The Ghosts of Summerleigh Collection

by M. L. Bullock

  “But the treasure. We never found the treasure,” he whined. I kissed his forehead and hugged him.

  “I do not think the treasure is out here, anyway. I have never seen Jameson hide anything out here. Tomorrow when the sun comes up, you should go to the attic and look. I know he hides things up there. But do not let him find you searching. It will be worse for you if you do.” He smiled and shook his head.

  I forced myself to smile back. How was I going to tell Father about this?

  Chapter Twelve—Jerica

  As always, Jesse was the first one out of bed. If the sun was up, he was too; he didn’t like sleeping in. I sure did, but with all the work we’d been doing, I wasn’t afforded many opportunities. Still, I wasn’t complaining. This was what I signed up for. At least I didn’t hear the saw roaring this morning. Most of the woodworking had been completed; all that was left was the fine-tuning. Small things mostly, except for the installation of the plantation blinds. Yep, that was today. My arms weren’t going to thank me. Those suckers were heavy to lift and hold.

  After a few seconds of enjoying the quiet, I took a peek out the window just in time to see Jesse’s truck driving down Hurlette. He’d be back soon with the shutters and window treatments. And Renee would be here too, if she wasn’t already, as well as a few extra hands eager to finalize the renovations at Summerleigh and prepare for her official opening as a bed-and-breakfast.

  There really wasn’t much left to do, and that awareness brought a little sadness. Why are you being so melancholy, Jerica? It was as if the mood of Pennbrook had touched me in some strange way. Yes, I had Mariana on my mind. Why was the girl reaching out to me? I had no connection to her—not like Harper, who had been my close friend.

  I heard a car horn honking in the distance. No time for daydreaming, Jerica. I had to get dressed so I could meet Jesse when he came back with the blinds. I looked forward to stretching my muscles and working with my hands, and I always slept better after a day of physical labor. As I headed off to my closet to retrieve today’s uniform, blue jeans and a loose t-shirt, my eye caught a glint of something shiny. Was that gold? I walked over to Jesse’s vacant pillow and picked up a thin necklace. Hey, there’s a pendant too! I held the jewelry up to the light to admire it better. It was a dainty gold chain with a gold heart dangling from it. It was a choker style, and from the look of it, this was real gold. A present? From Jesse?

  I smiled as I rubbed the smooth metal and turned it over in my hand. I gasped when I saw that there were initials engraved on it: MM.

  Mariana McIntyre?

  I looked around the room. No one had been in here, and if Jesse had mentioned anything about a necklace, I was sure I would have remembered it.

  Maybe… No. Don’t go there.

  Jesse probably found this when he was digging around in the attic the other day. He wanted to surprise me is all. Yeah, that made sense. I put the necklace on and hovered in front of the mirror to examine how it looked on me. It was pretty, and I hoped Mariana would be happy I had it. I touched it one last time and then got dressed. Five minutes later, I tied my tennis shoes, pulled my hair up on top of my head and fired up the coffeepot. Toast would be my breakfast, that and some coffee. As I smeared cold butter on the toast, I reached for the phone.

  Come on, Jerica. How impatient are you? You can wait a few minutes. He’ll be back soon.

  Instead of racing to the phone to ask Jesse about the necklace, I decided to be a grown-up and wait for the answers. I did a few more things around the house and then headed out with the keys in my hand. It was gorgeous out today. The sky was blue and clear with big, white puffy clouds. Not the kind of clouds that said, Hey, I’m going to rain, but the kind that made the sky appear as perfect as a picture. Yes, today had a dreamy kind of quality to it. A good dream, and I needed some of those after the strange hypnotic watching session I’d been having of Mariana and her family.

  Jameson confused me. And Mariana’s father should be ashamed of himself for being so distant, so unavailable. Did he intend to marry Claudette? I wondered how I could get more information. Surely there would be marriage records at the George County Courthouse? But maybe not. Jesse told me a couple of times that there was really no way of knowing much more about the McIntyre family since most of the historical data was missing.

