chapter. I’m pretty tired too.”
Walking toward her bed, I felt a blast of cold air hit me. Was the heat not working in here? I tucked her in the bed and checked the heater vent. It was blowing, but it wasn’t making much of a difference. It was pretty darn chilly in here. “Brr…no wonder you can’t sleep. I should bring a space heater in here. It will warm the place up. I don’t want you to get sick.”
“I like it cool. It doesn’t bother me. Read me the story, please. I’m getting sleepy.”
I stroked her hair and asked, “If you’re too sleepy for a story, why am I here?” It was meant to be a playful question, but her demeanor hinted that I’d struck the truth of the matter. Lily didn’t want me to read to her; she wanted to talk. Or she wanted me here. Both were certainly out of character. Lily didn’t usually like me lingering at her bedside when she was trying to sleep, and she rarely opened up about her feelings.
“What Rachel said about things getting worse, what did she mean? Are they really going to get worse? How? Are the ghosts coming back? The mean ones?”
Oh shoot. Darn it, Rachel. I knew Lily had been listening to every word. She was good at pretending that she wasn’t.
I rubbed her hand with mine. “No, I don’t think she meant the ghosts are coming back. Sometimes grown-ups say things they shouldn’t, like Aunt Rachel did tonight. You should know that Uncle Ashland and I are going to make this place safe for you, and for Baby Boy. We’re taking steps to do that.”
“But what if you make them mad? What if they kill us?”
“What? Why would you say that? No one is going to kill us, Lily.” I swallowed at hearing that. “Uncle Ash and I just want to help the people who are stuck here to move on. That’s all we want to do.”
“People do get stuck, don’t they?”
“I think so.”
“Why?”
That was actually a great question. “I wish I knew. All I know is they deserve to move on to a happy place—they deserve to be happy.”
“Not all of them are good, CJ.”
“I know, but maybe it’s just because they are stuck. I think that would make me grumpy too. That’s probably it, Lil. They can’t find the way to whatever is next. Our friends, the ones who are coming tomorrow, are going to help us help the people who are lost here.” She didn’t say anything else, but I could tell she wasn’t sold on the idea either. “We have each other. We look out for each other, don’t we? Where there is love, there is the power to do anything. We have to have faith in each other, Lily.”
She twisted the blanket beneath her fingers thoughtfully. “But what about the other people, your friends, the ones who died here? You loved them too, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did.” How did Lily know about Bette and TD? “Lily, I don’t want you to worry. Uncle Ash and I have a plan. We’re going to make this place safe for all of us, from top to bottom. I give you my word, I promise you. I love you, Lily.”
After a long pause she said, “I love you too, Carrie Jo.”
“But…you’re still worried about the ghosts.”
“Not exactly.” The room got colder, and although I knew that Ashland would be waiting for me, I couldn’t leave Lily. Not when she was so afraid. She didn’t want to talk anymore, but I didn’t need to. Her need went beyond words. My niece needed me to be there. Just to be present. That wasn’t a hard thing to ask.
“Shove over, Lil.” I put the book on the nightstand and crawled under the covers with her. I put my arm around her and held her as she got still. She’d be asleep soon, I hoped. And yet the air got colder, so cold that I had to pull my arm under the blanket. And then I got still.
And we were both fast asleep.
Chapter Three—Lafonda Delarosa
“Ma’am? Hello? Is there anyone here?” I called as I made yet another turn into the maze. I never cared for this maze, preferring the fragrant rose and herb gardens, but I couldn’t very well allow my visitor to get lost or come to any harm. Many of the hedges were so overgrown that you could barely push past them, and the greenery tended to attract black snakes. They liked hiding in the shrubs in hopes of nabbing an easy meal like a mouse or a bird. But they weren’t against nipping at the unsuspecting pedestrian.
Clutching her lost hat in my hands, I continued to search for her. How could she have gotten so far ahead of me? “Hello?”
I turned the corner and there she was, poised on a bench staring up at a statue, clearly lost in her thoughts. How strange was this sight! What was odd about it was how much she and the statue looked alike. Almost as if they were sisters. I wasn’t sure she knew I was there. I had to speak.
“Ma’am? I think you lost your hat.”
She turned her head slightly to acknowledge me, but then she went back to gazing at the once-white statue. I wasn’t much of an expert in statuary, but I was familiar with this one. There were many statues in the Moonlight Garden. I remembered Papa mentioning the statues in the maze and telling me they had some sort of connection to the stars. My visitor was clearly entranced with this one, but I couldn’t for the life of me recall the name of the character. Unsure what to do, I stood in the maze swatting at gnats; the creatures were determined to invade my ears and eyes. The air would cool off soon, but this afternoon had been markedly warmer than previous days. Perhaps it was just that I had worked all day. Yes, I looked like a housemaid and smelled like one too. No wonder the stranger found it so easy to ignore me. Just when I was ready to confront her and correct her on the matter, she rose from the bench. Despite her speedy trip to this corner of the maze, there wasn’t a hair out of place. The invader in my garden had a strange serenity about her as if she belonged here with these statues. She was clearly not cold, hard marble, but she loved these cold pieces of art. Especially this one.