  I was surprised to see that Renee had beaten me to Summerleigh. She was so excited about stocking the pantry, and she chattered on and on. I listened patiently and helped her with the work. Apparently, there was a new restaurant opening in Lucedale right across the street from her diner. She was none too happy about it. Not too long after I arrived, Jesse reappeared with the promised load of blinds and some extra hands to help with them. Emanuel was there doing some work on the second floor installing canister lights in the former nursery. The wiring was giving him fits, as he put it, but he was determined to make it all work. I was glad to hear that. That room needed as many cheerful lights as we could give it. I shivered thinking of Marisol’s bear hanging from the old fixture.

  “Jerica, did you hear me? I said you are all booked up for November. Can you believe that, you guys? And there are three major events on the books and lots of excited locals who have already paid in advance—isn’t that great?”

  I nodded my head with a smile and said, “That is exciting news. I had no idea it would be so popular. I hope we can maintain the excitement.”

  “No second-guessing yourself, Jerica. Not having a change of heart, are you?” Renee’s voice dropped, and she paused with her two cans of tomato sauce in her hands.

  “Of course not. I’m not going anywhere. It’s just that I’ve been thinking a lot about Mariana.”

  “The Lady in White? I haven’t seen a thing, have you?”

  “Not exactly, but I feel like there’s something she’s trying to tell me. Something about what happened to her. Everyone else has been found, and the truth is out about the Belle family secrets, but what about Mariana? Maybe she needs something too.”

  Renee twisted her lips and furrowed her brows thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t be in too big of a hurry to solve every mystery, Jerica. Every old house needs a Lady in White, and you’ve got one. A real one. Look, you’ve done so much for Harper and those girls. You brought Jeopardy home. I mean, you’ve just done a lot already. Don’t go putting yourself in danger again.”

  And for the first time today, I thought of Eddie. Shouldn’t I be more afraid of the living than the dead? I’d heard that somewhere before. “I don’t intend to, Ree-Ree.”

  “Sometimes we have all the answers we want; we can’t always know everything that happened. Maybe Mariana just wants to be remembered by someone.”

  “Maybe.” I couldn’t believe Renee’s attitude. What was she saying? What did she mean? That I should keep the Lady in White around like some kind of paranormal pet? I wasn’t going to pay a bit of attention to that advice. I was going to find out what happened to Mariana. One way or another.

  Jesse’s handsome face appeared in the doorway. He pointed his power tool at me and said, “There’s the girl I’m looking for. I could use your help with this. I brought Frank, but you know how handy he is. No offense, cousin.”

  She laughed at that. “None taken. I’ll be the first to admit that Frank has two left feet and about ten thumbs. Y’all have fun. I’ll catch the phone if it rings.”

  I followed Jesse to the front room, and we immediately began to unpack the first set of blinds. Fortunately for us, the shutter company had them all marked. “Hey, that’s a nice necklace. I don’t remember seeing that before,” he said as the power drill whirred the screw into place.

  “You left it for me. It was on your pillow.” I elbowed him playfully as I toyed with the pendant.

  He frowned. “No, I didn’t.”

  My stomach felt like I was standing in an elevator that had decided to drop a few floors. “But I thought…” I dropped the pendant like it was on fire. “Okay. Then this is going to be really weird. Check
this out.” I held the pendant up for him to examine. He pushed his glasses up on his nose, and his eyes widened as he read the monogram.

  “Does that say MM?”

  “Some coincidence, huh?”

  All of a sudden, Renee walked through with a basket of candles and picture frames. She got closer to see the pendant and said, “How lovely. Not to make myself look like an eavesdropper, but it sounds like The Lady in White left you a present.” Jesse and I locked eyes as she walked through to the Great Room.

  I dropped my voice and said, “And there’s something else. I have to tell you about this photo that was in Harper’s old room. It’s of Addison’s wedding day. I don’t know how it got there because it wasn’t there when I lay down. It’s like both Harper and Mariana are trying to tell me something!”

  Jesse had no chance to answer me because Renee popped back into the room. “Hey, I hate to interrupt, but there is a man here who wants to speak to the owner about possibly renting a room. He’s in the kitchen.”

  I don’t know why, but I stammered. Jesse said, “I’ll go. Be right back.”

  I stopped him. “If you don’t mind, let’s call it a day. Round everyone up and head home, and we’ll regroup tomorrow. There’s some stuff going on, and I need to make sure it’s safe for our guests before we open.”

  “Are you sure, Jerica? If you don’t think it’s safe, I should stay with you,” Jesse said.

  I put my hand on his chest and gave him a soft kiss. “I’m sure. I’ll see you back at your place soon.” I gave them a weak wave and headed up the stairs. I had to clear my head.

  I had so much to think about. I had to figure this all out. Was this gift really from Mariana? Was she trying to tell me that she approved of what I was doing? That she wanted me to keep digging?

  Nope. Nothing. I didn’t have any answers.

  All I knew was I had to find them.

  Chapter Thirteen—Mariana

  My birthday began like any other day, with the exception of the early arrivals at Pennbrook. A constant string of carriages rolled down the driveway, a precursor of tonight’s festivities. I had expected to experience some anxiety at the prospect of my first official party as “the Lady of Pennbrook,” but I was not prepared for this. And I’d had no idea I would spend this day without Claudette by my side.

  However, I quickly realized the arrivals were here not to see me but rather to speak with my father. These men were his closest friends, or more to the truth, men of enterprise who had some business affiliation with Mr. Michael Bull McIntyre. Yes, Father obviously had some deal brewing in the pot, as he sometimes bragged, and these men were here for that purpose. They certainly wouldn’t be here to see me. Would they?

  The anxiety rose again, but I wasn’t given much time to dwell on the meaning of it. Mrs. Tutwiler had managed to leave her son Donnie, who was faring better now after her ministrations. She’d been kind enough to come and set the house straight, oversee the arrangement of the decorations I had selected, and manage the food preparation. I had never been so happy to see the stern-faced woman. She appeared almost as excited as I was today. Her arrival lifted my mood; despite the machinations of my turncoat friend, it was going to be a joyous day.

  Mrs. Tutwiler cooed over the magnolia swags I had cut and braided. I followed her around as she relocated them one by one, and I had to admit, her ideas were far more elegant than mine. She informed me in a whisper that Father had arranged for a three-piece ensemble to play a special concert in my honor at the beginning of the ball, and she assured me that every detail had been arranged. I felt very relieved to know that the weight of this celebration, of my own birthday, was not resting upon my incapable shoulders.

  Claudette obviously did not come to my room as we had initially planned and thus was not there to fix my hair or help me prepare for the ball. Mrs. Tutwiler assisted me—I wanted to wear the new rose gown from my father, but she assured me that I should wait until later in the evening to put it on. This was my first ball, so I trusted her counsel. As she finished getting me ready, she said, “Your mother would be so proud to see this day. You have grown into a beautiful young woman, Mariana. Yes, she would be perfectly pleased with the sight of you.”

  With some surprise, I asked, “You knew my mother, Mrs. Tutwiler? Why have you never said so?”

  Before we could continue our conversation, there was a knock at my door. A recognizably confident knock, not Claudette’s soft tapping or Jameson’s irritating series of pecks.

  Mrs. Tutwiler hurried to the door to welcome my father. Mr. McIntyre was dressed in his best suit, his newest black one, along with a crisp white shirt with a black and silver bow tie. Father looked quite the picture, almost handsome. And he had gone to the trouble of waxing his mustache, too. I twirled about one more time as he showered me with compliments. Mrs. Tutwiler left us alone to talk about whatever it was he wanted to talk about.

  And to think, I’ve been waiting since last night for this opportunity, and now it has presented itself to me. I will tell him everything! No one makes a fool out of Bull McIntyre! Or his daughter!

  The door closed behind him, and I settled into my chair by the window and invited him to sit opposite me. “Thank you for my new dress, Father. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever owned. I look forward to wearing it later on. Thank you for the party and all the gifts. I can’t believe how many people have arrived already.”