“This is Taygete. Do you know who she is?” she asked pleasantly as she made her way to me and reached out to accept her hat. I gave it willingly. She was an older woman with light brown hair. There were many white streaks in her hair, and she had almond-shaped eyes. Green? Hazel? I couldn’t tell with the sun behind her.
“No, but I’ve heard that she and all the other statues were very old.”
At that, the woman laughed and said, “Not so old, I think. This is Taygete, one of the Seven Sisters. Her protector was Artemis, but even Artemis couldn’t save her from Zeus.”
“I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage. I am not a student of such things.”
I thought I saw her eyes blur with tears, but she didn’t let them flow. “You must be Lafonda Delarosa.”
“I am, but my housemaid did not tell me your name, I am sorry to say.”
She paused, a cryptic
smile on her face, extended her gloved hand to me and said, “Lady Rose, but you may call me Rose. I am eager to shed such formalities as titles. I am looking for a room, Miss Delarosa. I hear that you have rooms to let.”
I couldn’t help but feel both excited and cautious at hearing that. I had made no formal announcement about my opening Seven Sisters as a boarding house; only a few knew about it. “That’s correct. Are you interested in staying in Mobile for a considerable amount of time, Lady Rose?”
“Just Rose, please. I am quite serious about doing away with such formalities. My plans are uncertain at the moment, but I am prepared to pay whatever you require.”
She walked up the path as if she had every intention of going back to the house, but she kindly waited for me. As we walked, I had to wonder how she could possibly know the way back. There were too many twists and turns in the Moonlight Garden for anyone to navigate it like she did. Whoever designed the maze obviously took pleasure in creating false pathways and included plenty of dead ends, but Rose walked quickly as if she’d walked the leaf-covered paths a hundred times. As we made the last turn and stepped into the opening, she paused by the fountain. The sun would set soon, and I felt an unfamiliar urgency to retreat inside Seven Sisters. “What’s your business in Mobile, Rose? If you don’t mind me asking. You must have relatives nearby.”
“Not anymore,” she said as we walked up the steps and into the house. “Do you have a large family, Miss Delarosa?” Despite her obvious familiarity with the house, she waited for me to open the door.
“Please come inside.” I shook my head sadly and added, “Mama and I live here alone.” Come to think of it, it would be nice to have such an intelligent and interesting houseguest. “If you would like a room, we will certainly be glad to have you. There are two empty rooms upstairs; you can have your pick of either one of those. About my mother…”
“Yes?” she asked politely as she took a seat in the blue velvet chair by the fireplace. I pretended I didn’t notice her lovingly touching the arm of the chair. Earlier today, I had toyed with the idea of getting rid of it. It was a worn old chair with plenty of scars.
“Mama has suffered a great many losses. Both my brother and my father have died. She’s taken it all very hard.”
“I can understand that,” she said as I sat in the chair beside her.
“Mama cries on occasion, mostly at night. I hope that will not upset you. Of course I will do my best to keep her calm, but I wanted you to know about her condition in case you were a light sleeper.”
“I am familiar with loss, Miss Delarosa.” Her earbobs shook slightly as she spoke, as if they were testifying to the truth of her own emotion. “I assure you I will have patience with your mother while she grieves.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “We’ve been cleaning the house, so please pardon my appearance. The top floor is spotless, and I have a housemaid, Emma, who tends to everyone upstairs. Yvette is also here, but she works with me most days. We are determined to bring Seven Sisters back to her full grandeur. This house has seen so much tragedy as of late.”
She sat quite still for a moment; again I saw that strange blurriness in her eyes. I could feel her strong emotion bubbling right beneath the surface of her pale skin. I wanted to know more about her immediately, but Rose was on her feet now. “Yes, I can believe that. If you don’t mind, I will return with my things tomorrow. I am staying at the Fairleigh Hotel tonight.”
We settled on a price for her room, but she had a strange request. “I would very much like to stay in the room at the top of the stairs. The one facing the driveway. As it faces the morning sun, it will have morning light and that appeals to me. You see, I am a painter, Miss Delarosa, and I do my best work in the mornings.”
“Oh, that’s my room, and it is very small compared to the others. The room down the hall from me, the larger one, has plenty of morning light and is much finer. The bed has a fresh mattress, new curtains and a fine quilt.” Because a man was killed there not long ago. But I couldn’t say that. I could see by her expression that she was very unhappy to hear my refusal.
“I will pay double the price, Miss Delarosa. It is very important to me to stay in that particular room.”
Double the price? But why? I could hardly refuse her offer. I wanted to build my nest egg to improve our financial situation. Double the charge would certainly do that.
“I hope you will change your mind,” she added.
“Even if the room is smaller? It does tend to get warm quickly too,” I said, unsure what she could possibly be thinking.
“Yes, even still.”
“Very well. I’ll have my things moved out tonight. Emma can help me. But if you change your mind, as I think you might, please let me know.”
She rose from the chair and reached out her hand. I shook it politely, but I had so many questions I wanted to ask her.
“I’d better go back to the hotel. I don’t like traveling after dark. Thank you, Miss Delarosa.”
“If I am to call you Rose, you must call me Lafonda.”
She eased her hat on her head and smiled politely. It was a sad sort of thing, her smile. I got the feeling that she wanted to tell me a secret, but she did not reveal anything else. “Goodnight, Lafonda. Give my regards to your mother.”
“I will. Good night, Rose. I will make sure that everything is ready for you.”
I watched from the door as the woman climbed into the carriage with only a little help from her driver. She waved politely as they drove away, that same sad smile on her face. A blast of wind trailed behind her, as if it wanted to sweep her away. She didn’t look back again. I watched the magnolia leaves spin around and then settle.
Strange lady but kind. And undoubtedly, she had been here before. Yes, I was pretty certain of that, but I had no time to ponder the mystery further. Mama would be waiting for her supper, and Emma was less than useless in the kitchen. Somehow, I would have to pack my things tonight and vacate my room. As the sounds of the rickety carriage vanished, I began to rethink my position. Would I really give up my quarters so easily? Granted, it was a stuffy little room compared to the others, but it had been mine. All mine. I went out the back door and took the path to the kitchen house. One of these days we would have a modern kitchen, one not disconnected from the main house. We would have to build and improve Seven Sisters. Although that sounded like a lot of work, I was up to the challenge. Yes, I was ready to move forward and leave the past behind.
But apparently the past wasn’t quite ready to let me go. As I rounded the corner of the house, I practically walked into a man.
And that man was Paul Davenport.
Chapter Four—Carrie Jo
“Carrie Jo, wake up.” I heard a familiar voice summoning me back from the dream world. The air felt thick, and as my eyes flickered open, I could see the world was awash in a warm, honey hue. Paul’s face vanished and Ashland’s emerged from the muted dreamscape just as the stark colors of reality took shape. He was standing over me, a concerned look on his face. “It’s too cold for you to stay in this room. The heat’s not working in here.”
“Ash?”
“Yeah, it’s me. I’ve already moved Lily to our bed. AJ’s room is fine and so is ours. It’s just this one. Come to bed, CJ.” I took his hand, and we left the freezing room together. My teeth were chattering by the time we reached the door. Ashland wasn’t exaggerating—the place felt like a meat locker. What was going on in here? I was too sleepy and it was too cold for me to hang around and try to figure it out.
“Okay,” I mumbled. Ashland closed the door behind us, and I rubbed my arms as I trekked to my own bed. Images of Philip’s—Paul’s—face flooded my mind. Even though I had seen him for only the briefest of seconds before my dream ended, I could feel Lafonda’s turmoil at his presence. Her anger, sadness and confusion. But that wasn’t the biggest surprise of my dream walk.
Calpurnia Cottonwood had returned to Seven Sisters.
I would never
have guessed that. Why would she come back, and why all the mystery? She must have known that everyone had been looking for her to keep her identity such a secret. This was really all too much. I toyed with the idea of spilling the beans to Ashland, but he was yawning, I was exhausted, and Lily was curled up in our bed fast asleep with no worries.
I’ll tell him first thing in the morning. This can wait. Really…nope. Can’t do it.
“Ashland, I was dream walking. In Lily’s bed. I saw Calpurnia. She returned to Seven Sisters.”
He glanced at Lily and put his finger to his lips. Why didn’t he look surprised? I sure as heck was. He knew! Ashland knew she’d come back! But he was right about Lily. Nobody played possum like her. I nodded my head in agreement and settled down on the other side of my niece. My mind wandered for a while, long enough to hear the both of them snoring until I fell back to sleep. I didn’t dream again and woke up after everyone else. I could hear little feet playing in the hallway and Baby Boy doing his best at bossing his best friend and cousin around. Ashland was mediating the squabble with his usual tact and charm, and I heard the three of them head downstairs presumably to the kitchen for breakfast. My first thought was to immediately begin interrogating him, but that would prove tricky with the kids around. But I knew that he knew. No doubt about it.
I couldn’t believe that Calpurnia was back.
Why would she return to Seven Sisters when she had fought so hard to leave it? Look what it had cost her. And where was Muncie? Was he back too? And what about Paul? The faker certainly had some nerve showing up here again, and what was with him lingering in the garden and not coming to the front door, hat in hand like a real gentleman? Oh no. Don’t tell me he was still searching for the treasure!
As usual, I had more questions than answers, and then I remembered that the Gulf Coast Paranormal team was coming tonight. We’d invited them to come and help us find any remaining portals to the past and hopefully give us advice on how to close them. Midas was upfront about the whole process. Closing portals wasn’t a service he typically offered, but he said that solutions often presented themselves during the course of these investigations. Maybe we’d get lucky and learn what we should do to finally put the ghosts of Seven Sisters to rest.
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