  “The Lotts are coming too. I want you to be kind to their son, Thaddeus. He is close to your age and an intelligent young man.”

  I promised to do so but couldn’t worry about this request right now. I had much more pressing matters to discuss with him. Father smiled and slapped his knees as if that was all he had to say and he was ready to leave. I couldn’t allow that. I had to tell him what I knew now before he could be embarrassed by it. And I was afraid that if I did not speak my mind now, I wouldn’t have the courage to do so later. I just blurted it out, and as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized this may not have been the wisest course of action.

  “I have to tell you something, Father. It concerns Claudette Paul—and Jameson.” He tilted in his chair and surveyed me coolly. I swallowed and continued, “Last night, Jacob and I were outside. You know how he takes to wandering at all hours sometimes. We were coming back to the house, and I…I mean, we saw Claudette and Jameson. Together.” I averted my eyes, unwilling to watch his anger erupt. Like so many said, Bull McIntyre was as unpredictable as they come if you got on his bad side. I never wanted to be on his bad side. I waited quietly, expecting a burst of angry, colorful language. But to my surprise, it never came. He remained quiet, controlled. He twisted the ends of his waxy mustache with his fingers and waited. Regret washed over me.

  Why had I chosen to say this now? I rarely received visits such as this from my father, and to sully the moment with what he would surely consider gossip was a horrible idea. But as they say, in for a penny, in for a pound. I stammered on, “I do not believe that their meeting was altogether a holy meeting, sir. I thought you should know about it.” I tilted my chin up now and looked him square in the eye. He didn’t rage or scream or berate me. A low, dry laugh rolled out of his chest.

  “And what would you know about holy meetings, Mariana? Are you insinuating that your brother and Miss Paul were behaving in an intimate manner? If you are going to make the accusation, you must be more specific. For you see, the arrangements have already been made. Unless you have seen them coupling or lying naked together, I cannot break my contract. Is that what you are saying? Speak plainly.”

  I blinked at his question. What was he asking me? Did he want details? I would not back down because I knew that what I had seen was not my imagination. They were not spirits in the moonlight. “I am sorry to hear that, but I did see them together. Ask Jacob if you do not wish to rely on my testimony alone. He saw it too. He was there. I swear it, Father.” I felt the tears rise now, and my face flushed. This was getting worse by the minute
. Not only did I have to tell my father bad news, but he did not believe me. “They were kissing one another and touching and doing other things, and Jacob–”

  Father raised his hand and walked to the doorway. I could hear him asking Mrs. Tutwiler to bring Jacob to him. We sat in silence and waited for my brother to appear. Music was beginning to play downstairs; the musicians were tuning their instruments. I could hear laughter and lively talking; apparently, the libations were being served. My ruffles wilted around me, my neck felt sweaty, and my face was moist with tears. Yes, I intensely regretted telling him anything. Why had I done it? This was my party, and I had allowed Jameson to take the joy from my celebration. What was even worse was I knew my father did not believe me or did not want to believe me. I could not be sure which.

  Jacob entered the room, and his big dark eyes shone with curiosity. He had been playing in the dirt; it was all over his knees. I surmised he’d been digging for Jameson’s treasure somewhere outdoors. He’ll dig holes in the yard and blame it on Father’s dogs.

  “Son, your sister says you were wandering last night. Is that true?”

  Without missing a beat, he shook his head. “No, Father. But I have been outside all day today. I am about to get a bath and get ready for sister’s party.”

  “Jacob, do not lie. Tell Father the truth. Tell him what we saw on the way back. Go on,” I said as I gripped the sides of the chair desperately.

  “I did not see anything, sister. I was asleep in my bed. Maybe you were dreaming?”

  I jumped to my feet and blinked back tears. “You have to tell the truth, Jacob. Why are you lying? Is it to protect Jameson? You must see how this could hurt Father. Tell him what you saw!” I stamped my foot at him, but his innocent expression never wavered. He glanced fearfully at Father.

  “You may go now, Jacob. Get your bath and come downstairs for the concert.” Jacob walked to the door and gave me a cryptic look before he left the room.